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Blood Diamonds: What You Can Do To Ensure You're Purchasing A Conflict Free Diamond Jewelry By Melanie Spark - What are blood diamonds? Blood diamonds, also called conflict diamonds, are mined in war torn African countries by rebels to fund their conflict. The rebels grossly abuse human rights, often murdering and enslaving the local populations to mine the diamonds. The recent "Blood Diamonds" movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has again brought this issue to light. The movie is set in Sierra Leone during the 1900s during the civil war that lasted until 2002. As a consumer you might feel that you cannot directly make an impact towards the resolution of this issue especially since diamonds are rare commodities and thus is something you can just stop buying. After all, the average person buys a diamond only once or twice in his lifetime. However, you can still make a difference.
When considering purchasing a diamond, remember that it is a once in a lifetime purchase and you want to make sure that you buy a conflict free diamond. The Kimberly Process was created so that the diamond industry is obliged to write invoices of all diamond purchases that contain guarantees that the sold diamonds are conflict-free diamonds. Whereas before it was impossible to tell whether a diamond was conflict-free, The warranties now identify conflict-free diamonds from questionable diamonds. However, there are many diamond retailers that still do not issue warranties and therefore
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sell diamonds of questionable origins. Make sure to shop around and ask questions regarding the store's policy against conflict diamonds. The first thing you can do is to not buy diamonds or diamond jewelry with no guarantees. The retailer, if abiding by the Kimberly Process, will not buy from suppliers who do not provide guarantees. Ask about the store's policy on conflict diamonds as well. Buy only from those that have a clear firm policy. Asking questions and making them produce copies of guarantees will not only ensure that you buy conflict-free diamonds but will also send them the message that consumers are becoming aware of the problem and would not buy from irresponsible stores. If you cannot find a diamond retailer that provide a guarantee, do not despair, there is an alternative. If you truly do not want to support the diamond industry and conflict diamonds, your alternative is cubic zirconia simulants. Cubic zirconias are man made diamonds that are made to look and feel like natural diamonds. The likeness is so great that only a jeweler, who is using a professional diamond loop, can distinguish between flawless diamond and cubic zirconia rings. Because cubic zirconia jewelry is the most affordable way to get the look of an expensive diamond for a lot less money, they are extremely popular among those who are on a budget. When it comes to cubic zirconia jewelry, the stones themselves can be designed in round, oval, emerald, radiant, pear, heart and marquise cut. In many instances, they may also feature colored stones to further replicate some of the world’s most rarest of diamond, including pink, yellow and red. Buying cubic zirconia jewelry also ensures that you are not supporting the diamond retailers who are supporting conflict diamonds. Cubic zirconia jewelry are a much better alternative to natural diamonds, a lot less expensive, and makes you feel good about your purchase. Article Source: http://www.Article-Warehouse.com For more information on blood diamonds and cubic zirconia jewelry, visit Almost Diamonds at www.almostdiamonds.com.
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Understanding Divorce Mediation & Why It Can Be Cost Effective Choice For Couples By Daphne Succes When it comes to divorce, many couples assume that they will have to go through a lengthy legal process that is both expensive and emotionally devastating. Divorce mediation, which is an informal Read more...
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Why Divorce Mediation? By Belinda Rachman, Esq. You are thinking of divorce and worrying about how your children will fare. It is your job to protect them and you can chose to have a peaceful divorce. A mind works best, like a parachute, when it Read more...
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Your Irs Tax Appeal Rights By Richard A. Chapo Are you in the middle of a disagreement with the IRS? One of the guaranteed rights for all taxpayers is the right to appeal. If you disagree with the IRS about the amount of your tax liability or Read more...
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When Friends Turn Against Friends By Karen Fusco When children first begin to socialize, their relationships are pretty straightforward and the arguments tend to be innocent. Most of the time, a simple "I'm sorry" will put an end to the any Read more...
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How to Protect Your Customer Data and Your Reputation When it comes to safeguarding customer data, the stakes are higher than ever in today's wired world. A single security breach can create a legal and regulatory nightmare. How vulnerable is your organization to hackers and disgruntled employees? What can you do to protect your company?<br><br>Sponsored by Cisco, this 30-minute BizWise TV broadcast for small and mid-sized businesses outlines the legal, ethical, and business obligations you face. A panel of security experts will show you how to assess your vulnerabilities, implement an effective security plan, handle an employee suspected of committing a security breach, and execute "damage control" through effective PR if a breach does occur.<br><br><br><br>BizWise TV features TV Style Broadcasts on topics relevant to SMBs. Tune in for a new topic on the third Thursday of every month or watch the previous broadcasts on demand at your convenience. 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Business Continuity Preparedness Handbook AT&T's Business Continuity Preparedness Handbook provides a broad range of information to support your business continuity planning efforts.<br><br>The 16-page handbook examines business continuity in the context of two potential catastrophic events a pandemic influenza and a hurricane strike and highlights why taking a proactive approach to business continuity planning is essential for all disaster scenarios.<br><br>Topics include:<ul><li>AT&T's own business continuity preparedness efforts</li><li>Planning assumptions for pandemic influenza and the 2006 hurricane forecast</li><li>Best practices recommendations</li><li>AT&T solutions that support business continuity strategies</li><li>AT&T customer support during business continuity "events"</li></ul> The Inexpensive Instant Message: Creating an E-Mail Newsletter How does one share accurate, timely information with employees, customers and the community - and do it faster, better and less expensively than using the normal media outlets? The person should turn to e-mail. Faced with a barrage of negative media coverage as a result of innovative steps that provided a few surprises during the 2000-01 upheaval in energy markets, Chelan County PUD (Wenatchee, Wash.) came to this realization: The media were not going to tell their side of the story for them; they had to do it ourselves. Using Crises as Publicity Opportunities There are two kinds of Crisis Management: Internal (for when something happens within a company or externally that affects the company directly) and External (for when something happens in the world that indirectly affects the company). The authors' recommend that every company have a written plan on how to handle a range of both internal and external crises. This paper deals with external crisis management, and how one can, with advanced planning, gain positive publicity for the company when an external event occurs. 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Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery: The New Reality - Response to 21st Century Threats The unfortunate truth is that many companies have failed to recognize that physical events or nagging perceptions can be their undoing. As keepers of corporate reputation, people need to step up to one of their most important responsibilities: developing the capabilities for responding to threatening situations. In the process, if the planning is founded on ethical core values and implemented properly, it can help avert loss of public confidence. Today, up to 25 percent of every chief communicator's time requires attention to readiness planning. That planning had taken on new dimensions that will be discussed in this paper.
Storm Cat faces delisting Storm Cat Energy Corp. disclosed Thursday it’s in the process of being delisted from the NYSE Alternext US, the new owner of the American Stock Exchange. Daniels Fund grants $8.5M The Daniels Fund announced $8.5 million in fourth-quarter charitable grants Thursday, including $3.3 million to Denver-area nonprofits and agencies. Dow falls 443 points Wall Street fell again Thursday, with the major stock market indices declining by at least 5 percent of their value. Best Places to Work winners named The Denver Business Journal recognized the human resource efforts of 30 Denver-area companies Thursday at a breakfast at the downtown Denver Marriott Hotel in the newspaper’s sixth annual Best Places to Work competition. Economic storefront launched The Del Norte Neighborhood Development Corp. and the National Council of La Raza have launched Mas a Ti, a storefront economic mobility center for low- and moderate-income families, the groups announced Thursday. John Malone buys 1 million shares Liberty Media Corp. board chairman John Malone bought 1 million shares of stock in his company’s online commerce division in recent days, spending $2.9 million for the shares in two purchases, according to regulatory filings. (LINTA) Economist: Colorado to perform better than U.S. Colorado likely will continue to outperform the national average, as the U.S. economy slogs through what is probably already a recession, a leading economist told a Denver audience at Keybank’s 2009 economic forecast presentation on Thursday morning. Experts see upside to down economy The chief investment officer of UMB Financial Corp’s Asset Management division said Thursday that positive side effects will emerge from an economic slowdown that he characterized as a “recession.” Zynex sees rise in revenue Zynex Inc. reported a revenue jump of 66 percent but lower net income the third quarter, as well as a settlement of a claim by Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, on Thursday. Renewable Choice teams with Best Buy A Boulder company selling credits for renewable energy said Wednesday it is teaming with Best Buy to offer cell phone users the chance to support wind power through a “Green Your Phone” product line.
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