Is that your check book driving away

Is Your Check Book On The Curb ---------------------------- This is an article about people throwing away their home computers with all their financial and banking information on them and easily accessible. A very simple first step to financial and identity theft and it happens all the timeputer Disposal and Identity Theft go hand in hand. Since Hurricane Wilma, our city has stepped up bulk trash pickup to every month. Bulk pickup is when you can put out pretty much anything; dressers, vacuum cleaners, and of course computers. Early in the morning on each bulk pickup day people come around with pickup trucks to see what they can grab prior to the city trucks showing up. Some are looking for throwaways that can be refurbished and re-soled, while others work for charities that are looking to provide less fortunate people with items that are useful. Identity Theft & Home Computer Disposal -------------------------------------------------- This morning my wife reminds me that not only is it trash day, it is bulk pickup day (And for some people, possibly Identity Theft day). So I take out the trash and put out the other large items. As I approach the curb, a truck full of discarded goodies pulls around the corner. He asks me if I am throwing that stuff, and if so could he put it on his truck. I said sure, and lifted it on to an already huge pile of discards. When he drove away, guess what I saw on top of the pile, three desktop computers, and one laptop. From the look of them, they were a few years old. I wonder why they were put out on the curb? Where they inoperable, or did their owner just get tired of how slow they were and bought a new one? Even if they weren't working quite right, I wonder how much effort it would take to repair them, probably not much. Throwing Away your Computer, Money, and Identity ---------------------------- Jackson Morgan, a contributing author for Defending The Net, wrote an article called "Computer Disposal - Throwing Away Your Computer, Money, and Identity" a few months ago. In this article, he interviewed people at the dump to see what was on their discarded computers. And the results were quite surprising, actually, to us they were not surprising. And now I am writing this article to give you my own personal experience / observation Do You Take Computer Security and Identity Theft Seriously ---------------------------------------------------------- There are so many articles written about wireless security, Internet security, and computer security and how your identity and private information can be stolen. Some people are really concerned about this. I wonder how many of those discarded PC's on the truck this morning had owners that secured their wireless Internet connection? I wonder how many of those computers had their hard drives removed or destroyed. More importantly, I found myself wondering where those computers were going to end up? Someone Just Sold A Thief Your Checking Account ----------------------------------------------- Let's think up a reasonable and viable scenario. Let's say that this gentleman is working with a charity. This charity takes discarded, yet useful items and cleans them up and distributes them to people who are less fortunate or down on their luck. One of the PC's really had no problems except that it was loaded with Spyware and Adware and needed a thorough cleaning inside and out. This was a great find, the Operating System is intact, and it's full of useful applications. Applications like Microsoft Office, and more importantly, QuickBooks. The computer is given to someone who cannot afford such a convenience, and all is well. Then about a week goes buy and something pops up on the screen. What do we have here, a QuickBooks reminder and notification of account balances. And look at that, a checking account with $80,000 in it. I wonder what else this computer contains. And were going to find out because there is no password to get into the application. I don't know about you, and I am sure several people are going to think I'm being harsh with my following statements, but this scenario scares the you know what out of me. This does not apply to all those who are down on their luck, but how many people in a situation like this would ignore the information or be tempted to further investigate it. What if they already have little to lose? What could they do with this information and access to someone else's financial information. Maybe they don't do anything with it directly, but there is someone they know who would be willing to pay for access to a bank account with $80,000 in it. Not to mention the rest of the information that is most likely on the computer. Wouldn't be ironic if your financial information fell into the hands of a thief for $300? All because someone else was trying to help someone out. Conclusion ---------- I find it quite strange that many people are concerned about the technical aspect of security yet overlook the most basic things. Do yourself a favor, before putting a computer out on the curb, take out the hard drive and label it "destroy" and take it to local metal shop when you have a chance. They can cut in into tiny little pieces or melt it down for you. Don't think because you have just a home PC that you don't need to have a userID and password to login to it. You do need this, for many reasons. Also, buy yourself an inexpensive paper shredder and make sure to shred all your important, but no longer needed paper documents. If you think you can't lose everything you have worked for over the last 10 to 20 years by making just a tiny mistake your are quite mistaken. You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included. Original URL (The Web version of the article) ------------ defendingthenet/NewsLetters/IsThatYourCheckBookDrivingAway. htm

Modify your car and standout from the crowd

Perhaps you have been searching online for a new car. Well I guess I should say the ‘newest used’ car. Thinking about this and the amount of money it shall cost is daunting particularly if you have a few more payments to make. Looking for the perfect used car can be a hard task, but have you thought of the alternative. Why not re-evaluate your wants and wishes and consider repairing and upgrading what you already have. I logged on to a number of sites and found some wonderful car ‘makeovers’. You might like to have a look at uniquecarsandparts. au where you can join the forum, ask questions, and perhaps learn about refurbishing your car. Checking out what is online will make this decision easy and believe me the products, all of which are guaranteed to impress, will set you apart from the pack. OzFreeOnline has a comprehensive used car section, where all you do is register, log in and search. You will find thousands of cars for sale; search by category, find articles and information on Australian and European cars and you can even browse motorcycle classifieds. Perhaps you have found yourself with a few extra dollars that you can spend on your vehicle. You can add and stamp your own personality to your basic car, by just investing in a few fresh innovative ideas. New products on the automotive accessory and customising market at present are not only functional but also can be a cosmetic improvement. You might even consider overall vehicle design, total vehicle enhancement, or just do something simple and have grille guards installed or choose window tinting. The cost of this equipment and trappings ranges from a few dollars to a small fortune, however you can have them installed for much less than the price of a new vehicle. Going online to search for these items is most likely the best way to find exactly what you want. Your car service centre, and large automotive supplier are two good ways to find local sources as well. The vehicle enhancement options available are vast. Anything goes these days, fog lamps, colour instrument dials, silver or colour stitched leather gear knobs, sports pedals, spoilers, body kits, engine covers, interior upgrades in many styles and materials, even in wood grain and of course, don’t forget the special wheel and tyre packages. Most good shops have a selection of quality tyre brands from which to choose, and can be complimented with any number of attention-grabbing styles of genuine alloy wheels. Think about what your car would look like with a new set of wheels and tyres, and if you are feeling the need to check up on prices and style, log on to autoweb. au and search through the archives, read the articles, and browse through some of the new car reviews. You may opt for part to full restoration or just standard to custom repairs and resprays to all stages. Full or part custom or standard panel and paint service. Maybe you would like clear tail-lights or euro style headlights in chrome or black. You could invest in a Body kit, air bag and lowered springs suspension. But, whatever you do make sure you buy exactly what you want and not what the sales person wants to sell to you. Search through the pages at OzFreeOnline before you do anything and go straight to the Cars Forum. You will find that customising your car is a real option and there are many who have registered; logged in and found out all the information they need right at their fingertips. Here is a list of ideas that might spur you on: Air dams and spoilers Anti-theft devices Bug deflectors Carrier racks Custom seats Instrumentation Keyless entry systems Personal breath alcohol testers RV and towing accessories Special shock absorbers Stereo systems Striping and/or decals Sunroofs Vehicle navigation systems So if you are considering trading-in your present car, do your sums first. You might find you would be just as pleased, and a lot richer, with a few particular improvements and spruce up your present car to make it part of your personality and stand out from the crowd. Have a good time customising your ‘new’ car.

Getting rid of runoff water

Water can be detrimental to your home. Any rain and snow falling on your roof is your home's enemy, and should be eliminated as efficiently as possible. Accumulated water can easily seep into the structure of your home, whether on the roof or the foundation, and result in serious damage. Preventing water from damaging your home is the first step towards a happy home. All that is needed for good surface drainage is a properly angled roof, gutters, downspouts, and downspout extensions. The roof is the first step to eliminating runoff water. It should be appropriately angled according to the environment in which it stands. Higher pitched roofs are common in areas where there is heavier snowfall, as falling snow can easily slide off the roof. In areas where there is a lot of rainfall, it is important that roofs be pitched in a manner that allows rainwater to flow into the gutters. This will prevent water from accumulating on the roof and destroying it. Therefore, most homes in North America are not flat, as it is more difficult to eliminate runoff water. Your roof angles runoff water into the gutters attached along its perimeter. It is important that with faster and heavier rainfall, gutters be larger to accommodate all runoff water. If gutters are too small, water will splash over the sides and still be able to cause damage to your home. Gutters should be checked and cleaned on a routine basis. Any leaks should be sealed with caulking, while debris clogging the gutters should be removed. It may be a time consuming task, but it will save you the grief caused by severe damage that could potentially destroy your home. The vertical piping connected to the gutters are the downspouts. Downspouts forge a path for runoff water to be able to reach the ground. Like your gutters, they should be sized appropriately so that all water can be collected without spillage and be cleaned and checked routinely for leaks. Normally, downspouts are attached at the corners of a house. For surface drainage, a curved connection at the end to angle draining water away from the foundation is common. However, this is not sufficient to prevent water from leaking into your basement and adversely affecting the foundation of your home. Which is why downspout extensions are required. Downspout extensions simply attach to the bottom of downspouts. Extending a few feet away from your home, they collect runoff water and direct it well away. A good downspout extension will also disperse the pressure of draining water so that it does not hit the ground heavily.

Good articles recommend top rank by seo

After doing SEO fake inscription, you require identifying your theme substance. People with search engines are looking for in sequence. Does some research concerning your creation or examine previous to you instigate. Make several comments. Which generate a pleasurable and educational commentary but it is palpable that you don’t know what you are talking about, this will revolve readers off keep in mind, and readers are credible customers. You are also need to investigate your keywords when secret language SEO articles. The majority frequently searched keywords may not be the most excellent, as a lot of extra webmasters will be use the identical ones. You may desire to try use a less commonly searched but more embattled keyword or phrase to draw higher excellence travel to your website. One major drawback of SEO copywriting is overusing keywords. You do require a convinced keyword compactness to draw the concentration of search engines, but you do not desire to use the identical one too numerous era. A superior rule of thumb is to utilize your keyword concerning one time every one hundred words. You should as well feel concerning encompass a little less important keywords, and functioning them into the remains of your commentary as glowing. Which compose sure you work them into the transcript in an ordinary approach. An article that is perceptibly no more than an urn for keywords can be a intersection for the person who reads. Finally, while you include printed your commentary, proofread and spell-check it. Your article ought to not surround enchantment or syntax errors. Many readers will consider sloppy writing to be a sign of laziness, and possibly of incompetence. Remember, the purpose of SEO copywriting is to attract visitors to your website who will hopefully turn into customers for your business. The last thing you want to do is give your readers a negative impression of your product or service by encompassing scruffily on paper critique on your website. There as further to writing SEO commentary than by means of keywords. The commentary ought to be well-crafted and enlightening as glowing. Work your keywords into the editorial in an approach that is expected, and do not overeat them. An article can be entirely search engine optimized, but if it is not understandable, it will do you no first-class. Keep in mind, your target audience is the person who reads, not the search engine.

What affiliate marketing mentors to follow and why

What Affiliate Marketing Mentors to Follow, and Why? Affiliate marketing has been in the Internet industry for quite sometime now and it is among the most popular tools used by many online entrepreneurs today. It is a great option for those who want to put up an online business quickly and cheaply. However, there is still a large number of the population who knows a little or even nothing about it. And most of the people who have just discovered this business usually assume that they can easily make big bucks out of it. Well, they’re definitely wrong. To be successful in affiliate marketing business is not an easy task and it will never happen overnight. It’s just like an ongoing assignment where you need to find out and try various advertising strategies and tactics. This may even require you to sign-up with numerous affiliate programs just to determine which merchants performs well. Another misconception that affiliates have ‘bout this kind of business is that they expect to gain more if they place about 20 affiliated banners on just one niche. Well it will not really work the way you think it would because once your site is flooded with too many banners, it will look like a link farm and visitors won’t be interested and won’t even bother clicking on any of those banners. So if you really want to promote several affiliate programs in your website, make sure that they jive with the theme and topic of the rest of the content on your niche. Bear in mind that three or four affiliated links in your site are enough, depending on the size of the web page. There are also some who think that if they add affiliate materials to their site, they can receive sales right away. Maybe they just don’t know that affiliate marketing is all about advertising. If there’s no traffic coming to your site, how can you expect to get any sales? Remember that the more you advertise your affiliate link or the site where the affiliate links are placed, the more clickthru’s these links are likely to receive. If you want to be involved or you’ve already joined an affiliate program, but you have the above misconceptions regarding affiliate marketing, then, you might need a mentor to help you figure out where to start and what to do in order to succeed. In the dictionary, the word mentor is defined as a wise and trusted teacher or counselor. Usually, these persons are experts in the field they are into. They can give expert advice and guidance as well as supervision to another person. So when we say affiliate marketing mentors, they are experienced counselors that have made affiliate marketing their specialty. Affiliate marketing mentors can be those persons that have already been successful in affiliate marketing and are always willing to share their experienced-based knowledge from the viewpoint of both the affiliates and the web merchants. And that’s the reason why we come up with this page. It is aimed to give you the stuffs that affiliate mentors should possess and follow and why do they need these things. Of course, it is good for an affiliate marketing mentor to know and apply some theories and generalities regarding your business but there’s nothing more helpful and effective than telling the client what works today and what are the things that could probably work in the future and if the trend changes. As a mentor, you should be one of the sources of knowledge for your client and the first one to teach them on how to generate more affiliate income. You too, need to be knowledgeable and equipped with the keys to success for affiliate marketers as well as for merchants. And you should guide your clients as they try to do the things that can help boost their profit because once they do well in that business, it can be counted as one of your great achievements. This also makes you a successful mentor. There are some articles on affiliate marketing that says, in order to be triumphant in affiliate marketing business, you need to encompass and develop these traits: persistence, patience and thirst for knowledge. And as a mentor, it is your job to help your clients take in these traits within themselves. Once they’ve already developed the abovementioned character, it’ll be very easy for you to explain to them that attaining success in affiliate marketing requires sweat, blood and of course, hefty time commitment. These traits will also teach them not to give up. Moreover, before you train your client to be proficient in search engine optimization, link exchanges, email marketing, newsletter marketing, reciprocal exchanges and advertising in forums, you should first become expert on these fields. They will surely find it hard to learn these things alone and without supervision from the one who knows best. So make sure that you are knowledgeable on these things before you accept any invitation to be a mentor. Yes, being a mentor is way harder than succeeding in affiliate marketing but this task is very rewarding especially if your client become victorious. The failure of your client is your failure too so you must do your very best to be able to bring your client on the road to success. Again, it is never an easy task and there’s nothing you can do about it. After all, that’s what affiliate marketing mentors are for.

Jordan mccoy ready to rock

Enter (soon-to-be 15 year old) Jordan McCoy -- a vocally talented, charasmatic, impossibly cute All-American girl with a truly unique style about her. I believe this girl has every ingredient to rock things upside down and inside out retro style -- like it hasn't been done in some time. Jordan caught my attention 3 years ago, in early June, on the American Idol spin-off show American Juniors. Within the first minute of seeing her in a personal interview (on one of the first few episodes), I knew Jordan had something special. When I watched her perform her first competition song titled 'Stupid Cupid', I knew this was a name that would certainly not soon be forgetten. By far, an amazing singer and seasoned performer. With brilliant consistency throughout the entire summer, that certain 'X' factor was more than apparent as each and every week went by, and will most certainly be that same present day factor to help seal her destiny as 'The REAL McCoy'. Not to my suprise one bit, Jordan was signed by Diddy (Bad Boy Records) in the early spring of 2005 and her debut CD should be out this September or October (2006). And judging by some early first-listen web site only releases (via myspace/jordanmccoy), Jordan will soon be a household name... 'Just Watch Me' is a very inspirational song (lyrics and arrangement) showing off Jordan's unique and amazing sounding vocals and reflecting a true style of originality. Not a bad way to start off a national career! 'Next X Boyfriend', one of Jordan's latest on-site listens, is a masterpiece combo of edgy rock and pop - as is her teaser snippet of 'Good Guys'. Jordan's vocals are primed to pump you up with satisfaction. I just can't get enough. After listening to these samples, I come off feeling as if 80s pop and present day 'anything-goes rock' are put in a blender and let loose. The result is quite refreshing. I think two things. 1) Diddy (Sean Combs) picked a winner. 2) Jordan was picked by a winner. Diddy is a very talented guy who is a producer, writer, actor, singer, clothing designer, and much more. He is definitely a role model for young America and knows how to make things happen -- and in style. I think Diddy will do Jordan justice 100% and at the same time justice will be brought back to ROCK in the American culture where it is still sort of lacking for the most part. -- Improved, but yes, still lacking a bit...

Stephen m. h. braitman putting a value on your vinyl collection

The value of vinyl records is very subjective and certainly up for debate. There are many elements that go into ascertaining just how much a specific record or a whole collection may be worth. Do you use fair market value, replacement value or record price guide value? As I found out, it all depends on the circumstances, and the best way to achieve these objectives is to have your collection professionally appraised. I had the opportunity to speak with professional appraiser and music historian Stephen M. H. Braitman about the elements that go into putting a value on a record collection. But, first, let me introduce Stephen. He has been involved with records and music since the late 60's, writing and editing several entertainment and music publications. He also has been a dealer, buying and selling records, posters and related memorabilia throughout the years. His widely acknowledged expertise in the marketplace for music and memorabilia makes his appraisal services very important for estate planning, charitable contributions, expert testimony and for insurance and coverage claims. His many credentials include: passing the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) Principles of Practice and Code of Ethics exam in 2004, completing courses on such subjects as the Uniform Standards for Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) Personal Property Valuation, Methodology-Research and Analysis as well as the legal and commercial environment of appraisal. He is also a music analyst with Gracenote, the digital music management company. So what does all this mean? Stephen M. H. Braitman is a qualified, certified appraiser. Why is this unique service so important? As I discussed the details of his occupation with Mr. Braitman, let’s explore some of the details that go into a record collection appraisal and how a record collection should be appraised. “This is a new service, a new genre so to speak,” he said. “The service is being offered for those people who may have large or small collections and have really no idea their worth. Unfortunately, there are no legal requirements to qualify as an appraiser except in the real estate market, but the IRS and the Appraisal Foundation have led the way with the adoption of nationally recognized standards that reputable appraisers in all fields use. The IRS, for example, uses the concept of fair market value, meaning the agreed-upon price paid by a willing, knowledgeable buyer to a willing, knowledgeable seller. One of the reasons I entered this profession is, not only because of my love for music and music memorabilia, but because I felt that the industry needs certified appraisers to provide critical assistance in defining the values of collections for insurance purposes, estate planning, tax donation claims, personal disputes and investments. Part of the job is also being called upon as an expert witness to attest and back up the values set upon a collection. That’s where I enter the picture.” When asked what exactly goes into an appraisal, Stephen explained: “There are many variables that have to be recognized when placing a value on a collection. It also depends on the purpose of the appraisal. For instance, the IRS uses fair market value in determining the value of donated material. But, replacement value in insurance cases different; it’s higher because you’ll be paying a higher cost to recover certain collectibles, let’s say, that may have been lost in a fire. So, the intent of the appraisal must be taken into consideration as well.” “We research what are comparable items in the current marketplace. There are several aspects to research that include recent and relevant sales, trend analysis, professional consensus, retail stores, auction prices as well as record guide prices. The record price guides are a nice starting point, but they may not reflect true value because of the variables just mentioned.” “Our first order of business in an appraisal is generally to examine the physical items, if possible, and note the condition, edition or other key points of recognition. Then we conduct extensive research to ascertain the current marketability of the items. Our service concludes with a certified document that details the estimated retail value and the current wholesale value, depending on the type of appraisal. We also include a statement of the overall quality level of the item or collection, including condition, pressing edition or the cultural or historical desirability. This document exceeds the appraisal requirements of the IRS and the insurance companies.” We discussed one of the most confusing and subjective elements regarding vinyl records: grading the vinyl. I asked Stephen what method he uses. “It is actually a combination of many methods, including the Goldmine Standards that have been set up in their many publications, the ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’-formula, and my own formula. I like to take it a step further and use a 100-point scale, and deduct points for every flaw, not only on the record, but the picture sleeve (if it is a 45rpm), LP jacket and cover. I would like to see a uniform standard set up sometime in the near future, something that everybody in the industry could agree on,” said Stephen. There are also a couple of ways to have your memorabilia or record collection documented and appraised, as Stephen details: “We actually offer two distinct services, the professional appraisal and a quick evaluation of your memorabilia or record collection. This entails you sending us a list of your items from which we provide a detailed document with a range of market values based on comparables. You’ll be able to tell whether you have something worth $1.00, $10, $100, or more. This process is quicker and less expensive that the formal appraisal and is most useful in estimating what a sale to a dealer might bring,” explained Stephen. “Our service includes, not only the appraisal of records and record collections, but posters, flyers, handbills, programs, CDs, promotional items, tour books and other music collectibles. (I don't handle musical instruments, which is a very different kind of specialty). It is important to have your items or collections appraised to gauge the potential replacement value, assist in estate planning goals, tax elements and other factors. I have much more information on my Website, MusicAppraisals. ” As we wrapped up our interview, we talked about our love for not only music, but the historical audio format of, vinyl records. I asked Stephen about one of his most memorable record collection appraisals. “I did an appraisal for a gentleman in Texas and he had a wonderful and superb record collection. But, when he put on an old 78rpm of Robert Johnson and played it on his professional sound equipment, and as the music filled the room, you could have swore that Mr. Robert Johnson himself was playing for you right then and there. It was a wonderful and enlightening experience, and one I will never forget,” recalled Stephen. So, not only does Stephen M. H. Braitman offer valuable and unique record appraisal services, he also gets to archive, appraise and handle important parts of audio history, and gets to hear them as well. And that is a reward that you can not put a value on. Stephen’s contact information: Website: MusicAppraisals Blog: NeedleScreech Email: braitman@mindspring Monthly Column: "The Picture Sleeve Archive" in Goldmine Magazine Phone: 925-679-3044

Where you can save money with your sewing

Everyone likes to save money. With your sewing, it is easier to do than you might think. And…think about this, the more you save, the more you will have put aside when you want that special fabric or that new sewing machine. Here are a few ideas to help you save money with your sewing that you may not have thought of. Save buttons, zippers etc from clothing that has worn out. Keep a sectioned container and store these items, you will be surprised how often you can recycle. Always check the remnant table when in your fabric store, you will find some great bargains. Often times you can combine like colors in prints, stripes and plain fabrics into an outfit, and all from the remnant table. With the cute tops around, like the camisole styles, they take little fabric so the remnant table is often a great place to find fabric for these. You often see the plain color singlet style tops on sale, these can be made individual for just you, with beads, appliquйs, braiding, cording, embroidery, once again, your imagination can have a party. End of season pattern sales are a great place to stock up on patterns, they can go at very reasonable prices, great savings. If you buy end of season fabrics when they are on sale, you will have them to start your next wardrobe for next season. You will be a “season ahead” so to speak. Check out the Manchester stores and soft furnishings. I use a lot of soft furnishing fabric, mainly because they are different and you rarely see them made up into fashion garments. When flat sheets are on sale, they usually are really fantastic prices, they can make up into wonderful curtains, or join two to make a duvet/quilt cover, sew around the edges, leave one end open, add buttons and buttonholes and ….viola!!! a new quilt cover and matching curtains. They can also be made into a couch throws. Your imagination will have a wonderful time with what you can do When interior design shops have to replace their sample ranges, many of these samples are just the right size for throw cushions and other craft items. It only takes a question and they can only say “yes or no”. If they say yes, you are a winner. If they say no, then ask the next design shop you find. Check out the shops that have a rewards system. If you join as a member, when you have spent a certain amount you qualify for a discount on your purchases. See if you have one with this offer near you and take advantage of it. If there isn’t one, why not suggest it to your favorite supplier. I hope these tips have given you some ideas, so start saving money with your sewing, it’s all in the planning. © CTBaird 2006 SewMoreForU

The most often overlooked aspect of bathroom remodeling

One of the most often overlooked aspect of bathroom remodeling that you should take special note of is the floor. Most people don't pay too much attention to the floor when remodeling their bathroom. The floor of your bathroom should be one of the first places to start when remodeling. This is because the floor gets much more used than other aspects of your bathroom. That being said, it is also important that you also use the best type of floor that will not only be durable, but also beautiful looking. This does not mean you have to spend fortunes on the floor. You can get stone or ceramic tile for your bathroom floor. Such stone or ceramic floor tiles are not too expensive but are mostly durable. So, you can spend just a little more money and still get good quality floor tiles for your bathroom. I know of people who have these stone or ceramic tiles for their bathroom floors that have lasted for ages. Yours too can. But to get the best benefit of stone or ceramic floor for your bathroom, you have to make sure it is properly installed. So, get the help of a professional to properly fix or install your stone or ceramic tile. If it is not properly fixed, it will not last at all. There was once when I did the mistake of getting an amateur to fix the tiles for my bathroom. Sadly, this did not last at all. I had to get it remodeled after a very short time. I ended up spending much more and wasting valuable time remodeling my bathroom floor. Don't repeat such a mistake. Do it once and do it the right way and you will enjoy your bathroom floor remodeling for years to come!

The ins and outs of balance transfers

If you have a number of credit cards, or are looking to get another card, then it pays to know about the ins and outs of balance transfers. If you use balance transfers correctly you can save yourself a lot of money in interest payments on your debts. If you are uncertain about how to use balance transfers properly, then here is some advice on the ins and outs of balance transfer? What is a balance transfer? A balance transfer is simply where you transfer part or all of one credit card balance to another credit card. You are effectively using one credit card to pay off another one. For example, if you have one credit card with a Ј1000 balance and another card with no balance, you could transfer some or all of that Ј1000 onto the card with no balance. How do I make a balance transfer? Making a balance transfer is extremely easy, especially if you have online banking. IF you have just got a new card then it is likely that you will asked if you want to make any balance transfers straight away. If you do then you simply give your other card details to the new card issuer along with the amount you want to transfer and they will sort it out for you. Also, on most online banking systems there is a feature to allow you to make balance transfers at any time. Costs of a balance transfer Unless you have a special rate for balance transfers, there is usually a cost involved in making a balance transfer. These rates can vary, but are usually either a fixed fee or about 2% of the amount to be transferred. When transferring a balance it is important to take these charges into consideration, because it may cost you more than the money you are saving if you have to pay a variety of fees. 0% balance transfer offers One good way to make balance transfers work for you is to get a card with 0% on balance transfers. These cards usually charge a fixed fee for transferring your balance, but offer 0% interest on the amount you transfer. This 0% rate usually lasts for around 6 to 9 months, during which time you will not pay interest on your transferred balance. This is especially good for people who are currently struggling to keep up with their credit card payments due to high interest rates. However, you must remember that new purchases on these cards will be charged at the standard APR, and that after the 6 or 9-month period you will have to start paying interest. Consolidating balances Perhaps the best way to use balance transfers to your advantage is to consolidate your credit card debts. If you have a number of credit cards with different interest rates and balances, then try and transfer as much as you can to the cards with the lower interest rates. This will save on your interest, and as you pay off the debt you card start to transfer more and more onto the lower interest cards. If you use balance transfers wisely then you can really reduce the interest that you pay and keep up with your credit card repayments.

Things you need to know about bestseller books

There aren't too many things that I can spend money on and not feel guilty about later. I don't go on shopping sprees at the mall and buy things that I'll never actually wear. I don't live a plentiful life with material belongings that I have no need for. But, I do splurge on books. I could possibly spend hours in a bookstore. All I have to do is walk into Borders or Barnes and Noble and see the Bestseller Books aisle and I'm in heaven. In my opinion, you can never have too many books or read too much. I'veread enough of the bestseller books to be about to advise a particular author to friends and family. Many of my coworkers know that they don't need to go out and purchase the bestseller books they're dying to read, if they wait a few weeks they can borrow mine. I joined the Literary Guild book club years ago and have long since fulfilled my required duty. I love the fact that I can get most of the bestseller books for half the cost of the stores. Granted, I don't always need to have them in hardback but that's all the book club offers so that's what I have scattered all over my house. If a book is worth reading, I can have it read in a weekend. My husband thinks it is ridiculous that I spend so much money on books and have them read within days. He doesn't understand that to me, books are an investment. One thing that I have learned is that bestseller books are not always the best books on the market. I've read so many books that were written by new authors or little known authors and they have completely won me over. I've passed those books onto coworkers who have also have never heard of the authors. Usually, they will agree that these less known books are much better than the some of the bestseller books that are on the market. Sometimes, I think that well known author books go straight to the bestseller shelves simply because of who the author is. Is that fair. No. But, that's the way that market seems to work. Don't get me wrong, by no means am I condemning the bestseller books that are on the market. I usually purchase books from those shelves knowing that they will be enjoyable. Being a hopeful writer myself, I'm hoping that someday my writings will turn into bestseller books as well. Until then, I will just keep on reading. And passing those books onto the next person.

What is search engine marketing

"What Is Search Engine Marketing The search engine is a website, which tracks other websites. Deploying a website is no way means of getting any kind of recognition in this world. Web is a reliable source for millions of websites that want recognition. Once your web site is up and running makes sure to list down all the major search engines. Most customers use search engines to begin searching for a specific product or service. We provide effective solutions for our clients that can have website contents designed around the targeted keywords. We also provide some dedicated web sites, which can promote your web site free. As per business prospect, the enquiries are generated for the top ten or fifteen websites only. However, the search engine keeps on changing this way in terms of priorities. Therefore, it is vital to realize the use of precise targeted keywords by the users and webmasters for long-term effectiveness. Every marketing initiative begins with a solid marketing plan; hence, search engine marketing is no different. However, it is quite an unfortunate fact that most of the search engine marketing are conducted without any the firm foundation and clear direction that a good search engine marketing plan can provide. You can also put your own banner ad on either top or bottom of the highly trafficked page. There is more than one reason for search engine marketing company for marketing your business through the search engines, such as increase of brand awareness, increase in traffic or popularity. Furthermore, as in world, the search engine marketing company revenues continues to climb, search engine marketing will demand increasingly stable and intelligent management approaches that incorporate time tested methodologies, which are common to traditional marketing. We also provide the detailed essential components of basic search engine marketing. Every attempt is made to generalize the instructions and examples for developing a very insightful and effective search engine marketing in such a way that its guidelines are followed by a greater diversity of readers. Each numbered item represents a unique section within the plan itself. "

Olive oil a great solution for hair and skin care

Olive oil has been widely used in your salads as well as many other things. It is one of healthiest components to make your food taste better. This oil comes directly from the Mediterranean Region and it has become so famous that it has been used in all the continents. It is a favorite among all the health conscious people. Due to the immense number of benefits, it has been ranked among the top nutrition provider. It has been widely used in soaps making it mild and very skin friendly. It also helps to moisturize your body by the use of this oil in the soap. Home Made Recipes If you want to have smooth and fine nails olive oil is the best solution. Dowse your nails in a cup of olive oil for 30 minutes and find the best results. Apply Olive oil liberally on your hands. To avoid spreading it elsewhere wear cotton gloves. This method helps you to get a smoother and softer skin. Olive oil is the best solution for chapped lips. It does wonders to your lips. To have beautiful, lustrous, shiny, silky and dandruff free hair, olive oil is the best bet. You can apply good amount of oil on your hair and cover it with a shower cap for 30 minutes, later shampoo it. It is great moisturizing solution which makes your skin softer and smoother. To make yourself an interesting bathing solution you can add 3-4 tbsp of olive oil with a few drops of essential oil. You can make an excellent night cream by using 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup water. This helps to lighten your skin, kill bacteria and makes your skin smooth and clear. It can work as a cleansing cream if you have dry skin. Apply olive oil and then scrub with good amount of sugar. Later, wipe the sugar off your face with wet and warm cloth. One of the easiest ways to get facial done. Soften your feet by applying olive oil on your feet. Mix in bowl 1 egg, 1 tsp honey, 1/2 tsp olive oil and few drops of rose water. Use this as a mask for dry skin. Once applied keep it for sometime, later rinse it off with warm water. Dab it dry. Make a paste by mixing some mashed apricots and warm olive oil. Apply this paste all over your face and leave it for 10 minutes. Wash it off with water. Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions while following instructions on the recipes from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

The perils and pitfalls of publishing who can an author trust

One out of every eight people call themselves a writer, which means there are roughly 24 million people in the United States who carry that banner. Unfortunately there are charlatans and scam artists just waiting to ambush the unsuspecting author. How can a novice writer protect themselves? Anyone can call themselves a publisher. Always remember money flows towards the author from the publisher, not the other way round. What to look out for: Charges the author a fee up front, to have their book accepted, considered or read. These fees are sometimes called a reading fee, intake fee or administrative fee. Directs authors toward specific editing services or gives authors’ names to these services, with the caveat that if the author hires the editing service, their book will be published. Every book needs editing. It is part of the publisher’s job to provide that editing at no cost. Offers a contract where the author has to pay for part of the publishing costs. The acquisition editor will sometimes say that the publisher’s list is full for that season, but the author’s book has so much going for it, they would still like to publish it. However the publisher’s resources are fully committed and the author will have to share in the costs. Some publishers offer contracts that are unfair, such as they obtain rights that should remain with the author of the work. Some publishers’ contracts contain a clause that if the author says anything negative about the publisher, there is a monetary fine. There are also publishers who hold the rights for a lengthy time period, regardless of whether the book is still in print or selling. The publisher doesn’t disclose they are a Publish on Demand (POD), or vanity/subsidy publisher. There is nothing wrong with an author using a subsidy/vanity publishing company as long as the author is well aware of the disadvantages. Publish on Demand books are not, as a rule, stocked by bookstores. Some POD publishers will insist that their books are available in book stores, as a way to get around this issue. Available is not the same thing as stocked. Available only means the book can be ordered through the bookstore. Since the majority of books sold, are stocked and sold by bookstores, this situation puts a damper on sales. What else can a writer do to check if a publisher is legitimate? Go to the local bookstore and see if any of the publisher’s titles are stocked. Ask the manager if necessary. Search the Internet using the publisher’s name plus the word ‘scam’ or ‘complaint.’ A publisher’s website is targeted to its customers. If the website promotes the books they’ve published that’s a good sign. If the website is focused on recruiting writers, that’s a bad sign. Go to forums or bulletin boards that are for writers and see what the authors who have published with the publisher you’re considering have to say about their experience.

Learn the basics of colorado refinance

So you wish to apply for a Colorado refinance. Problem is, you are totally new to the whole business and are totally ignorant, even of the basics. What you need is a quick introduction and that’s exactly what you’ll get if you read on. Refinancing Explained Refinancing is the process of transferring to a new mortgage agreement or to a new lender. You use your new loan to pay off the old one. You usually get through the whole process to take advantage of better interest rates, to lower your monthly payments, or to extend your mortgage terms. So when is the right time to refinance? You must take a look at the Colorado refinance rates. You must only refinance when the rate you’ll be getting is at least 2% lower than your current mortgage interest rate. So what determines the interest rates? It’s a combination of the effects brought about by a number of factors. Included in the list are the economic growth, the inflation rate, and the Fed funds. Bad Credit Refinance Mortgage Are you worried about your ‘not so good’ credit report? You don’t have to worry about that either. As a matter of fact, a Colorado refinance may be the salvation you’ve been looking for. It holds the potential to liberate you from your debts. How so? Have you heard about consolidation of debts? This is a strategy used by many borrowers. It’s all simple. You refinance your mortgage and use the loan to pay off your other numerous debts. It’s actually a good set-up. This Makes Your Lender Much More Generous You see, your Colorado refinance is a secured loan, as opposed to your burgeoning credit card loans. And because it is secure, your lender is much more generous in terms of interest rates and monthly payments. What is a secure loan? Your mortgage loan is secured by your home, which serves as your collateral. Your lender holds the right to foreclose your property in case of non-payment. This gives them more leverage and more room for generosity. Now that spells better deals for you. Your Lender Holds a Lien Since your lender holds a lien on your home, he or she is more willing to give you lower interest rates. And because you are dealing with a lower interest rate, you also get to reduce your monthly payments. These two come hand in hand. The problem is, they could mean overextended mortgage terms, which may result to more costs in the long run. Even so, a longer mortgage term (though more costly) may still be beneficial in that they make your monthly payments more manageable. This way, you get to keep up with monthly payments, avoiding loan crises. This may be worth the costs you bear in the long run. Numerous benefits await you with a Colorado refinance, especially now that the competition among lenders has become stiffer than ever. Keep searching for more information and resources and be ready to grab a good deal.

Christmas craft

Christmas Craft: Bead and Pipe Cleaner Ornaments Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree. To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern. The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well. Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show. Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don't fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree. If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration. Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas craft.

How to save money and get discount homeowner s insurance in tennessee

One step to save money and get discount homeowner’s insurance in Tennessee is to take home inventory. You may be wondering, “How will documenting all of my possessions help me get affordable homeowner coverage?” The answer is simple. If you don’t have your belongings recorded, you run the risk of purchasing too little homeowner insurance. Of course, you won’t notice the problem until disaster strikes (your home is robbed, a tornado demolishes your house) and you need compensation for your lost items. Without home inventory, how will you prove you owned that entire state-of-the-art entertainment center, much less receive coverage for it? You won’t, which means you’ll have to pay for replacements or repairs out of your own pocket. This sort of takes the affordability out of affordable homeowner coverage. Help yourself get a cheap homeowner insurance policy in Tennessee by taking thorough and accurate home inventory. Take these tips into consideration before you begin your search to save money and get discount homeowner’s insurance in Tennessee. • Make a list of all things in your home that you’ll need covered by homeowner’s insurance. • On this list, make sure to include the serial numbers of all electronics. • Video and photograph each room in your home, and pay close attention to pricier items. • Gather up all your receipts, especially those for your expensive possessions. If you don’t have them, now’s a good time to start saving them. As you’re shopping for a cheap homeowner insurance policy in Tennessee, always talk with each insurance agent about further tips for documenting your home’s contents. Different home insurers may have different requirements regarding home inventory. It’s best to make sure you know exactly what’s expected of you before you get started. Too, the homeowner insurance company you choose will have a method of keeping this information on record; however, you may want to keep copies for yourself somewhere outside your home.

Goal setting 101

We all have goals. Some goals are long-term and some are short-term. Some are goals we have shelved for so long they are dusty and covered with cobwebs. Some are freshly minted. However for those of us who are not as successful in life as we would wish we often despair of achieving our goals. Some goals seem out-of-reach and unattainable. This does not have to be what actually happens. We have the power within ourselves to change our lives and the place to begin is when we are setting our goals. There are simple rules that make it more likely for us to achieve our goals and the first is to follow the K. I.S. S. principle. In other words, keep it simple stupid. The more elaborate and complicated we make our goals then the less likely we will be to follow through with them. The best way to simplify your goal setting is to only set one goal -- the ultimate goal. After that then everything else is just details. What is the ultimate goal? What is your final destination? When you are on your deathbed and you cast a look back over your life then what do you want to see accomplished there? When you look around you what do you want to see? That vision is your ultimate goal. We all know that having a destination in mind makes traveling easier. Knowledge of that destination helps us plan what to pack and controls our transportation decisions. The same is true when it comes to setting goals and achieving those goals. If we know our destination then we know what to pack (and what to leave behind) and we can make better decisions about how to reach that destination. Simplifying our goals to that one ultimate goal also helps us focus on that one destination rather than constantly detouring and losing our way. It also makes it easier to measure the importance and relevance of so many other decisions that impact our daily life when we have the measuring stick. If we take Path A or Path B which will be more effective in reaching that ultimate destination? Naming that ultimate goal for ourselves is a tremendously powerful tool for our own success because so often we spend our time and energy focusing on managing the details of our lives. We are simply reacting to whatever is thrown at us by others or simply by daily life. However in order to truly achieve success and achieve our goals then we must take the lead and that means acting. Simply by setting our ultimate goal and focusing our energy and time on that goal means that instead of reacting we are now taking action. That action means we have taken a leadership role in our own success. Simply by taking that action we are taking control of our own life and that is a very powerful step toward success. If you want to achieve more success in your life then you must set one simple goal -- the ultimate goal for your life -- and you must get out in front of the goal to take action with your life instead of reacting all your life.

What services can a private detective provide

You may be thinking that you know what a private detective does because you've seen them portrayed on TV and in the movies. You may think that the life of a private detective is interesting and action packed based on things that you've read in a wide variety of mystery novels. Unfortunately, in many cases the life of a private detective is far less glamorous than what you may think. However, that does not mean that there are not a wide variety of services that a private detective can provide. A private detective can help with services relating to divorce and custody cases. For example, a person may choose to have their spouse followed by a private detective to establish that he or she is not in the place they have said they would be, not with the person they had said they would be meeting. Photographs can be taken; phone lines can – in some areas – be tapped; evidence can be collected. The private detective will also be able to identify the assets of the other party – to help determine alimony and child support payments. This can be done with an asset search that establishes home ownership, property ownership as well as income and other intangible assets to determine the appropriate payment amount. Similarly, a private detective can conduct asset searches for business persons who want to see that a prospective investor is who he or she says he is. Likewise, asset searches may be performed by businesses wishing to conduct an employee background check before hiring someone new onto the company staff. By conducting background checks on prospective employees, a business can learn whether or not the applicant's job history is as reported, whether he or she has failed a drug test or has a criminal record – all points that may affect a hiring decision. A private detective can also work with a company to investigate an employee who has already been with the company for a while – perhaps when it is suspected that someone has been embezzling or otherwise creating problems for the company. If a business suspects that there are problems, a private detective can be called in to investigate accidents or theft, absenteeism or employee misconduct. Likewise, company vehicles can be tracked to ensure that they are only being used for business activities; collection assistance can, in some cases be provided as well. You'll find that data can be restored from computers. Hidden cameras can be used where necessary. In other words, a private detective can provide a wide variety of services that individuals and businesses may need – services that can identify problems and provide solutions. Though the life of a private detective may not be glamorous, a private investigator is able to work with you to get your needs met – by offering professional services, experience and using their knowledge and expertise to get the job done right. When you need more information about a person and do not know how to get it, contact a private detective. When you want to be sure that your employees are not taking advantage of your company, consider turning to a private detective. He or she can work with you to make sure that are able to learn what you need to know.

A price value matrix a cool tool for finding your just right pricing strategy

: While developing your pricing strategy, it is important to remember that there is an implicit relationship between price and value. We expect to pay more for gourmet food than for fast food and for a luxury car than for an economy model. At the same time, value is a matter of opinion, not fact. I prefer a new Subaru to a '95 Cadillac; my husband prefers the opposite. His wardrobe is built around Dickies; my taste runs to rather more eclectic (and non-synthetic) clothing. Given that there is a relationship between price and value and that value is a matter of opinion, I had always priced my products and services by triangulating three factors: what I wanted or needed to earn, my costs, and what the market would bear. That's what I had taught countless other people to do, and it worked fine. All else being equal, quality, price, and market generally reached a dynamic balance where prosperity and service overlapped. But, once came the day when something felt out of synch in the way I used that marketing strategy, and I felt some gritchiness around the prices of products I recommended. I kept examining my assumptions, and everything seemed right. Still, the feeling that something wasn't quite right persisted. Never one to ignore an itch, I kept scratching until this week I realized what the problem is. I had been using quite different "markets" to assess what the market would bear. That is, I'd been looking at markets that had different values from the values of many of the people I attract. I based my pricing strategy and marketing on the proven best practices of other respected "info product" gurus, but those practices were designed to address the values of people who didn't, and probably never would, be attracted to my e-zine. Readers of my e-zine were a special case. From their emails and phone calls, I knew that they placed a high value on authenticity, intelligence, and creativity. I knew they had high standards for courtesy, honesty, and what I might call "finish." They were tolerant of mistakes (assuming they were acknowledged). They had a sense of humor, a hunger for spirit, and a fundamental commitment to growth. At the same time they tended to be a frugal lot, willing to pay for high quality, but unmoved by hype and positively turned off by pressure tactics. The generic information marketing model is designed to address the needs of people for whom profit is an over-riding value. These folks -- many of them good souls indeed -- thrive in the hyper-stimulating atmosphere of the motivational circuit: loud, upbeat music, extravagant challenges to dare to be great and simple formulas for achieving success. The more costly the package, the more this customer tends to believe in its value. And I'm willing to suppose that for the right person, that value can be substantial. But this model didn't fit me and it probably didn't fit my e-zine readers, either. More than likely, they were past believing in "7 Steps to Instant Gratification." They probably didn't believe in easy answers, however much they might sometimes long for them. (Me, too.) The bottom line is that, in that case, so-called "best practices" just didn't apply. The sophistication, values, and life experience of this community constituted a different market, and we would just have to develop our own best practices. What would those practices look like? My hunch was: Transparency: No fake sales; any specials should be clearly linked to a business purpose, and the regular retail price should always be fair so if you miss a sale you can feel good about buying at another time for full price. -- Clarity: Accurate, no-hype descriptions of products and services. -- Simplicity: Prices expressed in whole dollar amounts. Forget the "95 cents" gimmicks. We can round up! -- Trust: Simple returns and exchanges. I evaluated the marketing and pricing strategy for my products and those of affiliates, keeping asking the questions that gave birth to "Authentic Promotion" in the first place: "What's bugging me about the way I do (or think I have to do) business? What am I assuming? What is the truth of this? What if the truth were not a problem?" Goldilocks tried three chairs, three bowls of porridge, and three beds before finding the ones that were "just right." In much the same way, your working toward "just right" prices and marketing methods will definitely pay off, as it did for me. I believe this price-value matrix will help you to find your "just right" price! For example, my client sells a course which is a comprehensive self-guided seminar that transforms fears and resistance to marketing into grounded advocacy for good work. It’s a high value, if she does say so herself. Still, it has a medium price because she is still working on way to convey to potential purchasers the potency and efficacy of this course. One way she is doing that is to develop a series of follow up emails that remind buyers of key practices and principles, that ask powerful questions to help them move forward, and that suggest specific sections of the program that solve specific challenges. As she develops this support, she will be able to charge -- and receive -- a higher price. PRICE-VALUE MATRIX HIGH VALUE -- LOW PRICE Underpriced: value undercut by price. "What's wrong with this picture" pricing strategy. HIGH VALUE -- MEDIUM PRICE Attractive pricing: ideal for market penetration. "More for your money" pricing strategy. HIGH VALUE -- HIGH PRICE Premium pricing: prestige, prominence. "Connoisseur" pricing strategy. MEDIUM VALUE -- LOW PRICE True bargain: may be a temporary special to raise revenue or to move discontinued items. "Inventory sale" strategy. MEDIUM VALUE -- MEDIUM PRICE Price and value are in balance, exclusive of other factors. "Square deal" pricing strategy. MEDIUM VALUE -- HIGH PRICE Overpriced: informed buyers will stay away; sales may be made to unsophisticated market. "Infomercial" pricing strategy. LOW VALUE -- LOW PRICE Cheap stuff. Often sold with lots of "bonus" items or features. "Tourist trap" pricing strategy. LOW VALUE -- MEDIUM PRICE Turns sales into complaints. "Caveat emptor" pricing strategy. ("Let the buyer beware.") LOW VALUE -- HIGH PRICE Don't even think about it: the "Fleece 'em and run" pricing strategy.

Zone diet criticism

One diet may not work or suit on everyone. The Zone Diet Plan is a moderate plan to be followed. The Zone Diet does not only calcuslate fat and protein match but relates calorie burn as well. It considers the significance of other ingredients as well to maintain a balanced diet. The Zone Diet will highlight the use and side effects of fats proteins, and unlike others, of carbohydrates as well. Carbohydrates affect the hormonal activities and the level of insulin in a human body. A disturbance in these internal systems leads to heart diseases and cancers. This is what the Zone Diet takes concern of. A Zone Diet will suit every being as it keeps a balance between fats, proteins, carbohydrates and all other healthy ingredients. This balancing gives a healthy development of hormonal activities along with a loss in weight. Despite the fact that The Zone Diet stresses on the consequence of carbohydrates for affective hormonal activities involving the hormones like Eicosanoids that relates to different metabolic courses but its shortage is also related to chubbiness and many other diseases. Nevertheless, there is no scientific confirmation for the remarks suggested by the Zone Diet plan.

How to choose unusual unique baby names

Nowadays, fewer parents are naming their kids with traditional and classic names, trying to find a different, refreshing name for their child. Because of this, finding a really Unique baby name is becoming much harder. These are some helpful tips that we think may help you find an unusual, yet comfortable name for your child. Traditional (but Unique Baby Names): There are still the traditional ways of selecting your baby's name. The first, of course, is using a name that has been in the family for years - perhaps the name of an aunt or uncle, or a grandparent. The other way is to browse through the Baby Names Dictionarys' 28,000+ names to select from. Although some of the names are common, you can certainly find some unusual names. Name meanings: To choose a unique name, you could decide on what you want your child's name to mean. Baby Names Dictionary has a resource where you can type in what you want your child's name to mean. From there, we will pull out a list of names, both popular and unusual, with that meaning. Place names: A lot of parents nowadays are using this method to name their child. Some places actually make pretty good names, but because method is becoming popular, naming your child after the place she or he was born may not make a very uncommon name anymore. Places like Colorado, Phoenix, Denver or Salem are some popular names for boys. As for the girls, Paris, Vienna, Asia and Atlanta are some of the preferred names. Names from nature: Words from nature are also a unique way of naming your kids. That way, the beauty of that word is in your child's name. How about something like Raine, Leaf, Sky or Dew? Using a surname as a first name for unusual baby names: This is also another method of naming that is becoming more and more common. It means taking the surnames of your ancestors, famous people, or anyone of your choice and using it as a first name. Like for girls, some popular surnames used as first names are McCartney, Bronte, Liotta and Piper. For boys, Beckett, Addison, Brewster, Donovan and Jenson are popular. Anagrams: Want a unique name for your child but there are a few traditional ones that you really like? Take that name and create an anagram of it. Use Scrabble tiles from the game and shift the letters or add a few more. Be creative. Let your imagination run wild. Telescoping: Take the name and drop letters until you've found a name you like. Kahlil and Gibran can be combined and then telescoped to Kabran. Schuyler can be telescoped to become Sky. Get the picture? From the father's name: You can name your child after their father. For example, if the father's name is Donald, his son can be Doni or his daughter, Donnie. Or John. It can be changed to Joanie, Joanna or Jonalie. From the mother's name: Naming a boy after his mother's maiden name is one way of doing it. You could change the mother's name to a suitable name for a boy. Like Mary, you could alter it to Martin, Matt, Mason or Marren. Or if it's a girl you could name her Marii, Marinne or Marine. Name or word combinations: This means a name taken from combining two other names; most of the time it's from the child's parents or grandparents. For instance, let's say a couple, Ridge and Brooke, have a baby girl. They could combine their names together and name her Bridgette. This may not be very unique, but you get the idea. A better example would be David and Trina. (Davina) This way, you get an unusual name for your child and at the same time, you can honor a family member. Change the spelling: Make an ordinary name more unusual by changing the spelling. Like Caitlin, it can become CaitLin. You could change Rianne to RiAnne. Or, you also could add an apostrophe, and Janet becomes J'Nette/J'Net. Unique names are fun, different and anything goes! Its only limitation is your imagination. Names are inspired from everywhere, from fashion designers to colors to months. June and April make nice names for girls. Azure, Gray and Burgundy are also great names. Countries or states like Dakota or Carolina are also used. But remember, with every pro, there's a con. Names that are very complicated to pronounce or spell, although it makes them stand out, it also brings aggravation to your child because they would have to constantly correct the spelling or pronunciation for the rest of their life. Oh yeah, and also, giving a boy a girl's name or vice versa is something you absolutely do not want to do. Imagine the amount of teasing he or she would get from their classmates. Not something you would want for your child, to be laughed at and teased. Howard O'Brien is now Anne Rice, author of the famous vampire books. She was given a boy's name because her folks wanted a boy! Overall, unique names are not a bad thing. Just be kind to your kid and choose wisely.

When you are down and out how do you get up and go forward

Have you been prospecting for months on end, only to end up with no one? Or have you been trying to sell a product or service that has not been selling? Or you just kind of depressed about your current employment? There are many reasons to get down and start to get depressed about your situation. When you are down, do you know how to get back up and heading in the right direction? When learning some techniques in your personal development growth, I believe there are four good principles that you can use to get you headed back in the right direction. I am going to get these four principles from two passages in the Bible, Psalms 42-43. In the passages, the Psalmist is in a depression. He is searching the depths of his soul looking for God. He talks about how to get yourself out of a depression. I am going to take these teachings and apply them to feelings of giving up because nothing is happening in your home based MLM business opportunity, your online sales, your job, and etc. We all get down for one reason or another. The trick is to not give up, but get up and go forward in the face of adversity. The first principle to remember is to talk to yourself instead of letting yourself talk to you. In chapter 42:5, the psalmist says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?" Have you tried everything that you knew possible and see others becoming successful, but doing the same thing is not working for you? In the back of your mind, you start telling yourself that you will never be successful. When those thoughts start cross your mind, you need to stop, take a deep breath and say to yourself, "I am going to be successful". Think outside the box. Do not let your conscious get the best of you. If you have a mentor, talk to them. If you do not have a mentor, set up a small support group that will raise you up when you are down or vise versa. Remember this quote when dwelling on the past, "Success comes in cans, failure in cannot" The second principle is to quit dwelling on things that are in the past and start dwelling on the present. In chapter 42:4, the psalmist says "This things I remember..." He also says in chapter 42:6 "my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon-from Mount Mizar." Plainly said, "What is done, is done" Quit worry about things that did not work for you. Do not beat yourself up for things that you cannot change. Only think of ways to not make the same mistakes. Try new things! Again, think outside of the box. A famous quote from Ben Sweetland states "Success is a journey, not a destination." You have to continually think about the present and your journey to success. The third principle is though there are many reasons to fail, there are far more reasons to succeed. The psalmist states in chapter 42:5, "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him" This mean to not be bogged down in negativity. You may fail at one of your goals, get up, dust yourself off and try again. Always be focused on the big picture. Visualize yourself succeeding. One of my favorite quotes is by Dorothea Brande who states "To guarantee success, act as if it we impossible to fail" And the last principle is the affirmation of success must be repeated again and again in spite of failure. Within passage 42 and 43, the psalmist repeats the verse "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" three times. Three times he asks himself why he feels down. The psalmist is affirming that he has blessings to be thankful for. Think positively. Have you ever heard the expression to "will" something done? You have to do just that. You have to visualize your success. You have to see yourself in the new house, the new cars, money in the bank, running a successful business, etc. And you do this repeatedly, visualizing yourself succeeding no matter of the setbacks. Willie Davis says, "The road to success is uphill." To succeed, you will constantly need to tell yourself that you are going to be successful. By reading the passages, you see a man downcast and downtrodden. He is question himself. But we see that he talk himself out of depression. We also see him quit dwelling on the past and concern himself with the present. Even though he has reasons to burden himself with failures, he expatiates on the success. And last, and probably the most important, he affirmed his belief several times. When you get down, you need to do the same things. And one other important thing, you should only surround yourself with people who are positive and like-minded. You do not need any negativity in your life beating you down. "Will" yourself to success!

Ways to improve your lifestyle

Are you looking at ways to improve your lifestyle? Are you bored in your current role of employment? Do you think you could be achieving a lot more than you are at the moment? Are you seeking a new challenge? In this article, I give advice on how people can go about improving their lifestyle, this advice is based from my own personal experiences. I believe that we should always be looking into ways of expanding our knowledge and should never just accept second best. The brain is very powerful and loves to be set a new challenge or to a learn a new task. It is what keeps it alive and ticking over. I am sure that we have all heard of the phrase, I think this job is making me brain dead. This is where someone has a role in employment that is not challenging them or their brain, and this can lead them into a state of boredom and even depression. Their mind and brains are desperate for something to get to grips with and something to test them. I am always looking into finding new areas of life which I can learn about. Just recently I have been attempting to educate myself on the ins and outs of website promotion. This is something which is of great interest to me and I wanted to find out about how you can increase the amount of visitors you have to a website. I have spent a great deal of time studying this area and even though I feel that I have learnt a great deal, I would love to know a lot more. What I like about website promotion and website marketing is that the search engines are constantly changing their ideas of how best to rank a site, as they are fighting a constant battle against spam. This certainly keeps me on my toes. One thing I have learnt in this and other fields is that hard work pays off and if you attempt to defraud the search engines you are more than likely going to be found out. That is a good thing in my opinion. I also like to help out people on a voluntary basis. This is something I would advise other people to do if they have the spare time as it can give you a real buzz knowing that you are helping somebody and it also keeps you busy. A lot of people who have too much time on their hands can easily find themselves becoming restless and this can lead them into thinking too much. These thoughts are normally worrying about something or other which of course is not very healthy or productive. The people I help out on a voluntary basis are my parents who run a form of animal sanctuary from their home. My parents are both in the sixties and struggle to look after the many animals that live with them. I normally spend around twenty hours a week at their house, cleaning out and feeding the fifty rabbits, walking the dogs and feeding the cats. It is not exactly the most interesting of things to do, but I know that it is helping take some of the burden away from my mother and father. In the past I have also attended evening study classes. This again is where I am trying to improve my knowledge and is something of course that I can include on my c. v. It is also a great way of meeting new people which is something I like to do. In conclusion there are many ways in which we can become happier and more contented. Our life does not have to be boring and mundane, there is always options out there of how we can go about improving our lifestyle. Good luck.

How to act on a first date

The key to a successful first date is to relax and just be the real you. If you try to act in a way that you think the other person will like, then they may start liking someone who you are not, and in the end you will wind up breaking up and getting hurt, so honest truly is the best policy, and in the end if you are just being you and it does not work you, you know they were not the one for you. Dating is like gambling at poker, sure a good bluff may win you a hand or two but you are not going to win the World Series of Poker by bluffing, only by playing the best you can. This is no different from dating if you make things up to try and impress this person they are not liking you but are liking the fake you and eventually they will see the two are no the same. Try to think back to the things you talked about when the both of you spoke on the phone and see if you learned anything that may help you decide where to go for your date, but if you do not have enough information about them to know what they may like you sometimes have to gamble and throw the dice, and hope you don’t crap out. The most important thing to do on a first date is to have a good time, the bigger a deal you make of it the harder it is going to be and the higher the chances of you making a jerk of yourself. If you are nervous before the date take a few minutes and take a few deep breaths and if this does not help then I recommend you do what I like to do in the casinos when my nerves are bothering me I simply have a drink. The alcohol in one drink will usually calm me down enough to concentrate. The key to having a nice first date is simple: Take her/ him to a nice place, quite but not too quiet, you should be able to hear each other but other distractions are also good for those uncomfortable moments. Do not take her/ him to a place where your friends hang out, this will make her/ him feel as if they are being ganged up on or they may feel out of place and resent you for making them feel that way. It is very important to have the whole night planned out already before the date and have a backup idea just incase. The tricky part is making it look like it was not all planned. Let's say you decide that you are going to take her for dinner, then after you want to take a walk on the beach do not just say hey after dinner let's take a walk on the beach. I would recommend you wait till after dinner and ask her if she wants to take a walk to burn off dinner and then take her to the beach. Then when you are on the beach take her/his hand while walking, this makes a physical connection between you and makes it easier later on when you go for your first kiss. Just remember that dating is a gambling sometimes you are going to get a bad hand and eventually if you play your cards right you will find the right person and win the jackpot.

Working on your vacation

You have a vacation coming up, but you’ve been everywhere and seen everything that you wanted to see. Maybe you have a lot of vacation time amassed and you know you’ve been blessed with material assets that others don’t have. If so, maybe you should consider going on a Volunteer Vacation. There are many opportunities available to take an interesting vacation and still make a difference in your world. You can work in a partner program where you will work side by side with local people to improve their community. You might work in the area you are most interested in. Do you have building skills? Are you a medical professional? You can be used in various communities both here and abroad to help the disadvantaged get the medical care they need. Other opportunities are offered all over the world. You could volunteer in an orphanage, a school, caring for the elderly, or working with people with disabilities. What ever your interests, there are opportunities for you to make your vacation a volunteer experience. It will inspire you and make you thankful for all you have been blessed with. With the natural disasters we have experienced in the past year, many places could use help in rebuilding and cleaning up. The tsunami relief is still far from being completed. Many miles of beaches still need to be cleaned and many are still without shelter. Put your building skills to work to help the unfortunate countries that were affected. Do you lean more toward ecological projects? Those can be found as well. In the past 12 months, a volunteer group has spent many hours rehabilitating sick penguins so they can be released into the wild in South Africa. Released turtle hatchlings in Costa Rica and cleaning vast amounts of beach area in Sri Lanka. Other projects include, erecting a fence to protect wildlife in Australia, replanting over 2000 saplings to restore a forest in Kenya and helped preserve Griffon Vultures in Croatia. If you prefer to work with people, you may be able to help with teaching English as a second language. One organization has organized a camp to help children fight drug addiction. Another has taught basic sports skills and helped with educational development for children in underprivileged countries. Meaningful volunteer vacations can be a worthwhile project for anyone wanting to help the world become a better place. To promote goodwill and let other countries know that we as Americans care. The Church I belong to takes a missionary trip every year. They have fund-raising events, and those that go work to raise the money for their travel. They may go and finish a project started by another church, or start a new project. The Church that is sending the group often supplies building supplies. Teens have gone on mission trips to conduct one-week Bible Schools. My son had the opportunity to go on one of these mission trips and that one trip changed his life forever. He learned that volunteer work could be rewarding and unforgettable. There was time for him to visit the local sites and work with the locals on something that was important to them. He used his experience on that trip to go to a large city here in the States to minister to inner city youths during one of his summer college breaks. I found many different sites on the Internet that gives you the choice of where you want to volunteer. Is there an area you have never thought of visiting? Maybe a news story has made you curious about an area, or stirred your heart, making you want to make a difference. Can one person make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES. You can take projects for as short as one week to as long as 12 weeks. You choose what will interest you and where you would like to go. Why not take advantage to see a part of the world you would not have the occasion to visit and change the lives of people in that area. You can have a life changing experience, a vacation to remember and do your part in working for peace and understanding around the world.

5 Basic tips when choosing hardwood flooring

: Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home. No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, keep these tips in mind. Set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy to get overwhelmed quickly, and this makes you very susceptible to overspending. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice. Tip #1 You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives. Tip #2 Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen. Tip #3 Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. Tip #4 Consider installation - doing it yourself or having a professional installer do it for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easer to hire a professional, but do you due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly. Tip #5 Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part. Choose a hardwood that fits your personal taste and your lifestyle. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly.

How a muffin tin can improve your golf game

Any golfer will tell you that a lot of confusion can stem from not being able to identify your ball on the course. When two balls fall near to the hole but also near to each other, the debate over which player made which shot can get quite uncomfortable. This kind of awkward situation can take a lot of the fun out of this otherwise soothing sport, and can negatively affect your ability to play well. During an argument, your muscles naturally tense in order to prepare you for the possibility of a physical attack. This response is meant to protect you in a high stakes life or death situation. But in a low stakes situation like a game of golf your body’s natural defense mode can sabotage your game by keeping you all wound up, when what you really need on the course is to stay calm. Golfing experts agree that one of the keys to a perfect shot is relaxing your muscles so you can achieve your maximum range of mobility and greatest efficiency of movement. To keep play moving swiftly without being halted by snafus, to keep your cool and avoid heated arguments, and to keep yourself relaxed in order to achieve your best game, it is a good idea to make your golf balls unique. By making your golf balls stand out from the ones owned by other players on the course, you can take a big step towards being a better and happier golfer because you will be minimizing one of those hassles of the game. Some people purchase monogrammed balls, which is a smart way to make sure your golf balls can’t be mistaken for anybody else’s on the course. Other people buy golf balls as souvenirs on their trips to unique places, and doing this all but guarantees that your ball will stand out. However, both of these options can be quite costly. And, every golfer knows that balls get lost easily and often, which makes expensive golf balls quite a luxury. Most amateur golfers balk at spending a lot of money on golf balls that will inevitably disappear into water traps or get lost in the rough at the edge of the course. For an inexpensive and simple alternative to buying pricey monogrammed or souvenir golf ball, you can mark your balls at home. First, get a small muffin tin and place one golf ball in each of the indentations. This will keep the balls from rolling into each other while they are drying. Then, take a permanent marker and mark the top of each ball. You can write your initials; or use a simple symbol like a star, a square, or even a large dot. Leave the tin and the balls in place for a few hours so the ink can set, and then get ready to hit the course. The next time that you need to know if a ball is yours, all that you will have to do is look at it and then move on with no hassle, and without any of the tension that can sabotage your game.

Repairing outlook express mail database

There are a number of things that can and do go wrong with your email when you use Outlook Express frequently. The cure to the problem depends on the cause. This guide explains causes of these problems and outines solutions to fix your Outlook Express mailboxes. There are known bugs in Outlook Express, and there are other programs in Windows running at the same time as you use Outlook Express. An application crash or a system failure or a sudden power outage can cause corruption in the mail database used by Outlook Express. Mailbox corruption can also happen because of a hardware malfunction or as a result of a virus infection. One can unintentionally delete an important message from Deleted Item. A known issue in Outlook Express limits the size of its mail database to 2 GB. If you use Outlook Express frequently and don't put your mail to a number of different mailboxes, you'll hit the limit sooner rather than later. When you do, Outlook Express will be unable to access its mail database, and will fail to access your messages. Corrupted and inaccessible hard disks are also a problem. While you could just format the corrupted drive and continue using it without a problem, all data stored on it, including Outlook Express mail databases, would be lost. In order to recover to your email messages, you have to repair the damaged mail database. SoftAmbulance for Outlook Express made by softambulance/ can repair Outlook Express mail databases no matter what caused the damage. Virus attacks and system failures, crashed Outlook Express and corrupted hard drives are not a problem. Even if you can't access the drive, SoftAmbulance for Outlook Express can scan its surface sector by sector, locate, recover and repair corrupted Outlook Express databases. In case of a message removed from Deleted Items, the fix is even simpler. When you erase a message from Deleted Items, it is not erased immediately. Instead, it is simply marked as erased; Outlook Express will not wipe or overwrite its content until the next scheduled compression is performed on its mail database. By default, Outlook Express only performs automatic database optimizations once every 100 runs or so; chances are high you'll be able to recover the deleted email before the optimization takes place. SoftAmbulance for Outlook Express recovers deleted email quickly, easily and completely automatically. A free evaluation version of SoftAmbulance for Outlook Express is available for download at softambulance/download. php

Consolidating debt using debt management

Is consolidating debt through debt management and credit counseling good? Most people in our society live from payday to payday. Most people never see where their money goes the day after being paid for a month worth of work. Most of them have serious financial problems and are very close to declaring bankruptcy. Is this something you need to do or would you prefer to recover your good standing? What you might need is debt consolidation. Understanding debt consolidation is important. The first thing it does is to stop creditors from calling you and demanding money. It can possibly reduce your payments and bundle them into one repayment per month. It may also help you avoid bankruptcy. Then you can rebuild your credit and get on with life. If your monthly outgoings are becoming overpowering, debt consolidation may be what you need. It can help stop those large late repayment charges and any added interest. Also, you may need to use this service if your monthly repayments do not reduce the amount of your balance. Most importantly, though, debt consolidation improves your credit and helps you to avoid filing for bankruptcy. Another helpful way to secure a debt consolidation loan is to use the equity within your home. This will allow payment of one creditor each month. It can also get you extra cash and relieve the stress by consolidating all your debts into one repayment. Ultimately this type of loan will make you more assertive about making your repayments, as you will be aware that defaulting may lose you your home. Lastly, if a debt consolidation loan is what you require then you should search for a respectable and trusted debt consolidation firm. You should avoid the firms, loan sharks, which offer such loans with huge interest rates, because you will be charged double the service fees and the monthly repayment terms will be harsh. These are not the types of companies you should consider. Preferably you should opt for a non-profit company or lender that will give you much better options in regards to debt consolidation loans. You should only trust the security of your home and an equity-style debt consolidation loan to reputable companies because the loss of your home will make your situation worse and further damage your credit. When choosing a non-profit lender for your loan you should still make sure you understand the terms and conditions, the interest rates they suggest, any fees they will charge, and the time period for repayment. You should feel at ease before signing any documentation before securing such a loan. Finally, if you do have a full-time job, you may not need to use your house as collateral. Debt consolidation firms can give some relief and create a more comfortable deal for you.