Detriot, MI, United States (AHN) – Chrysler reported a $225 million profit on Wednesday. The company capped its first profitable year since its government bailout and bankruptcy in 2009.

The fourth quarter results were fueled by $15.1 billion in revenue, a 41 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

For the full year, the struggling automaker on the way to a dramatic turnaround, reported net income of $183 million, compared with a $652 million loss in 2010. Annual revenue for 2011 rose 31 percent to $55 billion.

Giving gas to the turnaround was surging sales of its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. Worldwide sales of its cars and trucks increased 22 percent to 1.85 million vehicles in 2011.

Even better and more encouraging was that Chrysler guided higher for 2012, a move that suggests its turnaround has wheels.

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Arbil, Iraq (TML) – Ever since Kurds established their own semi-autonomous region in Northern Iraq following the US-led invasion in 2003, the Kurdish leader has been promoting the region as a tourist hot spot, and according recent data it seems to be succeeding.

The main city in the region is Erbil. Due to its own local militias the city has maintained relative calm compared to the rest of the country after the war began seven years ago.

This has led to over 20 four and five star hotels currently being constructed in Erbil.

The main airport of the region is the new Erbil International Airport, which began receiving flights in March 24, 2010. The airport’s capacity is 3 million passengers each year.

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Department of Tourism reports that an estimated 39,000 Western visitors traveled to Northern Iraq in 2008 and in 2009 the number grew to 69,000. In addition to Westerners, some 48,000 Iranians have visited already this year.

Outside of Erbil a smaller international airport in Sulaimaniyah, close to the border with Iran, has been built, with a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year.

One airline that has been operating flights to Erbil’s older airport for several years already is Austrian Airlines. Their spokesperson has only good things to say about the route.

“We are satisfied with the line. Booking is good and it’s a good market,” Pia Stradiot, spokesperson for Austrian Airlines, told The Media Line.

Austrian Airlines offers the route five times weekly and while the airline would not disclose the capacity of their flights, Stradiot said they were pleased with the numbers.

One person who can take credit for renewed travel interest in the Kurdistan region is Hagob Serob, director of public relations at the Department of Tourism for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Northern Iraq. Serob told The Media Line that promoting tourism is part of a long-term strategy for the government.

Iraqi Kurdistan is called “the other Iraq” because “people can enjoy security [here],” said Serob.

“I’m not going to exaggerate if I would say that as a foreigner you can move without any escort. This is something maybe you can’t see all over the world,” Serob told The Media Line.

“Here in Kurdistan we have many foreigners who are working as investors and for [international] companies,” he said. “The Kurdistan region is absolutely different from Baghdad, from Basra, from Najaf.”

One of the most important features for making all this possible is security, he explained.

“If you can just find security then you can do everything,” he said.

While most Westerners might not have seen northern Iraq as a vacation destination in the past, Serob says times are changing.

“During the last two years many foreigners have found this part of Iraq a good destination,” he said.

“It’s only a matter of time, maybe within the coming couple of years, maximum five to 10 years, this part of Iraq is going to be a very good destination for all foreigners,” Serob predicted.

“Each country, if it is to be considered a tourist country, there are some basics that need to be taken into consideration; for example, the Kurdistan region enjoys a very good nature, the mountains, the springs and the good weather,” he said.

As a tourist you don’t need to apply for a visa before arriving. You can just show up and get one at the international airport, Serob explained.

“Many airlines are now trying…to have flights to Erbil International Airport,” he said. “For example, recently we had flights from Qatar, as the Gulf people are really trying to do good investment here in the Kurdistan region.”

Geoff Hann, director for the UK-based Hinterland Travel, one of the few companies organizing trips to Iraq, told The Media Line that there is a lot of interest in traveling to Kurdistan and Iraq.

“We have ten people traveling to Kurdistan and then another twenty going to Baghdad and then traveling to meet up with the others,” Hann said about plans for an upcoming trip in September.

Hann, however, was not that impressed by government efforts in Iraqi Kurdistan.

“They are trying to push for Kurdistan, but it is just a small part of the country and people are interested in more,” said Hann.

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The small business grants for women that are available through the government and private foundation grants provide free money that doesn’t have to be paid back. Unlike loans that require a thorough application process, and often times some sort of collateral and co-signers, grant funding options are a much smoother process with virtually no terms.

While there are many variations of small business grants for women, most do not require any kind of credit check, down payment or income verification. They simply want to know your purpose for requesting the funding, how you plan to make money with your business, and how the money will help you succeed more or faster. If you can show that, you stand a great chance of receiving $50,000 or more in free grant money for your business.

There are many organizations in helping women and minorities succeed as working professionals and business owners, and your local government is certainly one of them. All it takes is an application and usually submitting a business plan that shows how you plan to succeed. As a result of your success from their investment in you, the community benefits from bringing in more tax dollars to the city and attracts perspective business owners.

The important part is that you receive the cash you need to pursue your dream and eliminate the financial risk of starting a business. With small business grants for women, even if your business fails, you generally don’t have to repay the money. That’s an offer you won’t find with any kind of bank loan.

Author: Melissa Sabella
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card

A Grant Is A Gift

In view of this background, small business grants are comparable to manna from Heaven. A grant is usually given by the Government through schemes which are meant to promote certain businesses, professions or industrialization (and development) of a region. Most people know about these grants but do not go for it because they are stopped by certain myths.

1. The eligibility criteria are too strict. The truth is that there are fixed eligibility criteria; also there are for scholarships, bank loans and mortgages, job vacancies and so on. Do you stop applying because they give you fixed criteria? On the contrary, you try very hard to establish a match between their requirements and your strengths so you would be chosen as the right candidate.

2. Too much paper work. The truth is that when you deal with the Government, everything has to be in black-and-white. Though it can be a little tedious, the effort is comparable to that of applying for entry into a leading college, or qualifying for a major scholarship. The competition is high, and the best is selected.

3. The follow up is not worth it. Of course, it is worth it. Whatever rate of interest you are offered you cannot match the fact that with a grant you do not need to return the money at all. The trouble you go through to get the grant is amply rewarded by the fact that you need not worry about repayment.

As you can see, small business grants are a boon for any budding entrepreneur. Go for it!

Author: Placida Acheru
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace