Energy and the Environment - Nearly 90% of Global Warming Gas Emissions Are CO2

Author : Larry Butz

?There is a 90 percent chance the planet's average temperatures will rise 3 to 9 F (1.7 to 4.9 C) by 2100.? This simple statement in the June 2001 report released by National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado leaves little doubt of the magnitude of the threat from global warming. The UN Environment Program estimates that the extra economic costs of disasters attributable to global warming are running at more than $300 billion annually. The global community is responding with actions lead by the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to reduce emissions of global warming gases. Nearly 90% of global warming gas emissions are CO2, which are primarily from the use of fossil fuels for energy. The focus on energy will undoubtedly continue to increase. Throughout the world different methods are being used to encourage reduced energy use. Japan has enacted the Energy Conservation Law in 1999. The U.S. has revised ASHRAE Standard 90.1 to raise the minimum COP level for centrifugal chillers from the current value of 5.2 to 6.1 effective in October of this year. A growing number of countries are using environmental costing which includes an estimated cost for resource depletion and environmental deterioration.Although such fees to discourage pollution were first proposed in 1920 they did not see widespread application until 1990 when Finland implemented the first carbon tax.At present there are more than 30 countries that have some type of carbon tax in effect. Environmental accounting (or costing) is a broader term than just a carbon tax on energy. For example, subsidies being provided to energy producing industries are a form of negative tax. Removal of such subsidies has the same effect as a carbon tax, which is to raise the price of energy to the user. Such methods make more energy efficient alternatives more financially attractive.In the recently released "OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century" the goal is to include ?cuts to energy, farm and other subsidies so prices more accurately reflect environmental impacts?. China, the U.K., India, Indonesia and Thailand are countries that have recently eliminated subsidies to parts of their energy industries.Will environmental costing continue to spread? Environmental costing is an estimated cost for resource depletion and environmental deterioration. One can only guess. It is intuitively attractive to tax something bad, i.e. environmental damage rather than something good such as one?s salary or company?s profits.As a building owner, facility engineer or factory manager the implications are enormous. Just how much could energy prices change? According to European Research Commission Report released in July of this year ?The cost of producing electricity from coal or oil would double if costs such as damage to the environment and health were taken into account?.Coal subsidies in China have been more than halved since 1984, and nearly 1 million coal-mining jobs have been eliminated over the past five years as a result of far-reaching coal reduction initiatives. In 1999 alone, total coal use in China dropped 4.4%. Petroleum subsidies fell from 55% in 1990 to 2% in 1995. Source: EIA April 2001.Any significant change in the price of energy can have a major impact on the profitability and value of a building or factory. One can protect their interests by investing in the highest possible efficiency that is economically justifiable.In the past energy efficiency improvements in the U.S. have had a median payback of only 1.9 years meaning that IRR?s of up to 70% were not being selected. This is now changing. In addition to the economic attractiveness of high efficiency there are environmental gains through reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and other power plant emissions that are harmful to the environment.The move to high efficiency equipment is accelerating. And at the same time, there is increasing emphasis in system design and optimization. Low flow/high delta T systems are offering energy savings in operating costs and first cost through smaller pipe diameters and pump sizes.The focus on high efficiency HVAC equipment and systems will continue to increase as additional emphasis is being placed on the environmental costs associated with energy use. About The AuthorLarry Butz is a business globalization and energy efficiency expert for GEA Consulting. GEA Consulting is a global resource dedicated to developing practical solutions that drive client revenue, efficiency, and operational productivity. GEA Consulting can be found online at http://www.gea-consulting.com

Category : Politic

How Email Etiquette Will Make You More Money through Loyal, Repeat Customers

Author : Michael Turner
When it comes to gaining and keeping customers, every website is interested in doing everything they possibly can to make this happen. Fortunately, something as easy as e-mail etiquette can make your customers feel appreciated and as a result become loyal and repeat customers. However, there are some tips that you will need to follow in order to implement etiquette into your e-mails and make it work for you. Read the following suggestions and implement them in your e-mail campaign immediately.1. Only Mail to Those Who Opted In (and let them know they did)One major thing you need to incorporate into your e-mail campaign that will keep your customers happy and loyal is to only send e-mails to those individuals who have opted in. For example, when the customer checked out there was a box checked that said they wanted to receive further e-mails from your company. Some people uncheck this box, others don’t ever see it, and some actually do check it. So, when you send e-mails to the individuals that checked the box or left it checked unknowingly, make sure you add in your e-mail that they opted in to the e-mail list.2. UnsubscribeAlways include information in the e-mail for individuals to unsubscribe from your e-mail list if they so choose. This does not mean they are not loyal customers or will not continue to be, but that they already have enough e-mail cluttering their inbox and don’t want anymore. If you respect their request to unsubscribe they will remain truer and more loyal than if you keep filling their inbox with unwanted messages that they delete without reading anyway.3. Never Sell E-Mail AddressesRespect your customers and keep them loyal by never, ever selling their e-mail addresses. Also, inform them that you will not do so in order for them to feel secure in providing you with their address.4. Make it Short and to the PointWhen you do send e-mails to customers make sure the point of the e-mail is addressed in the subject line as well as immediately in the opening paragraph. You do not want to waste people’s time with an e-mail that they are not interested in. Also, keep it short and to the point so they will not have to read much to figure out whether they are interested or not.5. Be Polite and Watch That GrammarOf course, with any type of business writing, you should always be very polite and have excellent grammar. There are few things that put people off like misspelled words and poor grammar in business e-mails. It will send the signal you are not a serious company, which is the last signal you want to send.Michael Turner reveals his foolproof way to increase website traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it free right now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/
Category : Current Events

Share Your Grief

Author : Gene Torrey
Everyone gets to experience a moment of grief, loss and sadness at some point in their lifetime. Grief is something that follows a loss. Grief can take many forms: it can initially settle in as numbness and later evolve to become a mixture of sadness, anger, confusion, sense of being lost, frustration nd desperation. Losing a child causes grief that can be very painful. A parent who is emotionally and physically close to the child finds himself losing a portion of his own identity along with the loss of a child. This puts the parent in a sort of psychological trauma. They may find themselves wondering how to bring back their child - searching for them or reminders of them. They may even hear their voice or think that they see them in familiar places. It takes a long time to gradually get accustomed to the great loss. The intense emotional pain that takes over the parents when they first hear of the loss of their child can make them feel if they can ever survive through this pain. Progress is made through grief slowly as the feelings are worked through. Freud called this grief work.Each individual reacts in a different way to the loss of a child. While some people seem to cope well with the grief, others isolate themselves and become depressed and even consider suicide. Isolation is not a good thing unless the person is self-determined and tough or spiritually detached in mind. Isolated people do not let their feelings show and suppressed feelings lead to depression and other kinds of physical and mental ailments as well. Research shows that it is not a good thing to pretend that nothing happened when a loss as huge as the loss of a child happens. Without adequate help from others, the parents are likely to feel unease, restlessness and anxiety. If they have more children, they might fear for their lives. If the child they have lost is their only child, they might fear thinking about their own future. It is important they need someone to listen and ask questions and not just offer them words of comfort.When the loss of a child happens, the parents need people to help them confront the fears of the new and unknown future. It's very important that they are able to share their grief with close friends, family members or counselors. It is said that in times of crisis such as this, parents need a kind of emotional first aid - love and a shoulder to cry on. Parents do need privacy and time to mourn the loss of their child. They also need people for support. There should be a balance between grieving alone and sharing grief. Some people find it helpful to spend fifteen to twenty minutes alone every day. This time acts as a safety valve. In it they deal with any emotions they have stored up during the day. There are different ways of grieving in private: thinking, crying, praying, meditating, writing or drawing, talking to the dog! Keeping a journal or grief diary also helps. Parents can write down their feelings and the memories of the loved one. They can then see how their grief changes over a period of weeks and months. This is proof of progress. If the diary is kept in a safe place the written memories become precious in the future. Alternatively some people feel more comfortable with drawing pictures or seeing photographs of their child. Sharing the grief with loved ones help people to talk through their grief. They can relive their happy moments with their child by talking to people or counselors, or by joining a bereavement support group.Turning inwards for spiritual strength also helps in understanding and coping with grief. Spirituality helps a person be grateful for the things that he has rather than grieving for what he has lost. It also enables a person to accept that his child is now in the hands of God and happy in Heaven.Thus we find that different people have different strategies for coping with grief. When then loss is as great as the loss of one's precious child, parents need a balanced approach to dealing with grief. They need to have moments of isolation to work through their feelings, moments of prayer to help them acquire new understanding and strength, and moments of sharing to have the support of family and friends. This mix is different for different people and when they find the right balance, they can find a way to cope with the loss of a child.Gene Torrey - runs a non profit grief and bereavement website (Linda Angel Bereavement & Grief Help Center )whose sole aim is to provide free information to those in need. The website provides articles, resources, advise, forums & a free book.
Category : Self-Improvement:Grief-Loss

John Deere

Author : Chad Koch
JOHN DEERE

GO WEST YOUNG MAN
THE BLACKSMITH
MASS APPEAL
NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEERE
COMMITMENT
LEGENDARY
LEAPING FORWARD
THE CLASSIC

"I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me." Ââ€" John Deere

JOHN DEERE
In 1962, a University of Illinois archaeological team unearthed the exact location of the blacksmith shop where John Deere developed the first successful steel plow in 1837. The site is now preserved by an exhibit hall complete with a simulated conversation between John and Demarius Deere talking about their every events on the farm and his development of the self-polishing steel plow that eventually opened the prairie to agriculture.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN

As a young journeyman blacksmith in Middlebury, Vermont, John Deere soon gained fame for his considerable workmanship and ingenuity. It was a golden age of the burgeoning pioneer and John headed west to join the adventure. It took him many weeks by canal boat, lake boat and stagecoach to reach Grand Detour, Illinois Ââ€" a journey of more than a thousand miles that could easily be accomplished in 16 hours by car today.

BLACKSMITH

The cast iron plows the pioneers used were designed for sandy New England and proved no match for the rich Midwestern soil. So Deere decided to come up with something better, he took an old steel saw blade and made a plow with a properly shaped moldboard and share that scoured itself as it turned the furrow slice, basically it was a self-cleaning plow blade that made the hard work fast.

MASS APPEAL

In his day it was common practice for blacksmiths to build tools as customers ordered them, however seeing the future as it was, Deere decided to start hammering out the new plows without orders. It was an entirely new way of doing business and made John Deere a very popular man.

NOTHING RUNS LIKE A DEER

Ten years after he developed his first plow, Deere was producing a 1000 plows a year. Many years later in 1911, the company purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company and tractors were added to production line. By 1955 they were the leading producer of farm equipment in the world. Today, the company has become globally renowned with net sales exceeding $640 million dollars.

COMMITMENT

Constant research and development has always been key to the John Deere company, as Deere himself once said, “They haven't got to take what we make and somebody else will beat us, and we will lose our trade." To this day, the company spends more on research and development than most other companies in its industry.

LEGENDARY

February 7, 2004 marked the 200th birthday of John Deere, the man. His one man blacksmith shop in 1836 has spawned one of the most celebrated equipment manufacturing companies in the world.

LEAPING FORWARD

The famous leaping deer logo has gone through several changes over the years. Deere first registered it for use in 1876, it read “John Deere Ââ€" Moline, Illinois”. Interestingly, the first deer to appear on the logo was an African deer and not the American white tail used today. Over the years the wording changed and the deer was simplified into line art versus the illustration style of the original. Eventually the deer as the only thing on the logo and it simply read, “John Deere”. The clean cut 1968 version was updated in 200 with the deer leaping up and forward rather than down and forward. The famous green and yellow leaping deer logo has become a hip and modern symbol of John DeereÂ’s and AmericansÂ’ ingenuity and integrity.

THE CLASSIC

The John Deere Classic, a charitable golf tournament is played on a course built in the Friendship Farm in Illinois. For many years the farm had been one of the top Arabian horse breeding operations in the United States and the property still maintains a natural beauty to this day. In 2003, $1.5 million dollars was donated to more than 400 charities to benefit children, families and handicapped individuals. This is just one of the many reasons that John Deere was named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2002 by Business Ethics magazine.

Gourmet Garage Unveils New Line of Retro Chocolate Bars

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NRL Crowds Increase in 2007

Author : Melanie

Reports indicate that the popularity of NRL in increasing steadily. Crowds are up 5% on last year to a whopping 17,640 per Monday night match. So what does this increase mean apart from the organisers rubbing their hands in glee? Bigger crowds mean those precious NRL tickets may be even harder to get. But dont bang your head in despair just yet. You won't have to camp out for a week in order to get your NRL tickets. They won't become as scarce as hens teeth not yet, anyway. Those same organisers have arranged a deal with MyTickets to make your NRL tickets purchasing experience quick and easy by going online.Remember that old saying; the early bird gets the NRL tickets? It's true, so it will pay to be early. With that kind of increase in crowd numbers, the latecomer is likely to miss out on his NRL tickets altogether. Sure, you can watch it on telly as do many others, but it's just not the same as being there. The roar of the crowd as their favourite team scores and the excitement of the game has to be experienced to be believed. So get a part of the action and get your NRL tickets as early as you can.MyTickets, find NRL tickets faster. This information has been generated on behalf of mytickets.com.au. Find NRL tickets online. MyTickets

Category : General Sports: Football

Achieving an Ambidextrous Mindset

Author : C. Bailey-Lloyd
History lends us an ideal of ambidexterity: Leonardo da Vinci, Harry Truman and James Garfield were all known to be physically ambidextrous, but to what does that translate? In modern times, ambidexterity isn't a hot topic, but in fact, we are all - to a degree - ambidextrous.When we multi-task, juggle home and work, hold a phone conference and take notes simultaneously -- we are incorporating an ambidextrous mindset. No, perhaps we don't all use both hands to achieve these tasks, but we are using both brain hemispheres to accomplish our deadlines and goals.Some of us may have heard that we're 'right-brained' or maybe we lean more toward the 'left-brain.' Funny as these terms may seem, they are inherently one in the same. Though we may possess and exhibit more qualities from one side of the brain opposed to the other, we are still integrating both hemispheres in daily applications.Right-brain people are said to think holistically, subjectively and may possess heightened intuition. Left-brain people are more logical, analytical and tend to possess better rational skills. But what really sets the two apart? And why is it that some individuals are more adept at some thought patterns than others?Relevent qualites of 'right-brained' persons may include an expansive imagination, artistic abilities, higher inclination toward risks, and possession of philosophical qualities. Whereas 'left-brained' individuals are more inclined toward safety first, are practical, have a sense of order, and possess good comprehension skills.Ironically, as children, human beings tend to innately migrate toward the right-brain mode. Young kids are highly imaginative, trusting, and create limitless environments with the conceptual power of their minds. It is interesting to watch a child at play. In their innocense, and subjective thinking, they illuminate the spaces that surround them. There are no emotional battles in childrens' minds. Therefore, we can conclude that right-brained individuals are more accepting toward various cultures, races, creeds, etc., simply because right-brained persons, like children, are geared toward open-mindedness.A nearly-perfect example of an ambidextrous mindset:It is through the analytical minds like that of Leonardo da Vinci, (who was ambidextrous) who obviously achieved a harmonious balance of ambidexterity, not only physically, but in mind as well. Leonardo da Vinci is most reknowned for his famous paintings of The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. While his right-brain permitted him to express his exquisite talents in the arts, his left-brain mathematically and analytically went to work in his revolutionary concepts and inventions -- like the first robot, submarine and even the first mechanical calculator.But from where did his visionary inspirations derive? Of course, the right brain. In my opinion, and by scholars throughout the world, da Vinci was by far the greatest genius in human history. His incredible integration of right and left brain hemispheres was an intellectual milestone in the history of humankind.While we may not be Leonarda da Vinci, we do possess traits that may help us to achieve our daily routines, and overall lifestyles. The left hemisphere of our brains control our abilities to analyze and sum parts that are necessary for specific projects, while our right hemisphere amplifies our creative side, and keeps open positive expectations.Finding and attaining the right (no pun intended) balance to achieve an ambidextrous mindset may be accomplished by funnelling problems, conditions, ideas, and concepts through our right-brains to our left-brains. Sounds easy enough, but many of us haven't discovered how to tap into our most resourceful mechanism - the whole human brain.When we combine both thought patterns of each hemisphere, we are accomplishing the ultimate in human behaviour. Not only do we enable ourselves to exhibit and maintain peak human analytical performance, we are also allowing ourselves to receive our atmospheric conditions or situations with an open mind; which concurrently brings about resolve or ideas regarding those conditions or situations.Reflective thinking, NLP, Human Consciousness Studies, empowerment training and meditation are all superb tools to achieving an ambidextrous mindset; also known as whole brain thinking.Whether you're juggling a career and home, children and spouse, or merely trying to multi-task at your engineer's or computer desk, achieving an ambidextrous mindset is what enables us to effectively do the things we do. Imagine the profound potential and human resolve we could discover if we only took the extra steps to tap into our greatest resource: Ourselves.To find an educational or personal training program that can help you achieve your life and work goals, feel free to visit our Healing Arts Schools and Holistic Practitioner directories at Holistic Junction.© 5/2005 - Achieving an Ambidextrous Mindset
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelotAbout the Author:
C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot is the Public Relations' Director & Staff Writer for Holistic Junction - Your Source for Insightful Literature and Consiousness Studies
Category : Inspirational

Jain Religion as a World Religion

Author : Mahapragya Achary
There have been twenty-four Tirthankaras or prophets of the Jain religion. The first one was Lord Rishabh and the twenty-fourth one was Lord Mahavir. Contemporary Jainism has Lord Mahavir's pronouncements as the basis. They include some of the principles enunciated by the twenty-third Tirthankara Lord Parsva also.Lord Mahavir preached his doctrine after attaining omniscience. He propounded Religion by giving central importance to the soul. For him, caste, creed and colour were not significant. Religion or Religion came to acquire a comprehensive scope by upholding the principle that casteism is not real.Treating Religion and sect as two separate things reinforced the basic unity of Religion. There can be a plurality of sects but there can be no plurality of Religion. True Religion consists in subduing attachment and hatred. It is the same for everyone and for all times and all places.Lord Mahavir gives us the anekanta Philosophy (non-absolutism) to look at the world. It is a widely used metaphysical concept and is an important method in the quest for truth. According to this theory, you cannot arrive at the entire truth with the help of sense perceptions because senses have their limitations- they can at best arrive at partial truth. Besides, there are as many facets of truth as there are ideas. Therefore, before declaring that a particular idea is false, one must try to discover its latent fragment of truth. This humble but comprehensive viewpoint of the Jain Religion regarding the quest for truth is enough to give it the status of a world religion.Once Acharya Tulsi was camping in Hissar (Haryana). It was a summer afternoon. Suddenly Kaka Kalelkar emerged as if from nowhere. The Acharya wondered how Kaka had come without any prior information. The latter said I was sitting in my office in Delhi thinking about anekanta. While doing so I felt very unhappy about the inactivity of the followers of the Jain Religion. People of all religions are trying to turn their religions into world religions. But the Jains are totally inactive on this front. They have a great philosophy like the anekanta, which qualifies as a world religion, and yet they are least bothered about it. I was distressed by it. I could not contain my grief and it explains why I have come here in this scorching heat.Kaka Kalelkar's complaint did not merely have a tinge of grief; it also had a lot of truth. The Jain Religion is a fit candidate for being a world religion. For it supports human unity, explains religion from a non-sectarian angle and concedes partial truth in the doctrines of all other sects.Also More Articles at articlesworld.comMahapragya Achary is 10th acharya of Terapantht founded by Acharya Bikshu Swami
Category : News-and-Society:Religion

The N.E.T. Study Guide, About the Author

Author : Smartfinds

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Why 95% Of Network Marketers Fail, And How To Be One Of The 5% That Succeed

Author : Gavin Martin-Rentz

WARNING: The next sentence may shock you.Only 10% of your success will ever depend on your marketing, websites, products and the strategies you implement and its the reason the 95% starting out in network marketing will fail.But what else is there? I mean that type of stuff is all anyone tells you about on the internet, and that is exactly why so many fail in network marketing they dont have the other 90%.Ok so what is the 90%?Its the way you think your mindset.You need to have the mindset of a successful person, before you can be one.The perfect example of this is the lottery.Think about it.Most of the people who win the lottery end up worse off than when they started. This is simply because they did not know how to handle such large amounts of money, whereas a rich person would have known exactly what to do with it to make it last.I hope you see for yourself that you need to start thinking like a success as soon as possible.Now I know you might be thinking that you cant act successful before youve experienced it first.Well thats wrong, and thats why 95% of newbie network marketers fail.Ive designed a very simple way for you to start thinking and acting like a wealthy person.I present to you MACCAH, my theory of a successful mindset:1. Mistakes: Embrace mistakes and learn from them. You need to have the ability to look at your mistakes and find out what has gone wrong. You should see each mistake as a stepping-stone to your success after all, Thomas Edison tested thousands of different materials before finding a suitable filament for the incandescent light bulb. Each mistake brought him one step closer to success. 2. Acceptance: When something happens (good or bad) you have to be able to accept it and move on. You will never get anywhere if youre always wondering what could have happened if you hadnt done this or if you had done that.3. Confidence: This is a very important one. You need to have total and utter confidence in yourself. Know beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything you do will always work out for the best, no matter what happens.4. Constant Learning: You should always be in a state of learning, keeping an open mind to new concepts and strategies. Never ever stop learning, keep on buying new books, courses, tapes, etc, even if you think you know it all, because you never will.5. Ask The Right Questions: Asking the right questions will get you the right results. For example: instead of asking yourself Why am I so poor?, ask What actions can I take to become wealthy?.6. Helping Others: The more people that you help to become successful, the more successful you will become. Always look for ways to help people, everything you do should be a win-win situation. Also I encourage you to regularly donate a percentage of your income to charity.Your mind cant tell the difference between acting and reality, if you start acting wealthy, you are going to start attracting whats missing.So start working on your mindset today, study what successful people do. If you can get yourself a mentor, great! But if not, just read up on books, courses, articles, and anything else you can get your hands on.Start investing in yourself today!I highly recommend you pick up yourself a copy of the timeless classic Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Plus check out Mike Dillards Magnetic Sponsoring its written especially for network marketers like you and me.http://urs-gav.magneticsponsoringonline.com Gavin is a bright upcoming entrepreneur from Australia. His main focus at the moment is to help network marketers succeed. Grab yourself a copy of his free ebook The 6 Dirty Little Secrets They Dont Want You To Know About Network Marketing at http://www.mlm-secrets.com and check out his blog: http://youngmarketer.blogspot.com.

Category : General Business: Network Marketing

Yard and Garden Trends for 2006

Author : Kate Robertson

Spring has sprung, and another exciting season of gardening is upon us! Gardening has made a huge resurgence in recent years, as the hobby of choice for thousands of homeowners across this great country of ours. Our task, in this article, is to document some of the hottest trends in yard and garden dcor for 2006. Are you ready?One thing we have noted over the years is the increasing use of yard space as an extension of one's home. With each passing season, more and more homeowners are treating their patios and decks as yet another room. With the ever decreasing amount of land available for housing development, it would appear that the pleasure of having an extensive backyard space is becoming a thing of the past. So what is a homeowner to do? You have to make the best of the space you have available.The whole notion of creating a backyard that is but an extension of one's home can be challenging to comprehend. In essence, this is a way to create a livable space that is both comfortable and low-maintenance. One of this year's biggest trends is to move towards these low-maintenance, attractive spaces. The best place to start, if you are considering this sort of backyard transformation, is to give some thought to "hardscaping". Hardscaping (or hard landscaping) can be defined as creating the skeleton of your yard through the use of physical elements such as pathways, patios, and decks. To give yourself some idea of what the end result might look like, consider spending some time producing some sketches.After the fixed elements are in place, it is simply a matter of accessorizing your new "room". You can approach this the same way you would approach interior decorating. Wicker and rattan furniture continues to be extremely popular, as it is both versatile and stands up well to the elements of nature. For an extremely fair price, you can find quality wicker or rattan furniture to meet your every need.On the gardening side of things, the use of planters and pots has reached fever pitch. The wonderful thing about using planters and pots is that you can move them whenever the need arises. Another recent trend we have spotted this year is the creation of vertical gardens, employing the use of lattice and other materials. These garden types are especially useful when you have limited space to work with. Happy Gardening!Kate Robertson is an avid gardener, and a regular contributor to yardandgardendecor.com a wonderful online gardening guide with extensive information about garden statues, stepping stones, sundials and more. Kate Robertson is an avid gardener, and a regular contributor to yardandgardendecor.com a wonderful online gardening guide with extensive information about garden statues, stepping stones, sundials and more.

Category : General Home Repair

Shih Tzu - Hernias

Author : Connie Limon
Umbilical and inguinal hernias are very common in the shih tzu. They may be congenital or acquired. In acquired hernias, there generally is some history of trauma such is at birth with the umbilical cord being cut to short or excessive pull on the cord during the cutting process. Congenital hernias involve the diaphragm or the abdominal wall. There are three main types involving the diaphragm. They are peritoneopericardial where abdominal contents are found extending into the pericardial sac; pleuropetioneal, in which abdominal contents are found within the pleural cavity; and hiatal, in which the abdominal esophagus, gastroesophageal junction, and/or portions of the stomach protrude through the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity.Clinical signs vary from no symptoms to severe and depend on the amount of herniated tissue and its effect on the organ it is displacing. Hiatal hernias may be "sliding" and result in clinical signs of reflux esophagitis (anorexia, salivation, and/or vomiting) that may come and go. Definitive diagnosis is done through radiology, and contrast studies are need for confirmation. Correction of all the afrementioned hernias is best done through surgery.Hernias involving the abdominal wall include umbilical, inguinal, or scrotal. An umbilical hernia is secondary to failure of the normal closure of the umbilical ring and result in protrusion of the abdominal wall. In small animals, if the hernia is small, correction is best done at time of spaying or neutering and this is best done no earlier than 6 months of age. Sometimes a small umbilical or inguinal hernia will have closed on its own by the time the dog reaches 6 months of age. If not, then it most usually is recommended to be closed during the sterialization process. If you are not planning to sterialize your animal, then the hernia can be repaired at 6 months of age, and preferably not before then, unless there is a medical reason to do so.Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Weekly updates of available puppies. Sign up at:

http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
Category : Home-and-Family:Pets

Make your own Bath Bombs!

Author :

&lt;b&gt;Make your own Bath Bombs!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;by: &lt;b&gt;Paul Duxbury&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bath bombs are easy to make and provide a delightful fizzing adventure in the tub. If you do not know what a bath bomb is, it is a sweet scented mixture of citric acid, baking soda and other ingredients that fizz when you plop them into your tub.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As your bomb fizzes, the scent is released filling the room with a comforting aroma that lasts for hours.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make bath bombs, you will need 1/3 part citric acid, and 2/3 part baking soda as well as some witch hazel in a spray bottle.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;First, mix the baking soda and citric acid together well, so that they are blended well. Next, add colorant if desired (you can use dried herbs for colour, just a pinch or so) and enough fragrance to scent the mixture well.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, grab your witch hazel, and work fast as the mixture will start fizzing once you start adding the hazel. Sprits with one hand, and stir well with the other hand until the mixture is thoroughly wet with a consistency of play dough.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now firmly press your mixture into moulds (ice cube trays work well), then let your bombs sit overnight until dry.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If your bombs fizz in the moulds, just continue pressing them down, This just means that you used too much witch hazel resulting in a mixture that was too wet. Over time you will know what consistency is best for the humidity in your area. Until then, practice makes perfect.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The more you pack your mixture into your mould, the longer lasting and harder your bombs will be.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your bath bombs can be used for yourself, as gifts to family and friends or sold to make some spare cash.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A nice way to package your bombs for gift giving would be to wrap them in cellophane and place a few in a large coffee cup, along with a sealed bag of hot cocoa, tea or coffee and a small candle.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Wrap this attractively in colourful wrap, add a bow, and you have a mini spa treat that is sure to please anyone.&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;table width=100% cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor=#dddddd&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;About The Author&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Paul Duxbury is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk" target=new&gt;http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk</a>) and has just published Tennis for Everyone which can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/tennis_for_everyone.htm&quot; target=new&gt;http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/tennis_for_everyone.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/table&gt;

Category : Health Newsletters

Business Coaching Tips - Customer Satisfaction Improvement Plan

Author : Peter Hickey
Pro-active StrategiesActively look at implementing some of these proactive strategies
Supplying better quality goods or over-servicing
Ensuring speedy delivery. If a customer orders today by direct mail, they are always impressed if the goods are there the next day. This sets the tone for the entire organization
Offering after sales discounts
Realigning product development to customer needs. This could take the form of a pro-active questionnaire that asks the customer what they liked and did not like. And then setting a product development plan from this feedback
Access to additional services or goods as a reward for being a good customer
Follow up with a simple customer service call - "we care about our customer"
Supply a bonus gift with the salePeople StrategiesA set of guidelines should be developed for anyone that comes in contact with a customer. These guidelines should be backed by detailed training. The types of people that typically come in contact with a customer includeReceptionist
Sales people
Technical people
Delivery and warehouse people
Secretary
Telemarketers
AccountsReview what type of customers that you have, the types of issues that these people deal with and look to develop a series of quality guidelinesSystems - Implement and monitor the following systems
Customer service systems
Customer feedback systems
Regular training of staff
Automated survey
Mystery shopper
Employee incentive to reward high customer service
Automated CRM and access by all staffAreas of Performance you should review
Product quality
Delivery
Courtesy
Professionalism
Product knowledge
Complaint resolution
Ease of doing business
Invoicing/Accounts accuracy
Responsiveness to enquiries
Stock availability
After sales service
Service versus expected serviceIndicators (lagged)Lost customers (churn rate)
Average value sale
Referrals
Average life time value
Product returns
Complaints
Customer re-order frequencyAbout AuthorPeter Hickey Corprat ® Coaching - All rights reservedWinner of the Ernst & Young NSW "Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1999
Bestselling author and designer of a number of multi award winning business tools that are now being used by more than 60,000 companies around the world.
Founder of a software company that was listed as one of BRW's fastest growing 100 private companies in 2000. Peter successfully built the company from a one man business to a multi-million dollar concern. The company was acquired 10 years after its inception by a multi billion dollar publisherVisit - http://www.corprat.com for more information on how to become a business coach and for our free Mini MBA program or business planning service.Visit - http://www.plansforbusiness.com for more free resources and a free business planning software and free "how to sell your business guides."
Category : Writing & Speaking

Can Credit Counseling Really Help?

Author : Dave Robinson

If you have high debt, and are in trouble, you have probably heard the term ?credit counseling,? but do you understand what it is? Oftentimes this term is used in the same sentence as debt negotiation or debt settlement, but actually, it?s a completely different process. With credit counseling, you will actually work with a professional credit counselor to pay off your debt in lower, monthly payments that you can afford. The people most likely to need credit counseling are those who are receiving troubling phone calls from bill collectors, or whose accounts have gone to collection agencies. If you think that you may benefit from using a service like this, please read on to find out the best way to work with a credit counseling company. First, you?ll need to be able to find a good credit counseling company, and not fall victim to one of the many credit counseling scams that are out there. Start by avoiding any ads that promise you quick fixes for your credit report. There is no such thing. Instead, look for a reliable company that is accredited by Consumer Credit Counseling Services. Next, you?ll have to meet with a professional credit counselor, and provide them with all of the details of your debt. Don?t be tempted to leave anything out because they will need the information in order to create a re-payment plan made just for you. Now, you can sit back and allow your professional credit counselor to work for you. They will contact all of your creditors and inform them that you are trying to create a plan that will allow you pay off your debts. They will work with them all and coordinate a re-payment schedule that you can live with. Many times, they will be able to lower your interest rates in order to allow for lower payments. Some credit counseling services offer a debt management system. What is it? Instead of having to keep up with all of the payments yourself, you will have the option of submitting one lump sum payment to the credit counseling service and they will do it for you. One note of caution here: there have been instances of a credit counseling services paying their client?s payments late, and if that happens, your credit report will suffer for it. Knowing that, be sure to check out the company thoroughly, by checking references, before signing up for their debt management program. What will you pay for all of these services? A reputable Credit Counseling Service will only charge you a small fee, somewhere around fourteen dollars per month. If they are asking for alot of money up front, they may not have your best intests at heart. Be on the look out for potenial scams. You should also be aware that working with a credit counseling service can do some damage to your credit report. However, the good does out weigh the bad. After all, it?s much easier to explain an honest attempt to get your finances in order than it is to explain a bankruptcy or a credit report full of charge-offs.

Getting Started On A Natural Penis Enlargement Program

Author : adam griffin

There are a number of ways for men, both young and old, to increase the size of their penis without resorting to risky surgical procedures that can cost thousands of dollars and potentially cause permanent damage and impotence. Natural penis enlargement techniques can include exercises, pumps, extenders and even herbal supplements. So for anyone who is considering starting a natural penis enlargement program here are a few things to keep in mind while trying to reach your goals. The first and most important thing to remember is that your personal safety should always come first. Everyone has a unique body type and what works well for one person may not work as well for another. If you are using herbal supplements always read any warning labels carefully, especially if you take medication for other conditions, such as high blood pressure. Always stay alert for signs of problems and take a break from your regimen if it causes you significant pain or discomfort.For those just starting out there are a number of manual exercise techniques such as jelqing, clamping and kegels that can be considered. Like any exercise program it is recommended to start off slowly and increase the intensity and duration of workouts over a period of time. When doing any type of stretching exercise it is important to warm up before starting your routine. If using a traction based extender it is a good idea to start by applying a warm compress to the genital area for a few minutes prior to starting your session. Just like any other type of exercise it is advisable to always start with a warm up routine before beginning your exercise session.Another subtle and often overlooked factor to increasing penis size is diet and overall cardiovascular health. The male erection is achieved by increasing blood flow to the penis, causing it expand. Poor blood circulation can lead to a decrease in the amount of blood entering the penis resulting in poor erection quality. It also goes without saying that having your gut hanging over your penis will certainly make it appear much less impressive. Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption and tobacco use are also recommended to anyone who wants to increase their overall health. Remember that a balanced diet and healthy body are both part of improving penile function and health. Remember that with any exercise program results will come with time, not overnight. As the old saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. It takes some dedication and perseverance to obtain results when trying to succeed with any natural penis enlargement regimen. More detailed information about Natural Penis Enlargement

Category : General Medical: Alternative Medicine

Destinations for Romance on Your Honeymoon

Author : Richard Rspad
Getting married constitutes the end of your single life and beginning of a new personal adventure. To get things started right, you have a huge choice of destinations for romance.Destinations for Romance on Your HoneymoonIf you've decided on the wedding date, location and even theme, you might be wondering what's next. Why, you've got to plan the honeymoon, of course! Choosing a place to spend your first days as man and wife can be just as important as planning the wedding and even more funCombine the words Hawaii and honeymoon, and you get romance in the language of love. Millions of people from the United States and other countries flock here each year for honeymoons. The islands of Hawaii - which include the Big Island (Hawaii), Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu and Kauai – are the perfect location for your dream honeymoon. The smaller islands of Lanai and Kauai are especially so and less crowded than the more popular islands of Oahu and Maui.One excellent choice for your Hawaiian honeymoon stay is the Hanalei Bay Resort, located in Princeville, Kauai. This resort offers suites and regular rooms, with either breathtaking ocean views or beautiful mountain vistas. Golf courses surround the resort, and nestled within the property are two waterfalls. You can even have your wedding here as well, if you'd like to have a destination wedding!Another location that oozes romance is the Caribbean. This area of the world offers many different resorts and islands to choose from, but they're all infused with the exotic feel of the tropical climate, as well as the warmth and charm of an island getaway. One great place is the Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. This all-inclusive resort offers the best spa in the Caribbean according to Condé Nast Traveler magazine, and is known as the Caribbean's most elegant resort. A honeymoon here means you don't have to carry cash or pay extra for anything, and a wedding ceremony is even included in the price of your stay! (There is a seven night minimum stay for the free wedding.)There are many honeymoon spots to choose from when it comes to romance, and it would be impossible to highlight them all. Just remember that when choosing a location, it's important that you find the place romantic and relaxing. Don't book your honeymoon somewhere on the advice of anyone else, be sure to select a resort that's right for the two of you - it's your trip.Richard Rspad is with ResortSpaDestinations.com - reviews and articles on spa resorts.
Category : News-and-Society:Marriage-Wedding

Innovation Management - Isolating Problems and Implementing Solutions

Author : Kal Bishop
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted. Isolating problems and implementing solutions The five stages above are separate and distinct, yet there is sometimes a feeling that there is more of an overlap than in fact there is:a) Problem identification is just that. But it requires a wide variety of individuals to make good decisions. For example, end-users see problems differently from sales, who see problems differently from technicians and designers, who in turn see problems differently from sales and marketing, who see problems differently from finance and strategists, who see problems differently from warehouse managers etc.b) Idea generation is also self-explanatory, but requires a wide range of diverse and novel people to truly arrive at good ideas. And then leaders have t be aware of organisational culture, structure, team structures and much more to optimise idea-generating sessions.c) Idea selection, as above requires the a wide range of diverse and novel people and a good understanding of evaluation procedures, as this si really the first filter until this batch of ideas moves into development.d) Development is often confused with the last stage, but is separate. It is where the ideas that will become development programmes are chosen. The Economist (2003b) states that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.e) Commercialisation is the final stage. It includes marketing strategy, design, pricing strategies and so forth.These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.Kal Bishop, MBA**********************************You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/
Category : Self-Improvement:Innovation

Celebrate St. Patricks Day with the Worlds First Irish Pubs Directory for iPod

Author :

ate">March 8th, 2005

For Sale By Owner: How to Sell Your Home Yourself

Author : Amber McNaught
'For sale by owner.' Four words that are becoming more and more common in the real estate market. But it selling your home yourself the right approach for you? And if so, how do you go about it?Let's start with the first question. The "for sale by owner" approach is for anyone who doesn't want to pay estate agent fees, deal with a communication bottleneck, or give control of the marketing and selling of their property to a third party.If that sounds like you, then follow these tips to sell your own home successfully.Know the value of your propertyAny estate agent will give you a valuation of your property, of course. But estate agents have a vested interest in raising the bar. They're hoping to convince you to choose them over their competitors, so they'll often claim to be able to sell your house for more than it's really worth.Luckily, finding out the true worth of your property isn't too difficult. Take a look around you. Look at properties for sale in your area, and find out what their asking price is. To find out what they actually sell for (a figure which may bear no relation to the asking price), websites such as www.ourproperty.co.uk can help you out. There are also a number of websites dedicated to helping sellers market their properties themselves â€" www.privateseller.co.uk is just one of them.Get your house into shapeThe value of your home, of course, will depend largely on what kind of condition it's in. While there's nothing you can do to change the age or structure of your building, there are many things you can do to make it appear more inviting. You've probably heard how the smell of baking bread or freshly brewed coffee can make a property seem more welcoming, but you don't even have to go that far: just making sure your home is clean, tidy, and in a good state of repair will work wonders. Get rid of your clutter before you open the door to your first viewers â€" even if you have to put it in the attic â€" and get rid of pet smells, underwear on radiators and unwashed dishes. (You'd be surprised how many people don't!)Manage your viewings properlyOnce you have the house clean and ready to welcome viewers, don't think you can just sit back and relax. Viewings are the most crucial time of all when you come to sell your home, and it's important that you do everything you can to make sure they go smoothly. Again, make sure that pets are kept out of the way or under control; turn off that blaring TV and stereo; was the dishes, and make sure that the environment your viewers come into is one they can imagine living in. Make sure you're on hand to answer any questions they may have, but don't follow them around the house, breathing down their necks. Give your viewers the privacy to inspect the property in their own time, and to talk to each other in private about what could be the biggest purchase of their lives!PrivateSeller.co.uk is a UK based "for sale by owner" website, helping property owners market and sell their homes themselves.Article written and distributed by WritingWorld.org
Category : Debt Consolidation

Ezine Advertising Deals Revealed

Author : Greg Root
Ezine (electronic magazine) advertising is a great method for exposing your offer to a targeted audience (niche). This type of advertising can be quite expensive
though if you don't know what to look for.Two years of experience advertising in dozens of ezines has revealed a few money saving trends and commonalities. These tendencies will save the ezine marketer a considerable amount of money, especially when combined.You may not realize it, but ezine ad specials and deals are fairly common if you know where to look and what to look for.In this article, I will show you how to find these specials, what types to look for, and the details you need to know about each one in order to take advantage of
these offers.SubscribeThis may seem obvious, but I never subscribed to ezines, simply because it wasn't necessary in order to purchase an ad. I would go to the website, fill out the ad
form, hit the PayPal button, and submit the ad. What I didn't know was that, though sometimes ad specials are available on the website, the best ones are usually offered to subscribers.With that in mind, always subscribe first. In fact, I recommend subscribing to about 20 or more ezines in your niche if you can find that many.Why the large number?This is to insure a greater chance that one or more specials will appear in your email with regularity. It's a good idea to set up a separate email account just for these subscriptions.The following are some of the special offers you'll find as a subscriber.Free Classified AdsA few of the ezines you subscribe to will allow you to submit a free classified ad as a bonus for subscribing. Some even allow you to submit your ad every week for free. If you take advantage of these freebies, you'll find a few gems that do pretty well and are worth the
effort of submitting. Additionally, many ezines post their ads online. I receive a steady trickle of visitors from such ads.Subscription SpecialsFrom time to time, you'll receive some great advertising specials. The key here is to keep your eye out for them and be ready to respond because these deals are usually limited in number and time of availabilitySome common specials you'll see are buy one get one free solo ads (your ad alone goes out to the entire list of subscribers), volumn ad discounts, and ad packages. The ad packages usually have a mixture of ads for example, a solo ad, top sponsor ad, and a classified ad.Off Season Ad SpecialsSummer and mid Winter (December and January) are usually slower months in terms of advertising. Many ezine owners who don't normally offer ad space in their publications will offer special deals to subscribers. These advertising specials are limited in number and may sell out quickly. A recent ad I ran in one of these ezines produced the best response I've had yet.Submitting ArticlesAs a subscriber, you'll get to submit articles to some of the ezines. This is an increasingly popular method of getting your message prominently in front of ezine subscibers for free.The key to this method is to offer quality information and then put a subtle pitch for your website at the end in the author's bio. This method works best if you own your own website versus affiliate or replicated web sites.Additionally, you can submit your article directly to other ezine publishers who accept them, to article announcement lists, and to article directories.I highly recommend that you do not miss out on this type of promotion. In fact, hire a ghost writer if you have trouble writing. There are hundreds if not thousands of places online that will accept articles for free. You'll recover your investment.If you want to save money and put your ad campaign in high gear, employ the methods mentioned and keep a sharp eye out. The combined savings will be quite substantial. Of course, that means an increase in your profit margin.Greg Root started using ezine advertising almost exclusively
since 2003 and owns and maintains 'The Ezine Ad Tester' at
http://www.maxprofitpro.comSee the results of his ezine
advertising campaigns to find the best ezine marketing
resources on the internet.
Category : Business:Ezine-Publishing

Finding The Cheap Clicks

Author : Henry Eldridge-Doyle
As anyone who uses Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising in their marketing campaign knows, getting your ad copy on the front page of a search results listing is becoming more expensive by the day. It's a new phenomenon known as 'keyword fatigue', and it's down to the overwhelming success of programs like Google's AdWords. As more and more advertisers realise the benefits of this form of traffic generation, so the number of people bidding for the same keywords increases, and the bid prices climb accordingly. Great news if you are a publisher taking a cut of the revenue, but not so welcome for those doing the bidding.So are the days of 5 cents a click now just a distant memory? Not at all, there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of keyword phrases out there for minimum cost, all it takes is a little more effort to use them. To understand how this can be done, with Google AdWords in particular, it is first necessary to understand how ad positions are determined.Google's PPC program, like their core search engine, places a great deal of emphasis on advertisment relevance. When a web surfer types keywords into the search box, Google wants the ad that most closely matches that phrase to be shown nearest the top of the list - not just the ad bidding the highest amount of money. It mutiplies bid price by keyword relevance, and that means that by careful selection of your keywords, it is possible to be placed above competitors and pay only 1 cent more than they are (Google doesn't necessarily charge the maxium amount you bid, only enough to put you ahead).There are three simple ways you can trump your competitors with your keyword selection:1. Longer phrases. There are huge numbers of people bidding on a loose term like "mortgage broker", but fewer people bidding on a tighter phrase like "mortgage broker in texas". If a searcher types "mortgage broker in texas" into Google, and you have that phrase in your keyword list, your ad will be deemed more relevant than anyone just using "mortgage broker" in their own list - which means a cheaper click for you! Of course, there are fewer searches for mortgage brokers specifically in Texas than for mortgage brokers in general, so it's necessary to build a large list of similar keyphrases targetting many locations.2. Closer matching. Just because you might type "in car satellite radio" into Google, doesn't mean every surfer will do the same. Somebody else searching for the same thing may well enter "satellite radio in car", or "radio in car satellite", and so on. If your ad contains every variation, it may trump a competing ad which lists only the first example. In other words, having just the keywords in your list isn't necessarily enough - having them in the same order a searcher enters them will give your ad a better relevance score.3. The final (Google specific) method is to ensure that you wrap every keyword or keyphrase in both quotes and brackets. Again, this means that if someone enters an exact term you have listed, your ad will beat a competing ad that has the same term but without the brackets or quotes.Clearly, building keyword lists in this way can be more time consuming than simply selecting a few generic words that describe your product or service, but free tools such as those at http://www.keyword-linker.com can make the process much quicker than doing it manually.Cheap keyphrases are still there for the taking, the winners in PPC now will be those who put in the effort to catch them.About The AuthorHenry Eldridge-Doyle is an internet marketeer, and site developer at http://www.keyword-toolkit.com.
Category : Business:PPC-Advertising

Article Marketing: What constitutes good content for an article?

Author : Evelyn Lim

Article marketing is simply the process of writing articles, publishing your articles on article directories and syndicating your articles.To be successful in article marketing, you need to:1. Write high quality and keyword optimized articles. 2. Submit a series of such articles to article directories on a regular basis.An article that has good content and that contain the keywords that readers are searching for has many page views. Imagine if each article generates a page view of 500 readers, if you have ten of such articles, you will get 5000 page views. With article syndication, you get more back links for higher ranking on search engines and can also brand yourself as an expert in your area of online business. But what constitutes good content? Here are some useful tips:1. Your content answers a need or solves a problem that your target readers have. Specifically, your article contains keywords that readers search for. For instance, if you are targeting readers with hair loss, then ?hair loss? is a keyword phrase that you can use in your article. However, a better keyword phrase is likely ?hair loss remedy? as your article content can be on remedy solutions for hair loss, thus addressing the needs of your reader.2. Your article contains useful resources. Using the same example for hair loss, you can write about where your reader can find the remedy solutions.3. Your content contains practical tips that your readers can easily apply. A step-by-step guide on preparing a remedy right out from one?s kitchen is interesting and unusual. 4. If you are writing a discussion topic, you present alternative views and a healthy discussion on each view.5. Your content is personalized. You write from your own experiences. 6. You have an opinion on a discussion topic and your ideas are well supported. Support can be in the form of testimonials from experts or references to scientific and proven research. It is okay to write an article based on general information but winning content are those that have supporting reasons for your opinion.7. Your article is up-to-date with the latest information on trends. No one likes to read outdated ideas. This is especially if you are writing on an area that is fast moving like IT or even fashion. Evelyn Lim is a writer and an online market strategist. Her article directory site is a growing database of quality articles on more than 100 topic categories. To submit your articles or if you are looking for reprint articles, please visit http://www.ArticleMap.com.

Category : Article Submission

What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About Fighting Breast and Other Hormone-Related Cancers

Author :

">August 27th, 2004

OEM Supply Arrangement for Mini-Vehicles between Nissan and Mitsubishi Increased

Author : Jenny McLane

&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mini-vehicles are fast becoming popular especially among the youthful sectors. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it is also practical and a great space-saver. In this light, two of the world's top auto manufacturers have beefed up their production and supply agreement of Mini vehicles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Nissan and Mitsubishi have agreed to expand their OEM supply arrangement for Mini-Vehicles. Under this new agreement, Mitsubishi would supply Nissan with an additional mini-vehicle on an OEM basis starting in the first half of fiscal year 2005. With this, the annual mini-vehicle supply from Mitsubishi to Nissan will increase more than two-fold from 20.000 units at present to 56,000 units. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Specifically, Mitsubishi will supply Nissan with a total of 36.000 eK series mini-passenger cars. This is in addition to the 20,000 Minicab mini-commercial vehicles it currently supplies. The Minicab, featuring both a truck and van version, has been one of Nissan's products. Nissan has been selling this model under the Clipper name since October 2003. This time, two variations of the EK series will be supplied by Mitsubishi, the eK Wagon and eK Sport. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With the new eK, Nissan will now have three mini-vehicles in its product lineup. Nissan also sells the Moco mini-passenger car. These three models will broaden the company's customer base. Mitsubishi has supplied a total of 33,300 Minicabs between October 2003 and December 2004. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Mitsubishi and Nissan evidently anticipate more buyers of its mini-passenger cars. Meanwhile, when in need of top quality Nissan Parts, a trip to the nearest auto supplier may not be necessary at all. In the comfort of your own home, you can now shop for the best auto parts. Simply log on to &lt;a target=&quot;new&quot; href=&quot;http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/NISSAN&quot;&gt;http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByVehicle/NISSAN&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;table width=&quot;100%&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;8&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#dddddd&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About The Author&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:jenny@partstrain.com">jenny@partstrain.com</a><br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Category : General Food and Drink

Pocket Bikes – Miniature Form Of Motorbikes

Author : Sharon Albright -
Pocket bikes, also known as mini motors are miniature-sized motorcycles, fueled with either gas or oil and powered with gas-burning engines. The concept of motorbikes had begun in Japan, a country known for miniaturizing full-scale products.

Previously pocket bikes were used only on closed racetracks, private roads and on roads that were not under public traffic laws, so that no big car or truck can run into your minute sized pocket bikes. But these you will often find pocket bikes zinging in and out of the parking lots, up and down the residential streets and occasionally onto the side of the cars.

The pocket bikes usually move at a top speed of 35 mph, but often the speed can be raised further. Another interesting feature of these pocket bikes are their duplicate imitation of normal-sized street motorcycles. The pocket bikes are equipped with handlebars, twist-grip throttles, and chain drives, electronic ignition and disk brakes.

The pocket bikes are not at all safe for the highways or high traffic zone areas. If you are driving a small sports car and someone is driving a mini pocket bike behind you, you will fail to see him or the pocket bike. So it becomes really dangerous to move in a traffic-crowded area, as the rider can be easily run-down by the driver of the bigger truck. The pocket bikes are specially designed to travel only on the racetracks.

There are some safety measures that should be followed while one is driving these pocket bikes. The person driving the bike should be an ace in driving and he should always carry his helmet and pads. If by chance if your kid is riding the pocket bike, then make sure that he/she does not go out of the backyard or the driveway.

The pocket bikes follow hi-tech technology so the snazziest models cost even more than thousands. The smaller models, however, cost around $200 to $800. They basically come from Japan and China and are specially famous amongst the teenagers and people in their early youths. These bikes weigh almost 50 pounds, stand about a foot and half high and can be carried stacked in a corner of the trunk of the car. They have really tiny engines with 47 cc to 49cc displacement, less than 1/20th the size of the bigger motorcycles.

Try out the pocket bikes. If you want something thrilling, something exciting, something enticing to bring a difference to your monotonous days, then pocket bikes are the best alternatives for you.

Custom Egrips for iPod at Macworld

Author :

egrips are stylish super grippy appliqus that adhere to your iPod, giving it a unique look and providinompt"g a better grip, to keep it from slipping out of your hand or off your console. egrips for the iPod are available in designer colors and patterns that feel great to hold.Unlike iPod tattoos, egrips give you a better grip on you iPod, safeguarding it from potentionally damaging falls. egrips is made of an easy to clean, durable, silicone based material that also protects your iPod from scratches and scuffs. With an egrips applied to your iPod, you can individualize your iPod and keep is securely in your hand at the same time. You wont believe how good your iPod feels with an egrips applied.To find out more about egrips, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.egrips.com" target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://www.egrips.com</a>.Cost and Availability:2-Packs and 3-Packs of egrips for the iPod are available at CompUSA. The 2-Pack egrips for iPod is $14.95, with 1 silver and 1 white egrips. The 3-Pack egrips for iPod is $19.95, with 1 silver sparkle, 1 pink sparkle, and 1 blue sparkle egrips.egrips for iPod can also be purchased on line at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.egrips.com.&nbsp" target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://www.egrips.com.&nbsp</a>;About Flexible Innovations LimitedFlexible Innovations Limited, a leader in the development of advanced materials, created egrips technology, nominated for the 2005 Product Design and Development Engineering Award. egrips technology is a very thin silicone based product with unique features, safeguarding mobile phones, PDAs, and other handheld electronic devices from falling and breaking by giving users a better grip. With egrips attached, devices dont slide out of users hands or off the edges of slippery surfaces. egrips works with a wide variety of handheld devices including cell phones, Palm Pilots, Pocket PCs, portable CD and DVD players, remote controls, cordless phones, GameBoy units, GPS units, messaging devices, MP3 players, notebook computers, photography equipment, portable medical equipment, professional grooming products, scanners, and two-way radios. Visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.egrips.com" target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;www.egrips.com</a>.

Category : Motivational

Will Adobe Manage to Replace Industry Work Horse Quark Express by Giving Adobe InDesign for Free?

Author : S Steele
Heard about the Quark “killer”?Adobe InDesign CS2. Will it really “kill” Quark? Adobe has been saying “it will” for the last six years or so, but it hasn’t happened. Adobe Pagemaker didn’t kill Quark, either, but was instead replaced by InDesign. And InDesign is also at a distant second place so far.Let’s start by saying that it would be a good idea to wait for any new purchases or “conversions” until the upcoming release of the next version of Quark Xpress.Some of the features that Quark has unveiled (Job Jackets for example, for workflow streamlining and increased productivity) as part of their new version, in our view are very compelling and offer more value than InDesign.Other features are necessary updates that fulfill current needs and put it on par with available technologies currently provided by other programs (i.e. transparency support, Open Type font support, etc, so InDesign and Quark have standard common features). There are plenty of reviews out there detailing all the new features of Quark and we encourage you to read them, you will find the new Quark a very useful ally in your road to productivity.***Adobe: positioning a product at any costRecently Adobe acquired Macromedia, because Adobe couldn’t compete with Macromedia’s web software, another area where Adobe is weak.
In our view and that of many people we interviewed, that was the only way Adobe could obtain a leading position in the web design arena: by buying out their competition. The lead Adobe has with Photoshop, doesn’t translate to a lead in other fields.For the last few years, Adobe has been trying to position InDesign against Quark as the leader in the publishing area without success.***Bundling InDesign: the key strategy of Adobe to gain market shareThe strategy used by Adobe is very similar to some of the strategies Microsoft has used in the past to eliminate their competition.It’s a well-known fact (painstakingly proven by Microsoft) that among other things you can do to gain market share, you can kill your competition by giving your product for free (or way below the real cost of the product) and forcing people to acquire it through bundling or embedding it with other necessary software that people MUST buy anyway.Which is one of the reasons why Microsoft has been sued in every country they have sold software. They have engaged always in proven, documented unfair and illegal competition practices; and their “product bundling” practices force consumers to use products that they would have never looked at otherwise. Adobe is doing the same.Of course, Adobe can say that InDesign sold alone has a street price. But, like everybody else in the field of graphic design, you MUST buy Photoshop, and very likely, Illustrator or/and Acrobat. If you compare the price you must pay for these applications, it becomes cheaper to buy the full Creative Suite. And you get for the same price, InDesign, GoLive, ImageReady, and other things that come bundled in for free.So the situation is that people are getting InDesign as part of a bundle. In other words, for free. See the price comparison we included to verify this. And don’t forget that the upgrade versions are even cheaper (usually 50% off or more)!.For reference, just check out the prices: Creative Suite 2 full (includes Photoshop CS2, Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2, Adobe Bridge, GoLive CS2, Acrobat 7.0 professional, Version Cue CS2, and more. Only for $1119.12, the highest price I found, at:

www.provantage.com. There are other, much lower prices out there for the full version or the upgrades.***Compare with purchasing the individual products: the full cost of the retail versions is:Adobe Acrobat 1 user: $383.73
Adobe Golive $386.15
Adobe Illustrator $480.67
Adobe InDesign $676.79
Adobe Photoshop $548.51 (only Photoshop + Illustrator are $1030 at these prices)
The value of the retail products is $2475.85. so, InDesign is absolutely FREE.***Compare with Quark 6.5 that retails at $707. Upgrades are priced lower. See for reference: www.atomicpark.comSo, after verifying that in fact we are getting InDesign for “free” and assuming that Quark was successfully muscled out of the market, for how long do you think that InDesign would remain “free”? not long. It would be unbundled right away, and sold separately. Think of programs such as Premiere, etc.In this market, eliminating your competition means also eliminating the reasons to innovate. Historically, competition proves beneficial to the end user, assuming that it is done with fairness, focusing in product quality to win the user, instead of resorting to a marketing, sales and business strategy to trick the user into “converting”.***
Cost is a part of the equationThink about it: entities such as universities need to cut costs, and they teach students the software that they will use in their future jobs, so getting the software for free is a HUGE incentive to switch.
We have read about some people saying in their advertising-paid columns that several universities (which ones, exactly?) are saying that they will soon switch to InDesign (when will they switch, exactly?). That sounds kinda cheesy given the fact that you need to know Quark to get a job nowadays, anywhere. The reason being manifested is mainly economic, without any practical reasons actually mentioned to justify such a decision. However, that choice will likely mark the future of many designers out there who will likely find themselves subject to having to take additional training courses to learn BOTH programs. Not funny at all.There is nothing like a “free lunch”. So how much does it really cost to “switch”?***
Training time: Quark 12 hrs vs. InDesign 50+ hours to migrate, 3-6 months learning curve.In our experience of several years providing training and private/group coaching to hundreds of students in the use of Adobe / Quark software, the average training time required to learn InDesign up to an advanced level, is usually about 32 hours, and involves a much longer training curve to become an expert user (usually 50+ hours) if you don’t have any previous experience with Adobe products, particularly if you need to use the integration features of the Adobe Creative suite (Adobe Bridge, etc.), learn to use third party plugins, styles, compatible features from other Adobe programs, etc.***
Mastering the program takes at least 3-6 months of use, after receiving full training.Most people who take InDesign seriously enough to migrate, will spend a lot of time in re-training (see above) and many more months of researching and re-learning things (the dreaded “learning curve”) will be spent outside of the training room, figuring out how to do things that they already knew how to do well with Quark. That’s some very expensive “converting”. Did you know that it was going to be that long? All that lost time is lost productivity, and therefore lost money (and lost nights), too.Of course some users will tell you that they already know InDesign and it was easy to learn. You bet they were old Adobe Suite users already. Unless they are seasoned pros, with 10+ years in the field, knowing every nook and cranny of most graphic design programs, particularly Adobe programs, it is VERY unlikely it was a short time learning InDesign. But if they are truly novice users, ask them how long it really took them to master (if they do) InDesign. You’ll be surprised at the answers. Most people use barely 20-25% of the program, because learning the whole thing is overwhelming in practice.Compare this with Quark training, where in barely 8 hours or less you can be working with most program options. Quark advanced level is achieved in 16 hours, and expert level in 24 hours. AND you don’t need experience with other Adobe programs.
In our experience, mastery of the program is at your fingertips, since mostly everything you need to do is rather easy to achieve in Quark and there are myriads of tutorials on the Internet documenting every imaginable Quark trick.In other words, training in InDesign takes 2 - 3 times more than learning Quark. And the learning curve is much higher than Quark, since you need to learn to “integrate” InDesign with other applications that you may or may not know. The novice user will have the hardest time, since he will be expected to learn not only one but at least other 2 or 3 programs (Photoshop and Illustrator, and lately, Acrobat) in order to be able to use InDesign to its fullest potential.Which is one of the most overwhelming reasons we have seen always for people choosing Quark over InDesign over the years: A kid can use Quark. It’s easy.
In fact, many parts of the interface used by InDesign, are very similar to the one developed by Quark. Adobe decided to do things the way Quark was doing things in order to improve their program.Why? Adobe had to design something that could be easily related to Quark, in order to facilitate the transition from Quark to InDesign, since PageMaker failed to convert people to Adobe’s way of doing layouts, as it was a lower-end, very expensive and limited program that couldn’t remotely compete with a high-end program such as Quark. For these and other reasons, Pagemaker always played second to the Quark powerhouse, even to programs such as MS Publisher, which are cheaper and more powerful.***Training Costs:Let’s think now about the training costs involved in switching all your designers to the new software. Training costs for 2 people only are more expensive than buying the full Creative Suite 2.
That is, from $349 - $800 in average per person, for the 8-hr, 1 day seminar only. Usually 3 days are required, or $2400+ (group) - $5400 (individual), for up to 6 people. In some cases, it can be higher depending on other factors.These are corporate training prices, according to the prices of several schools in New York that provide this training and don’t include advanced or expert training costs, nor do they include the costs of learning additional Adobe programs, or the integration features. So the real cost of learning InDesign is much higher than Quark.
Quark, average training price on the streets: $199.***Hardware costs:Now include the cost of buying new computers (since you will need to get a new computer to run InDesign due to the sluggish performance that the new Creative Suite 2 has unless you have a 3 GHZ+ CPU Pentium IV or a MAC G5 with 1 - 2GB RAM or more computer). If you have a 2GHZ and 512mb ram, forget it, your computer is not good enough for the creative suite 2. And don’t even think about installing it on your laptop and run several applications at the same time, or you will be waiting for a very long time to do anything.Because let’s face it, older computers (let’s say 1 year old) will choke and kill your productivity trying to run the new Creative Suite 2, and waiting for anything to load, and run. You need a new computer to run the software, period. And if someone tries to say otherwise, try to run Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign plus Adobe Bridge at the same time in your laptop, to take full advantage of the “integrated” features of Creative Suite 2. Have fun waiting while your competition is selling to your clients. A new MAC computer with the necessary specs will cost you in average $2000, not including the price of the warranty for your new computer.So, after totaling the cost of installing and getting your people and equipment up to speed in the migration to InDesign, you will have spent in average about $5000 or more per user, including the licensing and the necessary hardware, etc. This is far, far more expensive than just upgrading to the next version of Quark. If you are a medium-sized company, it’s going to be, let’s say a hundred thousand dollars in training, learning curve, lost productivity expenses, new equipment, and software licenses. If you are a large corporation, your cost is in the millions. Yay!Did you think about that one yet?***Is there truly a reason to switch?Overall, compelling arguments to choose InDesign over Quark are difficult to find, even among those who have already made the jump. We will see what the new version of Quark brings.Adobe still has to deal with the WHOLE industry being trained in Quark. It would seem obvious that Quark is wisening up, improving their customer support, asking users what they need, analyzing and creating tools to improve production flow, and thinking ahead in order to bring enhanced, truly compelling productivity features, and this is a good thing for users.It remains to be seen if people are going to dump their existing life-time expertise, spend their money in new training and invest in new hardware and software to make Adobe feel satisfied about their sales and stock profits.***In our view, simplicity wins always.Adobe wants design professionals to adopt a far more complex, harder to learn, more expensive to run and more difficult to handle program (InDesign) over a simpler, easier to use, and much more intuitive program: Quark. That makes no sense.We think that INSECURITY is not really a reason to switch. Which is the desired result of the marketing strategy of "the whole industry is moving to InDesign, what are you doing?" that Adobe has been running for several years. Why would you switch otherwise, particularly considering that the upcoming version of Quark is far more powerful and productivity-enhancing than InDesign? We think Quark is living up to their promises and will deliver a superior product. We shall see if they manage to do what they have promised.Right now, don't buy anything unless you have a very specific and particular need that ONLY InDesign could possibly satisfy, and that will not be provided in an upcoming version of Quark. What might that be?Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your e-zine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at articles@ptedu.com and articles@valorcrossmedia.com===========================================================--- copyright S. Steele and G. Arlov ---By S. Steele and Galina ArlovS. Steele is a Multimedia and IT expert with more than 15 years of experience in the field, CEO of a multinational Marketing & web company and he is also a design teacher at a prestigious design school in NYC specialized in providing services to Fortune 500 companies. http://www.ptedu.comGalina Arlov is an E-Business Professional with a wide range of experience in SEO, Internet Marketing, Web Optimization. She is the creator and founder of Valor Cross Media, http://www.valorcrossmedia.com a Web Site Services, E-Marketing and Online Advertising company based in New York City on the Upper East Side.
Category : Elderly Care

Just How Dangerous is Asbestos?

Author : Mike Andrews

With the increase in the number of lung cancer cases in recent years, it is vitally important to educate ourselves on the risks and consequences of asbestos exposure which accounts for over 80% of all mesothelioma cancer cases; a form of cancer, caused by asbestos exposure, that can affect the lungs (Pleural form), abdomen (Peritoneal form), and even the membrane around the heart.. A hefty 2000 new cases are being diagnosed every year according to the National Cancer Institute, and that number is on the rise. This leaves the question to be asked...Just how dangerous is asbestos exposure?Significant exposure to any type of asbestos will increase the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma and nonmalignant lung and pleural disorders, including asbestosis, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, and pleural effusions. This is based on observations of these diseases in groups of workers with cumulative exposures ranging from about 5 to 1,200 fiber-year/mL. The conclusion is supported by results from animal and mechanistic studies. Tobacco smokers who have been exposed to asbestos have a "far greater-than-additive" risk for lung cancer than do nonsmokers who have been exposed, meaning the risk is greater than the individual risks from asbestos and smoking added together. The time between diagnosis of mesothelioma and the time of initial occupational exposure to asbestos commonly has been 30 years or more. Asbestos Facts:1. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, most fibers are expelled, but some can become lodged in the lungs and remain there throughout life. Fibers can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation. Enough scarring and inflammation can affect breathing, leading to disease. 2. People are more likely to experience asbestos-related disorders when they are exposed to high concentrations of asbestos, are exposed for longer periods of time, and/or are exposed more often. 3. Inhaling longer, more durable asbestos fibers (such as tremolite and other amphiboles) contributes to the severity of asbestos-related disorders. 4. Exposure to asbestos, including tremolite, can increase the likelihood of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and non-malignant lung conditions such as asbestosis (restricted use of the lungs due to retained asbestos fibers) and changes in the lung lining. 5. Changes in the lining of the lungs (pleura) such as thickening, plaques, calcification, and fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion) may be early signs of asbestos exposure. These changes can affect breathing more than previously thought. Pleural effusion can be an early warning sign for mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs). 6. Most cases of asbestosis or lung cancer in workers occurred 15 years or more after the person was first exposed to asbestos. 7. Most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed 30 years or more after the first exposure to asbestos. 8. Mesothelioma has been diagnosed in asbestos workers, family members, and residents who live close to asbestos mines. 9. Health effects from asbestos exposure may continue to progress even after exposure is stopped. 10. Smoking or cigarette smoke, together with exposure to asbestos, greatly increases the likelihood of lung cancer. Signs and Symptoms of asbestosis can include: Shortness of breath which is the primary symptom A persistent and productive cough (a cough that expels mucus) Chest tightness Chest pain Loss of appetite A dry, crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling.If you suspect that you have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your physician immediately and discuss your level of exposure. Early detection of mesothelioma increases your chances immeasurably.You can get more information about mesothelioma and find helpful information and resources here: Mesothelioma Cancer Mike Andrews is a research specialist who writes informative and news worthy articles focused on providing the public with unbiased views and quality information. These articles stand to improve public relations and branding for the businesses they are associated with.

Category : Cancer Treatment and Prevention

Guitar Courses Available Online

Author : Peter Lenkefi
Learning how to play the guitar by participating in one of the many guitar courses available online is a great convenience. The Internet has become not only a vast marketplace, but it has also proven that it is an excellent learning environment. Just look at the number of colleges and universities and other institutions of learning that have made it possible to learn at home or anywhere for that matter. The most attractive feature of guitar courses that you can enroll into online is convenience. You can generally decide when you want to learn and your set. One thing you will discover when you research the available guitar courses that exist online is that you have choices. Settling on one particular course is a matter of deciding what works best for you.About.comDo you like structured learning with the ability to choose the lessons that you learn? About.com is a large network of information. You can find information on just about any topic by visiting this website. Guitar courses are only one of the many online courses you will find on this portal. The advantage of About.com is that you have options. You can read the lessons that make up the guitar courses that are available, or you can register for an e-mail course. When you sign up for this type of course, every day a lesson is delivered to you via e-mail. Either option allows you the flexibility to view the information when you want. In addition, professional guitarists write the guitar courses that are available on About.com, so you receive insight from someone who has played the guitar professionally. If you need information in addition to the guitar courses, About.com features a host of articles and resources that accompany each course.Berkleemusic.comLike the classroom environment, but don't want to actually spend time in a classroom? Berkleemusic.com may work best for you. The online guitar courses featured through Berkleemusic.com are available on the same schedule as the Berkelee College of Music, the traditional classroom version of the school. Where the About.com guitar courses are free, you will pay upwards of $500 for these guitar courses. The courses that are available include learning the basics, using an amplifier, and recording. You have flexibility in what you want to learn, but the structure will vary according to the instructor for the course. If you're not sure online learning is for you, Berkeleemusci.com offers a sample course for you to try.ActiveBass.comHave an interest in learning the bass guitar? ActiveBass.com is an online portal dedicated to teaching you everything you need to know about playing a bass guitar. You select the lessons you want to review and you're off. This portal includes interactive learning so you feel like you are actually in a classroom setting. The interactive Ear Training lesson is especially interesting. Once you master a lesson, you may want to show off your skills. ActiveBass.com allows guitarists to submit an MP3 of featuring them playing their guitar.For more more information about guitar courses online please visit http://www.guitar-directory.net
Category : Arts-and-Entertainment:Music