The Philips Livable Cities Award is an initiative designed to generate practical, achievable ideas for improving the health and well-being of people living in cities. Individuals, community or non-governmental organizations and businesses are eligible to participate in the Award program that comprises a total prize fund amounting to 125,000 Euros.
With the aim of developing simple solutions to the complex challenges faced by the residents of cities today, the program consists of three distinct award categories:

  • Well-being Outdoors: initiatives that will help citizens feel safe in public spaces or help create city identity and foster a sense of belonging
  • Independent Living: initiatives that will help the growing number of elderly people living alone to feel secure and comfortable in a city, with appropriate access to healthcare
  • Healthy Lifestyle at Work and Home: initiatives that will support a healthy body and mind, whether through a person’s surroundings or via other essentials such as exercise, sleep and diet.

An overall award of 75,000 Euros will be granted for the best idea submitted in any of the three categories. There will also be two additional awards of 25,000 Euros each for the best submissions in the two categories not covered in the overall award. The award criteria will be developed by an international panel of experts chaired by Richard Florida, author of The Great Reset, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and Professor of Business and Creativity at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Tags:

admin on August 10th, 2010

Wouldn’t it be great to get everything you are looking for in one place? It would be awesome if you could get stylish furniture, tailored looks, and great home decor all at one location. Littlewoods has it. It has it all. YOu can find any and everything you could ever want or need at Littlewoods. No matter what you are looking for Littlewoods probably has it available online. If you need to revamp your bathroom you can from top to bottom. They have everything you need to totally redo an entire room. You can buy a brand new bedroom set, the bedding, and the lighting all together at the same time at discounted rates with Littlewoods.com discount voucher. You do not need to go to different stores. No running to a furniture store, home improvement store, and then a department store. You can do one stop shopping while sipping cocoa at your desk in your pajamas. Littlewoods offers great pricing and awesome shipping rates. You can get everything you need delivered right to your door and never have to worry about lugging home heavy boxes or loading and unloading them from a truck. You can just sit back and relax and have everything brought directly to you.

Tags: , , ,

admin on April 12th, 2010

Payday loans are being attacked by other lenders for their high interest rates. It is surprising that banks are attacking the payday loans when the rates on the bank credit cards are far from low and rising every day. The rise in the interest rates even affect good customers. The reason is that the other lenders do not like the competition.

The payday loans serve a purpose in society. They issue money quickly for emergency situations for which a bank will never issue a loan. The rates are somewhat higher on payday loans but they are meant to be paid back fast. When the next paycheck or the one after that is issued, the person can then pay off the loan. This is in reality how the loan works and an honest lender will make sure this is known.

In this economy it makes little sense in risking one’s employment. If a car is needed to get to work, it is better to have it fixed immediately even if one of the payday loans is required for the cash. Adding the amount to an already overloaded credit card might not be an option. Besides, the amount would be thrown in with the other charges and be paid for over a long time. The payday loans are extinguished in a short amount of time.

Tags:

admin on April 9th, 2010

Debt5A debt management plan is the most usual way for finding a way out of debt. They are not suitable for all people in all circumstances but in this article we will examine some of the pros and cons.

Generally debt management plans are drawn up with the help of debt management experts during a single or a series of face to face meetings. During these meetings the financial circumstances of the client will initially be analysed in detail to determine if indeed a debt management plan is the best option.

Once this has been decided, the person organising the plan, the debt manager,  will contact the client’s creditors and attempt to negotiate a cessation of late payment penalties being charged to the accounts, to negotiate reduced or frozen interest payments, and to negotiate an extended repayment period.

The debt manager will take one monthly payment from the client and distribute it to the client’s creditors until the debts are repaid. The single payment will include an element for the debt manager’s fees.

Some of the major benefits of a debt management plan are:

* Monthly repayments are fixed so there are no uncertainties regarding future payments
* In many cases interest rates are frozen and additional charges are stopped
* It is far simpler to make a single repayment that to pay a collection of individual creditors
* Some of the creditors may be able to stop late fees and lower interest rates.

Some of the downsides of a debt management plan are:

* It is necessary to close all credit card accounts
* They are only appropriate for people who have a regular income and can keep to the repayment schedule
* Once a repayment amount has been agreed, only rarely it is renegotiable
* Credit rating are adversely affected by debt management plans
* A debt management plan is only appropriate for unsecured loans

Tags:

admin on December 5th, 2009

auto5With all the things that the Internet does, more and more people are using its power to get auto loans online.  Shopping for the best loan rates on the Internet has helped to make the car financing process that much more efficient and painless, because you can work with multiple lenders and not have to deal with mountains of paperwork.  Best of all, you don’t even have to leave your home to get an auto loan at a competitive rate.

There are websites that not only help you get an auto loan, they can walk you through the entire car purchasing process, from vehicle selection, to the loan quote and application process, to getting the vehicle at your chosen dealership.  Here are some things that you can do to be considered for auto loans online.

  • Select your car- there are online resources that allow you to select make, model, even color.  Now is a good time to figure out how much car you can afford, and most sites offer a “calculator” function that will help you estimate how much you will be paying each month.
  • Provide your contact and other basic information, such as your name, birthdate and Social Security number, and proof of employment.
  • Fill out the loan application
  • Talk to a loan specialist

Getting a car on the Internet is fast and easy, and getting auto loans online is easy as well.  It’s fast becoming the most popular way to buy vehicles, and it seems to be here to stay!

Tags: ,

admin on December 1st, 2009

in16Internet is used for a large number of purposes. There are a lot of people who also use internet for making money. Hyip schemes are a way to earn money by investing money. Hyip refers to high yield investment programs. Anyone who wants to invest his money for getting good returns can invest his money in these schemes. It is true that one can earn interest ranging from 5% to 250% per month by investing his money in different hyip schemes. If you are new to hyip schemes then you should understand that internet is full of numerous hyip schemes.

One needs to find out a trustworthy hyip scheme where he can invest his money. For saving yourself from hyip scams you should always do research about a hyip scheme before trusting it. Different websites over the internet can be used for knowing about various hyip scams. One should beware of those hyip schemes which offer a fixed rate of interest on investments. Mostly such hyip schemes are scams. Those hyip schemes which do not put the collected money in any good investment program are scams. Such hyip schemes stop working the moment new member stop joining them.

Tags: ,

admin on November 19th, 2009

payday81Cash advance on a payday is a common solution that most rely on every once in awhile. Whether your budget just didn’t allow for some costs that snuck up on you, or there was an unforeseen emergency that took more from your bank account than you planned. It is a great temporary solution that is less binding than a bank loan that can reach up to thousands of dollars. The process for applying for a payday advance is very simple and straight forward. Most online lenders do not even require a faxed application. Many lenders also offer their services even to those who have low credit scores.

More and more people find themselves coming up short at the end of the month even with the most strict of budgets. Whether you need £100, or as much as £1,000, a payday loan could help you. An APR is applied depending on the amount loaned, and is paid back upon your next payday. So when you need some quick cash to get by before your next payday, one temporary financial option that you can consider is a payday loan.

Tags: ,

admin on November 18th, 2009

card5You will find offers for gas cards divided into two types: general and brand-specific.  Treating all gas companies equally are the general cards where the brand-specific card will favor one gas company by name.  The Discover Open Road card is one of the general gas rebate cards that give you cash back at 1% for general purchases.  But if you have auto maintenance done at any company, you will enjoy a 5 percent back.  In contrast, the BP Visa will reward you with a 5 % rebate when you buy at only BP stations and a 1 or 2 percent rebate for all other regular purchases.  If you are one of those who are loyal to one certain gas station then these may be the best credit cards for you.  The general gas card will then be for those who tend to stop at any gas station that is the closest.  You will not find all gas companies are in every state, so if you are driving a long distance a brand-specific card may not be the best card for you. For example, in Florida, BP is a very common gas station but in Texas you will find very few.  Sinclair gas is in 21 states but not any will be found in California.

Tags: ,

admin on November 17th, 2009

loan5As these loans are risky products for lenders, they don’t always attract the best interest rates. You may notice the interest rates are staggered when you apply.  If you have acquired an impeccably good credit score then you’ll get the lowest rates  offered, if your credit score is so-so, then you pay more and if your score is very bad, then you be charged at the highest available rates. Loans providers aren’t always as flexible as they claim to be. You may often discover many terms and conditions governing how flexible you can actually be in your loan documentation. Not adhering to these rules will cost you penalty fees and these can be quite expensive. Just the fact that a flexible loan is open ended can cause problems too. Tempting it can be to just keep on pulling from your loans fund, even after you’ve bought and paid for the original loan.  The loan may be viewed as your money – when in fact you’re actually borrowing it and will have to pay interest to do so. If the time comes where you encounter serious repayment problems, you then risk the chance of your lender taking legal action to recover their loan, which means you lose your home.

Tags:

admin on August 13th, 2009

cc10When considering the option of a credit card in your life, it is important that one deals with all the important matters first. You will be surprised to know that getting a credit card is not as easy as it sounds. This is especially the case if people are trying to get hold of the best credit card deals. This involves a lot of time taken to research and find the best and then to understand the terms and conditions before you agree to get the credit card. Spend a lot of time. If you are in a hurry and you are ready to jump for any offer, you might regret it later.

One very good way of finding out the most about the way a credit card company behaves after getting a new customer is to read what the existing customers have to say. You will find hoards of sites which will be able to give you reviews on the service. Read this information to gt to know the most important aspects that you may have left out otherwise. Reading reviews will not only let you know about the best credit card deals but the company to take it from as well.

Tags: ,