Creative Writing: Tips To Make Your Creative Written Work Sell

Creative writing is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. However, you really don't need a special talent for it. What you need is a paper, a pen and a very good imagination that is worthy of telling your story to other people.

With good imagination, you can really capture your audience's minds and keep them reading your work. However, you have to know that a good imagination is simply not enough when you are writing. You also need to consider quite a few things first before you start writing.

It is a fact that many authors find it hard to write an article or a novel. So, if you are experiencing difficulty in writing an article or a novel, it is just natural. The first thing you need to consider is to have an appropriate environment in order for you to concentrate on work. Create your own writing environment to enable you to write more effectively and think more effectively. Consider the clothes you wear, the music you want to hear while writing, the temperature of the room, the lighting, the chair and a lot more. You should be comfortable with all these things. If you are, you will find it easier to write.

You will also need to have a writing schedule. You have to remember that nothing can be more frustrating when writing when someone is always barging in your writing time. You need to know when you can write in order to avoid interruptions from friends, family, co-workers or whomever that may interrupt you when you are writing. You have to concentrate on writing so you have to turn off anything that will interrupt you. Consider diverting all calls to a machine, turn off your pager, mobile phones, PDA and others that may interrupt you. Remember that you will be in another world in creative writing; you have to get out of the real world.

It is recommended that you should write when you are at your mental best or when you are not tired. However, some of the best novels were written on hours that would normally be your bedtime, try and write during these hours and determine if it will indeed affect your writing positively. If it doesn't, you should stick to your regular schedule where your mental state is at its prime.

If you are writing about a character, you should relate to them. Imagine you are that character and know their different behaviors and talk to an imaginary character. By doing this, you can effectively show your characters personality and will definitely make your readers think as if the character is real.

Writing is a very hard task to do. It will affect you physically and mentally. If you want to ease the tension, you have to invest in good writing tools that are readily available in the market. A fast desktop computer is a great way to start and as well as a writing software program that will enable you to write more effectively. It is also recommended that you purchase a large flat screen monitor to make it easier for your eyes.

These are some of the things you need for you to be able to write more effectively. Creative writing is a very tiring task to do, by following these advices, you will definitely write a good novel that everyone will surely buy.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.ideacenter.com and http://my-updates.info.Alberta Blog81507
Cassaundra Blog25142

I Love Her, but She Just Wants to be Friends - any Advice?

Dear Becca:

I have been friends with this girl for about three years. We have become very close over that time. We hang out a lot, we have gotten physical in the past (no sex), but always kept it loose. We even 'sleep together' on occasion.

Here is my problem. I have fallen in love with her. She knows about it, and is not completely opposed to the idea of us dating. However, she doesn't want to lose me as a friend if we were to break up. She has in the past been in situations like ours and has lost good friends because of it. I really want to see what could happen with this relationship. I just have no idea what I should do, because in my heart I know I can't go back. Any ideas?

Sincerely, 'Confused'

********************

Dear Confused:

I have been trying to determine how old you are. You appear to have a good command of grammar. Given the clues in your letter, I am guessing that you are not a young teenager. My advice for someone who is thirteen years of age is different than it would be for an adult.

As human beings, we are very adaptable and can fall in love with more than one personality type. However, puppy love crushes aside, we usually know deep down when we are absolutely devoted to another person.

So, I have to ask you: are you really and truly, body and soul, in love with this girl? She appears to have some kind of affection for you at this point. That could change; but after three years, if love were to flower, there should be at least a blossom sprouting at this point.

Have you lavished gifts on her? Is she stringing you along because she doesn't want the gravy train to stop? Be honest.

How many good friends has she lost in the past? A couple of similar situations may be isolated instances. However, three or more unsuccessful affairs may be evidence of a trend. This girl may be shallow and incapable of a loving relationship right now. Or she may really have been hurt by someone in the past.

You need to sit down with her and discuss her past relationships in depth. Don't let love blind you. Before your discussion, write down or type out some questions. Try to anticipate what she might say and think of more questions - sort of like a computer flowchart. Spend some time with what you have written and try to commit it to memory (not word for word - just the general gist of everything).

The very act of flowcharting may give you some direction and open your mind to possibilities you hadn't previously considered.

If you and the girl cannot come to a meeting of the minds after your heart-to-heart discussion, it might be wise to seek out professional help.

The rest of your life may be at stake here. Use your head - and not the little one - in a mature way.

All the best!

Becca

All advice given by Becca is for entertainment purposes only. Please seek professional help for serious problems.

Becca Bee writes regularly for Advice 4 Daters: http://www.Advice4Daters.com/ - and is one of the people behind the scenes at 1st Rate Articles: http://1stRateArticles.com/ - new to the net as of November, 2006.Aleta Blog9035
Alissa Blog11583

Security on Campus

It may surprise you to know that college and university campuses are scenes to more than just socializing and learning. All too often, they can also be the scenes of a crime. Awareness of this problem has grown dramatically over the last twenty years, and many institutions are taking appropriate measures to protect their students from malice. Wise parents do not close their eyes to these issues, but discuss them openly with their students. When choosing schools for their sons or daughters, they consider the security programs and features utilized by the schools. You must do all you can to ensure that your student doesnt get an education they didnt plan for.

Drugs and Alcohol

Nine out of ten student felonies involve alcohol or drugs. Annually, 1,700 college students die from alcohol-related causes. On their own for the first time, students often feel a surge of independence that can lead to poor decision-making, such as binge drinking. There are many resources available to help parents discuss substance use with their young adult children. Meanwhile, when choosing a school favor institutions with strict policies regarding alcohol and drug abuse, and effective parent-notification. In this way, colleges and universities keep better control of this problem.

Sexual Offenses

Unfortunately, 25% of undergraduate women nationally will be victims of an attempted or completed sexual assault. Many schools have embraced innovative technological solutions in an effort to protect their students. Residence halls that use electronic key-card systems are superior to the ones still using old-fashioned metal locks, and most commons areas of dormitories are now outfitted with video surveillance. At the very least, residence halls should be monitored, and nighttime access should be limited to residents only. Room doors should be equipped with peep holes and dead bolts. Bathrooms are safer when restricted to floor residents. For peace of mind, you may see if single-sex and substance-free dormitories are available. Crime is lower in these halls.

Another important deterrent against sexual predators is awareness. Your student should study the campus and neighborhood with respect to routes between his or her residence and classes/activities schedule. Parking lots should be adequately secured, lit and patrolled. Many campuses offer emergency phones, escort services, and shuttle systems so that students should never have to compromise their safety by walking across campus alone after dark. These are free services that have dramatically decreased crime.

Theft

College students are often the target of fraudulent identity-theft and credit card schemes. Make sure your student is savvy about personal information. They should never leave bill payments, credit card offers, health insurance statements, or any personal mail lying around. Instruct them never to give personal information over the phone to any company unless they initiated the call, and they know the company is reputable. Caution students not to give out their social security numbers to obtain credit cards or memberships, and to keep a personal record of all such cards, with expiration dates and company phone numbers in a locked drawer or cabinet. PIN numbers should not be kept in wallets, and should never incorporate birthdates, social security numbers, telephone numbers or addresses.

The Jeanne Clery Act is a federal law that was signed into effect in 1990, requiring colleges and universities to disclose annual information about campus crime and security policies. It is your privilege and right to know these statistics. This law was passed at a great cost. In 1987 Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her dorm room by a student with whom she was unacquainted, who had passed through three propped open doors in order to rob dormitory rooms. Knowing they could never bring their daughter back, Mr. and Mrs. Clery demanded safer campuses for future students. More advice regarding security on campus can be found on their outreach site at www.campussafety.org.

Copyright 2006 Rob Daniels

Rob Daniels develops educational material for http://www.security-port.com and http://www.security-protection.net a top resource for locating security related RSS feeds.Bobbi Blog92763
Ceil Blog6795

Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Group Health Insurance Coverage

In an atmosphere of ever-growing health care and health insurance costs, group health insurance coverage is becoming critical for many employees. In fact, surveys consistently show that employees value health insurance benefits above all others.

Studies have shown that a solid majority (over 60%) of Americans receive their health insurance benefits through group health insurance coverage through their employer (or their spouses employer). Of course, from the employees point of view, this is the least expensive option for securing health insurance. Nevertheless, whether you are a business owner or employee, what follows is a discussion of some interesting aspects of the group health insurance market.

There are two main reasons that employers offer group health insurance coverage. The first is to attract talented employees. The second reason is related to the first: To reduce employee turnover. Its not uncommon for employees to become dependent on their health insurance. That is, an employee who may otherwise leave their job to become self-employed may not do so because of health reasons. That is, he or she may not be eligible under an individual policy due to a preexisting condition. Preexisting conditions are typically not covered under individual health insurance plans.

The primary difference between individual and group health insurance is that group plans are guaranteed issue, while individual plans are not. Guaranteed issue means that an insurance company cannot deny coverage due to any preexisting medical conditions.

Some individual health insurance plans are issued to individuals with preexisting conditions, but usually only with what is called an exclusionary rider. This exclusionary rider will exclude coverage for treatment related to the preexisting condition. Its interesting to note that in California, insurance companies are not allowed to practice this policy. As you might expect, the result is a much higher rate of declined applications for individuals, since insurance companies choose simply not to issue coverage for individuals with preexisting medical conditions.

For group health insurance coverage, premium cost sharing between employer and employee has pretty much become a common feature in todays labor market. In the vast majority of cases, insurance companies require employees to pay a minimum of 50% of the premiums, although many choose to pay a higher percentage. In general, the larger the company, the greater the percentage paid by the company. Not all insurance companies require coverage for dependents, although again many businesses elect to offer this coverage as well.

There are tax incentives available to both employer and employee for qualifying group health insurance plans. Employers can typically deduct 100% of the premium costs, while employees can pay their portion of the monthly premiums with pretax dollars. Both practices can result in significant savings over the course of a year.

Lastly, group health insurance coverage is available as either an indemnity (fee-for-service) plan or managed care plan (HMO, PPO, or POS). Indemnity plans are the oldest, as well as the most expensive, type of health insurance. As a result of their high costs, indemnity plans have all but disappeared from the landscape, and been replaced by managed health care plans.

Managed group health insurance plans come in various forms: Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), or Point of Service (POS) plans. The HMO was the first alternative to traditional insurance (indemnity) and became popular for its ability to reduce costs for both employer and employee by creating networks of doctors and hospitals and thereby being able to apply cost saving measures.

The PPO plans have in recent years become the most popular type of group health insurance. PPOs (as well as POS plans) combine many of the freedoms enjoyed with indemnity plans while still being able to implement many of the cost saving features of an HMO.

The struggle to offer employees affordable group health insurance coverage is an ongoing process for most employers in todays health insurance market. Part of the process is education, from the standpoint of both the employee and employer. Its important to understand that retaining affordable and quality group health insurance is vital to both sides of the labor market employer and employee. Indeed, when done properly, this can be a win-win situation for all concerned.

Jonathon James has been working in the health industry for nearly twenty years. To view additional articles and resources related to group health insurance coverage, please visit http://LearningAboutHealthInsurance.com.Belle Blog49645
Ariel Blog31543

Keep em In!

Weve all seen them cats that troll the neighborhood, begging food and sleeping on or under the cars. And we all know thats no way for a cat to live, right? (At least not if you want your cat to live more than a couple of years.)

So bring your cat inside permanently and teach him how good life inside can be!

If youve got a new kitten and you want him to be indoors all the time, start by giving him a little extra attention and making the great indoors a fun place to be. For instance having one-on-one play time with your kitten will help him feel important and loved. And giving him toys and a cozy bed will help him burn some energy and give him a safe place to sleep when hes done playing.

Of course, if youve already got an indoor cat, there are some things you can do to keep his time inside interesting, too. According to http://Petco.com, some fun ways to keep your cat inspired include:

Letting your cat nibble on dietary greens planted in a small pot.
Opening a window (as long as the screens are secure) and giving him a breath of fresh air and some nice scenery.
Teaching your cat to walk on a leash
Giving him a secure, enclosed space outside where he can experience the outdoors safely.

Other than giving your cat a longer life expectancy and keeping him safer, in general, your cat will also likely have a healthier life, with a drastically reduced possibility of contracting FIV, feline leukemia, rabies, distemper, and other, often fatal, diseases.

While every effort should be made to keep your cat indoors, safe and healthy, you should always keep his vaccinations current and equip him with an elastic or breakaway collar with an identification tag just in case he does sneak out.

Jed Yorkshire is a retired teacher and pet enthusiast who writes about canine health topics, specialty breeds, animal training and grooming. An avid pet lover and breeder, he owns four beautiful Giant Schnauzers. Yorkshire also works as a private pet behavior consultant.Ardis Blog87870
Auria Blog86779

Website Traffic: 5 Ways To Guarantee Your Site Is Ready

Its so easy to annoy and drive away website visitors. Ensuring your site is user-friendlyand not annoyingis one of the most important factors in creating a successful online presence.

To guarantee your website is ready for traffic, consider the following 5 points before kicking your web promotions into high gear.

1. Remove any under construction signs.

People are visiting your website because your promotional message triggered their fancy. Nobody wants to be directed to a site that holds a welcome message and a sign that states, under construction.

Frankly, sending traffic to unfinished website only defeats the purpose of advertising in the first place.

The idea is to cater to visitors, as long as possible, in hopes of getting them to join your list or to buy something. Neither is possible when youre promoting a site that isnt ready to accommodate the traffic it receives.

2. Create your subscription forms.

You cant build rapport with a group of people unless you have access to them. Ideally, this means building a mailing list or several diversified lists. Offer multiple subscription forms placed in your web pages and prepare an incentive to get people to subscribe.

* Know who youre talking to and speak to them directly.
* Address the problems that your list will solve for them.
* Answer your prospects question, Whats in it for me?
* Ask them to take specific action to join.

This not only makes your mailing list enticing for newcomers, it also allows you to connect with them after theyre gone.

3. Include an easy-to-use navigational system.

The truth is, your visitors are going to be pressed for time. This is the way of the world-wide-web and the more you can do to make using your site - EASIER - the better!

A navigational system using understandable links or buttons that lead deeper into your site, as well as making sense to the end-user, is nothing short of surfing bliss!

If all else fails, use a site map page.

4. Build one section at a time.

If you anticipate creating a larger site, rather than using under construction pages that cut off the natural flow for visitors, consider building it one section at a time.

If you want to create a home and garden site, decide what to put in front of the public first; the home section or the garden area. Then proceed to build it.

The great thing about structuring web pages in this fashion is how nicely your website will flow, while the rest of the site is being designed offline.

5. Think community!

People like to feel as if theyre a part of something special. Your job, as a site owner, is to make this a reality for every person who visits your web pages.

* Be yourself and let your personality shine through.
* Offer more than a quick one-liner in your outgoing emails.
* Think relationships first - sales second.
* ASK visitors what their pressing problems are and help solve them.
* Provide adequate community tools and add to them, frequently.
* Provide tons of free information to help educate your users.

Every person, who is a part of a target market, shares common traits with others in that community. Thats a fact! I suggest you build your website around these shared attributes. You simply cant go wrong with this mindset.

Before you tackle the job of website promotion, make sure your website meets all the criteria listed above to guarantee it is ready for the traffic surge it is about to receive.

Now... go forth and promote for prosperity!

Bonnie Gean, a seasoned marketer and writer, teaches you how to drive thousands of visitors to your website using the power of Craigslist. For more information, visit http://www.bonniegean.com/p.php/craigslistBerthe Blog73894
Cassandre Blog66160

Bad Debt? Get Unsecured Personal Loan and Be Stress Free

The future is the result of the past. This stands true enough if considered in context of your financial history. An error committed in the past may hamper your present financial position. Bad debt is also one of those situations which are a result of past disturbances in your financial life. It holds back your privilege of borrowing money in the future. But when bad debt unsecured loans are there, you can still satisfy your personal needs by availing easy fund from them.

Bad debt unsecured personal loans are a perfect solution for people having bad credit history. This justifies that you can avail these loans even if you have a case of arrear, defaults, CCJ, bankruptcy etc. You will get these loans with a low rate of interest and easy repayments because of your bad debt so that you can make prompt and timely repayment.

Bad debt unsecured loans are personal loans that are available without putting any collateral. That means you are free from putting any security against the loan amount. With Bad debt unsecured personal loans you have no risk to offer.

With a bad debt unsecured personal loan, you can gain an amount ranging between 1000- 25,000, with a repayment of 1-7 years. The interest rate is charged depending upon your loan amount.

A bad debt unsecured loan can let you perform various tasks. You can avail this loan to consolidate your debts, meet wedding, medical or educational expenses, holidaying, home improvement, buying a home or car etc.

Getting a bad debt unsecured personal loan is not at all a difficult task. Online lenders can get you loan in a very fast and convenient manner. All you need to do is to go online and fill an application form provided by them. The application will ask for certain details like your employment details, personal identity proof, residential proof and yes, your credit score. You will be required to show your credit score to let the lender know about your financial circumstances. If you do not know your credit score, you can send a request to the UK credit check agencies to run a credit check on your name. This way you will come to know about your credit score. With these few points, you can easily avail bad debt unsecured personal loans.

Bad credit unsecured personal loans not only offer you money at low rates but also gives you a chance to improve your credit score. This increases your chances of getting any type of loan in the future.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed her LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. He is currently working with BadDebtUnsecuredLoans as a financial advisor. To find bad debt unsecured loan, bad debt unsecured personal loan, bad debt business loan, bad debt fast unsecured loan in UK that best site's you need visit http://www.baddebtunsecuredloan.co.ukAlyssa Blog59209
Carly Blog38861

Natural Alternative Cancer Treatments

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in this country. It affects about 1 in 3 and is moving towards a ratio of 1 in 2. It strikes men, women, and children. Cancer is caused by a variety of factors, including exposure to environmental toxins, smoking, an unhealthy lifestyle, and genetic predisposition.

What is cancer? Our bodies are made up of billions of cells. When some of these cells deviate and do not perform as they should, they become cancer cells and must be removed. Otherwise, the cells will propagate and destroy the body from within.

If your immune system is healthy, it is designed to eradicate these cancer cells before you are diagnosed with cancer. However, if the immune system is fragile or the cells multiply too quickly then cancer follows. Therefore, it is crucial to restore your immune system to its strongest state in order for it to battle the cancer cells.

There are many ways to strengthen the immune system. The first and easiest method is to make some changes in your diet and lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a nutritious diet are extremely important tools in your fight against cancer.

Nutrients found in certain foods strengthen your bodys abilities to ward off diseases like cancer. Consuming a predominantly plant-based diet (fruits, vegetables, and beans), when matched with regular physical exercise and the avoidance of tobacco, can greatly decrease your cancer risk.

If you have already been diagnosed with cancer, no matter what stage of cancer or what type of cancer, there are natural alternative methods of treatment available. Many people, who are given little hope by their doctors, choose to receive alternative treatments.

More and more people are now learning about the benefits of supplementing their conventional cancer treatments with natural therapies. These natural remedies improve the bodys immune system instead of relying on the often inconsistent results from chemotherapy and radiation.

There are many natural alternative cancer treatments and remedies available today. Some of these methods, used in conjunction with conventional methods, strengthen the body and control the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy. Other methods are used in place of the conventional methods.

All alternative remedies share the belief that a genuinely healthy body, and thus a balanced immune system, is less susceptible to cancer and better equipped to fight off cancer cells if they develop. Their methods try to eliminate the fundamental problem that permitted the cancer to develop in the first place by restoring a healthy immune system, thus allowing the body to heal itself.

Alternative treatments, usually holistic (whole body treatment) in their methods, strive to treat the whole body of the person rather than only the affected area(s). They also care for the patient on many different levels not just the physical part. A patients spiritual and emotional conditions are included in their treatments.

ALTERNATIVE CANCER TREATMENTS:

METABOLIC THERAPIES: The basic premise of metabolic therapies is that due to the close connection between diet and disease, chronic and life-threatening diseases can be reversed by restricting the type of calories our bodies consume. Since diet determines the health of a person, the treatments must consist of ways to cleanse the body from within.

Metabolic therapy uses a combination of methods in an attempt to remove the toxins from the body. The treatments use detoxification to flush the toxins out of the body, plant-based diets consisting of whole foods, and a regimen of vitamins, minerals and enzymes which heal damaged tissues and strengthen and revitalize the immune system.

HERBAL THERAPIES: Herbal therapy is the oldest form of medicinal treatment in the world. This treatment uses herbs to strengthen the ability of the body to eradicate cancer cells. It has been around for thousands of years and was used as mainstream medicine by doctors until the late nineteenth century.

At that time, the AMA (American Medical Association), consisting of doctors who were in a partnership with a growing pharmaceutical industry, used its clout to abolish the use of natural substances. Because there is no profit to be had from these natural drugs, they were no longer considered viable treatments.

The established medical community does not encourage its patients to treat their own cancer by using inexpensive natural substances and therapies. Instead, millions of dollars are spent to create synthetic drugs.

MIND-BODY THERAPIES: Because our mind has a powerful effect on our body, these therapies concentrate on the function of emotions and spiritual faith in the recovery process from an illness. They do not guarantee a cure but they can greatly affect what happens in your body and have become an increasingly important part of cancer treatments.

Examples of these therapies include hypnosis, biofeedback, visualization techniques that help increase the effectiveness of the immune system, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and participating in pleasing activities like listening to music or taking walks. Anything that promotes improved emotional and spiritual well-being is a mind-body therapy.

Using these techniques can alleviate pain, enhance your quality of life, and in some cases eliminate or reduce the disease. Because you can do most of the mind-body therapies yourself, you feel like you are gaining back the control over your life that cancer has taken away from you.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, do not give up hope. You must be proactive and research the various alternative treatments that are available, and there are many. The more you do to help yourself, the better your chances will be to eliminate cancer from your life.

Chris Chenoweth writes articles pertaining to health, nutrition, and online business. Find out how over 2,000 people cured their cancer naturally using the treatments revealed at the NATURAL CANCER TREATMENTS website. Discover over 300 gentle and non-toxic natural cancer remedies that no one else will tell you about: http://www.ezniche.com/data/article.php?l=41Andriana Blog87581
Bridget Blog46269

Cheap Web Hosting

Getting set up with cheap web hosting can be a challenge these days in the world of web hosts that provide services like domain bundling, name registration, and free email to get users aboard. Many of these services end up costing you more than a traditional basic hosting account would in the first place, and therefore web hosting can be a hard thing to find for those looking for a bargain. Many people looking for cheap web hosting end up settling for a bundle deal that isnt what they wanted. In order to get cheap web hosting one must first figure out what his or her needs are, and how best to meet them. This is not easy when it comes to cheap web hosting, because what your needs require may not be the same services offered by any given host. But taking the painful steps of identifying what your web hosting needs are will greatly enhance the ability and chances of finding the best deal in the end.

Most web hosts base their packages on bandwidth and storage space. This means that in order to get a deal on cheap web hosting, one must settle for less bandwidth, and less storage space. How much storage space do you need? Are you going to be hosting large files? Are you going to be hosting large amounts of email addresses, and various data? These questions need to be addressed before one can truly find cheap web hosting. Further, how much traffic you receive each day will have a lot to do with the cost of web hosting. If the traffic is moderate to light, you can expect to get a cheap web hosting deal without problems. If on the other hand there is a lot of traffic headed to your site, more bandwidth might be needed to keep it up and running.

Shopping for cheap web hosting is not an easy task simply because there are so many options today. Everything from basic beginners web hosting packages, to deluxe advanced web hosting packages for those running dedicated servers, and virtual servers as well. Making the most out of each package can be hard and therefore it makes sense to compare services.

One of the most popular hosting websites on the net today is godaddy. This website is the benchmark for cheap web hosting, and offers a variety of packages. The godaddy website is best known for its cheap domain registration. Godaddy also offers its users a variety of web hosting packages to fit most anyone's needs.

Another great web host is yahoo business. This website is based upon the need of small businesses looking for an easy way to host a merchant account ready website. This website hosting company provides cheap web hosting solutions for any small business that needs it.

In dealing with cheap web hosting it is important to compare all the options before making a choice. A good spot to compare services is Review Place, a website based on customer reviews of products and services. At Review Place you will be able to look at the different services, and figure out which one works best for you. It is important to compare prices and see what is offered. It will be easier to make an informed choice about what it is that you need, and which service you want to sign up with.

Andy West is a freelance writer for ReviewPlace. For more information and reviews of Cheap Web Hosting, please visit ReviewPlace at http://www.reviewplace.com/cat-372-InternetBusinessTools--Web-Hosting.html.Camille Blog10376
Anny Blog66593

Online Education

The Internet has shortened distances, making it possible almost all of the activities that traditionally required going from one place to another, investing extra effort, money, and time. Today, you can study from the comfort of your home, at any hour of the day or night and even wearing just your pajamas, if you want.

Online courses have the additional benefit of immediate availability. No more waiting time until the next visit of your mail carrier, just sit down and turn on your PC to enter into your virtual classroom or have your list of today's assignments displayed on your monitor.

Online education, also known as distance learning or e-learning, differs from traditional education because students are not required to visit an actual classroom and listen to an instructor face-to-face. If you have ever thought about an online education to further your current career, or to get training for a new career, now is a great time to get started.

An online education also means you do not have to take a break from your current job or career and can simultaneously become qualified for a better one. Contrary to belief, an online education is valued just as much as a regular one. In fact, people getting an online education are indicating that they are motivated to better themselves every step of the way and are willing to put in the required extra effort for this purpose.

Today, online education has come a long way. Instructors are now being hired to solely teach online. Companies are also hiring these online education programs, since a training session can not only be quick, but also be accessed at any time of the day or night. For many, it is a great opportunity because it gives us all more knowledge. We not only are able to get college degrees through this type of e-learning, but we also can have a life, without having to stay at the office overnight just to learn some material.

The choice for online education is vast. There are an unlimited number of universities and colleges that are ready to work with you and the time that you have available in order for you to get an education in the field you prefer.

Online education has made all degrees available to anyone and everyone who has the will to study. The cost of each degree differs from course to course but here too a payment plan can be worked out depending on your financial status and possibilities.

Overall, online education is much less expensive than going to a traditional school because you save on travel, time, and the courses themselves cost less. Much of the time you are able to get your degree much quicker and with much more ease in an online program than at a traditional college.

Modern technology allows surfers the access to a wide number of study materials and guides in a matter of just a few seconds. Nevertheless, apart from time, online educations provide economy, convenience and effectiveness to any learning program.

This article has been published by Kateri White currently writing on online degree programs topics for our website http://www.onlineuniversitydegreeprogram.info.For more details about the online degree programs, please visit our website. If any mistake found please mail kateriwhite@gmail.com.Celia Blog26522
Calypso Blog8733

Sacramento Schools And The Trillion Dollar Question

Sacramento Schools are the epitome of the problems and concerns held by all public schools in the state of California. Recent and ongoing debates about funding arts education, construction costs, and new initiatives play out in Sacramento Schools daily. The most recent fuel to the fire was added when a study titled Getting Down to the Facts was released: its an evaluation of the adequacy and efficiency of the current funding of Californias public schools. The study was conducted by a California non-profit educational think tank, Pacific Research Institute (PRI).

Given the states poor reputation in regards to education, most educators in Sacramento Schools werent surprised by the studys conclusion that the states current educational funding system is dysfunctional. However, sensational reports claiming that even an investment of $1 trillion couldnt fix the problems of California and Sacramento Schools ruffled the feathers of administrators trying to get money for their initiatives.

Dr. Vicki Murray, senior fellow in Education Studies at PRI, explained that the report did not say that the problems could not be fixed with large amounts of money, rather, It found what research and common-sense have told us for a long time: spending more money on more of the same wont reverse Californias race to the bottom. Californias infrastructure is so poor; its nearly impossible to know where education funding goes or what programs are effective. We shouldnt spend more if we dont know whats workingreform must be our first priority.

What will this mean for Sacramento Schools? It depends what politicians do with this information. Two of the big issues have been in arts education and construction costs. Currently local districts like Sacramento Schools fund 50% of monies for new building and school renovations. The state covers the rest. Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed upping the local commitment to 60%. Opponents claim this places an even greater burden on at-risk and low-income Sacramento Schools.

In the arts arena, however, the Governor made a splash with administrators in Sacramento Schools by granting the largest ever state allotment of funds for the arts in the summer of 2006. $500 million was committed to equipment for arts, music and physical education programs, while $105 was earmarked for hiring and training qualified arts teachers. Sacramento Schools rejoiced at this news because of the strong correlation between arts education and high academic achievement, especially in low-income children.

So even though educators and administrators in Sacramento Schools may agree that the educational system is dysfunctional, the lack of vision regarding the solution makes them nervous. Depending on the reforms proposed its likely that arts education could again lose funding (a common trend in Sacramento Schools). The report may also makes it difficult for Sacramento Schools to get the funding they want to support existing programs. And with both California and Sacramento Schools at the bottom of the educational barrel in national scores, that has everyone concerned.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/California/Sacramento/index.htmlBarbe Blog40598
Bunni Blog3393

Protect Your Computer

I will have to be first when I admit I am addicted to the Internet. Whenever Ive got a spare hour, I love to just surf around as a form of entertainment. I have also found out about the world of download. I can take the best in modern music and DVD and watch or listen as I do whatever else I want. This is the kind of thing that absolutely anyone could become addicted to. Whatever entertainment you want for the cost of your Internet connection! Wow.

As perhaps you would expect, when I am online all the time I run into a few problems that I have had to deal with. When downloading, you are simply asking for problems when these files are not being scanned before you actually download them. I lost all information from my hard disk before, and that includes my financial records, my photographs and the all the games, and DVDs and music which I had downloaded along the way.

Before, I just had some anti-virus software called Norton which was just on my computer when I bought it. I thought it worked fine but occasionally some viruses would get through. Yes only occasionally, but this is not good enough when your computer could just crash at any given time. This is a problem that you have to tackle before some malware or spyware penetrates your hard drive or the internals of your computer. My friend's PC just started switching off whenever it pleased as a result of this and the same thing could easily happen to you.

So basically what I would recommend is that you do not surf the Internet, then your current protection will probably be ok. However if you do, then you absolutely have to upgrade your virus package.

So now I dont rely on any rubbish package for anti-virus protection. You simply have to update your as well if you want to protect your computer. Because the Internet changes every minute, so does the viruses that your anti-virus software has to tackle. That is why you need software which automatically updates itself via your Internet connection. Think about when a new virus pops-along. Will your two-year old package be able to defend your computer? I do not think so some how.

And other thing that you need from anti-virus software is something that will come with support functionality. Imagine when you realize that you have zero idea how to upload your software. You need a call-center that is going to ensure you can get it working on your computer. You should actually get software which directly meets your surfing habits. If you do not then you are just asking for problems to happen. Look at the software and ask questions. Will this be able to handle downloading from peer-to-peer networks?

Basically, if you spend your time online or even if you work from the Internet then you cannot afford not to invest in some quality anti-virus protection. Having some rubbish package is better than nothing, however things are far more sophisticated these days, and you really need something that is going to work. It is a wise investment, and think how much money you will save once you start downloading free stuff online?

Eoin Kane is the editor of a top http://www.latestcommunications.com website, and he also runs a site about http://www.keycareersolutions.comAstrid Blog77896
Annaliese Blog97520

Glossary Of Terms (D - L) - CCTV

DARK CURRENT
Leakage signal from a CCD sensor in the absence of incident light.

DARK NOISE
Noise caused by the random (quantum) nature of the dark current.

DECIBEL (DB)
A logarithmic ratio between two electrical signals or values. Usually refers to power, but can also be used for voltage and current.

DC
Direct Current.

DE-MULTIPLEXING
The process of separating different video, audio, or data signals, which were multiplexed at source.

DEPTH OF FIELD
The distance between the nearest and furthermost object in a scene which appear in sharp focus. Depth of field varies depending on the f-stop and focal length of a lens. Depth of field increases when the f-stop is greater, the focal length shorter or the distance to the object is increased.

DIELECTRIC
An insulating (non-conductive) material. Found between the inner core and outer shield of a co-axial cable.

DIGITAL SIGNAL
An electronic signal, which is represented by binary numbers, and that, can be processed by a microprocessor, or stored in an electronic memory.

DOME
Term used to describe a type of camera housing made of smoked glass or plastic usually containing a pan and tilt head and used for discreet surveillance.

DOS
Disk Operating System. A software package that makes a computer work with its hardware devices such as hard drive, floppy drive, screen, keyboard, etc.

DSP
Digital Signal Processing. Refers to an electronic circuit capable of processing digital signals.

DUPLEX
A system that is capable of handling two channels of information simultaneously. In CCTV, duplex is used to describe a multiplexer that can record in multiplex mode whilst simultaneously displaying multi-screen pictures.

DWELL TIME
When relating to video switchers this is the time that a picture remains on a monitor before being replaced by the next picture.

EAS
Electronic Article Surveillance. System used in retail stores to prevent shoplifting by attaching tags to the merchandise, which activate an alarm when passed through detectors. These systems are often interfaced with CCTV systems.

EBU
European Broadcasting Union.

EIA
Electronics Industry Association. American Association that sets the standard for video broadcast in the USA and Canada (525 lines, 30 frames per second).

ELECTRON BEAM
A concentrated flow of electrons in a nominated direction.

EMI
Electro Magnetic Interference. Interference caused by an item of electrical equipment radiating electro magnetic frequencies.

ENG CAMERA
Electronic News Gathering camera usually refers to CCD cameras in the broadcast industry.

EPROM
Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory. An electronic chip used in many different security products, which stores software instructions for performing various operations.

ERGONOMICS
The study of man, machine and the working environment to achieve maximum efficiency.

FIBRE OPTIC
A very efficient method of transmitting video and telemetry signals over long distances using a light beam transmitted along a fibre optic cable constructed from high density Silica Glass.

FIELD
Half of a single frame, consisting of either the odd or even lines. In a PAL system this is 312.5 lines.

FIELD OF VIEW
The height and width of view that can be seen through a lens.

FIXED LENS
A lens with a pre-determined fixed focal length. Normally has a focusing control and a choice of iris functions. Available in a range of sizes to suit different applications.

FLY BACK PERIOD
The time taken for a signal to move from the end of a field, frame or line to the start of the next field frame or line. Also called the retrace period.

FOCAL LENGTH
The distance between the optical centre of a lens and the focal point.

FOCUSING RING
Ring on the outside of a lens to allow adjustment to obtain correct focus.

FOOT-CANDELA
Unit of Illuminance. 1 Foot-candela =1 Lumen of light incident on 1sq ft of surface area.

FRAME
Basic unit of a motion picture, made up of 2 fields or 625 lines (in a PAL system).

FRAME INTERLINE CHIP
A type of CCD imaging device, which is expensive to manufacture and is currently used in broadcast quality cameras. This type of chip overcomes many of the shortcomings of the existing CCD chips used in CCTV cameras.

FRAME STORE
An electronic device used to capture and digitally store a video image. Can be a stand-alone unit or incorporated in other equipment such as fast scan transmitters or video motion transmitters.

FRAME SWITCHER
A basic form of multiplexer, which can be used to record multiple cameras on a single VCR.

FRAME TRANSFER
A type of CCD Imaging device in which the pixels have a dual role of sensing the light and transferring the charge. This can result in picture smearing, which is a major shortcoming of this device.

GALVANOMETER
In CCTV this term refers to a method of operating an auto iris lens. The changing light level causes a change in the current induced into a minute coil, which in turn causes movement in the Iris diaphragm.

GAMMA CORRECTION
A method of correction used in cameras to balance the brightness seen by a camera to that of the monitor.

GEN-LOCK (EXTERNAL SYNC)
A method of synchronising a number of cameras in a system to ensure that they all produce fields at the same time. This is used to prevent picture bounce when switching between cameras and can improve the overall quality and update time of recordings when using switchers or multiplexers.

GROUND LOOP CURRENT
In CCTV this term refers to a current that is produced in a cable as a result of a difference in earth potential existing at each end of the cable. The result of this is noise (interference) introduced in the signal.

GROUND LOOP INSULATOR
A transformer with no direct connection between the inputs and outputs, used to eliminate Ground Loop Currents.

GUI
(Graphical User Interface). A term used to describe the interface between a computer screen and the user. Now used in CCTV Systems to describe features such as touch screen control of systems and equipment.

HARDWIRED
Refers to a method of controlling CCTV equipment by using multi-cored cable run between the controller and device to be controlled. Only used where the distance between controller and controlled device is short.

HERTZ
The unit of measurement for frequency in a signal. 1 Hertz = 1 cycle per second.

HOMING SWITCHER
Term used to describe a sequential switcher with only one output.

HORIZONTAL RESOLUTION
The number of vertical lines that can be resolved in a picture.

HORIZONTAL SHIFT REGISTER
Part of the CCD image device to which the charge from the pixels is transferred line by line. This charge is then converted into an analogue video signal.

ILLUMINANCE
The amount of light, which falls onto a given surface area. Measured in lux.

IMAGING DEVICE
A vacuum tube or solid state device in which the vacuum tube light sensitive face plate, or solid state light sensitive array, provides an electronic signal from which an image can be created.

IMAGE INTENSIFIER
A devise used to intensify light through the use of light sensitive phosphor screens. Used to intensify camera performance under low light conditions.

IMPEDANCE
The total opposition to current flow in an a.c. electrical circuit. Measured in Ohms.

INDEX OF REFRACTION
The ratio between the angle of incidence to the angle of refraction of light. Index varies depending on the density of the medium. The denser the medium, the higher the index.

INFRARED LIGHT
Light produced at the red end of the spectrum. Not visible to the naked human eye.

INFRARED ILLUMINATOR
Light source, which emits light in the infrared part of the spectrum. Used to illuminate scenes to provide views at night from infra sensitive monochrome cameras.

INFRARED TRANSMISSION
Method of transmitting signals using an infrared beam. Allows CCTV signals to be transmitted where cables cannot be run. Signals can be degraded over long distances or in adverse weather conditions.

INTERFERENCE
Effect caused by the introduction of unwanted electrical signals into an electrical circuit. In CCTV this results in noise in the signal or picture, which disrupts the picture.

INTERLACING
The process of combining odd and even fields to form a frame.

INTERLINE TRANSFER
A type of CCD imaging device in which the charge is processed according to the amount of light falling on the sensors and then transferred immediately. This is the most common form of imaging device used in current CCTV systems.

IP RATING
Index of protection that refers to the level of protection provided by equipment housings, against the ingress of dust or moisture.

IRIS
The part of a lens that is used to control the amount of light that passes through the lens and onto the imaging device.

ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network). Telecommunications network that is capable of transmitting digital signals at speeds of up to 128kb/sec.

LAN
(Local Area Network). Means of connecting a number of computers to enable communication between each device connected to the network.

LASER
(Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). In CCTV this source of exceptionally pure light can be used to transmit signals along fibre optic cables, providing very high quality signal and data transmission.

LED
(Light Emitting Diode). A semiconductor that produces light when stimulated by an electric current. In CCTV these are used as the light source in some fibre optic transmission systems, and as light the light source for illuminating scenes for use with Monochrome cameras.

LENS
An optical device for focusing light onto the imaging device in a camera.

LENS CALCULATOR
A calculator used to calculate the most suitable lens to provide an image of a given scene when used with a specific camera.

LENS HUNTING
A problem encountered when an auto iris lens opens and closes alternatively because it is unable to find the correct level.

LENS MOUNT
See C-mount or CS-mount.

LENS WHEEL
See Lens calculator.

LIGHT SENSOR
A device that is activated when a preset amount of light is present on the sensor. Used to switch on/off infrared illuminators.

LINE
The basic unit of a frame or field containing the charge, which is proportional to the light falling at various points on the scanning line.

LINE-LOCKED
Refers to a method of synchronising cameras to a common AC frequency.

LOOPING SWITCHER
Refers to a type of switcher where signals are looped through the switcher without being affected by the operation of the switcher itself.

LUMEN
Unit of light measurement of light radiation. 1 Lumen = amount of light emitted by a light source of 1 Candela.

LUMINANCE
Brightness. In CCTV refers to the part of the video signal that contains information about the scene brightness.

LUMINOUS FLUX
The rate of flow of light.

LUX
Unit of illumination. 1 Lux = the amount of uniform light falling onto a surface of 1sq metre. Measured in Lumens per square metre.

Instrom Limited is an independent security consultancy set-up in 1998 to provide a range of impartial security consultancy services to commerce, industry and the public sector. http://www.instrom.com.Audrie Blog81903
Bunny Blog2424

Live A Debt Free Life

At the present time, in which financial collapse is so common, we present some ways to transform your debt problems into solutions. In the United States, consumer debt has reached the highest levels because in the past 10 years credit debt has doubled itself.

According to the Federal Reserve Board, consumer debt reached $1.98 trillion in October 2003, while in 2000; the debt reached only $1.5 trillion. Because unsecured credit delinquencies are always high, American citizens spend in banks interest rates more than $65 billion dollars a year.

The total US credit card debt in 2002 was $60 billion; the average consumer debt was $8562; debt increased from 82 million in 1990 to 144 million in 2003.

Thanks to the different option consumers have, being a debt free person is now a lot easier.

The following programs have been extremely successful in repairing consumers credit history.

Debt Consolidation: In 2004, thousands of consumers beneficiated thru debt consolidation programs. A Debt consolidation program consolidates your whole loan in a single amount and withdraws your late fees. To deepen this info visit: (www.bill-consolidation-and-debt-negotiation.com)

Bankruptcy: The Administrative Office of US Courts showed that bankruptcy fillings diminished by 1% during 2003. Still bankruptcy fillings remain high as ever, showing historic increases, chapter 7 and chapter 13. (www.personal-bankruptcy-avoidance.com)

Debt settlement is a program in which a third party consultant makes a negotiation with your creditors to decrease your debt. That is, debt settlement agencies negotiate with creditors to minimize your debts from as much as 50 % to 75%. For instance, lets suppose you have accumulated $20,000 in credit card debts; you owe $10000 to a credit card company, another $6000 to any other credit company, and last but not least, you owe $4000 more to a third company. You settle your debt with a 5 year plan, paying only $250 a month to the Debt Settlement Company; you end up paying a total of $15000. In the end, this tactic not only saved you $5000, but also helped you in becoming a debt free person in just five years. (ww.curadebt.com/)

Debt Management Programs: Last year, 3 million people or more got in contact with a credit counseling company to obtain help with debt issues. Credit counselors collected $7 billion last year with debt management plans; these plans bring about an opportunity to customers to settle their debts in 4 to 5 years with low interest rates. Clients that successfully finished the program felt that the these types of payment plans were extremely beneficial; nearly 85% felt that paying the debt was had a positive outcome and 55% felt that subscribing to a debt management plan stopped collectors calls.

Statistics demonstrate that 38% of this selected population has agreed that the plan cleared their credit history, and that 51% felt it enhanced their financial situations.

Credit counseling: Credit counseling companies help you get out of debt, but they dont consolidate your debt; they negotiate a payment plan with low interest rates and over the limit fees for your debts. Settlement companies are an intermediate between the consumers and the creditors in which both the parties end up maximizing their gains and minimizing the losses. Almost 9 million, people consult credit counseling agencies each year.

Budgeting: This subject matter is exceptionally important in the process of a debt solution plan. Recent statistics show that a household allocates 33% of total income in housing, 13% in food, 5% in apparel 19% transportation, 5% in health care, 5% in entertainment, 9% personal insurance and pensions, 1% in life insurance and 10% for others.

Get a deep insight about the above mentioned programs in the subsequent links:

http://www.bill-consolidation-and-debt-negotiation.com/consumer-credit-counseling/FL-Florida/Consumer-Credit-Counseling-FL-Florida.shtml

http://www.bill-consolidation-and-debt-negotiation.com/consumer-credit-counseling/TX-Texas/Consumer-Credit-Counseling-TX-Texas.shtml

http://www.bill-consolidation-and-debt-negotiation.com/consumer-credit-counseling/CA-California/Consumer-Credit-Counseling-CA-California.shtml

Nancy Smith is a contributing writer to http://www.bill-consolidation-and-debt-negotiation.com, and is currently writing some special articles to orient business on how to manage debt and avoid bankruptcy.Adriaens Blog12371
Berri Blog75189

Commercial Van Insurance -- The In's and Out's

If you use your van for travelling to work or back, or as personal transportation, the tax laws view this use as a benefit in kind. This means that you might find yourself liable to pay extra income tax.

In addition to this, all commercial vans must be covered by adequate insurance. There are usually three certificates issued by motor insurance providers to make sure your vehicle is covered.

The first of these is the Certificate of Insurance, which provides evidence that your van is insured. This is required by the Road Traffic Act.

The second certificate is the Cover Note. This is what you receive before the Certificate of Insurance. It acts as a temporary insurance policy and certificate of insurance.

Last is the commercial van insurance Policy Document, which states the terms and conditions your commercial van insurance policy, is entered into under. This is something that you should be certain to read carefully. Modern policies have little to no small print or over difficult language. If yours does, make sure that your insurer explains them.

Another UK law about commercial vehicles covers the transportation of food. Since 1995, any food that has not been cooked at home to be eaten privately has been subject to temperature control regulations. These regulations cover all the steps in preparing food. These include preparation, storage, handling, transportation, processing, sales, packaging, distribution, manufacture, and supply.

If the food involved is derived from animals, there are additional regulations, specific to the product. This means that any vehicles used for the commercial transportation of these foods must allow for temperature control. It is necessary to make sure that the food maintains an adequate temperature while it is being transported. The kinds of foods that are covered by the need for temperature control include all foods that could support colonies of harmful bacteria or generate toxins if their temperature is not regulated.

These foods can fall into many different categories. Some of these include dairy products; any foods containing eggs, meat, milk, fish, or derivatives of these; any foods which have been precooked, cereals and grains, vegetables and pulses, or sandwiches and foods containing these; smoked and cured fish and meat; and pre-prepared foods which are ready to eat, pastries and doughs which are uncooked or only partially cooked; and pizza and pasta which contain meat, fish, or vegetables.

All packaged foods that you might transport under your commercial van insurance policy must have special instructions on their labels regarding their storage. These instructions will tell you if you must keep these items cold while transporting them. The basic requirement is that no one keeps any ingredients, raw materials, partially finished products, or finished products at temperatures, which might allow bacteria and toxins to form if the products are susceptible to this formation.

Some foods may also have specific temperatures at which they must be held. These are usually below 8 degrees Celsius, or, in the case of warm foods, above sixty-three degrees Celsius, as appropriate. Some foods are exempt in certain circumstances. These circumstances include any foods, which may be kept at room temperature for the duration of their shelf life. Also included are foods, which have been preserved, such as canned or dried food. Some canned foods are only pasteurized, and must be refrigerated, such as tinned meat. Foods, which must be matured or ripened at room temperature, are also exempt, such as cheese. Once they have properly matured, they are stored chilled at the appropriate temperature. Also exempt are raw ingredients, which are meant to be cooked or processed in such a way that they will not present a threat.

Food, which is to be sent through the mail, is exempt from the eight degrees Celsius rule. However, these foods must be kept at a temperature that will not pose a hazard. There is some flexibility in these regulations to allow for the loading and unloading of food from vehicles to the place where it will be kept. As long as it can be shown that the food does not spend an undue amount of time outside of the temperature controlled commercial van, this is permitted.

The law also allows for some other, very limited circumstances. These relate to the display and serving of food, and to manufacturer recommendations about holding temperature on specific kinds of food. These are primarily advisory in nature, however, and specific information about them must be acquired from the Department of Health.

Peter Fitzpatrick is a Marketing Professional for many of the UK's Leading Commercial Insurance companies. With 20 years worth of commercial insurance experience, for companies including: Norwich Union, Churchill and Zurich. To learn more on commercial van insurance visit his website http://www.van-insurance-britain.co.ukAmbur Blog79710
Catrina Blog83352

How To Create A Video Campaign Concept

Have you ever had a good idea, maybe a great idea, only to find that someone else already ready did it? Frustrating. You want to be a success and who doesn't? It's why you do what you do, why you put-up with what you put-up with? But it all gets so frustrating.

As much as you'd like to believe otherwise, there just aren't any secret methods, special potions, or motivational DVDs that are going to make you a success in thirty days, but there are things you can do that will help. Sure working hard helps but working smart is even better. So how do you work smart? Well you can start with presenting your core, marketing message to your targeted audience in a way that engages the spirit, informs the intellect, and embeds in the mind. And if you want to be cutting edge, the way to do it is with audio and video.

What A Difference A Difference Makes

Anybody who has ever tried to raise money for a project from a bank, or contacted an ad agency for help has heard the question, "What makes your company different?" If you don't have a different product, different process, or different way of doing or presenting what you do, you are never going to raise a cent or make an impact on the market. Yet most companies blindly continue to follow the market leader, and wonder why they never attain the level of success they hope to achieve.

If you want to be a success, you have to reinvent your company as something unique, so when the time comes to present your redefined vision to the world, you will actually have something to say, and something worth listening to.

Lateral Thinking, The Creative Laxative

Once you've decided to develop a video marketing message that focuses on what makes you different, you will want to know where begin.

This is a creative process that can be scary to business executives trained in left-brain linear thinking. Learning to think creatively is hard and for most people it goes against everything they have learned.

Creative thinking has been called 'thinking outside the box,' right-brain thinking, or simply thinking differently. Author Edward De Bono calls it 'Lateral Thinking.' De Bono argues linear thinking stifles imagination because it suffices at the first seemingly acceptable solution rather than looking for innovative alternatives:

"In ordinary traditional thinking we have developed no methods for going beyond the adequate. As soon as something is satisfactory our thinking must stop."
- Edward De Bono

Where You Begin Is Where You End

One method of jump-starting the creative process is to think backward: you begin at the end, because where you're going will inform how you get there.

Create Your Memory Tag or Slogan

A well thought-out slogan or tag line focuses attention on the critical point-of-differentiation, the thing that establishes your brand identity. A good slogan serves as a memory device, a positioning tool that implants itself in your audience's mind and stays there.

No matter how many times the advertising agencies convince the 'pooh-bahs' at Coca-Cola to change their slogan, Coke will forever be "The Real Thing," and Pepsi will be "The Choice of a New Generation," at least to my generation.

These were excellent examples of how to focus on a single element and establish a differentiating identity between competing products that for the most part are just about the same. Then of course you have 7-Up with "The Uncola" slogan that was the best of the bunch, but was unfortunately dumped for some lame reason.

Each of these soft drink slogans established market-turf for their company, and each helped differentiate the product while establishing identity in the audience's mind; and no place is anything said about cost, quality, or any of the other conventional selling points that small companies are so fond of touting.

Develop Your Story

A well-designed video commercial takes your audience through the three stages of storytelling: The Setup with inciting incident, The Crisis with problem escalation, and The Resolution with viewer satisfaction.

Your slogan or tag is the punch line that highlights your resolution; it's what you want your audience to remember; it's your marketing message destination; and it's where you want to end. Now all you have to do is work backwards to the beginning.

This method of development helps you avoid saying too much: yes, there are many things you want to say, most of which are valid, some of which are relevant, but few of which are applicable to the delivery of an effective Web video presentation. The more you say to an audience, the less they hear. Stick to a simple story that leads to a resolution based on your memorable punch line or what TV screenwriters call 'the button.'

Invent Your Hook

Once you have your basic commercial storyline with a beginning, middle, and end, you need to make sure you have a hook: the thing that's going to pique audience curiosity and make them stick around long enough to view the entire presentation. The hook should center on the 'inciting incident:' the motivating situation that propels your onscreen representative to find a solution to the problem at hand that ultimately leads to the resolution represented in your 'button' or punch line.

The Geico Caveman is a great example of a hook that demands attention, and draws the audience into the series of mini dramas that constitute this award winning ad campaign; all based on an incredibly simple, yet brilliant, tag: "So Easy A Caveman Could Do It." You don't need expensive special effects or exotic locations; all you need is an imagination and a message that can be delivered with a memorable one line "button."

Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.Brynne Blog88262
Aryn Blog47356

Types of Lawn Mower

Lawn Mower Blade Types

The lawn mower is an essential part of today household. With the prices of maintaining lawns increasing, it is necessary to know the details regarding blades so you can select the right one for you.

Know the type of Lawn Mower Blade You Have

The lawn mowers come in different varieties. Some are walk behind and some are motorized. The blades used in each type of lawn mower will vary. However, there are just two types of blades in the lawn mowers

Reel Type:: The first one is the rotary type that you find in walk behind lawn mowers . These are generally bigger and are visible from a distance. Reel blades operate against a stationary edge and any grass that comes within the rotary and fixed blade is cut by shearing action. The reel blades of the manual walk behind lawn mowers are generally 8 to 10 inches in diameter and are pushed by the person mowing the lawn.

The volume of the grass cut depends on which the speed with which the lawnmower is pulled and is generally low for the manual one. Some of the walk behinds have a motor up to 4 hp and are quite powerful.

The blades are arranged on a spiral on a cylinder and cut the grass by shearing action. The gap between the blade and the bed can be adjusted very easily and this is a great help to the operator.

Sharpening reel type of lawn mower blade requires some skill to ensure maximum work from the blades. If the blade of grass is missed by one blade, it will not be cut by other the other blades and back and forth movement of mower over the area will be necessary to ensure complete cutting by the mower.

Blade type: This type of lawn mower blade is used in motorized lawn mowers where the operator can ride the lawn mower. The blade hovers over an area and is rotated at very high speed and the action is like that of a sword moving fast so that anything that comes in its way is cut instantly.

Since it is a high-speed action, the grass in area is completely cut quickly and the mower can move rapidly over the entire area. This ensures high rates of cutting and is therefore useful for large areas. The grass is cut in just one pass and multiple passes as in the reel type of blades are rare.

It is necessary that there to ensure that there is no foreign material on the lawn as the foreign material can damage the blade quickly and sometimes it can be damaged beyond repairs. There fore it is necessary to have an inspection of the area before starting cutting of the lawn. If you find a growing shrub, it is better to remove it manually.

Some of the commercial models have more than one blade and the areas on which they operate overlap so ensure complete mowing. The blades are 18 inches long; (maximum) and three blades may be employed to cut a pass width of 42 to 50 inches.

Sharpening of the blades does not require great skills as the sharpness and speed works for an effective job. The sharpening can be done very quickly, but the balancing has to be done very carefully as the blades move at high speed and unbalanced blades can cause vibrations and operator discomfort.

Here you can check more information about blades from different manufacturers http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/manufacturers.html

Andrew Caxton contributes adding reviews and special articles regularly to http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . A gardening website that carries readings on lawn equipment, including how to sharpen mower here: bladeshttp://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-mower-blades.html Allis Blog35154
Aimee Blog45285

How To Block Sites Access Manually

If you are using Windows Operating System and did not use Proxy to connect to the internet, then search for the 'hosts' file or if you use Windows XP and use Windows XP standard installation, you can find the file at C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

These file used as a mapping site URL to your localhost IP.

You can use this trick to block sites access and also blocking ads sites, so you can surf the internet faster.

For example, if you want to block library.monx007.com site, just add the codes below at hosts file:

127.0.0.1 library.monx007.com

Save the hosts file, then open your favorite browser and point to library.monx007.com. Your browser will displat a blank screen as the result

Another example:

127.0.0.1 us.a1.yimg.com

127.0.0.1 www.google.com

127.0.0.1 www.doubleclick.net

127.0.0.1 monx007.com

127.0.0.1 games.monx007.com

127.0.0.1 shop.monx007.com

This tips can be used at other operating systems, (such as Linux, Unix), as long as you know where the file hosts located

Source:
http://library.monx007.com/computer/tampil.htm?iklan_code=5&nmfile=data/blokmanual.txt

Copyrighted by Monx Digital Library - http://library.monx007.com

Raymon Antony was an IT Developer for more than 9 years.Berti Blog52315
Berget Blog82721

Use of Videoconferencing Services for Home and Business Users

MyVideoTalk provides innovative communications technologies are changing the way the world's videocommunity communicates, trains, markets, and educates. Our videocommunications platform includes live video webmeetings, email video messaging, website videostreaming and videowebcalling.

Today with customizable video solutions for the individual, small business, as well as enterprise markets which are easy to use, quickly deployed ,and provide an exceptional user experience. MyVideoTalk business model provides a very powerful opportunity to start your own global internet business right from the comfort of home or office marketing the latest internet communication technologies.

MyVideoWebChat features a multiparty robust live streaming audio and video web chatting platform that does not require any downloads. This breakthrough videocommunications product permits member-to-member communication via multiple, resizable video windows. MyVideoWebMail which is a Streaming videoemail! Record, save and send is all it takes to "put yourself" in the home or office of the people with whom you communicate

MyVideoTalk offers one of the highest quality, user friendly and versatile streaming video email solutions in the marketplace today. MyVideoTalk's versatility offers the latest and most extensive high end features for the corporate user, but is so user friendly that the personal user may send greetings to friends and family members with ease. MyVideoTalk is your solution. Streaming video on demand by MyVideoTalk streaming video is the perfect way to enhance your website and ensure that visitors see and hear what you have to say

With MyVideoTestDrive system, you can build your global customer base quickly and easily as all you have to do is send them to your videotestdrive page - allowing them to "try before they buy!" MyVideoConnect doesn't just provide the prospect's phone number, but actually allows you to introduce yourself live and in person.MyVideoConnect facilities the relationship that is essential in business. MyVideoWebMeeting is more than just one-way broadcast communication. It is true interactive communication. MyVideoWebMeeting quality and reasonable pricing make it a feasible solution for anyone needing to assemble a group for an interactive meeting.

MyVideoCommunity is like a big block party where all of the MyVideoTalk independent representatives get together to share; it is a huge information exchange. MyVideoCommunity is the world's first videocommunity. MyVideoCall closes the gap because now you can see each other as well! MyVideoCall brings people into each other's offices, living rooms... their lives. MyVideoCall has taken it to the next level! MyVideoCall is as close to reaching out & touching someone as you can get without actually being in the same room. My Video Talk brings the world closer togather. MyVideoTalk will change the world.

Steen Finsen is an expert in the field of video and audio conferencing and the webmaster of http://www.my-video-talk.org/Annabell Blog2058
Brigid Blog69285

Does SEO and Web Design a Pair of Enemy?

The following scenario happens every day:

To many web designers, they want to draw visitors attention and develop many creativity features on the website. The Website owner feels very good and pay for the design. The website owner is likely to find that they need more search engine traffic and want to acquire some good search engine ranking. However, search engine optimizers tell them your website is not able to be indexed by search engines because there are too many creativity features, for example, excessive Javascript, full flash website, etc. To rectify the situation, you must remove all those elements. It creates a dilimmea for the website owner.

On one hand, he wants search engine traffic. On the other hand, he wants an interesting and appealing website. The website owner will ask "God, what can I do?"

Is it true that if you want top search engine ranking, your website must be a boring ,full of text website?

Probably No.

The following provides some recommendation to rectify the situation:

1. Flash Website

Search engines cannot "understand" flash but it does not mean that you cannot use Flash design. To solve the problem, you can use Flash header and put text under the flash header. An example can refer to website http://www.star-prototype-china.com company.

Nowadays, many flash has no real meaning to visitors and is for decoration purpose only. In this case, you can make a smaller flash header. If your flash header is trying to deliver a message, you can make a larger flash header to draw attention.

2. Interactive Scripts

You may want to add some interactive feature or picture swapping function on your website via Javascript/VBScript and etc. However, improper use of Javascript can hinder your website being indexed. For example, a garment software vendor embraced all hyperlinks by Javascript. As a consequence, search engines read their homepage only but did not index all their inner pages.

To ensure Javascript does not hinder search engine crawlers, I recommend you using external Javascript technique. Additionally, all important hyperlinks should be presented by basic HTML anchor tag.

3. Link Exchange Page

Some website owners refuse to exchange links with other websites because they think a link page makes their site very odd. How about making your link exchange page in this way? First, write a useful article and then assemble the links into the content. It makes the link page becomes useful for visitors and the links become more natural as if it is part of your content. If a link cannot be assembled into the content, it may mean that your content is very poor or the link partners actually is not relevant to your business. Why do you exchange links with them? Remember, search engines only value relevant 2-way links.

4. Content Management System

Website owners are keen to use content management system (CMS) to update their website becuase it is more easy and faster for them to update their websites.

However, many CMS generate webpages dynamically. It is widely known that search engines have difficulty to read or a tendency to ignore dynamically generated web pages.

I will recommend you must spend time to find a good CMS or a good web host providing CMS that can generate static webpages. Since Omega Plastics http://www.rapidmanufacture.co.uk starts to use this kind of CMS, all of your web pages can be indexed by search engines. In the past, only 1 web page can be read by search engines.

Cathy Kun is working in Agog SEO Services, a SEO company dedicated to internet marketing. http://www/agogseo.com.Brook Blog94954
Alexine Blog48269

Its Never Too Late to Rediscover the Musician Inside Of You

Do you recall the day you traded in your guitar for a job at the bank or gave up your piano lessons to become a doctor? Have you been thinking about rediscovering your musical roots as soon as your retirement kicks in? Are you still hoping that some day youll get to dust off your sax and join the local jam session? If this sounds all too familiar, youre not alone. In fact, its more common than you think for people in the latter stages of life to get the itch to return to their musical beginnings.

Like most closet musicians, you likely arrived at a turning point in your life where you had to decide between the certainty of a job and the uncertainty of a life in the music business. And, like the vast majority, you chose the more stable path. Do you ever wonder though, what it would have been like if you had enough courage to pursue the other path - even if it would have totally freaked your parents out?

As a professional concert pianist I have people say to me all the time that they would give anything to do what I do. A lot of these folks wish they just could turn back the clock and get another shot at it, even if it might not have been the responsible thing to do.

Thats why Im so grateful for the path I have chosen, not only because I love it but because, I never have to worry about what I might have missed. The truth is; I love music and what it does for my soul. I wake up every day with excitement because I really dont know whats going to happen or where Ill end up. That to me is a gift, not a liability. The only thing certain in my life is uncertainty and that I can always count on.

But, our society is not programmed to think in these terms. Were groomed in school to play it safe, get a job and pay the bills. Its definitely the easy thing to do but is it the right thing? I think we were all born to learn something new and exciting every day. For most people who go to the same job day after day, a job they most likely hate - how is this learning?

Many people find themselves at a turning point in their latter years when they think to themselves, What exactly happened to my dreams? But, then you think to yourself, I got married and had kids, it would have been completely irresponsible of me to follow my dreams because so few actually make it. Thats true, except why couldnt you have been one of the few?

In any case, I often say to people, Why dont you quit your job now while you still can? To my mind, living every day in a situation you hate will only lead you somewhere you dont want to go. Its important to choose a goal in life that you really are passionate about because, thats what will make your life exciting and challenging. Anybody can get a job.

But, even if you absolutely cannot give up your job, why not take up music seriously at the same time? For now, start practicing in secrecy. Then eventually youll be good enough to perform for others. And, if youre passionate enough, you may even get to be the performer that youve always admired from a distance. You know, the one youve often cheered for with mixed delight and sorrow because, you know you could have been that person?

The good news, its not too late!

Take my friend Bruce for example. With three years left to go to his retirement as a bank executive, he reintroduced himself to blues guitar. Shortly thereafter he reunited his high school band and now theyre actually booking themselves for dances, concerts and private functions.

And, my friend Mary Ann is doing the same thing. She had a music degree in classical piano which, she eventually gave up to become a family doctor. Now, several years later shes formed a jazz quartet with some friends and another doctor on drums, and the band performs at least 5 nights a month around town.

These are just two examples of people who understand that they can have it all; both a successful professional career and a life in music. Like them, you dont have to wait for your retirement to get back to doing what you love.

So next time you feel the need to rejuvenate your life with music, come on out of the closet. Because, the truth of the matter is the only thing stopping you, is you. Take my advice and start living your life the way you want and not the way everyone else expects of you. Live the rest of your life doing what you love because, the only risk in life is not taking one.

Paul Tobey's method of teaching is being highly acclaimed by students and teachers alike. To find out more about his free piano music downloads and motivational speaking career visit his website at http://www.paultobey.com.Aarika Blog6160
Brigitta Blog24472

Cheap Deals On Home Phones - How Genuine Are They?

Cheap deals on home phones - how genuine are they?

Buying telephones online offers a real cost saving compared with buying direct from BT or other stores. So what are the catches? by Frost Telecoms

UNTESTED - Lets be honest, it does not take much to test a phone so if someone is offering something untested 9 times out of 10 it really means 'tested but faulty'. For example an untested phone may be worth 5 but by offering it tested the value is probably 15. No sane seller would lose 10 just by not testing it. So BEWARE - untested probably means FAULTY. You get what you pay for!!

NEW/USED - Catalogue returns are a large proportion of phones that are sold on through websites and EBay. Some sellers cheekily call these NEW when they obviously aren't. If the item is missing the original box or user guide then there is a very slim chance of the item still being New.

USER GUIDES - Sometimes these are original or sometimes offered on cd or online. Read the ad fully to make sure you are getting some kind of user guide. With todays technology there are so many features you will not be able to use or simply not know about without a user guide.

CAN YOU TRUST THE SELLER - Feedback on Ebay is a great way to check out a seller, but remember to scroll back a few pages. With many sellers selling 10+ items a day it is always worth taking a good look to get a proper idea of what other customers thought. Also, always ask the seller a question before your purchase. If their customer service is any good then you will receive a quick & helpful response - if not, simply don't buy from them. Can you imagine how bad the customer service will be after you have parted with your money? (Exclude weekends from this trial as many sellers work Mon-Fri)

DELIVERY - If the item is cheap, have you checked the postage costs. I have regularly seen items that I offer to post for 4 being offered with 10 postage. This simply is not fair and is a way of conning people.

SMALL PRINT - Yes the item might sound amazing and you are hastily reaching towards you wallet - but slow down and read the small print. Here you will find the real truths about your item.

It may be that there are big scratches, a handset is missing, the item will take 3 weeks to be delivered, the item is untested, you need to add VAT on the final price etc etc. The list is totally endless and I have seen some very scary things listed in the small print of some ads. Be Careful!!! If a seller is advertising thing with tiny tiny small print well below the main ad then you need to wonder how good the item is.

PHOTOS - Lots of sellers use stock photos of their items (including ourselves at Frost Telecoms) however some people could be using this as a way of disguising a rough item. The best way of finding out the true condition of the item is to ask the seller for a picture. Everyone nowadays has a digital camera or phone so there should be no excuses why you cant be sent a photo of the item. Again, if the seller won't oblige, can you really trust him.

WARRANTY - If there is no mention of a warranty then you sure won't get one. If the phone breaks in a week I really can't see you getting a refund. If you really want the item then ask the seller how much warraty he is willing to offer. If the answer comes back none or a week or two , then you really need to consider whether the item is likely to work for more than that time.

http://www.frosttelecoms.co.uk/shop

Paul Frost has been a Telecoms Engineer for many years and is here to help!!Barbie Blog33705
Ammamaria Blog80728

Forex Trading and Risk-Return ratio

Forex trading is fast becoming the top method of making money on the internet and plenty of average people are trying their hand at becoming millionaires. For most people, forex trading is a much needed source of a second income, to supplement their current single income from their main profession. However, the true potential to become very wealthy is not tapped by most such investors and they earn mere pennies on the dollar, compared with what they could be earning. While everyone has their own forex currency trading system, this will be in proportion to your risk appetite and will only bring the returns that you strive for.

While there are many ways to invest your money in currency, most people play safe by either investing small amounts or spreading their money very thin across the various currencies they are invested in. This makes for a very small return but practically no risk potential, since the bases are mostly covered so that if one currency depreciates, the other appreciates and the losses are minimal. However, clearly this will never make the forex trader a millionaire.

Life is short, and most forex trading millionaires made their money fast off the forex market. These individuals are generally highly leveraged, because they know that money makes money, and the more money they invest, the greater the risk and the greater the potential reward. Also, betting on unlikely currencies is risky and can have a huge potential upside.

So what exactly will leveraging yourself mean for you? You can start with a portfolio, meaning that you put your investment towards buying a part of the forex trading. Then, you buy shares of the forex trading the world over, depending on what countries appeal to you. The prices of these shares may rise slowly to increase your portfolio, and you are still playing safe. Once your total portfolio value goes over the 5000 dollar mark, you as a forex trader can apply for something known as a console, which now puts you in the position to act as an agent for others. At this point, you can process exchanges for small investors who want to buy and sell currencies through you. For each transaction processed, you will earn a fee of 6% and this can roll into your portfolio, increasing further, making your status as a forex trader more credible.

Other than an unlikely event such as a war or natural calamity, nothing on the forex market will give you a sudden unexpected windfall. Do not expect to become a millionaire over night. You will have to plan and strategize, and most importantly, leverage yourself, to truly make a lot of money. The forex market will generally move like the stock market, in small digits and only when you have plenty of money spread out on the forex market do you stand a chance of making a great deal of profit.

While this type of trading is not for the faint hearted, experience in forex trading will bring some confidence to your forex trading strategy, especially as you learn which systems work for you and which don't. As your level of confidence grows, the process will seem much less daunting. However, it is great to be cautious and be sure of any risks you take. That said, do remember that millionaires are always highly leveraged in the forex market take calculated risks.

Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many successful websites including ForexBoost at http://www.ForexBoost.com , a free forex training resource and http://www.CashCurve.com for learning about many different online business opportunities.Allison Blog68240
Catherina Blog58284