Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Foreign Relations Volume on Iran, 1964-1968

During the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, good relations with Iran were a top priority for U.S. policymakers, who agreed on Iran's strategic importance and remained concerned over potential threats to the long-term stability of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's regime. Foreign Relations, 1964-1968, volume XXII, Iran, released today by the Department of State, documents the administration's policy of support for the Shah and its emphasis on buttressing Iran's internal security by encouraging a far-reaching program of political, social, and economic reform¾the Shah's so-called "White Revolution." Johnson's personal relationship with the Shah was closer than President Kennedy's had been. The two leaders corresponded frequently, and the Shah met with Johnson three times during his presidency.

The only real bone of contention between the two countries was the Shah's seemingly insatiable appetite for more and newer military equipment. His insistence on spending more of Iran's growing oil revenues on weapons conflicted with U.S. policy goals of advocating Iranian economic development and reform as a check against internal upheaval or revolution.

In January 1964 the Shah wrote the President that the 1962 U.S. Five-Year Military Plan for Iran had already proved inadequate. During subsequent discussions of a military modernization program, U.S. officials continued to emphasize the importance of ensuring that such a program would not hamper Iran's economic development, while the Shah insisted that increased oil revenues would make it possible to pay for increased defense expenditures without impairing Iran's economic progress. In July 1964 the U.S. Government agreed to a new Memorandum of Understanding on military modernization.

Friday, May 2, 2008

How To Effortlessly Raise Funds For Your Church

The majority of the churches and organizations religious depend on the dishes of collection each Sunday to provide the majority of the necessary placement to maintain the church alive. After all, there is many expenditure when it has suddenly run a church. Y has not only it one mortgage and the invoices of utility, there are also the costs of the bibles and the hymnals, with healthy costs, costs of projection etc... Us asylum’T even touched on the costs of provisioning for the care of seedbed and the school of Sunday. And what would you say coffee and biscuits for after the service? Pasteur and other ministers of associate need also significant annual wages. To run a church and to maintain it alive and prosperity is an expensive effort nowadays, and it can be difficult to fill flat of collection or puts out of bag each Sunday with less people each day by using the money cash or checks. Many churches have also periodic fund raisers to help with the costs of the church. With the Internet, there are much in ways easy to have a fund raiser successful for your church with the minimal effort and the cost. An attractive idea is to sell these silicone bracelets. They are cheap to manufacture, and the sale of them with same less than two dollars per piece can create an enormous benefit.

By making it easy for church members to donate via credit card and debit card donations, a flailing church can greatly increase their number of donations. Using a virtual terminal on your church website is a surefire way to allow your members to donate as much as they want to with simply a click of the mouse. Also, for churches and other religious organizations, Capital Merchant Solutions waives the setup fee, which is normally 249$.

Using a virtual terminal is much like any other means of credit card processing. You login using the provided username and password that is provided to you by the online payment gateway provider. You are then able to enter the required information, including the customer’s name and address, their credit card number and expiration, the dollar amount etc. Once you submit the information by hitting the ‘process’ button, you will immediately receive the response telling you whether the card has been approved or declined. An added bonus to this is that if the card is approved, the funds are immediately deposited into your bank account.

This is a great option for any business or organization, and especially for churches. The recurrent billing option on the website may soon replace the envelopes on the offering plate. It is possible for church members to donate a set amount of money periodically, which is a hassle free donating option for the person giving, and also the person or organization that is on the receiving end. Called ‘automatic tithing’, this revolutionary idea is changing the way that church members deal with giving. It is easy to sign up on the website for set transactions. No more inconvenient stops at the bank machine before church to get money for the offering envelope, and no more trying to find a check to put in. Simply sign up for automatic transactions and the donator will have peace of mind knowing that he or she is giving automatically.

The key to raising money for any organization, including churches, is to ensure that giving money is easy and accessible for everyone, which is why using an Internet payment gateway is such a viable option for most groups. Once you have decided on the avenue you are going to pursue for your fundraiser, it is time to raise awareness and make sure that people know which options are available to them should they decide to give. The nice thing about an Internet payment gateway is that it makes it easy for non-members to give also. They simply have to go to the website and fill out the required information. When churches use a virtual terminal to raise funds, they are appealing to a broader audience than just the members if the congregation.