New Domain Suffixes: If You Build It, They Will Dot.Com
by Kimberley Jace
Where do new domain suffixes come from? Why are there so few domain suffixes (also called domain extensions) � and why does my grandmother, who just wants to post pictures from her vacation, have to call herself a �dot.com?�
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the internet�s chief oversight agency and the group that gets to decide upon �top-level domain� suffixes, has approved a few new domain suffixes � but only �dot.info� and �dot.biz� have been widely available for private use.
If you�re a school, you can register a web site with the domain extension �dot.edu� (which stands, of course, for �education.�) If you�re an organization and you want people to know you are not a commercial operation, you might prefer �dot.org.�
Then there�s the mysterious domain suffix �dot.net,� used by both businesses and organizations who found their preferred �dot.com� name had already been taken another business or organization. There are more than 20 million domains registered using the �dot.com� suffix, and there can only be one �something.com.� The first one to purchase that domain name gets to use it. Therein lies the problem.
New domain suffixes and you
Sooner or later, everybody in the civilized world will need a little piece of cyberspace to call their own. Your web presence will be the way you interface with the world, the place you collect your mail (Oh, are you doing that already?), get your phone calls and promote your interests. It will be where people find you.
But what will you call it? Can your own name be a domain name? That depends. You might find miroslavwoscjewiecz.com is still available, but if you�re John Smith, no such luck. (And if your surname is Google, you�ve got real problems.) You can try registering a �dot.name� domain name, although all the more common surnames have been gobbled up.
One international company has started selling �.ws� web sites; the �ws� stands for (you guessed it!) �web site.� It once stood for the tiny island nation of West Samoa, which graciously agreed to make it available to the world because that country�s 200,000 inhabitants don�t use computers as much as we do here in the U.S.
The new domain suffixes of tomorrow
Oh, there will be other suffix-come-latelys some day. The ICANN approved �dot.xxx� for porn sites a couple of years ago. Of course, that won�t help my grandmother.
But the last time I checked, Granny.ws was still available.
About The Author
Research Tools for Pricing Research
Research Tools for Pricing Research
by James Marriot
Price marketing research involves finding a competitive price for your product. It involves deep analysis of the competition prevailing in the market and then taking a decision accordingly.
Market research companies help you in deciding an optimum price for your product, keeping in mind your product and its features. For this, market research firms use qualitative and quantitative research tools.
The pricing done by market research companies is done after keeping in mind consumer sensitivity towards pricing. Price sensitivity depends upon the nature of the market, target consumers, value of the company�s brand and the differential level of your company�s product and services.
Market research companies advise the client company on answering the brand-positioning question, while deciding upon the overall price features of your product or brand. Market research companies help you address the brand positioning-related questions and also make you aware of your current market standing.
In various stages of pricing research, market research companies help you by conducting market segmentation research and positioning research, which includes aspects like price sensitivity and concept analysis.
Qualitative research methods are employed to provide a base for the quantitative research for deciding on the competitive prices of the product. This task is carried out by defining the problem, assuming a hypothesis and identifying the determinants. Pricing research can be carried out by conducting personal interviews, which will help you get a personal opinion on what people feel, value and believe. It also helps in discovering the hidden issues. It is seen that it is the market research firm that decide the sample size in order to get an accurate market research data.
Market research companies help you in answering your specific problems related to the pricing of your product or service. They also make you aware of the benefits of carrying out pricing research, and advise you on how to tap the opportunities and maximize your success chances in market.
Global firms have analyzed the profits of investing in India and are therefore looking forward towards investing in the various sectors in India. This has led to increased competitive pricing in the country. This has also contributed in the boom in knowledge outprocessing companies in various parts of India. Market research companies prepare market research reports on the basis of research carried out by them.
To avail more information on market research in India and its future market growth log on to the website: http://www.rncos.com.
RNCOS E-Services Pvt. Ltd. is an industry leader in the field of online business research. We specialize in industry research on various business verticals. To read our market research reports, visit us at our website: - http://www.rncos.com or email us at info@rncos.com.
About The Author
RNCOS E-Services Pvt. Ltd. offers complete e-publishing solutions for your business. We provide personalized world-class content development and management solutions that are qualitative and result-oriented.
Best Use of Flow Diagrams At Work
Best Use of Flow Diagrams At Work
by Clyde Hart
Flow diagrams are not new to most of us. In one or the other way, we have used them in our daily lives. Flow diagram is not only a term it refers to the diagrams of various types and designs. It is a broader concept that is used to depict the flow of process or data in the system. All these are used to represent the processes in a sequential manner. Flow diagrams first present a process in a graphical manner that is then described in detail and analyzed for its performance. If any errors or bugs are found is then rectified and the best alternative system is chosen for the process.
Flow diagram consists of set of boxes and symbols used to represent the flow of information or data or sequence of components in a process that is to be followed. Various decision boxes are also used to represent the runtime solutions for various decisions. All the boxes are followed in sequence, that is, one after the other. All the components are linked and related to each other. In other words, we can say that all the components in a flow diagram are interrelated to each other. Flow diagrams are very useful as it helps to understand the concept of the process and the way the system would function in a clear and concise manner.
Flow diagram refers to the state diagram, process flow diagram, data flow diagram and flowchart. It includes all the diagrams of state of the process, the way the process flows in the system, data flow within the process and the basic flowchart. That makes flow diagram a concept that covers all the aspects of process, data and state of any system. All the parts of Flow diagram have different uses and importance. State diagram represents the state of the process in a given situation or condition. The process flow diagram depicts the process flow in a system. Similarly, the data flow diagram shows the way the data would flow in the system, where it would be modified, files required or manipulated etc. is shown here. At last, flowchart is a pictorial representation of the components of the process and their relationship.
Flow diagrams are used in software companies while developing computer projects, business or industries while implementing any process (such as sales, manufacturing, purchase etc.), accounting firms as accounting flowchart etc. to increase the understandability of the process. Technical drawings are also created using flow diagrams in various manufacturing fields.
About The Author
If you have been looking for solutions to your http://www.flowchartapps.com Flow Diagram Software problems be sure to join Clyde Hart while he dissects the use of software, applications and sheets.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Crescent Rolls
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Crescent Rolls
by LeAnn R. Ralph
To find a good book to read or for more free recipes, visit http://ruralroute2.com
If you would like to serve fresh homemade crescent rolls for a special dinner or family get-together, this recipe takes only 2 hours from start to finish.
~ 2 packages of dry yeast (or 4 teaspoons bulk yeast)
~ 1 cup warm water
~ 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice added)
~ 1/2 cup sour cream (use light sour cream, if you like)
~ 1 stick butter (or margarine) softened (if you want a lighter version of dinner rolls, use a half stick)
~ 1/3 cup sugar
~ 1 teaspoon salt
~ 6-7 cups flour
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add buttermilk, sour cream, butter (or margarine), sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour. Use an electric mixer or a wire wisk and blend for several minutes. Add the remaining flour. Knead for several minutes. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
To make the crescent rolls: divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle (mine usually ends up being more of rectangle than a circle, but it works, so who cares?).
Spread soft butter onto the circle of dough. Cut the circle in half. Cut each half into quarters. Then cut each quarter into three pieces (as if you are cutting a pie).
Roll up each piece of dough, beginning with the wide end. Place on a greased cookie sheet with the "point" underneath. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes before baking.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove from the cookie sheet.
This recipe makes 2 dozen crescent rolls. Total time (including time to bake) is about 2 hours.
© 2007 LeAnn R. Ralph
About The Author
Books about life in the country 40 years ago -- http://ruralroute2.com
The Newest Work Hazard For Computer Users: CVS
The Newest Work Hazard For Computer Users: CVS
by Amy Thomas
Millions of Americans go to work every day to sit at a computer for 8 or more hours, seven days a week. While office work is hardly considered to be a "dangerous" job, several years ago, doctors began to notice that certain afflictions are becoming increasingly common among those who use computers all day long.
First, the medical community became aware of CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), a painful and sometimes debilitating inflammation in the wrist, arms, and hands. In response to the increased number of office workers being diagnosed with CTS, computer furniture manufacturers began to develop ergonomically correct keyboards and keyboard trays, as well as computer chairs that offer more comfortable seating for computer use. Now, many employers provide ergonomically correct workstations for their office staff and CTS is on the decline.
Unfortunately, a new hazard has now taken the place of CTS. It's called CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome), and is caused by prolonged visual exposure to a computer screen. CVS has, in the past two years, become the number one health complaint of office employees.
Like CTS, Computer Vision Syndrome is also preventable. There are a few things you can do to reduce the sensitivity and eye strain associated with computer work. According to optometrist Dr. Larry K. Wan, there are five key ways to reduce the effects of CVS.
Dr. Wan suggests getting regular eye exams, which means (according to NIOSH�the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) once a year. While many contact-lens wearers are required to get eye exams each year to renew their lens prescription, it's important for those who don't wear contacts as well. Tracking the health of your eyes will allow your optometrist to identify whether or not you're experiencing a deterioration of vision due to CVS.
Dr. Wan also contends that proper lighting is important, citing that eyestrain can be caused by excessive lighting either coming in through a window, or from interior lighting itself. Dim your lights when using a computer.
Glare is another factor that Dr. Wan claims can cause CVS. In addition to adding an anti-reflective coating to your eyeglasses, glare can be prevented by anti-glare screens attached to your monitor, or by using an LCD monitor arm. LCD monitor arms actually allow you to tilt or slide your monitor at the touch of a finger, eliminating strain as the light in the room changes. We found affordable, high-quality LCD monitors online at Versa Products, Inc.
Adjusting the brightness of your computer screen can also help. Optimize for comfort which may mean either reducing or increasing the brightness. Find one that feels comfortable to your eyes.
Interestingly, Dr. Wan also tells his patients to blink more often. When staring at a computer screen, we tend to blink less than we normally do�a process which keeps the eyes lubricated and comfortable. Make a point of blinking more often and every half hour, blink about ten times in a row, slowly. This will help reduce the effects of CVS as well.
About The Author
VersaTables specializes in http://www.versatables.com/ computer lab furniture and other office furniture at the lowest prices possible. Visit our website today and save thousands on your computer furniture and lab tables. VersaTables.com
Organic Wine: Reprieve for the Allergic
Organic Wine: Reprieve for the Allergic
by Jennifer Marie Jordan
When I was a kid, I developed an allergy to peanut butter, something I loved to eat by the spoonful. While others ate it, mixing clumps with strawberry jam and putting it between two slices of bread, I stood by drooling; then, with a sense of defeat, I went to stick my head in my Easy Bake Oven. To me, there was nothing worse than being five years old and having a peanut allergy; it�s the equivalent to having a wine allergy when you�re over 21.
Lucky for me, I�m not allergic to wine. I�ve self-tested with hundreds of bottles and I can confidently declare that I would definitely know by now. Definitely.. But, many others aren�t that lucky; some people have wine allergies, an allergy that hinders their ability to savor one of life�s greatest pleasures.. This allergy leaves people with an empty wine glass, an empty wine cellar, and a unyielding impulse to look up to the sky and scream, �Make me allergic to diary, make me allergic to cats, make me allergic to my siblings, but please don�t take away my Cabernet.�
While no one wants a wine allergy, those who have one are forced to take it seriously. This is particularly true if they are allergic to sulfites, compounds often used as a means to preserve wine by helping it to avoid oxidation and spoilage. Unfortunately for those with allergies, sulfites are added to a vast majority of wines. Because of this, checking the label doesn�t just become a matter of hoping to find the best tasting wine, it also become a matter between being well and being ill.
When someone who is allergic to sulfites drinks wine containing this compound, they run the risk of experiencing an allergic reaction - an allergic reaction to wine makes a wine hang over look like a walk in the park. Some people may experience sneezing, or hives, while others may have difficulty breathing and need emergency medical attention. Sulfites can also cause anaphylaxis, the most severe of allergic reactions.. During this kind of reaction, a person�s blood pressure dangerously drops and their bronchial tubes narrow, making it increasingly harder for them to breathe.. If left untreated, this can lead to death in a matter of minutes. For these reasons, many people with sulfite allergies avoid wine altogether: not even the greatest wine in the world is worth compromising health.
However, luckily for those affected by sulfites, organic wine has come to the rescue, wearing a red cape and giving those allergic to regular wine a second chance.
Organic wine doesn�t necessarily mean �sulfite free,� a tidbit of information extremely important to those sensitive to even the most minute levels of sulfites. In fact, wines are rarely sulfite-free; sulfites occur naturally in wine. However, conventional wines go above and beyond the naturally occurring sulfites, adding many more sulfites to their finished product. Organic wine, on the other hand, tend to believe that the naturally occurring sulfites are enough - they don�t want to compound the situation.
The true definition of organic wine depends on where the wine is produced. For wines produced in America, the National Organic Program, the federal agency overseeing the production of organic food, has mandated that any wine claiming to be �organic� must not contain any added sulfites. Wines merely claiming to be made with �organic grapes,� however, aren�t subject to these regulation.. Along these lines, wines that are produced outside the US are governed under their own regulations: these wines generally have added sulfites, but the amount is roughly a third of the amount found in conventional wine. Thus, for those with sulfite allergies, it�s important to read the label very carefully.
Drinking organic wine isn�t just limited to those with sulfite allergies - it�s not a secret club people are allowed into by submitting their medical records.. Many people simply find organic wines better tasting, healthier, and good for the environment.
Organic wine is composed of grapes that are grown in an organic vineyard with organic farming techniques. Essentially, this means that the grapes were grown in a manner void of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides and full of natural fertilizers.. These vineyards also contain cover crops between their vines and work to attract beneficial insects, insects that will feed on harmful pests. Though no scientific provides credence, there is strong speculation that drinking organic wine instead of conventional wine decreases the chance of a hang over. This has led many people down an organic path, a path paved with the healthiest of soil.
Though not widely available, organic wine has recently begun to gain in popularity. Sommeliers are finally beginning to get the hint as bottles of organic Pinot Noir approach, tapping their fingers and impatiently saying, �Ahem.� Still, organic wine remains harder to find than conventional wine - many restaurants do not serve it and some liquor stores have either no collection or one that is minimal.. But, rest assured, there are places to find it, and soon they�ll be more..
Online is a great place to start, booming with shops that will ship organic wine to your house. Organic food stores - such as Whole Foods - have also jumped on the organic band wagon, obviously needing a ride from drinking too much. Along these lines, there are certain liquor stores that do carry a large selection of Organic wines.. To find one in your area, try calling around, doing an Internet search, or going to http://www.wine-searcher.com.
It might take a little research, but you�ll be rewarded once you are cradling that bottle of organic wine in your hands with a straw in your mouth. Then, it will all be worth it�naturally.
About The Author
Characteristics of an Internet Child Predator
Characteristics of an Internet Child Predator
by Wendy McLellan
Millions of children and teens are on the Internet everyday. They surf web pages, get their email and chat with their friends. Most parents believe this is harmless, except that our kids are being targeted everyday by predators on the Internet.
Let's explore some of the characteristics of a child predator. The average child predator is male and over the age of 25. He could be considered "the guy down the street who kept to himself". The loner type, very few friends and typically not married. A child predator most often has limited social skills, but a propensity to engage in conversation with an adolescent or child. This individual will tend to become shy with adults of his own age. He tends to seek out jobs that allow him to work around children, such as a baseball or basketball coach, Boy Scout leader, janitor or teacher at the school.
Child predators usually see nothing wrong with their behavior. Child predators come from all walks of life, some are rich, some are poor, some are educated and some are not. They usually have a sexually abusive or violent background histories. Child predators will "target" numerous children at one time. Their words are cunning and they take their time to "groom" their victims. "Grooming" is done by showering their victims with gifts, signs of affection and anything else they can, in order to build trust and a relationship with potential victims. Once trust is built, blackmail and guilt are sometimes used to get the child to succumb to their demands.
The Child Internet predator will utilize any or all of these techniques online. They will often times mask their age and state that they are around the same age as your child. They will stalk the Internet sites that most children and teens regularly visit. Hiding behind their computer screen, waiting patiently and then attacking their prey, our children.
How can you tell if your child is at risk? Your child may turn off the computer suddenly when you enter the room. Your child may be receiving gifts from others that you do not know. They may become more secretive about what they are doing online and usually spend more than an hour a day on the Internet. You may see long distance phone numbers that you do not recognize or they may receive phone calls from people that you are not familiar with. These are all signs that your child may be at risk.
As a parent, what can you do? One of the best ways to keep your child safe online is to create open dialogue with your child and to set clear rules regarding computer and Internet usage. You will also need to understand what your child is doing online. Learning more about how your child uses the Internet and whom they talk to in emails and instant message chat rooms can do this. You may also consider utilizing Internet monitoring tools to keep tabs on your child's activity.
About The Author
Steakhouse Manhattan serves food for the true gourmet
Steakhouse Manhattan serves food for the true gourmet
by Neil Folley
A gourmet�s dream would be to find himself in a quality restaurant where everyday is like an ongoing celebration of exceptional food and wine. And if that person happens to be fond of steak then there is nothing that can compare to a steakhouse Manhattan which is home to the finest quality of aged prime steak. A steakhouse which is also known as a chophouse serves not only the premium quality beef steak cooked to suit your taste but also many other kind of meat according to the preference of the patron. A steakhouse Manhattan is the place where you can indulge in steaks, seafood, ribs, chops, salads and more which have been prepared only with the finest quality ingredients and served in an ambience that compliments the food. Although a steakhouse Manhattan will be usually frequented by a confirmed steak lover but a person can also enjoy other kinds of meat like a hamburger, lamb, pork, game, chicken, barbeque, seafood and even pasta.
Steakhouse Manhattan serves steaks that are grilled, broiled or maybe even pan-fried. Although steaks are usually prepared of beef but they may also be made out of red meat or fish depending on the preference of the patron. Also since steaks are prepared on dry heat so the tenderest parts of the animal is used to prepare a steak in any steakhouse Manhattan. This in turn causes the steaks to be sold at a premium and hence a person who frequents a steakhouse Manhattan is also perceived to be holding a good status in society. Also a steakhouse will usually serve the main course with side dishes according to the choice of the diner. A side dish could be rice, pasta, beans or potatoes. Usually a small serving of cooked vegetable also accompanies the main dish and the side dish. The vegetables that are usually preferred are spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings. At times only a green salad may be served with the steak.
A Steakhouse Manhattan also serves popular accompaniments such as prawns or lobster tails with the delicious steaks. The patron also has a choice of alcohol based drinks to add to his eating experience with family, friends or colleagues at any steakhouse Manhattan. The soothing and pleasant ambience only enhances the experience of enjoying your favorite steak at such a steakhouse. The staff is both friendly and helpful and is always willing to guide you with your choice of dishes in case you are experimenting with any particular dish at a steakhouse in Manhattan. Several other kind of food is also called steak without actually being one such as a Swiss steak or a Hamburger (Salisbury) steak. However a true steak lover has many varieties and options of actual steaks to chose from which are as varied as high priced Sirloin steak to a Skirt steak. So if you are a true gourmet and prefer to have your steak rare, medium or well done a steakhouse Manhattan should be your destination of choice.
About The Author
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
What Is CLASSID?
What Is CLASSID?
by Arvind Singh
ActiveX controls are reusable software components that are used to add special functions to web sites or desktop applications. Browsers use the 'CLASSID' of the ActiveX Control on a web page to determine if the control already exists on the system. If they do not they are automatically downloaded from the website.
Before you go ahead and download a registry cleaner understand why it is necessary. As a web page loads on your system, you may be prompted to install several ActiveX components before the page can be fully downloaded. This is so that the browser can interpret the ActiveX components and display them properly on the system. This only would only occur if the controls used in the web page were not already on the system. If you decline permission for the installation, the page will not function properly. However, once these ActiveX controls are on your system, you won't have to download them again, even when you come across them on other web sites. These download clutter up the registry over time and need to be removed with the help of some registry shareware cleaner.
Other ID Tags
So how can the web page determine that the required ActiveX controls are not installed on the system or not? The browser does this by referring to the 'CLASSID' in the 'OBJECT' tag of the web page. To cut a long explanation short, an ActiveX control is added to a web page using the and container tags. The 'CLASSID' is unique to each ActiveX component
About The Author
To know about the Registry Cleaner visit at: http://www.pcmantra.com/registry-cleaner.htm
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Choosing the right Tailgating Grill
Choosing the right Tailgating Grill
by Bryan Kipke
If you are planning a tailgate party you need a few things, good people, good drinks, and a good grill. There are a few things that you need to consider before choosing a grill for your next tailgate party.
Camp Stoves:
Camp Stoves are a great addition to Tailgaters due to its ability to do many different things. First off Camp Stoves are not grills. It is just a way to have an open flame that is regulated and controlled. Camp Stoves are not meant to grill burgers and hotdogs by themselves. There are some accessories that must be bought before this can happen. If you are looking for a grill to make hamburgers, hotdogs, or anything else that can be grilled directly on the grill check out our Table Top Grills, or Portable Grills.
Camp Stoves are meant to be used at if it were an outdoor kitchen stove. You can use pots and pans, skittles, dutch ovens, or anything else that you usually use on a regular stove. Of course you can purchase grill attachments for direct grilling. Camp Stoves can make a simple hamburger and hotdog tailgate into a gourmet tailgate with stews, chili, boiled shrimp, or lobster (yes lobster check out Gillette stadium tailgaters), and anything else you can cook up, imagine, and feast upon.
Table Top Grills:
Tabletop grills are great for a quick set up with a picnic table, setting on the ground, or tailgate. These are small and portable which makes them very diverse and useable. Some are designed more for grilling, some more for using with pots and pans. Either way these are great for setting up quickly, getting the food cooked, cooling off quickly and stowing, so that you can get into your event quickly. They are also for those who are looking for the least amount of cleanup, and work to be done.
Portable Grills:
Portable grills are for the serious tailgater. Portable grills offer a wide range of uses, from skillet cooking to grilling burgers, and hot dogs, to dutch oven use; to anything that can be fried, cooked, grilled, and ate. Portable grills are easy to set up, and easy to take down. Pull the grill out of the trunk or back of the truck, set up quickly, get your food, and get going. Have fun, eat well, and be happy.
Backpack Grills:
Backpack grills are our most highly portable grills we have found. Most are simply single burner stoves meant to head up a pot, pan or skillet. These are great little grills for a quick small tailgate party, or to just pull over on the side of the road on a long trip and have an impromptu tailgate lunch party. You never know when a tailgating mood will hit, and these ultra portable grills will let you tailgate in any spot.
So what we have found is that you have to first decide what kind of party you are going to have. Then you will be able to quickly and easily decide what kind of grill is best for you.
Have fun, Cook Well, and Tailgate the right way
Staff
TailgatingDoneRight.com
http://www.tailgatingdoneright.com
About The Author
TailgatingDoneRight.com was created with the mission of providing consumers one place where they can get many of their tailgating, picnicking, and portable eating equipment. Customers can come here to compare different portable cooking, and cooling products so that they can be certain that they are getting the best value in the industry today. With TailgatingDoneRight.com all of the products include a 30 Day Guarantee. If you are not happy with any of the products purchased from this site please contact us at customerservice@tailgatingdoneright.com and we will arrange for it to be returned for a full refund.
Based in Nashville, TN we are centrally located around some of the greatest tailgating in the nation including World Class Concerts, SEC football, and NASCAR to name a few. It has been our experience that good tailgating equipment has always been hard to come by. With TailgatingDoneRight.com we just want to serve those who enjoy the great outdoors, and great entertainment.
Blizzard Cracks Down On World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers
Blizzard Cracks Down On World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers
by Emma Martin
Only a few days after Ebay kicked all of the sellers auctioning virtual goods, including World of Warcraft gold, off their auction site, Blizzard decided they needed to take some action as well to stem the flow of real money trading for virtual goods.
This comes upon the heels of Blizzard's wide-scale actions last year when they banned close to 60,000 World of Warcraft accounts for terms of service violations. This year it is going to be the gold farmers who are on the run. Blizzard recently announced in their forums that they have "filed a federal lawsuit against the operators of Peons4hire, a popular gold-selling organization. As part of the lawsuit, the operators of Peons4hire have been asked to immediately cease all in-game spamming efforts by all entities and websites under their control."
Since these gold farmers use bots to spam other users within the game, they are very disruptive to other Warcraft players, especially if you are trying to do some grinding or gold farming on your own. In addition, real money transfers for virtual goods is not in the spirit of WoW game-play as it gives players with more disposable income unfair advantages in the game.
Thankfully, since the release of Blizzard's spam filters, a lot of the worst spam has stopped, but it will take a lot more diligence on Blizzard's part to finally put the trade in real money for gold to bed. This first round of cease and desist orders, though, is a step in the right direction. Combined with Ebay's actions, this should go a long way to level the playing field for players who want to just enjoy the game without spending hundreds of dollars just to keep up with other players. It is definitely an excellent first move and it will be interesting to see how they follow-up.
About The Author
Avoiding PMI - Private Mortgage Insurance
Avoiding PMI - Private Mortgage Insurance
by Max Hunter
PMI - a recurring, monthly, unwelcome guest. It sounds similar to and is about as welcomed as a similar acronym. PMI is private mortgage insurance. This insurance policy is paid for by the homebuyer when the amount of their primary mortgage is greater than 80% of the value of the property.
You will note that the term "primary mortgage" was used. This is for a specific reason. It is not the total of all mortgages and home loans on the property that is evaluated, but rather the amount of the primary or largest mortgage on the property that can trigger PMI.
PMI is calculated by taking 0.5% of your primary loan balance and dividing it by 12 (12 monthly payments). For example, if your primary mortgage is $200,000 and you are required to pay PMI, your mortgage payments would be an additional $83.34 per month. For most homebuyers, this additional premium is a considerable financial burden to undertake.
There are ways around PMI for those homebuyers unable to put down 20% or more on their new home. Mortgage lenders have created loan packages which include two or more home loans that when combined exceed the 80% threshold, while no one of the loans exceed that threshold. Typically there is a primary mortgage and either one or two home equity loans taken out simultaneously which are 81% - 100% (or sometimes more) of the home value. This affords the homebuyer to put less than 20% down, or perhaps put nothing down at all while at the same time eliminating the need to pay PMI.
If you know you are going to be putting less than 20% down on the purchase of your home you should immediately speak to your home lender about avoiding PMI. A good home lender will inform you about these types of packages. Though the rules on these packages may differ from state to state, the vast majority of states allow for these types of loan packages.
When you review this type of package you will note that there will invariably be a different interest rate on the mortgage than there is on the home equity loan(s). The mortgage rate may have a slightly lower interest rate or perhaps even a considerably lower interest rate. You should be able to calculate what the monthly payments would be for the combined loans and then determine if it comes out less than a single mortgage with PMI. Obviously, a good lender is only going to present you the package if the payments are cheaper than a single loan with PMI.
You are able to refinance the loans at any point and combine them into one payment. You would only do this when the value of the home is more than 20% above of the amount you will mortgage. As the value of your home increases through home improvements or time, you can receive an appraisal and speak to your home loan professional to determine if refinancing the loans into one loan makes sense.
These types of loans are often referred to as 80-10-10 loans or 80-15 loans, among other names. An 80-10-10 loan is a mortgage at 80% of the amount to be financed and than two home equity loans at 10% each. You will likely find that all three loans will have a different interest rate with this type of package. 80-15 loans are similar but would be the main loan at 80% and a secondary loan at 15% with the buyer putting down the additional 5%.
It is important to note that when financing 90% - 100% of a home, or more, the appraisal will play a key role in the loan approval process. If the appraisal does not come out at a pre-determined amount, the lender may feel that the transaction is not a sound one. You may need to go back and renegotiate the purchase price of the home or run the risk of being denied the mortgage. Most real estate contracts, however, do have a clause in them that allows the buyer out of the contract if they are denied a mortgage. You will want to speak to the lawyers and real estate agent in advance if you are planning for applying for this type of loan. Some contingency clauses in contracts specify a maximum percentage of a loan you need to qualify for and if you are denied for a loan at a higher percentage you are not protected by this clause.
It is important for you to have all of this information in place before you start your home search. By knowing how your financing is going to be handled you will be able to make sure you are protected in the transaction and you will also be able to negotiate a better deal since your financing has been completed or is close to being completed. The key is knowing in advance what percentage of the value of the home you are able to and willing to put down on your new home.
About The Author
Monday, January 28, 2008
ERP Implementation: typical problems and how to avoid them
ERP Implementation: typical problems and how to avoid them
by Andrew Karasev
The fact, that midsize business ERP system implementation should be planned and thought through � what-ifs and rollbacks. This is not a recent management science discovery. Plus � it also known from the managerial theory that key people and the whole company team involvement is highly recommended, and even required. In this small article we will concentrate on the generic technology pitfalls as well as the coordination with several high-tech contractors and you internal IT team. We will assume that you are on Microsoft Windows platform and implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP Great Plains, however similar advises are applicable to Navision, Solomon, Axapta and Microsoft CRM implementation scenarios
� Computer network factor. When you implement ERP, you have to use your Windows Domain or Workgroup as a platform with multiple tunings and connectors to make your ERP hosted and implemented in this environment: shared network folders, network printers (preferred printers with their driver for specific GP documents printing), Reporting access and security (in the case of GP you restring access you your FRx sysdata, where reports are stored in metadata, for example)
� Contractors management. If you deploy different companies to build your IT network and implement ERP � both companies may be pretty confident in their core expertise, however if they do not work out shared vision of implementation � it may fail in the interoperability area. This is especially possible when IT contractor moves ERP system to new hardware (new more scalable server) without MRP consultants being involved. General advise � consider having one of your employees or insiders playing project management role to coordinate your contractors
� Documentation and Control. When you are small, you probably just have business owner or your trusted employee to keep in her/his mind the system and support it as needed. However, when you are in the midsize business category, when your IT department has several people, and you don�t have documentation and business processes MRP automation workflow � there is the risk of losing control, especially when you decide to change ERP consulting contractor, or if you have to replace your IT internal workforce. Specific GP case would be keeping Dexterity source code of your custom piece � DYNAMICS.DIC with your scripts
� Traditional ERP Implementation Wisdom. In this article we don�t repeat it in detail, however, we recognize its importance and encourage you to familiarize yourself with traditional ERP implementation success factors. It may orient you and prevent you from repeating common errors. If you need quick directions, in google enter �ERP Implementation� and read few articles on the top
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Can Adware Be Badware ?
Can Adware Be Badware ?
by Arvind Singh
Adware can so badly infect your system that that you have to end up reformatting the infected computer by literally wiping everything out and doing a fresh install. Use antispyware software or adware removal tool to remove the threatening adware.
Adware is major commercial business with lots of money in it. Sometimes you become so badly infected with malware adware that you have to end up reformatting the infected computer by literally wiping everything out and doing a fresh install.
Advertising is nothing new, and used responsibly and in the appropriate context, is useful and beneficial to the user. But in Internet advertising Adware is something we all have to be very careful about because of its dangerous activities once installed in our system, especially if we didn't consent to it. Any unauthorized program carries the risk of making our computers unstable. And if infected with adware, the system performs really slowly and crashes constantly.
Sometimes the system does not even boot up. On top of all this, when you try to clean up your badly adware infected system, you encounter serious problems. If there are too many adware items to remove your antispyware software or adware removal tool, your computer may not be able to handle the load. Moreover, after you remove the adware, it may have taken away the computer's ability to connect to the Internet.
Privacy And Security Risk
Adware acts like spyware, while threatening your privacy and security. It reports details about your browsing habits, every time you connect to the Internet, tracking what you type, what you search for and which advertisements interest you. When you surf the Web, a malware installation may very well alter your Internet Explorer security settings in such a way that it might show you treacherous sites as Trusted sites. You have the Trusted sites section so that you can be sure that these websites won't destroy your data or system. The problem about adware is that it adds deceitful sites to the trusted zone without our approval and knowledge.
If you use Windows XP and have Service Pack 2, you are supposed to be safe, but adware can be clever enough to exclude itself from list of popups to be blocked. It can even unblock itself from the Windows Firewall! Some adware use Trojan horses to conceal them so that antispyware software can't find them.
The concern with adware is even more severe when teenage kids are involved. They go to various sites to download lyrics and end up with a computer that becomes so infected with adware that it becomes a real challenge for an adware removal tool to tackle. Not only that, the adware keeps generating popups that are most unsuitable for the viewing of kids.
It is therefore, highly recommended that every computer must be installed with antispyware to ensure safety.
About The Author
To know about the Registry Cleaner visit at: http://www.pcmantra.com/registry-cleaner.htm
Know more about Registry Cleaner?
Read Articles at : http://www.pcmantra.com/RegistryCleanerResource.aspx
Sunday, January 27, 2008
DayCare Video
DayCare Video
by Richard Robinson
Finding adequate childcare has become increasingly difficult in the bay area. Population increase has made finding services such as childcare difficult. Three Silicon Valley businessmen faced with this problem came up with an innovative solution. Out of their frustrations with the usual time consuming methods of finding good day care for their own children, a new concept embodied in their company, DayCareVideo.com emerged.
Three South Bay professionals Richard, Scott and Howard came up with a unique answer to finding quality childcare. They experienced the time consuming process of looking for child care for their own children. They had looked for child care individually, going to many different homes and centers. Talking about their problems, they decided collectively there must be a better way. In the discussion of solutions, it was confirmed that the available technologies were not being efficiently used to eliminate the time consuming process of having to go from one childcare provider to another. They believed that it would be much more efficient if parents who were busy professionals could go to one location and view slides or videos of available childcare providers.
The team believed that if local childcare providers could be presented this way, parents could then have an opportunity to select those specific providers they felt could meet their requirements. This would give them an immense break of time and expense from having to phone, drive and interview providers all over the East, West and South Bay areas. Richard, Howard and Scott took their idea and have made it into a practical business. DayCareVideo.com offers an extensive and growing list of childcare providers on videotape. Subscribers to this service can make an appointment with them and have them come to your home or business and show you videos of the providers.
These videos show facilities locations, give information on programs and discuss the philosophy of the different services their Videos answer questions and makes referrals to those childcare providers that their clients are interested in.
This service has also proven itself very popular with employers. They can offer this service as part of their employee benefit package. Employers find that this is a very popular part of the packages for new employees who come from other cities and areas. Many employees coming to the area with their families use this service for its cost effectiveness. Established employees starting new families find it very useful for locating services. This benefit also helps the employer by reducing the amount of time employees are away from the work place finding childcare services. Lost man-hour's can seriously affect the efficiency of companies.
Using DayCareVideo.com's services can be one of the ways in which employers can reduce employee absenteeism. Contracting the services of DayCareVideo.com gives the employer a progressive image, one that enhances its stature, in an era where employees through their unions and other organizations like the National Organization for Women have emphasized employers to be more responsiveness to the childcare problem.
About The Author
The Power of Attraction
The Power of Attraction
by Matt Bacak
The power of attraction concept has become very popular in recent months. The power of attraction is a mindset that you can have things attracted to you if you take the right steps. For example, if you change your mindset from worry to confidence then you will attract the things you desire. Another example is to let your desire be known and send this information out into the universe. The universe will respond by sending the things you desire your way. Many people believe that this concept is extremely powerful.
Are you looking for ways to improve your business? What specifically do you desire? Do you want to make more contacts? Do you want to earn a higher income each month? Begin by writing down the things that you desire. For example, you might want to earn $10,000 per month. Then set a goal a little higher than this amount. For example, make your goal $15,000 per month. Believe that you can achieve this goal each month. Set your mind on a positive path.
In other words, look for the impulse that comes from within and act on it. You have planted a seed within yourself. Your job is to act on the signals from this seed. Those actions will set you in the direction of your dreams and intentions.
Here�s an example of the power of attraction at a conference. There are hundreds of people at the conference. They were instructed to get out 3 business cards. On the back of the first card, they were to write down something they wanted that someone on this planet can provide. They had to be specific.
For example, they are looking for a particular product or person. The power of attraction dictates that they can find somebody in the room that has what they are looking for or know someone who does. They repeated the process with the two other business cards as well. They have planted their order in the universe because these people wrote their desires down.
Here�s another example. One man wanted to talk to the famous business man Richard Branson. This man thought about it in the airport and suddenly a magazine article about Richard Branson appeared to him in the airport gift shop. The man now has a chance to contact the author of the magazine article so he can eventually meet Richard Bronson. This shows the power of attraction and networking. This also shows you that your desire can come to you in some surprising way.
Follow this exercise and get your desire out in the universe. They may just come true.
About The Author
For more information, visit Bacak's site at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or sign up for his Powerful Promoting Tips at http://www.promotingtips.com
How to Save on Home Heating Energy: Superb Saving Ideas
How to Save on Home Heating Energy: Superb Saving Ideas
by Sarah Miller
To say that you can save on your homes heating system and energy isn't an understatement. Reduced bills on your electricity, maximized heating system, and a whole lot of energy saving phenomenon are things you don't see everyday but desire to obtain.
Everybody longs to reduce his or her expenses on energy and heating system and save more money for the future. Besides, people don't work just to pay the utility bills alone. There are still many things that have to be considered when disbursing money.
The greatest reason for this dilemma is the on-going increase of the commodity prices as well as energy consumption charges. Everything seems to have high prices nowadays. It is best to trim down the other expenses in which you have control of, such as energy consumption.
One of the best examples that utilizes energy more are the home heating systems. Heaters are used by homes that are situated in cold countries.
However, heaters can eat up bigger portions in your electricity bill. In fact, statistical reports prove that heaters are one of the largest energy consumers in every home, that is, more than half of the consumption rate in a given year.
For this reason, it is imperative to think of ways to save on heating systems so as to save on energy consumption as well. As you save on these items, you get more value for your money.
But how? Things are, most of the time, easier said than done. So if you think that it is easy to maximize your heaters and save more on energy, think again.
To help you, here is a list of some energy saving tips that will help you cut back on your heaters energy consumption.
1. Use solar energy
Natural is always the best. To save more on energy, it is best to use solar energy when using water heaters in your homes heating system. In this way, you trap natural heat coming from the sun. You will consume less energy.
With the solar energy utilized in your homes heating system, you can start heating your water for showers or revolutionize your homes heating system and still reduce your electricity bill.
2. Inspect your home
To maximize your homes heating system, it is best to inspect your house for any leakage. Leaks will let the heat seep out from your home, thus, absorbing cold from the outside. Most of the areas that leakage starts to develop are in the windows, doors, and fireplaces.
Once identified, it is best to take some proper actions as soon as possible so as to cut back any unnecessary costs on energy.
3. Sue heaters on frequently used rooms only
To save more energy, only use heaters on areas that are frequently visited and used by your household. For rooms that are not being used, try to turn off the thermostat or close the windows to utilize natural heat.
By doing so, you can cut back your energy consumption through your heater by as much as 50%.
4. Insulate
One of the biggest secrets in maximizing your homes heating system is insulation. A properly and well insulated home can guarantee a comfortable home without using too much energy. Thus, you can save more money by cutting back your energy consumption.
It is best to use some insulating devices on your roof, windows, and other areas that need padding. This will block the heat in and keep it from escaping the house.
5. Get a good heating system
Of course, you can never guarantee lower energy bill if not for an efficient heating system. Defective heating system can utilize twice as much energy as those that are functioning properly. The tendency is to use more force just to boost more heat, and the more force the heating device use, the more energy it will consume.
Besides, defective products would require frequent visits to repair shops and that would be additional expenses for you.
All of these things can help you maximize your heating system and save more energy. In this way, you can save more money and use it on other things that need prioritization.
About The Author
Commercial Business Loans�Envision your Financial Reasons
Commercial Business Loans�Envision your Financial Reasons
by Tim Kelly
Growing flaunts of the financial status in the society, more and more people are trying to be a part of the country�s economy. Monetary is the problem of yesteryears. Provisions of the commercial business loans in the fiscal market have made the start up of individuals� plan into a grand success. Now, the people who have good ideal plans of their businesses but money, the real impediment, can avail the facilities of these loans.
Under the commercial business loans, individual can facilitate the fund into the infrastructural development of the enterprises. The loans are committed to making financing process as simple and risk free for the borrowers as possible. Only the need is of accessing online. Have advance knowledge through online of the commercial business loans before jumping into the fiscal market.
There are many lenders available online for the commercial business loans. With their respective terms and conditions, just go through once the proposed offers. Individuals would gradually come to know about the fluctuation of the commercial business loans market. If once you understand the deal, nobody could take advantage of ones financial situation. So be attentive and hassle-free while deal making.
Many optional modes of availing the commercial business loans are available in the market. Just go buy some of them. Some requires collateral, whereas some lacking of pledging. But, the amount offered by these lending authorities is more or less the same. Repayment period set for the borrowers is figured out according to the financial status of the individuals.
It is always a suggestive part of the commercial business loans is that abide by the conditions settled between you and the lenders. As deferment could affect your credit rating, be stick to stipulated terms and condition.
All that individuals have to do is to make an ideal plan so that can impress the lenders. Present the plan with best of your energy and verve. Make each and every point clear to the lenders if any question erupts. Show the plan to a progressive and profitable enterprise in the future.
Business is an idea to the vision and vision should be clear.
About The Author
Why Pay Others To Recover Unclaimed Money Payable To You? Do It On Your Own!
Why Pay Others To Recover Unclaimed Money Payable To You? Do It On Your Own!
by Nicole Anderson
If you have received communication indicating that you may be owed unclaimed money by an individual offering to recover your unclaimed money at a hefty cost, then you are not the only one to have received such an offer. Such offers are very common. However, individuals baulk at the idea of paying a lot of money to recover their own money. If you want to recover your unclaimed money without denting your wallet, there is an effective and efficient method for you to do so.
Contrary to the fears of some individuals, the service of recovery of funds or finding of money is not illegal. It is a legal service offered by property locators or by heir finders.
Unclaimed money recovery services are regulated by the law. So much so the maximum that can be charged from a person who is owed unclaimed money has been provided for in the law. The money is paid for the efforts of the individual to bring the existence of proof of unclaimed money to the individual.
If you are not comfortable with the idea of paying some other person for locating YOUR money, then you can act on your own and try to claim the money yourself.
The money that you had deposited in the old checking or savings accounts or the value in the stocks, bonds, dividends, insurance policies and safety deposit boxes, which have been forgotten and ignored are the prime constituents of unclaimed money. If you remain untraceable, the institutions shall hand over the money to the State after the expiry of a fixed period of time.
Once the money is handed over, the agencies hold it waiting for you to come and claim the same. These agencies are required to advertise and are expected to try to contact you to repay the money. However, this never does happen and the owners are expected to take the initiative.
Searching for unclaimed money is very simple. The first thing to do is to search an unclaimed money database. If the database searches details of unclaimed money from all state and federal databases, then that is the database that you ought to be using. Using any other database will give you incomplete results. You may still be owed unclaimed money.
All-in-one databases charge for their service. However, the databases do not demand immediate payment. They allow one free search to the individual to determine if he or she is owed money or not. Then, it is for the individual to decide.
Once the unclaimed money is found, all one has to do is fill the appropriate forms, which can be downloaded from most of the websites for free. The individual is required to attach proof of identification and/ or proof of either ownership or entitlement of the unclaimed money. Together, the two documents should suffice.
Verification process is initiated if the documents and the form are found to be in order. The unclaimed money check should arrive, at the earliest, within two weeks and, at the latest, within sixteen weeks.
If additional documents are required, you shall be contacted by the agency.
If you follow this procedure, you can easily find and claim the unclaimed money without having to pay even a single cent to any other person.
About The Author
Saturday, January 26, 2008
7 Proven Steps to Fix Your Personal Finances That You Can Implement Right Now
7 Proven Steps to Fix Your Personal Finances That You Can Implement Right Now
by Bruce Hokin
Fixing your personal finances is not rocket science. You can do it if you apply some commitment and are prepared to stick to the plan. Imagine how your world could open up if you were debt free. Imagine all the options. Quit your job, work fewer hours, have more holidays or just help others.
The proven methods listed below will work for you if you are determined to succeed and implement them in your own circumstances.
Step 1. Imagine how good life will be once the debt is paid.
Imagine for a minute how good life would be to if you were debt free. Think what you could do with the money you currently use to pay off those credits cards. You could use it to save for your future, save for your retirement, hit the sales with a clear conscience, go on holidays or save for your children's college education. Think on this often and visualize in your mind's eye how your life would change for the better once the debt was gone. If you seriously want this to happen to you it will be easier to follow the next steps.
Step 2. Do a budget.
Unless you know what your financial position is currently you won't know what targets to set, will you. Agreed? Good. The best, most simple way to do this is to set up a personal or family budget. A lot of people stop here and don't progress any further. Bad idea! This can be done very simply. Just follow the points listed below:
a) Get out your latest credit card statements. Add up all the unpaid balances.
b) If there are any other unpaid debts (not home or car) include these balances as well.
c) Calculate your (or family) monthly income - just the amount brought home each month.
d) Calculate your monthly spending. Work out where all the money goes. Don't leave any thing out.
e) Take the monthly spending total away from the monthly income total and review the answer.
Are you living beyond your means? Are you spending more than you earn each month? Are you putting any money aside for emergencies or saving to replace costly items such as the car or some major electrical appliances? Do you have any money left over to increase your monthly credit card payments? Set your self a goal of paying off your credit cards within a certain time.
The questions raised here can be addressed by putting Steps 3-7 into practice.
Step 3. Live within your means.
You can never get your finances under control if you continue to live beyond your means. The cost of living this way is the interest charged by the credit card provider. This is one of the major reasons you are suffering now. Commit yourself to live within your means. Once you have done the budget as outlined in Step 2 you can easily see what you have available to spend.
Step 4. Cut up your credit cards. (Well, maybe keep 1 for emergencies, if you have to.)
It is really important not to add more debt. Read that again. If you can live within your means, you can cut up your credit cards and focus on paying off the credit card balance as soon as possible. You may have items around the house that can be sold. Maybe a second car that is not a necessity. Sell these things and use the funds to pay down the credit card balances. Take on some extra hours at work, think of ways to earn extra income so that these extra funds can be applied to those credit card balances.
Step 5. Find bargains - have fun.
If this whole process becomes a drudgery then it will all become too hard and you won't keep going. Don't let this happen! Set some money aside so that you can, occasionally, buy those things you want. Learn how to only buy things you need and ensure they are at the cheapest price possible. Here are some hints that will help:
a) Look for sale items
b) Don't buy on impulse
c) Only use free cash funds to buy - not by credit card
d) Ask yourself "Do I really need this?" twice or three times before you hand over your hard-earned cash.
e) If there is something you really want - wait for it to go on sale.
f) Don't buy your items at the height of the fashion or the fad, wait a few weeks.
Step 6. Set aside a savings amount.
A target of 20% of your take-home salary is recommended. However, saving any of your salary is a good start. Set your goal and stick to it. The idea is to match your lifestyle to your income. Having some savings can help in emergencies, pay a larger deposit on your next car or be the beginnings of your holiday or retirement nest egg.
Step 7. Don't compare yourself with others.
Your task of living within your means will be made easier if you don't compare your lifestyle with others. You don't know, but their finances may be in a worse state than yours. If you want a better lifestyle, then save for it and/or work out ways to increase your income.
These are just the very beginning steps that you can take towards getting your finances in shape. With a little commitment and the right tools, you will succeed.
About The Author
Self-Defense For Yourself, Your Family And Your Business
Self-Defense For Yourself, Your Family And Your Business
by JOSEPH MIGUEL URVINA
Unfortunately Crime is on the rise. No matter where you live and work where there are people, some one will be unhappy. Its called human nature. No one can predict the future, but there is always something's that can be done.
* The 2005 F.B.I. CRIME REPORT
* VIOLENT CRIME INCREASED 2.3%
* FORCIBLE RAPE DECREASED 1.2%
* ROBBERY INCREASED 3.9%
www.fbi and use .org
Like the Boy Scout's ma to "Be Prepared" It will increase the odds that you may prevent something from happening to {You and Your's}.
The first thing to think about is there are many situations that may occur and to be aware of them. That way you may not have to experience a "Bad Seen" to learn from it. The best way to learn is from other people's experiences's.
Be proactive buy doing something, anything, that will give you some peace of mind. The key is not to become a victim.
Three things you can do.
* Be Aware
* Prepare
*Learn from others
(Like Classes, Books, Video's and the Internet)
Remember when you were young and encountered your first bully , at first you were afraid, that is the first element. Fear and it worked for the bully, fear of being physically harmed.
And then your parent may have notified authority's or maybe you learned how to fight back. Mostly by ignoring them "mentally" or maybe taking a boxing class or a self-defense class like I did my self way back when.
Don't wait for the experience. "Be Aware".
Now that we are all adults we need to be ready, "Prepare" Things are much more serious these days, we all have families and business's to consider.
Not to mention "TERROR".
We all can learn from others, like your local crime prevention organizations, your local police, there are free self-defense classes in almost all communities so you don't have to spend a whole lot of money to "Prepare" for the worst.
Get involved with "Community Crime Prevention" organizations.
We are all neighbors.
Check your local resources, the libraries are a great source, of course there is always the Internet..
What are you going to do?
Don't be a victim!
* BE AWARE
* PREPARE
* LEARN FROM OTHERS
MOST OF ALL BE SAFE!!!
THANK YOU!!
JOSEPH MIGUEL URVINA
PEP|SELF-DEFENSE PRODUCTS @ http://www.pepsafetytec.com
About The Author
Why Photographers Need To Use Camera Downloader Program?
Why Photographers Need To Use Camera Downloader Program?
by Martin Brinn
As a digital camera owner you may not be surprised to learn that digital import software to automate image transfer from your card-reader or digital camera is important. Everyone needs to get their images from point A the camera to point B the computer and we need this task performed with the minimum of fuss and bother. As photographers we are all aware that there are occasions when we will need images rotated or some pictures may require a little resolution correction. Using professional digital camera downloader program like RoboImport to automate photo transfer and to perform some image adjustments easily manages mundane digital camera workflow tasks.
When purchasing your new digital camera it may come with program that claims to be the �gift with your purchase�, some quaint little image viewer. Usually this digital camera import software is offered on a trial basis or it is the bare minimum quality, if it�s any good at all. With the lower cost of digital cameras today many don�t even come with any digital camera downloader software at all, in fact if you�re lucky your camera package might come with a driver for your computer for digital camera communication but nothing else at all. Some new images may believe that since their new camera did not come with any special digital camera workflow program, it�s not required. Unaware that the uploading photographs from their camera does not require time consuming steps. They will begin by creating folders, then picking photos out one by one and face the next process of cataloguing and arranging. This is simply unthinkable for photographers or even new photography enthusiasts who have thousands of photographs to process and organize.
Digital camera workflow program specifically developed to transfer your photos from your camera to your PC does far more than automate the picture transfer process. Any program that would just perform just this task is really quite inadequate. Photographers require professional digital camera workflow software such as RoboImport. This recommended digital camera workflow program will detect the camera connection for us photographers that may not be seasoned computer experts. RoboImport will create the required folders to transfer the images into, and even rename it accordingly. Some less professional digital camera import program may present a problem during the upload process by duplicating filenames and sadly overwriting other treasured photographs that may be present in the computer. RoboImport takes the precaution of renaming pictures from the standard number your digital camera presets, by reading and recording the EXIF information of the photographs to create a unique code representing the date and time the photo was photographed. The complete EXIF information including your cameras make, model and settings will also be transferred with your images, retaining this information is absolutely necessary for professional photographers.
RoboImport will also rotate images when required, correct image resolution (DPI) and add any further IPTC-NAA information to the photos you would like to include. When managing hundreds of images this is an exceptional time saving feature. Wildlife and travel photographers are also considered with the added ability of RoboImport to include GPS coordinates of the photos location.
Professional photographers who do not have access to their RAW photos do not do their work any justice. JPEG images are not as good in quality and are prone to bleeding and blurring the photographer was not responsible for, and certainly their camera did not create, this is a result of the compression required to convert photographs JPEG images or other formats. RoboImport saves both the RAW image file and the JPEG image in separate folders giving the photographer the photograph they really took, as security and backup against format conversion damage.
Excellent digital camera workflow program like RoboImport will also open your Picajet photo manager, or other available digital photo manager you might have on hand for further assessment of your photographs. The time and fuss saved by using software to automate image transfer gives the photographer back their time to spend on the tasks they want to be performing, like taking masterpiece photos.
To learn more please visit RoboImport�s home page:
http://picajet.com/en/index.php?page=Digital-Image-Management-Software
About The Author
A 31 years old photographer and writer with in-depth coverage of a wide range of subjects: digital photo software review, travel, scenics, people, geography, lens review, luxury foods and handcrafted products. Based in Phoenix, Arizona state of US, I am available for assignments anywhere, but consider this area and USA, where I have lived for nearly 20 years, a specialty.
http://www.picajet.com?writer=martinbrinn
Friday, January 25, 2008
South Street Seaport Restaurant Is An Enchanting Place For Foodies
South Street Seaport Restaurant Is An Enchanting Place For Foodies
by Neil Folley
South Street Seaport Restaurant is a perfect place to enjoy your evening.Usually, the atmosphere of a restaurant is mind-blowing and astonishing and so it is successful in attracting a lot of customers. The place is the favorite place of many people as they really have a wonderful time to splurge here. The restaurant offers an appeasing ambience to make your time very pleasant. The restaurant in South Street Seaport will undoubtedly give some exceptional and unforgettable experience of your life .You will be so much fascinated that you will always want to visit this place as they solve both the option of enjoying and dinning. You are so much spelled by this place that you always look out for some reason to visit it quite often. The delicious food and the enchanting atmosphere makes you so much involved in the activities that you forget rest of the things.
A restaurant is the preferred place of all those who are fond of mouth watering dishes and partying with friends, colleages and with beloved ones. You can have anything that you whether lunch, dinner or a party and others that you desire. It�s really a loving and romancing moment to visit the restaurant with your spouse or beloved ones to enjoy the candle light dinner. The ambience of a restaurant is the first thing that attracts all the visitors. It energizes you so much that you forget other stuffs and get fully engaged in the activities to make a pleasing evening. The furniture needs to be trendy and comfortable also to help you to have a good sitting. The lighting system of the restaurant should be classy and fashionable to spellbind you. A dim light is mostly preferred as it creates a soothing and gentle environment that most visitors prefer. Such a wonderful place is an ultimate destination where everyone would like to spend their quality time.
If you are residing in South Street Seaport then you can find various restaurants that delivers quality service. You can browse in internet or can ask your friend who has ever come across the best south street seaport restaurant in that place. You must look for the type of food and the quality of service that they cater to the customers. A good restaurant will definitely consider customer satisfaction as it will help them to business well and get reputed among the restaurant lovers. The manager of the restaurant has to ensure that the visitors get the best quality service and all their demands get fulfilled promptly. In this way the restaurant gets much advertised and it encounters an increase in the number of visitors.
A restaurant does have all the option of fooding.You can also have drinks on demand. The menu card contains all the food items that the restaurant has for the customers. Almost every restaurant has a food specialization and this thing makes it different from other restaurants. You can find all the beef products that are very popular among the guests. You can also party with your friends and colleagues or can throw a party if you want. The restaurant has all these arrangements to let you have a wonderful and mesmerizing moment .Before throwing a party in the restaurant ,you must look for their experience and the quality service that they deliver after all you are going to spend your money.
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How Can Hiring Your Kids Help You Save on Income Taxes?
How Can Hiring Your Kids Help You Save on Income Taxes?
by Kristine McKinley
Hiring your children in your business can be a great tax savings strategy, as well as a way to teach your children about business and money.
Wages paid to your children (between the ages 7 and 17) are a valid business deduction, as long as they do bona fide work, and they are compensated fairly.
Your children can earn up to $5,350 (the standard deduction amount for 2007) before they will owe any income tax. Because you are getting a business deduction for the wages paid to your child, this is income that you also will not pay taxes on.
In addition, if your children are under age 18, you don't have to pay Social Security or Medicare taxes on them. You do not have to pay unemployment taxes on them as long as they are under age 21. This is a huge tax savings since you would have to pay these taxes on any other employee you hired.
Even if you pay your children more than the standard deduction amount, you will still come out ahead. In most cases, your children will be in a lower tax bracket than you, so by paying them a wage, you are shifting income from your higher tax bracket to their lower tax bracket.
Strategy: If you are paying your children more than the standard deduction, they can shelter even more income from taxes by opening an IRA account.
Hiring your children does not raise a red flag with the IRS, but you should document your children's salary and services provided to audit-proof your tax return. To do this, keep a time sheet showing the date, hours and services provided by your children, and write them a check for their wages.
Note: You may have heard of the "kiddie tax". Earned income, including wages that you pay your children, are not subject to the "kiddie tax" rules, regardless of their age.
Example: In 2007, you can pay your child up to $5,350 (the standard deduction amount in 2007) before either one of you would incur any taxes. Suppose you are in the 28% tax bracket and you pay your 15-year old son $5,000 over the course of the year to perform office related tasks.
You get a business deduction for the wages paid to your son, saving you $1,400 (28% of $5,000). In addition, this reduces the amount of profit that is subject to self employment taxes (15.3% of $5,000 = an additional tax savings of $765). Your total tax savings in this example is $2,165.
Since your son's earnings are less than the standard deduction amount, he does not owe income taxes on his earnings. In addition, because your son is under age 18, you do not have to pay Social Security, Medicare or unemployment taxes on him like you would with a regular employee.
Action: If you have children between the age of 7-17, consider putting them on the payroll. You will need to keep time sheets showing the dates, hours and services performed. You should also write them a check to substantiate the wages.
Filing Guide: You will need to file quarterly payroll tax reports (Federal Form 941, state payroll tax forms) for your children (even though no taxes are due). In addition, you will need to file a Form W-2 for your children at the end of the year.
Sources: IRS Publication 15, Chapter 3, Family Employees
About The Author
For free financial planning tips, worksheets, checklists and more, visit http://www.financialtipsforwahms.com
Insights Into Establishing A Harmonious Blended Family
Insights Into Establishing A Harmonious Blended Family
by Sharon Vaz
Many adults are getting married with children already in the wings. The result � blended families � can be greatly rewarding, although not without conflict. This article highlights some areas of concern for blended families and how to deal with them.
It is not uncommon these days for couples to pursue remarriage with children already in tow. Blended family statistics show that at least one in three Americans is now a stepchild, stepparent, a stepsibling, or some part of a blended family.
Blended families are usually the result of remarriage after divorce, where both bride and groom have kids under their wings. Or perhaps it�s a first time wedding for two single parents. Whatever the reason, families that are united by virtue of marriage and not blood are on the rise, bringing hope and stability to many people�s lives.
Blended Family Remarriage Conflicts
It�s not much of a surprise, however, that kids who suddenly have to deal with a "stepmother" or "stepfather" tend to shy away, become closed off, or openly rebel towards change. It�s a normal blended family issue that can be dealt with successfully; one must be prepared for resistance though.
Another blended family problem that often crops up is experienced by adults who can�t deal with children that are not their own. This usually stems from the idea that because a child is not one�s own flesh and blood, one has no real right to get involved in that child�s life. Like every other blended family conflict, it can be dealt with positively and effectively.
If you are part of a stepfamily, you�re probably familiar with these and other situations. The good news is, these are all perfectly normal and each situation can be resolved given sufficient time, love, and understanding.
The following are some common stepfamily conflicts and how you can handle them positively, solidifying your family�s unity and strength.
The Blended Family � Start Off With A Statement
It�s a good idea to make a commitment from the very beginning of your relationship. Couples have found that engaging in a unity family ceremony during the wedding is a great way to encourage family members to accept and love each other.
Basically, a unity family ceremony is when the bride, groom, and children all take turns pouring different colored sand into a glass jar or vase, creating a unique symbol of their unity. Families can also recite a blended family vow for the wedding to verbally signify their commitment to unity and harmony. It�s a great step towards getting along with each other and is very conducive to the growth of familial relationships.
The Blended Family � Decide On Where to Live
A big factor in establishing harmony in a family is your place of residence after getting married. Obviously, there�s no place like home and some children resent the idea of having to move into a step-siblings house (while the original resident stepsibling doesn�t have to endure the same sacrifice). A new home for everyone means the entire family has to start over and everyone is equal. It can be refreshing and exciting to move into a new home together.
The Blended Family � Face and Bury Old Conflicts
If a family is formed after a remarriage, children and parents are liable to carry over hurts and resentments from the previous marriage that can affect the harmony of the new family. For example, anger towards ex-husbands or wives, disappointment in children that their biological parents won�t ever work things out � these things can be deeply painful to deal with.
It�s best to handle these issues in a loving, non-judgmental manner, with everyone agreeing to support each other until the emotional wounds have healed. Constant verbal support and affirmation, hugs and kisses, and other forms of affection can all have massive impact on individual feelings.
Being negative and standoffish will only perpetuate ill-feelings and disharmony. Start your remarriage by being positive and strong for others in all situations.
How to Build Blended Family Relationships
The overall secret to building a strong blended family is to pay attention to the feelings of everyone involved and to build good faith between each other as a result.
Regarding the issue of discipline: a parent can start exerting authority and instating rules once he or she has earned the trust of the children. You can do this by listening, empathizing, and taking a genuine liking to a child�s interests. Once you have proved you are for real and you truly care, they will trust you even when you discipline. It�s all about building caring relationships above anything else.
We wish all parents and children good luck as you strive to build a strong blended family. To quote the Beatles, �All you need is love.� That, in a nutshell, is what makes both natural and blended families work out.
About The Author
How A Published Author Can Become A Paid Public Speaker
How A Published Author Can Become A Paid Public Speaker
by Wendy Keller
A book is your golden ticket into the speaking business. If you had a book published by a "real" publisher within the last 12 months in your hands, you have the calling card you need to get those speaking engagements now.
Some authors-to-be and new authors have trouble figuring out precisely how to leverage that book into speaking. First, when the book is printed, ask the publisher for a few hundred copies of the cover, as "overrun." Usually you can have them free or at cost. They make large-sized, noticeable postcards to send to meeting planners to attract their attention.
Next, you want to get media. Radio, print, television appearances based on your book are all critical. Capture the name of the show, the host and the date you appeared and put it on your website, in your speaker's package, and in your file. Eventually, you will collect all of your TV clips and ask a professional video editor to combine it into an excellent montage. These will impress the heck out of a meeting planner and should be used liberally.
Now that you've got some ammo, and assuming you have a website touting your brilliance and your book, it's time to petition all those hapless meeting planners out there. Write letters, make phone calls, send post cards, follow up and be persistent.
You can buy a book of meeting planners in any industry online. Then, you make them your new friends. Go to their meetings. Hang out. Cold call them and be friendly.
I personally love cold calling. I also don't even notice rejection. I suggest you adopt my personality for a little while each day. In the speaker trainings I do, I make them all recite a mantra that will help their business. "The most important thing that I can do is make 12 calls between 10 and 2." That refers to the minimum I expect from a speaker-to-be. Make 12 calls each day to meeting planners, offer them you, a free copy of your book, send them a postcard thanking them for their time on the phone written on your book jacket cover, and make at least three follow up calls (or fewer if they tell you to quit calling.)
Make those 12 calls five days a week. Give them what they ask you for. If you do this, you will make 3,120 calls in a year. You will have gotten speaking engagements simply by the law of averages. Your investment of time will be small, but results can be huge.
Good luck!
(c) 2007, Keller Media, Inc. Want to use this article in your publication? Reprints welcome so long as the article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links made live.
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How To Love Your Kidults By Letting Go
How To Love Your Kidults By Letting Go
by Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
How to Love Your Kidults By Letting Go
By Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D.
Are you a loving but hovering parent? Parents typically are raising fewer children today and have actively pursued an only-the-best policy from infancy on. So far, the twenty-something progeny of Helicopter parents have reaped the benefits from some of these advantages. Record numbers are attending college and the rate of teenage pregnancy is down.
So what's the beef? The question is where the Sandwich Generation should draw the line: between support and intrusion, encouragement and control, cheering from the sidelines or meddling in the game? Here are some tips to start you thinking about this fine line in the relationship with your kidults.
1. Giving up old habits of micromanaging is hard. When you watch, worry and hang on, you�re giving your emerging adult children the message that you don�t trust that they can be on their own.
2. Today�s technology makes it almost too easy to stay connected. Establish a middle ground where you don�t enable your adult children, yet they know you�re there if they really need you.
3. Being too directive - about college applications, class registration, roommate disputes, job searches, dating partners - fosters dependency at a time when developing decision making skills is paramount to building self esteem.
4. While financial assistance for the necessities is a parent�s responsibility, it can have a pampering effect. Beginning in high school, encourage your children to get a part-time job and gain budgeting experience. Your goal is to prepare your kidults to live alone. If they�re unable to manage, boomeranging back home becomes the only option and the whole family pays the price.
5. Remember what it was like for you growing up? How did you use your personal strengths and become more self sufficient? Put some of these good ideas to work. Mentor your growing children but let them also learn for themselves.
Watching your children approach adulthood is a bittersweet experience, as you see your carefully crafted and longstanding identity slip away. As your family matures, you are faced with the challenges that come with letting go and beginning again in a new role.
After 20 years as a stay-at-home mom, Melanie was looking for work she could feel passionate about. �I know I am beginning to plant the seeds of change. I am delighting in my separate life and listening to my inner voice. Until now I�ve been a helpmate and mothering has been my job. Now I�m looking for a career.� Like Melanie, it may help to look at this transition in a different light, as you generate new opportunities for yourself.
© http://www.HerMentorCenter.com - 2006
About The Author
Thursday, January 24, 2008
I Won The Lottery! Or, Maybe Not
I Won The Lottery! Or, Maybe Not
by Shari Hearn
I must be the luckiest person alive. In the past three days I found out I won 1.5 Million Euros in the UK lottery, One Million Euros in the Winx International Lottery, 1.5 Million Euros in the 2007 E-Mail Lottery, and 500,000 Pounds in an e-mail lottery held by the Coca Cola Company. Wow! What did I do to receive all these riches?
The sad truth is there are actually people who fall for these schemes. For the promise of a quick buck (or million Euros as the case may be) people will turn over their bank account numbers, wire money in the hopes of getting more back, or give other information that could lead to identity theft.
These lottery and sweepstakes schemes have gone on long before the internet, with one of the oldest being the phony sweepstakes which required an entrance fee to claim your prize, which amounted to more than the �prize� was worth. Another variation of that scheme was requiring the potential �winner� to call a certain number to find out if he or she was a winner. The phone call cost the potential �winner� a certain amount per minute with an unusually-long wait time on hold. The real winner was the scamming company which made money off the phone calls.
Today�s thieves have a wide choice of scam-delivery mechanisms, including in person, the mail, phone and internet. However, the same holds true no matter how the scam is delivered: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
How Can You Recognize the Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?
There are certainly legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes offers. Who hasn�t bought a state or multi-state lottery ticket from their local lottery retailer? Or, who hasn�t seen one of those sweepstakes offered by a recognized company advertising in the coupon section of the Sunday newspaper? You fill out the entry form or reasonable facsimile (usually a 3�x5� card) with your name and address and send it off.
Therein is your biggest clue as to whether you�re the victim of a scam. In a legitimate lottery or sweepstakes you have bought the ticket or entered your name and address. In a scam lottery or sweepstakes you are notified you�ve won when you haven�t even entered or bought a ticket.
In addition, it�s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders, whether national or state lines. Any lottery offer involving the purchase of lottery tickets for other state or country lotteries could end up with you being charged with illegal activities.
One ploy used by foreign scammers involving lotteries or sweepstakes is offering you an �advance� on your winnings. The scam artist will send you a check for part of your �winnings.� All you have to do is wire them payment for �taxes� or other official purposes. By the time you find out their check has bounced the money you wired is in their hands. And, because it was wired it�s harder to trace.
Lottery scammers don�t always use e-mail or the phone. Sometimes they do their dirty work in person. A typical scam would go something like this: You are approached in person by someone who claims he or she just won the lottery but isn�t eligible to claim it. They offer to split the money with you if you claim the prize. Sounds good, right? Except that before you claim the prize from the lottery retailer you are required to withdraw some money from your account and give it to the ticket holder as a good-faith gesture. By the time you find out you�re holding a non-winning lottery ticket, the thief is long-gone with your good-faith money.
In order to protect yourself from these scams, it�s important to remember the following:
Lotteries
�It�s illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders.
�If you ever receive a phone call, letter or e-mail announcing you just won a lottery, it�s a scam.
Sweepstakes
�It�s illegal for a company to require you to pay to win or claim a sweepstakes prize.
�It�s illegal for a company to suggest that buying something will improve your chances of winning.
�Companies cannot ask for money from you for taxes they say you owe on a sweepstakes winning.
�Be cautious when entering sweepstakes from displays you see in malls � often times these are people just wanting your name and address for a future sweepstakes scam.
�Only enter sweepstakes from recognizable companies, and never pay a fee to enter.
Avoiding being the victim of a scam takes a healthy dose of skepticism. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an offer made to you, you can call the National Fraud Information Center�s Hotline at 1-800-876-7060.
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15 Important Tips Revealed: Airport Screening for Children with Disabilities!
15 Important Tips Revealed: Airport Screening for Children with Disabilities!
by Natalia Ippolito
Children are born to move. They have tons of energy and need an outlet to burn it up, so it can be tough to get them to be still and listen. It is even more difficult for children who have special needs or disabilities to be confined to an area.
Most large airports have a designated lane for passengers with a disability. It normally is marked with a universal handicap symbol (blue placard). If you have a child with a disability, you may utilize this lane if it is available at your airport. You can also use the kid friendly lanes. If you don't see a blue placard right away, then tell the boarding pass/identification checker that you will need to use a lane designated for children with a disability, and he or she will direct you.
Some smaller airports may not have an extra lane; therefore, you may be directed to a lane for secondary screening. If you are not selected for secondary screening, you shouldn't have to wait behind those passengers who are. A screener should screen you first. If this does not happen, ask to speak with a supervisor. I suggest you call the airport ahead of time and ask if security checkpoint has a person with disabilities lane available.
If your child is in a wheelchair, expect the screener to ask you if the child can walk through the metal detector. This question will be asked for the sole reason to prevent the child from having to go through secondary screening which includes the dreaded hand-wanding or pat-down. If your child cannot walk, screeners are trained to screen him or her either by a pat-down with the child seated in the wheelchair or a hand-wanding if he or she can stand. It is completely up to you, the parent, how you want your child to be screened.
The same guidelines apply to children as they do for adults for prosthetic devices, oxygen, casts, braces or any medical condition or device. If your doctor tells you that your medical device cannot go through the x-ray or you cannot walk through the metal detector, then don't. Have your medical device hand-checked and ask for a pat-down.
The screeners, like the parent, want what is best for the child during the screening process. Screeners want a positive experience for everyone and do their best to get you on your way.
TIPS
1. Go directly to the boarding pass/ID checker, bypassing the line. You do not have to wait in line.
2. Stay together. An adult always needs to be present during screening if the child is a minor.
3. Ask the screener to change their gloves.
4. Ask for a chair at any time if your child needs one during the screening process.
5. Ask for a private screening if you don't want the screening to be conducted in public.
6. If your child cannot or does not want to walk through the metal detector, then ask for a hand-wanding or pat-down.
7. If your child is in a wheelchair, he or she can be screened sitting down.
8. Tell the screener what your child's physical capabilities and limitations are.
9. You should always have a clear view of all carry-on baggage.
10. Parents should assist if they feel it's necessary after they have been screened.
11. Parents should communicate the best way to screen their children.
12. The screener or porter should assist you by placing your carry-ons on the x-ray belt.
13. The screener should reunite you with your carry-ons and any medical devices once they have been screened.
14. The screener will not move or lift your child from his or her medical device.
15. Call the airlines ahead of time and make arrangements for a porter to assist you and for any medical aids or devices you need for your trip.
About The Author
Receive her FREE Tip of The Week, Sample Chapter Ultimate Packing List or Unknown Violations and Fines Report at http://www.airportbook.com
Acai Berries Are The New Superfruit
Acai Berries Are The New Superfruit
by Hillary Marshak
Berries and chocolate. Generally a great combination, right? What if there was a berry that had a cocoa flavor in it? Well as nature would have it, there is. This extraordinarily nutritious berry is called the acai berry (pronounced a-sigh-ee). While it doesn�t exactly taste like pure chocolate, the bitterness of cacao is incorporated into acai�s intense flavor. The flavor is actually hard to pinpoint as some of its juices have been compared to bitter raspberries while others claim acai produces a salty aftertaste (like say, olives.) Ok, I'm the one that said that. But the flavor is not the only thing that makes acai so unique.
>From the rainforests of the Amazons, acai berries have been consumed by Brazilians for centuries. But recently, more and more of these grape-sized berries are falling from the South American palm trees into juice bottles around the world.
Labeled the antioxidant superfood, it�s known for its substantially large amounts of antioxidants and nutritional value. Acai has double the cancer-fighting power of blueberries, the formerly known antioxidant contest frontrunner. Consumption of the berry not only helps prevent and attack cancerous cells, but it is said to boost energy and overall immunity as well. Actually, the list of supposed and even validated benefits is virtually endless from improved digestion to better circulation, and even better sleep. It is based on these extraordinary characteristics that acai has been referred to as the most healthful fruit in the world.
But, if you�re a juice producer looking for a new venture, many juice and smoothie producers have already jumped the gun on capitalizing on the healthful fruit. While the trend is still fairly recent, grocery store shelves are already well stocked with the likes of organic acai juices, yogurt drinks, smoothies, and even teas.
And the bottles of these products make many a pretty promise. I�m actually drinking an �Organic Acai Antioxidant Superfood Smoothie� right now that claims it�s sufficient for a meal replacement. Is that true? Well, it sure seems to satisfy my nutritional needs as the Nutrition Facts label shows sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, potassium and even omega-3 fatty acids! And�actually it�s the only thing I�ve eaten today so far and I don�t think I�m hungry! Maybe this stuff really does work (Don�t try this at home though folks, acai shouldn�t be the only thing you eat all day.)
Acai has also shown promises of preventing heart disease, as it has 10-30 times the amount of cardiovascular-fighting phytochemical called anthocyanin found in red wine. You may have heard of these phytochemicals from the French Paradox that enumerates the oddity of heart disease�s rare occurrence in France despite their high fat intake. The concept bears the phytochemicals in the red wine responsible for their continued health.
With all these benefits filling the air, the fruit sounds perfect right? Well I'm not here to tell you that it isn't, but I am here to tell you to be cautious about how much acai you consume. There is such a thing as an antioxidant overdose that has adverse effects such as weakness, fever and toxicity. So, with a fruit so jam-packed with antioxidants, one must be careful. Experts suggest discussing with your doctor what your optimal dosage of antioxidants is.
Sources:
Acai Berry Fruit Guide
Sambazon SuperGreens Revolution
Mona Vie Acai Drink
About The Author
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Types of Vegetarian
Types of Vegetarian
by Cathy Liew
Types of Vegetarian
In a typical setting, with some typical people, I came up with my typical confession that I have become a vegetarian. Very typically, someone will pause for a second, then ask:"Oh! But you do eat fish right?" My typical respond would be a firm "no". Arrgh!
There are many types of vegetarian. A typical one would be a Vegan. They are the most religious of all. Not only does not eat meat, but also abstain from garlic, chives, shallots, ginger, daily products like eggs, milk, cheeze, etc.... its the most difficult to practice and easiest to give-up because of it's regidity. But I do admire them because it takes determinations, lots of great determination, to sustain.
Another type would be those that practice being a Vegan on certain days of the month. Easiest to follow since just a few days every month. But let's not stop here. There is more to be done. Go! Vege! Go!
One type to watch out for are those that abstain from one or more types of meat. For example pork, beef, seafood (for these I suspect its more due to religion, mental or physical). Nevertheless, some form of abstain is a good beginning.
A typical goumet like me settle for becoming a Lacto-Ova Vegetarian. One that omits meats but eats anything else edible. So long as it does not promotes killing. Its the easiest to stick to and also most widely acceptable among other practices. We still want to enjoy deliciously cooked saliva dripping food, don't we? Nah... So much for attachments!
You can chose one of the above style that typically fits in your daily routine to begin with. But whichever you chose, bare this in mind:-
The spririt of giving brings joy. But the joyous gift of all is the gift of life!
Cathy Liew
(http://govege.blogspot.com)
About The Author
You are welcome to publish or republish this article in any webpage or blogs. As long as you put a link back to my blog at http://govege.blogspot.com
Hosting A Family Game Night
Hosting A Family Game Night
by Kadence Buchanan
More and more, families are finding that their connections with each other are not as strong as they should be. With the rush-rush attitude of today and TV and the internet taking up more and more of our individual time, we often take our families for granted. To that end, many families have begun creating �game nights' as an opportunity to spend time with loved ones while having a great time. With the business of modern day life, scheduling a game night once a week or even once a month can provide a much-needed break from the stressful aspects of life. When we play games, we allow ourselves to have fun and let the wild side of our personality come out. You can learn a lot about your family members when you take them on in a board game challenge!
Having a good time with their parents is one of the greatest opportunities that you can give your child. Society often tells us that to be good parents, we need to take our children to various activities, signing them up for sports and hobbies and letting them learn things on their own. Game nights provide a way for children to interact positively with their parents and siblings, helping them to develop a stronger sense of family than most children.
If your children are hesitant about the idea of participating in a weekly game night, one method to get their children excited that some parents partake in is a points system. When you play games, assign points to everybody playing the game when the end comes. You can assign a prize for the person with the most points in a week, month, or whatever amount of time you choose. If you're working on a tight budget, you can make simple rewards for game night winners such as a week without chores.
Relaxation is often neglected by those in today's world. Just taking a night out of your schedule to relax, kick back, and enjoy games and fun with your family can offer an enormous payoff on your psyche. Everyone deserves a break, and game night can provide exactly that.
About The Author
Add Personal Touch with a Photo Christmas Card
Add Personal Touch with a Photo Christmas Card
by Rob Buenaventura
If you want to make a really big impact this Christmas, rather than running down to the market and buying stock Christmas cards, try making a family photo Christmas card. Even better, the photo Christmas card is not likely to make it to the rubbish bin but more likely to be kept and either framed or placed into a photo album. In this manner, you are doing your part to help save the trees. The problem with traditional greeting cards is that many people find them to be impersonal and insincere. A photo Christmas card is a personal greeting lets the receiver know that you feel they are a part of your family too.
With widespread digital photography programs available to download (some free and some for a price) or purchase from local retailers it is easier than ever to design, touch up, and print your very own family photo Christmas cards. Digital cameras allow you to take and view photos immediately and retakes only require a few more seconds of your time for those rare photos where someone�s eyes or closed or someone is giving sister rabbit ears. You don�t even need fancy printing and photo editing software to make your own photo Christmas cards, you can upload the photo to one of many online photo services and they can make, edit, and even print the cards for you (for a small fee of course, which is really a small price to pay if you lack the skills to do it for yourself).
There is absolutely no right or wrong way to make a photo Christmas card. In today�s world it is perfectly okay to be creative or casual with your card making. Some of the best cards I�ve seen are with families in jeans and tee shirts with bare feet all lying on the floor wearing Santa hats. Be silly, be creative, have fun, and let your personality show through. It doesn�t even have to be a Christmas type of setting. You can have a family photo at the beach and say something like �I bet you wish you were here instead of eating fruitcake� Anything to bring a smile to the faces of those that love you most.
The most important thing to remember is that you don�t make the process more complicated than it has to be. Keep it as simple as possible. You do not want to have a negative experience by trying to do too much or learn too much too quickly. If you do that, you run the risk of giving up and quitting all together. As I�ve mentioned before, if the process of making and printing a card seems overly complicated to you, there are many services, both online and off that will be more than happy to create and print wonderful photo Christmas cards from your family photograph.
About The Author
What Does a Registry Cleaner Do ?
What Does a Registry Cleaner Do ?
by Arvind Singh
A registry cleaner scans the system for obsolete files and links and deletes them from the system registry to make the system run faster and more efficiently.
The registry was designed to speed up the operating system but this very intention and design by Microsoft could prove detrimental to your system is the registry is not serviced and maintained by regularly using a good registry cleaner software to clean the registry of useless entries that are slowing down the system and taking up disk space.
There are many registry cleaners such as the PC Mantra's registry cleaner, the PC registry cleaner and the Windows XP registry cleaner that can spruce up your system and make it much more enjoyable to use. Registry cleaner software, as any registry cleaner software, scans the system and traces obsolete or outdated data. Then after determining the good from the bad the registry cleaner deletes the redundant data enabling your PC to perform error free and more efficiently than before running the registry cleaner.
Ensure The Registry Cleaner Has A Good Backup Function
Before using a registry cleaner it is of paramount importance to ensure if the software has a registry backup function. This is important because in case the cleaner goes wrong the system will crash and will need to be restored with this backup to get the system back to its previous level of functioning. This can occur if the registry cleaner inadvertently deletes some file in the registry. You can download a free version of any registry cleaner or a trial version. However, a free or trial version will not have all the features enabled in the download so it is always good to have a licensed version of the registry cleaner software. In fact it is always good to have a licensed version of any software to keep your system running error free and efficiently.
A corrupted Registry Will Crash The System
If the registry of an operating system is damaged or corrupted the entire system will crash or become very unstable. This could render the system unusable. So, the registry is a vital part of the computer that has to be kept in very good working condition. If this part of the computer gets filled with trash, such as broken links caused by uninstalling software and not removing the entries from the registry, or outdated entries that do not need to be there the whole system will slow down drastically. Believe it or not a single day on the system can enter more than a thousand entries in the registry. Forty percent of which will be useless after the days work is done. These entries will have to be removed with the help of a good registry cleaner. Though a few thousand entries will have no significant effect on the system they will over a period of time.
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I Love Italian Wine and Food - Tasting a Noble Sicilian Wine
I Love Italian Wine and Food - Tasting a Noble Sicilian Wine
by Levi Reiss
Once again, we are breaking into the series tasting wines from each of Italy�s twenty wine regions. This article examines a noble red wine from the island of Sicily in southern Italy. It is very far from a bargain wine. We were about a dozen to taste it. I�ll be presenting my opinions and those of others.
So far, the wines that I purchased for this series have cost a maximum of about $20. I thought that I should try one at about double the price. I felt that by going to a relatively unknown region such as Sicily I might get a bargain. A lot of wines from the Tuscany or Piedmont regions of Italy cost $40 or much, much more. Such is not the case for Sicily.
Italy�s top of the line wine designation is DOCG, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita (Denomination of Controlled, Guaranteed Origin.) There are no DOCG wines in Sicily. But the formal designation is not very important, many Super Tuscans costing at least twice my budget carry �inferior� designations. The wine I chose carries the Contea di Sclafania DOC designation, having been promoted from the Sicilia IGT designation. The wine reviewed here is produced by the same company as the white Sicilian wine reviewed in my article I Love Italian Wine and Food � The Sicily Region. This was no accident. First I bought the relatively expensive red. Then I bought the white wine for about one third the price. This white wine carries the Sicilia IGT designation, but I found it to be pretty good. Let�s take a look at its much more expensive red cousin.
Wine Reviewed
Tasca d�Almerita Regaleali �Rosso del Conte� Contea di Sclafania DOC 2002 15% alcohol about $38
About 35 years ago, Count Tasca d�Almerita decided to make a flagship Sicilian red wine from two local grapes, Nero d�avola and Perricone. Nero d�avola is a thin-skinned grape that ripens extremely late, perhaps three weeks after Cabernet Sauvignon. Consequently this variety is virtually limited to Sicily. Some think that it is a relative of Syrah. Nero d�avola wines are usually dark and tarry, with lots of black fruit aroma and taste. They are rich and well structured, with firm and silky tannins. Many of the grapes in this bottle came from vines over forty years old. The plants are grown as shrubs, a somewhat unusual practice. This wine was aged for twelve months in French oak barrels, about 60% of which are new. It can be cellared for years. I only wish that I could taste a ten or twenty year old Rosso del Conte.
I�ll spare you the marketing materials and reviews that tend to be very laudatory. Here are the comments from my tasting group.
A bit of black fruit. Highly oaked. Toasted grains, toast, grilled barley. Nervous and wild. Garriga (a mixture of spices found in areas near the Mediterranean Sea). Leather, dried meat, musk, and underbrush. A strong presence. Acidic and tannic, but not very long. Moderately long, fairly tannic. Round. More fruit than oak.
When asked to guess the price, the general consensus was considerably lower than what I actually paid. It�s fair to assume that most of these people would not purchase this wine, even if they do buy wines in this price range. On the other hand, it�s not hard to find reviews on the Internet that draw the opposite conclusion. In fact, every review that I read was more laudatory than my tasting group was. And my thoughts?
Personally, I would rather drink wine with food than without food. There were only a few sips left in the bottle but I was able to squeeze out two pairings. First I tried slow-cooked beef ribs with potatoes and a side of green beans in tomato sauce. This wine was the essence of mouth-filling, a tiny sip enveloped my mouth with pleasure. The wine�s acidity and tannins handled the meat�s fat. If only I had more.
Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep�s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. The Rosso del Conte�s richness and complexity was quite noticeable in the presence of this cheese. I am glad that I didn�t waste the last precious sips of this wine on a weak cheese.
Final verdict. It�ll probably be quite some time before I buy another bottle of Rosso del Conte. I do think that it�s worth the price, but I can�t say that I got a $100 wine for less than $40. Have you ever done so?
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Having Precious Moments At Christmas
Having Precious Moments At Christmas
by Adam Peters
Precious Moments Christmas ornaments can help you add beauty and warmth to your Christmas decorating.
You will find nothing as beautiful and sentimental as a Precious Moments Christmas ornament. You can find so many of them online and in stores that you will fall in love with. Some are easy to find, while others are more difficult to locate. Learning more about them will help you find the ones that you love and desire for your holiday decorating or Christmas gifts.
Precious Moments Christmas decor is very popular. Many people collect the Precious Moments Christmas ornaments and give them as gifts. They are very collectible and some of them can become quite valuable. If you need a Christmas gift idea, then you may want to consider one of these beautiful collectibles.
Many people are in love with the Precious Moments characters. Their beautiful teardrop eyes can just make you fall in love with them. I decided to add them into my holiday decoarting because I wanted to add their sentimentality to my home. By adding these beautiful Precious Moments Christmas ornaments to my tree, I felt like I was adding a piece of joy and beauty to my home.
My collecting began with just one Precious Moment Christmas ornament. This ornament is a common standard in decorating for the holidays. This beautiful nativity scene ornament comes in three pieces and it is one of the most beautiful nativity scenes that I have ever seen.
After my nativity scene purchase, I found a "They Followed the Stars" Precious Moments ornament that adds the three wise men to me tree. Each one of the beautiful wise men is sitting on a camel and it goes great with the first Precious Moments Christmas ornament that I purchased.
Many of my friends and family have given me other Precious Moments ornaments and decorations as Christmas gifts. I am trying to weed out my other ornaments and decorations as I get more Precious Moments items as Christmas gifts. Soon, I will have enough of this particular theme to build my entire decorating around it.
It may take some time to change my entire Christmas decor them to Precious Moments, but with the help of my friends and family who add to my collection with Christmas gifts, it will be here before I know it. I am going to add a new Precious Moments Christmas ornament this year that I have fell in love with.
The new ornament that I want depicts a family of four who are sitting around a fireplace. It is called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and will be a perfect addition to my collection. Then I can add another piece or two as I see ones that I love. Precious Moments collectibles help to reinforce the precious moments in my life. Isn't that what everyone wants?
About The Author
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Realtors Access To MLS And How It Helps You
Realtors Access To MLS And How It Helps You
by Chuck Lunsford
Realtors pay a great deal of money to have full access to MLS and its listings; this is how that service through a realtor will help you. Listings of homes are most commonly listed through MLS more so than any other listing service for single-family residences and commercial real estate.
What is MLS? Good question. The MLS listing service is the multiple listing services for the real estate world, both commercial and single-family dwellings. The MLS is listed both as a statewide and nationwide listing service. Through the Board of Realtors in every area, the realtors and agents have the opportunity to sign up for the access of the MLS listing services.
The MLS service contains all the information about each property listing. MLS is a convenient way to view this information, including pictures, measurements, maps and much more. The realtors that register for this service pay annual dues, and additional fees. This does not only include the listings on MLS, it also pays for the evolution of MLS.
Originally this data of houses was on paper, and the realtor would have to research through the books to get the information. Now days with computers and the internet, the MLS service has increased productivity and getting the best deal exponentially.
The realtors have this access that provides a higher level of detailed information about the listings, where the standard visitor only gets basic information. To list with MLS, it is around $400 and to use the MLS as a realtor it is about $1000.
Realtors submit and join with their local, state, and national Board of Realtors. With this joining, the MLS listings will usually include the MLS sign up. MLS listings have roughly 99% of all the homes available in any given area, therefore with the realtor being signed up with the Board of realtors, and the MLS they are able to offer you a wider variety of services, listings and options.
With all that realtors have to do, and since it is hard for them to be in two places at one time, your realtor will have certain plans daily to research the homes on the MLS to show you. They will research the criteria you and him or her discusses, and then they will be able to send you the results via email, or on the telephone. This will give you the opportunity to go by and look at the homes for sale.
If you are selling your home, the realtor will use the MLS to list your home and then you will have a much wider variety, including other agents looking at your home. This opens up the door to better selling opportunities.
MLS listings improve the competitive advantage in the real estate market, simply by creating a more efficient way to look at more homes that fit your needs in a smaller amount of time. The realtor you work with, through the MLS listing service will be able to find the homes and criteria you are looking for quickly and you will be able to beat the competition by getting to the home faster.
The MLS listing services are simple to read, clear to understand and informative when it comes to the listings of homes. This improves the chance of making research of homes easier and more efficient.
When you use your realtor that uses the MLS listing service you get the highest level of quality listings in a timely manner that will increase your chances of getting the better deal.
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Healthy Cooking
Healthy Cooking
by Izzy Morgan
Healthy cooking or healthy eating doesn't mean denial. Changes that we implement towards a healthier lifestyle will impact our health, the way we feel and perhaps extend our life.
Cooking is a personal experience and we can implement different methods for the same meal. For example, if we want to make mashed potatoes, we could boil the potatoes, or we could steam them, we could peel the skin, buy instant mixes, etc. The choices we make will modify and transform the quality and the nutritional value of the food you put on your table. So here are a few tips that you can easily implement in your kitchen.
Healthy Cooking
For a healthier lifestyle, you may want change what you cook as well as how you cook. Depending on the method you choose, you may be depleting the nutrients out of your food. You could be preparing a meal with the right nutritious ingredients but after you are done cooking, you may end up with a dish that has no nutritional value.
When heat is applied, many vitamins and minerals are burnt away. The higher the temperature and the longer you cook it, the fewer nutrients you will have in your meal. It is important then not to overcook your meals, try to cook your meals in the shortest time possible and with the minimum amount of water possible. However, dry cooking methods such as roasting and baking are perhaps the worst method, as they require a longer cooking time. Microwaving, frying, boiling and saut�ing are some of the methods that you need to consider before you cook. Steaming and stir-frying are better choices, as they will allow the natural nutrition to remain in your food.
It is also important to consider the oxidation that occurs in vegetables once they are cut, as oxidation will neutralize the vitamins. For this reason, try not to cut or chop your vegetables way ahead of time.
Seasonings
You may also want to think about the seasonings that you add to your foods when cooking.
Consider adding unrefined sea salt to your meals instead of the commonly available commercial table salt, which is a highly refined product containing 99.5% sodium chloride with almost no trace minerals left. Unrefined sea salt taste wonderful and depending on the method of processing, it contains 0.5 to 3% trace minerals in addition to sodium chloride and small quantities of other elements found naturally in the ocean. You also need to remember that too much salt can cause hypertension, excessive fluid retention and other complications. You could also add a lot of spices and herbs instead if you need to add more taste to your meals. Try adding fresh lemon juice or lime juice to add a little extra taste.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). It is used to enhance flavor and some people are extremely sensitive to it. It is believed to cause headaches, muscle tightening.
Baking powders that contain aluminum.
Cooking utensils
Quality cookware and utensils that do not interact with food are also important to consider. Natural materials such as earthenware, ceramic, glass and metals such as stainless steel, cast-iron or enamel coated steel are recommended. Avoid aluminum, plastic, Teflon and other synthetic materials. Nonstick cookware such as Teflon will emit toxic fumes when heated to a high temperature. Inhaling these toxic fumes can lead to respiratory disease, weakening of the immune system, cancer, depression, asthma and other health problems.
More Things to Consider
Choose quality vegetable oils. Avoid hydrogenated oils and fats, refined margarines and oils, animal oils and fats and shortenings. Hydrogenated oils are manufactured oils. Studies have found that they attack the arteries with a risk of heart disease, the kidneys, liver, spleen, intestine and gallbladder.
Avoid Aspartame. MSG and Aspartame are both considered excitotoxins. Studies have found that Aspartame is the cause for many medical problems, such as headaches, hyperactivity in children, seizure disorders and memory loss. Both Aspartame and MSG and other similar substances cause harm to the brain and nervous system.
Try using less white flour and introduce more fiber by adding bran and soy flour and wheat germ to your bread recipes.
Avoid white processed sugar. The living vitality is not there. Organically grown unprocessed living sugar can be found at health food stores.
Avoid artificial sweeteners, they are manufactured chemicals. Use raw organic honey, fresh organic fruit juices or organic raw evaporated sugarcane juice.
Balance your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables versus frozen or canned. Choose 100% organic fresh produce that is free from chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Have a salad every day. Make your own salad dressing. Here is the one I make for my daily salads. In the food processor chop garlic, ginger, onion, jalape�o pepper and parsley. Add fresh squeezed lime juice (from 4 or 5 limes) or lemon juice, extra virgin oil, and unrefined sea salt, that's it, and it is delicious. You could also add honey for a little extra flavor. As far as the amount for each ingredient, I would say, 5 cloves of garlic, a 1/2" piece of ginger, 1/2 onion, 1 jalape�o pepper, a handful of parsley and 4-5 limes. Add oil and salt to taste. Yields about a pint.
Storing foods depletes their vitamin and mineral content. So remember not to keep leftovers in the fridge for more than a couple of days. Instead, try freezing your leftovers right away, as soon as your food has cooled.
And last but not least, cook with a light heart and avoid meals prepared by people who are sick, angry or they have an unhappy attitude when cooking.
About The Author
Monday, January 21, 2008
Should I select a real estate team or single real estate agent?
Should I select a real estate team or single real estate agent?
by Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate
Some people prefer to make sure that one person is responsible for & doing everything involved with a particular service. They don't want to have to track down multiple people & get multiple answers to what is going on.
Now if you are one of those people then you don't need to read any further because this article is going to focus on the benefits of working with a Real Estate Team as compared to working with an individual agent.
Also, if this is the case, then you probably don't appreciate the services that are provided by your local grocery store or restaurants or gas station for that matter.
These industries have found over the years that a team approach ultimately provides a great level of customer service to the customer.
While it may have been slow to initially take this team approach, the real estate industry is catching on.
With real estate companies looking to better serve the marketplace, some individual agents have taken it upon themselves to create real estate teams to benefit home buyers and sellers.
How? The Team Leader, usually an experienced Real Estate Agent has taken the time to examine the entire real estate transaction process & identify the key steps & the standards of service that need to be provided for optimum customer satisfaction.
Team Members are empowered to make the necessary decisions and to take the required actions. They are trained to know when something is outside their area of expertise so that they can get the Managing Agent involved if needed.
This expertise of team members is particularly leveraged in the areas of Marketing, Transaction Coordination & Feedback follow-up. The customer benefits from levels of efficiency & levels of specialty of the individual team members.
Inquiries from prospective buyers or their agents are handled promptly vs. waiting for the individual agent trying to get back to them when they get around to it. Potential problems are avoided or mitigated during the closing process because team members are free to proactively coordinated & communicate with the lender, settlement company & other Agents.
And last but not least, the old adage of two eyes being better than one applies. Team members are trained to implement checks & balances and are trained to coordinate reviews and hand offs, all while the Lead Agent is available to Manage, Oversee & Clarify.
When assembled, a well running, trained, Real Estate Team is Truly a Time & Money saving benefit to those looking to buy a home in Northern Virginia (http://www.theearlofrealestate.net/Buying.aspx) or sell a home in Northern Virginia (http://www.theearlofrealestate.net/Selling.aspx) as opposed to working with an individual agent.
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How to Revolutionize Your Retirement Thinking
How to Revolutionize Your Retirement Thinking
by Lin Schreiber
As you think about your retirement life, acknowledge that "who you are" is much more important than "what you do". This one shift in your belief structure will enhance your chances of having a happier, healthier retirement.
Hate change? If so, you're in for a rude retirement awakening. Why? Because not since adolescence have you experienced as much change as you will in retirement. Retirement is all about change. Major change. Now before you run screaming from the room, consider this. Change can be a really good thing. And, if you're going to have the rocking retirement of your dreams, then you will need to embrace change even if you can't learn to love it.
You hear the word "retirement" and you imagine the room full of admiring colleagues, the gentle retelling of the famous time you messed up, the president's toast and, finally, the gold watch. Maybe retirement will be the end of your work life. If so, this is the biggest change you'll experience since birth. Your life will no longer be about "What do you do?" And, that's actually a gift. Retirement gives you the opportunity to grow into the best possible YOU. "Who you are" is so much more important than "what you do."
Of course, even if you do have the gold-watch experience, it may not be the end of work as you know it. A 2003 survey conducted for AARP found that many Americans between the ages of 50 and 70 plan to work far into what has traditionally been viewed as their "retirement years." Nearly half of all pre-retirees (45%) expect to continue working into their 70s or later. Of this group, 27% said they would work until they were in the 70s and 18% said "80 or older," "never stop work," or "as long as I am able to work."
But if you're done with work, you will need to fill all those hours with something. And the search for how you will spend your time is a change unto itself. Wilma was an executive secretary for over 40 years. She so dreaded the day she would stop working that she did no planning for the inevitable. Always attentive to her appearance, after retirement she devoted her life to resisting the aging process. She primped and shopped and beauty-parlored her days away. She tried Botox and had a face-lift. She was exploring a breast enhancement when her life radically changed. She was diagnosed with breast cancer!
Ironically, her excursion into cosmetic surgery led to early detection and she was back on her feet in no time. But she took life a lot more seriously and was soon the local coordinator for Y-ME, the national breast cancer organization. Her involvement with the group and other women with the disease became a passion that filled her life with purpose and meaning far beyond that of even her working years.
Another other major retirement change is location. If you're going to move from the four-bedroom house where you raised your children to an apartment in town, then everything is going to be different. Will you be relocating to a warmer climate or moving closer to the grandkids? Even more radical change. And if you're headed for a retirement community, the biggest change of all, because you'll no longer have the healthy advantage of being surrounded by people of all ages.
So how do you embrace change? Begin by changing your attitude from one of hostility to one of acceptance. Delight comes later. Consider your daily routine. If you always take the same route to the grocery store, go a different way. If you put both socks on before your shoes, try a sock, a shoe, a sock, a shoe. Add variety to your favorite activities. Try a new hiking trail or even a new restaurant. Learn to go with the flow. Everything is changing around you all the time. Stop fighting it.
If you really want a change, get a new relationship. If you're single, this might be the perfect time to seek a new mate. But if you're happily married or in partnership, you can still expand your circle of relationships by seeking out new friends. Take the initiative and make the call to the woman you really liked at the last garden club meeting. Or attend that interesting lecture at the club and see who else turns up. Go out of your way to say hello to someone you don't know.
And, by the way, if you're happily married, this retirement thing is going to change everything. There's more than enough truth to the old adage, "I married you for life, but not for lunch." Take a lot of time to talk over the future of your marriage once you're retired long before the golden-watch day arrives. Plan activities you'll do together or make a deal that you'll spend some days apart. But whatever you do, don't let that change sneak up on you.
If you're heading for retirement, remember what Bob Dylan said, "The times they are a changin'." But since there's not much you can do about it, you might as well put a smile on your face, open your arms wide, and welcome newness into your life.
To get started, consider the biggest change you expect in retirement and identify three action steps you can take to help you embrace that change instead of resisting it.
Copyright (c) 2007 Lin Schreiber
About The Author
Recovery For Your Hard Drive
Recovery For Your Hard Drive
by John Ugoshowa
These days, computers have become a must have for nearly everyone. Even though they are great to have around and make our lives easier, they are also known to crash as well. With computers being electronic, there really is no way to make them fool proof. The hard drives that hold all of the information have mechanical parts, which means that they can crash at any given time - resulting in a loss of information, and maybe even a ruined hard drive.
In general, hard drive recovery is the process you use to restore a hard drive that has crashed, been a victim of a virus, or possibly tampered with. Keep in mind that recovery isn�t just limited to restoring everything on the hard drive, but it is also useful for finding lost files, fixing corrupt hard drives, and even locating data that you may have deleted by accident.
For many years, hard drive recovery has helped those with bad hard drives or lost information to retrieve their data. What many people aren�t aware of, in the event of data that has been deleted by accident, is the fact that some data will remain on your computer even after you may have removed it from the recycle bin. Windows doesn�t always delete files completely, but more or less puts them to the side until it has the necessary data to overwrite the files.
If data was indeed gone forever, then it wouldn�t be possible to recover. Most files, even after your hard drive crashes and the data appears to be gone, are still there on your hard drive. All it takes is someone experienced with data recovery to retrieve the information. Although data recovery is an exceptional way to retrieve lost data, there is also a downside to using it as well.
The real downside to data recovery is the fact that most information can be retrieved. If you have data on your hard drive that you don�t want anyone to view, deleting it from your hard drive doesn�t always get rid of it completely. Hackers can easily retrieve the data as well, if they are experienced enough. For this very reason, computer experts and avid computer geeks will tell you that erasing a file doesn�t always remove it from your hard drive.
The way that hard drive recovery works is by reconstructing the lost data on your hard drive. It doesn�t matter if your files were deleted by accident or the result of a crash, most data can be reconstructed and brought back to life so that you can access it. Although most crashes are due to the PC failing or a virus, there are some instances that are due to hardware failure, such as the actuator arm or platters not working properly. You won�t be able to use the hard drive if this happens, although hard drive recovery can fix the problem.
No matter what type of problem you are experiencing with your hard drive, recovery can normally fix the problem. Whether it is hardware malfunction, crash, computer virus, or accidental deletion, you can normally almost always retrieve your files. Keep in mind that you�ll normally have to take your hard drive to a specialist, either locally or by mailing it to them. Computer technicians that are experienced with data recovery can bring back your files and make your hard drive appear to be new again. This way - the loss of data won�t slow down your performance.
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For more information on data recovery see the computer section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service at: http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
Of Course You Can Develop Products
Of Course You Can Develop Products
by Pat Wiklund
Virtually every One-Person Business owner I've worked with has both products and services. Some of them just don't realize what they have. Don't let thinking you only provide service, don't have products, or don't know how to get started, slow you down. Time to learn from OPE (other people's experiences).
Look at what your competitors and colleagues offer in addition to their standard/professional services. What do they offer on their web sites? What have they published? What complimentary materials do they offer clients and potential clients?
One client of mine was surprised to realize that one of the services she bundled into her consulting--documenting how and what she had been doing for the client, her processes and procedures--was as valued by her clients as her consulting services. She hadn't mentioned the documentation in her sales pitch, just added it to the deliverables at the end of the project. She didn't realize she could charge more because she was providing more service.
Develop products that sing to you. I love to write special reports, five - eight page expositions of a single topic or addressing a specific issue or question. Usually these come from issues or discussions that arise when working with my clients. As I puzzle out the answers, it becomes clear how helpful the information could be for others.
One colleague hates to write, but put her in front of a video camera and she comes alive! Most of her products are video based, not written. Another prefers to service her client base with teleseminars. All her products are recorded live with existing clients, and then bundled with excellent workbooks, real-time videos demonstrating step-by-step directions, and follow-up autoresponder series adding value and easily implemented next steps.
Develop products and services that fit your life and lifestyle. One seasoned professional loves nothing better than going to another part of the country, preferably for a long-term consulting assignment. She enjoys getting to know new people, places, and local highlights. Me? After doing that for more than thirty years, I'm ready to stay home with my cats, garden, and family, working more on the phone and the Internet.
Of course, your products have to fit your clients. If you are targeting high-end executive coaching, your most effective piece just might be a four-color, printed white paper, rather than a downloadable special report. Both the format and design of your products, and the fees you charge, should reflect market prices, and your marketing collateral and web site be congruent with your executive look.
If you're working with start-ups, you'll need a more aggressive look. With governments, stability and seriousness. With co-operative nursery schools, a playful, fun look might be more appropriate.
Whatever your business, your life style, or your client base, start developing the right product mix to leverage your impact on your clients and your bottom line.
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Discounters Vs. Full Fee Vs. Flexible Fee Real Estate Agents
Discounters Vs. Full Fee Vs. Flexible Fee Real Estate Agents
by Robert Earl The Earl of Real Estate
Have you ever take the time to ask what is the true motivation of the Agent that you select to sell your home?
When it comes time to select a real estate agent to sell your home, you probably have 3 choices when it comes to the type of real estate agent you select based upon the Fee Structure that they use and the resulting motivation that this may or may not cause the agent to have. These 3 categories are a "full fee" structure, a "discounter fee" structure and a blend called a "flexible fee" structure.
The distinction between the different categories can be drawn in two main areas. 1.) How the Deal Comes Together & 2.) Who Finds the Buyer
A "discounter fee" structure real estate agent goes into the transaction with a fee that is significantly reduced for the amount charged by the full fee agent. This is based upon a business model that limits the scope of services that are going to be performed during the course of the transaction. In the end, this approach also will pay out more money to the party that is trying to negotiate against you, the buyers agent. Consider that the Discount Agent may be looking to "Double End" the transaction because there is more money available to the Buyers Agent as compared to the Sellers Agent. To me, this sounds like a conflict of interest, but that may just be me.
A "full fee" structure agent structures the commission charges that no matter how the deal comes together and with no concern as to which agent actually ends up working with the buyer of the property. Consider the following, there is little motivation for a "Full Fee" agent to market the property out to the buyer agent community because the Full Fee Agent may be looking to represent both the buyer of the property and you the seller of the property at the same time. This would influence what marketing avenues and vehicles that an agent would be looking to use.
A flexible fee - choose your own commission (http://www.theearlofrealestate.net/selling_flexible_real_estate_fee.aspx) structure agent will charge a flexible amount dependent upon the way inwhich the sale comes together. If the listing agent is able to attract the buyer directly then they get a minimal increase in the overall compensation, sometimes ranging up to 1% in addition to the amount being charged for listing the property. This is a far cry from the amount charged by the Full Fee agent that double ends the property and thus doubles the commission. This is also a lower amount than the Discounter charges for double ending the property from the base 1% commission to a 300% increase for working with the buyer and seller.
Keep in mind that all of this is controlled and regulated by your own areas laws on agency and whether or not an agent can truly represent both parties to a transaction under a dual or designated representation agreement. Check to see what applies in your particular area.
Bottom Line, As with anything, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Make sure that you select an agent and a structure when selling your home in Northern Virginia (http://www.theearlofrealestate.net/Selling.aspx) that provides you with the level of comfort that the agent is truly motivated to get your home sold and that you will be getting value for your commission dollars.
About The Author
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Recovery For Your Hard Drive
Recovery For Your Hard Drive
by John Ugoshowa
These days, computers have become a must have for nearly everyone. Even though they are great to have around and make our lives easier, they are also known to crash as well. With computers being electronic, there really is no way to make them fool proof. The hard drives that hold all of the information have mechanical parts, which means that they can crash at any given time - resulting in a loss of information, and maybe even a ruined hard drive.
In general, hard drive recovery is the process you use to restore a hard drive that has crashed, been a victim of a virus, or possibly tampered with. Keep in mind that recovery isn�t just limited to restoring everything on the hard drive, but it is also useful for finding lost files, fixing corrupt hard drives, and even locating data that you may have deleted by accident.
For many years, hard drive recovery has helped those with bad hard drives or lost information to retrieve their data. What many people aren�t aware of, in the event of data that has been deleted by accident, is the fact that some data will remain on your computer even after you may have removed it from the recycle bin. Windows doesn�t always delete files completely, but more or less puts them to the side until it has the necessary data to overwrite the files.
If data was indeed gone forever, then it wouldn�t be possible to recover. Most files, even after your hard drive crashes and the data appears to be gone, are still there on your hard drive. All it takes is someone experienced with data recovery to retrieve the information. Although data recovery is an exceptional way to retrieve lost data, there is also a downside to using it as well.
The real downside to data recovery is the fact that most information can be retrieved. If you have data on your hard drive that you don�t want anyone to view, deleting it from your hard drive doesn�t always get rid of it completely. Hackers can easily retrieve the data as well, if they are experienced enough. For this very reason, computer experts and avid computer geeks will tell you that erasing a file doesn�t always remove it from your hard drive.
The way that hard drive recovery works is by reconstructing the lost data on your hard drive. It doesn�t matter if your files were deleted by accident or the result of a crash, most data can be reconstructed and brought back to life so that you can access it. Although most crashes are due to the PC failing or a virus, there are some instances that are due to hardware failure, such as the actuator arm or platters not working properly. You won�t be able to use the hard drive if this happens, although hard drive recovery can fix the problem.
No matter what type of problem you are experiencing with your hard drive, recovery can normally fix the problem. Whether it is hardware malfunction, crash, computer virus, or accidental deletion, you can normally almost always retrieve your files. Keep in mind that you�ll normally have to take your hard drive to a specialist, either locally or by mailing it to them. Computer technicians that are experienced with data recovery can bring back your files and make your hard drive appear to be new again. This way - the loss of data won�t slow down your performance.
About The Author
For more information on data recovery see the computer section of Quickregister.net Free Search Engine Submission Service at: http://www.quickregister.net/partners/
Low Rate Unsecured Loan�Cheap, Cheaper, and Relatively Cheapest
Low Rate Unsecured Loan�Cheap, Cheaper, and Relatively Cheapest
by Simon Peyton
Nobody wishes to hamper anything valuable in lieu to availing a loan. It can prove to be deadly at times, if it goes into wrong hands. No matter, there are men and men but every stone is not a gem. Lenders offer various loans, but these loans sometimes cost a bit more- a bit more due to not arranging collateral at the time of security procedure. Taking stock of the situation, the lending authority has provisioned various lenders with the offer of low cost unsecured loan. This loan contains no collateral placing at all, but loan package contains a sum of �25, 000 at it best.
For, many lenders have decided to offer low cost unsecured loan on their respective sites. Since online method not only provides a prior knowledge about this low rate unsecured loan in advance, but also gives many other lending options too. More so, on comparing various loans with low cost unsecured loan, an individual can easily understand the fluctuation in the money market online regarding this loan.
However, non-placing under this loan automatically increases the cost of this loan, in order to qualifying the insurance of the low cost unsecured loan, borrowers fix a shorter repayment period. This repayment period ranges in between 5-10 years. Owing to the presence of too many lenders gives out competitive environment in the money market. With this strong competition amongst lenders, borrowers get good chances of getting a comparative low rate unsecured loan deal.
No matter of individuals credit history i.e., CCJs, IVAs, bankrupts, arrears, and defaulters too can avail the facility of the low rate unsecured loan without any financial distinction. More so, no need of collateral placing arouses the financial greed of individuals having in tenancy and non-homeowners too.
Increasing demand of the low cost unsecured loan has started ripening the money market with its provisions and facilities. And above all, the cost effective rates that has so well designed to assist individuals as that may financial feasible to the borrowers.
About The Author
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Your Greatest Asset
Your Greatest Asset
by Joe Heller
Your greatest asset is your own customer list. These people have already purchased something from you in the past. If you've delivered as satisfactory product, they are very likely to buy from you again.
The easiest sale you'll ever make is to an already established customer of yours. They already trust you. They feel comfortable in dealing with you. You've delivered what you said you would so a certain degree of trust has already been established. Your customers are probably quite confident that you wouldn't sell them something that wasn't in their best interest.
The high road to increased profits always takes the route of established customers. There's always an expense associated with finding a new customer. Regardless of the marketing method used there's always an investment required in establishing a customer whether in terms of real dollars or human capital. Once you have a customer, any subsequent sale is made without the cost of locating that customer. The cost or finding a new customer is proportionally much higher than the cost of retaining an existing customer.
Keys To Success
The secret of capitalizing on your customer base is to continually feed them with new products and services you know they'll want. This is no time to diversify into completely new areas. Everything that you make available to your customer list must be compatible with what made those people customers to begin with.
Whatever subsequent products and services you offer must be related in some way. Think of your customers as belonging to a specific group. They're gardeners or small business owners or health enthusiasts. Whatever you offer must fit that product niche.
Always be on the lookout for new things you think your customers would gladly pay for. And give customers first crack at any of these new products and services. If you can offer a discount, that's even better. By letting them in on new products and services, you're giving them priority customer status, an added value of doing business with your firm.
Be careful not to overdo it. You don't want to annoy anyone, least of all your customers. Allow enough time and space between customer contacts. How much time you allow between mailings or calls depends on the nature of your business.
Examples
When a clothing store receives a shipment of new designs, they should first notify all previous customers who've purchased in the same price range. All the store has to do is contact these customers by phone or by mailing invitations to a special event where this new line is unveiled. Suggest to customers how additional new outfits can be created by mixing and matching and you've provided an extra service that will help retain customers.
This approach would seem natural for a wholesaler who relies on distributors or retailers to act as re-sellers. By showing your new merchandise and suggesting ways to move more of it, you're providing a valuable service while keeping in touch with your customers.
A self-published author of book on camping tips, should come up with natural additions to his product line to sell to buyers of his book. Things like maps of parks, local facilities, lists of "must-see sites" or specialty camping equipment, could all be add-ons made available to the author's buyers.
One final note; in order to start making more sales and build your business empire � you must become an avid student of lead generation and marketing strategy � the high-payoff items necessary for you to magnetically attact new clients to skyrocket your profits.
Copyright (c) 2007 Joe Heller
About The Author
Trust Cycle Selling
713.927.4494 :: 1.888.543.5537
Joe.Heller [AT] TrustCycleSelling.com
http://www.TrustCycleSelling.com
Friday, January 18, 2008
Human Holon Communications within a High-Mix, Low-Volume Holonic Manufacturing System
Human Holon Communications within a High-Mix, Low-Volume Holonic Manufacturing System
by Michael Mahoney
Organizational communication is fundamental to high-mix manufacturing success. At the human holon level, communications are typically of the form: request, reply and inform. To have dialog amongst collaborative holons, human-system interfaces are required. Interface applications within a cooperative holonic domain are relatively simple, and decision support criteria will look like it comes from a single application.
Cooperative domains are highly distributed, autonomous and cooperative. An example of a strong heterarchy is real-time Internet chat amongst engineers. Heterarchical control is most effectively initiated by a triggering mechanism, e.g., machine breakdown, stockout, etc. for a manufacturing production environment. All users see the same state �real time.� Triggering is initiated after a disturbance or disruption occurs and the response strategy is communication to the entity(ies) capable of mitigating the problem quickly. Decision support would be provided to the holon responding. Decision support is comprised of heuristics to aid in the decision-taking process � a pseudo expert system. The critical importance of mobilizing heterarchy cannot be overstated. To ensure efficiency is maintained, heterarchy increasingly trumps hierarchy as complexity and rate of change increase.
The power of heterarchy can be analogized to the behaviors of the ant kingdom. Simple creatures following simple rules, each one acting on local information. This heterarchical behavior forms the foundation of what is called swarm intelligence, i.e., decentralized self-organizing systems. No centralized control structure dictates how individual holons should behave. The collective behaviors of holons interacting locally cause coherent global benefits to emerge. The triggers and response tactics incorporated act to preserve advice given globally; for example, a production plan.
Consider a situation where a disturbance occurs at a process step. This trigger will cause the local holon experiencing the disruption to inform the production manager holon. The production manager holon will ask for a time estimate to recover from the disruption. If production was suspended, the local holon would have triggered the engineering holon as well as the production manager holon that production was suspended. If the due date cannot be met, the production manager holon will contact customer order service and customer order service may relax the due date or contact the customer directly. The production manager holon may minimally modify the current schedule to minimize the disturbance�s impact on orders in queue yet to be produced.
The rules-of-the-game are embedded in canons which are comprised of heuristics. Canons contain expert advice that facilitates some of the following characteristics for the holons with which they are associated; self organization, system optimization, cooperation, intelligence, forecasting and even considerateness.
Although there is a plethora of information available about automation exhibiting holonic behavior and test cases abound, this is is not a necessary requirement.
R. Michael Mahoney
About The Author
Factors To Think About When Choosing A Broadband Internet Service
Factors To Think About When Choosing A Broadband Internet Service
by Cindy Heller
Undoubtedly, broadband is the future of internet, but there are other ways of getting onto the internet. If speed isn't something that you need to have, you may want to look for a company that offers dial up service. It is much slower than the broadband but it can be much cheaper. It isn't good enough if you need to download large files or watch videos, but if you just need to write email or get information from the internet, it can work just fine. Broadband internet providers, especially some of the smaller ones will more often than not offer dial up as well. The idea is that you don't have to pay for a service that you don't need. As a person deciding on a service provider, consider what the service will be used for and then make a decision to use broadband or dial up services.
However, if you decide to change from dial-up to broadband internet either because of business needs or for faster surfing speed at home. By and large, broadband internet refers to permanent connection at 256 Kbps or any transmission that is higher than that.
There are two significant benefits that a broadband internet can offer you. You are automatically connected to the internet by once you turn on your computer. Broadband providers usually offer unlimited surfing package, which means you can surf as long as you want for one flat price.
Hundreds of service providers offer broadband internet promising clients of "super fast" access to the internet. This can be misleading because some service providers do not meet these promises. That's why it is imperative to consider a few things before getting a package for your broadband connection.
How Broadband Speed Affects Your Internet Experience
When you acquire a broadband service, one of the things you often need to think about is the speed of broadband service being offered to you. Although your broadband provider may attempt to make it appear as if it's vital to have the fastest speed, you need to think about your needs for what you want to do with your Internet connection. Understanding your personal needs in broadband speeds will prevent you from buying too much or too little. Certainly, what most savings-minded people are interested in knowing is when broadband speed enters the realm of being too much. Generally speaking, if you're simply browsing the Internet, then you will enjoy the speed of broadband, but don't need to purchase the fastest connection possible. Most text-based documents such as e-mail, news sites, and similar sites, simply don't need connections that are superbly fast.
If you begin doing other activities, such as downloading music and watching online videos, then you might want to get something slightly faster than the basic broadband speed. Remember, a little goes a long way. But generally speaking, the amount of data any single web page will transfer information to you at will be at a slower speed than your broadband connection, so there's potential for wasted bandwidth.
In some situations, you may realize that you don't have enough broadband speed to support your activity. However, these are the extreme cases. If you have many Internet users who like to use the Internet at the same time, such as having high school students who regularly enjoy playing video games over the Internet, you will absolutely desire a faster connection. If you make many peer-to-peer downloads, download a lot of videos and music, or browse numerous pages at one time, you also may need a faster connection.
Last but not least, another thing to think about when deciding on what bandwidth speed is your upload speed. This will have an effect on any data you send out to the Internet, including sending e-mail, transferring files to remote servers, and hosting web pages. Generally speaking, if you plan to run your own website, get broadband with fast speeds for uploads. Or, better yet, have a remote hosting company host your website at fast speeds without increasing the price for your home connection. On the whole, for both uploads and downloads, you should cautiously assess how heavily you intend to use the Internet and purchase accordingly, and you'll end up getting what's just right for you.
About The Author
Protecting Your Computer and Network
Protecting Your Computer and Network
by Aaron Weston
According to the latest research, Microsoft has found that cyber threats are getting more complex and advanced as "hackers" mature. How do you protect yourself against these threats? It's actually easier and cheaper then you think, and the payoff is high. In this article we'll address these challenges.
1. Get an antivirus program. Some worms, such as MyDoom, are capable of bringing entire networks to their knees. Some threats collect your personal information, such as passwords, and transmit them to a remote location. The cost associated with these threats is very high. To address these issues, several companies have released protections that are free for home use. Choose your program carefully as some promise the world, or have a reputation, but don't live up to the hype.
One unbiased test (http://www.techdo.com/?p=62) rated the top 20 virus programs against 175,000 virus definitions. The results may surprise you. Norton from Symantec, often perceived to be the best and requiring an annual fee for updates, is actually at the bottom of the list along with McAfee, easily surpassed by free offerings such as AVG, Avast! and AOL Active Virus Shield, using the top rated Kaspersky engine. In another test (http://www.thepcspy.com/articles/other/what_really_slows_windows_down/5), Norton takes three of the top six spots for programs that consume the most system resources. As you can see, you don't always get what you pay for and you may be leaving your system vulnerable.
At Northern Protocol Inc. we recommend AOL Active Virus Shield for Windows XP home use. Updates are free, response times are faster than Norton or McAfee, and it offers more comprehensive protection against threats. AVTest.org monitors response times of various vendors, and has found that Norton and McAfee are at the bottom of the list for releasing definitions. Your antivirus is only as good as it's definitions, and a slower response time and less effective detection increases the window for possible infection.
2. Get an anti-spyware program. Spyware threats are getting more complex. As browsers improve their security features, devious "script kiddies" have changed their tactics, now using Javascript to install threats, affecting any browser that has it enabled. So-called "free" software, such as screensavers, wallpapers and "smilies", to name a few, install spyware without your knowledge, burying the "agreement" in a lengthy license agreement that no-one ever reads before they click "accept". Some devious websites ask you to install "download managers" to access their files, which often have spyware (so-called "sponsor" software) embedded. Pay close attention to any installer that asks you to install "sponsor" software. Many antispyware programs and security suites are actually frauds, and often install spyware themselves. You can find a complete list at http://spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm.
There are several good programs out there, but the one we at Northern Protocol Inc. recommend the most is Prevx2.0. It requires a small annual fee to maintain the active protection component, but we find it extremely effective. Another good protection suite is AVG Anti-Malware which also requires a modest annual fee. Windows Defender is a good free alternative for users of genuine Windows products.
3. Install a firewall. Firewalls block intrusions from the outside, hiding your computer from the internet so that "hackers" don't know it's there. They can also block communications coming from within your network. Again, there are a lot of misconceptions in this realm. Norton and McAfee, while having a reputation, are actually sluggish and poor performers according to this review at http://www.informationweek.com/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192201247&subSection=Security+Reviews. ZoneAlarm, while popular, is buggy and has hang ups of it's own, one being far too demanding of user involvement. One review (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1969207,00.asp), conducted by PC Magazine, rates Comodo Personal Firewall, a free firewall, as one of the best in it's class and is our recommendation as well.
A more effective solution, but more complex in installation, is to install an older computer as a firewall, running Smoothwall from http://www.smoothwall.org/. This solution is highly effective, inexpensive, and the one we use to protect our network.
4. Buy a router. Routers are inexpensive and in many cases offer built in firewalls that work in conjunction with the "NAT" firewall that is standard on all routers. What this does is take your IP address from the internet and translates it into internal addresses for your computer(s). This adds an extra layer of protection for your computer or network, putting one more obstacle in the way of any potential intruder. Northern Protocol Inc. recommends the use of Linksys or D-Link WBR or DIR series routers for the best performance.
5. Set the wireless security on your router. All too often people leave their wireless settings at default, leaving their networks wide open to attack. Log on to your router's control panel from any browser (192.168.1.1 for Linksys and 192.168.0.1 for D-Link) and set your wireless security settings.
First, change the password for the logon. Use a combination of upper and lower case letters and numbers, then test your password at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx for strength.
Second, enable encryption. In order, the preferred methods of encryption in terms of strength are WPA2, WPA and lastly WEP 128 bit. Some older network cards don't support WPA or WPA2, so either replace the card (recommended) or use WEP 128 bit. Create a key using the same guidelines as your administrator password, but make sure it's different.
Third, change the SSID (this is the name the router broadcasts to inquiring wireless devices). Ensure that it does not identify the make or model of your router and that it is not personally identifiable. It is preferable to disable broadcast altogether if you can remember the name and manually enter it into each computer's wireless configuration.
Fourth, if no other computers need to log on but your own, enable the MAC ID filter and enter in the MAC ID to each of your devices. This is a very effective solution, preventing all but your own devices from being able to log on to your router and obtain an address, even if they can figure out or already know the key. Each MAC ID is unique to every network device on the internet and thus no two devices have the same ID.
6. Update to the latest version of your browser. We recommend the use of either Opera or Internet Explorer 7, or both. These programs ensure that you have the latest security protections for your browsing experience, employing advanced techniques to prevent automatic installations of scripts, "phishing" scams, etc.
7. Update your operating system and software to the latest versions. As new threats and security flaws surface, Microsoft scrambles to get new fixes into the hands of it's users, and once a month releases a Malicious Software Removal Tool. Ensure that you have a genuine version of Windows, with Service Pack 2 installed for Windows XP, to be eligible for all the latest software updates. Research is showing that as operating systems become more secure, hackers are looking for alternative "attack vectors", or other software on your computer, as a means of attacking your system's security. Cover all your bases. Make sure that "Automatic Updates" are enabled on your machine(s).
8. Make regular backups. As backup solutions continually drop in price, there are no valid reasons to not perform regular backups. DVD burners, such as Pioneer and LG, are very inexpensive and reliable and can fit a large volume of data on a single CD or DVD. USB memory keys are also inexpensive, as are external hard drives. One folder that is very important to back up is your My Documents folder. Keep your backups away from the computer and in a safe place. Photographs can often never be replaced, so always keep current backups on hand.
Is your system infected? Do you need help employing any of the measures mentioned in this article? Call us at 705.812.2236. We remove the infections and protect you against future infections, without loss of data.
Learn more about security threats at http://www.npinc.ca/virus.htm.
About The Author
This article is © 2007 Aaron Weston and may only be reproduced in it's entirety, without modification, with all links, bio and this text included.
Why Life Insurance?
Why Life Insurance?
by Graeme Nicholson
The insurance industry is booming, providing an essential lifeline for the unexpected events in life. Whether its car insurance, home insurance, pet insurance or even life insurance, the insurance industry is there to protect us against the unexpected, and to financially assist in covering the losses arising from these events. It may be easy to understand the concept behind various types of insurance, but one which often causes confusion as to its purpose and function is life insurance. Furthermore is life insurance a worthwhile topic for consideration, and should we be looking to insure our own lives for the benefit of our families?
Insurance, by nature, is designed to provide financial security in the event of some mishap or unexpected event that leads to unexpected losses or expense. Naturally, incidents like car accidents, house fires, vet bills � they all lead to great financial loss which ultimately can break the bank for many families living on the edge of their means with a finely balance budget. But what about death? Aside from the funeral expenses of the deceased, insurance can also cover the loss of earnings which would otherwise contribute to the family funding. Suppose the main household earner dies prematurely. This could leave the family in need of childcare expenses whilst the surviving parent is required to work double the number of hours in order to make ends meet. Especially during such a difficult time as bereavement, financial worries can cause undue stress and suffering, and can have a drastic impact on the family situation.
That's where life insurance comes in. Paying into a life insurance policy will mean that should you die suddenly and unexpectedly, your family will have the financial means to cope with their loss, whilst being able to maintain their current financial commitments until they can plan for the future. The benefit of a life insurance policy is peace of mind; the knowledge that your loved ones will be cared for after your death is something which many find reassuring, particularly in households where there is one major breadwinner. Additionally, life insurance policies can be designed to cover the immediate expenses of death, like funeral expenses which can often run into the thousands. By providing a lump sum payment on death, a life insurance policy can ensure your friends and family aren't overly financially burdened on top of the emotional burden of losing a loved one.
Life insurance can often be a tricky area to deal with, and many people find the motivations behind it somewhat morbid. They can often find the concept hard to grasp, and beyond funeral expenses the financial loss of a loved one can be difficult to quantify. However, particularly where there are a number of financial dependents in the household, it can be a great idea to ensure adequate coverage after death, so you can know that whatever happens, your family will be able to financially cope without your earning capacity, and your household won't crumble without your financial input.
About The Author
Gourmet Desserts for Dinner Parties
Gourmet Desserts for Dinner Parties
by Alison Linderson
Whether at holiday get-togethers, formal office parties, or birthday bashes, the savvy host knows that even the most elaborate meal is not complete without the final touch of a scrumptious dessert. These days, the simple desserts of the past have given way to far more intricate and often exotic gourmet desserts.
Despite their names, gourmet desserts can be quite simple to make. Crunchy, creamy, chocolaty or fruity, these desserts can turn every dining occasion into an exceptional experience. Tantalizing and attractive desserts can provide that special touch to a dinner table, and they add a singularly distinctive finish to elegant meals.
While some gourmet desserts can be created in a jiffy, others can be quite elaborate - but all of them usually have subtle flavors and are designed to indulge people's sweet tooth.
Various Kinds of Desserts
Derived from the French word 'desservir', the term dessert means 'to clear the table'. While in the United States, Australia, Canada and France that final sweet course of a meal is known as 'dessert', in Ireland and the U.K., it is referred to as pudding, sweet, or afters. Depending on the method of preparation and the ingredients used, there are many types of desserts.
Cakes
Cakes as dessert are the mainstays of most celebratory occasions like anniversaries, birthdays and weddings. In many cultures, cutting a wedding or birthday cake forms an integral part of the ceremony. There are innumerable cake recipes, some of them dating back centuries. While some are elaborate and rich, others can be almost bland, like bread.
Even the rookies can bake a cake these days because much of the complication has been simplified; directions have become easier and utensils more specialized. However, an elaborate cake is still a lot of work and takes skill that only a professional would have.
Sharing cakes used to be a part of Confarreatio, a very old marriage ceremony of the Romans. Different kinds of cakes are associated with various festivals, such as Stollen (during Christmas), or Simnel and Babka during Easter. Cakes are usually enhanced by being covered with frosting or icing, and other toppings like sprinkles. There are lots of different types of cakes, from chocolate cakes and cheesecakes to sponge cakes and pound cakes.
The Internet is a good source for all kinds of cake and gourmet dessert recipes.
Crisp
Having its origins in Britain, this is basically fresh fruit with a crumbly pastry topping. It is baked until the topping becomes crispy and brown. It is perfect with ice cream, cream or custard. You can sprinkle some brown sugar on the topping, so that it caramelizes on baking, which gives it a distinctive flavor. This is called 'crumble in Britain.
Tarts and Pies
A base made of pastry with various kinds of filling like custards, chocolate, creams, cheeses, fruit or nuts, is called a pie or a tart. These desserts can be either chilled or baked. Tarts are open on top, while pies are covered with a topping of pastry. Tarts are also smaller sized.
Fruits
In these health conscious days, fruits can be used to make delicious gourmet desserts, such as lemon bars. You can top them with syrups, yogurt, honey or fresh cream. Canned fruits can also be used.
Most cultures of the world have their own traditional desserts as a finale to a meal, especially if it is a special occasion. Sometimes desserts are also consumed on their own, as a snack.
Gourmet deserts do take time to make - and until now it used be nearly impossible to find rich gourmet desserts good enough to please the discerning palate. Today, busy hosts can wow their guests with ready-made, delicious gourmet desserts from online bakeries. Your guests will never know the difference. We promise!
About The Author
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Cafeteria Benefit Plans and Your Workforce
Cafeteria Benefit Plans and Your Workforce
by Scott Turner
Especially if you happen to be one of those unflinchingly ambitious micro-business entrepreneurs, I've been reading about everyday in pubs like Crain's Chicago Business, you'll eventually find that designing and offering up an attractive employee-benefits package will be an essential component of your future growth. An attractive health plan will do just that - attract - helping you recruit and retain crucial employees (meaning those fought over creative class/knowledge worker types Richard Florida is always yammering about). You'll also find that a generous group plan will help link your employees' interests to your concern's.
That said, there are a seemingly unlimited number of group benefits options to consider. One that you'll want to move to the top of your list is a Cafeteria Plan. The cafeteria brand of benefit plan can add a lot freedom to a employee compensation package, allowing your workforce to choose benefits options ala carte, if you will - selecting only the benefit options they're most interested in.
Perhaps I should start closer to the beginning � cafeteria plans, also known as the flexible spending account, the choice spending account or the section 125 plan, have become increasingly popular over the last few years because they're designed to offer employees a truly convenient way to pay medical expenses with pre-tax dollars; relieving them of the burden of federal, and state taxes.
To take advantage of a flexible spending account, eligible employees set aside a pre-designated amount each year, in order to pay for medical expenses aren't already eligible for coverage. The two most common types of flexible-spending accounts are dependent care reimbursement (also known as DCRAs) and health care reimbursement accounts. Employees pay for non-reimbursed expenses from these accounts. Unfortunately, flexible-spending accounts are "use-it-or-lose-it" accounts; meaning that any funds leftover at the end of the year can't be "rolled over," so to speak.
Exceptions To Those Limits Apply to Key Employees
Typically, funds set aside in a cafeteria plan's flexible-spending account are exempt from income, payroll, and unemployment taxes. This exemption generally also applies to payroll and unemployment taxes paid on behalf of employees. (Take a look at IRS Pub. 15-B for exceptions, including treatment of highly compensated employees and certain shareholders of Subchapter S Corporation's.)
Premiums paid to a group life benefits policy are typically exempt from income and unemployment taxes. In addition, premiums paid for up to $50,000.00 of benefits coverage per employee tend to be exempt from payroll taxes. For additional details, see IRS Publication 15-B.
You see, cafeteria plans offer you some versatility in putting together a benefits plan for your workforce. There are other categories of fringe benefits that you can offer your employees in a cafeteria plan that may be excluded from taxable income under IRS benefit-exclusion rules. Using a flexible-spending account -- namely, establishing a DCRA and HCRA -- may help to jump-start a cafeteria plan for your workforce. If you maintain a cafeteria plan, the IRS requires you to complete IRS Form 5500.
To help you keep track of employment-related costs, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a quarterly statistic called the employment cost index. The cost index measures changes in employee-compensation costs, which include salaries, wages, and benefits. In addition to publishing the quarterly cost index, BLS publishes an annual survey of compensation costs.
One last thing � the information above is practically for entertainment purposes and shouldn't be interpreted as financial advice. For advice specific to your firm's circumstances, don't hesitate get advice from a financial, tax or benefits consultant. You may even want to flat out hire an Interim benefits consultant or a full service benefits consulting firm. There are also a number of good sources of information on the Web you can take advantage of. The Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI), International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), and American Benefits Council are independent sources of truly "actionable" employee-benefit plan information.
About The Author
From the moment I joined the consulting team at cavalryHR (an interim staffing and recruiting firm based in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Boca Raton) I've been focused on offering businesses the tools to attract and retain a dynamic and talented workforce.
If your firm needs "the right experience at the right time," just give me a call during the day at cavalryHR's office: 312-251-9664, or just shoot me an email anytime via: http://www.cavalryhr.com
I Love Italian Wine and Food - Tasting a Noble Sicilian Wine
I Love Italian Wine and Food - Tasting a Noble Sicilian Wine
by Levi Reiss
Once again, we are breaking into the series tasting wines from each of Italy�s twenty wine regions. This article examines a noble red wine from the island of Sicily in southern Italy. It is very far from a bargain wine. We were about a dozen to taste it. I�ll be presenting my opinions and those of others.
So far, the wines that I purchased for this series have cost a maximum of about $20. I thought that I should try one at about double the price. I felt that by going to a relatively unknown region such as Sicily I might get a bargain. A lot of wines from the Tuscany or Piedmont regions of Italy cost $40 or much, much more. Such is not the case for Sicily.
Italy�s top of the line wine designation is DOCG, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita (Denomination of Controlled, Guaranteed Origin.) There are no DOCG wines in Sicily. But the formal designation is not very important, many Super Tuscans costing at least twice my budget carry �inferior� designations. The wine I chose carries the Contea di Sclafania DOC designation, having been promoted from the Sicilia IGT designation. The wine reviewed here is produced by the same company as the white Sicilian wine reviewed in my article I Love Italian Wine and Food � The Sicily Region. This was no accident. First I bought the relatively expensive red. Then I bought the white wine for about one third the price. This white wine carries the Sicilia IGT designation, but I found it to be pretty good. Let�s take a look at its much more expensive red cousin.
Wine Reviewed
Tasca d�Almerita Regaleali �Rosso del Conte� Contea di Sclafania DOC 2002 15% alcohol about $38
About 35 years ago, Count Tasca d�Almerita decided to make a flagship Sicilian red wine from two local grapes, Nero d�avola and Perricone. Nero d�avola is a thin-skinned grape that ripens extremely late, perhaps three weeks after Cabernet Sauvignon. Consequently this variety is virtually limited to Sicily. Some think that it is a relative of Syrah. Nero d�avola wines are usually dark and tarry, with lots of black fruit aroma and taste. They are rich and well structured, with firm and silky tannins. Many of the grapes in this bottle came from vines over forty years old. The plants are grown as shrubs, a somewhat unusual practice. This wine was aged for twelve months in French oak barrels, about 60% of which are new. It can be cellared for years. I only wish that I could taste a ten or twenty year old Rosso del Conte.
I�ll spare you the marketing materials and reviews that tend to be very laudatory. Here are the comments from my tasting group.
A bit of black fruit. Highly oaked. Toasted grains, toast, grilled barley. Nervous and wild. Garriga (a mixture of spices found in areas near the Mediterranean Sea). Leather, dried meat, musk, and underbrush. A strong presence. Acidic and tannic, but not very long. Moderately long, fairly tannic. Round. More fruit than oak.
When asked to guess the price, the general consensus was considerably lower than what I actually paid. It�s fair to assume that most of these people would not purchase this wine, even if they do buy wines in this price range. On the other hand, it�s not hard to find reviews on the Internet that draw the opposite conclusion. In fact, every review that I read was more laudatory than my tasting group was. And my thoughts?
Personally, I would rather drink wine with food than without food. There were only a few sips left in the bottle but I was able to squeeze out two pairings. First I tried slow-cooked beef ribs with potatoes and a side of green beans in tomato sauce. This wine was the essence of mouth-filling, a tiny sip enveloped my mouth with pleasure. The wine�s acidity and tannins handled the meat�s fat. If only I had more.
Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep�s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. The Rosso del Conte�s richness and complexity was quite noticeable in the presence of this cheese. I am glad that I didn�t waste the last precious sips of this wine on a weak cheese.
Final verdict. It�ll probably be quite some time before I buy another bottle of Rosso del Conte. I do think that it�s worth the price, but I can�t say that I got a $100 wine for less than $40. Have you ever done so?
About The Author
VPN Explained - The Basics Of VPN Simplified
VPN Explained - The Basics Of VPN Simplified
by Van Theodorou
The question of exactly how to explain or define a VPN is one that is often up for discussion amongst today's network consumers and communications providers. If we look at the literal definition of the words virtual private network, it can help to understand what is, and what is not, a VPN .
Using Webster's dictionary definitions of the component words, a VPN should have the following attributes:
Virtual - defined as "being such practically or in effect, although not in actual fact or name." Therefore, the first part of the answer to our question "what is a VPN" is that it is something that acts like a hard-wired network, but is actually not.
Private - defined as "of, belonging to, or concerning a particular person or group; not common or general." So, a VPN should be one where the consumer has exclusive use of the network links. (Note, this is different from a Secure Network, which may be a private or public network.)
Network - defined as "a system of computers interconnected by telephone wires or other means in order to share information." This is the goal of a VPN or any other type of network.
VPN explained in this manner is a network technology which gives the owner the ability to share information with others on the network by means of a private, exclusive link that is created by a method other than hard-wires or leased lines; usually via the internet. Before the internet, computers in different offices, cities or even countries could only talk to each other like people could - through telephone wires. As the needs for this type of communication grew, telephone lines became replaced by higher volume wires, like T3 circuits, but the concept was the same. For computer A to talk to computer B, there had to be a physical wire connection. For security reasons, you would want to make sure that only your 2 computers used that line, so you would contract with a vendor to "lease" that circuit. However, this type of network was expensive and difficult to expand, not to mention difficult for the client to have control over.
With the advent of the internet, connections no longer needed to be physical. As long as each computer has access to the internet, information can be shared using local ISP circuits, across the internet, and to the recipient in much the same way that it was when the computers were physically connected. This is why the way VPN works is considered a "virtual" network; the entire connection is not hard-wired.
The aspects of VPN explained in this article so far have not yet discussed an ever present concern in today's world - security. In an old WAN arrangement, the security of data transmission could rely entirely on the provider's guarantees. Today, however, a VPN keeps information private by means of encryption on both the sending and receiving end. There are a variety of encryption protocols, depending on what a company's needs are, who they need to communicate with (and therefore be compatible with), etc. The data is not only encrypted, but it is encapsulated, meaning it is sent in its own private "tunnel" or connection across the internet. No one can see the data, and even if they could, they can't decipher or change it. In this way, information can be sent across the internet without being susceptible to interception or corruption by those who are outside of the VPN.
In order to create a virtual private network, you would need to decide who needs to share information, in what directions, and how often. Next you would need to prepare a listing of the hardware and software systems you are currently using at each location. You might very well need to make changes so that the computers can talk to each other easily. You'll also want to consider just how important it is that your data remains secure, as this will have an impact on what type of protocol you select. Preparing this information will have you educated for the discussions you will need to have with potential vendors.
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Cookware: The Perfect Food Preparation Family Reunion
Cookware: The Perfect Food Preparation Family Reunion
by James Brown
One of the most embarrassing situations is having a family reunion with over 200 people and the food is awful. It�s even worse when you are the one who plans the food for someone�s family reunion. Even if you had everything planned well in advanced the food comes out a total disaster. You even gave the head planner samples of a few of your delicacies. You agreed to cater a 200 guest reunion all by yourself
After having the food delivered to the head planners home or reception hall, you discover that your food spoiled. The embarrassing part of your nightmare catering gig is that you have 200 people to feed and the food hasn�t arrived or isn�t complete and you do not have enough money to order food at the nearest five star restaurants.
To avoid embarrassing moments, don�t prepare large meals all by yourself, hire someone to volunteer and help you. The key to a successful event is practice and planning in advance. If you are asked to cater for a large event make sure that you can handle it first before committing to it. . One way to save time and money is asking volunteers to contribute food for a �potluck� family reunion. Choose between 5 to10 good cooks to contribute 1 to 2 dishes for the family reunion. Have a list of what you need for this event. Choose good cooks only, everyone that wants to contribute may not be a good cook. You may request that volunteers pitch in for a Japanese Cuisine Themed reception but one or two people may want to bring something totally different.
You may have the best cookware available but those chipping in for the potluck family reunion may not have the proper cookware to prepare meals. You may want rice cooked in a crock pot or stir fried in a wok�.your volunteers may want to make microwave minute rice. The best thing to do is gather all volunteers for a taste test party. If anyone is not up to your expectations, politely tell them that you have more than enough food. Give them another duty such as purchasing paper towels and paper cups. All in all, the best family reunions are the ones that offer the best entertainment and of course the best tasting food available.
About The Author
Suggestions for a Cheaper, Greener, more Eco Friendly Christmas and New Year
Suggestions for a Cheaper, Greener, more Eco Friendly Christmas and New Year
by Davinos Greeno
Christmas tree
� Rather than buying a real tree thats been cut down, transported and then thrown away, purchase a large potted plant or small tree that can be used each year as your evergreen Christmas tree.
� You could always purchase an artificial tree that can be reused for many years, these range from 10 pounds to over 100 pounds. Ours actually looks real!
� If you buy a real tree, pay the Woodland Trust or a different organization to plant one in its place!
Christmas Decorations
� If you have evergreen shrubs and trees - to make sure you have an annual supply of eco-friendly Christmas decorations why not do some of your pruning just before Christmas and use the choice bits for inside? If you have not got any evergreens but have a garden ask for some of these plants as Christmas presents. They may take a few years to grow but then all you will need to do is harvest in December and be as creative as you like.
� Make a homemade wreath using branches trimmed from your garden or somebody elses.
� Purchase handmade decor made from recycled or eco-friendly materials. If possible by Fair trade as well, as they are a great way to support the disadvantaged. While some of these crafts may not be from recycled materials they provide much needed income to needy individuals.
� Ivy is good to drape around pictures, windows and the base of Christmas trees, it will hide the wires of the tree lights. There is as far as I know no substitute for electric fairy lights but as they last for years and use very little power, their impact is relatively low and they do look great.
� One of the advantages of using natural decorations is that after Christmas they do not need to go in the bin they can enter your normal garden waste on the compost heap.
Christmas tree ornaments
� Make homemade ornaments from (painted) pinecones, painted eggshells, crushed (colored) aluminum foil, paper chains, paper snowflakes, old CDs and more!
� Decorate a doll as an angel.
� Do an online search for recycled or homemade tree ornaments for numerous ideas or purchase these recycled or eco-friendly tree ornaments if you cant be bothered to make them.
Gifts
� Buy a subscription to an organisation working to make the world a better place such as the RSPB, RSPCA or Oxfam.
� If you are buying a present that uses batteries make sure the person you are buying it for has a battery charger and buy rechargeable batteries.
� Buy a homemade present, bird table, compost bin. Chocolate cakes often go down very well!
Gift wrap
� Collect extra photocopies or no longer needed papers from work for your children to draw on the back.
� Use colored pictures from your childrens colouring books.
� Use leftover pieces of fabric or wallpaper.
� Use recycled paper.
� Put the gift inside another gift such as a decorative tin, nice wooden box etc.
� Use gift wrap, gift bags and gift boxes, ribbon and bows from last Christmas or previous celebrations. Leave the tags blank on the gifts you are giving so that they can be reused.
Greeting cards & gift tags
� Send an e-card.
� Make a greeting card or tag from scrap paper, fabric or wallpaper.
� Make cards or tags from pieces of food box.
Packing material
� Use saved packing material such as foam or bubble wrap.
� Crush up newspaper into loose balls. This is cheap, quick and lightweight! This is our preferred method for box filler.
After the New Year
� Find out where you can recycle your real Christmas tree or Christmas cards, local councils and supermarkets are a good place to start. They will turn your trees into mulch for use in parks and public gardens.
� Use any wrapping paper that is no longer reusable for shelf liners or craft projects.
� Save boxes, gift bags, wrapping, filler, ribbons and bows for future gift wrapping or craft projects. Give them away to friends, neighbours etc if you have too many to keep.
About The Author
Notebook Buying Tips
Notebook Buying Tips
by Roberto Sedycias
Why notebook became so popular? It has been estimated that notebook sales has increased an average of 20% per year in the United States alone. Among the many advantages it offers, portability is one of the main reason people end up making a purchase of it. However before any purchase is made, other features should be considered as well.
Notebook was first made available in the early eighties. Although much heavier and bulkier than today's notebooks, it had the unique portability feature that put this innovative product in a class by itself. Although not much of a commercial success then, it gave the computer industry a goal to pursue in manufacturing this item with better weight, size and performance ratio and making one of today's most wanted computer hardware.
Notebook size has got much smaller, however big enough to make one feel very comfortable in handling and operating computer related tasks. One can find it in sizes best categorized as: 1 - Tablet Pc has the size of paper tablet and weighs no more than 4 pounds; 2 - Ultra Portable is a little bigger than Tablet Pc and weighs around 4 pounds, no internal CD or DVD drive, display of 12 inches or smaller; 3 - Thin and Light is a mid-size notebook, 10-14" x 10", 1 to 1.5 thick, and weighs around 7 pounds, wireless network capability, 14-inch displays, combo CD-RW/DVD; 4 - Desktop replacement is the largest category of notebooks, more than 12 x 10" and weighs more than 7 pounds, 15-17 inches displays or larger, wireless network capability, combo CD-RW/DV.
Also an important feature one should look for is performance. Notebooks provide very close performance in comparison with traditional desktop computers, and should handle all computer related tasks with great ease. Whenever purchasing a notebook, make sure it has the latest cpu model, large ram memory and hard disk space. Notebook performance is directly related with cpu clock, ram memory and hard disk space. For these items, big is never enough.
Another feature one should look for is the dvd player. It can come in handy for entertainment purposes, enabling one to watch movies while traveling. Wireless connection is also a feature to look for in a notebook. Some notebooks feature an infrared port, which can be used to connect a mobile phone. Also there are other wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which allows mobile phone, printers and PDA to be connected at certified public and private network. The ability to have a mobile connection is definitely a plus in today's connected world.
Expansion capability for notebooks can be done thru the use of plug-in pc cards. Although there is a new standard called ExpressCard, which is smaller and faster plug-in card that provides more features for multimedia tasks.
Notebooks have certainly become an item required for one's mobile computer related tasks, whether it is used for public, private, personal or professional purposes. Its portability and small size make an attractive all around computer hardware item. For those looking for mobile computer hardware, notebooks can certainly become a good solution at affordable prices.
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author�s name and all the URL�s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
About The Author
This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page http://www.polomercantil.com.br/notebook.php
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Greed and Fear?
Greed and Fear?
by Larry Swing
We have heard it: the market is not driven by money but by greed and fear. The two biggest emotions that move markets up and down at random; they seem to fluctuate without any logic behind them.
Why do we get these emotions when we trade? After all, it's stocks we're trading, not playing sports where our bodies are physically working to exert energy and sweat. So why then does it take to so much emotion just to click a buy button and a sell button and watch the screen with numbers moving back and forth?
When it comes to money, it's the master of us all. It doesn't matter what walk of life we hold, we are taught that money is the only way to reflect us as successful and accomplished people. But in the end, does it come down to money to become successful in trading?
The answer is no. Why? Success comes from loving what you do, not from doing what you're doing for the sake of money. There are people who work at jobs they don't like. Many do it just to get by but do not have the drive to excel. People who love their jobs have higher probability to excel in their work because they don't see it as work but something they love to do. Many of us enter the market to make money, not lured by the challenge of figuring out how the market works. It is the reason why new investors and traders start by placing a large position thinking the trade in monetary value, profit or loss. They think will be quick and easy, not really giving thought on how to figure out this complex but interesting market first before committing money in there. By committing money, its about the money, not the pleasure of learning about the markets.
This is where fear and greed comes in. This very first thought people make when entering is 'how much can I make?' and not 'I wonder how this market works?' There is a big difference in this mindset. When we don't worry about the money, we can view things in a more objective way. Believe it or not, there is a fine line from being in a trade and out of a trade, especially holding a big position. The emotions overtake judgment very quickly when a major loss is on the line with the prices fluctuating rapidly.
So how do deal with this? There are several things we can do keep greed and fear out of the trading plan:
1. Start trading smallest positions possible -The idea is to learn, improve and perfect trading while not thinking about the importance of gains or losses. This should subdue if not remove the fear and the greed.
2. Use stop loss order - Believe it or not, stop loss orders bring comfort and peace of mind that would otherwise bring many traders sleepless nights. Why? Not knowing how much the loss is, which can be unlimited, carry a major concern. This method will get rid of the fear factor.
3. Create a trading plan - Having a plan of attack, where to get in and where to get out in a certain market condition relieves the trader from having to think on his feet; without a plan will cause the trader to freeze and be indecisive and in turn cause more emotional stress.
4. Set target price - This may help in deciding before the trade when to take profits, not leaving to decide when to exit. Target profits helps against greedy feelings on thinking that the profits will continue to rise. When it doesn't and profits turning into losses, the tendency is to freeze and not take action. Having profit targets also help prevent the taking profits too early. This is also a fear stemming from being afraid the profits will disappear and turn into a loss.
This is the worst aspect of the trading: lack of self-control. Trading gives total freedom on deciding when and where to buy and sell but this is also why freedom becomes a hindrance. Discipline is the only method to alleviate fear and greed. Without it, it will set the tone a fear of losing everything and greed will prevent from taking profits when it's right the time to do so.
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Buffalo Meat - A Cut Above The Rest
Buffalo Meat - A Cut Above The Rest
by Mike Sullivan
For many people, nothing could be more stressful than being a meat lover and be prescribed a low-calorie diet. Meat and low calories are self-contradictory, that�s the common perception. People who are trying to find a low-calorie meat that could replace the kind they are used to eating would do well to consider buffalo meat.
There are many Western-themed restaurants that offer buffalo (also known as American bison) dishes. Ted�s Montana Grill, co-founded by media mogul Ted Turner, which specializes in hand-cut beef and bison steaks, has locations in sixteen states. The Buffalo Bistro and Buffalo Grill in Utah�s Zion National Park are popular tourist attractions. Customers at such restaurants can anticipate being presented with specialties like roasted buffalo or grilled buffalo with a small serving of mashed potato, buffalo burger type served like Salisbury steak with French fries on the sides, regular buffalo steak with a generous serving of raw onion toppings, and even stewed buffalo served with a large mixture of green vegetables in it.
Roasted buffalo meat is especially popular, especially in its almost-raw form. Unlike meat from other animals, bison meat requires very little seasoning to bring out its naturally juicy and finger-licking flavor. A simple preparation technique would be to score the meat only on the surface and dab it with a little salt, a little pepper and olive oil, and it�s ready for cooking. One of the advantages that buffalo meat holds over regular beef is that it takes a shorter time to cook. Just sear both sides to lock in the flavor and you�re done!
Buffalo meat is the only meat with the 3 Ts - Texture, Tenderness and Taste. The flavor is sweeter, and it is lighter and less greasy than other kinds of meat I was used to, such as cow beef or pork or chicken. Also, buffalo meat does not need any tangy gravy to bring out its naturally good flavor; that is important because gravy for meat is usually heavy on calories.
There are some interesting healthful statistics about how, in many ways, buffalo meat is more nutritious than other kinds of animals� meat. It has around 70%-90% less fat than beef, and around 50% less cholesterol. Since it doesn�t have all those harmful fats, it has more protein, iron, amino acids and omega nutrients that a number of people are prescribed to take in the form of tasteless fish and raw vegetables. It is also eminently suitable for persons on a low-carbohydrate diet. A four-ounce serving contains no carbs, 11 grams of protein and three percent of total fat.
And the fat it contains is of the good kind, a monounsaturated fat known as omega-3 fatty acids. Adequate intake of this kind of fat has been scientifically proven to prevent heart disease and promote overall cardiovascular health. In fact, buffalo meat has been endorsed by the American Heart Association and prescribed by physicians for patients on a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
Buffaloes are grown in their natural elements in the open fields and are not given any chemical feeds or antibiotics or artificial growth hormones which are suspected of causing cancer. Since buffaloes are fed only natural grains and green grass, they have a natural strong resistance to diseases and their meat is not tainted with any harmful chemicals. In many ways, the meat of the buffalo, which feeds on nature�s grain and grass, has been graded to be far more excellent than cow, dog or chicken meat.
Today, we can enjoy buffalo steaks, soups, stews, and burgers either in restaurants or at home. Buffalo meat is conveniently available in most supermarkets and is offered by many websites. It�s a hearty, healthy, delicious, and convenient way to enjoy meat.
About The Author
Buying Wine, Step 1: Pick A Wine Store
Buying Wine, Step 1: Pick A Wine Store
by TastingSpace
I'm not a wine connoisseur. I don't even own a decanter. (Some of my married friends own several.)
But I like wine, especially trying different kinds. There are tons of resources out there to help you learn about wine. But I don't have time to read them. So I learn by doing, or . . . by drinking.
My only problem is knowing which bottle to pick. If you put me in a wine store with over a thousand bottles, I either need a sommelier or a psychiatrist.
I usually start by studying the notes that hang by the bottles. The ones with names attached to them like Wine Spectator or Robert Parker or Bill, the stocker. I contemplate the pictures and colors of the label. I analyze the pricing structure and weigh costs and benefits. Then after an hour or so, when I'm completely frustrated, I make a completely arbitrary decision.
So I've come to this conclusion. I need help. And, since my shrink has his limits, I need to find a wine store with people who can help me through the process of buying a good bottle.
All wine stores are not created equal. Here are some of the factors to think about when choosing a wine store:
1) Selection
Don't be fooled. Having thousands of bottles is not the same as having a good selection. Many large liquor stores stockpile wine with labels that are heavily advertised and sold with the largest discount. You may walk into a store and think you've got thousands of choices, but all you really have is same bottles repeated over and over.
What makes a good selection? Look for a store: (1) with a knowledgeable wine buyer and (2) with a variety of tastes, regions, and prices. A good selection will offer both wines that are familiar and unique. Why is selection important? Think of it as playing the odds. You're much better off choosing from a few hundred wines tasted by a knowledgeable buyer than from several thousand that were trucked en masse.
2) Storage
If you walk into a store and start to sweat, turn around. Wine should not be stored at temperatures over 80 degrees, or it will lose its flavor. That's why wine is usually made and stored underground. Avoid large warehouses where the temperature may be hard to control. Seek out a wine store where the workers are happy wearing sweaters in the summer. It's likely that the wine will be well-cooled and happy too.
3) Information
A good wine store is a good source of information. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and seek out staff recommendations. Many stores in Kansas City offer wine tastings, which are a great opportunity to try before you buy.
4) Price
Of course, wine prices vary widely, and I've never found one store that's consistently cheaper. Even the big discount shops are not always money savers. After you've found a store that you like based on the other three factors, you can save money by subscribing to that store's newsletters or joining its tasting club. Often, stores send out special deals and offerings to these customers first.
A special fifth category is convenience. This matters especially when you�re buying in bulk, or if you are looking for a quick pick-up on the way home from work. It's good to know where several good stores are in town, so that you'll know which one to hit whenever the feeling strikes.
Here are my picks (in no particular order) for great wine stores in Kansas City:
1. Cellar and Loft. Located in Brookside, this little shop is much more than meets the eye. The upstairs is the "Loft," a showplace of new and antique home furnishings and d�cor. Downstairs, you can wind your way around "Cellar," a labyrinth of sorts with a good variety of wines, beers, gourmet foods, kitchen items, and more. 112 W 63rd St, Kansas City, MO, (816) 444-2444.
2. Cellar Rat. This unique boutique in the Crossroads is the anti-superstore of wine. Cellar Rat prides itself on offering a hand-picked selection with personalized service. Cellar Rat's restored building is impressive itself. The 5,000-square-foot shop at also carries artisan beers, gourmet meats, cheeses, spirits, cigars and chocolates. 1701 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO (816) 221 9463.
3. Vino 100. If you are in South KC, you should check out Vino 100. Vino 100's concept is to offer over 100 bottles of wine for $25 or less. The store is well-organized and the also offers a unique selection of cigars, single-malt scotch, cognacs, port, smoking accessories and wine gifts. 13135 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO, 64145 (816) 941-VINO (8466).
4. Lukas Liquor / The Wine Bar. If size matters to you, Lukas Liquor bills itself as the midwest's largest merchant of fine wines, spirits, and malt beverages. It has recently expanded by adding the Wine Bar, which offers cooking classes, event space for corporate teambuilding or meetings, and regular wine and liquor tastings. 13657 Washington Street, Kansas City, MO 64145, (816) 942-8707.
5. Rimann Liquors. No matter where you are in Kansas City, there is likely a Rimann Liquor nearby. Stores are located in Lenexa, Prairie Village, and most recently, in Briarcliff. For three years in a row, Food & Wine Magazine named Rimann in its list of �Top Wine Shops in America� based on selection, service and advice. Briarcliff: 4155 North Mulberry, Kansas City, MO 64116, (816) 587-3399; Prairie Village: 3917 Prairie Lane, Prairie Village, KS 66208 (913) 236-5311; Lenexa: 15117 W. 87th St. Parkway Lenexa, KS 66219 (913) 492-1604.
6. Ensimnger Liquors. Ensimnger offers a variety of wine personally selected by its proprietress, Judy Ensminger. It's Judy's belief that "there are no bad wines, just different wines for different events." 11052 Quivira Road, Overland Park, KS 66210 (913) 469-9006.
TastingSpace.com is Kansas City's exciting new online restaurant guide. Eat. Drink. Taste KC!
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Have Favors Fallen Out of Favor?
Have Favors Fallen Out of Favor?
by Teresa Franko
The short answer is �No�. Favors given to the guests of special events- weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, etc. � are still a popular way to thank your guest for attending the special event, add some flair to your dining tables, add a unique reflection of who you are and add a more gracious tone to the event. However, we are seeing a significant change in the type of favors most often given.
The custom of giving the guests of special events a small gift, dates all the way back to the sixteenth century. These early guest favors were fruits and nuts and were presented to guests by the bridal couple. Over the years the tradition was extended to the myriad of other special events we celebrate with family and friends. Today favors are given not only at wedding receptions but all of the events leading up to that day. From the engagement party to the bridal shower to the rehearsal dinner, a small guest memento is a much-appreciated gesture of hospitality.
Further, they are not relegated only to the wedding related events but today favors have become a popular way for the host to express hospitality at most any special event- birthdays, anniversaries, baptism/christenings, first communions, bar/bat mitzvahs, confirmations, sweet 16s, quinceaneras, holiday parties and even corporate events.
In modern times, the initial custom of giving fruits and nuts was expanded to include inedible gifts such as candles, and small photo frames. However, while this type of favor is still widely used, there seems to be a growing trend back to the edible favor that is beautifully packaged and wrapped.
In addition to thanking the guest of the event for joining you, favors add to the table d�cor and event theme. Dining tables certainly look more festive when there is a favor at each place setting. The choices for favors are limited only by your imagination. The tone that you wish to set for the event can be further enhanced by your choice of a favor. Sophisticated and Elegant? Simple and Charming? Unique and Personal? Your memento can be any of these.
In order to make the favor a personal reflection, consider the interests, hobbies, careers of the special event �star(s)�. Consider also adding the date of the event and the name(s). For example:
Bar Mitzvah: The boy plays soccer on his middle school team. Consider a favor of a soccer shaped chocolate. Wrap in a cello bag and add ribbon in the colors you have chosen for the party color palette. Add a tag with the boy�s name and the event date.
Baptism: Consider a favor of a large white cross-shaped cookie. Put it in an organza bag (blue for boys and pink for girls, of course) and add a tag with baby�s full name and date of baptism.
Wedding: Favors presented in mini Chinese take out style boxes in colors to coordinate with those of the table flowers and linens. Tag each with: "An abundance of family and friends is the greatest fortune of all" with the addition of the bride and grooms name and event date.
Rehearsal Dinner: With the bride a teacher and the groom an ex-player and avid fan of football set the tables with decorated cookies. Alternate little red schoolhouses with footballs to make for a very personal tablescape.
Sweet Sixteen: Simple small white favor boxes filled with a decadent piece of chocolate fudge take on a much more personal note when the box is tied with ribbon in the event colors to which a small silver heart charm has been added and is further embellished by a simple seal with the girl�s name and event date.
Favors are a wonderful opportunity to make your guests feel warmly welcomed and as such they continue to be a popular part of the special event.
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