buddy-travel

Insurance

2009-05-12T23:43:00.001-07:00

EXPLORE # 108 London City Skyscrapers - Lloyds, Gherkin, Tower 42. My kind of city will fill up the sky with towers..., some of the tall buildings in the city of London. London (pronunciation (help·info); IPA: /ˈlʌndən/) is the capital and largest urban area of both England and the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans. Since its foundation, London has been part of many movements and phenomena throughout history, including the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it. Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly. London is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contribute to its status as a major global city.Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, with annual expenditure by tourists of around £15 billion. Greater London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church. London's population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city.As of 2006, it had an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London and is the most populous municipality in the European Union. As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area had a population of 8,278,251 and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is one of the most extensive in the world, and Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic. The surrounding East London area saw much of London's early industrial development; now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which is being developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics. London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_building en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_42 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviva_Tower

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20 Tips for Being Productive on the Road

2009-02-09T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Stephanie Graham
For many mortgage professionals, frequent travel is a way of life. A big concern of frequent travelers is how to remain productive without access to the normal resources. Sometimes that first trip leaves you feeling like a fish out of water. Especially if you didn't anticipate your customer's needs. But with each new journey, you will learn more ways to function efficiently. With a little planning, you can make your time away transparent to those you communicate with daily. Here are a few tips to make it happen:1. Make a list of the things that need to be accomplished before your departure. Rate locks, file submissions, or any other critical appointments should be handled before you leave.2. Contact processors, loan officers, underwriters, and other individuals to let them know you'll have limited availability from xxxx to xxxx.3. Sign-up for an e-fax or other electronic fax service that will allow you to view, send, and receive faxes over the Internet. This will allow you to function just as if you were in the office.4. Make a resource list for the things you will need to do while away. Include phone and fax numbers, website addresses, access codes, and passwords. Store this data on your pc, phone, or both.5. Make a copy or scan an image of documents you may wish to reference while away. This will allow you to stay on top of the most important issues.6. Save important letters, forms, and files to a jump drive, a CD, or e-mail them to yourself so that you can access them as needed. Convert documents that you would normally fax to a PDF format so they can be e-mailed but not altered.7. Check the quality of your cell and laptop batteries. Get new ones if you will be without access to electricity to recharge for long periods of time. Be sure to pack your chargers as well.8. Add a wireless card to your laptop if it does not have one already. Although your hotel may have their own Internet café, these rooms are sometimes crowded or have limited hours of availability.9. Pack an Ethernet cord and a phone cord. This will allow you to get online no matter what type of connectivity your hotel has.10. Take a phone card as a backup. It may come in handy in areas where your cell phone signal drops. Used in conjunction with a cell phone, you can eliminate hotel phone charges altogether.11. Pack pain reliever, antacid, and cold medicine just in case. If you have to buy these things on the road, they'll cost double what they normally do.12. Download audio files to an Ipod, mp3, or CD. Music or motivational audios may be just what you need to balance your day.13. During your trip, incorporate as many of your normal activities as possible. Continue to exercise. Drink plenty of water and eat right. Take your vitamins. Keep in contact with family and friends. Let them know what time to call you.14. Plan your day before going to your daily meeting, training, or appointment. This will allow you to make the most of breaks, lunches, or other dead time.15. Make use of the special features on your phone. Text messaging and Internet access can be a lifesaver when you're on the road.16. Get the scoop on your hotel's amenities in advance. The last thing you want is to have trouble connecting with your customers and your team because of limited resources. Go online to the hotel's corporate website for a virtual tour. You might also check out ratings and feedback on Hotels.com. Ask questions.17. Take along a healthy snack and a bottle of water or two. If you experience a flight delay or get stuck in rush hour traffic, you won't be bothered by hunger or thirst.18. Pack as light as possible. Pulling heavy luggage plus a laptop through the airport is no joke. Choose a jacket that will get you through the week. Bring a pair of dress shoes that go with everything and a pair of sneakers or sandals for down time. Switch up a shirt/blouse with a basic pair of pants/skirt. Take travel size toiletries to make more room in you luggage. And for the ladies: leave some of your hair artillery, fragrances, and makeup at home. This stuff alone can take up a full piece of luggage. You'll look just as good with the bare essentials.19. Initiate contact with your customers and team members early in the day while you're away. This will allow you to deal with challenges or concerns at a time when it is convenient for you. Otherwise, you may find yourself bombarded with phone calls and emergencies that could have been avoided.20. Be realistic. There is no way that everything is going to be perfect when you're away. If it were then no one would need you in the first place. Take care of the biggest priorities. Give training and guidance before you leave and then delegate as many projects as you can. Make a plan to take care of other things within the first few days of your return.When you plan your business trip well, you will feel far less pressure and frustration. It allows you to focus on the real purpose of your trip. You might even have the opportunity to get rest and relaxation that are hard to get at home. So, don't fret about your next trip. Think more about how it will enhance your business and rejuvenate your mind and body.Stephanie Graham is a mortgage professional with more than two decades of experience in both retail and wholesale lending. Stephanie has excelled in a number of mortgage industry positions including CRA officer,corporate trainer, and consultant. Stephanie is currently a part of the executive team of Complete Mortgage Processing. More tips and techniques for mortgage processing and origination can be found at http: http://www.completemortgageprocessing.com
Category : Travel-and-Leisure

Different Types of Loudspeakers

2008-12-31T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Hyun Kim
There are four major types of speakers to look for with home theater systems.The four focus on (a) sound reproduction, (b) physical qualities – appearance and size (c) sound volume (d) compatibility and budget. Let's take a look at each.(a) Sound Reproduction – short and sweet, your speakers need to reproduce the original soundtrack in a consistent, error-free manor.(b) Physical Qualities – It's no secret that you can get all sizes of speakers from huge monster-size ones to micro-speakers. Check your specs and find what works best with your system, but ones that also work best with your other equipment and home theater area. In other words, let's say they're in the way of the projector, no good. So check first and keep receipts until you plug everything in and check them out.(c) Sound Volume – Speakers may sound wonderful in the store setting. But check them out at home. Are they playing loud enough for your home theater environment? The room's acoustics and overall area / size pretty much dictate your sound parameters. Tiny speakers aren't going to work well for a very large entire floor area. So again, hold on to receipts and check everything out first.(d) Compatibility and Budget – Find compatible components, matching comparably priced speakers with equipment it similar ranges. In other words, you don't want cheap, used, trashed, worthless tires on your brand new 5-digit (with no decimal points) sports car!So before you fine tune your speaker choice for your home theater system, consider the facts and types of speakers. Make sure to check out the types; (a) sound reproduction, (b) physical qualities – appearance and size (c) sound volume (d) compatibility and budget…and not get stuck with a typo. Crisp, quality sound that's loud enough for everyone to hear throughout your home theater area is what you want. Not garbled, whispers.Hyun Kim is a freelance writer who writes about loudspeakers, home audio and home theater related topics. He loves to visit Stereo|411 to discuss topics about home theater and reads their home theater forum.
Category : Home-and-Family:Home-Audio-Video

GPS And How It Works

2008-12-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Chris Simons
GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a satellite navigation system with twenty-four satellites in orbit. These satellites were put in place by the United States Department of Defense for military uses, and were called NAVSTAR. The first satellite was launched in 1978 and the twenty-fourth and last satellite was finally in place in 1994. In 1980 NAVSTAR was made available to the general public for commercial use.GPS works 24 hours a day in any weather. The satellites orbit the earth twice a day in a specific orbit that is about 12,000 miles above us. In orbit, the satellites travel as fast as 7,000 miles an hour. As they are orbiting, they transmit information to receivers on earth. The receivers use this information to calculate the user's location. This calculation is made by determining the difference between the time a transmission was made and when the receiver received it. This is then used to calculate the distance and the position is displayed on the receiver.For a receiver to calculate a latitude and longitude position is to receive information from three satellites. To calculate latitude, longitude and altitude a receiver must be able to receive information from four or more satellites. After position is known the GPS can then tell the user information about speed, trip distance, the distance to a desired destination, sunrise and sunset times, bearing and other information.While in orbit, the satellites are powered by solar energy. They also have backup batteries that are used in the event of no solar power such as an eclipse. The energy is used to power small rockets on the satellites that keep them in the proper orbit. At any one time only about 50 watts of power or less is used to transmit information. The satellites are designed to last about ten years, and the U.S. Department of Defense is constantly making and launching replacement satellites. Each satellite is about 2,000 pounds and seventeen feet across when the solar panels are out.GPS receivers are generally accurate within 15 meters. Other than investing in a receiver there are no fees or other equipment required to access the GPS signal. If very accurate readings are needed, Differential Global Position Systems (DGPS) will provide accuracy within three to five meters. The United States Coast Guard operates the most popular DGPS.Two power signals are transmitted and are referred to as L1 and L2. The L1 frequency is used for civilian purposes. These signals are relatively low power signals and travel by line of sight, so they can go through clouds, glass, and plastic, but not solid objects like buildings or mountains. In every transmission the satellite sends three types of information, its pseudorandom code, ephemeris data and almanac data. The pseudorandom code is an I.S. code that identifies which satellite the information is being sent from. Ephemeris data tells the receiver where the satellite should be at any time of the day, and almanac data sends information about the status of the satellite, the current date and the time. The almanac data is the part that is essential for determining the user's position.Chris Simons is a prolific freelance writer. You are welcomed to visit http://gps.theconsumerguide.net, for more information on GPS units and tracking systems.
Category : Computers-and-Technology:GPS

Simple Strategies For Effective Acne Blemish Control

2008-12-29T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Rebecca Prescott

Let's face it, most teenagers develop acne blemishes at some point and it could be seen as a normal part of growing up. The hormones in our bodies at this time stimulate excess oil and skin cell production which can block pores. These blocked pores are great places for bacteria to thrive, and inflammation and spots are the result. However, there are a few things that we can do to keep those acne blemishes under control. The following tips will ensure minimum blemishes for most people suffering from mild forms of acne, although those with more severe acne should always consult a dermatologist for specific treatment.It is a common myth that acne is caused by poor diet, which is not true. Eating fatty foods and chocolate, while they may not be healthy in other ways, will not cause acne. On rare occasions an allergy to certain foods may make your acne worse, so if you notice a pattern between what you eat and outbreaks of acne, you should avoid those foods. You should also make sure you drink plenty of water each day to cleanse your skin from the inside.Some people associate having acne with being unclean, another myth that we need to discuss. Washing your face twice a day with a mild soap and warm water can help to remove the oil and skin cells that cause acne blemishes. However, using strong alcohol based cleansers, or scrubbing your face to hard or too often can irritate your skin and actually make your acne worse. Oil from your hands can contribute to the blocked pores that cause acne, so you need to be careful not to touch your face too much. Now you are aware of this you will be surprised how often you do touch your face during the day, and how many of your spots are concentrated in the areas you typically touch. You want to keep your hair off your face as well because this can also transfer oil.Be careful about the skin products you use on your face. If you are prone to acne and want to use specific products to prevent it, you can buy over the counter treatments containing low concentrations of benzoyl peroxide. This is an effective way to dry out any blemishes and unblock pores so the acne doesn't form in the first place.If you use moisturizers or face creams make sure they are water based and not oil based. The type of products you should use is described as non-comedogenic. You should avoid heavy foundation make-up, particularly oil based varieties. If you have blemishes it may be tempting to heap on the foundation to cover them up, but you can buy products designed to give good coverage without making your acne worse.If you use make-up applicators or brushes, you need to wash them regularly in hot soapy water to ensure bacteria don't build up on them and transfer to your face. This also applies to face cloths or anything else you use to wash your face. If they contain oil and bacteria they will be doing more harm than good. Many people believe that exposure to the sun clears up their acne blemishes. Although the sun may temporarily dry out existing blemishes, it will stimulate extra oil production causing worse acne in the long run. Exposing your skin to the sun also increases your risk of getting ski cancer so can never be recommended. The final and most important thing to remember when you are trying to control your acne blemishes is not to squeeze them! It is very tempting, but it will push the bacteria deeper into the skin and will make the blemish worse and longer lasting. eeper into the skin and will make the blemish worse and longer lasting.

How Do Jay Abraham's Fundamental Truths for Increasing Your Profits and Audio Tie Together? - Part 1

2008-12-28T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : L A Parmley

Should I refresh your memory about what Jay Abraham teaches?

One of the fundamental truths according to Mr. Abraham is that a
business can only grow in three ways:

1. By increasing the number of customers (we'll refer to this as
your marketing strategy).

2. By increasing the product's price (we'll refer to this as...
well, your product).

3. By increasing the number of times a customer purchases from
you (we'll refer to this as your back-end).

So, what is the connection between multimedia, specifically
audio, and maximizing the three ways to grow your business; i.e.
your marketing strategy, your product and your back-end?

Just keep reading...

Â» Audio can be used as a creative marketing strategy. People are
sensory creatures. A simple yet effective audio message can help
you create a better connection with your prospects. This
connection may lead to an increase in your sales conversion
rate. That means more money for you.

It's a proven fact people are more likely to remember what they
both read and hear. Therefore, an audio message along with your
copy will really help deliver a powerful message (and for that
matter, so will an appropriate and well positioned video clip).
Â» Audio will help increase the perceived value of your product.
Adding audio mp3 files to your existing ebook (or the one you
were planning to write) can easily double the perceived value of
your product. Best of all, once you've recorded and uploaded mp3
files to your download page, you are finished. Even better yet,
if you sell a tangible information course, adding audio CD's
with the package will greatly increase the perceived value of
your product.

Â» Audio can help your back-end sales in two ways. For one, you
may offer related products like an audio CD or an mp3 download
to your current customers.

And this can be done no matter what type of product you are
selling. If it is a tangible item that requires some skill, why
not record an instructive guide for how to use it?

You don't even have to write anything at all if you don't want.
Simply set-up an interview with someone knowledgeable in your
niche and record away. Can you see how your product will create
itself for you?

You can also use an audio marketing campaign to help increase
your conversion rate for any affiliate products you offer (or
should be offering) as a back-end to your customers. Virtually
no one records an audio message for affiliate products. No one
wants to work that hard! Imagine what could happen if you give
it a try?

Category : Pets

Gourmet Food Gems in Paris - Part II

2008-12-27T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Phil Chavanne

Don't Become A Victim of Online Fraud

2008-12-25T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Chris Theberge
When it comes to online fraud, I take it personal because I was almost a victim. Looking back, I was very susceptible because I did not have the knowledge that I do now. It is not necessarily "knowledge", but more along the lines of "cautionary measures"; however, if I never took these, I would have been scammed again. It is not that I fall for anything, it is that scams are getting better and much harder to identify. This article is intended to prevent you from becoming scammed.The story is very similar to many others who have gotten scammed. I had a car to sell, so posted on many classified ad sites (mostly all free) and put the asking price, with some room to negotiate. Within the next two days or so, I received an email from a guy named Prince Muhammad in United Arab Emirates who wanted to buy my car for his son. After sending a few pictures of the car, he emailed back with intense
interest. He wanted to get it for his son's birthday and was willing to pay $500 more than my asking price of $5,000. During those couple days of corresponding with Prince Muhammad, I received another four or five emails from others in outside countries very "interested" in buying the car. Each person had
a different story, mostly "auto dealers" or "agents" who had clients interested in the car and willing to pay the asking price, sometimes a little more. In the end I decided to sell to Prince Muhammad because he was the first to contact me and it would be nice to help him get his son a birthday gift like
this.

Prince Muhammad was currently working on an oil field and was unable to travel to the US to get the car, so he proposed something else. He had a client in the US who owed him $11,615, so just have that client send me a cashier's check with the full amount and I would send the remainder via Western Union,
after deducting the price of the car. Prince Muhammad even called me two times to set this up, although I could not really him very well over the phone.

After three days, I received a BankOne check sent from somewhere in New York for the amount of $11,615 endorsed
to me. The check looked very real. Wow, I thought, this is really going to happen. So I deposited the check and waited for it to clear before I would send the money via Western Union. My bank usually clears a check in three days max. A day after depositing the check, Prince Muhammad wanted me to send the remaining money. I told him not until the check clears, which he reinforced to send the money as soon as it does.After four days, I called my bank to see why the check
had not cleared yet and they informed me that it was possibly fraudulent. So I contacted Muhammad to let him know about the check but he was nowhere to be found. I received the check back in the mail with a big fraudulent stamp on it
and a $50 fee from my bank. Thankfully I did not have to pay the $50 fee, but even more thankfully, I did not have to pay back $6,115.

When reading this story, most people will probably be thinking, how could anyone fall for this? Well it is quite easy, especially if you had never heard of this scam before. This happened back in 2003, when people started to report that they lost thousands of dollars after selling cars and items overseas. I might have read a small blurb in a local paper before this happened, but never really saw any real media coverage on the issue. It was not until I did more extensive research by reading forum posts and listservs from others who experienced this. There is now a little more awareness
of this scam; yet, it is still happening on a daily basis. To this day, I still receive emails from scam artists trying to buy my car.

In order to prevent being scammed yourself, you must be able to identify a scam on the spot. Things to watch out
for:1. Proper grammar, English, and sentence structure
2. Proper name stuctures (i.e., Pierce Edward vs Edward Pierce; Woodward Stuart
vs Stuart Woodward)
3. Obvious copy and paste
4. Outside buyers that are clients, agents, car companies that have ties to the
US
5. Emails from yahoo.com, excite.com, and other free services
6. The word cashier's check
7. Willingness to send more than the car is worth for you to return the
remainder. If you think about it, who would be so trusting?
8. NEVER send something until you have the money in your possession. ALWAYS wait
for funds to clear.
9. Are these people really from where they say they are? In order to find this
out, please continue reading for how to determine that.Below are two real emails that I received within the past month:Hello,
My name THOMAS BACON i`m interested in purchasing your advertised car and the price $500 is okay with me,And i will like you not to worry about the shipping, I contact a friend in the states so he said he can organize an agent in the Europe who would be on ground to pick up the car as soon as we seal this transaction and i will like you to know that my mode of payment is by cashier's cheque drawn from a US bank . It is a
very good car.I Iook forward to hear from you soon. Respond asap if this is ok by you.
Thanks
Thomas
Good day, I am Paul woodward,the sales/purchase manager for OASIS AUTOMOBILE CORPORATION.We are specialised in the sales/purhcase of vehicles.A client of ours came accross your vehicle & informed us of his interest in your vehicle we will like to know if it is still available.Please contact us,the price of the vehicle&send the pictures of the vehicle along with the reply to indicate your willingness.
Paul WoodwardPhishing Scams
The latest scam threat is something known as Phishing. Phishing is a real problem because the emails appear authentic to those who receive them. Phishing emails are usually from bank companies, eBay, Paypal, and other institutions that have personal information. A phishing email is not very obvious because they will be addressed to your full name and the email will look like emails you have received from these companies. Although many say it is hard to spot a phishing email, it
really isn't if you know how to do a few things. Below are some strategies to prevent yourself from being scammed.NEVER Click on a link or log in to something through your email
A good example would be an email from eBay asking you to update your account. The email will have your full name and have the logos, etc.. It will look legit. Think about it this way: How long have you been a member of eBay or your bank, and how often have you received emails from them? I have never received an email from my bank and only one from eBay after using it. These companies know of these scams and will purposely avoid sending emails to you like this. What is the real need to update anything? Most sites do that for you automatically. If you have not used eBay in 2 years, what are you going to update?NEVER Click a link without knowing where it really goes
This is a little example to show you how easy it is to scam someone who never looks at this. When you put your mouse
over a link, the path will be displayed on the bottom left corner of your browser (above Start button). This is for internet explorer/Outlook, etc.., but other browsers might show it elsewhere. I want you to try it. Put your mouse over this link (don't click it): EBAY.
Now you should see http://www.ebay.com show up on the bottom left of your browser.

I am now going to do the same thing again, and this time I am going to show you what a phishing link will look like:
EBAY. When you highlight over that, you should have seen http://66.231.590/xxx/www.ebay.com/. I just made this link up so it will not go to the login page, but a real phishing
link would. When you log in to a phishing link, you have just sent your personal information to the scam artist. They can then do what they want with it, like draining your bank account.
WHERE is the person sending you an email really from?
You can find out where someone is from by looking up their IP address. When you get an email, you can view something known as headers and footers. I use Outlook Express, but other
programs will have this information. I am going to just explain this for Outlook users, but the principles are the same.
In Outlook, right click on a received email and select Properties at the Bottom. Next click Details.
You should have a Return Path, with an email address in it, and below a Received from with an IP address [numbers]. You may have a couple Return paths because of exchange servers, but you can get the gist of where they are from by checking
both. To check go to WHOIS and copy and paste the IP into the box and hit enter. The server should come up. Now, this is not the exact address, but you can get the country pretty accurately. When it comes
to free email systems like yahoo and hotmail, tracing is virtually impossible, but you can still get some sort of information. That is why scammers like them
so much.
In the end, I hope you learned something and can become a more cautious web user. Please send this article to all you know so that we can stop supporting terrorists and scam artists.Chris Theberge is the founder of the Nutrition and Food Web Archive, NutriWeb Designs, and Dietitian Designs. Visit http://www.nafwa.org for free nutrition and food-related resources.
Category : Business:Security

Business Competition Best Practices: Win Loss Research

2008-12-24T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Celeste Bishop
Frequently I am asked "how do you get information about the competition?" Most people are surprised when I tell them that getting useful competitive intelligence is actually the easiest part of managing successful business competition. One of the best methods to gain valuable competitive intelligence is so simple, straightforward, and productive that I have put it on my list of Business Competition Best Practices: Win Loss Research.The benefits that Win Loss Research routinely delivers include:* Increasing your rate of successful wins in competitive sales situations* Enhancing your product management and development initiatives* Reducing the level of uncertainty involved in sales forecasting* Strengthening top and bottom line results for your business* Improving the efficiency of your sales cycle process* Setting the stage for future business growthWin Loss Research is a succinct, guided discussion with decision makers and influencers who have been involved in your recent win and loss sales decisions. The goal is to learn what key distinctions they saw between you and your competitors, the importance of those distinctions and the value they assigned to each competitor. While the focus of this research is on gaining insight into how your competitors operate and how you fare in comparison, it is inevitable that you also gain valuable customer information in the process.Win Loss Research drills down beyond standard pricing issues and gets into territories such as: decision process, sales team approach and professionalism, company reputation, product attributes, service issues, and handling of proposals. Although pricing information is involved, it should not be the centerpiece of the research unless it becomes apparent that it really was the key issue that drove the decision. The goal of Win Loss Research is to provide you with competitive insight you can act upon - actionable competitive intelligence - for sales process improvement and better results.Typically this research is conducted either over the telephone or in a face-to-face interview. The latter is more common in places and cultures where that is the preferred communication modality. Getting the results that you want out of Win Loss Research is a combination of art and science; art being the skill of the researcher in eliciting the intelligence that you need; science being the development of a research guide that facilitates the discovery of actionable competitive intelligence.As with almost anything worth doing, focusing on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) increases the likelihood that you will get what you need. For Win Loss Research, focusing on the following CSFs will greatly increase your likelihood of obtaining productive competitor intelligence:1) Use professional competitive researchers who are skilled in drawing out actionable competitive intelligence. They will also be perceived as unbiased, thereby ensuring candor.2) Selecting the optimal mix of win and loss opportunities to research is a reasonably complex task which must be done correctly to ensure that you are gaining insight from the target markets that matter most.3) Development of a stimulating research survey that operates as a guide rather than a questionnaire is the backbone to outstanding results.Surprisingly, the tone and quality of the initial research request can make or break your ability to get robust participation.A common pitfall among companies that report doing Win Loss Research is that they have their employees, typically the sales representatives, perform the research. You do need to have your sales people find out what happened. This should precede Win Loss Research which goes beyond the limited conversation from your sales reps' debriefing. Also, it defies human behavior to think that the customer will feel comfortable being candid with a sales rep who has not met their expectations or that the sales rep will be candid in passing along information that may be construed as unfavorable to them.An extraordinary thing about Win Loss Research is that any size or category of company should be able to implement this as an ongoing business practice and see steady gains in their customer acquisition and sales. This form of research is not particularly costly or difficult to do, yet it does take a certain willingness to expose yourself to news that may make you uncomfortable at times.One of the most frequent comments our researchers hear is a compliment to our clients for taking the time to learn and improve from their experience. Once you establish a practice of doing Win Loss Research routinely and take action on the results, your company will realize the benefits of implementing this business competition best practice.(c) 2005. Bishop Market Resources. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint granted provided the article and byline are printed intact with all links made live.Celeste Bishop is President of Bishop Market Resources a Competitive Services Agency that provides a breadth of traditional and online competitive intelligence services, including business research and sales process improvement research. For more learning resources check Brain Food at: http://www.bishopmarketresources.com/competitive-intelligence-brain.html
Category : Personal Finance

Revenge of the Tiamat [Ch: #2 'The Lost Temple']

2008-12-22T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Dennis Siluk
Chapter TwoThe Lost TempleIn Yort we had many temples behind our city-state fortress, to include the Tiamatâ™s temple, which she had one stationary here for many years (inactive for the most part, but not completely), it was close to Mardukâ˜s temple, and the One God in Three temple. In the One God Temple [OGT], we had the Mesopotamia Stone; it had our written laws on it, my father along with King Thesas I, took it during a battle in the dry country of Mesopotamia, some years past. We have had many battles in this area of the world to speak of for eternity it seems; I myself have witnessed them, and chased and out-rooted the enemy from this region. The flat lands of Mesopotamia were also a war zone to many other countries in the past. In battle we mostly fought naked and cleaned shaven so the enemy would not pull our hair or beards. We had only a groin cloth covering ourselves.Someday the Tiamat would come to get the stone back I am sure of that, âœâ¦for revenge,â my father used to say, adding âœâ¦she is just waiting for the right moment.âAmong the temples within the fortress grounds, our city of Yort was the temple of the First World, or better known as the Lost Temple: the followers include the priests whom do not know the name of their god. Quite amazing I thought, praying to a god you had no name to call him by, kind of like saying: hello sir, whomever you are, help me kill the enemy in battle. This would seem to me, more of an insult to their god, had I been their god: and perhaps Iâ™d kill them.Let me make clear this further: my stepfather told me, and I do heed his words as being true to the letter, that we were, or we are living in the time of Leo, which is the constellation in the heavens, I am talking about. Well, right after the great rains destroyed the great city of Atlantis: to my understanding some 3,000 years ago, at that time many of the Watchers, (the ancient Angelic Renegades) were cast into the pit (or the abyss), an area underground locked by the Lord, the One God, in which I belong to His temple. In all respects, He has an angel watching over it I understand, over this underground Abyss. And deep in its bowels are these evil spirits of sorts: locked and chained to its walls. I hear that it stinks with the worst smells and slime every created in the whole universe, or body of stars we can see in the heavens. They left us a legacy of demigods here on earth, and giant sons, and other sorts of evil spirits. I have seen some of this myself, and so I know this part of the legend to be so.In any case, this is the 4th world order; there will be another one called Aquarius, possibly; I dare not want to live in that one, in that time, for it will end in fire my stepfather told me; a time of which is also called the End of Days. My world, my stepfather said will end in a flood, or winds: how he knows this I donâ™t know, perhaps he has second sight; I seem to have something of that nature. The world before us ended in man-eaters, hence, dominating the world; and before that, storms and winds destroyed the world. Oh yes, we have been down this road before, mankind that is. So today, Leo is our constellation, tomorrow who knows.But what Iâ™m trying to say with all this is: we have lived in a cycle of time that will have five worlds, which consumes about 125,000 years. Before this time, was another time, and I do not know much about it, except for one thing, the One God, for whatever reasons, bound an angelic forces into a Prison House out in the heavens, some place. There they are imprisoned forever I think. And so you see, we have a rich history, mankind does. We just do not know much about it.For some odd reason, we have a temple, a very old one, one that has outlasted all the other temples at Yort; it was the first one built I am told in Yort: it sits at the end of the fortress, the so called, Lost Temple, and its priests think it was from, built during, the First World Order, of which there are five; also, that their god came from this time: making them the oldest of all the temples, even outside of Yort.Only a few people attend this temple, not like ours, where we have over forty and sometimes up to sixty people at one gathering. Their temple, âœThe Lost Angelic Temple,â only the priest exist, meaning: they have no followers only a few priests left, plus, nobody has ever seen the one godlike being they pray to, as I had mentioned before; I think it is a one god figure. But all the other temples have demigods, or their followers to pray to. Some say, their temple is no different than the One God temple, for no one has seen my God either. But in their case, no one even knows his or her name, thus, they pray to a no named-god. Unlike our God, we know His name.But I am told the Tiamat, whose father was a Titan, or Watcher, I think that they are one of the same, I am not sure, but it is one or the other, both known as an Angelic Renegades, whom were commissioned to watch over earth by the Lord, my One God that is, but instead left their post, all two-hundred of them, and had sex with the human race, that is to say, they cohabitated with flesh, when they were spirit for the most part, but somehow could manifest themselves to be clothed in flesh. Accordingly, the Tiamatâ™s father knew of these beings, for he was the son of a Watcher. And when the holy angel named Uraâ™el came, that ended the empire of the Renegades.But back to the Uraâ™el, for I am told this holy angel also knew the angelic force, or being: that the Lost Temple priests pray to. That is to say, the one angelic leader no one seems to know the name of. By the way, somehow the story seems to go somewhat like this: the Tiamat found out from Lucifer that these angelic forces were imprisoned in a great sea of fire, flaming and burning the air that it lit up. The place extended a great distance in the heavens, and looked like great pillars of fire from a distance. He said [he: being Lucifer] it was so great he could not see the end of it: the end to the region of fire, nor could he estimate its beginning. And the Tiamat became frightened, horrified at the sound of this terrible place, it was even worse than the pit or the abyss, or the underworld, so it was said. It was called: the Prison House for Angels. The temple priests prayed to these angelic forcesâ"or force [meaning one being, possibly], why Iâ™ll never know, but they did nonetheless. And they offered to any man notwithstanding, who could come up with the name of the leader of this angelic force, and prove it beyond a doubt, or belief, beyond reservation, one hundred times his weight in gold; a handsome price for any kingdom, let alone one person.Sinnedâ™s GoldSaid I, Iâ™d like to get that gold I had told myself several times this. Iâ™m not sure what Iâ™d do with the money, but it would be fun spending it. Semas, our male servant, who my father took while on an island in the Great Sea, has served us well; I think I would reward him, yes, that is one thing Iâ™d do with a part of the money. And buy my mother more dishes, and things like that, oh yes, oh yes, she has had a hard life, and the things the gold could buy would serve her well. And for my stepfather, Iâ™d buy more orange trees to plant along the cannel of Yort. I liked that, it is what my real father and I used to do, we planted the trees. We had fun doing that when I was eight years old. But I am not sure why I am thinking like this now, I am a soldier on leave, simply a soldier resting in my stepfatherâ™s house, in 90-days I must put back on my armor and go back to the military life I have chosen; as my real father and stepfather both had chosen before me. I hear we will be having a campaign in Germania; it will last about four-years; all these campaigns last so very long. And so I will not be home for quite a long spellâ"it would be fun to see if I could earn this gold, if not so, so be it: if so, I will have my adventures twofold, on my next voyage.See Dennis' web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com
Category : Auctions

Saying No to Customers

2008-12-20T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Cathy Stucker
It happened again, just the other day. Someone called, ready to order a product from me--and I talked her out of it. Does that sound crazy to you? Maybe it is, but I think it is a good business practice, and it is the honest and ethical thing to do in some circumstances.In this case, the product she called about wasn't right for her. I would rather not make that sale than have a customer who is unhappy with her choice to buy from me. Will she return and buy something else someday? Maybe. And if she does, she knows that I will be looking out for her best interests--not just to make the sale.Although I don't want to give the impression that this happens all the time, it has happened before. Sometimes I recommend an alternative product or service, such as suggesting that a class might be more beneficial than a consultation. Other times, simply offering honest answers and information helps the customer decide whether or not a purchase is right for them. I won't refuse to sell to a customer, but I will always be honest with them.What reputation do you want to have--that of the person who will sell anything to anyone, or the person who will make an honest effort to best meet the needs of your customers (even if that sometimes means not making the sale today)?Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the IdeaLady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, entrepreneurs and professionals attract customers and make themselves famous. Get resources such as free articles, online courses, marketing tips and more at Cathy's Web site, http://www.IdeaLady.com/
Category : Business:Ethics

Intercultural Team Building

2008-12-19T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Neil Payne
Internal business structures have been radically transformed over the past few decades. Changes in areas such as communication and transportation technology and shifts towards global interdependency have resulted in companies becoming increasingly international and therefore intercultural.In addition, the need to â˜go globalâ™ and to cut outgoings is demanding that companies combine protecting international interests whilst keeping down staff numbers. The solution in most cases has been the forming of intercultural teams.As with all businesses, success depends upon effective cooperation and communication within teams. The intercultural dimension of todayâ™s teams however brings with it new challenges. Successful team building not only involves the traditional needs to harmonise personalities but also languages, cultures, ways of thinking, behaviours and motivations.Intercultural teams have an inherent disadvantage. Cultural differences can lead to communication problems, unpredictability, low team cohesion, mistrust, stress and eventually poor results. However, intercultural teams can in fact be very positive entities. The combination of different perspectives, views and opinions can lead to an enhanced quality of analysis and decision making while team members develop new skills in global awareness and intercultural communication.In reality this best case scenario is seldom witnessed. More often than not, intercultural teams do not fulfil their potential. The root cause for this is that when intercultural teams are formed, people with different frameworks of understanding are brought together and expected to naturally gel. Without a common framework of understanding, for example in matters such as status, decision making, communication etiquette, this is very difficult and thus necessitates outside help to commix the team.Intercultural or cross cultural training is one method of helping to blend a team together. Through analysis of the cultures involved in a team, their particular approaches to communication and business and how the team interacts, intercultural team builders are able to find, suggest and use common ground to assist team members in building harmonious relationships.Intercultural training sessions look at helping a team to realise their differences and similarities in areas such as status, hierarchy, decision making, conflict resolution, showing emotion and relationship building. These are then used to create mutually agreed upon structures of communication and interaction. From this basis, teams are then tutored how to recognise future communication difficulties and their cultural roots, empowering the team to become more self reliant. The end result is a more cohesive and productive team.In conclusion, for intercultural teams to succeed, managers and HR personnel need to be attuned to the need for intercultural training to help cultivate harmonious relationships. Companies must be supportive, proactive and innovative if they wish to reap the potential benefits intercultural teams can offer. This goes beyond financing and creating technological links to bring together intercultural teams at surface level and going back to basics by fostering better interpersonal communication. If international businesses are to grow and prosper in this ever contracting world, intercultural synergy must be a priority.Neil Payne is Managing Director of Kwintessential Ltd.
For more information please visit http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cross-cultural/training.html
Category : Taxes

Rain Barrels

2008-12-18T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : gutterhelp

Did you know that rain barrels are a great way to collect rain water from your roof. The newest rain barrels not only collect rain water they also have a hose spicket attached for ease of watering. You can build rain barrels from scratch or purchase them already made. They come in all different sizes, colors and shapes. Generally water barrels can hold anywhere from between 35 to 55 gallons. For greater capacity you may connect unlimited barrels together. Rain barrels don't take away from the beauty of your home they can enhance any home depending the quality and design you choose.Also rain water is much better for your plants then common tap water any day of the week. Using rain water to water your plants around your home will make them to grow as if they where still in the wild. So the next time you water your plants you won't have to watch your water bill go up. Instead you will save on your water bill plus help grow your plants in a more natural way. Plus add appeal and beauty to your home. Its really a win win solution! To see some great water barrels please follow this link. http://gutterhelp.com. Best Regards,http://gutterhelp.comhttp://conductor-heads.comhttp://collectorheads.com

Category : General Home Improvement

Five Money Saving Tips for Selling Your Home

2008-12-16T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Julian Smith
Your home is undoubtedly the most valuable access for the vast majority of us and selling it will cost thousands. Below are money saving tips and hints which should reduce the cost of moving home.Estate Agent fees vary, so shopping around and don't forget to haggle and pay one off against the other. You should aim for 1% commission, also push then to limit the tie in to no more than 6 weeks, this gives then enough time to sell the house, but if they can't you can move to another agent without going "multi-agent" which will increase the fee to about 3%+, a big no-no! Ensure you get a fair valuation, never tell an estate agent what other agencies have valued your house at. They will use this to manipulate its offer, often resulting in wide distortions.It is false economy to go for the cheapest solicitors, so get recommendations from all the estate agents you speak to and remember to ask for the name of specific people, rather than just the legal firms. Give them a call and ask their charges, also note whether they are they friendly, helpful, and most important efficient? Fees are negotiable so haggle! Play off each one against the other to get yourself the best service at the best price. Expect to pay about £400.Selling your house privately can save thousands. One in twenty vendors are now taking the DIY route which could save you on average £4,000. That is a massive money saving tip, but there are a couple of downsides, basically "time and effort".You could consider newspaper advertising, flyers and signs. Newspapers usually charge per line or per word so try to keep your advert as brief as possible without making it uninteresting.The simplest way would to sell your house yourself is to use one of the many online house selling service. For example, www.HouseWeb.co.uk , an internet-based property broker, lists details of properties for sales on its website for as little as £47.Obviously it is best to sell your house when the market is strong and demand is high, so keep an eye on the local property market. Generally, the market tends to be stronger in early and late summer than the rest of the year, so aim to sell your house then. Also avoid completing with your neighbours so if there are already a few "For Sale" signs on your street, it might be better to wait a bit.The average house is now worth over £200,000, so if you lose 5% of the value because the house needs a little TLC you could be losing £10,000! So get as much advice on money saving tips from website such as Maxxsave and Money Saving Expert.Research has shown that £100 spent on presentation can be more effective in selling a property than reducing your property price by £1,000. That is a lot of money, so get your paint brushes out, give your home a lick of paint and finish all of those DIY jobs which are outstanding. Also talk to the estate agent about adding value to your property it maybe worth spending a bit of cash to make some more. However, be careful not to over spend, you might not get your money back, so talk all planned improvements through with your estate agent.Julian Smith works for Maxxsave.co.uk – Free Money saving tips a website which provides free impartial advice, reviews, buying guides, and money saving tips on personal finance, household bills, insurance and electronic products,
Category : Finance:Real-Estate-FSBO

When Does it Pay-Off to Obtain a Home Mortgage?

2008-12-15T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : John Edwards
If you are in dire need of money and don't have the financial means for a large cash transaction to buy a house, then opting for a home mortgage is worth consideration.Basically, a mortgage refers to a long-standing credit that a debtor obtains from a financial institution or from a property seller.In most cases, the house is the usual collateral for the mortgage, thus the term "home mortgage". In turn, the mortgage lender will be entitled to some legal rights upon the property as long as the mortgage is in full force or until the debtor pays back the loan.A home mortgage serves as security for loans, thus giving the lender the power to acquire the property through foreclosure in the event that the borrower fails to pay the loan on time.Generally, a home mortgage is comprised of a large loan. That's why in most cases a home mortgage can take 15 to 30 years before the borrower can pay back the due amount.In a home mortgage, the due amount to be paid by the borrower stipulates the principal amount of the mortgage and the interest owed relative to the outstanding balance. The real estate taxes and property insurance are also factored into the total mortgage balance.Some home owners who find it difficult to make their mortgage payments may opt for refinancing of their mortgage. But for those who wish to pay off a home mortgage quickly, there are things to be considered...First, make sure you have a stable source of income. Organize your overall financial assets to ensure that paying off your mortgage will not over-extend your cash flow. There are many such considerations that should be carefully planned and organized before resorting to pay-off your home mortgage.It's also important to your financial security to have a ready reserve of cash just in case of emergencies. This can be in the form of stocks and bonds, a bank savings account, or any other readily available form of cash.Paying off your home mortgage can be a rewarding experience, but be sure to consider your overall financial status before making the decision to do so. The wrong decision can put you at great financial risk.If you think that you are ready for the mortgage "experience" and that you have your finances securely organized, then by all means, go for it. After all, nothing beats a worry-free, mortgage-free financial status.Author: John EdwardsFind more information about florida refinance mortgage loans at:
http://www.refinancing-loan-mortgage.com
Category : Colon Cancer

Entrepreneur Idea - One Idea, One Million Dollars

2008-12-14T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Martin Thomas
Exponential money generation is an old idea. Barely noticed by the average person, it is still the single most utilized concept by rich Entrepreneurs the world over.When we put an amount of cash in the bank, the bank will offer us an interest payment for the use of that money usually in the range of 5-10% depending on the current level of the over night cash rate. This passive income is very useful on a large scale. For example a person with $10 million dollars would be offered quite a bit more for the use of that sum however, at 7% the annual return is around $700,000 per year. That is a very useful sum to be able to utilize as discretionary income. Indeed one could live very well for the remainder of their lives with such a comfortable return simply by keeping their money with a bank.The problem for most people with this desirable mechanism is that they don't have $10,000,000 in the first place. They don't have nearly that much.So the question becomes how to get it in the first place so money can be a concern of the past so we can get on with the more interesting activity of living.If we put $10,000 into a bank account and watched it grow exponentially at 10% we would at the end of 10 years be underwhelmed by the results. We would be the proud owners of $26,000 Not bad, but certainly a long time to wait and not a particularly useful amount of money.What if we tried 100% The result would be more astonishing I assure you. In ten years at 100% we would have over $1 million dollars. OK this is getting fun. Lets try 500% how long would it take for it to get to $1 million dollars at 500%? About 2 and a half years.What about 1000%? around a year and a half.What about if instead of annual we focus on monthly? But the second question is where are we going to find someone willing to pay us 100% per month for example. Nobody wants money that bad that they will be crazy enough to offer that sort of compounding. Or will they?Exponential money generation is a concept that deals in found or created excess intrinsic value. Is the value of a dollar note any different to the value locked in the $1 dollars worth of chocolate you just bought? No, its exactly the same. Except you can consume the chocolate but you can't consume the dollar note. So the chocolate actually has more worth depending on circumstances and needs.The point is that its value that we all want and need. Money is a numerical commodity that helps make value portable. But here is the thing that makes exponential money generation so lucrative. When value is stored in investment objects or assets, its measure is generally a perception. Unlike value when its stored in money itself, which because its numerical, it can be counted and has a fixed number that everyone can see. Would you swap $1000 for $582? You wouldn't specifically because you can see without difficulty that the trade is uneven. In fact you can see to very fine levels indeed. Even $999.99 is not a fair or even swap for $1000But what happens when you trade value in the form of an object for value that is in the form of money? Emotions and human perception has a large role to play.You can definitely make a 100% return on your money per month if you so choose, this is the typical way entrepreneurs make their fortunes fast. Whether trading in boats, luxury cars, precious stones or property, the concept remains the same.One million dollars in for example 12 months is not only possible but its quite likely using money leverage. Anyone can do it starting with virtually nothing. Its the decision to try that generally stops the non-believers.Martin Thomas (c)2005Martin Thomas is a professional investor who trades in Real Estate, Art, Precious stones and sea going vessels like yachts and power cruisers. Jack Reynolds' is one of Martin's students. Jack was a broke Insurance salesman only 2 years ago, today Jack owns assets valued at several million dollars. What did Martin teach Jack in 24 short months? You can read about Jack's remarkable and rapid transformation and download Hayden's famous book "The Million Dollar Mentor" by clicking here
Category : Finance:Wealth-Building

The Singleton?s Countdown to Valentine?s Day

2008-12-13T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Alison Edwards

You try to ignore it but it?s impossible to escape from. The gift shops are full of heart shaped cards and teddy bears, the travel agents have ?romantic weekend trips to Paris? advertised, your attached friends topic of conversation is ?will he propose?? and all you can think is where the hell are you going to find a man in time for Valentine?s Day. Yes, it?s the season of romance; the time of year all singletons fear more than walking into a bar with their skirt accidentally tucked into their pants following a visit to the toilet!If you can identify with these thoughts, don?t despair. Whilst it may be difficult for you to get a marriage proposal in such a short space of time, you may be able to get a date in time for Valentine?s Day. Here?s a few places for you to try and if you?ve tried them before try them again; men will be on the lookout at this time of year too so don?t be afraid to make yourself available:-1. Take a good look around at work. Ok, so you?ve worked there for years and none of the single guys have appealed to you before but in desperate times its good to take a second look. Is the guy in accounts really so dull? Maybe he is ultra cool out of work and will have you giggling all night if you give him a chance.2. Work off those extra pounds piled on at Christmas at the gym and eye up those hunky bodies. Start by taking in the view on the treadmill and then once you?ve spotted someone you like, ease your way over and ask if he would mind showing you how to use one of the exercise machines in exchange for an apr?s-gym beverage.3. If you don?t have a dog, borrow one and take it for a long walk. You?ll be amazed at the amount of guys walking their dogs who will say ?hello? to a fellow dog walker.4. Ask your attached friends to find out if any their boyfriend?s friends have recently become single and get them to arrange a casual get-together to introduce you.5. Last but not least, join an online dating site and message every half-decent man available. By the time Valentine?s Day arrives, you?ll be inundated with offers and will have to donate the surplus bouquets of red roses to your local hospice because you?ve run out of vases!Try one, if not all, of the above, and there?s a very good chance you won?t be spending Valentine?s Day alone! About The AuthorAlison Edwards writes articles for http://www.SnappyDates.com a UK based dating site. If you are stuck for ideas about your online profile, members of http://www.SnappyDates.com can write to Alison at Alison@SnappyDates.com for advice on how they can improve their profile.Copyright © 2006 Dorado Enterprises Limited - All Rights Reserved.Permission to reprint this article is granted if the article is reproduced in its entirety, without editing, including the bio information. Please include a hyperlink to http://www.SnappyDates.com when using this article in newsletters or online.Alison@SnappyDates.com

Category : Relationship

The thing with quality time

2008-12-11T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Marsha Maung

Itâ™s funny how people seem to think that they have spent quality
time with their kids after work by bringing them out to the mall
for a lifeless and meaningless stroll only to come home with
nothing more than a whole bunch of stuff that they (or the kids)
donâ™t need. In fact, time has been wasted because kids donâ™t
NEED you to bring them out to the shopping mall to waste time.
They want and NEED to be with you.

Itâ™s really funny because I used to think taking my kids out for
a very casual window-shopping trip was meaningful too until
someone pointed out to me that my kids were STILL closer to
someone else (their daycaregiver) when compared to me. I mean,
what is it with kids, anyway? I take them out, donâ™t I? I try my
best to give them whatever they want. I buy them presents, donâ™t
I? They have more clothes than me, donâ™t they?

But hereâ™s the sad partâ¦.thatâ™s not quality time.

Quality time with your kids is just staying home with absolutely
nothing to do, just lolling around on the carpet watching
â˜Blueâ™s Cluesâ™ or â˜Sesame Streetâ™ together giving each other
nonchalant kisses and exchanging hugs (and repeated reviews
about the show). Spending quality time with the kids involve
nothing more than just CONNECTING with the kids, not spending
detached moments of dis-connectivity loitering through
unfamiliar places. Itâ™s about spending time connecting with the
kids when you KNOW youâ™ve GOT SOMETHING ELSE BETTER TO DO.

I spent one whole Friday thinking about what to do with the kids
on Saturday and Sunday and end up with nothing. So, on the
weekends, we spent hours in front of the TV coloring bananas,
gorillas, and calculator on pieces of paper. We, then, took the
bicycle to the park and cycled around. Joshua got scrapes on his
knees and Jared was more than unhappy with the fact that his big
brother made more â˜sand castlesâ™ in the park than he did â" but
we all came home knowing that we knew each other better.

You see, spending quality time with the kids is all about
getting to know your kids. Making an effort to be there for them
when you know you CAN be doing something else with your life. We
know we can use that time to actually finish off the report or
call that important client up â" but the most important thing
with quality time with kids is that we DONâ™T.

Â© Marsha Maung 2005 Please feel free to reprint this article
anywhere in your website, magazine, ezine, or other types of
publications for free. Please note that you should keep the
byline in tact and please provide links back to the web
addresses provided in the byline. Thanks.

Category : Music

Global Differential Pricing

2008-12-10T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Sam Vaknin
In April 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, and the US-based Global Health Council held a 3-days workshop about "Pricing and Financing of Essential Drugs" in poor countries. Not surprisingly, the conclusion was:

"... There was broad recognition that differential pricing could play an important role in ensuring access to existing drugs at affordable prices, particularly in the poorest countries, while the patent system would be allowed to continue to play its role in providing incentives for research and development into new drugs."

The 80 experts, who attended the workshop, proposed to reconcile these two, apparently contradictory, aspirations by introducing different prices for drugs in low-income and rich countries. This could be achieved bilaterally, between companies and purchasers, patent holders and manufacturers, global suppliers and countries - or through a market mechanism.

According to IMS Health, poor countries are projected to account for less than one quarter of pharmaceutical sales in 2002. Of every $100 spent on medicines worldwide - 42 are in the USA, 25 in Europe, 11 in Japan, 7.5 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 5 in China and South East Asia, less than 2 in East Europe and India each, about 1 in Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) each.

Vaccines, contraceptives, and condoms are already subject to cross-border differential pricing. Lately, drug companies, were forced to introduce multi-tiered pricing following court decisions, or agreements with the authorities. Brazilians and South Africans, for instance, pay a fraction of the price paid in the West for their anti-retroviral AIDS medication.

Even so, the price of a typical treatment is not affordable. Foreign donors, private foundations - such as the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation - and international organizations had to step in to cover the shortfall.

The experts acknowledged the risk that branded drugs sold cheaply in a poor country might end up being smuggled into and consumed in a much richer ones. Less likely, industrialized countries may also impose price controls, using poor country prices as benchmarks. Other participants, including dominant NGO's, such as Oxfam and Medecins Sans Frontieres, rooted for a reform of the TRIPS agreement - or the manufacturing of generic alternatives to branded drugs.

The "health safeguards" built into the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) convention allow for compulsory licensing - manufacturing a drug without the patent holder's permission - and for parallel imports - importing a drug from another country where it is sold at a lower price - in case of an health emergency.

Aware of the existence of this Damocles sword, the European Union and the trans-national pharmaceutical lobby have come out last May in favor of "global tiered pricing".

In its 2001 Human Development Report (HDR), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) called to introduce differential rich versus poor country pricing for "essential high-tech products" as well. The Health GAP Coalition commented on the report:

"On the issue of differential pricing, the Report notes that, while an effective global market would encourage different prices in different countries for products such as pharmaceuticals, the current system does not. With high-tech products, where the main cost to the seller is usually research rather than production, such tiered pricing could lead to an identical product being sold in poor countries for just one-tenth-or one-hundredth- the price in Europe or the United States.

But drug companies and other technology producers fear that knowledge about such discounting could lead to a demand for lower prices in rich countries as well. They have tended to set global prices that are unaffordable for the citizens of poor countries (as with many AIDS drugs).

'Part of the battle to establish differential pricing must be won through consumer education. The citizens of rich countries must understand that it is only fair for people in developing countries to pay less for medicines and other critical technology products.' - stated Ms. Sukaki Fukuda-Parr" the lead author of the Report.

Public declarations issued in Havana, Cuba, in San Jose, Costa Rica in the late 1990's touted the benefits of free online scholarship for developing countries. The WHO and the Open Society Institute initiated HINARI - Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative. Peter Suber, the publisher of the "Free Online Scholarship" newsletter, summarizes the initiative thus:

"Under the program, the world's six largest publishers of biomedical journals have agreed to three-tiered pricing. For countries in the lowest tier (GNP per capita below $1k), online subscriptions are free of charge. For countries in the middle tier (GNP per capita between $1k and $3k), online subscriptions will be discounted by an amount to be decided this June. Countries in the top tier pay full price.

The six participating publishers are Blackwell Synergy, Elsevier Science Direct, Harcourt IDEAL, Springer Link, Wiley Interscience, and Wolters Kluwer. The subscriptions are given to universities and research institutions, not to individuals. But they are identical in scope to the subscriptions received by institutions paying the full price."

Of 500 bottom-tier eligible institutions, more than 200 have already signed up. Additional publishers have joined this 3-5 years program and most biomedical journals are already on offer. Mid-tier pricing will be declared by January next year. HINARI will probably be expanded to cover other scientific disciplines.

Authors from developing countries also benefit from the spread of free online scholarship coupled with differential pricing. "Best of Science", for example, a free, peer-reviewed, online science journal subsists on fees paid by the authors. It charges authors from developing countries less.

But differential pricing is unlikely to be confined to scholarly journals. Already, voices in developing countries demand tiered pricing for Western textbooks sold in emerging economies. Quoted in the Free Online Scholarship newsletter, Lai Ting-ming of the Taipei Times criticized, on March 26, 2002 "western publishers for selling textbooks to third world students at first world prices. There is a 'textbook pricing crisis' in developing countries, which is most commonly solved by illicit photocopying."

Touchingly, the issue of the dispossessed within rich country societies was raised by two African Special Rapporteurs in a report submitted last year to the UN sub-Commission on Human Rights and titled "Globalization and its Impact on the Full Enjoyment of Human Rights". It said:

" ... The emphasis on R & D investment conveniently omits mention of the fact that some of the financing for this research comes from public sources; how then can it be justifiably argued that the benefits that derive from such investment should accrue primarily to private interests? Lastly, the focus on differential pricing between (rich and poor) countries omits consideration of the fact that there are many people within developed countries who are also unable to afford the same drugs. This may be on account of an inaccessible or inhospitable health care system (in terms of cost or an absence of adequate social welfare mechanisms), or because of racial, gender, sexual orientation or other forms of discrimination."

Differential pricing is often confused with dynamic pricing.

Bob Gressens of Moai Technologies and Christopher Brousseau of Accenture define dynamic pricing, in their paper "The Value Propositions of Dynamic Pricing in Business-to-Business E-Commerce" as: "... The buying and selling of goods and services in markets where prices are free to move in response to supply and demand conditions."

This is usually done through auctions or requests for quotes or tenders. Dynamic pricing is most often used in the liquidation of surplus inventories and for e-sourcing.

Nor is differential pricing entirely identical with non-linear pricing. In the real world, prices are rarely fixed. Some prices vary with usage - "pay per view" in the cable TV industry, or "pay per print" in scholarly online reference. Other prices combine a fixed element (e.g., a subscription fee) with a variable element (e.g., payment per broadband usage). Volume discounts, sales, cross-selling, three for the price of two - are all examples of non-linear pricing. Non-linear pricing is about charging different prices to different consumers - but within the same market.

Hal Varian of the School of Information Management and Systems at the University of California in Berkeley summarizes the treatment of "Price Discrimination" in A. C. Pigou's seminal 1920 tome, "The Economics of Welfare":

"First-degree price discrimination means that the producer sells different units of output for different prices and these prices may differ from person to person. This is sometimes known as the case of perfect price discrimination.

Second-degree price discrimination means that the producer sells different units of output for different prices, but every individual who buys the same amount of the good pays the same price. Thus prices depend on the amount of the good purchased, but not on who does the purchasing. A common example of this sort of pricing is volume discounts.

Third-degree price discrimination occurs when the producer sells output to different people for different prices, but every unit of output sold to a given person sells for the same price. This is the most common form of price discrimination, and examples include senior citizens' discounts, student discounts, and so on."

Varian evaluates the contribution of each of these practices to economic efficiency in a 1996 article published in "First Monday":

"First-degree price discrimination yields a fully efficient outcome, in the sense of maximizing consumer plus producer surplus.

Second-degree price discrimination generally provides an efficient amount of the good to the largest consumers, but smaller consumers may receive inefficiently low amounts. Nevertheless, they will be better off than if they did not participate in the market. If differential pricing is not allowed, groups with small willingness to pay may not be served at all.

Third-degree price discrimination increases welfare when it encourages a sufficiently large increase in output. If output doesn't increase, total welfare will fall. As in the case of second-degree price discrimination, third-degree price discrimination is a good thing for niche markets that would not otherwise be served under a uniform pricing policy.

The key issue is whether the output of goods and services is increased or decreased by differential pricing."

Strictly speaking, global differential pricing is none of the above. It involves charging different prices in different markets, in accordance with the purchasing power of the local clientele (i.e., their willingness and ability to pay) - or in deference to their political and legal clout.

Differential prices are not set by supply and demand and, therefore, do not fluctuate. All the consumers within each market are charged the same - prices vary only across markets. They are determined by the manufacturer in each and every market separately in accordance with local conditions.

A March 2001 WHO/WTO background paper titled "More Equitable Pricing for Essential Drugs" discovered immense variations in the prices of medicines among different national markets. But, surprisingly, these price differences were unrelated to national income.

Even allowing for price differentials, the one-month cost of treatment of Tuberculosis in Tanzania was the equivalent of 500 working hours - compared to 1.4 working hours in Switzerland. The price of medicines in poor countries - from Zimbabwe to India - was clearly higher than one would have expected from income measures such as GDP per capita or average wages. Why didn't drug prices adjust to reflect indigenous purchasing power?

According to the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), differential pricing is also - perhaps mostly - influenced by other considerations such as: transportation costs, disparate tax and customs regimes, cost of employment, differences in property rights and royalties, local safety and health standards, price controls, quality of internal distribution systems, the size of the order, the size of the market, and so on.

Differential pricing was made possible by the application of mass manufacturing to the knowledge society. Many industries, both emerging ones, like telecommunications, or information technology - and mature ones, like airlines, or pharmaceuticals - defy conventional pricing theory. They involve huge sunk and fixed costs - mainly in research and development and plant.

But the marginal cost of each and every manufactured unit is identical - and vanishingly low. Beyond a certain quantitative threshold returns skyrocket and revenues contribute directly to the bottom line.

Consider software applications. The first units sold cover the enormous fixed and sunk costs of authoring the software and the machine tools used in the manufacturing process. The actual production ("variable" or "marginal") cost of each unit is a mere few cents - the wholesale price of the diskettes or CD-ROM's consumed. Thus, after having achieved breakeven, sales revenues translate immediately to gross profits.

This bifurcation - the huge fixed costs versus the negligible marginal costs - vitiates the rule: "set price at marginal cost". At which marginal cost? To compensate for the sunk and fixed costs, the first "marginal units" must carry a much higher price tag than the last ones.

Hal Varian studied this problem. His conclusions:

"(i) Efficient pricing in such environments will typically involve prices that differ across consumers and type of service; (ii) producers will want to engage in product and service differentiation in order for this differential pricing to be feasible; and, (iii) differential pricing will arise naturally as a result of profit seeking by firms. It follows that differential pricing can generally be expected to contribute to economic efficiency."

Differential pricing is also the outcome of globalization. As brands become ubiquitous and as the information superhighway renders prices comparable and transparent - different markets react differently to price signals. In impoverished countries, differential pricing was introduced illegally where manufacturers insisted on rigid, rich-world, price lists.

Piracy of intellectual property, for instance, is a form of coercive (and illegal) differential pricing. The existence of thriving rip-off markets proves that, at the right prices, demand is rife (demand elasticity). Both piracy and differential pricing may be spreading to scholarly publishing and other form of intellectual property such as software, films, music, and e-books.

Consumers are divided on the issue of multi-tiered pricing tailored to fit the customer's purchasing power. Not surprisingly, rich world buyers are apprehensive. They feel that differential pricing is a form of hidden subsidy, or a kind of "third world tax".

On September 2000, Amazon.com conducted a unique poll - this time among customers - regarding differential pricing (actually, non-linear pricing) - showing different prices to different users on the same book.

Forty two percent of all respondents though it was "discrimination" and "should stop" - but a surprising 31 percent regarded it as "a valid use of data mining". A quarter said it is "OK, if explained to users". The comments were telling:

"I work over 80 hours a week. As a small business owner, I may make good money, but does that mean I should be charged more than unmotivated individuals who are broke because they don't want to work more than 30 hours a week. I don't think so ... Should (preferred) customers disappear in (the) off-line world? Should Gold Cards or Platinum Cards disappear? ...

The interesting thing is that discrimination of pricing is very common in the insurance industry - the basis for actuarial work and in airlines - based on load factors. The key is the pricing available to groups of customers with similar profiles ... Simple supply and demand, competition from other suppliers should offset ... A dangerous policy to implement ... As a consumer I don't necessarily like it, (unless I get a lower price!). However, economically speaking, (think of a monopolist's MR curve) the ideal is to have each person pay the maximum amount that they are willing to pay."

For Baby's First Christmas, a Lump of Coal? Ten Baby Gifts to Avoid This Holiday Season

2008-12-08T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Stephanie Gallagher
What could be worse than a lump of coal in baby's first Christmas stocking?One of these ten gifts:1. Any Toy or Product With More Than 10 Pieces That Must Be Put TogetherEver see a new parent on Christmas day? You know why they look so tired? Because they spent the previous 12 hours putting together a single baby toy that promised to be "easy to assemble."If you see the words, 'Assembly Required' anywhere on the packaging, that is not a gift you want to give for baby's first Christmas.If you're absolutely in love with a particular toy or baby product that requires assembly, put it together yourself before you give the gift. The new parents will appreciate your efforts as much as the baby gift itself."2. Frilly, Impractical, "High-Maintenance" Baby ClothesYou know the outfits: They're oh-so-cute, yet oh-so-impractical. They have buttons instead of snaps. Or they have no snaps in the legs. Or they snap up the back, rather than the front, turning diaper-changing into a gymnastics exercise for the parents. Or worse yet, they're dry clean only.Think about it: What new mom has time to take her baby's clothes to the dry cleaners every time he spits up?"3. "Hot Button Baby Christmas Gifts"These are products the parents will only use if they subscribe to one particular parenting theory or style.For example, books like "On Becoming Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo and "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," by Richard Ferber, are "hot button baby gifts," because parents tend to either strongly agree or strongly disagree with these theories.So are things like breast pumps and nursing pillows (unless you're absolutely sure the new mom is nursing), and bottles and bottle accessories (again, unless you know for certain the parents are using them).4. Incomplete GiftsDon't make your recipients work to enjoy your gifts. If the recipient has to buy something else in order to use the gift, it's a loser.For example, a Boppy (special nursing pillow) is a great gift. But the Bare-Naked Boppy is not, because you have to buy a slipcover for it, which costs almost as much as the original gift.Most people expect to have to buy batteries for toys and baby gear, but including them is one of the most thoughtful things you can do to make your Christmas gift for baby stand out.5. Wipe WarmerNot only do wipe warmers cause wipes to dry out and get discolored, they're often more uncomfortable for babies than cold wipes.Babies are much more sensitive to heat than we are. They don't want anything too hot touching their skin, whether it's a warmed wipe or hot bath water.6. Baby BouncyThis stabilized exercise ball, which retails for $39.95, is supposed to calm a colicky baby and help the mother "exercise her core" at the same time.But how many moms can accomplish anything while trying to soothe a colicky baby? Yes, babies do like to be bounced, but they typically enjoy a motion that requires the parent to be on his or her feet, not sitting down.What's more, there are cheaper bouncing alternatives that last much longer, such as the Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker, which goes from birth to 40 pounds.7. Baby WalkerEach year, some 8,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms because of injuries related to baby walkers. The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for the sale of baby walkers to be banned in the United States. They are simply unsafe.That should be reason enough to skip the walker for baby's first Christmas. But if it isn't, consider this: Baby walkers do not help children walk sooner. In fact, they can delay walking.8. CradleAnother beautiful, but impractical, baby gift, cradles are unsafe because the rocking can cause baby to turn over and suffocate.9. Newborn ClothesEven if the baby was born last week, newborn clothes are a baby Christmas gift "Don't."There reasons are simple:1) The parents probably already got oodles of newborn outfits at the baby shower 2) babies typically grow out of newborn clothes within a few weeks.A better bet: 3-6 month clothes.10. Baby ShoesPediatricians recommend that babies go barefoot or with socks until they're actually walking, making baby shoes unnecessary. Some doctors even say baby shoes can interfere with proper gross motor development.For a list of holiday baby gifts that are sure to please, go to The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts at http://www.gifts-babies-love.com/unique-christmas-gifts.html.Stephanie Gallagher, a.k.a., The Shopping Mom, is the author of several parenting books and Editor of The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts, http://www.gifts-babies-love.com
Category : Cruises

How To Make Lighter and Thinner Magnesium Components?

2008-12-06T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Ken Yap
Magnesium is the lightest structural material offering very good damping characteristics, weldability and excellent shielding against electro-magnetic interferance, and is unlimited in supply. It has been an excellent material for making portable electronic and telecommunication devices, and automotive and aerospace equipment such as MD player casings, chassis for cell phones, video cameras and notebook computers, automotive gear housings, car wheels and engine blocks.The most common methods to produce magnesium parts are die casting and thixomolding processes. However, these runner and gating processes provide a low material yield of only 30% for thin-wall casting and can only produce thin walls of between 0.7mm to 1.2mm.If we can form magnesium parts from sheet metal just like metal stamping of steel and aluminum parts, we can achieve better material yield of about 80% and possibly safer operation due to the lower processing temperature. However, magnesium is known to be non-formable as it is very resistant to deformation due to its hexagonal close-packed structure. The only way is warm forming of magnesium as deformation of magnesium above 225 degrees Celsius will cause additional slip planes to become operative.Extensive process research in this area have resulted in a few warm forming hydraulic presses available in the market for draw forming. Recently, research in warm draw forming of magnesium to make cell phone chassis has successfully shown that 0.4mm thin walls can be achieved consistently. Metallographic tests of the chassis have also demonstrated that there is zero porosity and increased rigidity.While the current warm forming press systems are complicated to operate as they require the preliminary building of stroke and force profiles for the specific products using data acquisition modules and forming simulation softwares, the increased replacement of aluminum and plastics with magnesium for handheld electronic devices may well accelerate this process. Progressive early adopters of this technology would have a first mover advantage in the competitive global manufacturing industry.Author Ken Yap is a director of Suwa Precision Engineering Pte Ltd in Singapore which represents metal stamping, precision machining, miniature precision balls and PCB manufacturers from Suwa, also called "The Oriental Switzerland" in Japan due to its Swiss resemblance for rich watch-making industry, its mountainous terrain and its precision component making industry.
Category : Reference-and-Education:Science

Sales Performance Management

2008-12-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Elizabeth Morgan

Sales management is an integral sub-system of marketing management. It translates the marketing plan into marketing performance. Sales management is hence described as the muscle behind marketing management. The sales manager in a modern organization holds a multitude of responsibilities. He has to plan, direct and control the personal selling effort of the firm. His task does not stop with the achievement of sales quotas. He is also responsible for bringing in the required profits. In addition, he is also responsible for creating the desired image for the company and its products. In fact, a modern sales manager has to do marketing rather than mere selling.His firm expects him to assume a much larger role than the traditional responsibility of achieving sales quotas. It expects him to be customer-oriented as well as profit-directed. Sales managers set sales goals for their sales teams and bear the brunt of the responsibility for achieving the set goals. They assist the firm in measuring market potential and in developing sales forecasts and sales budgets. In addition, they have to develop the sales program and achieve the forecasted sales by implementing the program.It is the responsibility of sales managers to build the sales organization. They are required to ensure that the sales organization is maintained in trim condition, capable of effectively implementing the personal selling program of the firm and sales policies and strategies of the firm. In addition, sales managers are also required to provide assistance in planning the other aspects of the marketing program, like product mix, pricing, distribution, advertising and sales promotion.Sales managers foster an atmosphere for the growth of the firm. In addition, they assist the firm in the management of change. In a dynamic market, customer preferences and competitive forces are constantly changing; so too are technology and marketing methods.Sales costs increase rapidly. In managing all these changes, the firm depends largely on the sales management. Performance Management provides detailed information on Employee Performance Management, Manufacturing Performance Management, Marketing Performance Management, Performance Management and more. Performance Management is affliated with Job Performance Appraisals.

Category : General Business: Human Resources

What Do You Want Streaming Audio To Do For You?

2008-12-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Douglas Taylor
Streaming audio is one of the most powerful things to come along in this generation. Statistics have shown streaming audio in most cases will help your conversion rate You need to have a clear plan of what audio can do for your website. There are so many ways to use streaming audio almost all of them will help you have a better site.The first thing you need to do is decide exactly how streaming audio can help you. Here are some of the more common uses for streaming audio on your website.Music: One of the most obvious ways to use audio on your site is to display your music for the entire world to hear. A local band now has a chance at worldwide fame simply by adding their music to their website.CD Sales: It is now possible to sell your bands CDs world wide with your music posted in a streaming format.Get To Be Known: If you are a marketer people hearing your audio files will feel like they know you. This is a major plus when you are trying to get their business.Testimonials: Audio testimonials are very powerful. They can help you build extreme credibility with your customer.Increase Sales: Most will agree streaming audio on your website will help increase your sales.It has never been easier to create streaming audio for your website. Use your imagination for the many uses of streaming audio. Whatever your reason for adding audio you will find it should help your sales grow by leaps and bounds.Doug Taylor has been creating audio online since 1999. If you think that putting audio files on a website will be a lot of hard work and hassle then download a free 16 page special report Mastering Streaming Audio. Visit http://www.create-streaming-audio.com/csa_ezine.html for streaming audio tips, tricks, shortcuts, and techniques.
Category : Business:Audio-Streaming

Beginner's Guide To Fitness

2008-12-03T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author :

Beginner's Guide To Fitness &nbsp;by: Diana KeuilianWhat to do when you are ready to get into shape!So you are finally ready to turn from your couch potato ways, and trade your T.V. remote in for a dumbbell! Congratulations, and welcome to the wonderful world of fitness! I commend you on your resolve to lose weight and get into shape! Now where do you begin? These days there sure is a lot of talk about diet and fitness, whether it is a new diet pill or piece of exercise equipment. It is enough to make your head spin, and certainly enough to confuse the beginner. Take a deep breath, and follow these simple tips to go from being a fitness beginner to a pro! TIP #1: GET MOVINGThe first thing you need to do, as a fitness beginner, is to start moving! I mean this literally. Get up, and walk out your front door. Now walk down the street. Now turn the corner. Keep going! Do you get the picture? Start introducing your body to fitness by going on walks. These walks will probably start out slow and short, but before you know it they will be brisk and long. Try to work up a sweat as you tour the neighborhood. Make it a habit to wake up early to go on your walk, or consistently go on a walk before you go to bed. These walks will get you to start burning calories each day, and will also begin to build your cardiovascular endurance. TIP #2: STRETCHOnce you become a pro at walking, you will need to add something new to your routine. Stretch before and after your walks. Start by reaching down to touch your toes and holding it for 30 seconds. You will feel tightness on the backs of your legs, in your hamstrings. Now place your palm against a wall at chest level and turn your body away from it. As you hold this for 30 seconds you will feel a stretch in your chest. Most inactive people have tight hamstring and chest muscles due to prolonged sitting, so it should be your priority to stretch these muscles out. You will be pleasantly surprised at what this will do for your posture!TIP #3: CLEAN YOUR DIETFitness professionals like to claim that 80% of what your body looks like is directly related to what you eat. In other words, if you are eating burgers and fries and visiting the gym everyday, you are still going to look like you are eating burgers and fries! It is time to clean up your diet, so you can continue on your fast track to fitness. <ul> <li>Rule #1: No more fast food. Fast food is cheap, available, and quick, but it is far from healthy. You are better off avoiding it completely. <li>Rule #2: Eat 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Your body needs the nutrients found in these foods, and they will fill you up without empty calories. <li>Rule #3: Eat 4-5 small meals a day, rather than 2 large ones. This will keep your metabolism high all day, and turn you into a calorie-burning machine!</ul>TIP#4: JOIN A GYMAfter you have mastered walking, stretching, and have started to clean up your diet, you are ready to join a gym. Dont be intimidated or scared of this concept, the gym is a friendly place where people go to burn calories and build muscle! Find a local gym that has a convenient location near your home or work place. The key to making your gym membership worth its monthly dues is to use it consistently. Go to the gym no less than three times a week. While you are there begin a resistance training program as well as a cardiovascular program. TIP #5: FIND A BUDDYThere is no better motivator to get you to the gym than knowing that someone is there waiting for you. If you find yourself slacking off in your workouts, or skipping the gym, a workout buddy might be just what you need. Find a friend with whom you share similar fitness goals, and become workout buddies. Agree to meet three times a week at the gym, and encourage each other throughout your workout. You will find that this makes workouts motivating and fun. There you have it, all you need to know to get yourself up off the coach and into a healthy, fit lifestyle! Making the decision to get into shape will be the best one you make in your life, and I wish you all the best. To your health!<table width=100% cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor=#dddddd><tr><td>About The Author Diana Keuilian, author, ACE certified Personal Trainer, and co-founder of <a href="http://HitechPersonalFitness.com" target=new>HitechPersonalFitness.com</a> offers online personal training and nutrition programs that fit your budget and schedule. Whether your goal is to lose weight, firm and tone, or to build muscle, <a href="http://HitechPersonalFitness.com" target=new>HitechPersonalFitness.com</a> will build a custom designed program just for you. Visit: <a href="http://www.hitechpersonalfitness.com/" target=new>http://www.hitechpersonalfitness.com/</a> and begin meeting your fitness goals today!<a href="mailto:dkeuilian@hitechtrainer.com">dkeuilian@hitechtrainer.com</a></td></tr></table>

Category : Health Organizations

IS Permission Email Marketing In Trouble... And Is RSS The Answer?

2008-12-01T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Cory Threlfall

"Permission Email Marketing", the only way to market your business via Email without getting yourself into trouble and giving you the ability to stay in touch and build a ongoing relationship with your customers and/or subscribers.The only question is... is email still a reliable vehicle to deliver your marketing messages to your potential customers and/or subscribers?With the rising concerns of SPAM, Blacklisting, Email Filters, and CAN-SPAM laws, it's getting Harder and Harder for legitimate "Permission Email Marketers" to reach there Target audiences with there Product or Service offers.The end result is... "Time Wasted" and "Loss of Profits".Is your online business suffering from this?Only you can answer that.Email used to be the MOST effective form of direct marketing online at one time before everybody started abusing it and there guidelines.Don't get me wrong, email still is effective, the question is... how effective?The benefit to marketing with email was that you were able to get your marketing message infront of your Target audiences within a matter of minutes with a single click of your mouse, which at one time made MANY marketers "Buckets-Of-Money" literally over night.Email WAS the answer at that time, but, what's the solution for the future of "Permission Email Marketing"?Is there an answer to this rising problem with Email?I'll give you three letters... RSS!Yes, there is a solution for "Permission Email Marketers" and/or for any online business owner who uses email to stay in touch with there customers and/or subscribers and that is RSS(Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication).RSS is the NEW technology on the block(though its been around for quite some time) and is transforming the Internet and how businesses communicate with there customers and/or subscribers as we speak.The BIGGEST benefit you'll receive by incorporating RSS into your online business is... your customers and/or subscribers will receive 100% of your Product and/or Service offers.I'm going to say that again, "your customers and/or subscribers will receive 100% of your Product and/or Service offers".No other online technology offers this benefit.Just imagine the increased response to your offers, which in turn will convert into more Sales and Profits for you and your online business.Rest assured, you could sleep at night knowing that your messages are reaching 100% of your Target audience without the worry of SPAM filters mistakenly marking your email as "SPAM" and that all that time you spent putting your offer together didn't go to waste.Would you then consider RSS?I think you would. But, that is just my opinion.There are many others benefits to using RSS which you can read about in a earlier article I wrote by clicking on this link -- http://www.internetwondersezine.com/article_15.html -- since there are to many to list within this article.Things are changing online, so we must change with it and adapt any new technologies we can in order to get the most out of our time and online businesses.So, with that said, if your a "Permission Email Marketer" and your not happy with the results your currently getting from using "Email", then you might want to consider switching to "RSS".100% delivery rate is unheard of with Email, but, is GUARANTEED with RSS(Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication). Want to get MORE 'Insider' marketing Secrets on How-To drive HUGE amounts of Laser Targeted Traffic to your website? Then you need to subscribe to Cory Threlfall's ezine called... The Internet Wonders eZine at -- internet marketing

Category : General Site Promotion

Martial Arts Master from "Karate Kid" Movies to Give Seminar in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona

2008-11-30T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author :

Sensei Doug Corlew, the owner r 22nd, 2004

Fratelli Partners with Local Organic Farmers for Salut! Summer

2008-11-29T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author :

Paul Klitsie, chef and co-owner of Fratelli, knows the best ingredients are right here in Oregon from fresh lamb and field greens to exotic mushrooms. To celebrate our local bounty, Fratellis presents Salut! Summer, a weekly culinary feast highlighting a local, organic ingredient and farm. The series begins on July 6, 2004 with John Neumeister and his Cattail Creek Farm lamb. "I have a close relationship with some of Oregons finest organic farmers," says Klitsie. "Salut! Summer honors this partnership and encourages customers to meet the farmer and sample different menu preparations of one ingredient." Klitsie was recently honored in Italian Cooking and Living Magazine (June/July 2004) as "a talented Portland chef who believes in combining only a few ingredients. Paul brings out the natural flavors in each dish." Today, Fratelli launches a new Tuscan-inspired menu using the seasons freshest ingredients from local farms.Salut! Summer Tasting Schedule:July 6, Cattail Creek Farm, LambJohn Neumeister is a 2nd generation sheep farmer in Junction City. The secret to the flavor of his lamb is due to the year round availability of lush grass pastures, made possible by Oregons mild climate and rainfall. Cattail Creek Farm practices ecologically sound and socially responsible farming with no hormones or GMO feed. July 14, Weppler Farms, Field GreensGeorge Weppler grows more than 250 kinds of vegetables on 5 acres in the Cascade foothills, including 50 types of lettuce and 18 varieties of tomatoes. George will cook with Paul Klitsie to create the Salut! Summer tasting menu. July 20, OM Grown Farms, Oregon MushroomsEarl Renfrow of OM Grown Farms grows over 20 mushroom varieties on his sustainable 50-acre farm near Sheridan, Oregon. Renfrow also imports exotic mushrooms including Chinese Diamond truffles and Black truffles. About Fratelli:This intimate Pearl District restaurant features regional Italian cooking. As a member of the Portland Food Alliance, Chef Paul Klitsie and his partner, Tim Cuscaden are committed to using sustainable and organic ingredients. Fratelli opened in 1998 as one of the first restaurants in the newly created Pearl District and is located at 1230 NW Hoyt, Portland. Hours are Sunday to Thursday from 5:30-9:00 p.m. and weekends until 10:00 p.m. For reservations and information, please call 503-241-8800 or visit the web site at <a href="http://www.fratellicucina.com" title="test" target="_blank">www.fratellicucina.com</a>.

Category : Action Alerts

Change Management: Getting Everyone on Board the Change Train

2008-11-28T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Marcia Zidle
How do you get everyone on board the change train that is gaining speed and heading out of the station? How do you get your people to, not only go through the motions, but also actually âœbuy intoâ the changes that are necessary? Peopleâ™s resistance to change is not entirely irrational; it stems from good and understandable concerns. Here are the six most common reasons people resist change and tactics to convert this resistance to commitment.Surprise, Surprise!
People are easily shocked by decisions or requests suddenly sprung on them without groundwork or preparation. Managers frequently make this mistake when introducing change. They wait until all the decisions are made and then spring them on unsuspecting employees. However, the first response of people to something totally new and unexpected, not having time to prepare for, is resistance.Tactic: Give people advance notice. Itâ™s better to know ahead of time of a plant closing or a move to a new location. Then they can have time to adjust their thinking and, most importantly, to begin realistically planning for the changes.Loss of Control
How people greet change has to do with their perception of whether they are in control of it or not. If people feel out of control, they are more likely to act defensively, either by excess complaining, by dragging their feet or by becoming territorial. Change is exciting, when itâ™s done by us; threatening, when itâ™s done to us.Tactic: Give everyone a chance to participate and get involved in the change effort. Although the decision regarding the specific change has been made, people who are going to be affected by this change can have input on its implementation. They can decide how to re-arrange the office or determine the optimum way to use the new computer system. The more choices that are left to the people, the better they'll feel, and the more committed they will be to the specific change.Excess Uncertainty
If people don't know what the next step is or where it is going to take them, any change will seem dangerous. Itâ™s like walking off a cliff blindfolded. As one long time employee said to me:âœI know the old Bell system---its mission, its operations, its people, its culture. In that knowledge I had an identity and confidence about my company and myself. Now that I work for a company, one-fourth its former size, I find myself asking: Who am I? Who are we? How is it going to affect me?âTactic: Share information about what exactly is happening and at every step of the change process. Furthermore, by dividing a big change into a number of small steps, change will seem less risky and threatening. People can then focus on one step at a time and feel that they are not being asked to leap off the cliff blindfolded.The Difference Factor
Change requires people to become conscious of, and to question, familiar routines and habits. This is difficult because a great deal of work in organizations is habitual and provides a sense of stability. Imagine what it would be like if, every week you went to work, your office was in an entirely different place and the furniture was rearranged. You would stumble around and need to expend a large amount of physical and emotional energy just trying to constantly adapt. This is what happens to people when they are experiencing too many changes all at once.Tactic: Minimize or reduce the number of differences introduced by the change, leaving some of the traditions, habits or routines. In other words, maintain some familiar sight and sounds, the things that make people feel comfortable and in control.Concerns about Future Competence
People have concern about their future ability to be effective after the change: Can I do it? How will I do it? Will I make it under the new conditions? Do I have the skills to operate in a new way? It can be very threatening for many employees to be told that, all of a sudden, the new world demands a new way of thinking and a new set of skills.Tactic: Make sure people feel competent. Provide sufficient education and training as well as opportunity to practice the new skills or actions without feeling judged. Give them time to get comfortable with new routines or different procedures. Nobody likes to look inadequate, especially people who have been around a long time.Ripple Effect
Change tends to be perceived by employees as requiring more energy, more time, and probably more work. In fact, change does required, in many instances, above-and-beyond efforts. Change may also disrupt scheduled plans and projects and even personal and family activities. Change sends ripples beyond their intended impact.Tactic: Provide needed support and compensation for the extra work of change. Acknowledge people for their extra effort; offer days off after the crunch; have a big family celebration after the change. Being sensitive to peopleâ™s lives helps them get on and stay on board the change train thatâ™s rumbling through your organization.Remember, people donâ™t resist change, they resist being change. The trick is getting people to choose change rather than solely resist it.Marcia Zidle, the â˜people smartsâ™ coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job Â to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to
http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report âœ61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Saversâ. Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks Â resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs Â fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.
Category : Society

Content is Still King - A Short and Simple Reminder

2008-11-26T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Emmanuel DeFreitas
The demand for good, quality, unique and informative articles to place on blogs, websites and ezines is growing astronomically in direct proportion to the number of new sites that are popping up every minute on the web. If you are a newbie trying to establish yourself as a somebody in a sea of nobodies, there really are only two ways to go…you can pay for it, or you can roll up your sleeves and get to work writing high demand articles and submitting them to article directories. If this seems like an oversimplification, so be it because by now, you are probably fed up to the gills on over hyped claims that constantly bombard any would-be Webmaster and you could use some simplification.Assuming that you already have a website up and running, and also assuming that you are not made of money, what can you do to get the maximum return for your efforts. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance. Remember that old saying that states if you throw enough mud at a wall, some of it will stick…well, promoting your services, products, whatever, requires throwing a lot of mud…and a lot of patience.The benefits of submitting your articles to article directories have been well documented and have stood the test of time. I am going to regurgitate a few of these benefits in a list in the hope that it will stimulate the creative genius that lies within all of us. Remember that this article is aimed at new and upcoming webmasters but established individuals sometimes need a little reminder.Top 5 Reasons to Submit Articles to Directories1) It is Free!
This is a very good reason to try something on the internet, especially when you are starting out…you will have plenty of time to spend your money later on.2) Instant Links
By now you must know that search engines like Google and Yahoo love links. Links are the measuring stick they use to determine how relevant your website truly is. By submitting your articles, other websites pick them up and use them on their sites provided that they keep the resource box with your link intact. In other words…instant links back to your site.3) Additional Traffic
As you submit your articles they articles are picked up by other websites, featured in newsletters, and sent out in ezines creating additional traffic and exposure!4) Gain "Expert" status
Get yourself recognized as an authority in your field … Publish informative articles, and you will be seen as somebody with something to contribute… an authority on your topic.5) Gratification
When your articles are accepted and published on an article directory you actually feel like you have accomplished something. Somebody likes what you wrote. You are accepted. You have contributed. You are a somebody! When you begin to see other webmasters placing your articles on their websites, you know that you are going in the right direction. You have been approved!If you want to establish yourself and grow your website, there is no substitute for quality content. I am sure you have read or heard the statement " content is king ". The fact of the matter is that this statement is even more true today than when it was first uttered. Content drives the internet but good content drives traffic and the keys of success to you. It is your choice. You can keep it simple, work hard, be consistant and keep churning out new articles or you can look for an easier route. If you choose the latter, I am absolutely sure there are plenty of individuals willing to help you…for a fee.Emmanuel DeFreitas is the administrator of ABC Article Directory and ADB Article Directory – Submit your articles and prosper on the Web.
Category : Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles

Free Checking

2008-11-25T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Jimmy Sturo
Free checking is a specialized account provided for the customers who do not prefer to keep a minimum balance in their checking account. Free checking accounts are scarcely available but a few banks do facilitate this kind of account. Surveys on checking accounts reveal that the number of banks offering this account is deteriorating. There are a few restrictions that apply to some accounts that are- the requirement for direct deposit and/or no return of canceled checks.However, it doesn't mean that the banks are ready to compromise on their NSF (non sufficient funds) charges and ATM fees on the pretext of free checking.Free checking has been proved as a boon to its customers as they are relieved of minimum balance and direct deposit requirements and also are exempted from paying monthly service fee.A wide variety of advantages are associated with this facility. A few of them include, free Check Card with free Visa Extras, free Online Banking with Bill Pay and free automated telephone service.Most of the banks with this service offer unlimited check writing which enables the account holders to write as many checks as they wish free of charge and they even pay to print the first set of checks.If one has basic banking needs, this account provides basic banking services like free and unlimited transactions at Bank ATMs, free and unlimited teller transactions and assisted telephone account information calls, free automatic transfers to any other savings account or money market account.Also the bank provides to its customers a Free Visa® Xpress ATM & CheckCard (Classic) and Combined monthly statements for free.On the whole, with no minimum monthly balance to maintain and no monthly service charges, free checking is an ideal account to use with online banking, giving you maximum convenience with minimal problems.Checking provides detailed information on Checking, Free Checking, Checking Accounts, Bad Credit Checking Accounts and more. Checking is affiliated with Check Printing Software.
Category : Finance:Personal-Finance

Investing in Great Domain Names when They Come for Sale

2008-11-24T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Vinodh Pushparaj
Domain names are not just online identities anymore they are the most important asset an online company owns. There are businesses being spun out because the owner stumbled on a good domain name. These folks are minting money like hell that they use this revenue to build more and better businesses. Have you invested in stocks and found that a small bad news would completely change the value of the stock? Rather invest in online domain names they are relatively easy to acquire and maintain. The initial acquisition cost is sometimes high but most often in the right hands this will be gold mines that can bring in 10 times more revenue per year than the initial investment each year. Have you owned real estate property as investments? You know that their value goes up slowly but surely. The domain names are similar to the land you buy, you can change the home you build on top as many times while the land value goes up. Acquiring land is important like that the domain names are important to buy when one good one becomes available. For example patriotism is a good theme and it is evergreen, owning a domain name that deals with patriotism it is a good investment. Like this there are many common themes that you can invest on which are long term great investments.There are many ways where you can go to find good domain names that come for sale like afternic. But you got to constantly look for the good ones. More so often the owners don't want to reveal that their domain name is for sale. So you got to maintain a lot of contacts who can bring you the news about the great domain names for sale. When you buy the domain names, be sure to transfer the name immediately and create a website for it. You can park these domain names and make more money through redirect traffic as well. Don't pay the asking price try to get more details on how long the person has owned the website and whether it is listed in a blacklist. This is critical blacklisted domains are cheaper as they take time to heal. Also you may don't want to miss out the domain names which have good websites that has been drawing traffic. The other important factor to look for is the pagerank of the website the higher the PR the more valuable the domain name is. You may also want to make sure they are listed in search engines. This will ensure you can have some good free traffic while you work on the business model.There are many additional factors that determine the value of the domain. But there is the additional perceived value for a domain name that when factored in will either diminishes or increase the value. The rough equation for looking for domain value is (Domain Name quality) + Page Rank + SERP + (perceived value) + current relevance
You got to understand the last factor as well. The domain name may be a hot cake now or in some yesteryear and the search engines give it good placement for keywords for thing that were popular like John Kerry a few years back now it doesn't have value. So make calculated judgment and be a good businessperson while negotiating. Take into consideration how important the domain name is for your long term business aspirations and its short term value. You should also take into consideration the investment potential.One example of a great domain name that is for sale on the Patriotic theme is patriotic.com. You can find similar dictionary domain names rarely but look out on the Internet for great domain names like this.Author does freelancing through the no fee free Freelance website freelancefree.com
Category : Business:Domain-Names

Lung Cancer 101 What You Need to Know About

2008-11-23T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Mansi Aggarwal
Accounting about for 14% of all cancers and 28% of all cancer deaths, Lung Cancer is now the major cause of deaths (of both men and women) in the United States apart from being the most prevalent species of cancer. Lung Cancer is different from benign cancer tumours (which do not generally spread to other parts of the body affecting only the part which is hit by it) as Lung Cancer (having the ability to start anywhere in the respiratory systems or lungs) CAN spread to different organs of the body.Concerned!! You have a reason to be and make yourself rest assured that a little information will not suffice and thus, you need to know more. This is where the website comes in; to make you more aware about the causes and the results of such a disease or rather we can call it such a life threatening disease. It is said â˜Prevention is better than Cureâ™ and we thereby to safeguard you against this deadly disease provide you with the best of information so that you can avoid being engulfed by it because we care.For acquiring knowledge about anything I think one should start from the basics and that is precisely what is offered to you by the site as soon as you visit it. The very basics of the disease are provided so as to make it much simpler for the pursuer to comprehend and assimilate the information associated with the said disease and provided in the site further. The site here deals with the nature of the disease. The next information tab on the website is of the causes of the lung cancer followed by the symptoms of the disease. Here it provides material relating to the different factors which can cause the disease. The website further deals with the symptoms that can indicate and help identify the formulation of the preliminary stages of the disease (though difficult to be detected) so that adequate measures can be taken at the earliest possible opportunity. A basic question can arise now that what is the result of the disease? If you are worried about life, then yes it can take it away and this is precisely the reason the website promotes information on this disease in the interest of the masses so as reduce the number of the people affected by the killer disease. The site apart from the above also provides information of what kind of diagnosis will help, what treatment to be adopted and what surgery to be undergone. Quite handy!! Isnâ™t it?Viewing the site on the whole, the site provides a perfect blend of information and warning about the disease. The material collected is very comprehensive and the mode of communicating with the viewer of the site is commendable. Looking at the way of depicting the information creates an impact on the viewer and gives an effect of the information to be reliable.Mansi gupta writes about lung cancer topics.
Category : Psychology

How to Understand Canadas Emerging Diversity Issues - Nu Leadership Series

2008-11-22T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Daryl Green
Render more service than that for which you are paid and you will soon be paid for more than you render. The law of "Increasing Returns" takes care of this.
Napoleon HillIs America the only country in North America dealing with diversity? Does America stand alone in addressing this issue of national concern? No, America is not alone. Canada, our northern neighbor, now struggles to build its multi-cultural civilization.Canada is viewed as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the modern era. Forty year ago, only 2 percent of the population (about 300,000 people) was classified as visible minorities; however, in 1981, over 1.1 million people were classified as visible minorities.Visible minorities, a Canadian term, is the classification for "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." By 2017, half of the visible minority population will be comprised of two key groups, South Asian and Chinese. These demographical changes have the country concerned about the future labor force.The following thoughts represent some Canadian concerns: (a) visible minority population (Blacks, Asians, etc.) currently suffers worse labor conditions than whites and (b) visible minorities may not be numerical minorities in Canada largest cities by 2017.Canadians must also deal with an ever growing inter-ethnic population spawned by intermarriage and dating. From this narrow investigation, one can see that this current classification of ethnic groups will continue to evolve. Therefore, Canadian leaders must then be ready for this workforce and social challenge.References:Pendakur, K. (2005). Visible Minorities in Canada's Workplace. Received on July 17, 2006, from http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/multi/canada2017/3_e.cfmTsui, A. & Gutek, B. (1999). Demographic Differences in Organizations. New York: Lexington Books.© 2006 by Daryl D. GreenDaryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral candidate in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org
Category : Business:Workplace-Communication

The Magi

2008-11-21T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Robert Baird
I find no real fault in Constantine's inclusion or plagiarization of earlier and other systems of thought or their symbology into Roman Empire social engineering. The problem I see is the nature of the knowledge that they sought to prevent average people from gaining. Knowledge is power and knowledge in the hands of the few is a corrupting power. They have used mind-fogging projections to enslave and make people live in fear of demons and other constructs."Among the most famous—and fiercest—of the laws that Moses is shown to bring down from Mt. Sinai are the ones that criminalize the practice of magic. 'There shall not be found among you a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,' decrees Moses. 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' (From Biblio: Deut 18: 10; Exod. 22: 18.) Magic working is condemned with equal fervor in the Christian Bible, where it is explicitly kinked with all the other outrages of paganism: 'The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, {Yes, and the Catholics had more idols than the pagan pantheon especially when you include the saints along with 'Laddio, Daddio and Spook'.} and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.' (From Biblio: Rev. 21: 8.)Ironically, an intriguing and illuminating clue to the function of sorcery in the pagan world is buried away in one of the most beloved passages of the Christian Bible. 'Three wise men' come in search of the newborn Jesus, or so goes the conventional English translation of Matthew 2: 1-2, 'for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.' The 'wise men' are plainly called 'magi' in the Greek text, the plural form of 'magus,' a word that was used among the pagans of Babylonia and Persia to identify seers, soothsayers and sorcerers. 'Magus' is the root of 'magic,' and so we might more accurately call the men who followed a star to Bethlehem the three magicians.'Magus' came to be used in Jewish and Christian circles as a derogatory term to describe someone who trafficked in black magic; a sorcerer, a deceiver, even a poisoner. But the original meaning of the word in the pagan world was honorable and even exalted…" (1)Then there are the constant proclamations that various 'experts' make about ESP. Stanford Research Institute included the inventor of the laser and many fine scientists that these so-called 'experts' are seldom able to evaluate or as debunkers are paid to marginalize. Russell Targ's book Limitless Mind including a foreword by Jean Houston is a great book for the truly open-minded individual. Targ's book - which is the study of consciousness and the ethereal Matrix at a high scientific level says: "...forced-choice ESP tests are an inefficient way to elicit psi functioning: they always have an additional burden of boredom and mental noise (AOL). In the above studies, the experimenters, on average, had to carry out 3,600 trials to achieve a statistically significant result. With the free-response type of experiment, such as remote viewing, we typically have to do only six to nine trials." (2) Does it not make sense to 'observe' all the avenues for wisdom that we are blessed with?1) God against the gods: the history of the war between monotheism and polytheism, by Jonathan Kirsch, Penguin, NY, 2004, pg. 46.2) Limitless Mind, by Russell Targ, New World Library, California, 2004, pg. 95.Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magzine, Guest writer at World-Mysteries.com
Category : Arts-and-Entertainment:Philosophy

The First Software Company on the Walk of Fame

2008-11-20T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : BoonEx_Group

The 'Walk of Fame' part of Hollywood Boulevard where stars find their home and eternal memory since 1958, has for the first time, become home for the software development company BoonEx Community Software Experts. Hollywood Historic Trust has approved BoonEx for its significant mission of Uniting People and their main input, Dolphin Smart Community Builder. November 20 2006, BoonEx received an email from one of their customers, who preferred to remain anonymous, and has introduced himself as a leader of the BoonEx Fun Club in the USA.The email, in two paragraphs, congratulated the company on the upcoming Thanksgiving Day, expressed the gratitude and appreciation of BoonEx fans, and their best wishes to BoonEx. Attached to the email we found a picture of the 'BoonEx Dolphin' star, with the Dolphin logo as an emblem, placed on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame - says Uliana Kumenova, BoonEx Sales Supervisor.The new address of the star is 7021 Hollywood Boulevard. The new 'BoonEx Dolphin' neighbors are: legendary actor Bob Hope, young and famous Nicholas Cage, and the main characters of a recently popular American cartoon, The Simpsons.Originally nominations have been awarded only to individuals for their contributions to 5 main entertainment industries: film, television, recording, radio and live theater industries.Companies became eligible for Walk-of-Fame-type stars in 2005. The same year this category had been created Disneyland, in honor of its 50 year anniversary, was the first entertainment industry company to receive the award. BoonEx today is possibly the first software development company to be presented this award.The main mystery around the 'BoonEx Dolphin' nomination is the fact that it breaks the main criteria of the nomination. To qualify for the award in the past, companies must have had a strong Hollywood presence and be at least fifty years old. BoonEx, contrary to all previous requirements, is a very young company (only 5 years old), and its Hollywood presence can hardly be called strong.Another mystery that surrounds the nomination is that the company itself has not placed its nomination.Today, Dolphin downloads achieved the mark of more then 200 downloads per day, and count more than 20,000 Dolphin downloads in total. We are still lost in guesses and wondering who this customer is, and who has sent our nomination and paid the required $15,000 fee? We also haven't yet gotten an official statement from Hollywood Historic Trust, proving that the star was actually placed. - says Vladislav Kulamov, BoonEx Marketing Specialist.However, that letter and the picture sent to us do sound and look convincing. Even if this is proven to be untrue, it will remain in BoonEx's history as a wonderful Thanksgiving congratulations and a great joke. - says Vladislav. BoonEx Ltd., Community Software Experts, was founded on the 15th of December 2004. It was initially organized from a group of smaller companies and newly attracted professionals with experience in software development, web-promotion, marketing, and management. Currently, the BoonEx Ltd. runs several commercial websites and serves customers from all over the world with a staff of 50 full-time employees who have great professional backgrounds, education and experience.

Category : General Technology: Internet

COMMITMENT: Teaching Children the Lessons of a Lifetime

2008-11-16T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author :

COMMITMENT: Teaching Children the Lessons of a Lifetime &nbsp;by: Jeffrey M. MillerIt's been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves. Parents and teachers must come to understand that our children learn more from what we do than what we say. The old saying, "do as I say, not as I do," is more damaging than you can possibly know. And, if we are to teach our children about things like commitment, we must provide experiences for them to learn unstead of how to make excuses for why they cannot.It's been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves.I've been teaching martial arts to children for a decade and a half and I've discovered something amazing about children - they want to learn what is expected of them. For all of the 'button-pushing,' resistance to your wishes and what-not, children want to know the rules and have a deep-down, almost inherent, need to "do it right."Unfortunately, I've also discovered that many of the parents who bring their children to our programs live by two deep-seated desires. And even though they express their wishes for their child to develop more confidence, discipline, and respect - not to mention the ability to protect themselves from the dangers that they know exist in the world, they will almost always default to these desires, even though it means that their child may never develop these important traits and abilities.What are these desires?1) That their child is never angry at them, and,2) that they never want to have to say "no."Is this true about all parents? No, of course not. But it is true about many.Even without these words being spoken, the message is plain and clear when it comes in the following forms:"She doesn't want to come to class and I don't want to force her.""Really," I say. "And why not?"'Excuse me?", comes the reply. "I don't understand.""Well," I add, "don't you make her do other things that she doesn't want to do?" "I'm sure you make her brush her teeth daily, go to school even when she says she doesn't want to, and probably a dozen or so more things every day, don't you?""Yes, but that's different," is often the reply."Different?" I ask, "how so?" "Don't you think this is important?" "Isn't it still as important today, as the day you brought her in and said she needed to be confident and learn to protect herself?"Here's another one that my staff and I hear regularly."I'm not going to commit my son to a year (or three year) program. That's too long for someone his age. He doesn't know what he wants"Again, my response is that the parent is missing something in the logic, if it's logic that's driving at all."Is your child in school?", I ask."Of course," comes the reply."So you do think that an education is important and will take a considerable amount of time to prepare your son for the real world?""Yes. I don't see what that has to do with karate classes.""It has everything to do with karate classes, because this is an education too. One that your son won't get in school or out of a text book. And, what he learns here in the way of confidence, discipline, pride, respect, and the ability to stand up for what is right, will affect every other part of his life, for the rest of his life."Again, I hear, "But this is different.""How?," I ask. "He will be going to school for the next eleven to thirteen years, not counting college. And, I'm sure that you'll make him go, even on those days when he doesn't want to. You will have all the right reasons to explain to him why this is important, right? No sir, this is no different. It is exactly the same. And, if its important for your child to learn the lessons you brought him here to learn, it's less important whether he likes it or not. And, as for him not knowing what he wants, that's what we as parents and teachers are here for, isn't it. To guide, provide opportunities and to give our children what they need, even if it's not what they want."The actress Bette Davis was quoted as saying, "If you have never been hated by your child you have never been a parent." I believe this because I believe that my job is not to be my child's friend, but to be his guide, mentor, and teacher for handling the challenges of life. If I don't, then who will? And besides, there's plenty of time to be his or her friend after they have grown to adulthood, had the same experiences in the world, and can relate on an adult level. There is a huge difference between being 'friendly' and being 'friends.'To many, I'm sure that all of this seems harsh and many, I'm certain, have already stopped reading altogether. My point is simple. We, as parents and teachers are teaching your children regardless of whether we open our mouths and say the words in the lesson or not.If we're to teach our children to do what's important, not just what feels good......if we are to teach them the value of committing to a worthwhile endeavor because it's worthwhile, not just because it's easy or convenient......if we're to teach them to not be quitters in the game of life......we must instill the lessons whether they like us for it or not.How else can we possibly teach, and have our children practice, things like commitment if we never provide the opportunities for them to commit or allow them to quit because something's not fun? When was the last time our creditors allowed us to stop paying our bills because doing so wasn't fun?Edward, the English monarch once commented in a condescending way that we have the troubles we do because American parents obey their children instead of the other way around. After a decade and a half of watching and helping parents to help their children, I don't know if he's right but I do know that, the parents who are most committed to their child's development, regardless of the daily whims of the child - this entity who is changing so rapidly that they don't want the same things from moment-to-moment, let alone from year-to-year - usually have much more successful adults to be proud of when their children grow up. It is those who commit to teaching commitment, and a hundred other lessons, who are blessed with a child grown to adulthood who can commit to themselves and others and who can be counted on to 'be there' when the going gets tough.Can you imagine? What a world we would live in if all those we met were such a person as this.<table width=100% cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor=#dddddd><tr><td>About The Author Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. A senior teacher in the Japanese warrior art of Ninjutsu, he specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they've always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about child development and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at <a href="http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com" target=new>http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com</a>.</td></tr></table>

Category : General Copywriting

Are You Stock Trading Ready?

2008-11-15T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : George Stark
Stock trading is not for everyone. In order to be a good
stock trader you must first understand market fundamentals
and then build upon that knowledge to make good stock picks.You must know how the markets move. You must know the
various indexes and how they perform. You must know how
different types of stock classes i.e. blue chips, small
caps, equities, etc respond to real world events.You must understand how interest rates impact the various stock classes.You must be able to recognize buy and sell signs. And this list
is just for starters.In other words, stock trading is not for the naive and
inexperienced. Before you go and plunk down money in the
stock market you must know your stock trading ABC's or have
your lunch ate.There are several ways to gain the education you need to
become a good stock trader. You can take a stock trading
course at your local community college or courses given by local
business groups. You can load up on stock trading books at
Amazon.com or from your local library and study them religiously.
You can attend stock investment seminars given in your local area.
And of course you can search the Internet where there is tons of
valuable information on the subject of stock trading.But your best bet when it comes to stock trading maybe to
turn it all over to a professional. Good stock brokers
are worth their weight in gold. With a good stock broker you can
avoid the stock trading learning curve which is fraught with pitfalls.
Indeed, hiring a broker might be the best course of action because
stock trading is a serious business that takes no prisoners.George Stark is an experienced business writer who holds an MBA degree. Visit www.stocktradingclearinghouse.com for more information on stock trading and investing.
Category : Finance:Stocks-Mutual-Funds

How To Improve Your "Golf" Balance

2008-11-14T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Tyler Powers
Balance - it sounds so simple! As a golfer, you know that maintaining a proper balance is a key to your game. And it's more than just having the correct stance.Optimal balance depends on three aspects - your visual perception, the signals from the inner ear, and signals from your muscles and joints. Sometimes these aspects get out of sync, causing a balance disorder.A lack of balance usually occurs when your head position changes - which is a good reason to keep your head still during your swing!Migraines can attribute to a balance disorder. So if you have frequent migraines, seek medical attention. These headaches can affect your golf game in ways you may never have thought of.Don't spend a fortune on new golf equipment hoping for better play before you check your medicine cabinet to see if any drugs you're taking affect your balance. The condition "ear poisoning" seriously affects your balance. Ear poisoning is usually caused by side effects of some medications - notably the antibiotic gentamicin. Up to 50 % of people who take this drug experience some sort of ear poisoning.Diuretics can pose a problem as well. So if you're on any medicine and you start feeling dizzy, get medical help! Sometimes the dizziness can literally become a lifelong problem, so don't delay in seeking help.If your balance is a little off in your game, you may want to do some simple exercises to improve it. Just kicking a ball around your backyard can help. You can also set up a little obstacle course and weave in and out of it to improve your balance. Your kids will have fun with the course, too! In fact, they may even set up one for you!You can also buy a balance board to help you with your center of gravity. We found a handmade, well-crafted balance board on eBay. These boards are challenging and fun to use!In addition, working with flexibility exercises helps increase your balance by releasing muscle tension. Try some simple yoga stretches to help with loosening up tight muscles.Another useful item is a yoga ball or exercise ball. Even just sitting on one of these balls requires balance - so try using one for part of the day. Work up gradually until you can sit on the ball for 30 minutes at a time. These ball exercises can help you develop proper posture, increase the mobility of your lower back, and develop overall control of your body core.Since balance is fundamental to every aspect of your golf game, spend some time each day working on developing it. Who knows? You could find your swing and your score improving dramatically!Copyright 2006 Tyler PowersTyler Powers is a contributing author and webmaster for http://www.discount-golf-clubs-guide.com. You'll find an amazing amount of golf tips and information on discount golf clubs and http://www.discount-golf-clubs-guide.com/golf-swing-tip.html.
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Golf

Golf Tips - A Good Thinking Head Makes A Better Golfer

2008-11-13T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Declan Tobin
Golf is a wonderful game but we all want to improve a little bit more and for some a lot more. There can be many contributing factors as to why you find that you are not playing consistently every week or the fact that your handicap seems to be going up a notch instead of the reverse. We all need advice and starting with the basics that help even the lowest handicapper in the club.On the tee box:There is nothing like getting up on a tee box and letting fly with the perfect drive down the center of the fairway, well that's the way it should be. There are a number of basic errors golfers can make. Timing when hitting the ball is everything, too many golfers feel the need to smash the ball out of sight when in fact golf is all about placing yourself in position for the next shot. When teeing off with the oversized drivers remember to tee the ball a little higher than normal for a maximum strike.Different golfers hit the ball different distances, how many times have your seen the guy only 5ft odd hitting the ball 30 yards further than someone of 6ft odd. In golf size does not matter, it's all about the timing of your shot. Golfers who try to kill the ball down the fairway will nine times out of ten make a mess out of the shot either by knocking the ball down or forcing is far left or right. Take your time and play golf like chess or pool, think about placement and the shots ahead, one big drive will not mean a par or birdie.From the fairway to the green:If you manage to hit a nice drive from the tee box confidence is at a high, now find the green, easier said than done. Always play to your handicap, if you feel that you cannot make the green on the second shot or quite possible find the bunker why not play a little short to leave a nice wedge to the green for your third? Under clubbing can also be a major problem especially with older golfers like myself, you need to be honest if you are at the age of 50 – 70, we are not young lads anymore so don't be embarrassed to drop down a club or two, it will only help keep the confidence high.If looking from the fairway to the green you see that the pin position is at the front of the green but just over a bunker, why not aim for the centre of the green, sometimes the gamble will work out for you but the center of the green could get you a safe par or with a nice putt an excellent birdie. When chipping to the green with a little pitching wedge or sand wedge always try and leave yourself with an uphill putt, downhill is always tricky especially in the summer when the greens are lightening fast.Putting:Putting has a similar concept to that of driving from the tee box, timing is important. Never rush a putt no matter how short the distance is from the hole. Avoid at all times the one handed tap ins that could end up costing you dearly, how many times have you yourself tried to finish a putt one handed only to fluff the putt? Unfortunately we are not professionals with a caddy to help us with our shots, you need to take a step back and try to read the lie of the green.In match play most games are won and lost on the putting surface. Always follow through with your putt, never quit after the backswing, quitting will make you either leave the putt a mile short of add unwanted side spin to the ball.From the Bunkers:Sand should only be found on a beach! That's what we would all like to think when we end up in a bunker. The sand shot is something that takes lots of practice. You need to hit hard beneath the ball and to do so a large backswing is important. Remember the ball tends not to travel too far once it hits the green so allow for your shot to be flown as close to the flag as possible.If you end up at the very front of the bunker and are looking at an next to impossible forward shot play out sideways or backwards, better dropping only one shot than losing the head and hacking two or three in the sand.In Brief:Golf is a game of patience, rushing shots never works, a good temperament on the course is like having that extra club in the bag. Always have good protective clothing and waterproof golf shoes, choose your golf balls carefully to gain the extra distance or spin control. The golf glove will give you that extra bit of grip required in wet conditions or peak summer when your hands get sweaty. It's a wonderful game that can be improved with even the basic advice.About the AuthorDeclan Tobin is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of
Golf Equipment which includes
Golf Apparel,
Golf Bags,
and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information for all of your Golf interests and needs.
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Golf

A Look At Current Trends In Table Lamps

2008-11-11T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Dee Marie

A key element in the decor of any room is the lighting.
Throughout any home, proper lighting can be achieved through the
use of table lamps. These lamps come in a variety of styles and
materials and can be found in a wide range of prices.

Table lamps are an inexpensive way to update a room's decor.
Simply by using new table lamps, or even by replacing existing
lamp shades, you can give a room an updated look. Visit a
furniture showroom or even browse a decorating magazine to get a
flavor for the ways that designers utilize different table
lamps.

Some popular materials used in table lamps are brass, ceramic,
bronze, iron, and glass. By repeating other design elements from
the room, you can achieve a look of continuity in your home's
decor. However, don't be afraid to use contrasting elements as
well for a very eclectic look. Many decor styles today do
include a variety of asymmetrical design elements.

So where are table lamps typically used? Table lamps are used
throughout a home to provide proper lighting and to give accent
style to a room's decor. They may be used in every room of the
home, even on the patio or backyard deck. In the living room,
they are typically used in the seating arrangement area to
provide proper light for reading and/or entertaining. They are
usually placed on tables that are next to sofas and chairs but
may also be placed on a buffet or on another large furniture
piece in the room. Table lamps in the main living and family
room areas are usually of a larger size, to give balance and
height to the room.

In the bedrooms, table lamps function to provide accent and
lighting around the bed. These lamps are usually of a smaller
size and complement the decor of the bedroom. Lamps for
children's rooms are typically smaller and are placed on a
bedside table or perhaps even a desk. They can be found in the
traditional designs as well as character-based designs.

Styles of table lamps can be found to fit any room's theme.
Popular styles now include Asian, Victorian, southwestern,
traditional, modern, art decor, country, mission, and of course
the famous Tiffany style. You can mix and match styles
throughout your home.

You can bring even more flair to a room through the use of
decorative shades for the table lamps. Many times, simply
updating the lamp shade will give your room new life! Lamps
shades are available in many different styles including beaded
trim, faux leather, silk, traditional, paper, and pleated.

Category : Stress Management

A Quicker Site Multiple Tables

2008-11-10T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : webdesign

"What do you look for when you open a website? All the information that you require should be in front of you in a matter of seconds. Right? www.web-design.nr10.com is the website that tells you how to make a website, which loads in a fraction of seconds. It is the best website on matters of web, be it web designing or web development, in the whole of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland.Slow pages are cited as the number 1 problem on the World Wide Web. If you do not want your website to encounter this problem, it is very important that you do not put in unnecessary graphics and heavy images on the page. Try and keep it to minimum. Give thumbnails of the images you have to put in. a user who wants to view the whole image can click on the thumbnail and do so and your page will also load at a faster speed. But what is most important here are the tables.You must have witnessed it on many websites that there is zero activity for a long time and suddenly the whole page shows up. This happens when the entire page is within one table. What happens is, when the whole page is in one table, the page will not show on the screen until and unless the whole table is downloaded. Therefore, to avoid a situation like this, split your tables in to two or more. Try and split your tables vertically. One long table will require more load time than multiple tables will aligned vertically. Let the first table be a short one with links to it. People interested in viewing the whole table can click on the link and follow. Also, add Width and Height attributes to your tables and TD tags. This will help the browser in finding space for the table on your page layout.Tables are very essential to any web page and this is an accepted fact. But you should try and keep the tables to an absolute minimum. Moreover, a crowded and stuffed page looks ugly. Leave some breathing space on your page. This will make your page look neat and attractive and will also facilitate quick loading. If you keep in mind these few simple tips, no one will ever leave your site and go to another one due to slow loading of the page. Believe me!" I write articles for www.web-design.nr10.com, a San Francisco Web Development and Web Design Services, #10 (number 10) is a Marketing and Technology Agency focused on delivering design, web technology development and e-business strategy solutions.

Category : General Web Development

In-home Personal Trainer NYC gives you special attention

2008-11-09T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Smith Carol

Do you know that the degree of your physical fitness has a lot to do with the amount of success you achieve in your life? Yes, if you are physically fit, you will be able to undertake lots of things which may otherwise have not been possible on your part. If you happen to reside in NYC, you must take special care of your health as you may start neglecting your health due to the kind of busy life that the people there lead. In-home personal trainer NYC can help out people who do not have the time to join a gymnasium or fitness centre to keep their body fit through physical exercises. Having an in-home personal trainer can work out to be of advantage to you in different ways. First, you will have the trainer work for you only and he will not be distracted by having to cater to different people at the same time. Each person has different body types and so the requirements for being fit are also different. Your in-home personal trainer has the experience and the knowledge to help you deal with your physical condition without any difficulty. Well, what better then to get the best services to without too much of a hassle? Just remember that before you hire the services of a professional in-home personal trainer you must check out his credentials and references to find out how capable he is in doing his work. Your in-home personal trainer will work with you taking in to consideration your daily routine. It may be that your routine can vary from time to depending on your business requirements. However if you have a personal trainer he can come to your house at your convenience and help you out. The in-home personal trainer will have full knowledge about your body type and what needs to be done to keep you in fit. You would surely want to get rid of that extras flab which is marring your otherwise good looks. Well no one wants to have that extra flab and even if they do have, they want to get rid of that as soon as possible. In-house personal trainer can also help out people who have sustained certain physical injuries and need the help of a trainer to get cured. They can also help in curing certain conditions like back pain or nay kind of immobility that a person may be suffering from. Specialized cure and training methods are very important if a person wants to get rid of any condition that you may be suffering from. Whatever may be the condition, take the advice of your doctor and do whatever he prescribes for you. In-home personal trainer can be the perfect means for you to get rid of this condition as the trainer has all the knowledge about the workouts that you will have to undertake. Age is no barrier for you to hire the services of an in-house personal trainer. Anytime you can start working with your trainer and get back to shape and enjoy having a good life without worrying too much about your health. Smith Carol is a health and fitness expert. She has vast knowledge and you can ask her about anything related to this. For more information on fitness training, in-home personal trainer NYC, personal trainer New York, In-Home Personal training NYC, personal trainers, personal training, NYC personal trainers visit www.kmjfitness.com

Category : General Fitness

2005 International Boston Seafood Show & Seafood Processing America: The Largest Seafood Show in the Country Now Even Larger.

2008-11-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

Author :

What: IBSS is North Americas premier seafood event where international buyers, suppliers, distributors/wholesalers, importers, exporters, brokers and traders annually gather to launch and source new products, identify niche markets, connect with customers, evaluate industry trends and learn about the latest in seafood technology. Together for the first time with SPA, which features all categories of equipment and services involved in preparing, delivering and packaging seafood products, the 2005 show is a must-attend event for seafood industry professionals.Located on the waterfront, BCEC is Bostons spectacular, new convention facility. BCECs prime location is just minutes from Logan International Airport and the citys major landmarks and attractions. In this new space, IBSS & SPA exhibitors will be featured on a single floor, as opposed to multi-levels, creating a showcase that is 20% larger than in previous years.Where: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC)415 Summer Street, BostonWho: Through this event, Diversified Business Communications, IBSS & SPA show producer, connects the entire seafood industry in one, exceptional forum.When:March 13 15, 2005Sunday & Monday 10:00am 5:00pm Tuesday 10:00am 3:00pmFacts & FiguresSince 1982, The International Boston Seafood Show has attracted thousands of seafood professionals from over 80 countries, making it the largest annual seafood show in the United States. Attendees include buyers from leading restaurants, hotels, resorts, institutions, seafood markets and supermarkets, as well as distributors/wholesalers, processors, importers, exporters, brokers and traders. IBSS features approximately 800 exhibitors in more than 1,600 booths representing all facets of the seafood industry including fresh, frozen, live, value-added, branded and private label. The addition of SPA will further enhance the shows offerings and reach by presenting processing equipment and services ranging from machinery to refrigeration.To Attend Visit <a href="http://www.bostonseafood.com" title="test" target="_blank">www.bostonseafood.com</a>, <a href="http://www.seafoodprocessingamerica.com" title="test" target="_blank">www.seafoodprocessingamerica.com</a> or call 972.620.3040.

Category : Cook Books

Management From Within

2008-11-07T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Christopher Walker
Inspiration and Management from Within â" Part 2.The more you follow the path of exploration into the mystery of life, the more life becomes revealed to you. Life begins to express its secret, its nature. What is required of us, for deeper understanding, is a commitment to follow earnestly the laws of life into self discovery. Few things have greater impact on the world, than the study of human nature and this study ultimately is found in the study of self. Through this study of self we come to know, what is really the study of God.IF we could become fully aware of this self, then the search for spirituality would cease, we would no longer pilgrimage to sacred places, as life itself, the very thread of our existence, would become the divine mystery we all seek. Life reveals itself in every atom, on every corner and in every moment, life can be the magic in itself.Everything in this world which appears to be unharmonious is in reality, the limitation of our own vision. The wider the horizon of our perspective, the more harmony of life we enjoy. In the very depth of our being, the harmony and simplistic working of the whole of natures plan exists. It can be heard through inner awareness. It is not the outer sound that plays the music of the soul, it is from within.âœEvery external activity is directed by an inner cause. Every cause has its effect and all effects belong to us. This is our true power, the ability to reach within and temper the steal of causality. In the daily events of life, this capacity is not always obvious. People often see themselves victimized and therefore cannot attain a balance. Yet to the keen observer, awakened to the real world there is nothing but balance. Perfect harmony, exists as a hum, beneath the surface of all activity. It is only the keen observer, steeped in self awareness that it is, however, revealed. This beauty, this order reveals the balance of good and evil, right and wrong, masculine and feminine â" and, when viewed by the keen eye, correspond with a larger purpose, and are therefore harmonious.â Christopher Walker.. 2003.1. Itâ™s only Natural(exert from Innerwealth; Putting the heart and soul back into work and life. Wiley Uk.)The laws that make self observation possible are not the laws of human morality. Such laws are for the dignity and well-being of the mass, and provide safety for existence. Self observation must be made from a larger perspective from this in order to eliminate the concepts of judgment and worthiness. Here is a small snap shot of those higher laws.HarmonyIn nature, what we appreciate will grow. Human bodies are a composition of trillions of vibrating particles with our total well being reflected in this movement. Our thoughts control this vibration revealing that by developing positive thought patterns, we can personally impact our own lives in a positive way.BalanceNature is pure balance. By aligning ourselves with the simple principles of balance, we can live a mindful existence. Where clear thinking, peace of mind and an open heart will together create a strong sense of centeredness. An imbalance in the body and mind can be transformed instantaneously to help you create and sustain energy and vitality for a lifetime.InterconnectednessIn nature, nothing is ever lost or missing, however it does change constantly. An individualâ™s perceptions can be limited and unhealthy and they are in need of ways in which to let go of the old and move forward with purpose. Once we learn to recognize that everything is changing and evolving for a reason, then we can really achieve our full potential as powerful individuals in this world.EvolutionNature demonstrates to us that maximum evolution occurs at the border of support and challenge. The greatest thing in life is unconditional love and the evolvement of our world depends on this. By understanding that evolution can be achieved by an individualâ™s strength to move through difficulties with love and gracefulness, the quality of oneâ™s life will be instantly enriched.InspirationThe greatest gift in life is the experience of being inspired. Nature has intended us to live this way. Leadership is inspiration. Certainty is inspiration. This higher thinking is that whose essence will connect people in groups, create harmony in relationships and move organizations forward in their purpose. Every human being has the right to an inspired life.2. To be in Harmony is the first Goal of life.Each human being has an inner vibration, it is audible and visible. It is not visible to the eyes nor audible to the ears, but it is audible and visible to the heart. We might say, "I feel their vibrations, I feel their presence."Harmonics can be affected externally through sight and sound. The environment in an office can affect harmony easily. For example red walls excite a person and will make them inclined to fight. A striking color will give you an argumentative environment. From a psychological point of view ancient customs use a certain colors for a wedding, and other colors for different festivals. It all has meaning, there is a psychological significance behind the subtle realities of our external lives. A change agent, must have the skill at understaning these subtlties, because it is through this change that the most powerful impact can be created in the shortest time in any circumstance.People affect each others harmonics. People create a feeling that is given off without them having said or done anything. A person can communicate a bad feeling, without doing or saying anything. This creates a negative atmosphere, and you will be uncomfortable with them. Because people are so material in our world we do not appreciate this power that person has on another through what is going on within themselves. It is not because of their saying or doing; it is because of their being. "People hear louder what you do not speak, than what you do.â It is in the vibration of life itself that the tone, and color are experienced, regardless of words or action.If we could understand and tap into this immense resource of comprehension, we would begin to appreciate the power of life itself, because everything has a vibration and that vibration tells the truth. It will determine success and failure, happiness and sadness, sickness and health. We will have a greater scope for approaching that unlimited potential which is within ourselves when we understand the power of being. The ancient mystics speak of self-knowledge. This does not mean knowing; how old I am, or how good I am, or how bad I am, or how right or wrong I am. It means knowing the other part of one's being, that deeper, subtle aspect of one's being and it is on the knowledge of that being, that the fulfillment of life depends.What you will begin to realize is that the first experience of your spiritual development is when you begin to feel in synch with the abundant presence of other living beings. This doesnâ™t only mean human beings exclusively, but with animals, with birds, with trees and plants. We all have this same privilege, if we realize it. When we close our heart, when we allow our self to be smothered by life, we become exclusive, we become cut away from the whole manifestation of love. It is humanity that divides itself, people create identities, but truly, life itself is undivided, indivisible.When you begin to take a universal perspective you begin to see that all is undivided. Then instead of saying, "this is my friend, I love them", we are able to say, "this is myself, I love me". At this time, a person can say that they have arrived at the realization of love. As long as an individual says "I feel sympathy for them because they are my friend", their sympathy has not yet been fully awakened. The true realization of sympathy is when we see our friend and say "this is myself". Then the sympathy is authentic, fully realized and there exists a communication within oneself that is of a true essence.Identity causes us to close ourselves off from both the external life, and the inner life. That inner part of life is made of sound and light and when we get in touch with this part, then we know the language of life, nature. This language expresses the past, the present and the future. It is a language which reveals the secrets and the character of nature, it is a language which receives and gives the great messages of inspiration.A person who is caught in their identity is living on the surface of life. They will become materialistic, and struggle to achieve only for themselves and live for their own benefit. They will suffer from morning to night. They will be bitter and in trouble, as they are in the midst of struggle and conflict, mostly with themselves. To heal, the heart must be free, free to love. The person who discovers this has reached a truly elevated state of being.What teaches this kind of love? Where can one learn it? Where can we study it? The key to this element of love is found in life itself. As we observe humans in the world today, with all the progress of society, still there is a void. Ask yourself these questions: What is it that is lacking? Is it harmony that is the key to the unlimited store of love which is in the heart of humankind? Is the meaning of life represented in Harmony? Is it that in knowing life, and seeing the order of it, we see the divine plan, and therefore, we also see the planner?About The AuthorChange Agent, Business Consultant, Author, and Futurist, Christopher Walker is a visionary individual and one of the worldâ™s leading facilitators of Personal and organizational change. He is considered a leader in the field of human potential, inspiration and leadership. Christopherâ™s amazing programs unravel the mysteries of human behavior, personal growth and professional development, lead to progressive change and a richer more inspired life.Cwalker@innerwealth.com
Category : Insurance

The way to a Cheap Web Hosting, although a Reliable Web Hosting

2008-11-06T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Groshan Fabiola

The first thing you have to consider before choosing a cheap web hosting is the amount of disk space that you need for your web site, like the exact amount of mb, the number of pages, the number of video or audio files, or any other things you need for your site. Working with a cheap web hosting company might not be an offer if you are going to have a lot of visitors. Another turning point could be the number of email adresses provided by the cheap web hosting, it could be smaller than you need, so you have to read careful all the features that are coming with the offer of a cheap web hosting investment.
To make things look clearly we will get straight to numbers, in order to make a list of advantages and disadvantages of a cheap web hosting investment. So if we look at the first 10 cheap web hosting companies, we will have 3 aspects to talk about: price, quality and last but not least services provided. For the price of a cheap web hosting you will have to look between $5 and $20 a month. And from the variation of price you will get the other 2 important factors, the space provided, that will be between 3GB and 5GB, and the bandwidth that will varies from 45GB to 300GB.

Now let"s find out hot to get to a reliable web hosting company
Another very important fact that you have to count it will be the customer support. A good customer support makes a reliable web hosting. When looking for a reliable web hosting you have to check if there is a phone support, not only a email support; in case of emergency the email support could be found un useful. For support via email you have to take in consideration the time of response; some web hosting take hours to days to get back to you while a reliable one have to take minutes to solve your problem. Also some companies have certain hours for the customers support, but now, as you are looking for a reliable web hosting it must have 24 hours a day, 7 day a week.
In order to make the best choice between a cheap web hosting but a reliable one you have to combine the two points of the article. The key of the success is in researching and comparing offers from different web hosting companies some cheap and some reliable. You have the most important points that you have to care about in your research, so from now on, all it is up to you to find your cheap and reliable web hosting company.

About the author:

This article was written by Groshan Fabiola. She is a professional writer with many articles written until now covering a large area of interests from finance to agriculture, web based commerce and marketing, etc. If you would like to find more about achieving a cheap web hosting and a reliable web hosting too, please visit http://www.Total-Package-Hosting.com

Category : Web Development

Top Ten Ways Working Moms Can Take Care of Themselves

2008-11-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Jean Johnson

1. Get enough sleep.This means making sure the kids go to bed early enough so you can. Have an evening routine that is calming for everyone.2. Eat well. Yes you know it. Most of you don?t do it. It is just as easy to grab a piece of fruit as a basket of fries. You and your kids will feel better if you eat three good meals a day. Do the shopping, planning and cooking together. This gives you bonding time and teaches the kids good skills to help out around the house.3. Exercise.I know you?re exhausted at night and don?t have time in the morning, but if you?re stopping for coffee or vegging out in front of the TV you have time. Do something - anything. It all helps. Better yet - take a class with the kids.4. Look your best.Get a great haircut. Wear the best clothes you can afford. When we look good we feel good and we smile more.5. Smile.You?ll automatically feel better. Even better - laugh.6. Count your blessings.Your mother was right, count your blessings. Make a gratitude list. We all have a multitude of things to be grateful for. Post your list and add to it. Have the kids make one too.7. Ask for help.We don?t have to do it all alone. Ask family, friends, co-workers, and organizations for help. From babysitting to yard cleanup to a ride to the store. People love to be needed. (Just don?t use them)8. Help others.Nothing feels as good as service. Get the kids involved. Help clean up the beach or mow the elderly neighbor?s lawn. Helping each other makes all our lives easier.9. Connect to your spirituality.Whatever that is for you. Nature, music, church, gardening. Do something at least once a week that makes you feel whole.10. Lower your expectations.Yes - LOWER your expectations. Of yourself and of your kids. You?re not supermom and they aren?t superkids. Cut all of you some slack. Jean Johnson, one time single working mom, is now a full-time coach and writer specializing in women?s issues, especially those involving transitions, spirituality and finding your purpose, passion and pizzazz in life. Jean can be reached at jeanjohnson@cuttothechasecoaching.com, or check out her website at www.cuttothechasecoaching.com.jeanjohnson2@cuttothechasecoaching.com

Category : General Parenting

Sources for Free Tattoo Ideas and Tattoo Design Ideas

2008-11-04T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Chris Ryerson
Have you been wanting to get a tattoo but don't have an exact idea or not sure what you want? Tattoos are so popular and there are so many ideas but many of us feel stuck at times on the exact tattoo we want to get. For me I often feel stuck when I think of how permanent a tattoo is. I see a lot of cool designs that I like at the time but when I start thinking about the having it permanently done I start to change my mind and look for something else.Others have the idea or rough plan of what they want but they can't find any good source material or flash that matches what they want. Some of our customers state that they have spent months looking for a certain tattoo design. They look through all of the flash sites and etc. but still can not find what they are looking for.
This is a huge problem, you end up wasting a lot of time and feeling frustrated. However there are some simple ways around this problem.1. First you should always pull ideas for tattoos from things that you like or are into. Don't go and get a tattoo just because you saw someone with one and you thought he or she was cool. A tattoo will be with you forever and so it should be something from you not from outside. Along these lines don't do the stupid thing of going out to get a tattoo with a friend and be pressured into getting the same thing he or she gets just because you don't want to look stupid. Tattoos are permanent and therefore should state something about you and what you love. Therefore if you spend time just thinking about the things you like and things that you identify yourself with you are likely to come up with some great ideas. For example for me I love being outdoor and nature and so I like star tattoos a lot and nature themes. I also like a lot of the native American and traditional Japanese designs. My wife is from Japan and she has this plan of getting a Cherry tree branch full of cherry blossoms across her back. These are very significant images for the Japanese. They symbolizes the new year and new life or even renewal of life. So as you can see your tattoo should be something you identify with.2. Once you have some rough ideas it is typically time to go online and look for some images. Now lets take the Cherry blossom for example. Some place you could look for a tattoo would be clip art. You can search using Google's image search feature or go to Microsoft online clipart gallery. Either place you can find either a clip art drawn piece or actual source photos. Both will lead you to some good source materials that will help in the design stage.3. Next you want to take you source materials (photos or clip art) and show them to a tattoo artists. You might also try some initial sketches if you are artistically inclined. Even something with simple line art or pigeon scratches can tell you tattoo artists a lot about what you are looking for. So take everything you got and show it to your tattoo artist and then let them design the tattoo for you. Remember the more accurate and detailed you can be with your description the more happy you are going to be with the results and the whole process will be much easier.4. Most tattoo artists will then provide you with an actual design shaded in and with color and the line art of the design. If you are getting this done online then you can take that to your local tattoo parlor and find some one to do the actual tattoo for you. Often you can also ask for referrals from the original tattoo artists. Typically they can do the work themselves if you live within driving range.If you take these steps into consideration and actually do a little bit of homework and find your source materials and provide lots of details about what you are looking for then you are sure to get the design of your dreams.Chris has been running Design My Tattoos website for the last three months. He
like helping people find the custom tattoo designs and where to get them done by professional tattoo artists.Check out the site and post a job to get your own custom tattoo design. If you are a tattoo artist
and would like to earn some extra income go ahead and sign up as an artists and
make some money in your spare time. Check out this article on

Free Tattoo Ideas on the site.
Category : Audio-Video Streaming

Top Tips For Affiliates If Only You Desire Success

2008-10-30T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : James Ojo
I am sure that you are reading this stuff because you already know that some people are earning fat checks monthly from affiliate programmes and you probably want to duplicate their success story. However, your case has been different and opposite. Affiliate programs have never put enough money in your bank account; rather, all your efforts are being wasted, or perhaps you are even losing money.
But what have you been doing wrong? How can you slide from your current position towards becoming a super affiliate? It is by learning some tricks and secrets being used by these super affiliates which you have been ignoring.Let me give you some tips which will take you to the top. (You have a bunch on my website)Tip One.
I will recommend that you pick the best of affiliate programs. This is very easy to do. Go to CLICKBANK and you have more than 10,000 affiliate programs that have been arranged in order of popularity for you. The work can not be easier. Other places to go include, Commission Junction, and Linkshare, among others.Tip TwoYou are in business to maximize profit, I guess. Then go for the highest commission-paying affiliate programmes. There are some companies paying as much as 75 % at CLICKBANK. For every $100 you sell, $75 goes to your pocket! I guess you will prefer this to companies paying 6%!Tip Three
Ensure the relevance of your web content to the products you are promoting. If the theme of your website is on pets, avoid selling computer accessories on the same website. These are much unrelated items which will reduce your click through rate (CTR) and then your profitability.Tip Four
Look for hot products that people are willing to buy. Your conversion ration will determine your success or failure. If you sell products that have poor demand, no matter how efficient you promote the products, it will result in a loss. Test the market and make sure the product you are promoting has high demand.Tip Five
Get necessary software to enhance your profitability. One of these is good cloaking software that will save your affiliate link from being hijacked. Hijackers of affiliate links steal your commission. You must also get good tracking software to track your sales. In addition, you must choose affiliate programs that you know the company has a good tracking system. This is to ensure that all your sales are credited to your account.Tip Six
Go for a company with good resources for advertising. These resources include the banners, text-links, and e-mail templates. Some companies also provide PPC ads templates. It is not rare today to find companies who will freely cloak your affiliate links for you.Tip Seven
Be creative. Creativity is the use of sixth sense. Do what others are not doing in the right direction will skyrocket your affiliate commission. Write, buy or get good content for your buyers. With this, they will keep coming back to your website.Tip Eight
Treat you customers as friends or relations. Develop personal and intimate relationship with your website visitors and those who buy from your website.Tip Nine
When it is practicable, make use of back end sales strategy as well as multiple offers. This will be possible if you have on your website compatible products. For instance, "those who buy this soap also buy this cream" strategy may be employed if you sell friendly products.Tip Ten
Know how to market your products or services very well and cheaply too. I have a very good tool for this on my website (how you can place millions of ads free). If you do this right, you make money. If you market wrongly, you will be out of business sooner than you envisaged!For more tips and help, do not hesitate to visit my website.About the Author
James Ojo, Bsc.,MBA. The Online Success Writer, is a business development consultant, author, and copywriter.
Complete information on James articles and other services offered is available from his web site.http://www.hothomebizonline.com
http://business.hothomebizonline.co
Category : Business:Top7-or-10-Tips

S and P Seismic Wave Reflection Barrier

2008-10-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Lance Winslow
Some Science Fiction authors have written about future technologies, which could predict Earthquakes, many scientists do believe this may some day be possible. Few have ever written of technologies in the future, which might deflect Earthquakes once they start. It is for that reason, I would like to throw out an idea, which is not possible now but very well could be sometimes in the distant future. Earthquakes cause seismic waves; these waves pack a wallop indeed. Common Earthquake waves are S and P Waves.Nano tube sheets going down several miles along major faults could be put into trenches and filled with water on either side. As the S and P waves hit the nano tube sheets they would flex with the waves but reflect them rather than allowing them to pass. I propose that these nano tube sheet be set up like giant fence reflectors between flexible concrete with water and sand between like giant shock absorbers. They will keep the S and P waves away from the surface where humans live. Is it therefore possible to build a barrier to protect our cities and infrastructure? Perhaps this might not work, or maybe it will, but it is a place we need to be thinking. If we can build a 350-mile levee system, floating airports and buildings, which can withstand a Category V Hurricane or a Super Typhoon, what makes you think we cannot stop Earthquakes from disrupting our civilization?Mankind has been over coming his environment for as long as written history of the species? If it is possible to stop Earthquakes, then we ought do a little research and see what our most brilliant minds can come up with. Think on this.Lance Winslow
Category : Reference-and-Education:Science

Using Astrology for Meet, Dating, and Seducing Single Women

2008-10-27T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Don Diebel
Most women are interested in astrology and you can use this to your advantage. I have used this method very successfully in meeting single women to get a woman to leave a nightclub with me to go over to my place to do her horoscope. This can work for you and it's so very simple.You may be saying to yourself, "I don't know anything about astrology." Well don't panic, because all you're going to need is one book to get you started. The book is called, "Heaven Knows What" by Grant Lewi and may be available at your local metaphysical or regular book store. It's out of print, but you can get some used copies cheap at www.amazon.com. This book will enable you to cast a detailed horoscope in ten to fifteen minutes without the slightest study or knowledge of astrology beforehand. All you need to do is follow the simple directions carefully, step-by-step, and you just can't go wrong.The chief use of the horoscope is it's aid in self-discovery or in discovering what makes your friends tick, not to mention the women you do a horoscope on. The horoscope tells the basic underlying psychological and emotional drives of the individual. If you desire to pursue astrology further after using this book, there are many excellent books on the market. I've been studying astrology for over twenty years and believe me, you can never learn enough about astrology. If you don't believe in astrology, investigate the subject and you will find there's a lot of truth to it.Now, here's how this method is used to pick up and meet single women in nightclubs. Of course, you can use this method in any setting or situation. The best time to use this method is after you have made initial contact with a woman and towards the end of the evening. You can't just walk up to a woman and ask her if she would like to have his horoscope done and then leave and go to your place. OK, let's say you have met a woman and you have had a few drinks and a few dances and you're hitting it off pretty good. It's getting late and it's time to make a move. Ask her, "What sign are you?" Then follow up with, "Are you interested in astrology?" Then ask her, "Would you like to have your have your horoscope done?" Assuming she says yes, then follow up with, "Why don't we leave and go over to my place and I'll calculate your horoscope and let you read about yourself?" If she declines your offer for that particular night, set it up for another night. If you don't get her over to your place the first night, at least you'll get her over at a later date. Of course, you can always go over to her place instead.You have the option of making the main objective of getting a woman to your place to have her horoscope done is to seduce her. I'll leave this up to you. After doing her horoscope you can proceed with your seduction routine (dim lighting, soft music, a few drinks, kissing, stroking, etc.).In conclusion, you're going to run into some women who don't want any part of astrology. You'll just have to try and convince them to try it before knocking it. If this fails, you'll just have to resort to other methods to get a woman to your place. At least give it a try and see how it works for you. You have nothing to lose and a hell of a lot to gain. This method sure did work for me. Just buy the book and learn how to calculate a horoscope and you will be on your way to meeting more single women.This article written by Don Diebel (Americas #1 Singles
Expert). If you would like more free dating tips on how to
successfully meet, date, attract, and become intimate with
women, please visit his website at: http://www.getgirls.com.
Category : Arts-and-Entertainment:Astrology

Stress Relief The Healthy Way!

2008-10-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Peter Cutforth

The scenario's familiar - maybe it's a new job, a new partner, or a speech you've got to give. You are overcome with feelings of nervousness, excitement and inadequcy as well. As a result, you're under a collosal amount of stress. The thought of the term: "stress relief" makes you think "You must be kdding!" It's as if you're on a relentless treadmill which just refuses to stop!But, here's a logical, AND effective method of stress relief, that really does work. Perhaps an actual treadmill will help you! Exercise can be the key to real stress relief. Using Exercise For Stress Relief:Here are some important points about exercise and stress relief:1) It's an obvious antidote to fatigue.2) It can make you have more energy, improving your endurance and resiliency. 3) It has been shown that people who are more physically fit usually experience fewer health difficulties. 4) In addition, exercisers are less likely to experience psychological problems such as depression, binge eating, or difficulty in sleeping. Without exercise, it is much more likely that you will suffer from colds, flu, sore throats and other medical problems. Aerobic exercise in particular can boost your cardiovascular system and be a great source of stress relief. Some studies have shown that, during aerobic exercise, a chemical is released in the brain which assits in healing the body from stress-related conditions. It is recommended that you should exercise at least three days a week for about 30 minutes at a time in order to improve not only your physical health but also your mental outlook.Generally, exercise should make you feel less anxious. Your muscles become less tense and you will be less shaky after a solid exercise session. It has also been shown that exercise results in an hour and a half to two hours of so called "relaxation response", where your body responds in a more relaxed state. This is also referred to as the endorphin response. As a result, your mood can improve, and you will be able to deal more effectively with stress. If you're finding it hard to get motivated to exercise, there are a number of things you can do. To start with, you can join an gym. Knowing that you'll have to pay dues to a club may mean you're more liekly to actually end up exercising. Stress Relief Can Be Assisted By A Personal Trainer. You might also consider enlisting the assitance of a personal trainer. A trainer can give you powerful motivation, and accountability, pushing you to complete exercises you never previously thought would bepossible. Another idea is to join an exercise class. There, you'll most likely meet lots of other people in a similar position to yourself. The camaraderie that can develop between exercisers can have a great stress relief effect in itself!Boost Your Self Image - Boost Your Stress Relief! Exercise can also improve your self-image. You'll experience increased self-worth, which will results in reducing your stress levels even further. A confident person is someone who knows how to deal with stress without becoming flustered or panicky. You may also end up eating better as a result of exercise. Your improved menu may also prove to be an effective stress relief. For instance, if you give up caffeinated drinks, you'll almost certianly find you become less highly strung. In addition to your times in the gym, you can benefit from seeking additional opportunities for exercise. This might mean running up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, walking to your workplace instead of going in the car, or playing football in the park with your children. The point is to get moving and keep active at every opportunity available. Exercise increases the flow of blood to the mind, giving the brain more sugars and oxygen which are particularly important if you are trying to concentrate. Exercise can also clear out waste toxic products from your brain which can result in unclear thinking. Usually, you will also feel an increased sense of well-being as a result of a good exercise program.As has been shown here, exse can also clear out waste toxic products from ercise can be beneficial to both the body and the mind,so it can relax you when other techniques are found wanting. By engaging in exercise, you free up your mind, so you can concentrate better and work much more effectively and efficiently. Chances are you'll not only feel much better, but you'll also look a lot better as well. With your brain under control, you should experience less stress. Now of course, exercise takes time and some discipline, but it is certainly well worth the effort. The great feelings you get from a powerful exercise session can actually last for days.You may find yourself actually looking forward to working out because of the excellent benefits it brings for you. Peter Cutforth wrties for a range of websites.Learn more about other forms of stress relief by visiting: http://stress-relief-vault.com/

Category : General Lifestyle

God Exists Brighter than the Sunshine

2008-10-25T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Victorino Q. Abrugar
God's existence had created enormous arguments among philosophers, scientists and other thinkers or believers. Some of these arguments questioned the necessity of having a god. So do we really need a god? First, we should tackle what is god and who is god or gods. There are many different definitions of a god or gods as there were many different religions and beliefs that existed in our world since the ancient time until the present. But obviously, the common characteristics of a god are his mighty powers and his supreme ability to create. Christians, Muslims, Hindus and other religions believe in a god or gods who created the universe, the heaven and the earth. God is described as the mighty creator who is perfectly benevolent and just. Although religions specifically had different gods, we will discuss the typical god with his power, kindness, justice and creativity. Therefore all religions and believers of god should unify sometime for this article for a god is so necessary for religions to exist. As contrary to this, atheists and materialists don't believe in the existence of god, so as the necessity of having a god. The necessity of having a god who truly exists has something to do with men's faith. Faith is the belief on things which we don't see. It is the strong trust and confidence that people give to their gods and religions. Faith also parallels trustworthy and power. A perfect being like god who is also perfectly trustworthy and powerful deserves perfect faith from men. Faith saves lives and souls. Faith heals illness, overcomes fears and contributes success. Without a god who is perfect, faith would be weak. Without god who is our divine creator, there would be no heaven and earth. So, why a god becomes unnecessary? In fact, god is the most necessary being that exists.Now, if god really exists and indeed he is the truth who created heaven and earth; then he is really the most significant being in the existence. God is universal and proving his existence means exhibiting a universal proof. So was it really evolution or divine creation which brings everything in place? Was it the Big Bang or again god's creation which cause the universe? Did we really come from ape or from Adam and Eve? These are some of the popular arguments which are related to the question on the existence of god. If the theory of evolution is true then why are humans evolved extraordinarily far from other species besides the fact that humans are even considered the newest and the latest species that existed in this planet? The reason would be that we humans are created specially by an intelligent creator. Men were the last species yet the highest and most rational species created by god. The Homo erectus and the Homo sapiens did not become humans but became extinct. God created humans distinctively and distinguishable from animals by giving them the wisdom they would need to fulfill his will. The universe did not come from the Big Bang and definitely it is not infinite as many scientists believe. Everything that can be seen is temporary but everything that cannot be seen is eternal. The universe is temporary and what are eternal are the unseen things, which are the spirits. The universe was created by god to expand the humans and the earth. We did not come from monkeys but we from god. So why be confused if what really came first, the chicken or the egg? Of course it is the chicken reasonably because God created the chicken first than the eggs.God is true and he exists deeply, highly and clearly. If you look at everything around us, then you will realize that everything was designed intelligently. We exist not by accidents but by reasons. We are created with a very high logic that no humans possessed. If you look at yourself on a mirror then you will find that your eyes, nose, mouth, ears and even your hair are in place. Your hairs are placed on the top of your head to protect it from the heat of the sun above and from the falling rain. God created everything not only with a great intelligence but also with great love and tender care. He made us soft buttocks so we can sit comfortably. He also gave us tears to cool our eyes when we feel so much sadness. Why would we forcefully pursue that physics will answer the existence of everything if there is metaphysics which is philosophically higher and deeper than physics? It is now the time for us to move to the higher science which is the science of god and leave the science of men which is full of unproved theories. Let us focus on the spiritual things which are true and forever.Victorino Q. Abrugar is dedicated in spiritual
philosophy. He is the author of
TheOldMind.Com.
Category : News-and-Society:Religion

Sony and MBNA Launch the SonyCard, the Official Sony Credit Card in the Republic Of Ireland

2008-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Author :

s="view_date">July 15th, 2004

Building Credibility Through Bylined Articles

2008-10-18T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Sally Hodge
As if making sure your company runs smoothly on an operational level isn't
responsibility enough, as a business owner, you're probably overseeing all aspects of your company's public relations program, as well.PR can keep a company above water when times are tough and help the business
soar during a fair-weather economy. It's a matter of knowing how to put PR to use
that makes sticking with it—through good times and bad—worthwhile.Most people think of PR as the practice of sending out press releases to as many
media outlets as possible in the hopes that something will "stick." Although it's
commonly practiced, it's not the most strategic approach. A much more effective
approach is to position your expertise through bylined articles.Think about it: An article that's written under your name (or byline) is 100%
message and will reach the audience you're seeking. It's not an ad, because it
appears in the editorial pages of a publication you've targeted and thus, carries a
different (and valuable) sort of credibility. To help you tap into their power, here are
the five Ws of bylined articles.What they are
Bylined articles are essentially articles written under your name and are a vehicle for
you to flex your industry-knowledge muscles. The material in these articles should
be presented in a way that demonstrates discreetly what makes you an expert in
your particular field. Three of the most common types are Op-Ed contributions,
trend articles, and "how-to" pieces.Op-Ed pieces: These are so named because they appear "opposite" the "editorial"
page. Op-Ed pieces position the author's point of view on an issue or trend.Trend articles: This type of article is typically a discussion of a current or
burgeoning trend with the potential to affect either the public or a specified field.
These are generally more informational and less opinionated than an Op-Ed piece.How-to pieces: Somewhat self-explanatory, this type of article offers the reader
information on "how-to" perform a task, achieve a goal, etc.Who benefits from creating such articles
Anyone who aims to be positioned as an expert in his or her field can utilize this
approach. Keep in mind most publications don't accept bylined articles submitted
by vendors because of their tendency to "sell" rather than inform. To overcome this
obstacle, the sales message must be discreet, if in the article at all.Why they are important
Bylined articles are an excellent way to showcase the knowledge and expertise that
make you stand out in your field. The fact that the publication thinks enough about
your message to run it on the editorial side gives your article third-party credibility.Another consideration is their long-term power as marketing tools. Article
placements can be incorporated into your marketing materials and posted on your
website for visitors to browse, or even e-mailed to prospects.Where they are accepted
Many consumer dailies accept Op-Ed pieces, particularly by well-known authorities
(academics or authors, for example). Other media outlets, like the professional or
trade press, often solicit informational or instructional bylined articles, and opinion
pieces, as well. The latter category is also an excellent option because they can be
targeted by their reading audiences – who are your buying audiences.When they are appropriate
Bylined articles will almost always find a home, particularly if they are rounded out
with current examples and offer a perspective that advances what's already been
written on the topic. However, for articles responding to a current issue or trend,
timeliness is critical.Using bylined articles as a public relations tool is rising in acceptance as a more
strategic and focused approach to help build a brand over the long term. It takes
time to put this sort of program in place yet the return on investment will prove this
out as a viable adjunct to the more commonly practiced forms of public relations.Sally Saville Hodge is president of Hodge Communications, Inc., specializing in
strategic public relations and marketing communications for businesses,
entrepreneurs and professional associations. Formerly an award-winning financial
journalist, she brings over 30 years experience to client engagements. Subscribe
today to Communic@te! our free bimonthly e-newsletter and get a free special
report: "Using Buzz To Create a Groundswell For Your Business." Visit http://www.hodgecommunications.com
Category : Business:PR

The Politics Of Fashion

2008-10-17T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : simi

Everyone knows that clothes make the man. From the executive suits that litter Wall Street like the remnants of a ticker-tape parade to the coveralls and work boots worn by construction workers and mechanics, clothes tell the story of who we are and where we're going. Even when the workday is done, what we choose to wear on our own time is still a reflection of our personalities. From the sweat-suit to the wet-suit, our clothes are meant to be not only functional, but forthcoming as well. Clothes tell others what we like, and often, how we spend our time. Sports franchise logos are constantly on display on Main Street America. T-shirts with well known television, film and music icons can be seen almost anywhere. Clothes have something to say, and people are beginning to realize that the responsibility of being a walking billboard requires us to choose wisely.Now, more than ever, politics are entering the realm of fashion. Blatantly political phrases and slogans are becoming more prevalent on the backs of the public than the bumpers of cars. There are even items of clothing that advertise specific candidates or political parties and were actually purchased by someone, somewhere (not obtained as a door prize at a party fundraiser). But what options exist for those who like a little subtlety with their agenda? Enter the merger of socially conscious art and clothing. Less politically charged and infinitely more fashionable, boutique clothiers have created garments that are the realization of the finite balance between the message and the medium. Using art as the instrument of exchange and clothing as the canvas, these pioneers of significancy are providing people with a method of expressing themselves both in figure and in fact. What better way for entrepreneurs to meet the demands of a public that is focused on reflecting a belief in both style and substance.Article written by Kingston Amadan. Author Bio::------------ Kingston Amadan liberalpolitical discussion forumemail: simi_hogard@yahoo.com

Category : General Politics

Buy the Right Property - Don't Get Misled

2008-10-16T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Jack Parker
We human beings have lot of aspirations and dreams in life which we want to fulfill in this small life. In the list of dreams what usually tops the list is the wish to have a beautiful house. Yes we all at some point in our life desires to own a house and design it the way we want. So why not to give some time to your biggest ever dream. Home buying is not an easy task. One really goes through a lot of turmoil during this property dealing process. But all is worth if results are satisfying. The right real estate professional can help you make good business decisions based on your personal circumstances.• Your first step in this real estate deal is to investigate as this is the mistake most of the buyers do, they don't investigate. So as now you know then don't commit this mistake. Check for CC&R's, Rules and Regulation and Association Fees.• Don't go too fast or too slow for property purchase. Don't even jump to first home you see, at least see 5-8 properties before going for the final deal. With the help of your real estate agent you can see as many properties as you feel.• The right team is a must to succeed in the property deal. So choose the right lender and agent.• Don't get influenced by the furnishings and the decorations of the property. Let the owner's furniture left to him only. Think of a vacant property.• Discuss frankly your income and living expenses with your real estate professional so that he judge your requirement and can help you better for that suitable purchase. Keep your future responsibilities in proper consideration including children, services and other expenses.• Before you sigh the final deal check all the expenses and costs involved. Check for the insurance, taxes, other home owner dues.• Check for all the general utilities like electricity, security, water, gas.• All the promises made by the owner in the dealing process should be in writing. Don't go for verbal promises as they have no significance.For any further information: http://www.propertyvertical.com
Category : Finance:Real-Estate

Lazy Fish Worries

2008-10-10T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Brett Fogle
If your fish hang out at the bottom of the pond, or act restless
and lazy, then it's likely that your pond is suffering from poor
aeration.When oxygen levels drop below 7 PPM it not only affects the
ability of your fish to breathe, but it also negates your pond's
bio filtration systems. That's because optimum bio filtration
results require large quantities of air. When bio filtration
degrades it results in the buildup of toxic ammonia levels. This,
in return, causes stress in your fish which can result in
lethargy and even death.Your immediate first aid calls for increasing oxygen levels at
once. Unlike chemical treatments, you can't cause any problems by
putting "too much" oxygen into your pond. The easiest way to
maintain oxygen levels is to run an aeration pump 24 hours a day.
If you are already doing that, and your oxygen levels are still
too low, then either your pump is defective, undersized for the
pond, or your water temperatures are so high that the water is
not capable of retaining sufficient oxygen. Treat whichever of
these conditions exist.Once you have cured the oxygen generation system problems, its
time to test your water for ammonia, nitrite, and pH. It's also a
good idea to test for total alkalinity and hardness. Adjust any
levels that are out of normal ranges using pond additives that
are designed for each problem.If you found multiple problems, or suspect that you have a
general water quality issue, then you should commence a daily
changing of 20-40% of your pond's total volume until you have
turned the water over twice. Of course, you need to use
chlorine-free water. After you have turned the water over twice
you should perform all of the tests that I wrote about earlier
and make any required adjustments.If your fish do not recover, or you are experiencing kills, then
you may have a parasite or other health problem. Check our
article archives for potential solutions.**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including
MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He
also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************
Category : Home-and-Family:Landscaping-Gardening

Mosquito Products. Are they safe for our health ?

2008-10-08T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Raul Gallu
There are plenty of mosquito products we can use to get rid of these nasty insects. Some of them are effective some are not. I guess we all own one of these mosquito products at home, but have you ever wondered how they work or are they hazardous for you health? So lets see what kind of mosquito products are out there and how safe they are.

Mosquito products could be classified in two categories based on their purpose. So there are in the first category are the mosquito products that kill the insects and in the second one we've got the products that repels mosquitoes. The products grouped in these two categories there are indoor and outdoor mosquito products.

To understand how these mosquito products work we must understand what attracts mosquitoes. So when humans and animals exhale, they give off CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other scents. Mosquitoes have sensors that can detect the presence of these chemicals at a distance of over 100 feet. Once the mosquito picks up the scent, they will immediately change direction and fly rapidly toward the intended victim. So the purpose of mosquito products would be either to attract and kill the insect or to deceive its senses.

In the fist category of mosquito products would be bug zappers and mosquito magnets. An electric bug-zapper works by attracting insects to a central ultraviolet light, surrounded by a lethal electrical grid so when the mosquito touches that grid gets burned. The best in this mosquito products category, would be the old mosquito magnet the most high-tech (and expensive) weapon in the homeowner's arsenal of mosquito products, made by American Biophysics Corporation. It uses propane to emit carbon dioxide, just as people do, which is one of the things that helps mosquitoes find you. Once mosquitoes are lured to the device, they are sucked into a trap where they dehydrate and die. So these would be about all the mosquito products that have the purpose to lure, trap and kill the mosquitoes.

In the second category of mosquito products are the repellents. They work by blocking the receptors on mosquitoes antennae for the: moisture, warmth CO2 (carbon dioxide) and odor produced by humans that are all attractants for mosquitoes. Even if it is a spray or an ointment the best repellent is DEET.

DEET (diethyl toluamide) was developed in Orlando in the 1950s and contains a synthetic chemical repellent. The mosquito products marketed today contain various concentrations of DEET some of them even to 100 percent witch is not so good for your skin. Mosquito products containing 5 percent to 7 percent DEET keep mosquitoes away for up to 2 1/2 hours.

Citronella, which is also part of this second mosquito products category, is a volatile, liquid oil derived from dried cultivated grasses. It works by repelling animals and insects without harming or killing them. It has a distinctive odor, which also repels certain animals. Oil of Citronella is considered so unlikely to cause harmful effects that some citronella products are exempt from the usual regulation. The mosquito products containing citronella come in the form of candles, cartridges, and rub-on products.

These would be the most important mosquito products available on the market today some of them effective some less effective but I think that the most important thing is weather they are safe for you, your family and your loved ones.

Solutions for 50 Backlinks with PageRank greater than 2

2008-10-04T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Mike Pham

Today, no one can deny the importance of backlinks in Search Engine Optimization, especially in Google Optimization. In this article, you can find some solutions for the goal of 50 backlinks with PageRank greater than 2 for new websites. When this goal is archived, I'm totally sure that the pagerank of your website will be boosted to at least 3 in the next update of Google. There are two main solutions for this goal: - Finding links on our own, not spending money. - Buying text links (backlinks). 1. Finding links on our own, not spending money *Methods in this solution include: - Find relevant, quality websites and request for link exchanges. - Submit to quality directories. - Submit testimonials on websites where you have purchased any services or products. - Write articles or posts to submit to other websites, blogs, press and forums. *Pros in this solution: - No money. - Robust, stationary links. - Accepted by search engines. *Cons in this solution: - More time and efforts. - Two-way links (reciprocal links). - Difficult to determine the time to achieve goal. *References for this solution: - Link Exchange programs: linkalizer.com, linkmarket.net, freelinkcentral.com - Automatic link exchange programs: belinked.info, onewaytextlinks.com, build-reciprocal-links.com, linkdash.com - Quality Directories: businesspages.org, a2z-free.com, alphabiz.org - Article Directories: goarticles.com, articlealley.com, article99.com, ezinearticles.com *Tips: - You can find more sites for link exchange from studying your competitors' link popularity. Use search engines to perform this check, the keyword in many cases is: link:your_competitor_url. - When visiting some directories, pay attention to Directory category. You may find the others directories there. For example, in Directory category of businesspages.org, you can find some other good Australian directories. *Estimated time: 2 months 2. Buying text links *Methods in this solution include: - Buy text links (backlinks) directly from sites (in case they don't accept link exchanges) - Buy text links from text link brokers. - Buy text links from link auction sites. - Pay fee to be included in big, quality directories (Yahoo, Overture, LookSmart...) *Pros in this solution: - Less time and efforts to get links. - One-way links (better than reciprocal links) *Cons in this solution - Money. We must pay fee every month (or year) for some links. - Buying text links (many in the same time) from text link brokers isn't encouraged by search engines. They can penalize us. - Some links are volatile (not permanent). *References for this solution: - Advertising on sites: iwebtool.com/pagerank_checker (PR5 - $10.00 per month) - Text link brokers: textlinkbrokers.com (5 Permanent Links PR0 ? PR4: $175 /month), textlinkpopularity.com (10 Links from PR 3 Pages: $150 - Pay only once for permanent links - no recurring charges) - Link auction sites: linkadage.com - Big, quality directories: Yahoo! Directory (1 link - $299/year - your site will be reviewed first) *Tips: - When buying links from brokers, be sure that you can preview the pages in which your link will be included. Besides the PageRank, there are other factors to take into consideration such as: relevant links in this page, how many links in that page, whether your link is static, ... *Estimated time: 1 week (some directories need more time to review our request) 3. Conclusion: It seems that the goal of 50 backlinks with PageRank greater than 2 for new websites is not an easy one. Improving link popularity is a long, patient but obligatory process. It's up to you to decide which solution is better or the combination of these two ones. Article by Mike Pham of http://www.TopTrafficWholesaler.com , a complete service web promotion agency. Advertise your website effectively with our U.K targeted traffic and free search engine submission.

Category : General SE Positioning

The Best Way To Create A Workable Business Plan

2008-09-29T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Selvyn Patterson

You're excited. You have a great idea for a profitable online business. Maybe it is an original idea that has not been marketed online before. Maybe you have come up with a new spin on the ordinary. Whatever it is that has influenced you to start your online business, be sure that you have a plan before you begin. This is not the time to ?pick it up as you go?. These are some basic things that should be included in your business plan.The business summary should give a brief description of the entire business and is an integral part of the overall business plan. After you have completed the business summary you should begin to list the objectives or the goals that you want to accomplish through the business. Next and perhaps most importantly, you should develop your marketing plan. The marketing plan will address all the specifics of the business. When developing the marketing strategy you should consider the following:The target market. The target market is the customers that you expect to see visiting your site. For example will your product be more appealing to college students or those who are in retirement?Consider the competition for your product when determining the marketing strategy. Choose a product that will be seen as unique and useful. Visit sites that are offering the same or similar products. Find out the cost, and how they are marketing their product. Finds out the pros and cons of their business and try to improve your product based on their flaws.Research the various methods for advertising online. You should become educated about search engines and how they work since each one is different. Also be sure that you know how to submit your site to search engines. You should be prepared to spend a small amount of money on advertising, but the profits that you will gain from the advertisements will prove to be money well spent.Think about pricing. Again, look at the competition and see what similar products are selling for. Pricing can play a big role in the success of your product since selling a product well below the average price may lead customer to think that there is a problem with the product or that it is not of the best quality. However, pricing items too high could also detour customers.Determine the shipping method. Be sure that you know how products will be shipped so that you can have shipping details clearly posted on your site. If you are shipping things of great value, you should consider providing shipping insurance. Also think about shipping outside the country that you live in.Think about the different methods of payment that you will accept. If your business does not accept credit cards, you should be ready to give up half if not more of your sales. If you decide to accept credit cards will you use a merchant account or will you use a third party credit card processing center? Both will help you get started and the third party processing center will handle all of the business so you don?t have to. You should decide which you will use and also if you will accept checks or money orders. It is essential to have a secure server when taking credit cards.These few things will help your online business to become a great success and also provide you with peace of mind knowing that you have thoroughly thought about and planned for the opening of your online business. About the author:-------------------------------------------------------To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit:http://www.Marketing-AffiliatePrograms.com------------------------------------------------------- Internet Marketing Specialist, Writer and Entrpreneur.

Category : General Affiliate Programs

The Secret of Think and Grow Rich - Part III

2008-09-22T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Vernon Myers
Part IIIIn Part II, we learned how Mr. Edwin C. Barnes met with Mr. Thomas Edison and made a proposal for partnership. Edison made a counter-offer by offering Barnes a job instead of the partnership that he wanted. Instead of giving up and going back home, Mr. Barnes accepted the offer to work for Edison. Let's see what happens next in Barnes' quest to become a partner with one of the greatest inventors to have ever lived...Staying focusedMr. Barnes remained fixed on the idea of a partnership with Mr. Edison which caused him to "remain ready" for the opportunity when it presented itself – because he knew that the opportunity would always present itself because he used the powerful Law of Attraction.How did Mr. Barnes keep himself motivated? Can you imagine the frustrating and stifling feelings that he experienced? He used positive self-talk and he continued to reaffirm his desire for a business partnership with Mr. Edison.Mr. Barnes staked his life on his desire and he exhibited what I like to call a "no-fail" attitude – which means that failure was not an option – he would not allow the circumstance of failure to occur – he was unstoppable in his pursuit of his dream. Do you know anyone who is THAT definite? What do I mean? Do you know anyone who has identified their major definite purpose and who has stood on that purpose until it became an obsession?Determination and persistence in pursuing a desire leads to greater opportunities – Vernon MyersBarnes was so determined and persistent that he would have stayed as long as it took to capture his dream, however - something happened…The opportunity appears…During his daily work, Mr. Barnes was always on the look-out for ways to be of service and to spot potential opportunities. He must have been very observant of his surroundings because his big break came in an unrecognizable way and from a different direction than where he was expecting it. His level of attraction was so strong that he attracted his desire not in the way he wanted it but in the way that God wanted to bless him.Mr. Hill states that opportunity often comes disguised as misfortune or temporary defeat. I am sure that Mr. Barnes may have experienced frustration and discouragement because things were not moving fast enough for him. I am sure that most of us would have failed to recognize the opportunity because it was not presented in a neatly wrapped package labeled "your opportunity of a lifetime."Mr. Edison created a dictating machine that his salesmen were not enthusiastic about selling. They didn't think that it would sale without a lot of effort. Mr. Barnes immediately recognized an opportunity. Why? His mind was oriented to spot opportunities all around him. He clearly recognized that this was an opportunity to fulfill his desire of becoming Edison's partner by taking the new invention and selling it to the best of his ability.Mr. Barnes saw opportunity where others saw obstacles and fears because he was truly interested in Edison's work, which ultimately lead to his goal of becoming a partner with Edison while everyone else continued to sit back and complain about how they "couldn't" sell the dictating machines – basically giving a lot of excuses.Mr. Barnes displayed outstanding confidence in his own abilities by suggesting to Edison that he would sell the machine. And sold it he did. Barnes lived up to his claim by selling the machine so successfully that Edison gave him a contract to distribute the machine nationally. Talk about exploiting an opportunity! He hit this opportunity out of the proverbial park. He hit a home-run. He became a business partner with the great Thomas Edison – goal achieved and desire fulfilled.What can we learn from Mr. Barnes?Mr. Barnes teaches us that thoughts are things and that our thoughts can make us rich. For example, Barnes earned two or three million dollars based upon one idea. Clearly, Barnes became a very wealthy man, but his greatest asset was not the money he earned, but the fact that he learned how to take his thoughts and transmute them into material rewards by the application of certain principles. Remember, the only assets he started with were his desire, his knowledge of what he wanted, and his determination to stick with it no matter how long it would take to realize.So what is the secret of Think and Grow Rich?The secret was revealed to us by Mr. Earl Nightingale, one of the pioneers of the self-improvement industry and co-founder of Nightingale-Conant, in one of his audio recordings. One night he jumped up because in an instant he was given the insight about what this secret was – he ran to his wife and said, "I've got it!" Obviously, she was probably thinking – what does he have that is causing so much excitement? Earl proceeded to tell her that the secret that he had been trying to find for all of these years is that you become what you think about most of the time! Your thoughts control who and what you become.I know this is not an earth shattering insight, but this secret has puzzled me for years until I really started to pay attention to what Mr. Hill and other writers have been saying and writing. The key to really "getting" this insight is to examine how you think and the results you are getting right now.If your results are not what you want them to be – examine what you have been thinking about on a daily basis and you will see that your results match your thoughts - exactly. If you want to change your results, change what you think about on a daily basis. Your outer "physical" world will match your inner "mental" world – perfectly. If you have not aligned your thinking then you will have the experience of incongruence – nothing will match.The best way to find out if your thoughts are aligned with reality is to look at what you are currently experiencing. For example, if you want to experience success in your job, you first have to identify what success means to you. Does success mean promotions, more money, or more responsibility?The next step is to look at what is actually happening in your current environment. Are you having the experience of promotions, more money, or more responsibility? If the answer is "no," your thoughts are not in alignment with your desires.You are probably thinking, "Well, how can I align my thoughts with my desires?" Let me direct you back to Think and Grow Rich, Chapter 2: Desire – The Starting of All Achievement.This is Part III and the last installment of the article titled The Secret of Think and Grow Rich.Vernon Myers has read or listened to the book Think and Grow Rich at least twenty times and each time he re-reads the book he learns something new to help him become a more successful person. Vernon would like to bring a group of people together to discuss the concepts in the book – If you are interested sign up to be part of the discussion group at the following site: Think and Grow Rich Discussion Group
Category : Self-Improvement:Success

Mesothelioma, your health and legal right.

2008-09-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : odidis1@fastmail.fm

This story-article will open your eyes to the danger you might presently be living with and not know plus, the legal option open to you as a redress.John has been sick for months, he has finally been diagnosed to have a rare cancer disease medically know as mesothelioma. He is about being hospitalised for a possible cure of the disease on his lungs, heart and abdominal cavities.If you come down with mesothelioma, chemotherapy, usually the first option open to doctors as part of cancer analysis will be your first treatment experience, after which you might be subjected to radiation therapy, immuno-augmentative therapy or surgery as the last resort. You sure dont want Johns condition, do you?Most victims do not know that they had contracted this very rare cancer. Mesothelioma may silently damage cells of the affected organs for as long as 40 years before health problem symptoms become noticeable. Worse is that symptoms usually happen in retirement when your income, most likely, would have dropped below your expenditure.From all indications, John is very sick and obviously his well being has been greatly impaired, which must have shortened his life span. His income now barely meets his basic needs due to lost work-hours as a result of mesothelioma. He is in a dilemma regarding how to handle his condition.But unknown to John, he has a legal right to file for compensation against his former employers. Majority of the articles on mesothelioma, victims and compensation on the internet are unequivocal that anyone who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma having been exposed to asbestos, the chief cause of this rare cancer, is entitled to compensation. Aside from the inconveniences of illness, their life span has been shortened considerably by the disease contracted in circumstances that did not make the inherent danger of asbestos known to the victim. Using this argument experienced mesothelioma lawyers win claims for their clients, basically pleading the invariable loss of health and active life associated with the rare cancer.Companies that produced or whose raw material were or still asbestos cannot hoodwink the law on the fact that they knew how dangerous asbestos was to health, but deliberately did not inform their employees as a policy. Since it takes too long before mesothelioma symptoms begin to appear, tens of thousands of people in the United States may have died of this disease without being recorded as mesothelioma victims. Recorded deaths associated with mesothelioma are also in tens of thousands too. Asbestos factories, Building and Construction works are among the frequently mentioned culprits for this scenario. And most victims never even know that they were or are mesothelioma positive till it is too late.The symptoms that John came down with are; shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain, coughing and exhaustion . And I have also read that soon his immune system will become overworked and weakened fighting mesothelioma.Now, if like John, you or anyone you know had worked or works with asbestos, then inform them, and hurry up to a medical check up. If you test positive, look for a mesothelioma lawyer who can defend your claim. A competent mesothelioma lawyer must be abreast of the symptoms of the disease to be able to win your claim for you, so ask him questions about the disease to test his knowledge before hiring him. Neshah contributes useful articles fo your health benefits- Mesothelioma Symptoms/Lawyers

Category : General Medical: Cancer

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2008-09-08T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Endar WS

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Category : Medicine

National Health Care

2008-09-04T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Dennis Alexander

More than 45 million Americans go without health care. At 14% of the gross domestic product, national health care spending is at an all time high. Health care issues and prescription drug costs continue to gain increasing attention during election campaigns, and many Americans are calling for the need to provide national health coverage as a universal service to all residents.The government already provides healthcare to 28% of Americans. Medicaid programs cover medical treatments for people who are of low income and limited resources. Medicare provides health care coverage to U.S. citizens over the age of 65, and to certain people under the age of 65 with specific disabilities. While neither of these systems are perfect, advocates call for the expansion of similar national health care products to service all U.S. citizens. Although 61% of Americans have private health insurance, usually through a group employer, proponents of national health care coverage believe that only government reforms and mandates can control rising health care costs and make coverage available to all citizens.Among physicians who support a national health care system, a single-payer system is seen as the only solution capable of providing coverage to the uninsured or underinsured, while also controlling the skyrocketing health costs due to drug pricing, malpractice suits, and long-term care. Under a single-payer system, the government would finance health care, but delivery of services to the consumer would be managed by private parties. How to integrate this in a cost-efficient manner, without breaking our current system, continues to be a source of much debate.The call for a universal health care system began under the Theodore Roosevelt administration, and was a major issue and topic of debate during the Clinton administration. During this time, First Lady Hillary Clinton was appointed by President Bill Clinton to head the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, making national health care her primary concern. The system reforms she proposed were too complex for many Americans to understand and they were defeated in Congress. In 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act. This was done to overhaul and expand a system which had become antiquated.Despite this, many experts believe Medicare will run out of money as the baby-boomer generation requires greater, more intensive health care, and suggest national health insurance as the only solution. Many proponents of national health care point to the face that the United States, which is vastly rich in its resources, should be capable of providing the same type of national health care coverage that is universally offered in other modern, industrialized nations. National health care systems have been in practice for some time in many European nations. Those systems don't provide the same independence of choice that individuals in the U.S. demand. Fore more information visit us online www.GuideToHealthInsurance.org Dennis Alexander - leading consultant for employer group and individual/family health insurance. Marketing consultant for major health insurance resource websites and brokerage firms online. Some of the websites consultant and/or administrator http://www.HealthCoverageQuotes.com, http://www.GuideToHealthInsurance.org

Category : General Insurance

Mentor? Who Needs A Mentor?

2008-08-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Charles Lalonde
Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious about achieving more of their true potential, personally and financially. In fact, Richard Brooke says:"If you're someone who wants to break out and do something extraordinary that you would not do on your own initiative, you better have a coach-and you better have a great one."If you doubt Mr. Brooke's quote may I suggest you investigate all top success icons in any field and you will find they all have Mentors and Coaches. It is reported that Michael Jordon at the peak of his career had 11 coaches.You may be asking: what's the difference between a Mentor and a Coach? Webster's dictionary defines a . . .Mentor as: "An experienced and trusted friend and prudent advisor."Coach as: "a private tutor; one who instructs or trains a performer or a team of performers."We have defined two types of Mentors - Life and Area Specific Mentors. A Life Mentor is one whose success system or methodology is universal and the foundation for success in every area of a person's life.Finding a Life Mentor whose success system is universal to everyone, no matter his or her education, talents or social status, is extremely difficult. This is why Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich, is so unique and the ideal Life Mentor because his success system is the foundation for every outstanding achievement and fortune ever made.An Area Specific Mentor is a mentor, often referred to as a "coach," whose knowledge and expertise is in one or a few areas of life. For example, a head coach of a National Football League (NFL) team possesses knowledge, skills and a system encompassing all aspects of the game. However, he utilizes coaches skilled in the different areas of the game such as offense, defense and special teams.Below are six areas in life where we can use Area Specific Mentors/Coaches:Physical/HealthFamilyMental/EducationalCareer/FinancialSocial/CivicSpiritual/EthicalSeriously you say, do we and specifically myself really need a mentor? Let's look at the facts:No one person will live long enough to make all of the mistakesIn simple terms, mentors speed the learning process and are the reason for advancements in technology and the standards of living we enjoy today.The last half-century has seen very little change statistically.Using the oft-quoted post-war study published by the Social Security Administration and Denvey's Economic Tables, less than 5% of the population at that time retired wealthy or financially independent. Sadly, a study done in March 2000 by the American Economic Review reported that the gap between "the haves" and "have nots" is widening.Grade-Point-Score averages, according to studies, have barely been maintained over the last 50 years. Moreover, in professional sports, with all the advancements in mind and physical development, one would think that the number of super stars being produced would have increased dramatically; however, as a percentage, it remains virtually unchanged.With the explosion of entrepreneurial opportunities in franchising and network marketing beginning in the 1980s, plus the same explosion from the mid-1990s on in Internet businesses, why doless than 5% of the participants in these ventures enjoy success and make any money! WHY?Research and my own experience, which includes teaching an entrepreneurial course at a major community college for several years and working with several thousand participants in my Success and Wealth System course, leads me to one indisputable conclusion - Most people are without mentors, especially "Life Mentors."You may say: It only happens in movies or for those talented few you say! How about the heroics and courage against unbelievable odds in athletics, the military and in everyday life. These qualities of character and achievement were learned from a true Life Mentor such as parents, teachers and those who have paid the price to be called a Mentor.Yes, we all need good Life Mentors and Coaches at every stage of our lives. But be careful to choose those who walk the talk and demonstrate and exemplify the life qualities and achievements in their own life.(c) Copyright Futures Management Services Inc.About The AuthorCharles Lalonde is the author of Revealing The Secret Formula In Think and Grow Rich and has developed two workshops, Performance Accelerator Sales System and Success and Wealth System eCourse, which are designed to help individuals realize their dreams and potential. Charles also is a performance enhancement specialist, trainer and speaker, and certified Accelerated Learning and Educational Kinesiology teacher.He has just released his newest FREE eBook "The Two Greatest Life Mentors Of All Time." An information packed eBook teaches What, Why and How to choose using his exclusive "Mentor Profile Worksheet." Want a Billionaire and Multi- Millionaire for personal Mentors? You Can! Find out how - get your FREE copy at: http://www.thoughtstoriches.com/mentorVisit www.thoughtstoriches.com or email at clalonde@thoughtstoriches.com
Category : Self-Improvement:Leadership

BE BEAR AWARE - 14 APRIL 2006 BLACK BEAR TAKES THE LIFE OF A 6 YEAR OLD GIRL WHILE CAMPING

2008-08-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Karin Manning

It goes without saying that there are risks when it comes to camping in bear country. In fact, on 14 April 2006 this risk became a tragic fact of life when a 6 year old girl received fatal injuries from a black bear while camping. Campgrounds are now having to incorporate policies and procedures to ensure bear conservation and safety for campers. The DEC Campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves in New York State are two such campgrounds. Their staff have developed specific policies and procedures to minimize the occurrence of bear problems at their campgrounds while maintaining a healthy, natural black bear population. There are ten critical ways that you can minimise the chances of getting hurt by bears by following these simple tips:1. Avoid traditional bear feeding areas.2. Avoid camp locations where bears have been known to roam in the past.3. Avoid camping where you may have trouble seeing a bear through vegetation.4. Avoid camping where you see bear droppings and fresh tracks.5. Never feed wild bears.6. Store your food in a cooler which is locked in the car7. Like most animals, bears are attracted to garbage so make sure your campsite is very clean8. Remember that behind every cute baby bear is a very overprotective bear mother!9. Stop fishing when bears are present. They want your fish more than you do.10. The minimum safe distance from a bear is 50-100 yards.There are now a number of organizations that are working passionately on increasing bear awareness in the community.The National Spokesman of The National Be Bear Aware & Wildlife Stewardship Campaign, General H Norman Schwarzkopf, is dedicated to providing teachers, college students, youth groups and guiding/hunting groups with educational materials and training programs to teach outdoor enthusiasts and residents up to date safety skills and techniques for camping, hunting, viewing, hiking, photographing and living with wildlife like bears safely and responsibly. More information is available at the Campaign?s website at http://www.bebearawaresw.org.Along a similar vein, The ?Bear Safe Washington? program began in 1999 with funding from the World Society for the Protection of Animals. This program of presentations, brochures and seminars was designed to raise awareness of all bear issues in Washington State. Its bear safe guide can be downloaded at http://www.insightwildlife.com/bearsafe.htmThe Get Bear Smart Society based in Whistler, Canada, educates people on dealing with bears in the community and promoting innovative bear management practices. Supporters can make donations by visiting their website at http://www.bearsmart.com. Karin Manning is the author of The Ultimate Campfire Kitchen & Camping Guide which contains 580 delicious and easy camping recipes guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds. To immediately download your copy go to http://www.easy-family-camping-recipes.com

Category : General Sports: Outdoors

Low Investment Business Opportunity-Making Big Money Within 12 Months

2008-08-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Martin Thomas
Ask a millionaire what they look for in a business investment opportunity and inevitably they will tell you low risk, high reward. That's pretty obvious and certainly what I look for when Im ready to take on a new project.By low risk, we inevitably mean low entry cost. A small outlay for the highest possible yield is always desired from an investment perspective. Sitting on some money, the last thing we want to do is squander it rather then make it work for us so it grows. So we look for places to invest it for a return.The stock market may offer 5%-10% and in a really good year you can expect no more than 30% in fact that would be such a good year that you should definitely consider selling soon simply because its such an aberration that it is bound to return a negative number next year.Of course the stock market is not a low risk, high reward investment. The outlay is 100% of the money we have to invest. We can invest in options or warrants which only require a premium to be paid against the value of the stock parcel however this is best left to highly skilled stock players as the premium is generally and often lost buy the investor.A business investment on the other hand is quite a different proposition from the perspective of the stock market. In the stock market you have absolutely no control over the company or its share price and where it goes...north or south. A business investment means you are the commander and chief of the ship. You have maximum 100% control of the future consequences and outcome of the businesses fate.Neither of these investment mediums are particularly attractive to me but it doesn't mean they won't work for you. A low risk business investment that does attract me is creating money from very little. Irrespective of how much money my bank account bulges with, I always pursue the low investment/high value purchase that gives me access to excess intrinsic value.I don't mind whether its a sea going vessel or a house or a used circus tent. To me its irrelevant. Its the numbers that matter and the intrinsic excess value. These "levers" are the structure of the deals I create.Making money from thin air is not only possible, but with good capital gains- deal after deal you can only start making big money within 12 months.To your health and rapid successMartin Thomas is a Successful Investor and CEO of http://www.opportunity-investor.com
For some amazing information about your first million thats on its way to you right now, follow the link above.
Category : Wine

The Power In A Gathering Of Women

2008-08-17T23:00:00.001-07:00

Author :

The Power In A Gathering Of Women &nbsp;by: Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAEForget "fight or flight" as the only duo of responses in the face of stress. For women, there's a third response: "befriend". A landmark UCLA study turned five decades of stress research on its head with the revelation that a cascade of brain chemicals gives women a larger behavioral repertoire when confronted with stress. The hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress response in women. It controls the fight/flight response and, instead, encourages her to tend children and gather with other women. Accordingly to co-researcher Dr. Laura Cousino Klein, now assistant professor of bio-behavioral health at Penn State, the study suggests that this "tending and befriending" response to oxytocin produces a calming effect. Although it will take new studies to reveal all the ways in which oxytocin encourages women to care for children and band together, it might also explain why women consistently outlive men.I have addressed numerous women's conferences and corporate networks of women and I can attest to the observable behavior that participants leave these sessions feeling stronger, encouraged, and positive. I believe they also leave healthier. The famed Nurses Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends people have, they less likely they are to develop physical ailments and the more likely they are to cope better with challenges.Sadly, today's busy agendas often find women canceling the most positive and healthy thing they can do: gather with other women to engage in the kind of "rapport" and "report" talk that hallmark feminine conversations. The corporate women's networks that generate the most return for the time and money investment allow for the nuts-and-bolts training needed for the business while also creating plenty of opportunity for mentoring, problem-solving and the informal sharing of personal issues. Create a gathering of women and stand back. The energy reborn from conversation, caring, compassion and concern can move a community, a business, and a nation into a higher place.(c) 2004, McDargh Communications. All rights in all media reserved. Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.<table width=100% cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor=#dddddd><tr><td>About The Author Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE is head of McDargh Communications, a training and consulting practice founded in 1980. She's also an award-winning author, radio commentator, and on the Board of the National Speakers Association. Eileen can be reached at <a href="http://www.EileenMcDargh.com" target=new>http://www.EileenMcDargh.com</a>. <a href="mailto:Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com">Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com</a></td></tr></table>

Category : General Science

Frustrated with Internet Dating? Top Five Ways to Find Your Mate Without a Computer

2008-08-15T23:02:00.001-07:00

Author : David Steele
In a new trend, singles are becoming increasingly disillusioned with internet dating and seeking alternatives. With millions of singles using the internet and the promises and success stories of online matchmaking websites, I've heard the same thing over and over from singles across the country who are frustrated with internet dating-"It's great to have a lot of choices, but it takes a lot of time and I don't seem to meet anyone I have much chemistry with."This trend makes sense to me. In some ways, using a computer to find your soul mate is like trying to cook a souffle in a microwave. Some things just require time, effort, and the human touch.This article will explore the upsides and downsides of internet dating, attempt to explain why internet dating doesn't work for some (most?) singles, and suggest some alternatives.Top Five Advantages of Internet Dating1. Reach more singles 2. Inexpensive (relatively) 3. Enough information available for efficient sorting 4. Anonymous 5. Easy to control most aspects of the processTop Five Downsides of Internet Dating1. Overwhelming number of choices 2. Encourages "shopping" mentality 3. Many users are less than truthful 4. Some users are game players, predators. cheaters 5. Complacency- tempting to rely on the internet and exclude other optionsThe Internet, Chemistry, and the Law of AttractionToday's singles seem to be relying on their computer a bit too much and complacently expecting the internet to deliver their soul mate. This is a version of the Fairytale Trap (one of fourteen dating traps in my book "Conscious Dating"). The internet is a wonderful tool (I use it!) but doesn't seem to work effectively as the only tool for finding potential partners.I believe that the two biggest reasons why the internet isn't effective for many singles is the role of chemistry and the Law of Attraction.Chemistry is critically important for a successful relationship. Everyone wants a partner they feel strong chemistry with, and a relationship would be pretty dry and unsustainable without it. The Fourth Principle of Conscious Dating is "Balance Your Heart With Your Head." Identifying your requirements, needs, and wants does not minimize the need for chemistry. You need both! I like to think of chemistry as the radar that helps you find your target, then you use your requirements, needs and wants to decide "yes" or "no."The Law of Attraction is inescapeable and either works for you or against you. If you're "busy" or "shy" and the internet is your only means of reaching potential partners, in a way you're hiding behind your computer and the Law of Attraction is not likely to help you. The Law of Attraction states that "like attracts like" and "energy follows attention," meaning your results reflect your thoughts and your actions. Over the years I've become convinced that the Law of Attraction is a powerful law of the Universe, like gravity. Just like "what goes up must come down," try as you might, you can't avoid or change the principle that "like attracts like."If you're hiding behind your computer, what people, relationships, and results are you likely to attract?Top Five Ways to Find Your Mate Without a Computer1. Use your support communityMost people find their soul mate through someone they know, so don't be a lone ranger (another dating trap!) and lean on your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to assist you to meet potential partners.2. Start a dating pool or networking groupGet a group of singles together (any gender mix) to support each other to meet potential partners. Most singles know lots of other singles of both genders, so pool your resources and do some matchmaking for each other!3. Reach out to peopleIn today's busy world with cell phones, texting, instant messaging, e-mail, and the internet promoting impersonal ways of interacting with others, it's easy to forget the lost art of engagement with real people that are right in front of you. Make an effort to reach out to the people you come into contact with in your everyday life and watch your relationships blossom.4. Make more friendsSince most people find their soul mate through someone they know, be open to developing new friendships and expanding your support community. Chances are you already have acquaintances at work and other places that you would enjoy spending more time with. Friends are easier to find than dates, and friendships often last longer than romantic relationships!5. Get involvedToo many singles lead isolated lives centered around work, home, and a few friends. Participating in clubs, groups, classes, charities, church/temple, is the most important way you can leverage the Law of Attraction to help you find your soul mate. You'll meet new people, make new friends, and pursue hobbies and interests important to you that bring you in contact with other compatible singles.Balancing High Tech with High TouchWhile technology can help us in many ways, let's not forget that as humans we are social beings and finding your life partner is a relationship goal that is most effectively acheived by getting away from your computer and living a full, rich life among real people doing the things you enjoy that make your life meaningful.As the ancient Roman playwright Terence once said "Moderation in all things." Do you think he meant the internet as well?Let's address this trend of over-reliance on the internet for finding love. Please pass this article along to the frustrated singles in your life that you care about!Copyright 2006 David SteeleDavid Steele, MA, LMFT is founder of Relationship Coaching Institute and author of "Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life in Today's World (RCN Press, 2006). http://www.consciousdating.com
Category : News-and-Society:Dating

Diabetes: Hypoglycemia Doesn't Impair Cognition In Children With Type 1 Diabetes

2008-08-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Hector Milla
Under results of a new study, hypoglycemia, which is a drop in levels of blood sugar, and is severe enough to cause seizures or coma in young children with type 1 diabetes (those who develop the disease very early in life) does not appear to result in impairments in mental ability or behavior.According to experts and scientific evidence, the hippocampus (a region of the brain) is particularly sensitive to prolonged episodes of severe hypoglycemia. And experts stated that âœyoung children with type 1 diabetes are at greatest risk of severe hypoglycemic events, and this has focused concern on the potential for hypoglycemic insult to impact on central nervous system developmentâ.After compare 41 type 1 diabetic adolescents and children -who had a history of hypoglycemia with coma or seizure- to 43 similar diabetic subjects but without a history of severe hypoglycemic events, findings demonstrate that a subgroup of patients who had early first seizure showed more episodes of hypoglycemic seizure or coma in comparison to those who experienced a seizure at an older age.The team applied different tests of learning and memory, but also intellectual and behavioral tests. The astonishing thing is that there were no significant differences between the seizure and no-seizure groups on the intellectual, memory or behavioral measures.The main conclusion of the report is that results provide âœsome reassurance to those treating children with type 1 diabetes with intensive treatment that seizures/coma at a young age does not necessarily result in gross cognitive or behavioral impairmentâ.Article written by Hector Milla editor of http://www.mydiabetessupply.com, a website about diabetes testing supply, or you may read their last article: D Chiro Inositol in Treatment of Diabetes Type 2v at http://www.mydiabetessupply.com/1/d-chiro-inositol-in-treatment-of-diabetes-type-2.html Thanks for using this diabetes article in your website or ezine keeping a live link.
Category : Attraction

Bargain Hunting for Women's Plus Size Apparel

2008-08-14T01:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Amy Chou
If finding womenÃ‚â™s plus size apparel is difficult, then finding clothing in large sizes at bargain prices is an even greater challenge. To get the best deals on plus size clothes, consider shopping online, at local stores, and through mail-order catalogs. The following are eight strategies for saving money:

- Look for a sale, clearance, or outlet section on the website of your favorite retailer. Occasionally, you can save up to 80% off original prices this way. If your retailer is owned by a parent company, also check the parent companyÃ‚â™s website for a clearance or outlet section.

- Comparison shop for similar items at different websites. If you plan to wear an item only a few times or occasionally, perhaps you can purchase a similar but cheaper item.

- Always use a search engine to look for a coupon code your retailer may have. Many websites actually track these coupon codes along with expiration dates to help shoppers save. When filling out your order form online or in a catalog, look for an entry for Ã‚âœcoupon codeÃ‚â or Ã‚âœpromo codeÃ‚â and then enter a coupon code that applies. If ordering online, be sure to verify that you have received the discount for entering the coupon code.

- Go to the website of your favorite plus size retailer and sign up to receive e-mail specials. In addition, if the sign-up form offers a print catalog, request the catalog also. By signing up, you will receive notifications through e-mails and catalogs of any specials the retailer may be having. Note that you should sign up only with retailers that really interest you or your mailbox may become crammed with excessive e-mails.

- Buy clothing out-of-season or pre-season. Many retailers will offer steep discounts on out-of-season items.

- Buy machine-washable clothes. The cost of having to dry clean an item will make that item expensive in the long run. If you are not sure whether an item is machine-washable, be sure to ask the retailer before you buy.

- Visit local stores that carry plus size clothing and browse through their clearance racks. Some local retailers try to quickly rid their racks of excessive inventory to make room for the latest fashion.

- Purchase items that coordinate well with what you already have in your wardrobe in terms of styling and color.

Using the above strategies will help you save on plus size clothing. Dressing well should not have to be an expensive endeavor for the full-figured woman.

Sony Ericsson W880i Ballistic Entertainment

2008-08-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Elizabeth Wills

The mobile phone industry is one thriving industry that shows no signs of slowing down in the modern day fluctuating arena, since an apparent proliferation of products by various manufacturers provide a constant boost to its success. An important factor behind this trend is the emerging technology that acts as a catalyst in the development of newer phones with highly stimulating abilities. Music is the one facet of life that binds people together in its pleasant magic. Capitalising on this common interest, mobile phone manufacturers have been putting in their best efforts to release these melodious energies through their products. Sony Ericsson is one of those very few manufacturers that has achieved commendable success in the music phone category courtesy of its string of highly popular walkman series phones. The Sony Ericsson W880i is a part of this elite family, and a widely applauded music phone with high calibre musical abilities. The Sony Ericsson W880i is a candy bar shaped phone that is available two variants of silver and flame black. The 3G enabled walkman phone has a stylishly slim structure and has a TFT colour screen that supports 240 x 320 pixels. A 2.0 megapixel digital camera with 2.5 x digital zoom delivers astoundingly clear images courtesy of features like Macromedia Flash Lite, SVG Tiny 1.1, and picture blogging. The spiciest feature of this baby is the Walkman 2.0 music player that belts out enchantingly crisp music in various formats through enhancing features like Music DJ, Track ID, Mega Bass, and Play Now. The Tri Band musical genie supports connectivity tools like Bluetooth, fast port, GPRS, UMTS, and USB to connect users to compatible devices for efficient data sharing. Taking Internet experience to a new level, the Sony Ericsson W880i enumerates a Web browser along with RSS Feeds ability. The 16 MB integrated memory coupled with an expandable option through a memory stick provides the right storage ground for users to save their desired data.To get some of the best mobile phone deals on Sony Ericsson W880i, Sony Ericsson W610i and other Walkman phones on 3 mobile, t mobile, orange, O2, Vodafone network, please visit the site. None

Category : General Technology: Telecommunications

How Do I Find A Girlfriend?

2008-08-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Nick Shane
Ok look...How to get yourself a girlfriend is actually pretty simple if you know what women are looking for in a guy. To be honest, I can tell you right now WHY you haven't found a girlfriend yet.See, you may have found a special woman you WOULD LIKE to be with, but she just doesn't feel attracted to you.She does NOT feel the same way towards you than you do to her.How come?Because you didn't give a woman what she needs to feel sexually attracted to you. She may think you're a nice guy and a good friend, but that's as far as it goes. She doesn't see you as a potential boyfriend or lover.And that really sucks ... so we need to change that.So what are you doing wrong? What is it that makes women tell you that "you are a nice guy, but not really for her"?Well for once...you are a god-damn wussbag!A woman doesn't reject a man if he doesn't have anything to offer to a her like money, a muscular body, a fancy sports-car and good-looks. That's not the case even thought everybody thinks that way.It's not because women think you are a weirdo or you dress like a bum.It's not because you think all those stunning women are out of your league.There I something else.You haven't found a girlfriend or a woman that loves you for who you are because you are just being yourself...no, no.It's because women don't like men who act like wimps and clingy nice-guys.Now...READ MY LIPS: You are a wimp!!See, you have been YOURSELF all your life…and has it worked? Not really. But you don't want to become a different person either and I respect that. The good thing is, you won't have to change at all ... you just need to IMPROVE!I need to show you what really works with women, and give you the necessary knowledge and some of my killer dating tips that actually work in the real world.Not just any kind of dating tips...I am going to show you how ANYBODY, regardless of how rich, tall or handsome you are can meet and date the kind of women you always wanted!So why don't you have a girlfriend yet?Because nobody has ever told you what to do to successfully attract women. How could you? Most men aren't born with the gift of making women laugh, giggle and sweeping them off their feet.It is an art, and if you've never really understood why women pick certain men over others, you have some learning to do.So here's what I want you to do:STOP being a wuss!Don't kiss a woman's ass.Don't buy them drinks.Don't pay them any compliments.Don't invite them to dinner or to the movies.Don't bring flowers, chocolate, a cuddly-toy or ANYTHING at all!It only shows a woman that you are a clingy, needy nice-guy who wants to BUY a woman's affection…and attraction cannot be bought, EVER!If you do, she will either walk all over you or just tell you that you are a nice guy, but "let's rather be friends!". And here's another thing. The more you want sex from her, a long-term relationship or even just a kiss ... the less you will get it.Women don't like what they can have right away. If you are too pushy, needy and "easy-to-get", you are not a challenge for any woman and therefore BORING!The key is to be interesting!So STOP what you are doing RIGHT NOW...and get it right!Nick Shane is a street-smart Dating-Expert and author of the book "Playboyskool" and several other products that help regular guys like YOU become more successful with women and dating. He publishes a FREE online Dating Tips newsletter at http://www.Playboyskool.com
Category : News-and-Society:Dating

The Reliability of Spam Filters

2008-08-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

Author : David Simon

The only way to keep up with the latest about The Reliability
Spam Filters is to constantly stay on the lookout for new
information. If you read everything you find about The
Reliability Spam Filters, it won't take long for you to become
an influential authority.

Spam filters supposedly stop spam ,ails, phishing mails, which
are another type of spam that comes through the mailbox, but
pose more of a risk than other types of spam email.

Thus, if a phishing email comes to your in inbox and you provide
the sender with your information, you have put yourself at a
high risk of having your identity stolen. This means that you
must avoid these emails at all costs.

Internet service providers today claim to place high-security on
their services. However, AOL, Comcast, Verizon and other
services probably have less security than you might believe
especially with their default settings.

If you don't have accurate details regarding The Reliability
Spam Filters, then you might make a bad choice on the subject.
Don't let that happen: keep reading.

The fact is that spam emails and phishing emails especially put
the account holder at risk. The phishing mails are worse because
they appear to come from account providers, such as banks,
internet service providers and businesses. Thus, avoiding these
mails at all cost is part of filtering your mail. While AOL has
a spam filter integrated into its server, it still does not have
the power to stop the perpetrators completely if you fail to do
so yourself, you could end up at high-risk of having your
identity stolen.

If you think you have problems now just sorting through and
deleting those emails, just think of how much more trouble you
will have if you ever accidently answer one. You will have to
contact credit bureaus, cancel credit cards, and withdraw money
from your bank accounts.

Thus, the ultimate filter for reducing and getting rid of spam
or phishing emails is either to not answer them at all or to
remit a blank email to the sender.

Spam email filters may seem highly reliable, but do not
misunderstand that to mean that you now have the freedom to open
anything in your inbox without any scrutiny. Always take the
time to sort and separate your mail.

Is there really any information about The Reliability Spam
Filters that is nonessential? We all see things from different
angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be
crucial to another.

Category : Gardening

Halt Your Staffing Woes Through Outsourcing

2008-08-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

Author : James Crystal
Are you looking forward to expanding your business? Hiring new staff for any organization can be expensive especially when you want trained professionals to work for you. One way to get out of this dilemma is to outsource or lease staff for your company. Outsource staff for your company and see it grow and earn profits for you very rapidly. There are an increasing number of people who are switching jobs these days. In such a scenario staffing outsourcing is the solution to all your staffing woes.There are many companies which will provide you with such working professionals. There are different types of professionals available to help you run your business. Look out for a good outsourcing company to do the work for your business. The best aspect about outsourcing staffing is that it enables you to reduce the workload on your internal staff. This opens up the option for you to use their resources and time for developing other areas of your business.Outsourcing staffing is a cheap and effective means of developing a business organization. To hire a professional you must incur huge expenses. Not only this, you will not have to be bothered about employee payroll, employee benefits and such other things. You can also reduce the role of the HR personal in your company. This means fewer employee hiring headache for your firm.When you outsource staffing from developing countries like India and China it turns out to be very cheap for your business. This happens because the value of currency of your country is much higher in the developing countries. So even if you hire their services in half the amount you pay to your staff it is beneficial to you. Leasing employees for your company from an outsourcing firm can benefit your business immensely.There are many outsourcing companies which will cater to your firm's need of staffing. You can hire staffing depending on your business requirements. If you have a staffing requirement for a short period of time you can hire staffing on a temporary basis. Temporary staff outsourcing enables a company to meet heavy working deadline with minimum of cost.Outsourcing companies also provide you the option of hiring staffing on a long term basis for certain projects. Here there is no definite time frame of employment. Long term basis staff hiring is ideal for professionals who work in the technological sector. Hiring staff on a long term basis for a particular project will eventually prove to be beneficial to your company.Day by day the numbers of trained professionals are increasing in the developing countries. This has made the task of hiring and leasing staff all the more easy for you. You can hire their services for any aspect of your business. Staffing outsourcing companies are properly equipped to deal with all your requirements.James Crystal running a small scale outsourcing company (services: employee leasing, accounting outsourcing, tax return services) in New York.To know more about accounting outsourcing visit http://www.ifrworld.com
Category : Business:Outsourcing

World GPS Market Is Growing Rapidly

2008-08-11T05:00:00.001-07:00

Author : jmarriot

Europe has officially entered the GPS business. With the successful launch of the first GPS satellite of the continent, it's been benchmarked as amongst the prime zones of satellite vehicle. This launch is an evidence of Europe's capability of delivering ambitious projects to the benefit of its companies and citizens. It's found that EU's GPS systems are more powerful compared with Russia and U.S., as they've close resolution and are more accurate.GPS or Global Positioning System is a satellite based navigation system. It provides exact position of any object at any moment, in any weather, and at any place on earth. Satellites of a few networks orbit in space and send signals that a GPS receiver can detect. Accuracy of positioning of GPS points relies on the settings of the receiver. For instance, keeping the rovers GPS unit stationary, while gathering measurements, will provide greater accuracy. With this technique, any given GPS location can be calculated as all position measurements' average, thus reducing the impacts of anomalous measurements.There're many GPS receivers that are available on the market today, prices of these systems may range from just above US $130 to thousands of dollars. Military satellite transmissions are used by GPS to help you determine your position at a given point in time. They come in various sizes and offer an extensive range of functions.However, because the price of GPS technology has come down, many companies have found new applications of it. Also, associated technologies' prices have also dropped dramatically since GPS' inception, leading to many innovations such as GPS Tracking.For further information about GPS and its future prospects you may read "World Global Positioning Systems Market Forecast (2006-2008)" a report published by RNCOS at http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM029.htm RNCOS is an industry leader in the field of online business research. We specialize in industry research on various business verticals. To read our other reports, please visit us at: http://www.rncos.com/Report.htm or email us at info@rncos.com. To get the latest news on Mobile Industry worldwide, please visit our newly launched Blog section at http://www.rncos.com/Blog/mobile.html. RNCOS offers complete e-publishing solutions for your business. We provide personalized world-class content development and management solutions that are qualitative and result-oriented.

Category : General Technology

Learn How to Start a Debt Collection Business

2008-08-11T03:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Randy Wilson

It can be both worthwhile and profitable to learn How to Start a
Debt Collection Business. With growing consumer debt and
therefore a greater need now than ever for debt collectors, this
is a great time to break into the field and start on the road to
financial independence. Essentially, all a debt collector does
is help businesses collect delinquent debts through the
telephone and mail. This means low overhead and start up costs
making learning how to start a debt collection business a great
first step towards self employment and the freedom that comes
with it.

Estimated start up costs and pricing guidelines:
The
low overhead and start up costs make a debt collection business
an ideal choice for people looking to start their own business.
With a personal computer, cell phone, fax machine, and other
home office essentials such as a printer, a person has just
about all of the essential equipment for less than $1500 if they
shop around for bargains. But part of the start up costs should
include some allotment to pay online investigation companies to
help you track debtors.

While prices vary, a good rule of thumb is that learning how to
start a debt collection agency will generally net you 20-30% of
what you collect on the behalf of business clients. Of course
debt is classified and if you start out trying to collect older
debts, there is the chance that the commission can go as high as
50% or even 60%. Of course the commissions are higher because
the chances of collecting these older debts is less. All told,
pricing generally depends on the likelihood of collecting the
debt and that is generally based upon the age of the debt.

Recommended experience, skills, and training:
Without
question, it is a mistake to think about learning how to start a
debt collection agency if you do not have any debt collection
experience. The industry demands a lot of patience, empathy, and
a fairly thick skin in order to have a decent chance for
success. If you have not experienced the demands and stress
involved in debt collection, then you may at least want to
consult with some people in the industry before thinking about a
business in this field.

Marketing tips:
As other businesses will be your
potential clients, you are going to want to create and maintain
a website that looks as professional as possible. Budget
permitting, you may want to hire a website creator and a
freelance writer to help you create the best website possible
and achieve higher search engine rankings. You will also want a
listing in the Yellow Pages and it may be a good idea to join
local networking groups to help you in spreading the word about
your company.

Financing sources:
Being a home based business in
most cases (at least in the beginning), financing options are
limited and a conventional business loan from a bank will be
difficult to obtain. However, with good credit and a well
conceived business plan, it is possible to receive a business
loan from your local bank. Grants from the local, state, and
federal governments are available and can actually be a great
source of financing. If this is not an option for you then you
may have to learn how to start a debt collection agency with
your savings or the generosity of friends and family.

Income Potential:
The income potential for the first
full year of operations can be in the high five to low six
figures. Depending on the type of debts you attempt to collect
and the fees you are able to negotiate, debt collection can
truly be a very profitable business. If you are wanting to know
more about how to start a debt collection business, a good book
to consult is "Start a Home Based Collection Agency," by Robert
Bill.

Category : Home & Family

Identity Theft Scams

2008-08-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Author : James H. Dimmitt
Identity Theft scams continue to flourish on the web. One that you need to be aware of and beware of is any site that seems to be selling high-demand items (digital cameras for instance) at a much lower (almost unbelievable) price than you can find on other sites or the manufacturerâ™s site.Often the victimâ™s are told to pay nothing until they receive the merchandise. The person behind the scam uses the victimâ™s name and a credit card number belonging to another person to purchase the item at a legitimate site.Once the item is shipped, the victim then authorizes his credit card to be billed or sends payment directly to the scammer. The scammer has now put you in the position of being in receipt of stolen merchandise while they get away with your money.Another scam that still seems to be working is being contacted through e-mail by someone claiming to be from your credit card company, your internet service provider, Paypal, or Ebay.The scammer will send a message stating that your account information needs to be verified because their files were hacked into, their database crashed or they believe that someone has tried to steal your account information and they want to verify your information in order to protect your account. The con artist then uses the information supplied to âœverifyâ your account to run up fraudulent charges.NEVER give personal information to a company, such as AOL or Ebay, that already has it. If you are suspicious about being contacted, contact the company yourself before giving out any personal information.About The AuthorÂ© 2003, Your Free Credit Report NowAuthor: James H. Dimmitt.Get your FREE credit report online now and subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter âœTO YOUR CREDITâ.Visit http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com for more information.jimdim815@aol.com
Category : Relationships

League Two Season Preview 2006/07 - Rochdale

2008-08-10T03:00:00.001-07:00

Author : David Walker
RochdaleOdds: 40/1Last Five Seasons
2005/06 - 14 (League Two), 2004/05 - 9 (League Two), 2003/04 - 21 (League Two), 2002/03 - 19 (League Two), 2001/02 - 5 (League Two).2005/06 Cup Progress
FA Cup First Round vs Brentford (h) - lost 1-0.
Carling Cup First Round vs Bradford City (h) - lost 5-0.
Football League Trophy Northern Section Secon Round vs Tranmere Rovers (a) - lost 3-2.Top Goal Scorer 2005/06: Rickie Lambert (striker) - 22 goals.Players In
Adam Rundle (Mansfield Town - Free).Players Out
Paul Tait (Boston United - Free), Tony Gallimore (Northwich Victoria - Free), Gareth Griffiths (Northwich Victoria - Free), Neil Brisco (Released), Blair Sturrock (Released), Scott Warner (Released), Ben Kitchen (Released), Lee Cartwright (Released).Rochdale have been an inconsistent side over the last few seasons in League Two. One season they look as though they could make an impact in the play offs and the next they are languishing in mid table. Last season was the latter even with Rickie Lambert's 22 goal haul.The former Blackpool, Macclesfield Town and Stockport County striker gave manager Steve Parkin some good news by stating he was ready to commit his long term future to the Spotland club.Manager Steve Parkin claimed that the club's player budget "is like feeding a family of five for a week on a tenner" and admitting defeat in his attempts to sign his pre season transfer targets. He has been able to sign Mansfield Town winger Adam Rundle but has been forced to rely on trialists to make up the numbers.Rochdale are often stereotyped as potential strugglers in the basement division but this season the pessimists have a real case to argue. Much of the last four seasons have been spent in the lower reaches of the table while a win in their 44th match last season escalated Dale to a fourteenth placed finish14th last season. This result went some way to masking a shocking run of just four wins in 27 matches stretching back to November 2005.Parkin has shipped out several older members of the squad including defensive duo Tony Gallimore and Gareth Griffiths - combined age of 70 - to Conference outfit Northwich Victoria and released 34 year old midfielder Lee Cartwright.Verdict
Rickie Lambert's decision to remain at the club is positive news for Rochdale but a lack of real transfer activity and a dire run of form indicates they could be in genuine danger of falling into one of the two available relegation spots. Speculative punters may want to get on to the 8/1 available.David Walker runs a Totalbet free bet website. You can enjoy free live football during the 2006/07 season.
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Soccer

"Death in the Family" - Lyrical Novel Written by James Rufus Agee

2008-08-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Aaron Schwartz
"Death in the Family" is a deep, lyrical novel written by James Rufus Agee in 1955 and published posthumously in two years quickly became a literary classic and had a great impact on the modern literature. In 1959 it won Pulitzer Prize. Demanding critics and unsophisticated readers appreciate this deep survey of human feelings and emotions in a crisis situation written with peculiar to Agee passion, penetration and realism. The novel is almost completely autobiographical and shows the life of the small boy Rufus and his family after the death of his father in an absurd car crash. This deeply felt novel is shown mainly through the eyes of Rufus – six-year-old boy. That is the author himself in the childhood. The story became so lively and realistic because it was achieved through suffering by James Agee. True art must come only from the depth of the soul and should be suffered by the author. And that is the case with the novel "Death in the Family". The author aimed to find the answers for eternal questions of life, death, love first of all for himself and due to this sincerity his narrations attracted attention of the readers. He managed to return many years back to his childhood and to recall the event which has influenced him so much. It's a story about a special time and a special place with a special set of values that are largely forgotten now. But not the outer world is in the focus of the attention of the author. The main value of the work is a detailed observation of the inner world of the people and their emotional experiences. A difficult task was set up by the author – to depict autobiographical events from his past and to stay unprejudiced, to reveal his pain and internal conflict and to stay an observer. But the task was accomplished brilliantly and "Death in the Family" - poetic meditation about the life has appeared. The people there are described like individual universes that care about each other and really appreciate the genuine treasure of human care and communication."Death in the Family" is rather a deep novel than a wide one. It penetrates deeply and illuminates in detail the impact of the father's dearth on a child and his family. The parents in the novel are modeled from the real parents of James Rufus and he shows them again as they were seen by a little six-year-old boy. Main subjects touched in the novel include the psychological conflicts of the family life, children's perception of them, and the confrontation of two volume systems, two different worlds. An idealistic picture of the ideal family in the beginning is disturbed by the confrontation and quarrels between the parents and finally turns to crisis. The death of the father (Jay Follet) became a central action of the novel. The writer shows how a fragile world of happiness can be easily destroyed. Compiling the viewpoints of Mary Follet, Jay's wife, Andrew, his brother, and son Rufus, using flashbacks the author creates an overwhelming story of innocence, tenderness, love and faith. The prose text is written in a special peculiar to Agee manner and is full of music in prose.The main external conflict of the novel is a conflict between two worlds represented by two parents of Rufus. Agee remembered his father as a lively, enthusiastic and loving person not burdened with moral teachings and dogmas. And that is how he's described him in the book. But there was a dark sport on his bright personality. His drinking habits became the source of the quarrels in the family and were a subject of a great concern of his wife. Being socially conscious and very religious, she was presented another world. Her world was the world of extreme subjection to moralistic attitudes and blind faith. Mary Follet finds the consolation in pray and refuses sometimes to see the real world around. And was a reason for the quarrels and misunderstanding in the family as her husband Jay wasn't even baptized. Religious faith became a source of tension in their otherwise strong and close marriage. Their difference in the perception of religion is immense and finally becomes an abyss which separates them forever. And a small boy finds himself in the middle of this conflict and can not stay indifferent of course. The conflict of his parents' that surrounds a boy in his childhood will become an internal conflict in his further life and it will take him a life to get to terms with it. And it's symbolic also that Agee's last unfinished work illuminates it. The division between the faith and temporal will tear his soul and the search of the golden mean will take him a life. "Death in the Family" could be regarded as an attempt to find the origins of the internal conflict of all his life. But that's not the only conflict which's drifted from his childhood. A feeling that father's behavior and drinking could become the reason of the crash which's taken his life poisoned his light memories and turned him to the side of his dominating mother. All this tendencies can be traced in the novel.And of course it's an author's confession where he touches vital for him problems of religion and faith. Taking the position of an observer, the author doesn't give us a direct appraisal but puts his thoughts in the mouths of the characters of the novel. In his effort to be unbiased he gives illuminates this question from the different sides thought his characters. The point of view in the narrative shifts back and forth between characters and in each scene it shows us only what the particular character feels.A conflict presented by Rufus's parents Mary and Jay, a conflict between religious and agnostic outlook growths into the conflict between the members of the family after the sudden death of Jay. Now it's a contradiction between Mary and Aunt Hannah's Catholicism and Joel and Andrew's skepticism. After the tragedy this conflict becomes especially evident due to the different attitude to the tragedy. Everybody is seeking for consolation of course. But they all seek it in different things. Mary and Hannah turn as usually to religion and pray. Mary's frantic prayers and eagerness to accept God's will are balanced to Hannah's silent restraint. Mary's first reaction on the accident was an effort to blame herself and to see an accident as a punishment of God. But she quickly puts aside this dangerous thought and turns to self-pity and usual to her religiousness. Her aunt Hannah is the most helpful and the most sympathetic to her piety. Hannah is unite with her in her thoughts. But she lives out the tragedy in silence. She doesn't complain and doesn't look for anybody guilty. She is obedient to God's will. "The most characteristic words describing her position are: I don't think it's a kind of thing that can be prepared for; it just has to be lived through." That is how she perceives the death and lives and behaves accordingly to this principle. She tries to escape in religion and routine actions. A very characteristic of her behavior is a scene where she is in a hurry to take the hat off Rufus's heard before his mother tells the children about their father's death. Even blinded with grief she tries to follow the norms and ceremonies. She is the one who takes care of the children before the funeral and keeps everything in order.
But not everybody can find the consolation in the religion. Joel, Mary's father can not accept the death of a young and healthy man in the prime of life and disagrees this cruel will of God by any means. He accuses God of killing men "for sport" like boys do to flies.Feeling helpless in front of the grief he tells to himself "People can only get through these things by being blind at least half the time." He and Andrew, Mary's brother are deprived of the possibility to look for the consolation in the religion.In contrast Joel blames cruel God and Andrew decries heartless priests presented in the book by father John.
A contradiction between two ways of thinking is depicted in all detail in a very profound scene in the Follets' house when Mary and Hanna can feel the presence of Joel's spirit in the house as it passes through the room. Touched to tears, they see it as an opportunity to say last good bye to their dear person. And that raises the conflict again between them and Mary's brother Andrew and father Joel, who don't believe in God and don't feel the presence of the spirit. This episode shows very neatly the confrontation of their value systems and attitude to religion. Mary's and Hanna's blind faith close to fanaticism is contrasted to Joel's and Andrew's agnosticism. Subconsciously or intentionally, but Mary has repeated the destiny of her mother getting married with a person who didn't share her faith and religious beliefs.Another conflict arises after the death of Jay. That is a conflict with Jay's brother Ralph. Mary's family declines all his suggestions in his sincere wish to be helpful organizing the funeral. That only reinforces confrontation between their families.It's also interesting to mention that all the women of the novel are religious and all the male representatives of the family are agnostic and skeptical. This way Andrew goes even further than his father in his disbelief. He is even cynic in his judgments and very quick to determine the sanctimoniousness of the representatives of the church.The question of the attitude to the religion is one of the crucial ones touched in the book. Agee's attitude towards Catholicism is shown through the eyes of the children. Small Rufus and Catherine don't like the priest Father Jackson who visits Mary Follet, their mother. Children are always the best indicators of truth ands sincerity. It's impossible to cheat on them as they perceive things not rationally but emotionally and intuitionally. And in the case with Father Jackson he is perceived as an "unpleasant" and "unkind" priest by small Rufus. After listening to the conversation of the priest with their mother children at once feel his insincerity and hard-heartedness. They feel as he was aiming to hurt and defeat their mother instead of giving her expected help and support. The children are even afraid of Father Jackson, the person meant to give the light and hope to the people in the difficult moments of their lives.
Mary feels lost and devastated after the talk with Father Jackson. That's a very symbolic moment as it shows that even the most religious person can be overwhelmed and suppressed by the attitude of the church representatives. And Rusus and Catherine are the first ones to notice that. Rufus even thinks that father would have killed the priest if he only were alive.Finally Father Jackson refuses to read the full burial service, since Jay has never been baptized. The grief of the family doesn't change his decision. As opposed to insincerity and hypocritical strictness of the priest a friend of the family Walter Starr tells hearty words to the children about their father and describes him as a good, warm hearted person who had a great understanding of humanity. His speech sounds like the antipode to the formal and settled answers of Father Jackson though they are trying to explain one and the same thing.Another contrast to Father Jackson is created by Andrew - Mary's brother who doesn't believe in God. He reviles Father Jackson for his refusal to give to Jay full burial rites. Not knowing about that, Andrew creates another contradiction in the mind of a small boy. Rufus is eager to understand the hostility that Andrew feels toward the church at the same time as he loves Catholics such as Mary and Hannah with all his heart.
And that is Andrew, who tells Rufus about a "miraculous" event. He has noticed a butterfly sitting in the coffin as it was lowered into the grave. He sees a good sign in that. And that's not in vain. During his life Jay was full of life, he was a life himself and it gave his last kind smile to him with the help of the butterfly. The life itself gave him its blessing despite the disapproval of the church and priests who sometimes can not see a real picture because of their dogmas and canons. This small light of hope was noticed by Andrew. This bright symbol is a brilliant boon of Agee and his swear in his eternal love to his father.It's a sad story of hope. It shows a tragedy of the family but it doesn't leave us devastated and hopeless. It's a unique book that shows us a sad but inevitable experience of coping with the death of the dear people. It shows all the stages of despair, hope and coming back to life. That was a crucial event in the life of the author and the idea to describe it appeared in his mind when he was sixteen but it took him so many years to it a reality.Agee found a wonderful way to dramatize the way the family could overcome the great tragedy, to fill the vacuum caused by the death of the father. The situation described in the book is tragic but common for our life and it gives us essential lessons which teach us how to overcome a grief like that. A unity which is finally achieved by the members of the family can give us a wonderful example of finding the way out. The tragedy of loosing a dear one is not as interesting as the way the family overcomes that. They find the courage to go on and forces to live. And that is the most important lesson of the book.The book is written that way that can not leave anyone indifferent. Agee appeals to our deepest and strongest feelings. The plot of the story is secondary in comparison to the emotional filling of the characters, details, symbols. And despite the religious problems enlightened in the novel, the author has avoided using clichés and moralizing on the topic. Everything depicted in the novel is a result of Agee's life experience lived out and felt deeply by him. And we also live it out while reading the book.Aaron is a professional freelance writer at custom essays writing service: Buy custom essays
Now he is a technical writer, advertising copywriter, & website copywriter for Custom Essay Network.
Category : Shopping:Book-Reviews

A Guide To Malignant Mesothelioma

2008-08-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Richard Romando

Malignant mesothelioma is usually a fatal disease. Often by the time it is diagnosed, the cancer has spread extensively, even though the patient may not have had any earlier symptoms. Malignant mesothelioma affects about 2,000 people each year in the US. It is a fast-spreading cancer, but there are several treatment methods.Research is being undertaken to alleviate the pain and other symptoms, to improve the quality of life for sufferers, and to find cures for this devastating disease. Life expectancy rates for sufferers normally range from approximately nine months to a year after diagnosis. This can be improved to two, or in rare cases five years with extensive and aggressive treatment, if the cancer is detected early.Malignant mesothelioma is usually caused by exposure to asbestos, a carcinogenic material used in construction. A few cases are due to exposure to a mineral silicate called zeolite, or to thorotrast, which was used in the pre-1960s as a radiation contrast dye to enable blood vessels show up on X-rays. The three main types of malignant mesothelioma are epithelial, sarcomatoid and mixed. The most common type is epithelial mesothelioma. Once malignant mesothelioma has been diagnosed, the next step is to determine what stage the disease has progressed to. This helps to fix how extensively the tumor has spread. There are four levels of the staging. Stage I responds best to treatment, as in this stage the tumor is limited to the pleural lining of the chest. CT scans and MRIs are used to determine the extent of the spread of the tumorous cells, and what treatment is best suited to the case. The disease usually affects the mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. Most cases of mesothelioma affect the pleura that lines the chest cavity and the lungs. Mesothelioma can also affect the peritoneum, which covers the abdominal cavity. In rare cases, it can affect the pericardium, which covers the heart. Mesothelioma provides detailed information on malignant mesothelioma, asbestos and mesothelioma, mesothelioma, mesothelioma research and more. Mesothelioma is affliated with Malignant Mesothelioma Diagnosis.

Category : General Medical: Cancer

Why Choose an Electric Fire

2008-08-09T07:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Karen Duke
Long Used in Europe...Electric fires are growing dramatically in popularity in the United States. All sizes, styles, colors and types of electric hearth products are now available including stoves that mimic a wood or coal burner, electric fireplaces complete with mantels, inserts to retrofit into an existing fireplaces and wall-mounted electric fires that require no floor space and offer a fun, contemporary style.FLICKERING FLAMESTechnology continues to develop electric fires into a mesmerizing, believable fire. A visitor to your home may have no idea that the gently flickering flame is actually made by electricity!GOES ANY WHERE!Old, disabled chimneys are not a problem with electric fireplaces. No venting is required - installation literally is as easy as plugging in a television. And unlike vent-free gas products, electric fires have NO fumes. So if you have a room that could use a bit of extra charm, think electric! There's a size and style that's right for any size, any decor.WANT A FIRE WITHOUT HEAT?The dancing flame produced by an electric fire provides a warm, soothing glow in any room. Enjoy a "fire" no matter the season by using the fireplace with the heater turned off, then flip a button for variable heat settings to remove the chill.ECONOMICALNo special preparation is needed to install an electric fireplace. Electric fires use a regular household, 3-prong electrical outlet. Spare the expense of running gas lines and chimneys with a plug-in fire. They're cheap to operate too - about 2-3 cents an hour on the "flame only" setting, about 7-8 cents an hour when you run the heater. When you do the math for cost per btu for wood, oil or gas, you'll likely find that electric fireplaces, at 100% efficiency, may be your most economical choice to heat small rooms or to supplement central heating at a lower thermostat setting.SAFETYMost electric fires have no hot surfaces so they're a safer choice to use around pets, children and seniors. Add an electric fireplace to baby's nursery or grandma's room to keep the temperature cozy for them while lowering the thermostat in other parts of the house.HEATS GREATElectric fires provide enough heat (4500-5000 btu average) to serve as the sole source of heat for a room size of about 400 square feet. They're great for sun porches that lack central heat. They also may help you save money - turn down your central heating thermostat then turn up the electric fire in the family room, den, bedroom - where ever you find yourself cozying up on a chilly day.PORTABLESmall electric stoves that look like their woodburning counterparts are available in light-weight resin or wood construction that enable you to move them from room to room when needed. An electric fireplace insert can be used to convert your wood burning fireplace to electric, and can easily be slid out and stored away if the mood strikes and you'd like to burn real firewood, or if your power goes out and emergency heating is needed.Think of All the Places Where These Fireplaces are the Perfect AnswerWhere there is no operable fireplace or chimney.Bedrooms, bathrooms, nursery, sun porch, foyer or kitchen.Nursing Homes, high rise buildings: offices, boardrooms, reception rooms.Rental properties, condos & apartments.Small rooms that don't have large heating needs or where a little supplemental heat is needed.*This article copyrighted by THE FIREPLACE CHANNELKaren Duke is a fireplace, chimney and hearth industry expert of over 25 years in both the retail and service sectors. She is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and has numerous hearth industry certifications. She is the founder and webmaster of http://www.TheFireplaceChannel.com and she is the co-founder and webmaster of http://www.TheVictorianFireplace.com, which is one of the largest online fireplace retailers in the world. She makes her home in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Karen's contact information can be found on either of the above sites.
Category : Home-and-Family:Home-Appliances

PPC Affiliate Programs

2008-08-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Zac Radford

Ppc affiliate programs are very common to see on a website. Ppc
affiliate programs are can be very useful providing your website
with content & earning free advertising credits. By adding a
free search bar to your website, you can generate a lot of free
traffic for every search & click done. Here are some ppc
affiliate programs pro's & con's.

Pro With most ppc affiliate programs, after you join they will
give you a HTML code to place on your website for a fast & easy
setup. Once the free search bar is up and running you can start
earning credits towards ppc search engine advertising. Think of
the savings you don't have to pay for targeted ppc advertising
no more. On most ppc affiliate programs you earn $0.05 per
search and $0.10 per click done from the free search bar on your
website. Say you earn only $1.00 a day, I know that doesn't
sound like a lot but if your keyword is "web hosting" @ $0.01
per click for top position that's 100 unique targeted visitors
to your website to help you earn more ppc advertising credits &
buy your products.

Con Ppc affiliate programs can be blamed for one of the main
reason there so much click fraud on the Internet today.

Pro Ppc affiliate programs have worked harder then every to
put a stop to click fraud by tracing different ip address to
make sure all clicks are unique visitors. So the advertiser do
not get scammed for there money or earnings.

Pro Ppc affiliate programs provide your visitors with free
content and enabling search capabilities on your website
allowing visitors to do research or to help find something there
looking for. By using a quality ppc affiliate program you get
quality content that keep your visitors coming back daily to
find what they need.

As you can see they are more pros then cons when it comes to
ppc affiliate programs. If you already have a website and it
doesn't have search capabilities you're missing out on free
advertising & building customer appreciation by providing them
with a free service allowing them to get what they want when
they want it. Ppc affiliate programs is an easy way to help jump
star your online business.

Paid Results

Category : Biking

Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers

2008-08-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

Author : ebook2k6

Everyone knows how popular the Michael Jordan shoes are. People from all over the world throng to the shops to buy a pair; children save their monthly allowances to be able to afford one and wherever sales are declared, the places are mobbed. Cashing on this high demand for these lovely sneakers, now a cheaper variety is floating in the market coming from Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers. These suppliers act on the tremendous leverage the market gives them and have produced genuine replicas that are available at a fraction of the cost.Of course, when you deal with replicas it is very important that you understand that this is not the original you are buying so you will not have exactly the same features that you get with the originals. However, the Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers can provide you with great quality at a very nominal price. In fact the sales of these replicas are so high in places that local manufacturers are trying to make replicas of these replicas!There are many advantages when you buy the replicas over the original though I am not in any way saying that you should choose the replica over the original. The advantages are that first of all you get it at a much reasonable rate it is affordable. The Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers have duplicated it well with the local raw- material which makes it viable for them to sell these sneakers at a fraction of their original cost. This is indeed great news for those who have limited finances and still want to look trendy. It takes a really well trained eye to differentiate between these lovely replicas (www.urbanhotlist.com) and the originals.The other advantage is its availability. These shoes, unlike the original Jordans, are available in most shoe shops where anyone can pick up a pair. The Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers (www.urbanhotlist.com) supply these shoes as replicas and not under a fake name or something which makes it completely comfortable to be sold anywhere. Like the sale of a copy of Channel dress or an Armani replica. They are available and saleable as Jordan sneakers. It is important to know in this case that the replicas are genuine. And this is not as easy as you would think because the replicas are not really a brand name. And anyone can replicate these shoes and not all the replicas are good replicas.The companies that produce good replicas are mostly based in China and one amongst the best there are the Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers who not only produce great quantities but also very good quality shoes. So you need to go to only genuine shops on line or off line who can to a certain extent guarantee a certain level of quality. Otherwise, you will risk investing in bad quality shoes which will not serve to any purpose.Hong Kong Jordan Suppliers are among the best replica suppliers in the market today. There are few places which boast of direct contacts with these Chinese suppliers and you are lucky if you get in touch with them as only then you can get good looking Jordan replica sneakers, which are almost as good as the originals.

Category : General Advertising

All of a Sudden-Performance Problems Resolved With Performance Coaching

2008-08-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Richard L Williams
How many times have you heard someone say the words, "It happened all of a sudden?" In my career as a manager, executive, consultant, psychologist and even a two-year stint as a human resource manager I can't begin to count the number of times people have complained that something happened "all of a sudden." Do things really happen suddenly, or do they usually begin slowly over time, gathering momentum. For example, consider performance problems with employees—do they begin "all of a sudden" or do they usually start gradually as small disturbances and gain seriousness and complexity over time? If you've been a manager for even a few months I'm sure you'll agree that few problems actually happen "all of a sudden." Most escalate over time gaining not only complexity, but also seriousness.So why then do so many managers claim that performance problems happen "all of sudden?" In my experience it happens because of three reasons. The first is that some managers are literally unaware of their employees' problems. Perhaps they have distanced themselves too much from their employees to be aware of what is going on, or they have turned a "blind-eye" to what is really going on in the work place. In any event, a manager must be close enough to his or her employees to know what is going on. Without that closeness, there is little chance of preventing small problems from festering into large ones.The second reason is managers who believe that problems can fix themselves if they left alone. This is called problem self-resolution. Now think about it, how many times in the day-to-day managing of people can you turn your back on a problem and expect it to go a way? Granted, in some rare situations some problems may fix themselves, but in most situations what happens to the problem? Doesn't it begin to grow? Doesn't it get more complex? Doesn't it begin to involve more people and more processes? The truth is that problem self-resolution is a cancer that can be the downfall of a manager. It's necessary and important to delegate the appropriate tools and responsibilities to your employees. You cannot sit back and merely hope that the problem will somehow magically fix itself. That rarely ever happens in business today.The third reason is managers whose temperament is non-confrontational, thus they are fearful of having conflict with employees. So as a result they tend to avoid situations where they need to discuss performance problems with employees. These situations avoided over time can cause minor problems to grow into major problems. Confronting a small issue with an employee is much easier and far more effective than procrastinating then having to confront that same employee with a large issue at a later time. Part of being a manager is having the courage to confront issues when it's timely, necessary and appropriate.So what does this mean? And how does this relate to you? It's far easier to deal with and resolve small problems than it is big problems. Small problems typically involve a few people and one or two processes. Large problems involve many people and a lot of processes. Many times a small problem can be resolved in a few minutes through performance coaching, but a big problem can be so complex that it can literally take weeks, months and even years to resolve. Then, consider of the cost of resolution. Waiting, for whatever reason, can be very expensive.From my experience with retails stores, I've observed how front-end bag expense can begin as a small problem as baggers and checkers fail to pay close attention to the number of bags used for each order. If items per bag decrease over a four-month period from an average of 6.5 items per bag to 5.5 items per bag, the front-end manager has a small problem. But if he or she ignores the problem for any of the three reasons described above the problem could grow to a larger problem in succeeding months. If the problem did grow to an average of 4.5 items per bag, then the front-end manager would have a substantially larger problem to solve, which would take a longer time to fix.If the front-end manager was monitoring items per bag on a regular basis and were aware of the decline from 6.5 to 6.0, then he or she could begin an intervention to identify the causes of the performance problem and solve it early, rather than waiting until the problem was much larger. Waiting several months while even more people form bad habits would make the solution much more difficult as compared to jumping in early and resolving the problem while it was in its infancy. Stated in another way: early can be simple, quick and cheap; later is often complex, difficult and expensive.It's been my experience that, "There ain't no such thing as all of a sudden." Very few performance problems begin as large problems. Most begin as manageable issues solved by simple performance coaching. I liked the statement so much that I've quoted it many times in the years since that class. The statement is right: "There ain't no such thing as all of a sudden." In management, problems tend to begin as small manageable issues. Then, if left alone, and unsolved they grow into major problems that drive managers nuts. As managers it's our responsibility to identify those problems while they are small and in their infancy and then deal with them quickly and decisively. That's what makes good
managers great.Dr. Richard L. Williams is a business consultant specializing in performance coaching, quality improvement, team development, and leadership development. Be sure to check out our website or reach us at 888-262-2499.
Category : Self-Improvement:Coaching

Divorce--How to Beat the System

2008-08-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Ed Sherman
Of course you want to get your Judgment--that's the goal of your legal divorce--but you don't want to go through the adversarial legal system to get it. You don't want to get all tangled up with lawyers and courts, because the system is designed to work against you.You don't go through the legal system, you go around it. You work outside the legal system to make arrangements and reach an agreement with your spouse.By doing things yourself, you have far more control and far better solutions. Working outside the legal system is the way you get a low-conflict, low-impact, higher quality divorce.To stay outside the legal system, do not retain an attorney. Neither spouse should retain one. The key word is "retain." We're not saying you should never get help from an attorney if you want it, just that you should not retain an attorney unless you have no other choice. If you follow the steps in my series of divorce articles, you may not need any help at all from an attorney. If you do, you will know how to keep it limited and under control.Retaining an attorney means turning over both your responsibility for your case and control of it. The attorney represents you. You sign a retainer agreement, then you pay $1,000 to $5,000 "on retainer" and your attorney has now taken over control of your case. This is what they mean when they say, "I'll take your case."And they do take your case--right into the high-conflict, low-solution legal system. They have to; it's the law.Because you don't want to go into a system that works so hard against you, you must not retain an attorney unless you have no other choice. You should retain an attorney if you are facing immediate threat of harm. You need an attorney if you:

Believe your spouse poses a danger to you, your children or your property;Can't get support from your spouse and have no way to live;Think your spouse is transferring, selling or hiding assets.
In such cases, you should get a good attorney right away; otherwise, you only want an attorney for information, advice and maybe some drafting and paperwork.The attorney retainer is the poison apple--don't bite it.If you feel uneasy about not retaining an attorney, don't worry; in the rest of my articles, you are going to learn very effective things you can do for yourself and how to get help if you need it.There are three different kinds of cases that respond to self-help techniques:

No agreement between the spouses is needed;An agreement will be fairly easy to work out; An agreement is needed but it may not be easy to work one out.

No agreement needed or spouse not involved. In some cases, an agreement between the spouses either isn't necessary or is not possible. In some cases, this is because there are no children, very little property, few debts to worry about, no need for support--in short, nothing to agree to. There are also cases where the Respondent simply will not participate and will not file a Response. Respondent is either long gone or simply doesn't care. This case will be relatively easy to complete.Agreement needed. Most couples, however, do need an agreement or should have one. If you have children, you should work out a good parenting plan in a written agreement. If you have income or property worth protecting, or lots of debts to be paid, or if you need to work out spousal or child support arrangements, you should definitely have a written agreement. If Respondent is involved and cares how the divorce is going to be arranged, you should have an agreement.Agreement will be easy to work out. If you think it will be no problem for you and your spouse to work out an agreement, the rest of this lesson is about the many advantages of a good agreement.Agreement may not come easily. This describes the situation for most couples going through divorce. If, like most people, you don't think you can deal with your spouse, don't worry--see my articles on how to deal with disagreement and negotiate a settlement. You will learn that the things you can do to help yourself are far more effective than anything a traditional attorney can do for you. You will learn about the obstacles to agreement and how to overcome them, how to negotiate effectively with your spouse, and where to get help if you have trouble with the negotiations.Advantages to an agreementThe marital settlement agreement (MSA) is your key to avoiding lawyers and the legal system, but that's not all--it has many other important advantages. Your MSA actually becomes your Judgment. It is either attached to and incorporated in the Judgment or the Judgment will be written to include all the terms of your agreement.With a good MSA you get total control over your Judgment because you decide all the terms ahead of time. Without an agreement, you can't be sure exactly what some judge might do. The MSA has far more depth, detail, flexibility and protection than a plain Judgment. Almost anything that's on your mind or in your lives can be included and resolved any way you like.Some states, like California, have simplified procedures that allow you to get your divorce without going to court--if you have an agreement. Without an agreement, you almost certainly will have to go to a hearing to get your Judgment.What's most important is that you get a better divorce outcome when you work out an agreement. And with an agreement, people tend to heal faster and it just plain feels better.The agreement you are about to negotiate is very valuable and worth working very hard to get. If you work it out with your spouse outside the system, you beat the system!The Main Message: To beat the legal system, you don't go through it, you go around it. These are your keys to the high road:

you and your spouse work out an agreementoutside the legal systemwithout either spouse retaining an attorney.

You can get advice from attorneys, you can get an attorney/mediator to help you work out your agreement, but you do not retain an attorney to handle your divorce unless the attorneys on both sides are committed to a collaborative process.Once you have an agreement, you have an uncontested case and there's nothing left to do but red tape and paperwork. If you don't need an agreement, so much the better; just do the paperwork and you're done.If you're having trouble reaching agreement, read my articles on this topic starting with The Five Obstacles to Agreement.

Copyright 2005 Ed ShermanEd Sherman is a family law attorney, divorce expert, and founder of Nolo Press. He started the self-help law movement in 1971 when he published the first edition of How to Do Your Own Divorce, and founded the paralegal industry in 1973. With more than a million books sold, Ed has saved the public billions of dollars in legal fees while making divorce go more smoothly and easily for millions of readers. You can order his books from http://www.nolodivorce.com or by calling (800) 464-5502.
Category : News-and-Society:Divorce

Myths of Public Speaking: #1 You'll Always Be Nervous

2008-08-07T15:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Paul Evans
You may feel that you will always be nervous as a public speaker, but it's not true unless you have a disorder. I know some speakers who brag about still being nervous even after doing the same speech for ten years. Please. I don't need that kind of pressure. Part of the problem is that we fail to recognize the difference in excitement and anxiety. Discover the difference and your public speaking will take a turn to greater confidence.Excitement: This is an opportunity to help people.Anxiety: I hope I don't mess up.Excitement: This is a solid presentation that is easily applied.Anxiety: Is this a bunch of confusing garble? Will anyone know what I'm talking about?Excitement: This is a new crowd. They'll be getting the best material for the first time!Anxiety: This is a new crowd. If I blow it, I'll never be invited back.The more you speak the less nervous and the more excited you will (should) become. It's possible to reach a level of zero nerves and while sensing a positive confidence. This is what athletes and top speakers call "the zone." It's a place where the presentation flows seamlessly without conscious effort.These are the keys to making the switch from anxiety to excitement…#1. Speak for experience, not just speaking experience. Speaking does more than give you experience with your words. More importantly it will help you learn to handle various situations. You discover what to do when the audience doesn't laugh. When a point doesn't connect. When technology fails. When the room is not set up right. You will begin to realize that you are more concerned about these issues than the audience ever will be. And it relaxes you.#2. Live your message. Many speakers stay nervous over time because they have good information, but they don't live it. Deep down we know if we are being honest with the audience or not. If we're not, if we compile a stack of information and try to go in and act like an expert, we should be nervous. "Live your message" sounds cliché, but don't be fooled. There is an unmistakable difference between the speaker with real passion and contrived enthusiasm.#3. Grasp the value of your message to the audience. What are you giving an audience that they can't easily find elsewhere? That can emerge in the form of information, style, relevance, practicality, experience, and the like. When I speak I work extensively with the planner to make sure I will deliver what that particular audience specifically needs. That instantly increases the value of the talk. It's adapted, but not canned.#4. Reflect on each engagement positively. Process each event for what you can learn and apply next time. What to avoid and what to expand. Don't get so emotionally involved that you think things like, "I was so embarrassed! I'll never speak again." Our minds magnify encounters and make them much better or worse than reality. Refuse to get caught in the trap of negative evaluation.Practicing those four areas will give you confidence. You do not have to keep getting nervous. You will not be nervous for the rest of your speaking life. Ultimately it will come down to belief. Those who believe they will always be nervous will always be nervous. Those who don't believe, won't. And that's not oversimplified.Paul Evans helps over 24,000 people and companies each week with their Public Speaking He also publishes a multimedia newsletter for Presentation Skill Training.
Category : Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking

Creating the Counsellor Mindset: Part Three

2008-08-06T13:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Pedro T Gondim
Stage Three: Dealing with Challenging SituationsOne of the foremost challenges facing counselling professionals is to understand the complex role that diversity plays in their work. In counselling, each client's needs and objectives should be considered and used to guide the counselling process. These needs vary for each individual according to factors such as personality, culture, gender and age.Counselling with Difference
It is vital that counsellors working with issues of difference recognise the unique needs of their client and plan intervention accordingly. The counsellor must decide on the approach that will provide better responsiveness from the client, and therefore lead to a constructive outcome.Clients affected by systems of inequity in our culture are frequently subjected to acts of discrimination and prejudice. Counsellors need to understand the impact of such in order to analyse the depth to which a client may be culturally traumatised. Prejudice impacts on self-esteem and may evoke imbalances in a client's wellbeing. They may experience feelings of being left out of the larger group, feelings of powerlessness, loneliness and hopelessness.Working with Groups
Group counselling is a challenging and dynamic form of counselling that requires all-round professional skills from counsellors. It implies that any challenges a counsellor may find in helping an individual can potentially duplicate, triplicate, or vastly multiply – however, the more intricate the challenge is, the higher the rewards.Similar to mathematics theory, the dynamic interactions which occur within a group, along with the external influencing factors upon that group, pose challenges to controlling and interpreting group outcomes. When dealing with groups, the primary objective (whether a group is formed to develop a project or a group united by the need to tackle an analogous problem) is to ensure that the group is healthy and productive. As such, core communication skills which are based on interpersonal communication theory are applicable for groups – promoting good communication between group individuals creates a safe and productive environment for the group to work.When dealing with groups, there are several major issues that should be noted by professional counsellors, such as:1. Understanding power relationships – in other words – how the interaction between counsellor and the group's individuals impact interpersonal relationships;2. Consciously avoiding generalisations and stereotypes;3. Accepting that all people are multi-dimensional;4. Making judgements exclusively on situationally relevant criteria;5. Adopting communication patterns which minimise stereotyping and increase dignity and respect to induce more appropriate decisions (based on information relevant to the particular context) and;6. Consciously controlling group communication which is likely to aggravate negative perceptions by others.The Unfaithful Mind
Counsellors are also faced with situations in which their own personal perspective creates a challenge in their relationships with clients. A client's personality, behaviour or opinion may diverge from the counsellor in such a radical way that it becomes a motive for dislike or disassociation. It is a complex situation which requires the counsellor to reflect on their own capabilities of dealing with such situation.The risk of developing hatred against 'opposing' groups of society can perpetuate negative behaviour – a kind of traumatic response to what has been perceived as a threat. Recognising value in the individual is part of the process of developing the client's self-confidence through providing a supportive environment during counselling sessions.What is the solution? Primarily, the counsellor will need to reflect on whether he/she is able to restrain his/her own negative feelings towards the client and work together in a productive manner. If he/she decides that it is feasible, strategies need to be devised in order to avoid conflict and lack of alignment in the relationship goals. If the counsellor believes that it is not appropriate to deal with the client due to personal motives, there should be a contingency plan to refer that client to appropriate support and ensure that this process is done efficiently – without incurring in any psychological harm to the client.© Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. If you wish to republish or reproduce this article, please include this information in the end of the article. For more information about the Institute – please visit www.aipc.net.au/lz. To access our Article Library, visit www.aipc.net.au/articles.Pedro Gondim is a writer and publisher for the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. The Institute is Australia's largest counsellor training provider, offering the internationally renowned Diploma of Professional Counselling.
Category : Reference-and-Education:Psychology

Two Natural Cures That Baffled American Doctors!

2008-08-05T21:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Robert Fioravante

Copyright 2005 Robert FioravanteDid you know that food allergies are being permanently eliminated with a natural, energy-based treatment that takes minutes to administer. Also, emotionally crippling phobias are being cured in one simple and painless session. Both treatments have a documented success rate of about 80% and scientific research to support their effectiveness. Have mainstream American doctors commented on these astounding results? Perhaps theyll comment when they are done anxiously scratching their heads! American physicians are perplexed by these treatments because Western medicine focuses on the chemical nature of the human body. Conversely, Eastern health practitioners (from East and Southeast Asia) have focused on energy meridians for thousands of years. They understand there is a vital energy system in the body that is separate from the cardiovascular and nervous system. This ancient theory views illness, allergies, and even negative emotions as blockages along the bodys vital energy meridians. The Allergy CureMost Americans are unfamiliar with energy-based medicine so well need to stretch our thinking for a moment. Consider a treatment where you hold an allergen in your hand while receiving a special type of spinal adjustment. About 24 hours later, after following some simple instructions, your allergy is gone! This amazing treatment, called NAET, was discovered in the mid 1970"s by Dr. Devi Nambudripad, a chiropractor and acupuncturist from California. Dr. Devi detailed this breakthrough approach in her book, Say Goodbye to Illness, after she began successfully using it with patients in 1986.According to NAET, when we encounter an allergen our immune systems react in a way that inflames and destroys healthy tissue. This inflammatory response creates a blockage in one of our meridians and thereby prevents the normal flow of vital energy. Thus an allergy develops. NAET unblocks the flow of energy and trains the body to accept the previously allergic substance.NAET practitioners report a success rate of between 80% and 90%, where allergy symptoms are successfully eliminated. Moreover, Dr. Devi has established a research foundation which found that about 2/3 of all patients experienced a resolution of their allergy symptoms within 15 to 25 visits. In my personal experience with NAET, I have usually needed only one treatment to eliminate an allergy and Ive had over 50 different allergies completely resolved! Visit: http://www.naet.comThe Cure for Phobias and Other Emotional ProblemsIn order to help people with negative emotions and traumatic memories, the psychiatric profession typically has patients undergo therapy for months or even years. Sadly, many patients make little or no progress. Fortunately, a radical departure from traditional psychiatry would change these dismal results.EFT, or the Emotional Freedom Technique, is based on the work of Dr. Roger Callahan, a California psychologist who relieved people of negative emotions by treating the bodys energy meridians. Gary Craig developed EFT, which purports that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the bodys energy system. Does this sound far fetched? Consider the Nei Ching, a central classic of Chinese medicine, which states that illness may be caused by negative emotions that are excessive or powerfully invoked; thus emotion can disrupt the normal flow of vital energy.EFT does not view emotions as the cause of emotional trauma the way traditional psychiatry does. EFT considers a blockage in the bodys energy meridian as the cause of trauma and it get impressive results by doing so. The procedure is simple: while focusing on their problem, patients tap (with the fingertips) precise points on their energy meridians, thereby releasing blockages that held their negative emotions in place. The procedure is repeated until no trace of the negative emotion is present. The results are astounding and have changed peoples lives in minutes.Gary Craig claims his treatment has successfully eliminated stress, asthma, grief, phobia, anger, migraines, and even ADHD. Many clinical studies have been completed which back-up Craigs claims. We recommend you go to the EFT site and download the free instruction manual in order to better understand this approach. Better yet, take a look at the EFT videos that show real patients eliminating debilitating emotional problems quickly and painlessly: Visit: http://www.emofree.com

About the author:

Robert Fioravante is a professional educator and webmaster of http://www.allergyescape.com, a complete resource for conventional allergy information as well as the new energy-based allergy treatments.

Category : Health

Do You Sudoku? New Masochistic Sudoku Pocket PC Puzzle Downloads

2008-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Damian Julien
The Sudoku Pocket PC puzzle game is a bit of an about-face.That's if, of course, you're more into rapid swapping puzzle game gems in Bejeweled 2 than applying some ridiculously rigourous and intensely complex logical strategems.The Sudoku Pocket PC version starts you off with a 9x9 grid, interspaced seemingly at random with numbers and blank squares.The grid is further divided into nine 3 x 3 squares.The task is to figure out which number, from 1 through 9, belongs in each empty square.Just as long as each number placed is unique to its row, column, and 3 x 3 sub-region, everything is copasetic.Yes, it's really that simple.Throw in the fact that each row and column must end up containing the numbers 1 through 9 and you have a sick, torturous numerological puzzle that you would never inflict on your young ones.Fascinatingly, Sudoku mania is on the rise as an increasingly sought-after download with a cross-platform appeal. The Sudoku Pocket PC edition isn't the sole handheld version.This recent puzzle fad has already been ported to the Sony PSP and mobile phone, as reported in Stuart Miles' recent article on Pocket-link.co.uk.The Sony PSP, interestingly enough, features online multiplayer for its version, titled the Go! Sudoku puzzle game.This gaming console was intended to appeal to a slightly older adult audience with its additional music and video capabilities, so this release wasn't a huge surprise considering its demographic.Sudoku Pocket PC versions aren't exactly targeting our younger crowd, either, unless showing off mathematical prowess suddenly becomes popular amongst the kiddie peer groups.Jobro Software seems to be well aware of this, having just contributed to existing Sudoku puzzle frenzy with a new Windoku Windows and Sudoku Pocket PC bundle.It's not exactly a PDA puzzle game that you can pass to the kids in a bid for a moment's peace.If anything, this will likely provoke them more.Sudoku makes no pretense at being easy. It's difficult and takes no small measure of patience and logic to solve each puzzle.Jobro Software's release also occurs suspiciously close to the Spiral Mile Sudoku Pocket PC download a few days earlier. The latter boasts of VGA support with visual cues for easier gameplay.Colemanik has recently posted an update to the popular Sudoku - Puzzle Pack 1.5. The new update boasts of sped-up puzzle selection and ease of puzzle selection.So if you're a Sudoku aficionado, you're in luck.We're in jeopardy of being crushed under the sheer, virtural weight of these concurrent puzzle releases for our PDAs._________________________________________________________________Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.http://www.pdagameguide.com/
Category : Weight Loss

Alzheimer's Disease - Understanding The Emotional Journey

2008-08-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Angelica White
We know what we know and we like it that way. We all have our own ideas on how our parent are supposed to be. Maybe they are our rock. Maybe they were never there for us. One thing is for sure we feel they are supposed to be there for us no matter what. Our image of parents, tells us they are to nurture us, give us strength, and provide for our needs. Our society dictates this. We all have our own unique perspective on how our childhood went. Some think their parents failed the parenting test, other feel blessed to have had the parents they had. Whatever our perspective, our childhood definitely has a lot to do with who we are now, and how we deal with the trials and tribulation life sends our way.Fear of the unknown and of thing we do not understand. Alzheimer's falls into this area very well. No one is quite sure what causes it, how to prevent it, or what to expect from it. The disease is as unpredictable and unique as the individual that has it. The only definite is that it causes great emotional pain and fear for every one involved.Fear surrounds Alzheimer's, nobody wants it, everybody is afraid of it. Families of people who have it are afraid of what they see happening. How can we over come the fear? We over come our fear by acknowledging the roots of our emotions. The time to start is in the every beginning. When we notices the subtle little changes such as the forgetfulness, repetitive questions or thoughts. There is a lot of fear involved with just those simple changes. How we react to those changes sets the stage for what's to come. It is a normal response to react to fear with anger, aggression, impatience's, we go into the defense mode. We have little time for patience and understanding because we are to busy protecting our hearts. If we ignore it or get angry at it, maybe it will go away. We block or put off thought of the future because the future holds pain and sorrow. We feel guilty for being afraid and not being able to deal with the changes. This is not the way we had our lives planned in our imagination of what life is suppose to be.Understanding loss is one-step to understanding some of the emotion that surface when a loved one has Alzheimer's. When we think of losing a loved one we automatically think of death. Loss is loss; the emotions of loss are the same regardless of the cause. The cycle of grief is the same, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. What makes the losses caused by Alzheimer's so difficult is that you see a person you are very familiar with, one who has played a certain role in your life. They look the same, they sound the same, but nothing is the same. What is not realized is that this is where your common ground is found. For the person that has Alzheimer's, People, places and things look familiar, but they have no idea why. They can't put together the, who, where, what or why of things. They have the same emotional confusion you are experiencing.When it comes to matters of the heart, logic is quickly replaced with emotion. Our emotions are influenced by our life experiences and from the foundation that we have chosen to build our lives. We can't always control our emotions, but we can learn from them. By taking the time to look closely at our emotions and finding there roots, we can come to accept what is before us. Acceptance does not remove the fear or pain, life doesn't instantly become joyful and bliss. Acceptances teaches us how to live in spite of our fear and pain. We learn to accept and acknowledge life on life's terms. We admit we are powerless over many of the thing we want to control. Most of all we learn to have faith. We also learn what is deep inside ourselves that makes us uniquely who we are.Researching Alzheimer's and reading all the information about the disease and the entire practical how to care for someone with Alzheimer's is important. However, it is not going to be very useful until you can come to terms with the emotional effects Alzheimer's has on everyone involved. Come to terms with your feelings and emotions then you can process the practical information from a completely new perspective.Angelica White is a well know Professional Caregivers, Caregiver Instructor, and Author. Her website "Special People Caring for Special People" is an informational site, dedicated to family caregivers who are caring for a loved one at home or have family being cared for by another. You can visit her at http://www.mycaregiversfamily.com
Category : Home-and-Family:Elder-Care

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