“I am a Carer”. There you go, “straight off the bat” as they say, I write this article (the first in a series) in my role as a Primary Carer first and author second. At present I am the primary carer for my elderly mother who is suffering from the advance stages of Alzheimer’s disease. It is desperately cruel disease (most are, I know) in that it robs people (by and large) of their dignity and their independence at a stage in life when they need it most.
In the United Kingdom, the Alzheimer’s Society claimed in a recent survey that over 750,000 people suffered from Alzheimer’s and related dementia problems. In the United States it is calculated that an estimated 4.5 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s and that this figure has doubled since 1980.
Further alarming statistics highlight the fact that it is possible that in the US alone, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s could more than double to between 11.5 and 13 million sufferers by 2050.
Alzheimer’s disease is what is described as a progressive disorder of the brain that gradually destroys a persons’ memory, ability to learn, reason, make judgements, communicate and carry out daily activities. As the disease progresses, sufferers may also experience changes in their personality and display such behavioural changes ranging from anxiety, agitation or suspicion right up to and / or including delusions and hallucinations.
Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating insight into the biology of the disease. Research has also shown that effective care and support can improve quality of life for individuals and their caregivers over the course of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life.
Considering the long term implications for Alzheimer’s sufferers, the hidden sociological impact will in reality be born on the shoulders of those who will be caring for the sufferers for it is indeed a bittersweet irony that those who care for the sufferers in reality suffer more than the sufferers do themselves.
This fact in itself has been largely responsible for another survey finding recently and that was the fact that Americans are equally afraid of caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s as much as they are of developing the disease themselves. Approximately 1 in 2 American adults are more apprehensive of caring for partner or loved one who has developed Alzheimer’s. Just less than 1 in 5 American adults have indicated that they are more afraid of getting the disease themselves (17%).
The real problem from a carer’s perspective is that no two people experience Alzheimer’s disease in the same way. As a result, there's no one approach to care giving. Your care giving responsibilities can range from making financial decisions, managing changes in behaviour, to helping a loved one get dressed in the morning.
Handling these duties is hard work. But by learning care giving skills, you can make sure that your loved one feels supported and is living a full life. You can also ensure that you are taking steps to preserve your own well-being.
Caring for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or another illness involving dementia can be very difficult, time-consuming, and stressful – (serious understatement here). Here are some more things a care giver can do to help the person with Alzheimer's disease while also reducing the substantial burden that comes with care giving:
* Stay Informed - Knowledge equals power. The more you know about Alzheimer's disease or any other signs of dementia, the better you can prepare yourself to deal with problems that may arise.
* Share concerns with the person - A person who is mildly to moderately impaired can assist in his/her own care. Memory aides and other strategies can be created by the person with dementia and the caregiver together. This is easier said than done I know but you have to give it a try. But, and this is a big but (no laughs here please) it is essential that you realise that you are probably dealing with a person who if they have any cognisance at all, will be in denial.
* Solve problems one at a time - A multitude of problems may occur that may seem insurmountable at the time. Work on one specific problem at a time -- you do not have to solve every problem all at once. As the saying goes “Success by the inch is a cinch, by the yard it’s hard” and in this case this has never been more true.
* Use your imagination - One of the keys to handling this disease is your ability to adapt. If something can't be done one way, try another. For example, if the person only uses his or her fingers for eating, do not keep fighting; just serve as many finger foods as possible!
* Establish an environment that encourages freedom and activity within limits Try to create a stable, balanced schedule for meals, medication, etc. but also encourage activities that the patient can handle such as taking a walk or visiting an old friend. Remember, the person with AD is not the only one whose needs must be taken into consideration. You as a caregiver have needs and desires that must also be met. First, try and find some time for yourself. Even though this suggestion may seem like an impossibility, find some time during the week where you can have someone else watch the patient -- be it a relative, friend, or neighbour -- and do something for yourself.
* Avoid social isolation - Keep up contacts with friends and relatives. It’s easy to get burned out when it seems like you have no one to turn to. Another way to establish contacts is by joining the Alzheimer's Association or other such support groups. Talking with other families who share many of the very same problems can be reassuring as it helps you know you are not alone in your round-the-clock struggles.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3 Steps to Managing Skin Allergies
An effective approach to managing skin allergies has three components. Firstly you must understand the condition, then you must discover if anything is triggering your skin reaction, and thirdly you must look after your skin.
Many people think that allergies only affect the respiratory or digestive systems, but they can also affect your largest organ- your skin. As with other allergies the immune system overreacts to the presence of certain substances and releases inflammation-producing chemicals. Do some research and talk to your doctor. You can be confident of controlling your skin condition better if you are sure you understand what causes it.
The second component in managing a skin allergy is identifying then eliminating the allergens and irritants that start the itching/scratching cycle. There are over three thousand known triggers for skin allergies. Many are natural, but there are plenty of man-made ones too.
A common man-made trigger is latex, which comes from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree. The natural proteins and those added in the manufacturing process can trigger an allergic reaction. Most people are aware that this can lead to reactions if you wear latex gloves. However latex is also present in baby pacifiers, balloons, pencil erasers and elastic bands in undergarments. There can also be problems when latex particles become airborne and are inhaled. If you have a latex allergy try to avoid the material and use vinyl or plastic where possible.
Nickel is another trigger. In addition to the obvious nickel-containing metallic objects like coins and jewelry, nickel is also present in everyday objects like scissors, bathroom and kitchen cabinet handles, and zippers. Mascara, eye shadow and eye pencils also contain nickel. Experts estimate that the number of people suffering from a nickel allergy has risen about 40% in the last decade. Much of this is believed to be due to the popularity of body piercing. Some foods also have natural nickel content and people who suffer severe symptoms may need to restrict their diet under medical supervision. At present there is no way to desensitize a person with a nickel allergy. Avoidance is the best strategy.
The third component of effective management is looking after your skin. The easiest thing to do is to keep your fingernails short to reduce the damage caused by scratching.
Managing your skin's condition means firstly moisturizing and softening the skin to ensure it does not dry out. Your doctor may recommend you use topical corticosteroid preparations to control the inflammation.
When you take a bath soak in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not have hot baths or showers, as the heat will increase skin dryness and itching. You can add oatmeal or baking soda to the bath for a soothing effect, though it does not help moisturize the skin.
Use a mild soap or a non-soap cleanser with neutral pH (pH7). If you wish to add bath oils do so after you have been in the water so that it can seal in the moisture. Do not use bubble baths as they can form a barrier that stops the bathwater moisturizing your skin.
After the bath dry yourself by patting your skin with a soft towel. This helps retain moisture. Immediately after drying your skin apply a lotion or emollient cream to help your skin retain the moisture.
To look after your skin you will also need to avoid situations where you will experience extreme physical contact, heavy perspiration, or heavy clothing. This may mean avoiding some sports. Swimming is permissible if you rinse the chlorine from your skin as soon as you leave the pool, and use a moisturizer after drying yourself.
Follow these three steps and you will be able to control your skin allergy and minimize its impact on your everyday life.
Many people think that allergies only affect the respiratory or digestive systems, but they can also affect your largest organ- your skin. As with other allergies the immune system overreacts to the presence of certain substances and releases inflammation-producing chemicals. Do some research and talk to your doctor. You can be confident of controlling your skin condition better if you are sure you understand what causes it.
The second component in managing a skin allergy is identifying then eliminating the allergens and irritants that start the itching/scratching cycle. There are over three thousand known triggers for skin allergies. Many are natural, but there are plenty of man-made ones too.
A common man-made trigger is latex, which comes from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree. The natural proteins and those added in the manufacturing process can trigger an allergic reaction. Most people are aware that this can lead to reactions if you wear latex gloves. However latex is also present in baby pacifiers, balloons, pencil erasers and elastic bands in undergarments. There can also be problems when latex particles become airborne and are inhaled. If you have a latex allergy try to avoid the material and use vinyl or plastic where possible.
Nickel is another trigger. In addition to the obvious nickel-containing metallic objects like coins and jewelry, nickel is also present in everyday objects like scissors, bathroom and kitchen cabinet handles, and zippers. Mascara, eye shadow and eye pencils also contain nickel. Experts estimate that the number of people suffering from a nickel allergy has risen about 40% in the last decade. Much of this is believed to be due to the popularity of body piercing. Some foods also have natural nickel content and people who suffer severe symptoms may need to restrict their diet under medical supervision. At present there is no way to desensitize a person with a nickel allergy. Avoidance is the best strategy.
The third component of effective management is looking after your skin. The easiest thing to do is to keep your fingernails short to reduce the damage caused by scratching.
Managing your skin's condition means firstly moisturizing and softening the skin to ensure it does not dry out. Your doctor may recommend you use topical corticosteroid preparations to control the inflammation.
When you take a bath soak in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not have hot baths or showers, as the heat will increase skin dryness and itching. You can add oatmeal or baking soda to the bath for a soothing effect, though it does not help moisturize the skin.
Use a mild soap or a non-soap cleanser with neutral pH (pH7). If you wish to add bath oils do so after you have been in the water so that it can seal in the moisture. Do not use bubble baths as they can form a barrier that stops the bathwater moisturizing your skin.
After the bath dry yourself by patting your skin with a soft towel. This helps retain moisture. Immediately after drying your skin apply a lotion or emollient cream to help your skin retain the moisture.
To look after your skin you will also need to avoid situations where you will experience extreme physical contact, heavy perspiration, or heavy clothing. This may mean avoiding some sports. Swimming is permissible if you rinse the chlorine from your skin as soon as you leave the pool, and use a moisturizer after drying yourself.
Follow these three steps and you will be able to control your skin allergy and minimize its impact on your everyday life.
10 Common Symptoms And Signs Of High Blood Pressure
High Blood pressure is the measure of force against arteries. Do you have high blood pressure? Do you know what are common symptoms and signs of high blood pressure? This article will give you comprehensive information about common signs and symptoms of high blood pressure.
Usually people ignore high blood pressure. Even those who take medicine, only take anti hypertensive medication for short time. Studies have proved that 90% of high blood pressure patients show non compliance with their medication. If you will not control your blood pressure it may lead to serious problems with your Heart, Kidneys, Brain and Eyes. If you want to save these vital organs , then you will have to control your blood pressure with in limits.
Normal blood pressure is 120/80. If this reading goes above 140/90, then you consider yourself as a hypertensive patient. Between 120 and 140 is a pre hypertensive stage. which can be controlled even by natural measures like exercise, low salt intake, stop smoking, lower cholesterol, eat vegetables etc.
How will you come to know that you have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure typically has no symptoms at all, that is why we can call it as Silent killer. Although there are many coincidental symptoms that are widely believed to be associated with high blood pressure. These include headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, a flushed face and fatigue. Although people with high blood pressure may have many of these symptoms, they occur just as frequently in those with normal blood pressure. Why these symptoms occur, If a person has high blood pressure that is severe or longstanding and left untreated, symptoms such as headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, restlessness, and blurred vision can occur as a result of damage to the brain, eyes, heart and kidneys. In rare cases, high blood pressure may cause brain swelling, which can lead to drowsiness and coma.
Briefly Hypertension has following 10 common symptoms.
headache
Nosebleed (Epistaxis)
Breathlessness
tinnitus(Ringing in Ears)
sleepiness, Ansomnia
confusion
Fatigue
profuse sweating
vomiting
low libido or lack of sexual desire
Blurred vision
If you have not above symptoms, it does not mean that you have no high blood pressure. Remember most common symptom of high Blood pressure is that " It Has No Symptom". Best way to keep you healthy is to have your blood pressure checked at regular intervals.
Wish you all the good health.
Read more about High Blood Pressure Symptoms at website http://www.highbloodpressuremed.com
Usually people ignore high blood pressure. Even those who take medicine, only take anti hypertensive medication for short time. Studies have proved that 90% of high blood pressure patients show non compliance with their medication. If you will not control your blood pressure it may lead to serious problems with your Heart, Kidneys, Brain and Eyes. If you want to save these vital organs , then you will have to control your blood pressure with in limits.
Normal blood pressure is 120/80. If this reading goes above 140/90, then you consider yourself as a hypertensive patient. Between 120 and 140 is a pre hypertensive stage. which can be controlled even by natural measures like exercise, low salt intake, stop smoking, lower cholesterol, eat vegetables etc.
How will you come to know that you have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure typically has no symptoms at all, that is why we can call it as Silent killer. Although there are many coincidental symptoms that are widely believed to be associated with high blood pressure. These include headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, a flushed face and fatigue. Although people with high blood pressure may have many of these symptoms, they occur just as frequently in those with normal blood pressure. Why these symptoms occur, If a person has high blood pressure that is severe or longstanding and left untreated, symptoms such as headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, restlessness, and blurred vision can occur as a result of damage to the brain, eyes, heart and kidneys. In rare cases, high blood pressure may cause brain swelling, which can lead to drowsiness and coma.
Briefly Hypertension has following 10 common symptoms.
headache
Nosebleed (Epistaxis)
Breathlessness
tinnitus(Ringing in Ears)
sleepiness, Ansomnia
confusion
Fatigue
profuse sweating
vomiting
low libido or lack of sexual desire
Blurred vision
If you have not above symptoms, it does not mean that you have no high blood pressure. Remember most common symptom of high Blood pressure is that " It Has No Symptom". Best way to keep you healthy is to have your blood pressure checked at regular intervals.
Wish you all the good health.
Read more about High Blood Pressure Symptoms at website http://www.highbloodpressuremed.com
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
5 Simple Steps To Clone A Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes
It's amazing how so many people love chocolate cakes. One of my favorite is the "Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes". It's sooooo delicious!
If you are like me, I urge you to try this recipe when you have time. You'll fall in love with it. Trust me... :-)
So here it is:
Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes
Number of servings: 6 persons
Ingredients:
Instructions
1. Spray inside 6 individual custard cups or soufflé dishes with nonstick cooking spray; then set aside. In small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add butter and sugar; stir until melted.
2. Pour chocolate mixture into large bowl. In small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
3. With electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat chocolate mixture; add eggs and flour mixture; beat about 6 minutes until thickened. Divide mixture evenly among prepared dishes; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Remove and discard plastic from frozen cakes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are set and center is moist. Cool cakes slightly before inverting onto serving platters.
Miam miam! :-)
Enjoy!
© 2006. Joana Steele.
If you are like me, I urge you to try this recipe when you have time. You'll fall in love with it. Trust me... :-)
So here it is:
Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes
Number of servings: 6 persons
Ingredients:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries thawed, puréed in blender
- Fresh raspberries, optional
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, softly beaten
- Fresh mint sprigs, optional
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
1. Spray inside 6 individual custard cups or soufflé dishes with nonstick cooking spray; then set aside. In small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add butter and sugar; stir until melted.
2. Pour chocolate mixture into large bowl. In small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
3. With electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat chocolate mixture; add eggs and flour mixture; beat about 6 minutes until thickened. Divide mixture evenly among prepared dishes; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Remove and discard plastic from frozen cakes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are set and center is moist. Cool cakes slightly before inverting onto serving platters.
Miam miam! :-)
Enjoy!
© 2006. Joana Steele.
3 Tips For Keeping Proper Tax Records For Your Home Business – And Keeping The IRS Happy!
The last thing most people think about when starting a business is doing taxes. But proper planning will make doing your taxes much easier - and keep the IRS happy!
Here are 3 simple tips for keeping proper records:
1. Whenever you buy anything for your business, keep the receipt!
Not only will this make record keeping a lot simpler, but if you are ever audited (having your tax return reviewed in detail by the IRS), you can prove your expenses, and save yourself money.
2. Write down all your expenses and income as they happen.
As your business grows, you'll have more and more activities to keep you busy. The last thing you'll want to do each April 15 is to organize your records for the year. So, it's a good idea to write down all your financial activities as they happen. You'll find preparing your taxes will take much less time if you are organized.
3. Learn how to save money on your taxes.
As you learn about taxes, you'll find that there are many deductions (expenses that reduce your income, and therefore your taxes) you can take that are not obvious. When using your home office, you may be able to deduct (at least partially) repairs you make around the house, utilities, your home's value at the time you start your business, and more.
The more you know about taxes, and the more organized you are in keeping records, the more time and money you'll save at the end of every year!
What happens if you don't keep proper records?
Individuals with small businesses are the most likely to have their tax returns audited by the IRS. If you don't have a receipt, you will likely lose the deduction and owe the IRS money.
And while an audit does not have to be feared, you should be prepared - the more organized your records, the easier it will be to prove your case.
If you don't have one, get a file box and some folders at your local office supply store (these supplies are deductible, so keep your receipts!) and create a filing system for your business. Put all your receipts in the proper folders, and put them in a safe place.
Another way to save yourself time is to record all of your business transactions - expenses and income - on a spreadsheet on your computer. Keep a column for income, advertising, supplies, etc. You don't need to be a computer expert. But keeping accurate, organized records will help you save time when you fill out your taxes at the end of the year.
And it can help you plan, by giving you a snapshot or your financial progress whenever you need it.
Which may come in handy when you need to place ads, borrow money - or take a much needed and well-deserved vacation!
Here are 3 simple tips for keeping proper records:
1. Whenever you buy anything for your business, keep the receipt!
Not only will this make record keeping a lot simpler, but if you are ever audited (having your tax return reviewed in detail by the IRS), you can prove your expenses, and save yourself money.
2. Write down all your expenses and income as they happen.
As your business grows, you'll have more and more activities to keep you busy. The last thing you'll want to do each April 15 is to organize your records for the year. So, it's a good idea to write down all your financial activities as they happen. You'll find preparing your taxes will take much less time if you are organized.
3. Learn how to save money on your taxes.
As you learn about taxes, you'll find that there are many deductions (expenses that reduce your income, and therefore your taxes) you can take that are not obvious. When using your home office, you may be able to deduct (at least partially) repairs you make around the house, utilities, your home's value at the time you start your business, and more.
The more you know about taxes, and the more organized you are in keeping records, the more time and money you'll save at the end of every year!
What happens if you don't keep proper records?
Individuals with small businesses are the most likely to have their tax returns audited by the IRS. If you don't have a receipt, you will likely lose the deduction and owe the IRS money.
And while an audit does not have to be feared, you should be prepared - the more organized your records, the easier it will be to prove your case.
If you don't have one, get a file box and some folders at your local office supply store (these supplies are deductible, so keep your receipts!) and create a filing system for your business. Put all your receipts in the proper folders, and put them in a safe place.
Another way to save yourself time is to record all of your business transactions - expenses and income - on a spreadsheet on your computer. Keep a column for income, advertising, supplies, etc. You don't need to be a computer expert. But keeping accurate, organized records will help you save time when you fill out your taxes at the end of the year.
And it can help you plan, by giving you a snapshot or your financial progress whenever you need it.
Which may come in handy when you need to place ads, borrow money - or take a much needed and well-deserved vacation!
Going global through mutual funds
There are more than 13500 different publicly traded companies in the world today, and there are over 700 more companies expected to go public within a year. In addition, every major developed country offers investors various bonds to invest in. All of this makes for a lot of different investments and plenty of choice. Investors can take advantage of this choice through a good global balanced fund that invests in bonds and stocks or a global equity fund that invests in stocks all around the world.
A global equity fund invests in stock markets around the world. These funds will have a portion of their investments invested in North America. Europe, and Asia. Some of these funds will own hundreds of securities in order to participate in the growth prospects of many firms while diversifying the risk associated with investing in different companies. A good global equity fund will be a foundation for a well-diversified mutual fund portfolio for almost any investor. Investors could consider including the AGF International Value Fund, the BPI Global Equity Fund, or the Fidelity International Portfolio Fund in their portfolios.
A global balanced fund is a fund that invests in both stock and bond markets around the world. These funds will also always have a portion of their investments invested in stock and bond markets located in North America, Europe, and Asia. They are more conservative than global equity funds because they invest in a combination of stocks and bonds, which affect the fund's performance. Over the long term these funds will provide a lower rate of return for investors but they will also exhibit a lot less risk than a global equity fund. They exhibit less risk because bonds are less volatile than stocks; they do not decline in value to the same magnitude or at the same time as global equity funds. A conservative investor should find a good global balanced fund that will serve as a good foundation for a diversified portfolio.
A global equity fund invests in stock markets around the world. These funds will have a portion of their investments invested in North America. Europe, and Asia. Some of these funds will own hundreds of securities in order to participate in the growth prospects of many firms while diversifying the risk associated with investing in different companies. A good global equity fund will be a foundation for a well-diversified mutual fund portfolio for almost any investor. Investors could consider including the AGF International Value Fund, the BPI Global Equity Fund, or the Fidelity International Portfolio Fund in their portfolios.
A global balanced fund is a fund that invests in both stock and bond markets around the world. These funds will also always have a portion of their investments invested in stock and bond markets located in North America, Europe, and Asia. They are more conservative than global equity funds because they invest in a combination of stocks and bonds, which affect the fund's performance. Over the long term these funds will provide a lower rate of return for investors but they will also exhibit a lot less risk than a global equity fund. They exhibit less risk because bonds are less volatile than stocks; they do not decline in value to the same magnitude or at the same time as global equity funds. A conservative investor should find a good global balanced fund that will serve as a good foundation for a diversified portfolio.
Monday, March 29, 2010
3 Different Kinds of Organic Tshirts and What to Choose?
It is not a secret now that the demand for organic cotton clothing is rising quickly. People are willing to buy more natural clothing to themselves to prevent from harmful chemicals that are used at several textile processes.
However, there are also some clever people who are trying to make more money on using this weakness of people. I mean how will you trust that the t-shirt you purchased is really organic? There are 3 common usages of organic cotton.
a) You use the normal/conventional cotton and claim that it was organic. If people believes you then you will make %30 more profit with the exact same garments. So please carefully check the labels of the clothing before you buy and also try to buy from big brands!
b) You get the organic cotton. Made the fabric from it and dye it like you do with the normal cotton. In the end you will have a harmful and chemical fabric which is not organic but "made from organic cotton".
c) You get the organic cotton and dye it with dyestuff that is allowed by the organic certification companies and follow their guidelines. This is costly and the final fabric, t-shirt price will be higher but this is ofcourse healtier. In the end your organic fabric will not be harmful! In that case you can also say the term "organic t-shirt" easily.
Confusing right? Try to stay away from "made in India" and "made in China" organic cotton products for now. USA and Turkey is offering much better quality and trusted business at the moment. I will try to explain the details in my next article on fromorganic.com web site.
However, there are also some clever people who are trying to make more money on using this weakness of people. I mean how will you trust that the t-shirt you purchased is really organic? There are 3 common usages of organic cotton.
a) You use the normal/conventional cotton and claim that it was organic. If people believes you then you will make %30 more profit with the exact same garments. So please carefully check the labels of the clothing before you buy and also try to buy from big brands!
b) You get the organic cotton. Made the fabric from it and dye it like you do with the normal cotton. In the end you will have a harmful and chemical fabric which is not organic but "made from organic cotton".
c) You get the organic cotton and dye it with dyestuff that is allowed by the organic certification companies and follow their guidelines. This is costly and the final fabric, t-shirt price will be higher but this is ofcourse healtier. In the end your organic fabric will not be harmful! In that case you can also say the term "organic t-shirt" easily.
Confusing right? Try to stay away from "made in India" and "made in China" organic cotton products for now. USA and Turkey is offering much better quality and trusted business at the moment. I will try to explain the details in my next article on fromorganic.com web site.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
3 Tips for Sending Special Messages
Staying in touch with family and friends has never been easier with the speed and efficiency of today's technology. We live in a world of e-mail, text and instant messages and mobile conversations.
While such options make it easy to stay in touch, these technologies have also lessened the emotional aspect of our communications.
Here are a few suggestions on how to use technology to stay close to loved ones and, at the same time, bring back the personal element in your communications.
* Send a personal DVD message. Now you can give the gift of vivid, colorful memories by creating personalized DVD messages for your friends and family. It's a fast, easy and fun way to stay in touch.
Can't make it to your high school reunion? Use a Sony DVD Handycam camcorder to record a special message to old classmates. You can even get special Sony DVD mail envelopes to share your discs.
Encourage friends and family to reciprocate. When you receive their DVDs, just pop them into your player as you would a movie.
* Make a Webcam chat date. A picture tells a thousand words, but real-time video speaks volumes. While nothing can replace an in-person conversation, you can get awfully close to the real thing with a Webcam chat.
Gather your loved ones in front of the Webcam to talk, view photos or share advice.
First time carving the turkey? Get Dad on the Webcam - he can probably walk you through it. Schedule your chat on a special occasion - perhaps on a birthday or holiday - and don't forget to plan your next one. You can even make it an annual event.
* Create a video file on your digital still camera. Forgot your mom's birthday or couldn't attend your child's school play? Send your loved ones a video clip so that they'll know how much you care.
Be creative, shake things up and share your ideas. It's never been so easy to "be there when you're not." - NU
While such options make it easy to stay in touch, these technologies have also lessened the emotional aspect of our communications.
Here are a few suggestions on how to use technology to stay close to loved ones and, at the same time, bring back the personal element in your communications.
* Send a personal DVD message. Now you can give the gift of vivid, colorful memories by creating personalized DVD messages for your friends and family. It's a fast, easy and fun way to stay in touch.
Can't make it to your high school reunion? Use a Sony DVD Handycam camcorder to record a special message to old classmates. You can even get special Sony DVD mail envelopes to share your discs.
Encourage friends and family to reciprocate. When you receive their DVDs, just pop them into your player as you would a movie.
* Make a Webcam chat date. A picture tells a thousand words, but real-time video speaks volumes. While nothing can replace an in-person conversation, you can get awfully close to the real thing with a Webcam chat.
Gather your loved ones in front of the Webcam to talk, view photos or share advice.
First time carving the turkey? Get Dad on the Webcam - he can probably walk you through it. Schedule your chat on a special occasion - perhaps on a birthday or holiday - and don't forget to plan your next one. You can even make it an annual event.
* Create a video file on your digital still camera. Forgot your mom's birthday or couldn't attend your child's school play? Send your loved ones a video clip so that they'll know how much you care.
Be creative, shake things up and share your ideas. It's never been so easy to "be there when you're not." - NU
“Why Business Credit Is A MUST For Every Business Owner!”
As an entrepreneur, you’re hardwired to enjoy a greater level of risk than the average person. But do you enjoy the thrill of business and investing so much that you’re willing to risk:
-Being hounded by creditors?
-Declaring bankruptcy?
-Being denied a mortgage?
-Paying more than your fair share of interest on your loans?
-Losing your house?
If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions, this may be the most important report you’ve read in a long time.
Because, if you’re like most entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners I’ve met over the past 28 years, you’re in danger of facing all of these horrific problems.
And it’s all because of your business.
You see, entrepreneurs typically make one or more financially devastating mistakes when financing the launch, operation and/or growth of their businesses. In most cases, they don’t realize that they’re making a mistake.
And to tell the truth, even when they do realize they’re making a mistake … they lull themselves into thinking that the consequences will be a minor annoyance.
Until, one day, they can’t qualify for a mortgage. Or they can’t get the to-die-for financing offered on the new car they’re buying. Or they’re hounded by creditors and eventually have to declare bankruptcy.
And it is all because they use their personal finances to fund the launch or expansion of their business. They then use personal credit cards to pay for business expenses. If you are in business or thinking about starting a business, business credit is a must.
Let me explain, most business owner have no idea that they can establish business credit and even fewer know how to how to establish business credit. If owners would take the time necessary to educate themselves about establishing credit they would no longer have to use their personal funds for start up capital or working capital.
They would also be able to use business credit cards which don’t report to their personal credit reports, therefore, not lowering the personal credit scores.
The most important goal of business credit though is to obtain unsecured business lines of credit, which can be done once the business credit profile is set up properly. Once a business obtains unsecured business lines of credit, they then have the working capital they need to start a business or expand their business. The business owner has check book control to use the business lines of credit as they wish. And best of all, the business lines of credit don’t report to the business owner’s personal credit report.
If you have set up your business profile correctly there are a number of banks that will lend to brand new start up business. That is right, brand new start up business with no track record whatsoever. The banks will extend unsecured business lines of credit so they can have the start up capital they need to finance the business of their dreams.
Make no mistake about it; business credit is a MUST for every business owner. Don’t put your personal assets at risk finance or fund your business!
-Being hounded by creditors?
-Declaring bankruptcy?
-Being denied a mortgage?
-Paying more than your fair share of interest on your loans?
-Losing your house?
If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions, this may be the most important report you’ve read in a long time.
Because, if you’re like most entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners I’ve met over the past 28 years, you’re in danger of facing all of these horrific problems.
And it’s all because of your business.
You see, entrepreneurs typically make one or more financially devastating mistakes when financing the launch, operation and/or growth of their businesses. In most cases, they don’t realize that they’re making a mistake.
And to tell the truth, even when they do realize they’re making a mistake … they lull themselves into thinking that the consequences will be a minor annoyance.
Until, one day, they can’t qualify for a mortgage. Or they can’t get the to-die-for financing offered on the new car they’re buying. Or they’re hounded by creditors and eventually have to declare bankruptcy.
And it is all because they use their personal finances to fund the launch or expansion of their business. They then use personal credit cards to pay for business expenses. If you are in business or thinking about starting a business, business credit is a must.
Let me explain, most business owner have no idea that they can establish business credit and even fewer know how to how to establish business credit. If owners would take the time necessary to educate themselves about establishing credit they would no longer have to use their personal funds for start up capital or working capital.
They would also be able to use business credit cards which don’t report to their personal credit reports, therefore, not lowering the personal credit scores.
The most important goal of business credit though is to obtain unsecured business lines of credit, which can be done once the business credit profile is set up properly. Once a business obtains unsecured business lines of credit, they then have the working capital they need to start a business or expand their business. The business owner has check book control to use the business lines of credit as they wish. And best of all, the business lines of credit don’t report to the business owner’s personal credit report.
If you have set up your business profile correctly there are a number of banks that will lend to brand new start up business. That is right, brand new start up business with no track record whatsoever. The banks will extend unsecured business lines of credit so they can have the start up capital they need to finance the business of their dreams.
Make no mistake about it; business credit is a MUST for every business owner. Don’t put your personal assets at risk finance or fund your business!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Anarchy as an Organizing Principle
The recent spate of accounting fraud scandals signals the end of an era. Disillusionment and disenchantment with American capitalism may yet lead to a tectonic ideological shift from laissez faire and self regulation to state intervention and regulation. This would be the reversal of a trend dating back to Thatcher in Britain and Reagan in the USA. It would also cast some fundamental - and way more ancient - tenets of free-marketry in grave doubt.
Markets are perceived as self-organizing, self-assembling, exchanges of information, goods, and services. Adam Smith's "invisible hand" is the sum of all the mechanisms whose interaction gives rise to the optimal allocation of economic resources. The market's great advantages over central planning are precisely its randomness and its lack of self-awareness.
Market participants go about their egoistic business, trying to maximize their utility, oblivious of the interests and action of all, bar those they interact with directly. Somehow, out of the chaos and clamor, a structure emerges of order and efficiency unmatched. Man is incapable of intentionally producing better outcomes. Thus, any intervention and interference are deemed to be detrimental to the proper functioning of the economy.
It is a minor step from this idealized worldview back to the Physiocrats, who preceded Adam Smith, and who propounded the doctrine of "laissez faire, laissez passer" - the hands-off battle cry. Theirs was a natural religion. The market, as an agglomeration of individuals, they thundered, was surely entitled to enjoy the rights and freedoms accorded to each and every person. John Stuart Mill weighed against the state's involvement in the economy in his influential and exquisitely-timed "Principles of Political Economy", published in 1848.
Undaunted by mounting evidence of market failures - for instance to provide affordable and plentiful public goods - this flawed theory returned with a vengeance in the last two decades of the past century. Privatization, deregulation, and self-regulation became faddish buzzwords and part of a global consensus propagated by both commercial banks and multilateral lenders.
As applied to the professions - to accountants, stock brokers, lawyers, bankers, insurers, and so on - self-regulation was premised on the belief in long-term self-preservation. Rational economic players and moral agents are supposed to maximize their utility in the long-run by observing the rules and regulations of a level playing field.
This noble propensity seemed, alas, to have been tampered by avarice and narcissism and by the immature inability to postpone gratification. Self-regulation failed so spectacularly to conquer human nature that its demise gave rise to the most intrusive statal stratagems ever devised. In both the UK and the USA, the government is much more heavily and pervasively involved in the minutia of accountancy, stock dealing, and banking than it was only two years ago.
But the ethos and myth of "order out of chaos" - with its proponents in the exact sciences as well - ran deeper than that. The very culture of commerce was thoroughly permeated and transformed. It is not surprising that the Internet - a chaotic network with an anarchic modus operandi - flourished at these times.
The dotcom revolution was less about technology than about new ways of doing business - mixing umpteen irreconcilable ingredients, stirring well, and hoping for the best. No one, for instance, offered a linear revenue model of how to translate "eyeballs" - i.e., the number of visitors to a Web site - to money ("monetizing"). It was dogmatically held to be true that, miraculously, traffic - a chaotic phenomenon - will translate to profit - hitherto the outcome of painstaking labour.
Privatization itself was such a leap of faith. State owned assets - including utilities and suppliers of public goods such as health and education - were transferred wholesale to the hands of profit maximizers. The implicit belief was that the price mechanism will provide the missing planning and regulation. In other words, higher prices were supposed to guarantee an uninterrupted service. Predictably, failure ensued - from electricity utilities in California to railway operators in Britain.
The simultaneous crumbling of these urban legends - the liberating power of the Net, the self-regulating markets, the unbridled merits of privatization - inevitably gave rise to a backlash.
The state has acquired monstrous proportions in the decades since the Second world War. It is about to grow further and to digest the few sectors hitherto left untouched. To say the least, these are not good news. But we libertarians - proponents of both individual freedom and individual responsibility - have brought it on ourselves by thwarting the work of that invisible regulator - the market.
Markets are perceived as self-organizing, self-assembling, exchanges of information, goods, and services. Adam Smith's "invisible hand" is the sum of all the mechanisms whose interaction gives rise to the optimal allocation of economic resources. The market's great advantages over central planning are precisely its randomness and its lack of self-awareness.
Market participants go about their egoistic business, trying to maximize their utility, oblivious of the interests and action of all, bar those they interact with directly. Somehow, out of the chaos and clamor, a structure emerges of order and efficiency unmatched. Man is incapable of intentionally producing better outcomes. Thus, any intervention and interference are deemed to be detrimental to the proper functioning of the economy.
It is a minor step from this idealized worldview back to the Physiocrats, who preceded Adam Smith, and who propounded the doctrine of "laissez faire, laissez passer" - the hands-off battle cry. Theirs was a natural religion. The market, as an agglomeration of individuals, they thundered, was surely entitled to enjoy the rights and freedoms accorded to each and every person. John Stuart Mill weighed against the state's involvement in the economy in his influential and exquisitely-timed "Principles of Political Economy", published in 1848.
Undaunted by mounting evidence of market failures - for instance to provide affordable and plentiful public goods - this flawed theory returned with a vengeance in the last two decades of the past century. Privatization, deregulation, and self-regulation became faddish buzzwords and part of a global consensus propagated by both commercial banks and multilateral lenders.
As applied to the professions - to accountants, stock brokers, lawyers, bankers, insurers, and so on - self-regulation was premised on the belief in long-term self-preservation. Rational economic players and moral agents are supposed to maximize their utility in the long-run by observing the rules and regulations of a level playing field.
This noble propensity seemed, alas, to have been tampered by avarice and narcissism and by the immature inability to postpone gratification. Self-regulation failed so spectacularly to conquer human nature that its demise gave rise to the most intrusive statal stratagems ever devised. In both the UK and the USA, the government is much more heavily and pervasively involved in the minutia of accountancy, stock dealing, and banking than it was only two years ago.
But the ethos and myth of "order out of chaos" - with its proponents in the exact sciences as well - ran deeper than that. The very culture of commerce was thoroughly permeated and transformed. It is not surprising that the Internet - a chaotic network with an anarchic modus operandi - flourished at these times.
The dotcom revolution was less about technology than about new ways of doing business - mixing umpteen irreconcilable ingredients, stirring well, and hoping for the best. No one, for instance, offered a linear revenue model of how to translate "eyeballs" - i.e., the number of visitors to a Web site - to money ("monetizing"). It was dogmatically held to be true that, miraculously, traffic - a chaotic phenomenon - will translate to profit - hitherto the outcome of painstaking labour.
Privatization itself was such a leap of faith. State owned assets - including utilities and suppliers of public goods such as health and education - were transferred wholesale to the hands of profit maximizers. The implicit belief was that the price mechanism will provide the missing planning and regulation. In other words, higher prices were supposed to guarantee an uninterrupted service. Predictably, failure ensued - from electricity utilities in California to railway operators in Britain.
The simultaneous crumbling of these urban legends - the liberating power of the Net, the self-regulating markets, the unbridled merits of privatization - inevitably gave rise to a backlash.
The state has acquired monstrous proportions in the decades since the Second world War. It is about to grow further and to digest the few sectors hitherto left untouched. To say the least, these are not good news. But we libertarians - proponents of both individual freedom and individual responsibility - have brought it on ourselves by thwarting the work of that invisible regulator - the market.
7 Ways To Ensure Your Artwork Is Print Ready
The following article provides a quick guide on what to think about when preparing your artwork for printing.
It is important you follow these guidlines as any errors made are likely to cause a delay or cause unncessary stress should the final print quality be sub-standard.
1. Check your files
Check your artwork for spelling mistakes, grammar and ensure all images used are high resolution. Double check to make sure as any errors found will delay the turnaround of your product.
2. Bleed
Bleed is the extra bit of the design page which you design on, as normal, with the knowledge that it will be trimmed off the finished flyer. Any images on your artwork should bleed off the page, and essential text should be away from the trim edge by a good few mm's. We use a 2mm bleed area on each edge.
3. Text
Keep essential text away from the edge of the flyer, by about 8-10mm for best results.
4. Print Resolution
Ensure your artworks resolution is at least 300dpi. The higher the resolution the better.
5. File Formats
If you are using un-common fonts, ensure you supply your artwork as a flattened jpeg or tiff. This will ensure there will be no font problems when your artwork is checked. The most commonly accepted program formats are Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop, Corel Draw, Corel Paint, Freehand, InDesign and Paint Shop Pro. Vector files such as .eps and pdf's are becoming more common and ensure a better end product.
6. Colours
Unless you have a calibrated monitor your artwork is likely to have slightly different colours when printed. Ensure your colour choices are correct before sending to print.
7. A Final Check
Before sending to your printer, have one more final check that everything is as expected.
WARNING
There are two things you should consider when designing your flyers:
Due to the quick turn around of our flyers, they are trimmed down not long after they are printed, in most circumstances we try to give a printed sheet 8 hours to dry completely, this isn't always the case. This is noticeable when one side of the flyer is left white, and the other side bleeds rich colour to the trim edge. This will cause slight powdering of the rich ink over, on to the white side. In this circumstance we recommend the use of borders.
Borders on the edge of a flyer, can sometimes give the flyer a classic look. But make sure the borders are a good few mm in from the trim edge, because of the way we print flyers (up to 32 at a time) and the speed at which we turn them round (from payment, to your door) these borders may not be an accurate trim to the exact 10th of a mm. This is why we ask for a 2mm bleed. The cutting blade could go either way. We cannot be held responsible for imperfect results if these borders are slightly uneven.
It is important you follow these guidlines as any errors made are likely to cause a delay or cause unncessary stress should the final print quality be sub-standard.
1. Check your files
Check your artwork for spelling mistakes, grammar and ensure all images used are high resolution. Double check to make sure as any errors found will delay the turnaround of your product.
2. Bleed
Bleed is the extra bit of the design page which you design on, as normal, with the knowledge that it will be trimmed off the finished flyer. Any images on your artwork should bleed off the page, and essential text should be away from the trim edge by a good few mm's. We use a 2mm bleed area on each edge.
3. Text
Keep essential text away from the edge of the flyer, by about 8-10mm for best results.
4. Print Resolution
Ensure your artworks resolution is at least 300dpi. The higher the resolution the better.
5. File Formats
If you are using un-common fonts, ensure you supply your artwork as a flattened jpeg or tiff. This will ensure there will be no font problems when your artwork is checked. The most commonly accepted program formats are Quark, Illustrator, Photoshop, Corel Draw, Corel Paint, Freehand, InDesign and Paint Shop Pro. Vector files such as .eps and pdf's are becoming more common and ensure a better end product.
6. Colours
Unless you have a calibrated monitor your artwork is likely to have slightly different colours when printed. Ensure your colour choices are correct before sending to print.
7. A Final Check
Before sending to your printer, have one more final check that everything is as expected.
WARNING
There are two things you should consider when designing your flyers:
Due to the quick turn around of our flyers, they are trimmed down not long after they are printed, in most circumstances we try to give a printed sheet 8 hours to dry completely, this isn't always the case. This is noticeable when one side of the flyer is left white, and the other side bleeds rich colour to the trim edge. This will cause slight powdering of the rich ink over, on to the white side. In this circumstance we recommend the use of borders.
Borders on the edge of a flyer, can sometimes give the flyer a classic look. But make sure the borders are a good few mm in from the trim edge, because of the way we print flyers (up to 32 at a time) and the speed at which we turn them round (from payment, to your door) these borders may not be an accurate trim to the exact 10th of a mm. This is why we ask for a 2mm bleed. The cutting blade could go either way. We cannot be held responsible for imperfect results if these borders are slightly uneven.
5 Tips to Magnetize Your Book Web Site With Benefits
Would you like to create a magnetic home page, one that magnetizes your visitors? Webster's Dictionary defines magnetic as 'powerfully attractive.' Best selling author and owner of the largest advertising agency in the 20s, Bruce Barton said, "The theme (any advertisement) ought to be based on two principles-first that a man is interested in himself, second, that he is interested in other people."
What will make your home page interesting? Good design plays an important part in your site's overall effectiveness. But it's not the flash that will interest your audience. It's not the jingles that will connect with your visitor. It's the benefits - the 'what's in it for me' list that create interest and even desire. Create a home page filled with benefits and it will pull your visitors in. What you say your product/service can do is much more attractive than a beautiful web page with weak copy.
Promote with benefits instead of your bio, your credentials and even the features of your product/service. Put them in their proper place on your site. But your audience will most want to know the value of your product to them.
You must answer questions like, "Will it solve my particular problem?" "What will I gain?" "What will I lose if I don't use your service?" Some universal benefits answer the how tos: getting more passion, more energy, less fatigue, more money, good relationships, more time, less trouble, less stress, less drama and trauma. Here's a quick tutorial on magnetizing your home page:
1. Develop a list of 10-20 benefits of each product and service. For example, a client of mine realized her audience didn't just want to know how to get articles written, they wanted to know why should they write them?
So on the home page selling her article writing ebook, she started with a list of good reasons to write short articles to promote: For the serious marketer this ebook explains step by step how to promote your business, build a gigantic Opt-In List, increase your traffic, get qualified links, increase your page rank, grow your affiliate base, become a recognized expert, and collar more sales.
2. Be specific. List specific benefits. Describe how your customer will feel after buying your product. For example, after you buy my service of teeth whitening, you'll look and feel 10 years younger without plastic surgery. Then post a picture of what your client looks like before and after the teeth whitening service. Let them see how happier and more confident they look with whiter teeth. Make your page magnetic with specific benefits.
3. Let the passion for your topic show in your marketing copy. Which arouses your interest more? "A 9-Step Power Plan to decimate and dominate the Consultant's Marketplace" or "The 9-Step Plan to Become a Better Consultant." "How to Convert More Buyers Into Customers" or "How to use the 'FTP' factor to pull amazing clickthrough rates that most marketers will only dream about!" Magnetize your web page with passion that creates desire and sales with your audience.
4. Develop the skill of writing headlines. Provocative titles will stir interest. Provocative statements capture our attention like a fish on a hook. They throw out the baited hook and reel a captive audience in every time. The shocking statement 'Wives Who Don't Want Sex' even if they don't have this problem will get the attention of the curious.
Use the Command statement for an immediate effect, 'Become an Internet Millionaire!" Even if it's a well worn claim, it still captures a large share of attention. Don't forget the power of the simple 'How To" information title. It alerts your audience that the information that follows will be simple and easy to digest. Capture the attention of your audience with a home page filled with magnetic headlines.
5. Give your links the power of benefits. We have added magnetic pulling power to our bulleted list, headlines, and titles. It's all good. But there's one more area that will give your home page even more pulling power. I got this tip from Allen Says' "The War Report." Many unseasoned site owners create links that say things like, "Get your FREE ebook here!" or "Sign-up for our FREE ezine!"
When first exposed to this tip, all I could say was, "Ouch!" I know my sites were filled with links like that. Perhaps we thought the magic word was FREE and people would automatically click on it and download. The truth is 'Free ezine" tells our audiences nothing. Impart life to all your links with benefits. Those left over benefits and titles you developed earlier in this article. Review each link and pretend you have to get every visitor to click on it.
Don't wait. If you wait you could be starting the next year without the explosive sales and traffic your site deserves. You have invested time and perhaps money into making your site the best it can be. Now, create a magnetic home page by giving your bulleted lists, headlines and links the power of benefits. Magnetize your home page and prosper!
What will make your home page interesting? Good design plays an important part in your site's overall effectiveness. But it's not the flash that will interest your audience. It's not the jingles that will connect with your visitor. It's the benefits - the 'what's in it for me' list that create interest and even desire. Create a home page filled with benefits and it will pull your visitors in. What you say your product/service can do is much more attractive than a beautiful web page with weak copy.
Promote with benefits instead of your bio, your credentials and even the features of your product/service. Put them in their proper place on your site. But your audience will most want to know the value of your product to them.
You must answer questions like, "Will it solve my particular problem?" "What will I gain?" "What will I lose if I don't use your service?" Some universal benefits answer the how tos: getting more passion, more energy, less fatigue, more money, good relationships, more time, less trouble, less stress, less drama and trauma. Here's a quick tutorial on magnetizing your home page:
1. Develop a list of 10-20 benefits of each product and service. For example, a client of mine realized her audience didn't just want to know how to get articles written, they wanted to know why should they write them?
So on the home page selling her article writing ebook, she started with a list of good reasons to write short articles to promote: For the serious marketer this ebook explains step by step how to promote your business, build a gigantic Opt-In List, increase your traffic, get qualified links, increase your page rank, grow your affiliate base, become a recognized expert, and collar more sales.
2. Be specific. List specific benefits. Describe how your customer will feel after buying your product. For example, after you buy my service of teeth whitening, you'll look and feel 10 years younger without plastic surgery. Then post a picture of what your client looks like before and after the teeth whitening service. Let them see how happier and more confident they look with whiter teeth. Make your page magnetic with specific benefits.
3. Let the passion for your topic show in your marketing copy. Which arouses your interest more? "A 9-Step Power Plan to decimate and dominate the Consultant's Marketplace" or "The 9-Step Plan to Become a Better Consultant." "How to Convert More Buyers Into Customers" or "How to use the 'FTP' factor to pull amazing clickthrough rates that most marketers will only dream about!" Magnetize your web page with passion that creates desire and sales with your audience.
4. Develop the skill of writing headlines. Provocative titles will stir interest. Provocative statements capture our attention like a fish on a hook. They throw out the baited hook and reel a captive audience in every time. The shocking statement 'Wives Who Don't Want Sex' even if they don't have this problem will get the attention of the curious.
Use the Command statement for an immediate effect, 'Become an Internet Millionaire!" Even if it's a well worn claim, it still captures a large share of attention. Don't forget the power of the simple 'How To" information title. It alerts your audience that the information that follows will be simple and easy to digest. Capture the attention of your audience with a home page filled with magnetic headlines.
5. Give your links the power of benefits. We have added magnetic pulling power to our bulleted list, headlines, and titles. It's all good. But there's one more area that will give your home page even more pulling power. I got this tip from Allen Says' "The War Report." Many unseasoned site owners create links that say things like, "Get your FREE ebook here!" or "Sign-up for our FREE ezine!"
When first exposed to this tip, all I could say was, "Ouch!" I know my sites were filled with links like that. Perhaps we thought the magic word was FREE and people would automatically click on it and download. The truth is 'Free ezine" tells our audiences nothing. Impart life to all your links with benefits. Those left over benefits and titles you developed earlier in this article. Review each link and pretend you have to get every visitor to click on it.
Don't wait. If you wait you could be starting the next year without the explosive sales and traffic your site deserves. You have invested time and perhaps money into making your site the best it can be. Now, create a magnetic home page by giving your bulleted lists, headlines and links the power of benefits. Magnetize your home page and prosper!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
1,000 Bhp Exotic Cars - Three To Choose From
If you love sheer power, and you want a car that produces 1,000 bhp, you now have three to choose from - and that is without going to the tuners like Ruf ofr Callaway, who will get this much power from engines that are currently in the 500- 700 bhp range. The tjree in the 1000 bhp club are the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the Bristol Fighter T, and the Koenigsegg CCXR. Theoretically, these are all good for 250 mph in theory, but not in practice.
First on the scene was the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the world’s fastest and most powerful exotic car, with a top speed of 248 mph.
Engineering masterpiece
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is quite an engineering masterpiece, with a W-16 8.0 liter cylinder engine mid-mounted driving through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox to all four wheels – four-wheel drive is definitely a good idea with this amount of power. Not only is it immensely fast, but with four-wheel drives it is very stable. It has ceramic brake discs and an air brake to help you slow down from over 125 mph.
A very surprising addition to the 1,000 bhp plus club is the Bristol Fighter T, which has an engine developing 1,012 bhp, just 11 more than the Bugatti! This is a front-engine, rear-drive car designed for high-speed touring.
To be precise, the V-10 engine in the Fighter T whacks out 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm. Bristol says that the top speed of the car is around 270 mph, but it has a limiter at 225 mph, which is just 4,.500 rpm in top! Not many will be made, making this a really exotic car.
Acceleration is not as good as you might expect – or maybe it is just modesty at Bristol Cars – at 'under 3.5 seconds' whereas the Bugatti Veyron is well under 3 seconds. The difference is largely academic – like the top speeds – but a mid-engined four-wheel drive car will accelerate more quickly than a front-engined rear-drive car. The Bristol Fighter just doesn't have enough weight on the rear wheels to get under 3 seconds.
Twin turbo V-10
How did they get this huge amount of power? Well, like the other Bristol Fighters, the T has a tuned Chrysler V-10 engine of 8 liters. For the Fighter T they have added a pair of water-cooled turbochargers to almost double power so they could exceed that magic 1,000 bhp figure, getting 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm, with 1,036 lb ft (1,400 Nm) of torque at 4,500 rpm. That is quite a high speed for maximum torque, but the engine still produces a massive 800 lb ft (1,080 Nm) of torque from 3,000 rpm, upward.
The Bristol Fighter S has a top speed of over 200 mph, partly owing to good aerodynamics, but The Fighter T is an absolute stormer with a power-to-weight ratio of about 600 bhp per ton and a top speed of well, you name it!
Koenigsegg CCXR runs on ethanol
Now, along comes Koenigsegg with the Koenigsegg CCXR, based on the CCX supercar, but now this version is able to run on ethanol biofuel - E85. Because ethanol has an octane rating of over 100 RON – like racing fuel in the 30s - it gives more power than gasoline, as Saab has demonstrated.
In the Koenigsegg CCXR, power is up from 806 bhp – more than enough for almost everyone – to 1,018 bhp! Peak torque is an incredible 780 lb ft (1,060 Nm) at 6,100 rpm. That's 25% more power.
With ethanol, power increases of 15-25% can be obtained for any engine so long as it is optimised with high compression ratio and other changes. In other words, don't just pull up at a gas station, put ethanol in your tank and get 20% more power. It doesn't work unless the engine is designed to run on it.
But that is not so difficult to do, and with George Bush trying to get more ethanol used in the USA, expect more to follow this route. After all, almost everyone loves power, even if they drive a car that is not very fast.
John Hartley is editor of http://www.fast-autos.com, an online magazine devoted to fast cars and supercars, where you can read the latest articles about fast cars. He has written from many of the world's top auto magazines, and has written many books about cars and the auto industry, including 'Suspension and Steering Q&A' and 'The Electronics Revolution in the Motor Industry'.
First on the scene was the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, the world’s fastest and most powerful exotic car, with a top speed of 248 mph.
Engineering masterpiece
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is quite an engineering masterpiece, with a W-16 8.0 liter cylinder engine mid-mounted driving through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox to all four wheels – four-wheel drive is definitely a good idea with this amount of power. Not only is it immensely fast, but with four-wheel drives it is very stable. It has ceramic brake discs and an air brake to help you slow down from over 125 mph.
A very surprising addition to the 1,000 bhp plus club is the Bristol Fighter T, which has an engine developing 1,012 bhp, just 11 more than the Bugatti! This is a front-engine, rear-drive car designed for high-speed touring.
To be precise, the V-10 engine in the Fighter T whacks out 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm. Bristol says that the top speed of the car is around 270 mph, but it has a limiter at 225 mph, which is just 4,.500 rpm in top! Not many will be made, making this a really exotic car.
Acceleration is not as good as you might expect – or maybe it is just modesty at Bristol Cars – at 'under 3.5 seconds' whereas the Bugatti Veyron is well under 3 seconds. The difference is largely academic – like the top speeds – but a mid-engined four-wheel drive car will accelerate more quickly than a front-engined rear-drive car. The Bristol Fighter just doesn't have enough weight on the rear wheels to get under 3 seconds.
Twin turbo V-10
How did they get this huge amount of power? Well, like the other Bristol Fighters, the T has a tuned Chrysler V-10 engine of 8 liters. For the Fighter T they have added a pair of water-cooled turbochargers to almost double power so they could exceed that magic 1,000 bhp figure, getting 1,012 bhp at 5,600 rpm, with 1,036 lb ft (1,400 Nm) of torque at 4,500 rpm. That is quite a high speed for maximum torque, but the engine still produces a massive 800 lb ft (1,080 Nm) of torque from 3,000 rpm, upward.
The Bristol Fighter S has a top speed of over 200 mph, partly owing to good aerodynamics, but The Fighter T is an absolute stormer with a power-to-weight ratio of about 600 bhp per ton and a top speed of well, you name it!
Koenigsegg CCXR runs on ethanol
Now, along comes Koenigsegg with the Koenigsegg CCXR, based on the CCX supercar, but now this version is able to run on ethanol biofuel - E85. Because ethanol has an octane rating of over 100 RON – like racing fuel in the 30s - it gives more power than gasoline, as Saab has demonstrated.
In the Koenigsegg CCXR, power is up from 806 bhp – more than enough for almost everyone – to 1,018 bhp! Peak torque is an incredible 780 lb ft (1,060 Nm) at 6,100 rpm. That's 25% more power.
With ethanol, power increases of 15-25% can be obtained for any engine so long as it is optimised with high compression ratio and other changes. In other words, don't just pull up at a gas station, put ethanol in your tank and get 20% more power. It doesn't work unless the engine is designed to run on it.
But that is not so difficult to do, and with George Bush trying to get more ethanol used in the USA, expect more to follow this route. After all, almost everyone loves power, even if they drive a car that is not very fast.
John Hartley is editor of http://www.fast-autos.com, an online magazine devoted to fast cars and supercars, where you can read the latest articles about fast cars. He has written from many of the world's top auto magazines, and has written many books about cars and the auto industry, including 'Suspension and Steering Q&A' and 'The Electronics Revolution in the Motor Industry'.
“Blood Extravasation: Israel’s Journey to the Precipice of Nowhere”
Western civilization’s lone bastion in the Middle East has lost sight of its holistic long-term visage, and is behaving like a fracturalized cornered animal, lashing at all within its grasp. Israel fails to remember Chaim Weizmann’s precursor to entering Palestine, an inclusive benefice for both Palestinian and Israelite, while Hezbolla solidifies its political gains by building hospitals, schools, and sadly, but historically predictable, terrorism. Israel lurches forward in its current flailings as a self-destructive proponent of blood extravasation, adding and fortifying its enemies amidst its long and arduous journey, not to peace and prosperity, but instead towards slowing progress as it perches on the precipice of…nowhere.
Let us delve into a little pragmatism and prognostication. Israel’s current war against Hezbolla, Gaza, and Lebanon will result in nothing gained except a continuance and perpetuation of a shortsighted blood extravasation. Blood extravasation, a leakage of blood from a vessel to tissues surrounding it, applies here as Israel’s current destruction of infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon will lead to further extravasation to the Middle Eastern societies and cultures, galvanizing the blood letting and hatred with further participation. Israel is simply demarcating its status as she holds the power to walk through her neighboring states as easily as a scythe through wheat. Apparently, albeit falsely, Israel feels a demonstration of this power will somehow help her towards her long-term goal of peace. Under normal circumstances Israel would be in no position to be throwing its teenage temper tantrum, as the United States would have slapped them upside the head for confusing an already tense situation. But alas the US is in no position to provide the corporeal punishment that Israel so richly deserves as the US herself participates in an awkward and ungainly foreign policy that Stephan Hawkings would be hard put to figure out.
So prognostication as follows: Israel will stomp around Lebanon and Gaza, because they can, to no result except more extravasation, they will eventually tire out, or decide they have done enough damage and find some pretense for ending the carnage, but feel better. Syria is the cat on a hot tin roof, as it doesn’t really want to participate at all, but will buck up with verbal support for their so-called breathen, lets remember they were just forced by Lebanon and the international community to unoccupy Lebanon, and privately will enjoy watching their little breathen get the stuffing knocked out of them. Iran the recent proverbial peacock, will puff out its chest and make lots of noises, but will participate in the morass clandestinely, as usual. Recall that Iran, at the cost of a whole generation of their male population, couldn’t even beat Iraq in a real war and fought to what war always fights to, a simple redemarcation of the status quo. As Iran furiously tries to gain 60 year old technology and a certain hegemony in the area, it means little, Israel is specifically letting them know that even if Iran had the bomb, which Israel will never let them do, they have had historical successes against its middle-eastern foes time and time again and they could walk through Iran if needed . This is a simple reiteration of the fact, demonstrated for all to see.
So much ado about nothing, civilian death, mutilation, infrastructure destruction aside, extravasation proceeds in a bloodletting to no purpose.
Let us then give a whack at pragmatism for a paragraph or two. The problem is cultural. Funded by our lack of understanding of the middle-eastern mind, western culture reveals its hardheaded thinking that tries again and again to fit its square head into a round hole. Lets identify first that Israel’s problem is systemic and comes from a lack of clear and long-term thinking. The 20th century, bless its heart, tried to deal with the age old problem of the Jewish nation that wasn’t a nation, and Chiam Weizmann with the Balfour Declaration in tow, gave light and hope to the Zionist cause to battle the diasporas and pogroms of those times. They proceeded to buy their way into Palestine, a really great deal for the Palestinians at the time as the area was the proverbial backwater of the middle east, by bringing electricity, sewer systems, schools and libraries into the region: the very same infrastructure which Israel is now blowing up. In return, Zionism would have a place to start, a beacon of light so to speak for the Jewish nation to look to as they were being systematically brutalized around the globe. Unfortunately the 20th century also brought the Wilsonian 14 points and an intense desire for any type of nationalism. The Palestinians were no different than any other sovereign nation and could clearly see they would be overwhelmed by the influx of Jews into Palestine, and fought back well before the war of 1947 that formalized the nation of Israel.
Here we come to the systemic problem, both are right. As with all real problems both are right, and if you were born on either side you would be swayed depending on what birth mother you have. The solution is complex and as with all things will take time, education, understanding, and TOLERANCE. Instead of territorial war, which by definition would require that the winning side commit genocide to actually win, Israel must go back to their initial policy of investment, infrastructure, education, largess, and benevolence. They are a western civilization smack in the middle of an old eastern culture. Israel is no longer and has not been for thousands of years a middle eastern country, but rather a western country surrounded by middle eastern culture, which unfortunately isn’t ready and hasn’t evolved to WANT to participate in a western way of life. They may be close, but they certainly are not there. Hence the democracies that elect Islamic fundamentalist governments and our square headed lack of patience and tolerance in waiting for our fellow humans to be ready, then and only then, can we lend support for a true change in subjective thinking. Until then refer to the above, bury your dead on both sides and wait patiently to celebrate with unbridled glee your day of redemption, peace and prosperity.
As a fundamental policy Israel must return to its long-term thinking and think holistically about its real goal of peace and harmony with its perpetually hostile neighbors. A documented historical reminder, war never works, I repeat, NEVER works. She must return to her long-term policy of benevolence and understanding in the midst of terror instead of participating in a blood extravasation that will lead only to her perpetuating her time on the precipice to…nowhere.
Let us delve into a little pragmatism and prognostication. Israel’s current war against Hezbolla, Gaza, and Lebanon will result in nothing gained except a continuance and perpetuation of a shortsighted blood extravasation. Blood extravasation, a leakage of blood from a vessel to tissues surrounding it, applies here as Israel’s current destruction of infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon will lead to further extravasation to the Middle Eastern societies and cultures, galvanizing the blood letting and hatred with further participation. Israel is simply demarcating its status as she holds the power to walk through her neighboring states as easily as a scythe through wheat. Apparently, albeit falsely, Israel feels a demonstration of this power will somehow help her towards her long-term goal of peace. Under normal circumstances Israel would be in no position to be throwing its teenage temper tantrum, as the United States would have slapped them upside the head for confusing an already tense situation. But alas the US is in no position to provide the corporeal punishment that Israel so richly deserves as the US herself participates in an awkward and ungainly foreign policy that Stephan Hawkings would be hard put to figure out.
So prognostication as follows: Israel will stomp around Lebanon and Gaza, because they can, to no result except more extravasation, they will eventually tire out, or decide they have done enough damage and find some pretense for ending the carnage, but feel better. Syria is the cat on a hot tin roof, as it doesn’t really want to participate at all, but will buck up with verbal support for their so-called breathen, lets remember they were just forced by Lebanon and the international community to unoccupy Lebanon, and privately will enjoy watching their little breathen get the stuffing knocked out of them. Iran the recent proverbial peacock, will puff out its chest and make lots of noises, but will participate in the morass clandestinely, as usual. Recall that Iran, at the cost of a whole generation of their male population, couldn’t even beat Iraq in a real war and fought to what war always fights to, a simple redemarcation of the status quo. As Iran furiously tries to gain 60 year old technology and a certain hegemony in the area, it means little, Israel is specifically letting them know that even if Iran had the bomb, which Israel will never let them do, they have had historical successes against its middle-eastern foes time and time again and they could walk through Iran if needed . This is a simple reiteration of the fact, demonstrated for all to see.
So much ado about nothing, civilian death, mutilation, infrastructure destruction aside, extravasation proceeds in a bloodletting to no purpose.
Let us then give a whack at pragmatism for a paragraph or two. The problem is cultural. Funded by our lack of understanding of the middle-eastern mind, western culture reveals its hardheaded thinking that tries again and again to fit its square head into a round hole. Lets identify first that Israel’s problem is systemic and comes from a lack of clear and long-term thinking. The 20th century, bless its heart, tried to deal with the age old problem of the Jewish nation that wasn’t a nation, and Chiam Weizmann with the Balfour Declaration in tow, gave light and hope to the Zionist cause to battle the diasporas and pogroms of those times. They proceeded to buy their way into Palestine, a really great deal for the Palestinians at the time as the area was the proverbial backwater of the middle east, by bringing electricity, sewer systems, schools and libraries into the region: the very same infrastructure which Israel is now blowing up. In return, Zionism would have a place to start, a beacon of light so to speak for the Jewish nation to look to as they were being systematically brutalized around the globe. Unfortunately the 20th century also brought the Wilsonian 14 points and an intense desire for any type of nationalism. The Palestinians were no different than any other sovereign nation and could clearly see they would be overwhelmed by the influx of Jews into Palestine, and fought back well before the war of 1947 that formalized the nation of Israel.
Here we come to the systemic problem, both are right. As with all real problems both are right, and if you were born on either side you would be swayed depending on what birth mother you have. The solution is complex and as with all things will take time, education, understanding, and TOLERANCE. Instead of territorial war, which by definition would require that the winning side commit genocide to actually win, Israel must go back to their initial policy of investment, infrastructure, education, largess, and benevolence. They are a western civilization smack in the middle of an old eastern culture. Israel is no longer and has not been for thousands of years a middle eastern country, but rather a western country surrounded by middle eastern culture, which unfortunately isn’t ready and hasn’t evolved to WANT to participate in a western way of life. They may be close, but they certainly are not there. Hence the democracies that elect Islamic fundamentalist governments and our square headed lack of patience and tolerance in waiting for our fellow humans to be ready, then and only then, can we lend support for a true change in subjective thinking. Until then refer to the above, bury your dead on both sides and wait patiently to celebrate with unbridled glee your day of redemption, peace and prosperity.
As a fundamental policy Israel must return to its long-term thinking and think holistically about its real goal of peace and harmony with its perpetually hostile neighbors. A documented historical reminder, war never works, I repeat, NEVER works. She must return to her long-term policy of benevolence and understanding in the midst of terror instead of participating in a blood extravasation that will lead only to her perpetuating her time on the precipice to…nowhere.
“How Great is the Strength of Your Belief?”
Be careful what you believe because that is what you will experience. Your belief system is a mechanism which is uniquely yours. It is powered by your desire and controlled by your thoughts and actions. In other words, your success is measured by the strength of your belief.
What is it that you desire? Often people do not have a clue what it is they want, they just know what they do not want. Now is a good time to evaluate your goals and determine the end result you want to achieve. Put your goals in writing and place them where you can see them throughout the day. Read them frequently to keep them fresh on your mind.
• Be inquisitive. Research and learn as much as you can on how you can achieve your goal. Use all possible resources such as books, CDs, courses and people. Yes, people. Talk to as many people as possible who are already successful in what you want to achieve. Ask, ask and ask some more about what they did to reach success. Do not limit your contacts to only the people you already know. Introduce yourself by phone or mail, explain your purpose for contacting them and ask for a tip. The worst thing that can happen is that they ignore you. The best thing that can happen is that they become your mentor and offer support and encouragement. Chances are you will receive at least one great tip from many of the people you contact. This method is the least expensive and most rewarding.
• Be unique. Next, take the ideas you learn, embellish them and come up with your own creative process. Think of how you can approach your goal in a way that no one else has. Dare to be different. Don’t be afraid to take risks. What do you have to loose? Write out a list showing the worst things that could happen and then list all of the best possible outcomes. Always maintain your concentration on your desired result.
• Be better than your competition. When you were a child and saw your older siblings or friends riding a bike (without training wheels), you didn’t look at their scraped knees and elbows and say, “Whoa, I could get hurt doing that.” Instead, you begged to try it for yourself. With a great deal of practice and often pain, you gradually learned how to maintain your balance. Before long you were trying to “out do” your friends with your speed or fancy tricks. When you fell, you would get back on and try again with even greater determination. From your very first effort, you believed in your mind that if you got back on, you would eventually learn to ride. I bet you even knew in your mind you would be the best in the neighborhood, in your school, in the state, in the world!
• Be positive. If you see obstacles before you, then you will also only see problems. If you have hesitations that you plan will not work, then it will not work. If you are influenced by the power of negative people, then you will never be any better than they are. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of achieving.
When your desire to succeed is stronger than the pain, fear or frustration of failing, there is no turning back. I challenge you to view your goals just like you did when you were a child before you learned about self doubt and negative criticism. Remember, anything is possible as long as you believe. Make a commitment that you will not let anything or anyone, including yourself stand in your way of reaching your goals.
What is it that you desire? Often people do not have a clue what it is they want, they just know what they do not want. Now is a good time to evaluate your goals and determine the end result you want to achieve. Put your goals in writing and place them where you can see them throughout the day. Read them frequently to keep them fresh on your mind.
• Be inquisitive. Research and learn as much as you can on how you can achieve your goal. Use all possible resources such as books, CDs, courses and people. Yes, people. Talk to as many people as possible who are already successful in what you want to achieve. Ask, ask and ask some more about what they did to reach success. Do not limit your contacts to only the people you already know. Introduce yourself by phone or mail, explain your purpose for contacting them and ask for a tip. The worst thing that can happen is that they ignore you. The best thing that can happen is that they become your mentor and offer support and encouragement. Chances are you will receive at least one great tip from many of the people you contact. This method is the least expensive and most rewarding.
• Be unique. Next, take the ideas you learn, embellish them and come up with your own creative process. Think of how you can approach your goal in a way that no one else has. Dare to be different. Don’t be afraid to take risks. What do you have to loose? Write out a list showing the worst things that could happen and then list all of the best possible outcomes. Always maintain your concentration on your desired result.
• Be better than your competition. When you were a child and saw your older siblings or friends riding a bike (without training wheels), you didn’t look at their scraped knees and elbows and say, “Whoa, I could get hurt doing that.” Instead, you begged to try it for yourself. With a great deal of practice and often pain, you gradually learned how to maintain your balance. Before long you were trying to “out do” your friends with your speed or fancy tricks. When you fell, you would get back on and try again with even greater determination. From your very first effort, you believed in your mind that if you got back on, you would eventually learn to ride. I bet you even knew in your mind you would be the best in the neighborhood, in your school, in the state, in the world!
• Be positive. If you see obstacles before you, then you will also only see problems. If you have hesitations that you plan will not work, then it will not work. If you are influenced by the power of negative people, then you will never be any better than they are. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of achieving.
When your desire to succeed is stronger than the pain, fear or frustration of failing, there is no turning back. I challenge you to view your goals just like you did when you were a child before you learned about self doubt and negative criticism. Remember, anything is possible as long as you believe. Make a commitment that you will not let anything or anyone, including yourself stand in your way of reaching your goals.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
3 Important Truths About Adult Education
As an instructor at a state college I know that today's college student is just as likely to be middle-aged (or older) as a teenager. Yet, I frequently find myself counseling adults who are thinking about returning to school to further their education. Actually, it is not so much a counseling session as it is a bit of a pep talk. One of the major reasons many adults hesitate before going back to school is the simple fear that they will not be able to keep up intellectually with their younger classmates. Well stop worrying about that. Here are three reasons that the majority of older students actually out perform their younger counterparts in the college classroom.
First, the simple truth is that in most cases the older student is more motivated than the younger student. It is more likely that the older student is footing the bill so values their education for that reason and wants to make sure they get the most out of their investment. Also, older students have also experienced the working world without a degree and so are very motivated to gain the financial and professional advantages of an education. This motivation is what gets older students through the challenges that college throws at them -- challenges that might derail a younger, less experienced, student. In addition, nontraditional students have usually learned the hard life lesson that having the right attitude is half the battle.
Second, nontraditional students usually know much more about time management than traditional students. Most nontraditional students are balancing work, school, and family so they are very efficient and effective managers of their time. Older students are also more effective at prioritizing their various commitments based on their greater life experience. I see so many more younger, more traditional students getting themselves into trouble with their classes and assignments and observe in many cases the problem is one of simple time management and priorities.
Finally, the greater and more diverse your life experience then the more you know. It is really quite simple. If you have worked, raised a family, and served your community then you know more than most teenagers about a number of things. It just stands to reason. While the younger student might have the advantage of knowledge of certain scientific principles or mathematical rules as well as more recent practice in writing and studying. The older student knows more about people and interpersonal dynamics, their own personal strengths and weaknesses, and historical events as well as current events.
These are not universal truths. Obviously there are younger, more traditional students, who are mature enough to be properly motivated as well as good time managers. Equally there are older students who are not properly motivated and no little about time management. Similarly some older students have lead sheltered lives and some younger students have lead lives of variety and challenge. As a rule, however, I can pretty confidently state that many nontraditional students can find these three strengths -- motivation, time management, and life experience -- can help them outperform their more traditional counterparts in the college classroom. If your age is all that is holding you back from pursuing your degree then remember that age offers advantages as well as disadvantages.
First, the simple truth is that in most cases the older student is more motivated than the younger student. It is more likely that the older student is footing the bill so values their education for that reason and wants to make sure they get the most out of their investment. Also, older students have also experienced the working world without a degree and so are very motivated to gain the financial and professional advantages of an education. This motivation is what gets older students through the challenges that college throws at them -- challenges that might derail a younger, less experienced, student. In addition, nontraditional students have usually learned the hard life lesson that having the right attitude is half the battle.
Second, nontraditional students usually know much more about time management than traditional students. Most nontraditional students are balancing work, school, and family so they are very efficient and effective managers of their time. Older students are also more effective at prioritizing their various commitments based on their greater life experience. I see so many more younger, more traditional students getting themselves into trouble with their classes and assignments and observe in many cases the problem is one of simple time management and priorities.
Finally, the greater and more diverse your life experience then the more you know. It is really quite simple. If you have worked, raised a family, and served your community then you know more than most teenagers about a number of things. It just stands to reason. While the younger student might have the advantage of knowledge of certain scientific principles or mathematical rules as well as more recent practice in writing and studying. The older student knows more about people and interpersonal dynamics, their own personal strengths and weaknesses, and historical events as well as current events.
These are not universal truths. Obviously there are younger, more traditional students, who are mature enough to be properly motivated as well as good time managers. Equally there are older students who are not properly motivated and no little about time management. Similarly some older students have lead sheltered lives and some younger students have lead lives of variety and challenge. As a rule, however, I can pretty confidently state that many nontraditional students can find these three strengths -- motivation, time management, and life experience -- can help them outperform their more traditional counterparts in the college classroom. If your age is all that is holding you back from pursuing your degree then remember that age offers advantages as well as disadvantages.
10 Common-sense Self Defense Tips For Men
For more than 30 years I have been running specialized self defence courses and seminars. Over that time I have shown thousands of people how to protect and look after themselves.
Increasing personal safety ALWAYS commences with awareness.
Since most men may be attacked in almost any situation and for a wide-ranging variety of reasons I offer the following advice.
Here is a list of ten simple things that you can do immediately that will increase your safety:
1 - Most men get involved in physical trouble as a result of saying something rude, offensive, tactless, stupid or hurtful. Controlling what comes out of your mouth can keep it in good shape. Think before you speak.
2 - If a fight breaks out in a bar - leave immediately. Go before all the drunks and brawlers start swinging chairs, bottles, glasses and punches. A "free for all" usually starts with just two protagonists. Innocent bystanders often get hit. Those who leave all the fools to bash each other do not.
3 - NEVER attempt to mediate an argument between a man and a woman. Both will cease arguing or fighting with each other and turn on you - the common enemy. If you fear for the woman's safety, call the police.
4 - Understand that many people these days have a cocktail of drugs and booze in their veins. It makes them argumentative, aggressive and "Mike Tyson-esque." Avoid people who are "off the planet." Even a casual glance at them can set them off. Leave them with their own demons.
5 - Don't make the fatal mistake of thinking that ANYBODY fights "fair" any more. Those days are over - they have been since the John Wayne era! Expect multiple attackers, weapons, possibly both.
6 - The cemeteries are full of dead heroes. Don't add to their number. Run if you can. There is no shame in avoiding a fight. In fact, running away is smart.
7 - Recognize objects in every room of your home that could be used as makeshift weapons. Home invasion is a growing curse these days due to the unwillingness of our governments to protect their citizens.
8 - THIS IS MORE OF A LEGAL WARNING: Understand that if you allow yourself to be placed in a "compromising" position with a woman, particularly one who is "under-age," then the woman's version of events will usually be believed over the man's version. Do not allow yourself to get into such situations.
9 - Negotiation is a far higher art form than physical confrontation. Do anything reasonable to avoid a fight. NOTHING good ever comes out of conflict. War is proof of that.
10 - When all else fails, your back is to the wall and there is absolutely no other alternative left remember... "it is better to be tried by twelve than carried by six."
Remember my opening words - "increasing personal safety ALWAYS commences with awareness." Increase your awareness, mind your manners, know your surroundings and you will certainly improve your safety.
Please feel free to distribute this article. The only condition is that the resource box remains intact and that the article is not altered in any way.
Increasing personal safety ALWAYS commences with awareness.
Since most men may be attacked in almost any situation and for a wide-ranging variety of reasons I offer the following advice.
Here is a list of ten simple things that you can do immediately that will increase your safety:
1 - Most men get involved in physical trouble as a result of saying something rude, offensive, tactless, stupid or hurtful. Controlling what comes out of your mouth can keep it in good shape. Think before you speak.
2 - If a fight breaks out in a bar - leave immediately. Go before all the drunks and brawlers start swinging chairs, bottles, glasses and punches. A "free for all" usually starts with just two protagonists. Innocent bystanders often get hit. Those who leave all the fools to bash each other do not.
3 - NEVER attempt to mediate an argument between a man and a woman. Both will cease arguing or fighting with each other and turn on you - the common enemy. If you fear for the woman's safety, call the police.
4 - Understand that many people these days have a cocktail of drugs and booze in their veins. It makes them argumentative, aggressive and "Mike Tyson-esque." Avoid people who are "off the planet." Even a casual glance at them can set them off. Leave them with their own demons.
5 - Don't make the fatal mistake of thinking that ANYBODY fights "fair" any more. Those days are over - they have been since the John Wayne era! Expect multiple attackers, weapons, possibly both.
6 - The cemeteries are full of dead heroes. Don't add to their number. Run if you can. There is no shame in avoiding a fight. In fact, running away is smart.
7 - Recognize objects in every room of your home that could be used as makeshift weapons. Home invasion is a growing curse these days due to the unwillingness of our governments to protect their citizens.
8 - THIS IS MORE OF A LEGAL WARNING: Understand that if you allow yourself to be placed in a "compromising" position with a woman, particularly one who is "under-age," then the woman's version of events will usually be believed over the man's version. Do not allow yourself to get into such situations.
9 - Negotiation is a far higher art form than physical confrontation. Do anything reasonable to avoid a fight. NOTHING good ever comes out of conflict. War is proof of that.
10 - When all else fails, your back is to the wall and there is absolutely no other alternative left remember... "it is better to be tried by twelve than carried by six."
Remember my opening words - "increasing personal safety ALWAYS commences with awareness." Increase your awareness, mind your manners, know your surroundings and you will certainly improve your safety.
Please feel free to distribute this article. The only condition is that the resource box remains intact and that the article is not altered in any way.
A Promise Should Be Forever: Titanium Promise Rings
While a promise ring can be given for a variety of reasons, they are typically given as a sign that the giver and the wearer will date each other exclusively and that an engagement may come soon. Promise rings are usually less expensive than engagement or wedding rings. Titanium promise rings are a good idea for several reasons. They are less expensive than silver or gold rings, are strong and durable, and can be engraved with special messages.
Since promise rings are less formal than wedding and engagement rings, they are usually less expensive. Titanium promise rings are more reasonably priced than promise rings made of a precious metal like gold or silver. Some people do choose to buy more expensive promise rings that include gem settings. Titanium rings are known for being a good choice for setting a stone.
The strength and durability of titanium promise rings serves several purposes. Obviously, it is a wise idea to buy a ring that will retain its shape and not be scratched or broken. Aside from that, the strength of titanium promise rings signifies the commitment to keeping the promise. A strong promise ring drives home the point that the giver and the wearer are committed to each other. What better way to show devotion and long-term intent than to give a ring that will last a lifetime?
Most sellers will engrave titanium engagement rings with messages of the buyer’s choosing. A customer can have his and his girlfriend’s names etched onto the ring to add sentimental value. The ring could also be engraved with a brief description of the promise being made, or a pattern such interlocking hearts that can drive the point home.
Titanium promise rings are a good value and can have symbolic and sentimental meaning. Their strength and durability makes the promise being made that much more meaningful.
Since promise rings are less formal than wedding and engagement rings, they are usually less expensive. Titanium promise rings are more reasonably priced than promise rings made of a precious metal like gold or silver. Some people do choose to buy more expensive promise rings that include gem settings. Titanium rings are known for being a good choice for setting a stone.
The strength and durability of titanium promise rings serves several purposes. Obviously, it is a wise idea to buy a ring that will retain its shape and not be scratched or broken. Aside from that, the strength of titanium promise rings signifies the commitment to keeping the promise. A strong promise ring drives home the point that the giver and the wearer are committed to each other. What better way to show devotion and long-term intent than to give a ring that will last a lifetime?
Most sellers will engrave titanium engagement rings with messages of the buyer’s choosing. A customer can have his and his girlfriend’s names etched onto the ring to add sentimental value. The ring could also be engraved with a brief description of the promise being made, or a pattern such interlocking hearts that can drive the point home.
Titanium promise rings are a good value and can have symbolic and sentimental meaning. Their strength and durability makes the promise being made that much more meaningful.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
$1,167.00
The first thing I would like to do is share with you an email that I recently received that provided the inspiration for this article.
Mr. Calvert,
Hello, my name is Tanya Jameson. I met you a few months ago at the Bunny Slipper Boot Camp you spoke at in Las Vegas. I am the one that spoke to you after the Boot Camp and told you I was going to invest in your “How to Create a $5,000 Monthly Income with Ebay and Online Auctions Course” after I had a couple of yard sales.
I knew at the time, you probably didn’t believe me, but I did go to www.OnlineAuctionU.com and purchase your course. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I have followed your course step-by-step and last month I have my first month of over $5,000.00 in profits, $5,233.70 to be exact and I am having a blast. My 5 year old daughter helps me in my business and because of your course; I never have to worry about taking a job outside the home again.
Now for my question, at the seminar you said that you personally spend over $15,000 a year on books, tapes, seminars, and other personal development courses.
My question is why?
You have a net worth of millions of dollars, you speak all over the world at seminars, and have dozens of training programs, why do you still invest so much money? I am just curious; please respond when you have an opportunity.
Thank you for helping me change my life!
Tanya Jameson
Here is my response:
Tanya,
Congratulations on your first $5,000 month! You now have developed the skills and knowledge to be able to write your own pay check every month with Ebay and online auctions. I am proud of you and I appreciate you taking the time to send me an email.
Now regarding your question and why I spend so much money on personal education.
My definition of success is not how much cash, or how many toys you have. To me “Success is living your life working towards worthy Goals” When I was broke, living in a small 600 foot square home and driving a beat up Chevette, I was as successful then as I am now, because I had worthy goals that I was working towards daily.
Now here is the “brain tweak” once I reached those goals, I was no longer a success. Think about that one for a minute. The only way I could maintain my success is to set new goals!
When I was financially broke, I developed the habit of spending 10% of my income on my own personal education. Jim Rohn says “Formal education will make you a living; if you become self-educated you can create a fortune”
That is one of the things I absolutely enjoy about the Internet, it is a constantly evolving marketing medium. There are always new ideas to learn and concepts and methods to test and put into practice.
Thankfully, my income got to a point, where I could no longer spend 10% on courses, books and tapes. So I was able to buy books and training programs for other people, and at one point provide the book “Think and Grow Rich” to the entire graduating class at our local high school.
However today, I am constantly learning and working towards worthy goals, and I hope you will continue to do the same.
I wish you much success, and as always let me know what I can do to support and help you. I appreciate your support, and again thanks for taking the time to send the email.
Dale Calvert
www.DaleCalvert.com
I sincerely hope that my response to Tanya has resonated in your mind. If you are broke, but working towards worthy goals, YOU ARE A SUCCESS. Today’s world is full of self educated marketing masters that offer an endless supply of books, tapes, and training programs to help us all become better at what we do.
Oh yeah, before I forget, why is the title of this article $1,167.00? That is what I spent last month for personal educational and training programs. Become “self educated” and I will see you on the never ending road to success!
Mr. Calvert,
Hello, my name is Tanya Jameson. I met you a few months ago at the Bunny Slipper Boot Camp you spoke at in Las Vegas. I am the one that spoke to you after the Boot Camp and told you I was going to invest in your “How to Create a $5,000 Monthly Income with Ebay and Online Auctions Course” after I had a couple of yard sales.
I knew at the time, you probably didn’t believe me, but I did go to www.OnlineAuctionU.com and purchase your course. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I have followed your course step-by-step and last month I have my first month of over $5,000.00 in profits, $5,233.70 to be exact and I am having a blast. My 5 year old daughter helps me in my business and because of your course; I never have to worry about taking a job outside the home again.
Now for my question, at the seminar you said that you personally spend over $15,000 a year on books, tapes, seminars, and other personal development courses.
My question is why?
You have a net worth of millions of dollars, you speak all over the world at seminars, and have dozens of training programs, why do you still invest so much money? I am just curious; please respond when you have an opportunity.
Thank you for helping me change my life!
Tanya Jameson
Here is my response:
Tanya,
Congratulations on your first $5,000 month! You now have developed the skills and knowledge to be able to write your own pay check every month with Ebay and online auctions. I am proud of you and I appreciate you taking the time to send me an email.
Now regarding your question and why I spend so much money on personal education.
My definition of success is not how much cash, or how many toys you have. To me “Success is living your life working towards worthy Goals” When I was broke, living in a small 600 foot square home and driving a beat up Chevette, I was as successful then as I am now, because I had worthy goals that I was working towards daily.
Now here is the “brain tweak” once I reached those goals, I was no longer a success. Think about that one for a minute. The only way I could maintain my success is to set new goals!
When I was financially broke, I developed the habit of spending 10% of my income on my own personal education. Jim Rohn says “Formal education will make you a living; if you become self-educated you can create a fortune”
That is one of the things I absolutely enjoy about the Internet, it is a constantly evolving marketing medium. There are always new ideas to learn and concepts and methods to test and put into practice.
Thankfully, my income got to a point, where I could no longer spend 10% on courses, books and tapes. So I was able to buy books and training programs for other people, and at one point provide the book “Think and Grow Rich” to the entire graduating class at our local high school.
However today, I am constantly learning and working towards worthy goals, and I hope you will continue to do the same.
I wish you much success, and as always let me know what I can do to support and help you. I appreciate your support, and again thanks for taking the time to send the email.
Dale Calvert
www.DaleCalvert.com
I sincerely hope that my response to Tanya has resonated in your mind. If you are broke, but working towards worthy goals, YOU ARE A SUCCESS. Today’s world is full of self educated marketing masters that offer an endless supply of books, tapes, and training programs to help us all become better at what we do.
Oh yeah, before I forget, why is the title of this article $1,167.00? That is what I spent last month for personal educational and training programs. Become “self educated” and I will see you on the never ending road to success!
4 Special rules for selling software on eBay.
Here are the various kinds of software that you're not allowed to sell on eBay, and how to spot them. You should always try installing used software before you sell it, as this might give you a few clues.
1.Pirate Software.
This one is reasonably obvious, but pirate software can be hard to spot. The biggest things to look out for are auctions that don't have pictures or only have pictures from catalogues, unrealistically low prices, and come with no manuals or documentation. Microsoft software comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, which you should check. Software that is on recordable media such as CD-RWs is usually pirated.
If you see software that offered for download only, it is often pirated but not always. Some small software developers allow download licenses for their software to be resold on sites like eBay. Type the name of the software into a search engine, and go to the manufacturer's site to check. Remember that software you download is very unlikely to come with resale rights, though.
2.Beta Software.
Beta software is pre-release software, issued by companies for testing purposes. Companies generally do not give permission for their beta software to be sold or redistributed, as it won't be as good as the final product. Do not buy anything that says it is beta, and return anything you receive that says beta or not for resale or distribution anywhere on the CD or during the install.
3.Academic Software.
Some companies sell special educational edition's or student license's for their software, which are designed to make it affordable to students and teachers. You can only sell this software if you are a licensed educational reseller for the company, and your buyers are educational users. Academic software will usually say somewhere on its CD or in its installation what it is.
4.OEM Software.
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer' this is software that is only supposed to be distributed with a new computer, as it came pre-installed on the computer. The licences for this software usually stop you from selling it without also selling any hardware. Look out for the message for sale with a new computer only, or similar. Note, though, that it's usually fine to bundle any OEM software you come across with computers that you sell on eBay.
If you sell any kind of software that isn't allowed, then eBay might shut down your auction, or your sellers might realise what they've bought and leave you bad feedback. It's not really worth the risk.
5 Baby Shower Gifts That Mom Will Love
With the pregnancy bug in the water system, you are bound to know someone who is having a baby, if you aren’t having one yourself. Pregnant women equal shopping time. Here are 5 gifts that any mother will most certainly be appreciative of. The baby shower gift ideas are great for those who are shopping or for mom’s to put on their gift registry.
1. Diapers, diapers and more diapers. That is quite a bland gift but a very much needed gift. I don’t any mom who will complain about having too many diapers with a newborn at home. To make diapers snazzy you have to dress it up a bit. You can find diaper cakes in lots of gift sites. Some come with as many as 150 diapers, plus booties, bibs and tons of other essentials for baby, but all in the shape of an all so cute cake.
2. Layettes, blankets, socks and burp cloths. Chances are they are going to get tons of these. However, these gifts tend to come in newborn or 3 months sizes which after a few weeks probably won’t serve its purpose anymore. Making this a great gift is if you buy them in larger sizes. After a few months, mom still has brand new gifts for the baby to enjoy.
3. Pamper products for Mom. The last few weeks of pregnancy are very uncomfortable and can be hard on Mom. Let Mom have the star treatment as well. Once the baby is born, Mom’s 15 minutes of fame are over.
4. Savings Bonds. A savings bond is a great way to help invest in the child’s future. While everyone is thinking of now you are thinking ahead. It may also help jumpstart parents to jumpstart on baby’s future if they haven’t already.
5. Gift Certificates. You can never go wrong with a gift certificate. Mom and Dad get to choose what they want and you gave them that satisfaction. The obvious choice for a gift certificate would where the registry is set up. If they do not have a registry set up, good choices could include their favorite supermarket (formula, diapers) or baby store. Another gift certificate idea could be a check card gift certificate. It works like a credit card and can be used anywhere.
Tip: I don’t suggest buying clothing unless the parents-to-be suggested so. Chances are they have already gone shopping and couldn’t resist those tiny adorable outfits.
1. Diapers, diapers and more diapers. That is quite a bland gift but a very much needed gift. I don’t any mom who will complain about having too many diapers with a newborn at home. To make diapers snazzy you have to dress it up a bit. You can find diaper cakes in lots of gift sites. Some come with as many as 150 diapers, plus booties, bibs and tons of other essentials for baby, but all in the shape of an all so cute cake.
2. Layettes, blankets, socks and burp cloths. Chances are they are going to get tons of these. However, these gifts tend to come in newborn or 3 months sizes which after a few weeks probably won’t serve its purpose anymore. Making this a great gift is if you buy them in larger sizes. After a few months, mom still has brand new gifts for the baby to enjoy.
3. Pamper products for Mom. The last few weeks of pregnancy are very uncomfortable and can be hard on Mom. Let Mom have the star treatment as well. Once the baby is born, Mom’s 15 minutes of fame are over.
4. Savings Bonds. A savings bond is a great way to help invest in the child’s future. While everyone is thinking of now you are thinking ahead. It may also help jumpstart parents to jumpstart on baby’s future if they haven’t already.
5. Gift Certificates. You can never go wrong with a gift certificate. Mom and Dad get to choose what they want and you gave them that satisfaction. The obvious choice for a gift certificate would where the registry is set up. If they do not have a registry set up, good choices could include their favorite supermarket (formula, diapers) or baby store. Another gift certificate idea could be a check card gift certificate. It works like a credit card and can be used anywhere.
Tip: I don’t suggest buying clothing unless the parents-to-be suggested so. Chances are they have already gone shopping and couldn’t resist those tiny adorable outfits.
Monday, March 22, 2010
"The Social Killer"
Scared to go out to a meeting to speak to a client? Need to deliver a speech but feel like fainting at the thought of going in front of the class to present? Scared to attend a social gathering for no apparent reason? You might be suffering from social anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a kind of mental disorder where the sufferer experiences a severe or unreasonable fear of social gatherings where there is a possibility that one may get embarrassed or ridiculed. Most of the time, these anxieties arise from an intense fear of being closely watched or scrutinized - from the simple things like the way they dress, talk or act; to important job functions like performing in front of a crowd, giving a presentation, or finishing an interview for a job application. This kind of phobia gives sufferers a feeling of being trapped or shut away from the world.
They say social anxiety disorder is closely related to shyness. However social phobia differs in the sense that this disrupts normal socializing functions. It is true that everyone goes through a stage of shyness in their life, overcoming it is a different thing. When it becomes too much that it interrupts your daily life and relationships to the point where you are sick with worry, it is time to seek counsel. It is good to know the signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder to be able to determine and treat this said condition before it worsens.
People with social phobia manifest 2 basic kinds of symptoms: emotional and physical. The emotional symptoms include: an intense fear of being in situations in which you don't know people, fear of situations in which you may be judged, worrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself, fear that others will notice that you look anxious, anxiety that disrupts your daily routine, work, school or other activities, avoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment, avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention. The physical symptoms include: Blushing, profuse sweating, trembling or shaking, nausea, stomach upset, difficulty talking, shaky voice, muscle tension, confusion, palpitations, diarrhea, cold and clammy hands, and difficulty making eye contact.
Basically, this phobia manifests a symptom of being overly anxious around other people. Sufferers think that other people are more confident that they are, that other people are better them. They feel uncomfortable being around people that it makes it difficult for them to eat, drink, work, asking questions, asking for dates, even going to the toilet, when other people are around.
The good news is that there is a cure for this condition. For the past 20 years, a combination of talk therapy and medications has proven most helpful to limit the effects, if not cure, this mental condition. Certain anti-depressants (Paroxetine, Sertraline and Venlafaxine), anti-anxiety medications, and beta blockers are used to help Socio-phobic people to balance certain chemicals in the brain and minimize panic attacks during periods of heightened anxiety. Talk therapy teaches people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to situations that trigger their anxiety. The therapist helps the patient confront the negative feelings about social situations and the fear about being judged by others. Patients learn how their thinking patterns add to the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and how to change their thinking so the symptoms begin to lessen.
To be shy is quite normal, everybody has gone through a similar phase. Getting past that stage is the difficult part. Ultimately, it ends up to building your confidence to a certain level for you to be comfortable enough to move normally. In case you’ve been diagnosed as a socio-phobic, it is nothing to be ashamed of. With a little bit of therapy, proper medication, and enough support from people who believe in you, you’ll slowly be able to do socialize and function normally within a group without being too anxious.
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a kind of mental disorder where the sufferer experiences a severe or unreasonable fear of social gatherings where there is a possibility that one may get embarrassed or ridiculed. Most of the time, these anxieties arise from an intense fear of being closely watched or scrutinized - from the simple things like the way they dress, talk or act; to important job functions like performing in front of a crowd, giving a presentation, or finishing an interview for a job application. This kind of phobia gives sufferers a feeling of being trapped or shut away from the world.
They say social anxiety disorder is closely related to shyness. However social phobia differs in the sense that this disrupts normal socializing functions. It is true that everyone goes through a stage of shyness in their life, overcoming it is a different thing. When it becomes too much that it interrupts your daily life and relationships to the point where you are sick with worry, it is time to seek counsel. It is good to know the signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder to be able to determine and treat this said condition before it worsens.
People with social phobia manifest 2 basic kinds of symptoms: emotional and physical. The emotional symptoms include: an intense fear of being in situations in which you don't know people, fear of situations in which you may be judged, worrying about embarrassing or humiliating yourself, fear that others will notice that you look anxious, anxiety that disrupts your daily routine, work, school or other activities, avoiding doing things or speaking to people out of fear of embarrassment, avoiding situations where you might be the center of attention. The physical symptoms include: Blushing, profuse sweating, trembling or shaking, nausea, stomach upset, difficulty talking, shaky voice, muscle tension, confusion, palpitations, diarrhea, cold and clammy hands, and difficulty making eye contact.
Basically, this phobia manifests a symptom of being overly anxious around other people. Sufferers think that other people are more confident that they are, that other people are better them. They feel uncomfortable being around people that it makes it difficult for them to eat, drink, work, asking questions, asking for dates, even going to the toilet, when other people are around.
The good news is that there is a cure for this condition. For the past 20 years, a combination of talk therapy and medications has proven most helpful to limit the effects, if not cure, this mental condition. Certain anti-depressants (Paroxetine, Sertraline and Venlafaxine), anti-anxiety medications, and beta blockers are used to help Socio-phobic people to balance certain chemicals in the brain and minimize panic attacks during periods of heightened anxiety. Talk therapy teaches people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to situations that trigger their anxiety. The therapist helps the patient confront the negative feelings about social situations and the fear about being judged by others. Patients learn how their thinking patterns add to the symptoms of social anxiety disorder and how to change their thinking so the symptoms begin to lessen.
To be shy is quite normal, everybody has gone through a similar phase. Getting past that stage is the difficult part. Ultimately, it ends up to building your confidence to a certain level for you to be comfortable enough to move normally. In case you’ve been diagnosed as a socio-phobic, it is nothing to be ashamed of. With a little bit of therapy, proper medication, and enough support from people who believe in you, you’ll slowly be able to do socialize and function normally within a group without being too anxious.
5 PROVEN Tips To Help You Wipeout Your Depression So You Can Live A Happy Life
Are you lonely?
Did you know that being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives.
Lets face it, we've all been there.
We get depressed when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away.
That's just part of life.
But, depression, however, can be more fatal than just plain loneliness. It could render Life-Long consequences that could ruin your Self-Esteem, Health, and Well-Being in the process.
Well today is your lucky day because I'm going to share with you some great tips to help you conquer the 'Melancholy Mood' so you can get the MOST bliss out of your daily activities.
So, with that said, lets go to Tip #1.
Tip #1. Do you get enough Light and Sunshine?
Did you know that lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition.
Melatonin is only produced in the dark. What it does is it lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish.
So, if you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed.
This is the reason why many people suffer from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons.
It's simply because the nights are longer.
If you can't afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights to help offset the darkness.
Or...
You could go have lunch outside the office for a change and take frequent walks in the early afternoon instead of driving your car over short distances.
The choices are endless. It's really up to you.
Tip #2. Keep Busy and Get Inspired.
You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you keep your mind busy doing the activities you like doing the most.
Do the things you love.
If you're a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuff like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.
Also, set a Goal.
No matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire.
With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.
Tip #3. Take a Break. Sit back and Relax.
I mean it.
Listen to some soothing music you like. Soak in a nice warm bath. Simply take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around doing the things you love.
In other words, go have fun. Life's to short as it is.
Tip #4. Maintain a healthy diet and Stay Fit.
Avoid foods with lots of Sugar, Caffeine or Alcohol.
Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they will later bring about Anxiety, Tension and Internal problems.
Alcohol on the other hand is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to simply "forget their problems."
All they're doing is aggravating their conditions in the process.
Also, did you know that exercising regularly is a vital depression buster.
Why you ask?
Simply because it allows your body to produce more Endorphins than usual.
Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their Stress-Reducing and Happiness-Inducing properties.
Tip #5. Get a Social Life outside of work.
No man is an island. Your inner circle of friends are there to give you moral support.
Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling.
And we all now... nothing feels better than having group support.
And... never underestimate the power of Touch.
What I mean is... doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most challenging times?
Hug or embrace someone today.
Get intimate.
Establish close ties with your family and friends.
The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses.
Best of all, you'll live a more secured and happy life.
Now go give those 5 Tips a try and see how they pan out for you.
Did you know that being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives.
Lets face it, we've all been there.
We get depressed when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away.
That's just part of life.
But, depression, however, can be more fatal than just plain loneliness. It could render Life-Long consequences that could ruin your Self-Esteem, Health, and Well-Being in the process.
Well today is your lucky day because I'm going to share with you some great tips to help you conquer the 'Melancholy Mood' so you can get the MOST bliss out of your daily activities.
So, with that said, lets go to Tip #1.
Tip #1. Do you get enough Light and Sunshine?
Did you know that lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone called Melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and/or a lethargic condition.
Melatonin is only produced in the dark. What it does is it lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish.
So, if you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed.
This is the reason why many people suffer from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons.
It's simply because the nights are longer.
If you can't afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights to help offset the darkness.
Or...
You could go have lunch outside the office for a change and take frequent walks in the early afternoon instead of driving your car over short distances.
The choices are endless. It's really up to you.
Tip #2. Keep Busy and Get Inspired.
You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you keep your mind busy doing the activities you like doing the most.
Do the things you love.
If you're a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuff like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.
Also, set a Goal.
No matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire.
With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.
Tip #3. Take a Break. Sit back and Relax.
I mean it.
Listen to some soothing music you like. Soak in a nice warm bath. Simply take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around doing the things you love.
In other words, go have fun. Life's to short as it is.
Tip #4. Maintain a healthy diet and Stay Fit.
Avoid foods with lots of Sugar, Caffeine or Alcohol.
Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they will later bring about Anxiety, Tension and Internal problems.
Alcohol on the other hand is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to simply "forget their problems."
All they're doing is aggravating their conditions in the process.
Also, did you know that exercising regularly is a vital depression buster.
Why you ask?
Simply because it allows your body to produce more Endorphins than usual.
Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their Stress-Reducing and Happiness-Inducing properties.
Tip #5. Get a Social Life outside of work.
No man is an island. Your inner circle of friends are there to give you moral support.
Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling.
And we all now... nothing feels better than having group support.
And... never underestimate the power of Touch.
What I mean is... doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most challenging times?
Hug or embrace someone today.
Get intimate.
Establish close ties with your family and friends.
The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses.
Best of all, you'll live a more secured and happy life.
Now go give those 5 Tips a try and see how they pan out for you.
5 Ways To Better enjoy a Barbecue
Since Americans in the South began publicly roasting pigs at parties and get togethers, Barbecues have been a common item in the lives of North Americans.
For most of the population using a grill is a essential part of cooking and for the hard core barbecuers once the summer comes in it's barbecues all the way.
Every barbecue is always a good fun family event. Here are 5 ways to make your routine evening barbecue a more unique experience:
1) Who said you have to only barbecue meat? There is quite a lot that can be done with bread or fruit and veg over a naked grill. One way to make barbecues and grilling more fun to the whole family is to use pastry cutters for what ever it is you are grilling. It is up to you or your kids what design and type of food you use.
2) Try some of those foil packed recipes which cook in less than 20 minutes which are very handy and clean and kids will also love the surprise element. Combos can be great fun as you can mix it up any way you want and it makes a great game for the kids mixing different items of bread, fruit and veg.
3) They say variety is the spice of life so if you only ever cook the same old sausages and steaks why not try something different like a nice bit of cod or a juicy bit of venison. Similarly, try to mix it up with condiments and seasoning.
4) Barbecues should not be rushed, they are supposed to be fun, many of the die hard barbecue fans out there will state that broiling is an insult to the barbecuing criteria. Barbecues should represent a process of slow cooking on low to high heat and while you wait for the food to grill its a great opportunity to have a good laugh with who ever is in your party be it friends and family.
5) When we were all small children are moms told us never to play are food, well there is an except to every rule isn't there? Barbecue games are a great way to have really good fun while cooking. In the game Glutton, every player gets either mashed potatoes, turnip or mac cheese, then they must pick at random a utensil from the kitchen and eat and the first person to eat all of their dish wins.
For most of the population using a grill is a essential part of cooking and for the hard core barbecuers once the summer comes in it's barbecues all the way.
Every barbecue is always a good fun family event. Here are 5 ways to make your routine evening barbecue a more unique experience:
1) Who said you have to only barbecue meat? There is quite a lot that can be done with bread or fruit and veg over a naked grill. One way to make barbecues and grilling more fun to the whole family is to use pastry cutters for what ever it is you are grilling. It is up to you or your kids what design and type of food you use.
2) Try some of those foil packed recipes which cook in less than 20 minutes which are very handy and clean and kids will also love the surprise element. Combos can be great fun as you can mix it up any way you want and it makes a great game for the kids mixing different items of bread, fruit and veg.
3) They say variety is the spice of life so if you only ever cook the same old sausages and steaks why not try something different like a nice bit of cod or a juicy bit of venison. Similarly, try to mix it up with condiments and seasoning.
4) Barbecues should not be rushed, they are supposed to be fun, many of the die hard barbecue fans out there will state that broiling is an insult to the barbecuing criteria. Barbecues should represent a process of slow cooking on low to high heat and while you wait for the food to grill its a great opportunity to have a good laugh with who ever is in your party be it friends and family.
5) When we were all small children are moms told us never to play are food, well there is an except to every rule isn't there? Barbecue games are a great way to have really good fun while cooking. In the game Glutton, every player gets either mashed potatoes, turnip or mac cheese, then they must pick at random a utensil from the kitchen and eat and the first person to eat all of their dish wins.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
"Don't Sell Your Property Without It"
For most people, the prospect of selling their home can be positively daunting. First of all, there are usually plenty of things to do just to get it ready for the market. Besides the traditional clean-up, paint-up, fix-up chores that invariably wind up costing more than you planned, there are always the overriding concerns about how much the market will bear and how much you will eventually wind up selling it for.
Will you get your asking price, or will you have to drop your price to make the deal? After all, your home is a major investment, no doubt a rather large one, so when it comes to selling it you want to get your highest possible return. Yet in spite of everyone's desire to get the top dollar for their property, most people are extremely unsure as to how to go about getting it. However, some savvy sellers have long known a little financial technique that has helped them to get top dollar for their property. In fact, on some rare occasions, they have even sold their properties for more than they were worth using this powerful financing tool. Although that might be the exception rather than the rule, you can certainly use this technique to get the most money possible when selling your property.
Seller carry-back, or take-back financing, has proven to be a surefire technique for closing deals. Even though most people do not think about when it comes to selling a property, they really should consider using it. According to the Federal Reserve, there are currently over 100 Billion dollars of seller carry-back (seller take-back) loans in existence. By any standard, that is a lot of money. But most importantly, it is also a very clear indication that more people are starting to use seller take-back financing techniques because it offers many financial benefits to both sellers and buyers. Basically, seller take-back financing is a relatively simple concept. A seller-take back loan is created when a property is sold and the seller performs like a lender by assisting in financing all or part of the total transaction. In effect, the seller is actually lending the buyer a certain amount of money toward the purchase price, while a traditional mortgage company usually funds the balance of the purchase price. A seller take-back loan is secured with the property. The loan then becomes the primary mortgage and is fully secured by the property. In most seller take-back financing transactions, the buyer repays the seller with interest in accordance to mutually agreed terms over a period of time. Usually, the terms call for the buyer to send the payments, consisting of principal and interest, on a monthly basis. This is advantageous because it creates a steady monthly cash flow for the note holder. And if the note holder decides to cash out, he or she can always sell the note for a lump sum cash payment.
Regardless of market conditions, seller take-back financing makes sound financial sense; whereas, it provides both buyer and seller with flexible financing options, makes the property easier to sell at higher price and shortens the sales cycle. It also has the added advantage of being an excellent investment that generates a steady cash flow and high return. If you ever need immediate cash, you can always sell the note through our office. If you are planning to sell a property, then consider the many benefits of seller take-back financing.
Will you get your asking price, or will you have to drop your price to make the deal? After all, your home is a major investment, no doubt a rather large one, so when it comes to selling it you want to get your highest possible return. Yet in spite of everyone's desire to get the top dollar for their property, most people are extremely unsure as to how to go about getting it. However, some savvy sellers have long known a little financial technique that has helped them to get top dollar for their property. In fact, on some rare occasions, they have even sold their properties for more than they were worth using this powerful financing tool. Although that might be the exception rather than the rule, you can certainly use this technique to get the most money possible when selling your property.
Seller carry-back, or take-back financing, has proven to be a surefire technique for closing deals. Even though most people do not think about when it comes to selling a property, they really should consider using it. According to the Federal Reserve, there are currently over 100 Billion dollars of seller carry-back (seller take-back) loans in existence. By any standard, that is a lot of money. But most importantly, it is also a very clear indication that more people are starting to use seller take-back financing techniques because it offers many financial benefits to both sellers and buyers. Basically, seller take-back financing is a relatively simple concept. A seller-take back loan is created when a property is sold and the seller performs like a lender by assisting in financing all or part of the total transaction. In effect, the seller is actually lending the buyer a certain amount of money toward the purchase price, while a traditional mortgage company usually funds the balance of the purchase price. A seller take-back loan is secured with the property. The loan then becomes the primary mortgage and is fully secured by the property. In most seller take-back financing transactions, the buyer repays the seller with interest in accordance to mutually agreed terms over a period of time. Usually, the terms call for the buyer to send the payments, consisting of principal and interest, on a monthly basis. This is advantageous because it creates a steady monthly cash flow for the note holder. And if the note holder decides to cash out, he or she can always sell the note for a lump sum cash payment.
Regardless of market conditions, seller take-back financing makes sound financial sense; whereas, it provides both buyer and seller with flexible financing options, makes the property easier to sell at higher price and shortens the sales cycle. It also has the added advantage of being an excellent investment that generates a steady cash flow and high return. If you ever need immediate cash, you can always sell the note through our office. If you are planning to sell a property, then consider the many benefits of seller take-back financing.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
1% Mortgage Loans… What's The Catch?
While there are several different types of 1% mortgage loans, there are really only two major keys to winning with a 1% mortgage loan.
The first key is to make sure the loan is set up correctly from the beginning.
And the second is to make sure you are using the loan correctly to gain the most benefit.
First, let’s talk about how the loan works. Then we’ll get into how to set the loan up correctly so you can reap the financial rewards these mortgage loans have to offer.
To start with, 1% mortgage loans have payment options. Each month when you get your mortgage statement you will have the option to make a 30 year fixed payment, a 15 year fixed payment, an interest only payment and a minimum payment at 1%.
Although you are given several payment options, you should only select the 1% minimum payment.
Why?
Because if you wanted to make a 30 year fixed, 15 year fixed, or interest only payment, you would be better off getting that type of loan. Typically, these payments are higher with a payment option mortgage loan.
If you select the 1% minimum payment your first benefit will be a significant monthly payment reduction. Your mortgage payment will likely be cut in half. Of course, this is a pretty attractive first benefit for most home owners.
To compound the effectiveness of selecting the 1% minimum payment you should save what you save. For instance, let’s say you refinanced your home with a 1% mortgage loan, paid off all your credit cards, and reduced your monthly payment by $1,000 a month.
Now, if you save that $1,000 a month for yourself instead of giving it to your creditors, you will have $60,000 in cash at the end of five years - And that’s with a zero percent return.
Here’s the second benefit to selecting the 1% minimum payment option:
Tax savings.
If you make an interest only payment your mortgage balance will stay the same. If you make a 1% minimum payment you are actually paying less than interest only. Therefore, you are creating deferred interest which makes your mortgage balance increase each month.
Before you freak out, keep in mind that deferred interest is mortgage interest and is therefore tax deductible.
Let’s say your home is going up in value $2,000 a month. The 1% mortgage loan will allow you to take a small piece of that appreciation, say $500 a month, and turn it into a tax deduction.
So you are taking a small piece of your equity each month and turning it into a tax deduction. If you did not do this, all of your appreciation would be locked up in equity.
Equity is terrific and is certainly one of the many benefits to home ownership. But investing in equity will get you a zero percent return.
No one is going to cut you a check each month for the equity in your home. As a matter of fact, if you wanted to get the equity out of your home you would have to sell your home or get a loan. And you better qualify or you will not be able to get a loan.
So why not take a small piece of your equity each month, turn it into a tax deduction, and at the same time save $1,000 a month for your self? You will still have plenty of equity but with a 1% mortgage loan you will have cash AND equity.
If you do this for any length of time you will come out way further ahead financially than if you did a regular 30 year fixed or an interest only mortgage loan.
By the way, if the deferred interest is a concern, try making bi-weekly payments. Making a bi-weekly payment will reduce, and in some cases eliminate the deferred interest all together. Which means your mortgage balance would not increase.
How to set the loan up correctly:
1) The 1% payment option on these loans is only available for the first five years. But you could actually keep one of these loans for 30 or 40 years. If you select a 40 year loan your monthly payment will be lower but the payment options will not last for five years. The name of the game is to keep the 1% payment for as long as possible. So get a 30 year amortization.
2) The 30 year, 15 year and interest only payments are tied to an index. Select a slower moving index like the MTA (Monthly Treasury Average) instead of a faster moving index like the Libor (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate).
So how can you lose with a 1% mortgage loan?
Answer- depreciation.
If homes in your area are rapidly going down in value, deferred interest could cause you to become upside down in the home.
But if your area is experiencing a 3% to 5% rate of appreciation and you save what you save by making the minimum payment, a 1% mortgage loan can have an incredibly positive impact on your financial future.
For more information about 1% mortgage loans and other mortgage related topics, please visit:
http://Mortgage-Training.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com
Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
The first key is to make sure the loan is set up correctly from the beginning.
And the second is to make sure you are using the loan correctly to gain the most benefit.
First, let’s talk about how the loan works. Then we’ll get into how to set the loan up correctly so you can reap the financial rewards these mortgage loans have to offer.
To start with, 1% mortgage loans have payment options. Each month when you get your mortgage statement you will have the option to make a 30 year fixed payment, a 15 year fixed payment, an interest only payment and a minimum payment at 1%.
Although you are given several payment options, you should only select the 1% minimum payment.
Why?
Because if you wanted to make a 30 year fixed, 15 year fixed, or interest only payment, you would be better off getting that type of loan. Typically, these payments are higher with a payment option mortgage loan.
If you select the 1% minimum payment your first benefit will be a significant monthly payment reduction. Your mortgage payment will likely be cut in half. Of course, this is a pretty attractive first benefit for most home owners.
To compound the effectiveness of selecting the 1% minimum payment you should save what you save. For instance, let’s say you refinanced your home with a 1% mortgage loan, paid off all your credit cards, and reduced your monthly payment by $1,000 a month.
Now, if you save that $1,000 a month for yourself instead of giving it to your creditors, you will have $60,000 in cash at the end of five years - And that’s with a zero percent return.
Here’s the second benefit to selecting the 1% minimum payment option:
Tax savings.
If you make an interest only payment your mortgage balance will stay the same. If you make a 1% minimum payment you are actually paying less than interest only. Therefore, you are creating deferred interest which makes your mortgage balance increase each month.
Before you freak out, keep in mind that deferred interest is mortgage interest and is therefore tax deductible.
Let’s say your home is going up in value $2,000 a month. The 1% mortgage loan will allow you to take a small piece of that appreciation, say $500 a month, and turn it into a tax deduction.
So you are taking a small piece of your equity each month and turning it into a tax deduction. If you did not do this, all of your appreciation would be locked up in equity.
Equity is terrific and is certainly one of the many benefits to home ownership. But investing in equity will get you a zero percent return.
No one is going to cut you a check each month for the equity in your home. As a matter of fact, if you wanted to get the equity out of your home you would have to sell your home or get a loan. And you better qualify or you will not be able to get a loan.
So why not take a small piece of your equity each month, turn it into a tax deduction, and at the same time save $1,000 a month for your self? You will still have plenty of equity but with a 1% mortgage loan you will have cash AND equity.
If you do this for any length of time you will come out way further ahead financially than if you did a regular 30 year fixed or an interest only mortgage loan.
By the way, if the deferred interest is a concern, try making bi-weekly payments. Making a bi-weekly payment will reduce, and in some cases eliminate the deferred interest all together. Which means your mortgage balance would not increase.
How to set the loan up correctly:
1) The 1% payment option on these loans is only available for the first five years. But you could actually keep one of these loans for 30 or 40 years. If you select a 40 year loan your monthly payment will be lower but the payment options will not last for five years. The name of the game is to keep the 1% payment for as long as possible. So get a 30 year amortization.
2) The 30 year, 15 year and interest only payments are tied to an index. Select a slower moving index like the MTA (Monthly Treasury Average) instead of a faster moving index like the Libor (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate).
So how can you lose with a 1% mortgage loan?
Answer- depreciation.
If homes in your area are rapidly going down in value, deferred interest could cause you to become upside down in the home.
But if your area is experiencing a 3% to 5% rate of appreciation and you save what you save by making the minimum payment, a 1% mortgage loan can have an incredibly positive impact on your financial future.
For more information about 1% mortgage loans and other mortgage related topics, please visit:
http://Mortgage-Training.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com
Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.
8 Great Gift Ideas For Your Boss This New Year
The New Year is a Festive time - and its time for loving, sharing and celebrating. Gifts, by far are the best way to express one's feelings and intent and a thoughtful gift is always well reciprocated. When it comes to picking a New Year gift for your boss, people usually find themselves in a state of perplexity; especially if they are running low on funds or perhaps if they are not sure about their bosses likes and dislikes. With a few helpful tips and ideas; you will be able to pick the right gift for your boss and a well intended gift is bound to be treasured for a lifetime and is usually well reciprocated.
A Desk Calendar/Planner
A desk calendar or planner would not only fit within your budget; but also proves to be an ideal New Year gift for your “busy as always” boss. If your budget allows you to be a bit flexible; you could even think of gifting a set of matching desk calendar and planner. This way, your boss would have easy access to his appointment schedules and each time he/she picks up that planner; he’s going to be reminded of your thoughtful gesture; no matter where he is. Pick a calendar or planner that goes well with your boss’s personality and taste.
Gift Baskets
With a gift-basket; you have the advantage of picking a custom-made gift basket; which can perfectly fit within your budget and gives you the flexibility of choosing individual items for the basket. If you are facing a paucity of time or if your budget allows; you can even opt for a pre-made gift basket. Choose from stationary items to luxury chocolates to expensive pen sets, cuff links or perhaps some mini electronic gizmo. Stuff that basket with gifts that you think will complement your boss’s personality and can be put to good use.
A Pen and Pencil Set
Although this may seem as a banal gift idea; an elegant and well crafted pen set is usually well accepted and reciprocated and makes for an ideal New Year gift for your boss; be it male or female. You could even consider upgrading the pen and pencil set by getting it engraved by your Boss’s initials or perhaps his company name. Just exercise your imagination well; and then decide on how you want to have it engraved. A wide variety of pen sets are available in wood as well as metal. If you don’t have the time to go shopping to a physical novelty store; consider buying it online. That way; you are subjected to a wider variety of options and many online stores offer decent discounts during festive season.
Tickets to a show, Concert or Game
This gift sure sounds like fun. Gift two or more tickets to your boss for a concert, game/sport or perhaps a show or performance. It’s the best way to remind him that he too like everyone else needs to snap out of his busy schedule and enjoy a nice night out at his favorite venue. Before you buy that ticket for him, it is a good idea to find out about his favorite sport, music band or performer. After all, you do not want to put him/her through an endurance test! If you are still unsure; take the advice of your colleagues or associates.
Gift Certificates
With a gift certificate; you not only get the flexibility with your budget but also on the type of gift. You could pick a gift certificate for his favorite restaurant or store; depending upon his preference and your budget. Gift certificates could range any where between $20 to $100 or perhaps more. Gift certificates are also available for online shopping and this way your boss has an option to pick an item that best suits his/her requirement. Remember; with a gift certificate you could never go wrong especially if you are unsure of your boss’s likes and dislikes.
Treat your Boss to a Lunch at his favorite Restaurant
Let your Boss indulge in some epicurean delights. Find out about his favorite cuisine and restaurants in town and make sure you book a special table in advance as festive time is usually chock-a-block. This way; you also get to spend quality time with him and talk shop while treating him/her to his favorite cuisine.
You can never go wrong with a Bottle of Wine
Well, consider this option only if your boss is not a complete abstainer. However, the bottle will definitely be popped open on New Year’s Eve and make it a perfect New Year’s gift for your boss. Choose between expensive or inexpensive and red or white wine depending on your budget and your boss’s preferences.
Golf Gifts
Find out if your boss is an avid golfer or even a beginner golfer. There are various golfing gifts available online to choose from that would fit your budget as well.
A Desk Calendar/Planner
A desk calendar or planner would not only fit within your budget; but also proves to be an ideal New Year gift for your “busy as always” boss. If your budget allows you to be a bit flexible; you could even think of gifting a set of matching desk calendar and planner. This way, your boss would have easy access to his appointment schedules and each time he/she picks up that planner; he’s going to be reminded of your thoughtful gesture; no matter where he is. Pick a calendar or planner that goes well with your boss’s personality and taste.
Gift Baskets
With a gift-basket; you have the advantage of picking a custom-made gift basket; which can perfectly fit within your budget and gives you the flexibility of choosing individual items for the basket. If you are facing a paucity of time or if your budget allows; you can even opt for a pre-made gift basket. Choose from stationary items to luxury chocolates to expensive pen sets, cuff links or perhaps some mini electronic gizmo. Stuff that basket with gifts that you think will complement your boss’s personality and can be put to good use.
A Pen and Pencil Set
Although this may seem as a banal gift idea; an elegant and well crafted pen set is usually well accepted and reciprocated and makes for an ideal New Year gift for your boss; be it male or female. You could even consider upgrading the pen and pencil set by getting it engraved by your Boss’s initials or perhaps his company name. Just exercise your imagination well; and then decide on how you want to have it engraved. A wide variety of pen sets are available in wood as well as metal. If you don’t have the time to go shopping to a physical novelty store; consider buying it online. That way; you are subjected to a wider variety of options and many online stores offer decent discounts during festive season.
Tickets to a show, Concert or Game
This gift sure sounds like fun. Gift two or more tickets to your boss for a concert, game/sport or perhaps a show or performance. It’s the best way to remind him that he too like everyone else needs to snap out of his busy schedule and enjoy a nice night out at his favorite venue. Before you buy that ticket for him, it is a good idea to find out about his favorite sport, music band or performer. After all, you do not want to put him/her through an endurance test! If you are still unsure; take the advice of your colleagues or associates.
Gift Certificates
With a gift certificate; you not only get the flexibility with your budget but also on the type of gift. You could pick a gift certificate for his favorite restaurant or store; depending upon his preference and your budget. Gift certificates could range any where between $20 to $100 or perhaps more. Gift certificates are also available for online shopping and this way your boss has an option to pick an item that best suits his/her requirement. Remember; with a gift certificate you could never go wrong especially if you are unsure of your boss’s likes and dislikes.
Treat your Boss to a Lunch at his favorite Restaurant
Let your Boss indulge in some epicurean delights. Find out about his favorite cuisine and restaurants in town and make sure you book a special table in advance as festive time is usually chock-a-block. This way; you also get to spend quality time with him and talk shop while treating him/her to his favorite cuisine.
You can never go wrong with a Bottle of Wine
Well, consider this option only if your boss is not a complete abstainer. However, the bottle will definitely be popped open on New Year’s Eve and make it a perfect New Year’s gift for your boss. Choose between expensive or inexpensive and red or white wine depending on your budget and your boss’s preferences.
Golf Gifts
Find out if your boss is an avid golfer or even a beginner golfer. There are various golfing gifts available online to choose from that would fit your budget as well.
Friday, March 19, 2010
3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
Looking to buy a new computer?
Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you?
Stressed by the high cost of computers today?
For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.
Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:
1) Shop around for best deal.
Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don’t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around. Ask lots of questions, compare prices, compare features, then find the best price. Shop at your local electronics store, and look for the best deals online. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by shopping around!
2) Install your own “extras”
Many computers you will find in a store have a lot of extra software already installed. While this is convenient, it is not always the best way for you to save money. Also, while many of these extras sound good, you don’t always need them. You can often find better deals by shopping around separately for your own software extras (such as a word processor, anti-virus, popup blocker, spyware removal, games, etc). And some of these you can get for free. So before you buy the “fully loaded” computer, ask yourself if you really need all the extras, then shop around to see if you can buy a scaled down computer - and get the extras yourself for much less!
3) Don’t buy extended warranty
If you are not a computer “techie”, the extended warranties offered by the computer retailers often sound like a good idea. After all, who wants to be bothered paying for service on a computer after you buy it. But keep in mind that most computers come with a warranty, and most computer problems will either happen at the beginning (when you still have the warranty in effect) or much later (when it might be cheaper to buy a new computer). Technology changes very quickly these days. So consider whether or not it’s worth the inflated price of the extended warranty. And, if you really feel you need the extended warranty, then ask to purchase it at a lower price. Not all retailers will negotiate on the warranty, but some will. And whether you buy the extended warranty or not, make sure you back up all your files periodically, just in case!
If you have an unlimited budget, consider yourself lucky. And if you do business on the computer, make sure you get what you need, while trying to keep the price down. At any price, buying something that does not fit your needs is not a good deal.
Hope you find these tips helpful, and happy computer shopping!
Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you?
Stressed by the high cost of computers today?
For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.
Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:
1) Shop around for best deal.
Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don’t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around. Ask lots of questions, compare prices, compare features, then find the best price. Shop at your local electronics store, and look for the best deals online. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by shopping around!
2) Install your own “extras”
Many computers you will find in a store have a lot of extra software already installed. While this is convenient, it is not always the best way for you to save money. Also, while many of these extras sound good, you don’t always need them. You can often find better deals by shopping around separately for your own software extras (such as a word processor, anti-virus, popup blocker, spyware removal, games, etc). And some of these you can get for free. So before you buy the “fully loaded” computer, ask yourself if you really need all the extras, then shop around to see if you can buy a scaled down computer - and get the extras yourself for much less!
3) Don’t buy extended warranty
If you are not a computer “techie”, the extended warranties offered by the computer retailers often sound like a good idea. After all, who wants to be bothered paying for service on a computer after you buy it. But keep in mind that most computers come with a warranty, and most computer problems will either happen at the beginning (when you still have the warranty in effect) or much later (when it might be cheaper to buy a new computer). Technology changes very quickly these days. So consider whether or not it’s worth the inflated price of the extended warranty. And, if you really feel you need the extended warranty, then ask to purchase it at a lower price. Not all retailers will negotiate on the warranty, but some will. And whether you buy the extended warranty or not, make sure you back up all your files periodically, just in case!
If you have an unlimited budget, consider yourself lucky. And if you do business on the computer, make sure you get what you need, while trying to keep the price down. At any price, buying something that does not fit your needs is not a good deal.
Hope you find these tips helpful, and happy computer shopping!
$3 Million in 6 Months With Adsense!
Source: www.hazstore.info (( articles.hazstore.info ))
The Power Play Interviews: Markus Frind- $3 Million in 6 Months
This is the first in a series of Internet Success Stories that you will begin to see on the Power Play Blog. Hope you enjoy them!
Markus Frind, the creator of Plentyoffish.com is a success story worth noting, as he has managed to take a niche formerly ruled by giant corporations and give it his own brand of marketing savvy. A case of David vs. Goliath, where the little guy comes out on top in the end. Markus is the top "individual" adsense publisher in terms of pageviews. Lets find out what some of his secrets are as he shares some advice with our readers. Feel free to comment!
Markus, what is your experience in computer programming and how did it prepare you for becoming a webmaster?
The average pageviews a day is around 14 million for the last week. I'm getting another 80 million pageviews a day from users polling the site to see if they have new messages. Really intensive bandwidth wise!
When I go to your website, I notice that the ads are targeted to my region, yet I have not even registered- can you explain to our readers how you accomplish this feat?
I'm just using ip2location.com- Basically i take your IP, look it up in the database and it tells me what your city is. I then bring up a list of users in your city, nothing magical about it at all.
Are most of your visitors coming primarily from search engines (SERPS), or are you finding that they come from other avenues? Do you actively advertise in the media?
Search engines account for something like 2% of my traffic. The vast majority of my traffic, like any other site with over 5 million pageviews a day comes from word of mouth, and repeat visitors.
The services on your site seem to be offered at no cost to the registrants. Is there some advantage you have over your competitors that allows you to do this?
I've developed new algorithms that allow me to create a mega site for next to no cost. Several years ago I created algorithm that was thousands of times faster then the algorithm used in the 1990's to find a string of 22 prime numbers. At the time a professor used several super computers and hundreds of regular computers over the course of several years to find a record. I did the same thing on 1 computer in 2 weeks.
Fascinating! Are there any other sites you currently maintain, or is plentyoffish.com the only one?
Its the only site at the moment. I've got a few other sites I registered for friends so they could learn to do marketing/affiliate stuff. At this point i think 1 site is enough.
Any tips for those looking to create a profitable endeavor on the internet?
IF someone else thinks what you are doing is a cool idea I'd say it isn't... Find something no one else thinks is important and build up a site with big traffic in that area. Also keep in mind, sites that have low monetization today but have traffic may be the gold mines of tomorrow. In the internet world anything and everything will be monetized at some point and traffic is king.
Traffic is King- very wise advice, Markus. One last question- How do you find the time to maintain such a large commodity on the internet? Surely you must have some other interests in life besides programming and website monitoring?
It only takes a hour a day on average, but its very tiring work. I spend the other couple of hours reading and seeing what is going on.
The Power Play Interviews: Markus Frind- $3 Million in 6 Months
This is the first in a series of Internet Success Stories that you will begin to see on the Power Play Blog. Hope you enjoy them!
Markus Frind, the creator of Plentyoffish.com is a success story worth noting, as he has managed to take a niche formerly ruled by giant corporations and give it his own brand of marketing savvy. A case of David vs. Goliath, where the little guy comes out on top in the end. Markus is the top "individual" adsense publisher in terms of pageviews. Lets find out what some of his secrets are as he shares some advice with our readers. Feel free to comment!
Markus, what is your experience in computer programming and how did it prepare you for becoming a webmaster?
The average pageviews a day is around 14 million for the last week. I'm getting another 80 million pageviews a day from users polling the site to see if they have new messages. Really intensive bandwidth wise!
When I go to your website, I notice that the ads are targeted to my region, yet I have not even registered- can you explain to our readers how you accomplish this feat?
I'm just using ip2location.com- Basically i take your IP, look it up in the database and it tells me what your city is. I then bring up a list of users in your city, nothing magical about it at all.
Are most of your visitors coming primarily from search engines (SERPS), or are you finding that they come from other avenues? Do you actively advertise in the media?
Search engines account for something like 2% of my traffic. The vast majority of my traffic, like any other site with over 5 million pageviews a day comes from word of mouth, and repeat visitors.
The services on your site seem to be offered at no cost to the registrants. Is there some advantage you have over your competitors that allows you to do this?
I've developed new algorithms that allow me to create a mega site for next to no cost. Several years ago I created algorithm that was thousands of times faster then the algorithm used in the 1990's to find a string of 22 prime numbers. At the time a professor used several super computers and hundreds of regular computers over the course of several years to find a record. I did the same thing on 1 computer in 2 weeks.
Fascinating! Are there any other sites you currently maintain, or is plentyoffish.com the only one?
Its the only site at the moment. I've got a few other sites I registered for friends so they could learn to do marketing/affiliate stuff. At this point i think 1 site is enough.
Any tips for those looking to create a profitable endeavor on the internet?
IF someone else thinks what you are doing is a cool idea I'd say it isn't... Find something no one else thinks is important and build up a site with big traffic in that area. Also keep in mind, sites that have low monetization today but have traffic may be the gold mines of tomorrow. In the internet world anything and everything will be monetized at some point and traffic is king.
Traffic is King- very wise advice, Markus. One last question- How do you find the time to maintain such a large commodity on the internet? Surely you must have some other interests in life besides programming and website monitoring?
It only takes a hour a day on average, but its very tiring work. I spend the other couple of hours reading and seeing what is going on.
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