Dennis Dubin Speaks Out
"Prison construction and operation that is not only energy independent, but that is also sustainable through methods ranging from growing food to water reclamation would allow local, state, and federal governments to reallocate money toward education and other important programs," says Dennis Dubin, a real estate and venture investor whose activities have included interests in telecommunications, health care, alternative energy-related businesses, and meaningful philanthropic support for worthy causes (www.upeace.org). "In the U.S., we keep building more prisons, but current methods of prison construction waste valuable resources, most notably taxpayers' money,"
Mr. Dubin is a proud American who serves as a director of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation (supporting families and agents in need within the Federal law enforcement community) and is an active member in the Navy War College Foundation and an advisor to the World Security Network.
He was a selection committee member and representative to the International Congress for Distinguished Awards for the International Earth Day Medal at the United Nations (Earth Day). Even though Mr. Dubin is a champion of the Constitution and democratic principles, he is a respectful internationalist and special advisor to the United Nations chartered University of Peace (UPeace). He is also a board member of UPeace USA, where he is incubating a youth violence reduction initiative as a possible global model. In addition, Mr. Dubin is a special consultant with the National Foundation for Women Legislators Committee on Crime, Justice, Terrorism & Substance Abuse Policy and a former trustee of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Prize.
Mr. Dubin has become known as an innovative thinker who creates leading edge concepts in areas of social concern.
"Unless we begin to take a progressive approach, we'll continue down the slippery slope of inefficiency and misuse of our human and natural resources," he points out. For Mr. Dubin, that progressive approach incorporates something he refers to as "energy architecture," whereby correctional facilities are built using cutting edge environmental innovation and alternative, renewable energy sources. "The capability of a prison to operate off the grid would tremendously reduce the cost of operating that facility," he says.
Mr. Dubin's proposition comes at a time in our nation's history when over 1.9 million Americans are incarcerated at a taxpayer expense of over $65 billion each year. Research indicates that, over the past 25 years, entry into correctional facilities has risen an astounding 377%, with a corresponding budget increase of 600%.
The trend shows no signs of slowing. In California alone, the projected state spending on incarceration over the next 20 years is $1.3 trillion. "The sheer cost of building and operating prisons demands that we think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions to lower expenses associated with the criminal justice system," says Mr. Dubin.
Mr. Dubin's forward-thinking stance on prison construction is one element of his larger vision, which includes the importance of America's ability to compete in the global marketplace. "We live in an extremely complex world with mounting energy costs and with additional security expenses in response to the threat of terrorism. At the same time, we're competing with the low cost of human labor in Asia and India," he says. "Wasting our human and natural resources translates into increased debt, a failure to compete, and an imbalance in trade."
"America – and companies like GM – cannot continue to subsist on stored fat, but must expand its legacy and fulfill its destiny as a leader in technology as well as human and social innovation."
The zero-sum game can become a win-win. Just how to do this will be the subject of the next feature article.


Credit Card Equipment
Business today is as competitive as it's ever been and, especially since the emergence of the Internet, customers are looking for merchants they can trust and that can offer them the best in service and convenience. It's simply indispensable to accept credit cards to gain the confidence of your customers, and studies show that sales often increase 10-50% for businesses that begin using credit card equipment to process secure transactions.
Exactly what kind of credit card equipment do you need? There is a large gamut of credit card equipment products on the market today. These include: terminals, terminal & printer combinations, pin pads, card processing printers, wireless credit card processing terminals, credit and debit card processing software.
Credit card equipment is not as expensive as you may think. Terminals have prices that range from $99 to $760. Terminals with printers can cost twice as much. Pin pads are also about $100 to $300, and will allow you to accept debit card purchases as well. Don't penny pinch when it comes to this relatively inexpensive business expense, since a one-time savings of $30 could negatively affect your business in the long run. You want credit card equipment that is quick, light, and above all reliable. Some dependable credit card equipment manufacturers include Verifone, Nurit, and Hypercom.
It's usually a good idea to purchase your credit card equipment directly instead of leasing. The most important consideration, however, will be choosing a merchant account provider. A reliable provider can pre-program your credit card equipment for you, and since they expect to work with you for several years, they are less likely to try and get a "quick sale" from you. Service and honesty goes a long way when choosing a merchant account provider and credit card equipment.
As you might guess, wireless terminals are especially useful for mobile merchants, taxi drivers for instance, as well as merchants who sell at trade shows or other traveling venues where credit card equipment is needed on the go. When purchasing wireless credit card equipment, make sure that it offers secure, reliable processing and includes payment software that you can use with your portable computer, PDA, or other mobile device.
Credit card equipment is used in conjunction with credit card processing software. Do a little bit of research before choosing which software you are comfortable with, and identify which software is supported by your transaction provider. Some of the most known brand names in credit card equipment software include industry standards like PC Charge Express and Pro, IC Verify, and Authorize.net.
You've got your business off the ground. Now all you need to do is obtain quality credit card equipment in order to accept and process your customers' credit card transactions.

To purchase Credit Card Equipment visit http://www.ensightmerchantservices.com/


Mortgage Refinance Leads
If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker and you are on the market for refinance leads, you definitely want to buy them fresh or in "real time."
Here are a few suggestions for deciding which mortgage lead company you would like to go with.
Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, you want your refinance leads to be fresh. It is pointless to buy a refinance lead that is weeks or months old. The person has more than likely refinanced already.
Don't you just love it when you call someone about a mortgage and they tell you they closed on it last week or last month.
Check out mortgage lead company's web sites and read them thoroughly and call and speak with someone in their customer service department.
Find out how the lead company obtains their leads. You want to make sure the mortgage lead company is obtaining their leads through sites they own and operate.
If the mortgage lead company is not generating leads on their own, than they are purchasing them from a third party and recycling them. These leads are basically junk.
The problem here is that you don't know how many times that third party sold the leads to other mortgage lead companies.
When researching mortgage lead companies, customer service says a lot. If you are not happy with customer service or not satisfied with the answers to your questions, than it is more than likely you will not be happy with the leads.
Also, look for companies that have low minimum deposits and ones without any commitments. Such as having to buy a certain amount of leads and extra fees for filters.
And of course, it never hurts to ask for a free lead.

About The Author:
Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com a mortgage resource site. You can also check out his blog at http://wwwmortgagespot.blogspot.com for more articles