freetime-travel: 2008

วันศุกร์ที่ 8 สิงหาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Driving in Europe

Author : Suzanne Pidduck
When considering driving in Europe, the image that comes to mind for many of us will no doubt be something like the infamous driving scene in National Lampoon's European Vacation: eternally trapped in a roundabout, surrounded by aggressive French (or Italian or British) drivers who won't let the timid Americans out.It's true that driving in a foreign country can be daunting at first, especially when you're unfamiliar with the driving rules in Europe, but driving is often a necessity for visitors renting a villa or apartment outside of the major cities.So unless you've managed to convince your companions that a full-time chauffeur is the answer to your European driving woes, you're going to need a little help. Here, for your edification, are some general guidelines about driving in Europe.DRIVER AGGRESSIONLet's talk first about "driver aggression." In whether you're driving in Italy, France, or England, drivers tend to be more assertive and quick-to-act than we are in the US. I once came across a website of a British woman who had visited America and marveled at the way everyone came to an orderly halt and waved each other forward at a four-way stop. Americans will know that this isn't always the case in the US, but it does make the point!When you start driving in Europe, you may find yourself feeling frustrated when someone "cuts you off" or fails to use their turn signal. However, because the pace of driving is faster in Europe, you've got to act more quickly. Often an opening between cars is only momentary, and if a driver takes the time to signal he'll have lost his chance.The key is not to hesitate. Don't be reckless-- use your signals, even if others don't-- but act quickly and don't question yourself. Don't be afraid to use your horn, either! It's easy to become overly cautious in a new environment, but hesitation is likely to cause you more problems than anything else.If you must drive slowly, however, be polite. When someone behind you flashes their lights, they are asking you to pull over and let them by. My advice? Do it! Being stubborn about your place on the road is considered incredibly rude, and if blinking is ineffective it will be followed by honking, cursing, or worse!ROUNDABOUTSo now let's take a look at that roundabout, most commonly encountered when driving in France. The most important thing here is to realize that cars already in the circle have the right-of-way, so you need to let them out. You'll also need to wait for a break in traffic before you "go for it" and join the flow. The great thing about roundabouts is that you can, in fact, circle them as many times as you need, so if you miss your exit the first time, it's okay.ROAD SIGNSSince the Union, European countries are now implementing a set of standardized road signs that you should be familiar with. Here are some common international road signs to watch out for while driving in Europe:A red circle with a white dash inside means NO ENTRY.
An inverted white triangle with a red border means YEILD.
An upright triangle with a red border is INFORMATIONAL. Inside there will be a fairly self explanatory symbol representing bumps, merging lanes, or other potential hazards.
A red circle with a slash on a blue background means NO PARKING.
A white circle with a red border means CLOSED TO ALL VEHICLES.
If there are two cars inside a red circle, one black and one red, PASSING IS PROHIBITED.
A yellow diamond grants the RIGHT OF WAY.
A blue circle with white numbers indicates the SPEED LIMIT (in km!)
Anything with arrows arranged in a circle means ROUNDABOUT!PARKINGParking is usually not a problem in more rural or countryside areas, but finding parking in London, Paris, Rome, or another large European city can be a major ordeal. Traffic is simply horrendous, and the majority American drivers are just not prepared. My suggestion is to park in a garage on the outskirts and use local transportation within the city. You could search for a "free" parking spot, but these are few and far between. Finding one is also risky in an unfamiliar place, since most parking is restricted to locals and police are quick to give tickets. Having a rental car makes no difference: even if you try to avoid payment, they will track you down. It might be one year, or it might be longer... but they will find you!CARRY CASHWherever you're driving in Britain or France, it's a good idea to carry some cash. The reason for this is threefold: First, older gas stations may still be on a cash-only basis. Secondly, there are many toll roads, which you will need to pay for in cash. And thirdly, in many countries (France, for example) tickets are "on the spot," which means that if you get pulled over the officer is going to expect you to pay him immediately! Hopefully this doesn't happen, but it's good to be prepared.Now that you've got a leg up on driving in Europe, be bold! European drivers may seem reckless and aggressive, but in fact they're accustomed to their way of doing things. So as long as you obey the rules, pay attention, and pull over when you're asked, you should be fine.Oh, and one last note to all Americans driving in Europe: NO RIGHT TURN ON RED!Suzanne Pidduck is a veteran traveler and the founder of Rentvillas.com, an online company with more than twenty years' experience connecting you with European villa rentals and apartments for rent in Tuscany, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, and other destinations throughout Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and the rest of Europe. Visit her new travel tips blog for more helpful articles!
Category : Travel-and-Leisure

วันศุกร์ที่ 25 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 20 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

When Do You Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Author : Natalie Aranda

If you have been hurt in an accident and have suffered not only physical but mental pain, you should consider getting a personal injury lawyer. Instead of going through the heartache yourself, a professional personal injury lawyer could help you win the case. By using their knowledge of the law, speaking with insurance companies and doing the necessary research, it is possible to get the money you deserve. Although everyone assumes that lawyer's fees are preposterous and hefty to pay, chances are they can be realistic. While some law firms require that you pay a significant amount of money regardless of your results, the majority of personal injury attorneys ask for a contingency fee. This means that if they win the case they will get a percentage of the money you earn. In most cases this percentage still allows you to walk away with a large sum of money. If they do not win the case for you, most major fees are deducted. Therefore, the ball is really in your court.Since there are dozens upon dozens of personal injury lawyers in your area, it takes time to find a legit and affordable one. The first thing you should do is ask your friends and family about attorney's that they have used in the past. References are always great because you know people who have used them. Far too often people go to random offices, without knowing any background. This could lead to an abundance of fees, and result in a lost case. If you do not know anyone who knows a great lawyer, try consultations. By setting up meetings with these personal injury attorneys, you can get a good feeling about who they are and what they're about. For instance, if you are looking for a Boston personal injury attorney, you may want to do a Google search on the people in your area. These Boston personal injury lawyers may have reviews, ratings, or any other type of feedback on particular websites. This sort of information could be wonderful if you are trying to find a great lawyer.If you have been harmed in any way and feel that you deserve justice, you immediately need to contact a personal injury lawyer. Avoid all of the common myths surrounding attorney's and focus on your needs. You have been seriously hurt and for that reason, you absolutely are allowed to seek compensation. A personal injury lawyer will not only help you win the case, but he will do it in a respectful way. It is a good feeling to know that someone is on your side, fighting for you every inch of the way. Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer.

Category : General Law

วันเสาร์ที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Midwest Gas Price Investigation - Investigation Likely To Continue For At Least Three to Four More M

Author : David C Skul

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an interim report to
Congress on its investigation into Midwest gas price increases
that was cited at the reasons that the FTC launched the
investigation. It also provides a status report on the
continuing investigation, including progress and a description
of the work not yet done. The report details the history of the
price spikes of reformulated gasoline (RFG) in the Midwestern
part of the country and how these increases caused Commission
staff to initiate a preliminary investigation in June and
prompted the Commission to begin a formal investigation during
the latter part of July.

The report analyzes many conditions reported as potential causes
of the gas price spikes -
ranging from higher than normal crude oil prices, to the
expectation of compliance with EPA Phase II regulations for
summer-blend reformulated gasoline in high-ozone urban areas, to
the damage to the critically important Explorer pipeline during
March. However, the report says that "although it is likely that
each of these supply factors contributed to the dramatic recent
price spikes in the Midwest, no single factor appears from
staff's preliminary investigation to be likely to provide a full
explanation, and staff does not yet have sufficient information
to assess the impact of these factors in combination."

In accordance with the report, Commission staff is investigating
"the possibility of collusion or tacit coordination, conduct
that could be illegal under Section 5 of the Federal Trade
Commission Act." Due to the abundance of potential interwoven
causes as well as the monstrous amount of evidential information
being collected for the course of the investigation, the report
also states that "this investigation is likely to consume, at a
minimum, another three or four months."

The report shows that on June 29, Commission staff issued the
first round of subpoenas to the nine refiners that currently
supply the Midwestern markets and that within the month, staff
has accepted and logged approximately 200 boxes of
documentation. Around mid August, most documents requested from
the first round of subpoenas will be delivered to the Commission
offices. The Commission also issued a second round of subpoenas
to other refiners last week, and has issued Civil Investigative
Demands (CIDs) to the refiners recently, requesting that the
refiners compile data and answers to all of the Commissions
written questions. Commission staff issued another set of
subpoenas on July 25 to the entities that own or control the gas
transportation pipelines serving the Midwest markets of the
United States. Documents from that set of subpoenas are expected
to begin arriving shortly at Commission offices. The report
further details the Commission's plan to conduct a series of in
depth interviews as part of the investigation. Staff has already
conducted nearly 15 interviews with market participants,
consumers, corporate consumers and many others with knowledge of
investigation relevant information, and continues the process of
capturing pertinent industry-wide data from the Oil Price
Information Service (OPIS). After the documentary evidence has
been reviewed and analyzed, staff will take depositions under
oath of key participating personnel throughout the gasoline
distribution chain in the Midwest United States.

Federal Trade Commission staff will also coordinate all of the
investigative efforts with the Attorney General of Michigan,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky, South
Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, and West Virginia.

This article and one-way
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Category : Article Marketing

วันศุกร์ที่ 25 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Tips On How to Grow a Tree from Seed

Author : Gabriel J. Adams
When planting a tree you can either buy a tree that has already started growing or you can plant it from seed. Planting from a seed is usually harder and will require more maintenance to get it to grow. However, most people would agree it is a lot more rewarding in the end.The first thing to remember is that you won't want to plant your tree directly in the ground outside. This is one of the biggest mistakes when planting new plants. By planting directly outside the seed would be subject to the weather, predators (such as birds and squirrels), and bad soil. The best thing to do is to plant your seed in a small pot and repot it as the plant gets bigger. Some of the supplies you will need for planting are:
Seed. You will of course need the seed to plant. Make sure you find a tree that will thrive in your area.
Pots. As the seed grows you will need bigger and bigger pots to transplant it in. If your pot doesn't have any holes on the bottom it's a good idea to drill some so water will be able to drain out of the pot.
Water. You will need to remember to water your tree as it grows and matures.
Sunlight. Find a spot where you can give your tree some daily sunlight without putting it in any harm.When watering your seed remember to keep it moist but not overly wet. If you keep too much water in the pot you have a chance of "drowning" your seed. Good ways to keep the container moist include a mister system or for a cheaper alternative you can put a piece of plastic over the pot. Remember, if you use plastic you need to put some holes in it for air to get through to the seed.Get tree seeds and germination instructions on our website
Category : Home-and-Family:Landscaping-Gardening

วันจันทร์ที่ 14 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

The truth about paid autosurfs

Author : mytruthrevealed

Yeah, Im a scammer! I know that people like to be lied, cheated and told that they can earn fortunes by doing nothing. And they do help ME make fortunes, to fulfil my dreams. Could you say that Im doing something wrong? No! I just take advantage off greedy people and sell them dreams. Thats what I am, Im not a bad person; Im just a business man, a dreams seller!That are the starting lines of a shocking e-book that tends to become one of the most best sold e-books regarding online investments.The paradox is that this book is not about investments or about earning money online and it's the opposite of it in a strange way.The book reveals the journey a site admin made from simple web designer to a successful scammer in the online investments industry.The Truth About Paid Autosurfs is the most shocking e-book I've read and the story takes you from your seat in front of the computer and allows you to enter inside the complicated life of internet investment sites.The main character of the book is the autosurfs admin that reveals all the details of how he started his first site, how he advertised it, how he convinced people to invest, how he cheated and scammed them; how he raised an empire of internet scam sites (not only autosurfs but also hyips and other type of piramid/ponzy schemes)"The Truth About Paid Autosurfs" is just the first e-book from an entire e-book series published online on http://www.mytruthrevealed.comThe e-book series is called "My Truth Revealed. The truth about easy money" and the first e-book i(The truth About Paid Autosurfs) is already launched. Next launch programmed is the launch of "The truth about hyips"The author of the e-book series is an anonymous non-English speaking author but the book is impressive in its story not in the language used. He took the story from a real autosurf admin that sold him his story for a cut in the profits.What is amazing is that the admin tells us al about his actions and about his dreams that came true: to have his own home on a paradise island; and how he managed to fulfil his dreams by scamming people.His direct and arrogant words make you hate him sometime but he manages to make you respect him for having the courage to fulfil his dreams, no matter the middles.The e-book is on sale on My Truth Revealed website (http://www.mytruthrevealed.com) at the price of $24.99 and the payments options are credit/debit card trough 2checkout or e-gold.For interested resellers the site has also an affiliate area. http://www.mytruthrevealed.com

Category : General Business: Books

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 13 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Tips for Saving Money on Car Insurance

Author : Anthony Shelton
Car insurance is required by all licensed drivers but many of them donâ€™t know how to find the best rates available. Being complacent and purchasing car insurance without carefully investigating your options or maintaining the same car insurance for the remainder of your life could mean that you are paying too much for your car insurance. Comparison shopping, ensuring that you are receiving all the discounts you qualify for and maintaining a clean driving record are just a few of the money saving tips that can save you a fortune on car insurance.Comparison shopping for car insurance, even after you are already insured, cannot be underestimated. It is critical that you investigate all of your options before choosing an insurance provider to ensure that you are getting the best possible rate on your car insurance. There are so many factors considered in car insurance policies such as where you live, your driving record, your age and the type of car you drive just to name a few. With all of these factors to consider, it is very possible that you will find that there is a car insurance provider who will offer you a considerably lower rate than other providers.Even after you have secured insurance for your car, it is wise to periodically check the rates that other providers will offer you. Car insurance as well as your circumstances are perpetually changing and you may find that the provider who is willing to offer you the best car insurance rate varies periodically. Many car insurance providers offer a host of discounts to their clients who qualify for these discounts. These discounts can relate to your driving record, safety features of your car, your age or other factors.These discounts can result in a tremendous cost savings on your car insurance policy but while many insurance providers offer these discounts, they donâ€™t always advertise them. This means that you may have to do research to determine what type of discounts you may qualify to receive. Carefully, review your car insurance policy to determine which discounts you are already receiving and then contact your car insurance provider to inquire about other discounts that may be available. For example if your driving record is devoid of accidents or tickets, you may qualify for a good driver discount.Also, if your car has certain safety features such as daytime running lights, you may also qualify for car insurance discounts. Your age can also qualify you for certain car insurance discounts. Some insurance providers also offer discounts to those who insure their house with the same company as they insure their car. Taking advantage of this type of discount can save you money on both your car and home insurance. Being aware of the discounts that are available and ensuring that you are receiving these discounts, can save you a great deal of money on your car insurance.Finally, maintaining a clean driving record is very important to receiving the best available car insurance rate. While it is true that each car insurance provider is unique in the factors that contribute to lower rates, the one factor that is consistent among all providers of car insurance is that a clean driving record is critical to your rate. Although accidents are sometimes unavoidable, it is imperative that you adhere to all traffic regulations and that you drive safely at all times. This will reduce the number of traffic violations that you incur as well as the number of accidents that you cause. Following these tips will help you to maintain a clean driving record that will keep the cost of your car insurance low.Many drivers lament paying their monthly car insurance bill because they feel as though the insurance isnâ€™t necessary. Although car insurance is a financial burden that seems superfluous, it does pay off if you are ever in a serious car accident that has significant financial ramifications. For this reason, you should never consider allowing your car insurance to lapse and it is recommended that you search diligently to find the best available rate on your car insurance.For Great Money saving Tips visit our website at:
Car Insurance
Category : VOIP

วันเสาร์ที่ 12 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Memorial Day menu and recipes

Author : Richard Dupont

This Memorial Day cook up some lip smacking delicacies for your friends and family. Show off your culinary calibers and soak in all the praises showered on you. Its summer!!! And Memorial Day is the right occasion to treat your taste buds to some sizzling barbecue, steaks, grilled potatoes, pies, desserts, salads and much more. Barbeque undoubtedly tops the list. If youre planning a Memorial Day cookout or a special Memorial Day barbecue party this year heres a list of items to include in your menu. A succulent barbecue Steaks Bacons Delicious Chicken preparations (anything will be gorged on) Grilled Asparagus Corn on the Cob Roasted potato salads or shrimp salads Grilled Zucchini Cream and cheese sandwiches Baked beans Strawberry Melon Wedges Pork Ribs Hotdogs Burgers (lamb, chickenanything!) Strawberry Cream Pie Lemonade (a real refreshing idea) Sundaes Special Memorial Day Cake (top it with blue syrups, white cream and red cherries to give that patriotic flavor in it) Memorial Day pies (dont forget the blueberry and raspberry toppings) Tomato Tarts If the kitchen is your lab and you love to experiment around with some cool recipes this summer, here are a few you might just try out. Whats better than to start off with a yummy salad recipe Spinach & Strawberry Salad Ingredients: One 9 ounce package of baby spinach leaves 1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries 1/3 cup toasted almonds 3-4 sliced green onions Olive oil White Balsamic vinegar Sea salt and fresh ground pepper ( to taste)Instructions: Toast the almonds on a pan in the oven at 300 degrees F for a few minutes (they brown quickly) or place the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat until toasted (shake the skillet a few times while over the heat to toast evenly) Make sure to remove any stems from the spinach and place the leaves in a salad bowl with the green onions Drizzle with a little olive oil (just enough to lightly coat the spinach) Place the bowl in the refrigerator until serving time To serve: Rinse the strawberries just before tossing the salad, dry them and slice them Add the toasted almonds and sliced strawberries to the salad bowl and sprinkle with white balsamic vinaigrette to taste Add a little salt and fresh ground pepper and toss the salad and then plateAnd who can ignore a BBQ recipe on Memorial Day. Heres one to check out BBQ Steaks1/2 cup balsamic vinegar1/4 cup soy sauce3 tablespoons minced garlic2 tablespoons olive oil2 teaspoons ground black pepper1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon onion powdersalt ( to taste )1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring1 pinch cayenne pepper2 (1/2 pound) beef rib eye steaksIn a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke and cayenne pepper.Place steaks in a shallow, nonporous dish, and pour marinade over steaks. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high to high heat. Grill steaks for 7 to 8 minutes per side on a lightly oiled grate.And heres one for the burger lovers Wasabi Salmon BurgersIngredients 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder 1 pound salmon fillet 2 each scallions 1 each egg 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oilCooking InstructionsWhisk soy sauce, wasabi powder and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.With a large chef's knife, chop salmon using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy). Continue chopping, rotating the knife, until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add scallions, egg, ginger and oil; stir to combine. Form the mixture into 4 patties. The mixture will be moist and loose, but holds together nicely once the first side is cooked.Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the patties and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until firm and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spoon the reserved wasabi glaze evenly over the burgers and cook for 15 seconds more. Serve immediately. Richard Dupont writes on holidays and global events like MemorialDay, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, valentine's Day etc. He also writes on family, relationships, religion, love and friendship. He is a writer with special interest in ecard industry and writes for 123greetings.com.

Category : General Food

วันพุธที่ 9 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Getting familiar with swingers lifestyle and sexuality

Author : Amelie Mag

A member of a couple, especially a married couple, who exchanges sexual partners - well this sounds very much like cheating, but, in fact, its not. This is the lifestyle of swingers: sex with other people while being involved in a normal relationship without cheating on their partner. Sounds impossible to some, but you will learn that its not.Swingers, by definition, are people that have sex with others while they are committed to someone else at the same time. Its a lifestyle. Swingers are not perverts or cheaters. Of course you will ask how it is possible not to be a cheater if you have sexual intercourse with someone else than your partner. If you have the consent of your partner, then its not considered cheating. Its swinging. By doing this, swingers dont try to find another partner. They dont limit themselves to a certain type of experience and try to obtain the satisfaction that they cant get from their primary relationship without harming their loved ones. Its not a remote phenomenon that only happens in certain areas of the world and its not new either. Swingers exist since the 70s, but the definition and the lifestyle have changed. They no longer wear tight leisure suits or lots of gold jewelry or get themselves noticed in any special way. They are normal people that enjoy a lifestyle a little bit more different than what we conceive as being socially normal. People mustnt look awkwardly at swingers just because they have a different lifestyle than the conservative majority. Its a personal choice and everyone is free to make private decisions in a modern society.Swingers are normal people just like you and me, but they are not judgmental, nor do they have prejudices of this kind. They are open-minded to all sorts of things, like having more sexual partners. Conservative people tend to judge swingers because they dont stick to just one partner and consider them to be cheaters, but swingers dont really deceive their wife/husband because they have the consent of the other part. Usually both partners are swingers so they get to eliminate negative feelings like jealousy together. So what category of people has the tendency to swing? Well, in order to be considered a swinger you have to be married or at least in a strong relationship. People dont choose this lifestyle just because they are fed up with their partner. They choose it because they want to get the best out of their relationship and, most importantly, live their lives to the fullest. Lets say that a couple gets along great at a spiritual level, but the sex life is not everything they wished for. They should normally brake up, but from the swingers point of view this is not considered a good enough reason to part.The swinging lifestyle involves couples that dont have a great sex life, but dont want to split up because they get along great, or couples that cant split up because of different social or religious circumstances. They look for solutions or ways to improve their relationships and sex lives. Its true - it is not a lifestyle for those weak of heart, jealous types. To be a swinger you have to be very open-minded, not superficial and to know exactly what you want. If you have sex with other women or men they you should accept that your wife or girlfriend is doing the same. This lifestyle goes both ways, from many points of view. First of all you shouldnt keep everything for yourself; if you have fun living this lifestyle than you should make sure your primary partner is having at least as much fun. Second of all swingers arent afraid or ashamed of their sexuality and of experimenting with the same sex. 40%-50% of the women that choose this lifestyle are bisexual and proud of it.How do you realize you want to be a part of the swinger lifestyle? Its a very tricky and awkward question, the same as asking a man how he decided he wanted to be gay. You just feel this lifestyle is suitable for you and want to be a swinger because youve thought this trough and decided it is the best option for you. People that force themselves to become swingers because of one reason or another will feel miserable doing it. Some people take the decision of becoming swingers just like that, because they feel this lifestyle will suit them best. This kind of swingers can only take it if they are really prepared for such changes in their lives and can go with the flow without any problem. There are many ways to meet swingers in towns near you. One of the best ways is to look swingers up on the Internet or on dating sites. You shouldnt worry that other swingers might look bad upon you just because youre new. All you need to remember is to be natural and the rest will come by itself. Swinger lifestyle is considered to be the best by some people and blamed by other people. This lifestyle is blamed today for destroying old conservatory family values, but are those values perfect? Look deep inside your heart and you will find out how you really are. Maybe you are a swinger and you dont even know it With so much to gain in your personal lifestyle , you should try meeting new and exciting swingers by visiting our web site.

Category : General Sexuality

วันอังคารที่ 8 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Develop The Winners Edge Through Conversational Hypnosis

Author : Don Price
Communication is vital for survival in an age of information that is undergoing a "shock-wave" of changes. Nationally and globally, we remain in a crisis in traditional literacy. Literacy, according to most dictionaries, is an unmoving term -- the ability to read and write.According to National Institute for Literacy:â€¢ American businesses are estimated to lose over $60 billion in productivity each year due to employeesâ€™ lack of basic skills -- translated, means -- reading, writing, math and interpersonal skills all need radical improvement.â€¢ The number of companies reporting skilled worker shortages more than doubled between 1995 and 1998, from 27 percent to over 47 percent.â€¢ A survey of more than 300 executives found that, while 71 percent reported that basic written communication training was critical to meeting their workplacesâ€™ changing skills demands, only 26 percent of companies offered this kind of training.In order to stay competitive in the global economy, employers need workers who can read, write, compute, solve problems, and communicate well. Virtually everyone recognizes the emergence of computer-technology literacy and has ignored the counterpoint that is just as important, for navigating our way through the new world of communications -- oral communications.Oral skills necessary for survival and success, goes beyond traditional literary communications -- to mastery of communications. Those who understand and become word merchants will be the winners of the future.We mistakenly think that "great communicators" were born with a magical or god given ability to get across their messages with such command, influence and eloquence. Just as the language of computer-technology is, a learned language, so must the language of the spoken-word learned.Spoken-words that influence and grab the listener's attention -- focus the listener's attention, interest, and compel the listener to take-action -- both greatly increase the suggestibility as a form of conversational hypnosis. Conversational hypnosis is ethical, effective and a leaned skill demonstrated by masters, such as our late president, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kopple, and Lee Iacocca.Iacocca moved a nation with words: "If you can find a better car, buy one!" "Chrysler must be given a chance." During the Chrysler crisis, Iacocca made a riveting statement "My heart bleeds for those guys." All statements are very powerful and hypnotic.Mastering mesmerizing conversation hypnosis will lead to maximizing your career because your communications will turn negative thinking into positive thoughts. Here are five steps to mastering conversational hypnosis:1. Organize your thoughts and learn how to use vivid word pictures that free up the human imagination and activate creativity in the mind of your listener.2. Listen carefully to the dreams and desires of your listener. Communicate the benefits of your products, service or ideas that help support their innermost dreams while connecting to each person in a real flesh and blood way.3. Use the power of repetition in your communications. Example: "You'll love this program and it will absolutely change your life." "You'll love the way this program will change your life for the better."4. Master the art of using metaphors and stories. Stories reduce banal communication, reduces tension and your listener becomes less critical when getting information in a relaxed and entertaining way.5. Hone your communication skills -- your voice, articulation, tone and learn how to relate to you listener, talk with them and not at them. Deliver your message with heart, truth and cutting emotion.Don L. Price: Speaker,Author, Sales/Marketing & Positive Change Solution Provider--Coaching Minds To Succeed
http://www.donlprice.com Join Seminarsonline: http://www.donlprice.com/dare2win.html

Put a Voice to your message:http://tinyurl.com/73n27
Category : Shoes

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 6 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

MLM Training- Don't Talk to Strangers! Good or Bad Advice?

Author : Doug Firebaugh

by Doug Firebaugh

In our life growing up, we were taught a lesson that was very
good advice for children. "Don't talk to strangers!" That is
great advice and wise counsel for kids in today's world. I even
taught my daughter that when she was a toddler. And I will
admit, it was a concern of mine with all the meaness and trouble
in the world today.

"Don't talk to strangers!" is still good advice for network
marketers as well, if you want to remain a baby in the mlm
industry. People will tell you that you are not to talk to
strangers as they will reject you.

God forbid.

There are many different philosophies in the MLM industry today,
and many are good and some are not so good. You need to find
what works for you. But the one thing that will not change is
the Truth, and all that comes with it.

The Truth is, talking to strangers can be one of the best things
you could do for your business. Anyone who tells you different
does not understand what it takes to Succeed in this mlm
business.

I have always taught one thing about people that you do not
know, better known as the Cold market:

Stangers are simply friends that you have not met yet. Period.

The benefits to talking to people you do not know are enormous,
unless someone is trying to sell you the latest and greatest
tape of the month CD, website, or DVD telling you not to.
Nothing wrong with that. There are some great trainers out
there. But you have to ask, what are their intentions... to
guide you to Success or something else?

What are those benefits?

1) Talking to Strangers Forces You to Grow.

Personal development is everything in life, and network
marketing. It is what keeps your check growing, and your Success
growing. And it is what guarantees you not being the same person
you are this year, next year. Your income will always grow as
you do. Yes, talking to people you do not know to sell them
something or recruit them may be a little uncomfortable, but
don't talk to them for that reason.

Talk to them to see simply get to know them as a friend, as you
do not know evn if MLM will be for them or not. It may not be!
But what have you lost by talking to them? Nothing. And you
could gain a new friend that could help you find someone who MLM
is for.

Talking to strangers grows you on the inside, and helps build
within you better people skills and communication skills in
network marketing. It grows your leadership, and also your
recruiting skills. And most importantly, it grows you to a new
level of confidence and knowing you can Succeed in this business.

2) Talking to Strangers Extends Your Reach.

The single most valuable prospecting reason to talk to people
you have never met is that it EXTENDS YOUR REACH in the
marketplace.

There are about 270 million people in the US alone, and most
people today, if you are 25 years or older, know about 1000
folks.

So what that says to the network marketer, is that there are
about 249,999,000 people to go for you to talk to. You reach in
the marketplace needs to be extended daily. THAT IS PART OF ANY
BUSINESS PLAN. It is part of network marketing. And here is the
great news...

Everybody that you do not know, knows a person that could
EXPLODE your mlm business! What is wrong with finding them?

3) Talking to Strangers develops new Relationships.

The secret to Successful leadership in network marketing is
RELATIONSHIPS. And some of the multi million dollar producers in
our group were people we did not know, but did meet, and they
went on to become some of my greatest friends and still are
today. One "stranger" I met by accident ended up producing 10
million in volume. And it became and still is a great
relationship as well as friendship. If I had not been blessed to
meet him and talk to him, because I did not know him, my life
would have not been enriched like it has been from knowing him.

If you are looking to develop new relationships that will last a
lifetime, many folks that you will meet over the course of your
career will be those people.

4) Talking to Strangers is a myth in MLM. There are no
strangers. It depends on your perspective.

I do not look at people I do not know as "strange." They simply
are friends that I have not connected with. Are they interested
in the things that I am? Who knows? Many will not be.

But if you truly understand the driving force behind MLM, you
will never meet a stranger. Only people who are after something
from someone with their own selfish agenda meets strangers.
People who are in the life changing business and are what we
call "Transformation Specialists,"(TM) are interested in people
that they can help, not be concerned that they do know them.

My advice is simply this:

If you want to remain a baby in this MLM business, then don't
talk to strangers. SIMPLE AND PLAIN.

But if you desire to grow beyond the average, succeed beyond the
average, get paid beyond the average, lead beyond the average,
communicate beyond the average, make a difference beyond the
average, and have a lifestyle beyond the average, then TALK TO
STRANGERS.

It's your call. But speaking from experience, if you don't talk
to strangers, you will end up limiting and restricting your
Success massively in MLM and Network Marketing.

blessings...doug

http://www.passionfire.com

http://www.passionfire.com/pf_heat_9.html

Category : Software

วันเสาร์ที่ 5 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Estate Planning

Author : Neda Dabestani-Ryba
Estate planning can enable you to control your property while you are alive, take care of you and your loved ones if you become disabled, and give what you have to whom you want, the way you want, and when you want, and if you wish, you can save every last tax dollar, professional fee, and court cost possible.Estate planners frequently begin the estate planning process by analyzing clients' personal and financial dreams, aspirations, fears and objectives. The financial side of this analysis usually begins with the following question: "What do you own and how do you own it?" More often than not clients say "I know what I own, but I do not know how I own it." The way that you own your property will greatly effect your estate plan.There are three frequently used forms of ownership of property: "fee simple," "tenancy in common," and "joint tenancy with right of survivorship."Fee simple ownership means that you own property by yourself as the sole and absolute owner. You can give it away, sell it, or keep it and control who will inherit it upon your death.Tenancy in common means that you own property with at least one other person. You do not own the entire asset. Let us assume that you and a friend own a 100-page book and that you own it as tenants in common. Each of you owns 50 percent of the book; that is, each of you owns fifty pages. Each of you could give your fifty pages to anyone you like while you are each alive. Each of you can leave your fifty pages to anyone at your death. In short, each of you is the absolute owner of each of your respective shares of the book. There is no limit to the number of tenants who can own something with others in tenants in common. Commonly two, three, or four people purchase property together, with each owning one-half, one-third, or one-quarter of the property.Joint tenants with right of survivorship is a very commonly used method of owning property. This form of ownership is commonly used but greatly misunderstood by the public. Let us assume again that you and a friend own a 100-page book. This time you own the book as joint tenants with right of survivorship. Unlike tenants in common where you each own 50 percent of the book, in joint tenants with right of survivorship you each own 100 percent of the book. Each of you owns the entire book. There is no limit to the number of tenants who can own something with others as joint tenants with right of survivorship. While you are alive, you can sell or give your part away. Such actions would change the nature of ownership of the property between the purchaser/recipient of the gift and the remaining tenants.
The survivorship feature means that as each individual joint tenant dies, the deceased person's interest is automatically distributed by operation of law to the remaining joint tenants. This is what might be called the "winner takes all" game.Let us assume that four people own a beach house as joint tenants with right of survivorship. As long as more than one of them is alive, none of their wills or trusts will control the disposition of the beach house. If one of them outlives all of the others, she could distribute the house to whomever she wants at her death and totally exclude the others' families and loved ones.Tenants by the entirety is a special form of joint ownership that works the same as joint tenancy with right of survivorship. It is used in some states by a husband and wife to own real estate. For our purposes, think of this form of ownership as a special form of joint tenancy for a married couple. The married couple is viewed as one person.In summary, if you own property in fee simple you own it all, you can give it away, sell it or leave it to your chosen beneficiaries upon your death. If you own property in tenants in common you own part of it, you can give your part away, you can sell your part, and leave your part on death. If you own property in joint tenancy you own all of it with someone else, you can give your interest away, you can sell your interest but you cannot leave your interest on death.How do you own your property? Why do you own it the way that you own it? It is very likely that decisions regarding the form of ownership of your property were made by well intentioned others. Did the settlement attorney ask how you want to own your home? Did your real estate agent ask you this question? If he or she did, is your home titled the way you requested? When you went to the bank to open a checking account, did your banker discuss the various forms of ownership with you? When you opened your brokerage account, did your advisor discuss the importance and ramifications of account title? Chances are your settlement attorney, banker, and financial advisor titled your assets in joint tenancy with right of survivorship if your are married and in your sole name if you are single, widowed, or divorced.Make sure you know what you own and how you own it. Do your estate planning documents control your property? Make certain that what you own, how you own it, and your estate plan are consistent with your specific planning dreams and aspirations.Neda Dabestani-Ryba is a licensed Realtor in Maryland. She is a member of the President's Circle of Top Real Estate Professionals. She can be reached at (800) 536-3806 or visit her website for more information: http://neda.dabestani.pcragent.com/
Prudential Carruthers REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Category : Satellite Radio

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 3 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Features of IPod Nano

Author : Rosy

IPod nano is the fourth digital audio player of Apple and combining features of both iPod shuffle and iPod. It was launched on September 7, 2005, it replaced iPod mini, which was discontinued on the same day. The alternate of the iPod mini took Apple-related websites, any how there were rumors about a new flash memory-based iPod, in fact there were not prior notice given related to the discontinuation of the well accepted iPod mini.Growth of this new design of the iPod nano is started only nine months before the launch date. The iPod nano posses more flash memory storage than that is been used in the iPod shuffle and carries a miniaturized version of the amazing color screen and click wheel are found on the full-sized iPods. The screen as well has a higher declaration than the old grayscale iPod mini, permitting one more line of text than the iPod mini's screen. The battery and few other interior parts were as well reduced in size. The surface of the click wheel is to some extent textured, permitting superior tactile feedback for secretly operation. Also, the main button on the second-generation iPod Nano is to some extent concave, mainly likely so that it could be easier to find without finding. Unlike all other players in the iPod family, the iPod nano has a headphone-out located in the bottom right of the player.FeaturesThe iPod nano operates with iTunes on Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows (third-party software is obtainable for platforms, which Apple does not support). It connects through the same proprietary wharf connector as any other third-generation iPod, the fourth-generation iPod, and the iPod mini, uses a USB 2.0 port on the user's computer. Although it uses the similar connection as Apple's FireWire iPod Cable and could charge its battery over FireWire, the iPod nano does not bear coordinating over a FireWire connection. The iPod nano comprises a stop watch and a numerous time zone clock function. There is also a mixture lock feature, which makes use of the click wheel to lock the iPod, and serve up to secure the user's calendar and other contact information. It was also the first iPod to comprise a new lyrics screen, modifiable using iTunes. Rosy is a seo copywriter for islandsupplements site as well. She has involved herself in this field for more than 2 years. For further details related to the article you can visit the site http://www.mp3playeraccessories.net You can contact her through mail at rosy.sheeba@gmail.com

Category : General Technology: Hardware / Peripherals

วันอังคารที่ 1 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2551

Colocation Facilities

Author : Richard Romando
A collocation center is where service providers keep servers of companies that need expert handling for their data. These third-party companies also provide web connectivity and technical support. They are a good option for companies who want to concentrate on their core product rather than the problems of IT infrastructure. This would also save time spent by the technical department of a company, thereby increasing productivity.Outsourcing the job to a third party may seem wise, as the basic environment is suitable for such an activity. Broadly, this covers all aspects, including the building that would house the server. Typically, it should be placed near a "glass fiber ring", with multiple fiber access points. The building should be guarded 24/7 by closed-circuit cameras. There should be relay tracks and cabinets that can help mount the servers. Cleanliness is a factor that is crucial for server set-up, to ensure favorable running conditions for computer hardware. Additionally, there should be a generator back-up in case of power failure.There are some companies that engage the services of two different companies, one where the server is hosted and the other that provides Internet connectivity. Nearly all colocation centers offer a range of services to their customers, such as suites and racks for servers. Some providers offer services like a backup plan in the case of adversities, troubleshooting devices, bandwidth of the web connectivity and also assist in hardware replacement. Collocation facilities come at a price that differs from one service provider to another. Higher server configurations are more expensive. These companies also encourage the use of SLAs, or Service Level Agreements, that promise a wide range of services.Colocation provides detailed information on Colocation, Colocation Services, Colocation Hosting, Colocation Facilities and more. Colocation is affiliated with Bandwidth Management.
Category : Business:Outsourcing

11 Hot Tips to Make Google Adwords Pay - Part 2

Author : Dan Foley

Have you tried Google Adwords and watched your money go down the
drain faster than you ever thought possible? This is the second
in three articles about how to make Google Adwords work for you
instead of watching your hard earned money go to Google Adwords.

Hot Tip # 4 - Edit your campaign with negative keywords

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing up in searches
that you don't want such as "free widgets". This helps prevent
wasted clicks which tend to do nothing but cost you money. If
you only sell red and blue widgets then you should add yellow as
a negative keyword. You make a search negative by using the
minus sign i.e. "-yellow".

Hot Tip # 5 - Go with your gut

If you are using a tool such as Google Adwords' Traffic
Estimator, realize that it is known for returning less than
accurate results for your keyword. Don't let that be your
decision maker.

Adwords Traffic Estimator is not accurate for narrowly defined
keywords phrases or "niche" words. Go with your instincts and
try it out. Fortunes have been made by people who are willing to
march to a different drummer.

Automated systems are helpful but they are far from perfect.

Hot Tip # 6 - Run lots of keywords

Start out with lots of keyword phrases and monitor them. Not all
people think the same so not all people are going to use the
same search phrases. This way you will catch people who you
normally wouldn't catch. If you find that you are getting few or
no clicks, then pare them like you would the branches on a tree.

Remember to use the exact keyword matches and negative keywords
when doing this.

Hot Tip # 7 - Rotate your ads and split test

Google lets you have more than one ad for your ad group. It then
rotates them and keeps track of which ad gets the higher CTR.
Google Adwords will then begin to show that ad more often than
the ad with lower CTRs.

The best way to do this is to test and run only two ads at a
time. This way you can tightly manage your variables. Some tests
have shown several hundred percent changes in click through
rates just by switching around the first and second lines of an
ad.

If you start split testing more than two ads at a time, the
variables will quickly get out of control.

Hot Tip # 8 - Be Darwinian

Once you have identified that one version of your ad doesn't
work as well as the other version, get rid of it. Now make the
stronger ad your baseline and run another ad against it to see
which is the stronger. What you are trying to do is improve your
ad.

What is the correct sample for testing ads? Top experts say that
50 clicks may be enough but 100 clicks is better. A larger
sample gives more accuracy. You, of course, know what your
budget will allow for.

This is a continuous process that will strengthen your CTR rates
and gain more customers at a continuing lower cost.

----------------------------------------------------- Grab a
FREE newsletter and eBook "Article Cash" worth $67.95. Send a
blank email to - ac@aweber.com ==>Visit my website --
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Category : Music Reviews

วันจันทร์ที่ 31 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Stock Market Investment Advice

Author : Edgar Davids

Equity is undoubtedly a sound investment opportunity in recent time. With plus 9% GDP growth, Indian stock market is simply a mind-boggling investment destination. But, unlike fixed incomes,equity investment deserves more investors attention and thorough research.1.Understand the basics of Economics:Like any other market, stock market also follows the law of economics, particularly the mechanics of supply and demand. If there is a greater demand for any stock, its price will go up. On the other hand, if there is less number of buyers for any stock the price will fall. 2.Study the potential company:To make any successful investment in stock one need to now the company whose share he or she is buying. Specially, knowledge regarding its business,past performance and future potentiality helps a lot in making healthyinvestment decision.3.Make it a habit to read and watch the news:Dealing with the stock market is no guesswork. Sound decisions making isthe result of constant learning about the local and global political andeconomic incidents. Often news create immediate stir in the market. Properanalysis of any news item is important since that can affect the company orthe sectors performance, we are concerned with.4.Spread your investments:Avoid putting all eggs in single basket. If all your money is invested in a single company, the chance of making lose becomes greater. Spread the money over more than one company; it will minimize the risk of company specific poor performance. Some of the investments will earn positive return and few of them will give loss and over all chance of making netprofit becomes high. 5.Do not rely solely on stockbrokers:Do your own homework. Remember, the stock broking company is also predicting and providing tips. Once you make your homework done, check with the predictions of the broking companies. That will give you more confidence.6.Do not be greedy:People invest in stock market with an objective to earn more return than fixed income securities. This is the place where one can earn outstandingreturn. But these are risky assets. If one does not understand the riskof holding any share then above average return makes the investor greedy,and that leads to wrong stock investment decision.Result is loss. So, investors should restrict impulsive decision-making. The above article may be freely republished in any media if the author biobox and the links are kept as it is. Edgar Davids is the contributing author to the Shriram Insight.If you want to invest in the growing Indian Economy, or if you have anyother query, feel free to ask the helpdesk.

Category : General Business: Stocks

Orange pay monthly mobile phone- The best deal for your pocket

Author : Richard Meyers

Your search for the cheapest and the most efficient way of having a mobile phone ends here. With the introduction of orange pay monthly mobile phone, you can get your favorite phones at the most reasonable price and with the most affordable tariffs.Pay monthly mobile phones are offered by orange contract deals orange contract deals that require the bills to be paid monthly. Due to their vast benefits, pay monthly mobile phones have become a preferred choice for most of the mobile users in UK. But benefits not only reach a particular section rather, they extend to each and every strata of the entire community.Orange pay monthly mobile phones are available on various leading mobile phone brands including Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and many more. The features of pay monthly mobile phones are not compromised anywhere. With this deal you will get the latest and the most advanced mobile phones that are capturing the minds of mobile freaks. The deal is offered to all types of mobile users and is aimed at offering them the best services.Orange pay monthly mobile phone deal Orange pay monthly mobile phone dealhas a variety of tariff plans for you. Certain special offers include 12 months free line rental, 11 months free line rental etc which are the common tariffs offered with these deals. Not only this, with orange mobile phone deals you will get a variety of options, cheap tariffs, great value for money and many other plans to suit your peculiar needs and fulfill your expectations.To get orange pay monthly mobile phone Orange pay monthly mobile phone dealwithout much effort, you can easily go online. Online mobile shops provide you a vast range of options to choose from with competitive rates, flexible tariffs etc. The mobile phones available on the online mobile shops are taken directly from the manufacturer and thus the products you get here are the latest and the most recent ones. Orange pay monthly mobile phones are an easy way to get cheap and affordable mobile phones and stay connected with your loved ones always. Richard Meyers is associated with Orange Mobile Phone Shop. To know more about Orange pay monthly mobile phone deal, Orange mobile phone, orange contract deals, SIM free mobile phone, Orange Mobile Phone Tariff, Cheap Orange Mobile Phones,Orange Mobile Network in UK please visit http://www.orangemobilephoneshop.com

Category : General Technology: Telecommunications

วันเสาร์ที่ 29 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Wholesale List: Cautions You Should Take Before Buying Them

Author : Joaquin Reveron
It is obvious that if you are in the wholesale business like many small business entrepreneurs, you then know that a wholesale list is file where you get specialized amounts of distributors, wholesalers and liquidation centers that can make your business outrageously profitable almost immediately. What many of the starting entrepreneurs like I use to be 2 years ago with specialized distributors- is that many of the wholesale distributor list being advertised on the Internet are complete scams that offer just more of the same- outdated contacts that can not be found anywhere near to the address provided from each announced source. It is a little pathetic if you think it over.A wholesale list has always supposed to be a specialized distributor and wholesale list where you get the lowest possible price for your merchandise with the most reliable, trustworthy and profitable wholesale distributors the marketplace has to offer for each niche you have or currently start. Today that definition has taken another complete false concept. The false concept of advertising outdated DVD wholesale sources for the purpose of getting $0.99-$10.00 for a sale. It is incredibly ridiculous. As you know in any kind of business, mostly- you get what you paid for. In the wholesale DVD business this saying applies twenty four seven. There are hundreds if not thousands of outdated, poor, not profitable wholesale list being advertised on eBay every single day. I do not care what the sellers on such auctions sites have to say about their list, truth is that if the current seller is not selling tangible items on such auction site and his selling nothing else but information, his not reliable. When your business relies on getting the greatest wholesale distributors, wholesalers and liquidation centers in order to convert $3.00 to $40.00- you need reliable, tested and trustworthy wholesale sources that will get the job of getting the lowest possible price- a breeze. You do not need to start like I started 2 years ago- buying every $0.99-$9.99 contact list on the Internet for having your start-up business succeed in the long-run or improve your current business thanks to profitable legit distributors. You can start right now virtually for pennies on the dollar.Getting great profitable distributors for the most profitable wholesale niches on the Internet has never become so simpler than ever before. Now a days you can just rely on power sellers that have years of experience with wholesale and from people that have made thousands of dollars in a matter of days. Those are the kind of entrepreneurs that you can rely your business. People that had the walk-to-walk experience, these are the ones. Whatever you decide doing with your new business and current offline or online business- I wish you the best of success and patience on the Internet, specially regarding wholesale. It is a very lucrative and profitable niche, but you need to be very careful on the people that you buy those DVD wholesale list and other contact list sources for improving your current or new business. Hope to see you in upcoming e-commerce seminars soon and making your business profitable with the most profitable sources till this day.Getting Wholesale DVDs is one of the business components Joaquin can help. His focus today is on assisting people create wealth through the DVD Wholesale business
Category : Internet-and-Businesses-Online

วันศุกร์ที่ 28 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551

How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn't a Turkey

Author : Caterina Christakos
When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through.This is especially true with holiday tales. The best way to convey a holiday scene is to take a trip back in time through the wonderful world of our unconscious. Here are some great ways to delve back into our child hood memories and incorporate them into our holiday tales.1) Sit in a darkened room and close your eyes. Allow yourself to go back in time to the very first Christmas that you can remember. Take a deep breath and relax. What are the scents, sounds and feelings that come up? What is the first picture that pops into your mind?Is it the sound of children racing down the stairs that comes to you first? The feel of your heart pounding when you awoke and found that Christmas was really here? The warmth of your parentsâ€™ blankets as you bounced on them, anxious to wake them up?The autumn and winter holidays will always be associated, for me, with my grandmotherâ€™s cooking and pumpkin pies. I remember running into her little house, and the sound of the front doorâ€™s slam behind me. I was immediately engulfed in warmth. The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon and pumpkin seeds physically drew me forward, until I was wrapped in my grandmotherâ€™s embrace.2) Recreate the scene. Since a prime trigger for me is the scent of pumpkin pies, I often order pumpkin scented candles from Yankee Candles. I sit on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, light the candles and wait. Within moments, the scent has pulled me back to my grandmotherâ€™s kitchen. And I hear the sound of my cousins pounding down the hall after me, each of us anxious to win the first warm treat.You can do the same. If a scent triggers your memories, you can either bake the cake or cookie or brew the eggnog. Or you can get one of those scented candles and simply light it.If the feel of sweaters immediately transports you back to your snow throwing days, slip one on. If you are like me and live in Florida, turn the air way up first. Close your eyes and hear the sound of children shouting as they try to nail each other with snowballs. Picture their fresh flushed faces.3) If there is a particular holiday character that sparks your memories, rent holiday movies. Some of my favorites are Frosty the Snowman and Miracle on Thirty fourth street. Watch one for a while, until you get the holiday feeling, then turn the sound off. Watch the pictures and let your mind go.4) Use all of these pictures and sensations and feelings in your story.If you are writing about a little girl in a big family, think back to what holiday dinners were like for you. Did everyone talk at once? Does your character like this or does she feel overwhelmed? What is it like to be the smallest one in a room full of adults? Is there a cousin or neighbor that is constantly picking on her? Do the children get bored and decide to explore the forbidden attic?5) Once you have a scene in mind, write down all of these questions. Donâ€™t worry about answering them until you have run out of questions. Then think back to the picture, sound or feeling that you associate with and answer the questions.6) Now describe everything that you can about the characters. What are their ages? What do they look like? Are they the youngest or oldest in their family? Where do they live? What is their favorite thing? What are their best friendâ€™s names? Who is their arch nemesis and why?Get as much detail as possible down.Once you can describe all of these things, the pieces of your story will begin to fall into place. More importantly, your characters and your scenes will be real and alive. Be brave and put as much of yourself into these stories and your characters. Your readers will love you for it.About The AuthorCaterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Childrenâ€™s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com.Publishing Guidelines: This article may be freely published so long as the author's resource box, bylines, and copyright are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Send to CChrist896@aol.com
Category : Networking

Indigestion Cure - Home And Ayurvedic Remedies, Dietary Treatments

Author : tom alter

n class="view_date">March 4th, 2007

The Benefits of Trading The Forex Market

Author : Marquez Comelab

Historically, the FX market was available most to major banks, multinational corporations and other participants who traded in large transaction sizes and volumes. Small-scale traders including individuals like you and I, had little access to this market for such a long time. Now with the advent of the Internet and technology, FX trading is becoming an increasingly popular investment alternative for the general public. The benefits of trading the currency market: It is open 24-hours and it closes only on the weekends; It is very liquid and efficient; It is very volatile; It has very low transaction costs; You can use a high level of leverage (borrowed money) with ease; and You can profit from a bull or a bear market. Continuous, 24-Hour Trading The currency exchange is a 24-hour market. You may decide to trade after you come home from work. Regardless of what time-frame you want to trade at whatever time of the day, there would be enough buyers and sellers to take the other side of your trade. This feature of the market gives you enough flexibility to manage your trading around your daily routine.Liquidity And Efficiency When there are a lot of buyers and a lot of sellers, you can expect to buy or sell at a price that is very close to the last market price. The currency market is the most liquid market in the world. Trading volume in the currency markets can be between 50 and 100 times larger than the New York Stock Exchange (Source: Oanda.) When you are trading stocks, you may have experienced events where one piece of news accelerates or decelerates the price of the underlying stock you may have bought into. Perhaps a director has been kicked out by the shareholders of a company or the company has just released a new product and big investors are buying the shares of a particular company. Share prices can be drastically affected by the actions or inactions of one or a few individuals. So if you are relying on television reports and newspapers to get your news, most of the opportunities or warnings will have come too late for you to take advantage by the time you get them. The value of currencies on the other hand is affected by so many factors and so many participants that the likelihood of any one individual or group of individuals drastically affecting the value of a currency is minute. Because of its sheer size, the currency market is hard to manipulate. The ability for people to engage in ???insider trading' is virtually eliminated. As an average trader, you are less disadvantaged. You are likely to be playing on relatively equal ground along with all the other traders and investors whom you are competing against. Note about price gaps: For those people who have already traded other markets, you probably know about price ???gaps'. ???Gaps' occur when prices ???jump' from one price level to another without having taken any incremental steps to get there. For example, you may be trading a share that closes at $10 at the end of today but due to some event that happens overnight; it opens tomorrow at $5 and continues to go downwards for the rest of the day. Gaps bring about another degree of uncertainty that may meddle with a trader's strategy. Probably one of the most worrying aspects of this is when a trader uses stop-losses. In this case, if a trader puts a stop-loss at $7 because he no longer wants to be in a trade if the share price hits $7, his trade will remain open overnight and the trader wakes up tomorrow with a loss bigger than he may have been prepared for. After looking at a couple of forex charts, you will realize that there are little price ???gaps' or none at all, especially on the longer-term charts like the 3-hour, 4-hour or the daily charts. Volatility Trading opportunities exist when prices fluctuate. If you buy a share for $2 and it stays there, there is no opportunity to make a profit. The magnitude of level of this fluctuation and its frequency is referred to as volatility. As a trader, it is volatility that you profit from. Large volume transactions and high liquidity combined with fewer trading instruments generate greater intra-day volatility in the currency market that can be exploited by day-traders. The high volatility of the currency market indicates that a trader can potentially earn 5 times more money from currency trading than trading the most liquid shares. Volatility is a measure of maximum return that a trader can generate with perfect foresight. Volatility for the most liquid stocks are between 60 to 100. Volatility for currency trading is 500. (Source: Oanda.) In this respect, currencies make a better trading vehicle for day-traders than the equity markets. Low Transaction Costs A currency transaction typically incurs no commission or transaction fees. For a forex trader, the spread is the only cost he or she needs to cover in taking on a position. In addition, because of the currency market's efficiency, there is little or no ???slippage' costs. ???Slippage' is the cost involved when traders enter the market at a price worse than the level they wanted to get into. For example, a trader wants to buy a share at $2.00 but by the time, the order gets executed, his gets to buy the shares at $2.50. That fifty cents difference is his slippage cost. Slippage cost affects large-volume traders a lot. When they buy large quantities of a commodity, it oversupplies the market with buy orders. This applies a pressure for the price to go up. By the time they get to buy all the quantities they wanted, the average price they got their commodities would be higher than the price they intended to get them for. Conversely, when they sell large quantities of a commodity, they oversupply the market with sell orders. This applies a pressure for the price to go down. By the time they finish selling all their commodities, their average selling price is less than what they initially intended to sell them for. Due to lower transaction costs, minimum slippage and strong intra-day volatility, individuals can trade frequently at small costs. As an approximate, you may only expect to have a spread of 0.03% of your position size. To give you an example, you can buy and sell 10,000 US Dollars and this will only incur a 3-point spread, equivalent to $3. Leverage There are not a lot of banks or people who would lend you money so that you can use it to trade shares. And if there are, it would be very hard for you to convince them to invest in you and in your idea that a certain share is going to go up or down. Therefore, most of the time, if you have a $10,000 account, you can only really afford to buy $10,000 worth of stocks. In currency trading however, because you use ???borrowed money', you can trade $10,000 of a currency and you only need anywhere between fifty (For a margin lending ratio of 200:1) to two hundred dollars ( For a margin lending ratio of 50:1) in your trading account. This makes it possible for an average trader with a small trading account, under $10,000 to be able to profit sufficiently from the movements of the currency exchange rates. This concept is explained further in The Part-Time Currency Trader. Profit From A Bull And Bear Market When you are trading shares, you can only profit when the price of a stock goes up. When you suspect that it is about to go down or that it is just going to be moving sideways, then the only thing you can do is sell your shares and stand aside. One of the frustrations of trading shares is that an individual cannot profit when prices are going down. In the currency market, it is easy for you to trade a currency downward so that you can profit when you think it is going to lose value. This is easy to do because currency trading simply involves buying one currency and selling another, there is no structural bias that makes it difficult to trade ???downwards'. This is why the currency market has been occasionally referred to as the eternal bull market. -----------This is an excerpt, modified from the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader. Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader . It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: http://marquezcomelab.com. His other articles are also published at http://thefreedomtochoose.com along with other helpful articles.

Category : General Business: Markets

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 27 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Understanding ADHD

Author : News Canada

(NC)The behavioural disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been recognized and treated since 1902. However, it is only in the last 20 years or so that research has demonstrated that it is a neurobiological disorder with far-reaching impact on children.Originally it was believed that ADHD was a condition that children would eventually outgrow. We now understand that ADHD is not caused by poor parenting, poor teachers or schools, or family problems, but due to chemical differences in the brain. It is not surprising, therefore that as many as 60 per cent of children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to have symptoms into adulthood if not properly treated.Despite increased awareness and identification of the disorder, many children are not provided with optimal treatment that provides continuous symptom relief. It is important to remember that ADHD is a disorder requiring treatment, not a set of behaviours requiring controls. Sub-optimal treatment can have serious consequences for children such as a lack of friends, accidental death, injury, sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, criminal activity, and causing marital difficulties for their parents.Research indicates the greatest improvement in symptoms is seen with a combination of counselling and medical treatment. For many children and their families, ADHD diagnosis provides a welcome explanation for their difficulties and leads to appropriate treatment.All medications currently approved to treat ADHD belong to a class called stimulants. A number of new investigational ADHD treatments offer great promise and in the future Canadians will have more choice in ADHD treatment.For more information on ADHD it's important to speak with your doctor.- News Canada <a href="http://www.newscanada.com/" target=new>News Canada</a> provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web. <a href="http://www.newscanada.com/" target=new>News Canada</a> is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit <a href="http://www.newscanada.com/" target=new>News Canada</a> and learn more about the NC services.

Category : Health Organizations

Gina Lynn to Guest on 'Adam Carolla Show'

ข้อมูลสรุปนี้ไม่พร้อมใช้งาน โปรด คลิกที่นี่เพื่อดูโพสต์

วันพุธที่ 26 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2551

Point and Click Democracy: Why It Doesn't Work

Author : Stephanie Vance

, 2007

A Guide To Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Author : Richard Romando

Approximately 10-20 percent of the cases of mesothelioma begin in the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneal mesotheliomas). This type of mesothelioma does not respond well to treatment, but is less common than pleural mesothelioma, which affects the membrane covering the lungs. Since it is difficult to treat, peritoneal mesothelioma often results in an early death. The disease attacks and destroys soft tissue and nearby nerves, causing intense pain to the patient. The first symptom is abdominal pain. At the initial stage, pain can be eased with analgesics, such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). Treatment can include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which are aimed at stopping the spread of the disease and at alleviating the pain. Another reason why this form of mesothelioma is so hard to treat is that the symptoms are often dormant and surface only after 35-40 years of exposure to asbestos. Peritoneal mesothelioma, like all forms of mesothelioma, is mainly caused by exposure to asbestos over a period of time. Construction workers, their families, and people who live in asbestos-insulated buildings where the asbestos fibers are exposed, are most at risk of contacting mesothelioma.Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal pain and swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the abdomen. Other symptoms may include bowel obstruction; blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face. 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

Getting The Right Domain Name

Author : Adrian Lawrence -
Once you are comfortable with working online, you should buy a domain name for your site or sites. Domain name registration, if you do it right, is one of the key components of having your site rate high in the search engines. The right domain name is memorable, and can get your site to rank higher than other names. The wrong domain name won't do you any good at all.

The Basics of Domain Name Registration

The first thing you have to do is come up with a good domain name for registration. Don't even think about a one-word domain name; they're all gone at this point. Instead, come up with dual-word combos. If you're putting together a professional site, try your name before anything else.

Don't get fancy with spelling when selecting your domain name registration, or use 2s and 8s to represent their sounds. You can try the number 1; that sometimes works. You can also try the names of products you offer, or a description of your site content offerings: Romanceforgirls, popcornpalace, fluffykittens. Memorable is always better; short and memorable is best, but very difficult to accomplish.

Come up with a couple of dozen names that will do for your site, and test them on a registry. Don't buy a domain name for which the .com extension is gone, but you have access to the .net or .info. These domain names are not by any means as valuable as the .com. If you pick up the .com, though, and you expect the site to be lucrative or have a lot of competition, it's not a bad idea to pick up the other extensions as well. Domain name registration is NOT expensive, and if you register in bulk you can get an even better price.

The .UK Extension

This doesn't mean you should avoid anything but .com. If you have a business in the United Kingdom, you have access to the .uk domain name set, which UK customers are likely to look at before anything else for UK-specific businesses.

If you anticipate most of your business will come from British customers who are aware your business is in Britain, the .uk extension may be a better choice than the .com; and if your customers are unhappy with Internic's control of Internet domain registration or they are very pro-Britain, the .uk extension is certainly a better choice.

If you're fortunate enough to find both extensions for your domain open, and if you run a British company, it doesn't cost much to buy them both, and you definitely should.

It also gives your online presence an immediate â€œidentityâ€ geographically which can be crucial in building online relationships- where trust is a key component. By being a .UK domain, you are very likely to gain UK clients.

The .UK domains market is one of the fastest growing and lucrative registration areas on the internet.

Tips for Domain Name Registration

Have a website ready to plunk into your domain as soon as you buy it, and submit it immediately to the search engines. The search engines take time to index new sites and your domain name registration is only as valuable as the search engines make it.

You can also have more than one domain name pointing at a single site. If you've bought multiple extensions for your domain name (as in the previously-suggested .com/.uk combination), you can set up your site under one domain name and then direct traffic from the others to the main site. This is called web traffic forwarding and has been around for years. It may be as simple as parking your domain name on a server and putting a line of code on the page, or as complex as going through another website to use their online web forwarding services.

When you do register a domain and start building traffic to it, go out and renew for multiple years before your renewal is due. It is surprisingly easy to forget to register your domain name on time, and if someone else sneaks in and registers it, you've just lost a ton of work on that domain.

By making your domain name memorable, you will help other webmasters remember your site easily when building anchor texts in their links- a crucial component of SEO.

Final tip: donâ€™t just think about price when looking for a domain registration company- also think about quality of service. While you shouldnâ€™t be paying over the odds, it really is better to be safe than sorry and go with the more established registrars. Then you can have peace of mind that should any problems arise, you will be well looked after.

Shooting High Definition Video Footage in Italy

Author : Kathi Jacobs
Italy is without question the place to shoot high definition video. Nearly everything in this sun-drenched part of the world cries out for a photo or video capture. My feelings about the country have never wavered from this opinion.Having said that, I must also admit that Italy - particularly in metropolitan areas - is a problematic country for videographers. Rome, among other Italian cities, has some of the toughest regulations and laws limiting commercial photography.My husband, Wayne, and I formed our company - VITA Digital Productions - 5 years ago to shoot European video footage - both for our own specialty-market treadmill virtual walks ( www.treadmillwalks.com ) and to sell as stock footage to TV networks around the world ( www.hdeuropeanstockfootage.com ). We made the decision last year to switch over to HD (High Definition) footage after getting our first request for HD footage.Our biggest concerns, in planning our recent three-week shoot in May 2005, were 1. the safe transport of our video equipment (all in carry-on bags, for obvious reasons!), 2. the ability to shoot in and around tourist-laden locations, and 3. finding ways to get video footage in spite of the stringent regulations enforced in Rome.Wayne and I have done this several times over the past five years - researching a picture-worthy destination in Europe, making our own travel plans, and packing up like two serendipitous vagabonds to go forth and shoot (you'd just have to know me to appreciate how foreign this is - no pun intended - to my accustomed, orderly way of life). When I look back to the first part of 2001 (pre 9-11) and our two trips to Italy in spring and summer of that year, I realize now how easy it was to get through customs with unusual looking video equipment.When the two of us travel on a video shoot, we have slowly learned to take the bare minimum of clothing so that we can
accommodate the camera, tripods, SteadiCam apparatus, batteries, filters, wide-angle lens, fluid heads, and tape in addition to spare parts for repairs.This trip, anticipating problems with airport security, we took pictures of Wayne wearing the SteadiCam vest and showing the camera mounted on the articulated arm. We then tucked the pictures inside the luggage for quick and easy retrieval. When the security agents x-rayed our bags, they never failed to have us open our luggage and inspect the equipment contained. It expedited the process when we were able to produce pictures showing how every piece of equipment fit together. Wayne also mailed a small and inexpensive packet of tools (a screwdriver, a pair of pliers and an Allen wrench) to each of our two hotels so that we would not have those little forbidden items confiscated in the airports. And for some reason, an Allen wrench is an absolute no-no with security agents! I suppose that all of the items could have been purchased in Italy, but time is money on a shoot and we didn't want to waste time searching for a source in a strange city.Safely arriving with all of our equipment in Italy, we were ready to begin shooting. We had an itinerary and a shooting agenda for each day, but we knew we would have to build in some flexibility to allow for both the weather and the unexpected. We have been extremely lucky in this regard, even on our two previous shooting trips to England.So how does a videographer shoot around the tourists? If too many people are between the camera and subject or site being shot, the whole effort can be an utter waste of time. And also, unfortunately, the Italian polizia and carabinieri are quick to tell a videographer or still photographer to fold up that tripod and move on!! They do NOT have any patience with a foreign professional photographer, so common sense and a little stealth are requirements.For tourist-filled sites, we have found that shooting in the very early morning works well for us. For one thing, Italy is a late-night country, so there are few people (and that includes police) out on the streets at first light. Typically, we would get to a site by 7 AM each morning, shoot for a few hours and then return to the hotel for breakfast: then back out into the streets for more shooting.The first part of our trip focused on the Amalfi Coast where we filmed, in addition to some incredibly beautiful stock footage, a virtual walk through the Valle di Mulino (the Valley of the Mills) above Amalfi, another through Pompeii, a third on the Isle of Capri, from Anacapri to Torre Damecuta, and yet another from Ravello to Atrani into the Piazza Umberto.The last two weeks of this trip took us back to Rome, where our focus was HD stock footage and Renaissance art - Bernini
sculptures and Raphael paintings claimed the lion's share of our time and attention. We spent much of our time filming the Pantheon (Raphael's Tomb and the occulus); the Church of Santa Maria de Popolo and its Chigi Chapel; Santa Maria della Vittoria with Bernini's "Ecstasy of St. Teresa"; the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona; St. Peter's Basilica and Square; and those delightful Breezy Maniacs of Bernini's along the bridge to the Castel Sant'Angelo.We devoted a day filming a virtual walk in the medieval town of Viterbo (just 1.5 hours by train from Rome). An historical note about Viterbo - had John Paul II or Benedict XVI been elected Pope in the 13th century, it would have happened here rather than in Rome. Now a well-preserved provincial village, but in its heyday, Viterbo was Rome's greatest rival!Rome was more crowded with tourists during this trip than we've ever encountered. Much of that could be attributed to pilgrims
flocking to the Vatican in the month following the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Pope Benedict XVI. We've also heard that more Americans are traveling to Europe this summer than ever before. Whatever the reason, there were visitors everywhere.At the end of the trip, we were exhausted but satisfied with the 20 plus hours of High Definition footage we shot along the Amalfi Coast and in Rome. There was an unfortunate incident with a French gendarme in the Charles deGaulle airport, but that will remain a story told within the family!Is a foreign shoot worth the time, expense, and aggravation? I'll give you a resounding yes on that one - but with a caveat: pack an extra dose of patience and a big heart, and both will be rewarded many times over!My husband, Wayne, and I own a video production company that focuses on European travel. In addition to our Virtual Walks Series, we also shoot stock footage of Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, London, and English villages. We have sold our footage to numerous television networks and production houses around the world.
Category : Business:Video-Streaming