America's Top 5 Chocolate Candy Brands

Often referred to as the sweetest pleasure of mankind, Chocolate candy is one of the top sellers in America after a long time before enjoying it. Chocolate was discovered by Mayans of the Yucatán Peninsula, in México about 2,600 years ago or so, as evidence found in ruins suggest.

When the Aztecs arrived to the Valley of Mexico, the term chocolate was coined, derived from its Náhuatl name. However, chocolate was only prepared as a beverage or chewed as cacao bean. In this period of history, the World's Finest Chocolates were totally out of scope.

Best Sellers

Chocolate candy was taken to Europa by the hand of conqueror Hernán Cortés, who introduced it to Spain in the 16th century. It was not until the next century when it got back to New England, after the first British settlements overseas, although it is possible that American Native tribes knew how to prepare chocolate beverage.

America's Top 5 Chocolate Candy Brands

The following centuries saw the growth of candy manufacturers introducing some of the finest brands, such as Hershey chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate, Nestle chocolate and Lindt Chocolates, just to name a few.
It was during the 19th century when the World's Finest Chocolates would be manufactured following a period of industrialization. The Switzerland chocolate company Lindt & Sprüngli was founded in 1845, producer of the world-famous Lindt Chocolates.
Later Nestlé, another Switzerland Company, joined to the venture manufacturing sweeteners in 1866, but Nestle chocolate candy and other food products began to be distributed in all of Europe and America around the turn of the century.
As chocolate candy became more popular and accepted worldwide, more companies were established, and many others disappeared shortly after. In the United States, the pioneer was Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, founded in 1852. Ghirardelli chocolate was the first American brand.
Milton S. Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Company after visiting the Columbian Exposition. Hershey sold his former Lancaster Caramel Company, but retained the rights to produce American chocolate products. Hershey chocolate was just the beginning of one of the most successful business in the United States.
Along with Lindt Chocolates, Nestle chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate, and Hershey chocolate, Mars is the other brand of chocolate candy sharing the top five as producer of some of the World's Finest Chocolates.
The American company Mars Incorporated was founded by Frank C. in 1920 which specialized in a chocolate candy bar with caramel, internationally known as the Mars Bar, and his son and wife developed the famous chocolates M&M's.
Different brands from different origins, the top chocolate candy brands are manufactured in America, preferred by consumers for about one hundred years, and ahead of other chocolate products distributed or produced in the United States, a nation that exports today the World's Finest Chocolates all over the world.
America's Top 5 Chocolate Candy Brands
Natalie Aranda writes on family, food and shopping. Often referred to as the sweetest pleasure of mankind, Chocolate candy is one of the top sellers in America after a long time before enjoying it. Along with Lindt Chocolates, Nestle chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate, and Hershey chocolate, Mars is the other brand of chocolate candy sharing the top five as producer of some of the World's Finest Chocolates. As chocolate candy became more popular and accepted worldwide, more companies were established, and many others disappeared shortly after. In the United States, the pioneer was Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, founded in 1852. Ghirardelli chocolate was the first American brand.

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Board Games - The Best Selling Board Games Of All Time

It must have been a crushing blow. It was 1934, the depths of the Great Depression. Charles Darrow was unemployed. But, he had an idea. Actually, he had a board game. He called the game Monopoly. He liked the board game and felt it was his ticket to financial success and out of the desperation of the depression. Darrow had taken his game to the famous Parker Brothers game company to publish and help him sell.

The Parker Brothers had agreed to look at the board game for Darrow. They were not impressed. Formed in 1883, by 16-year-old George Parker, the game publishing company had been making and selling games and puzzles for 51 years. During that time they had seen success and failure. Parker Brothers knew the game business. They knew what worked and what didn't. They knew what sold and what didn't. Representatives of the giant game company found 59 reasons why they did not think Darrow's game could be successful.

Best Sellers

Charles Darrow simply didn't agree. He believed. He decided to publish Monopoly himself and market it through department stores. He had 5,000 copies of the board game printed.

Board Games - The Best Selling Board Games Of All Time

Hope was scarce during that harsh Christmas of 1934. Money was even scarcer. And, Monopoly was a hit. Nearly all 5,000 copies of the board game sold. Within a year Parker Brothers was publishing the game. It was the best selling game in America by 1936.

Monopoly is now published in 89 languages and over 200 million copies of the board game have been sold. More than 500 million people have played the game. It has also been adapted as an electronic game. Monopoly is firmly entrenched as the best selling board game of all time.

Monopoly is a relative upstart compared to other popular board games.

The oldest known board game is called "The Royal Game of Ur" or the "Game of 20 Squares". This game was discovered in a 4,500-year-old tomb in southern Iraq. This game was played throughout the Middle East for perhaps 1,000 years or more. In fact, the rules of the game have been found in cuneiform tablets. Game aficionados can play this ancient game yet today, even though it has long ago faded from popularity.

Perhaps the oldest board game still popular today is chess, which first appeared in India by the sixth century A.D. By the year 1,000 it was being played throughout the Middle East and in Europe. The rules and game board design have evolved somewhat over the centuries, but the game is still very much the same as the ancient Indians played it. They could hardly have dreamed, however, of the world-class chess match play or the electronic versions of the game we enjoy today.

Another very old, yet immensely popular board game is checkers, also known as draughts. A form of checkers was being played by the Egyptian Pharaohs as early as 1600 B.C. This game has also evolved over the centuries. By the 12th century the game was adapted to the 64-square chessboard. Four hundred years later the rules involving capture were added, yielding essentially the same game we play today.

There is simply no way to tell how many copies of chess or checkers have been sold or how many people have played these games. If the numbers were known, they would have to be truly staggering.

Popular Board Games Share Common Traits

Other top selling board games include Yahtzee, Scrabble, Mahjong, Trivial Pursuit, Battleship and the Risk game. Most of these games were developed during the 20th century and all are still big sellers and tremendously popular.

These popular board games share some similar traits. Most of them involve specific strategies of play. When these strategies are employed successfully, the games are fun, challenging and intensely rewarding as players attempt to capture portions of the board and/or each other. Another common element in most of these board games is chance, or luck. Luck is introduced usually by drawing cards or rolling dice. The element of chance opens up possibilities for even more strategies of play. A final important trait of these games is that in one way or another they reflect the lessons of life. They teach competition and sportsmanship. They teach strategy and the lesson of never giving up.

Perhaps that is why Charles Darrow was so attracted to Monopoly. He believed that success comes by employing sound strategies to following a dream and never giving up. We are glad that Darrow didn't give up. We are glad he didn't throw the board game with 59 things wrong in the trash bin as he left the Parker Brothers plant in 1934.

Board Games - The Best Selling Board Games Of All Time

Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for board games [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/board-games.html], family games [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/electronic-games.html] and learning games [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/index.html].

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Sgraffito Pottery

Sgraffito Pottery was once considered to be the vessels of kings. From the Byzantine emperors to the Russian czars, Sgraffito has been the earthenware for the "blue-bloods" of Europe's finest houses. Sgraffito Pottery is defined by the intricate designs that have been actually scratched into the surface of the clay before firing. This sort of pottery is often made with bold colors and coated with a lighter liquid clay for contrast. It is at this point that the designs are scratched into the pottery showing the base color underneath.

This type of earth ware can be traced all the way back to the Sung Dynasty of China. There is a vase called the "T'zu-Chou vase that dates to the 11th to 12th century AD. That said Sgraffito can be found in many of the world's ancient cultures. It became quite popular among the many courts of Renaissance Italy. It is a style of pottery that is fast becoming quite collectible and sought after.

Deals

There are certainly quite a number of very expensive places online to purchase this art but it can be difficult to find nice yet affordable Sgriffito Pottery. A lot of these places were well out of my price range. But I saw a couple of fine, affordable examples at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth MA when we were on vacation on Cape Cod. The Plantation is a living history museum where costumed interpreters portray actual people from the founding of the first English colony in New England. In addition to this wonderful recreation they have an excellent craft center where you can not only watch modern artisans, potters, furniture makers, embroiderers and native crafts people, design and create their wares, but you can buy these fine gifts as well. In addition to the plates I bought I managed to pick up a pitcher and a couple of cups as well. I want to pick up a couple more cups as gifts so fortunately the have an online gift shop.

Sgraffito Pottery

Sgraffito Pottery

Stacy Martins is a full time mom and part time avid pottery fan.

If you are looking for more information about where to find Sgraffito Pottery see my site at: http://www.squidoo.com/sgraffitopottery

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HDFC Coops - The Best Deal in New York City Real Estate?

HDFC Coops - The Best Deal in New York City Real Estate

Have you been frustrated with the high prices for apartments in New York City?  Well here's the good news:  If you have ever wanted to live in New York City at an affordable price, well, look no further.  If you qualify, you may have just found the greatest deal in New York City. 

Best Sellers

HDFC Coops, a little know niche market in New York Real Estate, represent the "last great deals" in New York City.  Frequently these cooperative apartments sell for 40%-60% below there comparable regular Coop or Condos for sale.  HDFC's (which stands for Housing Development  & Finance Corporation) have been around for many years but it is not until the last few years that more and more people are discovering these amazing deals.  They are only available in New York City although there may be other programs in other cities that are similar.

HDFC Coops - The Best Deal in New York City Real Estate?

The History of HDFC's

HDFC coops are city sponsored coop apartments that offer many of the benefits of a regular coop apartment but they also have some restrictions on purchase and they frequently have a "flip tax" upon sale. 

An HDFC coop came to be for one of a couple possible reasons.  They may have been originally a rental building which had been abandoned by an owner or the owner may have owed back taxes or water and therefore lost the building to the city. 

The City then rehabilitated the building, trained the tenants on ownership, set the Coop up financially to be self-sustaining, and then sold the apartments to the existing tenants for 0 each.  Yes, that's right, 0!

The premise is that rather then the City being a landlord, you have now trained a group of owners who care about their building and their future.  It has been a very successful system. 

Typically over the years these HDFC coops changed hands among friends or relatives for very cheap prices.  In the past several years, some brokers with foresight have realized the value these Coops represent, and upon being marketed more professionally, much higher prices have been realized for the Owners. 

Benefits

This has benefited both the buyer and seller of an HDFC apartment.  A seller now has realized much more money than they ever thought possible and they have a chance to realize their dreams.  Many sellers of HDFC coops have gone on to move to the suburbs and buy a house or take a dream vacation, buy a nicer car, and live a nicer lifestyle.  Remember, the original owners of HDFC coops were there because they typically lived in a run-down neglected building so to get 0,000-as much as 0,000 for one of these apartments which they paid only 0 for is a huge windfall.

The buyer is getting a chance to own a piece of New York City, one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world, for a fraction of the price of regular Coops or Condos.  Very often, HDFC coops sell for 0-0 per square foot where as coops and condos in New York can sell for 0-00 per square foot.  This is clearly a huge difference. 

Don't think these HDFC's are in bad neighborhood's either because many of these are in prime New York City neighborhood's such as the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Lower East Side, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Downside

Does it sound too good to be true?  Well it isn't too good to be true, but you must qualify to buy.  In many cases, to qualify to buy and HDFC coop, you need to make less than 120% of the areas Median Income.  In 2008, this number was ,500 for 1 buyer and ,725 for 2 buyers in a family and ,950 for 3 buyers in a family.  Alternatively, some buildings, depending on the by-laws of the coop, have income restrictions to buy based on a multiple of the yearly maintenance and utility charges that the apartment has.  In either case, usually the management company and/or the Board of Directors of the coop will look at the adjusted gross income of your previous 2 years tax returns. 

In addition to an income restriction to buy, many HDFC Coop's have a "flip tax" when you sell.  Typically, this flip tax is calculated as a percentage of the profit that you make.  The profit is defined as the sale price minus the purchase price.  The flip tax could be as low as 5% and can range up to as much as 85% of your profit. 

Clearly you need to take these factors into account and depending on the flip tax the Coop has, the price and value of the apartment may vary greatly. 

Summary

We have seen that an HDFC coop represents a great opportunity to own a piece of the "greatest city in the world" at a fraction of the price of other coops and condos but with that comes some restrictions on purchasing and upon selling you often have to give a portion of your profit back to the coop and/or the city.  

Tips when buying or selling an HDFC Coop

Find a broker who understands the rules and restrictions of HDFC Coops.  There are many intricacies to the process and if a buyer or seller is not qualified properly, you may find yourself wasting a lot of time just to find out you can't buy or sell the apartment. 

HDFC Coops - The Best Deal in New York City Real Estate?

Written by David Leiter, Leiter Realty Group 288 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211. More information is available at http://leiterrealty.com/

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Motorcycle Auction-Looking For Sweet Deals On Repossessed Motorcycles

Repossessed motorcycle auction have a couple of benefits for both the consumer and the seller. First, through the auction you will be certain that the price at that given time is the highest for that particular motorcycle. So as a seller you're guaranteed, in a way, of the best profit for your sale.

Meanwhile, for the consumers the auction is a great place to acquire cheap motorcycles that are in great shape and if you're really lucky, you will even get a repossessed motorcycle that's close to being brand new. A brand new motorcycle will cost you quite a fortune. That's why the best option for you is get a used bike in a repossessed motorcycle auction.

Deals

There are a lot of public auctions out there where you could get your bike at dirt cheap prices. But the best deals are actually found in government seized auctions. A repossessed motorcycle auction features motorcycles, dirt bikes and atv's that were seized by the government from owners involved in unlawful activities. You can find these kinds of auctions happening in all parts of the country.

Motorcycle Auction-Looking For Sweet Deals On Repossessed Motorcycles

It is held yearly, monthly or even weekly depending on the place. So you need to keep an eye out for these kinds of auctions if you really want to have a bike that is cheap. Now, the main reason why repossessed motorcycle auction offers cheap motorcycles is that the government agency got the bikes for free and they will really want to get rid of them for whatever price possible since it is quite expensive to store the vehicles and their departments would appreciate the additional cash for their budget.

There are some things that you need to remember when buying from a repossessed motorcycle auction. Just like when buying cars from auction events, you need to inspect carefully the motorcycles that are up for bid.

Come early on the auction date so you have enough time to inspect the items thoroughly. Plus, by going early you avoid the rush of people and will not be pressured or bothered when you conduct your own inspections.

Also, before you go to a repossessed motorcycle auction you need to have at least an idea of the price range of the items that are up for bid. This means you need to be familiar with the kinds of motorcycles and their current market value. Market value includes if the motorcycle is brand new and the retail value if it has been used or reconditioned.

Remember too that you need to set for yourself the highest price you will bid for the bike and once you've decided you better stick with it regardless of how much you liked the motorcycle. If you don't, you will be engaged in a bidding war that will end up with you paying more than what the bike was worth in the first place. Don't get caught with the pace. Go there with your own style and your own pace.

Don't settle for a single repossessed motorcycle auction, there are a lot of auctions out there especially online. So before you go on a scheduled auction, visit a couple of online auctions first to get an idea on how the prices of the motorcycles fare.

You never now, you might find a product that is cheaper especially in an unpopular auction due to the less number of bidders. Preparation is always the key when you opt to buy your motorcycle in a repossessed motorcycle auction event.

Motorcycle Auction-Looking For Sweet Deals On Repossessed Motorcycles

To search for repossessed motorcycle auctions, please visit http://www.auto-car-auctions.info

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