Scrapbooking Printables

Have you ever been in this situation? Youve found the perfect paper for your layout, and assembled a great collection of stickers but the lettering just isnt working. Or maybe youve decided you really need three holly stickers to balance out your design, instead of just the two that you have in your sticker file. This normally means another trip to the scrapbook store and postponing the finishing of a page.

However, it doesnt have to mean that anymore, thanks to the use of printables. Printables are scrapbooking accessories that can be directly printed from your computer to be used on your pages. There are a wide variety of printables that you can use in your scrapbooking layouts. Printables range from small decorative elements to full-page layout designs that just require you to place your pictures in, and every size in between.

Printables give you more control over your scrapbooking. If you need more design elements on a page, you can just print them out instead of having to run to the scrapbook store. You can print the same design on different colors of cardstock to create depth to your layout. Printables also allow you to keep a cohesive theme throughout the page. Often you can find matching lettering, patterned mats and design elements. This makes the scrapbooking process simple and easy, which in turn can save you a lot of time.

Printables are versatile. When you use a printables sheet, you can select to use each element on the page to give a cohesive look to the page. Or you can pick and choose from the provided mats, and mix them with other printables. Many printables sheet can also serve double duty for digital scrapbooking, which is a great option if you take part in both types of scrapbooking.

Scrapbooking printables are available from many different sources. There are a wide variety of free printables available online that can be found through Internet searches. You can also purchase printables packs from online retailers. For those of you who are more creative, you can even create printable elements using a program like Adobe Illustrator. If you have a scanner, you can also scan in elements from your scrapbook collection to duplicate. The possibilities are endless!

Using printables in your scrapbooking is extremely easy. If you use 8 X 12 albums, you can often find full-page layouts that you can print off on cardstock, attach your photos and instantly have a completed layout. For embellishment printables, you print out the sheets on heavy paper or cardstock and then cut out the elements and attach them to your page. Using lettering printables works in the same way. You can also try using your printable files with clear sticker paper for more ease of use. Make sure to use acid-free paper with all of your printables to protect your photos.

Printables can add a whole new dimension to your scrapbooking, and can help bridge the gap between digital scrapbooking and physical scrapbooking. They can give you more control over your layouts and give you endless options for customizing your designs. If youre not using printables now, hopefully weve inspired you to make this versatile tool a part of your scrapping habit!

Dawn Stegall provides a free printable for you to try out with the above article at http://www.ThatScrapbookSite.com. Need more ideas? Subscribe now for a FREE weekly scrapbooking ideas newsletter and get instant access to "Be a Scrapbooking Pro" e-book at http://www.thatscrapbooksite.com/Free-Scrapbooking-Ideas.htmlHestia Blog62995
Hetti Blog3467

Franfurt Germany Tour

Frankfurt is one of Germany's important cities, being the biggest international financial and trade center of Europe. It's famous for it's skyline - a line of towering skyscrapers which is mostly consisting of banks and other financial institutions. Frankfurt is better known in the country as Frankfurt am Main, since there are 2 cities which are named the same. Main is the river which flows through the city thus the source for the city skyline's nickname Mainhattan.

The metropolis of Frankfurt is not that big. You can easily tour the main attractions in 1 day. But as most cities in Germany, it's normally divided into 2 attractions, the old and the new city. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Frankfurt was heavily bombed during WW2, there's not much left of the old city, but still something worth seeing.

OLD CITY

The Roemer - Frankfurt's city hall

One of the most important historical old buildings, housing the election of the former German kings and emperors during the early times. Since 1405, it has been used as the city hall. The area where the Roemer is, the Roemerberg, offers a surrounding of beautiful old houses, used nowadays as stores and restaurants.

The Kaiserdom - Emperor's Cathedral

As the name says, the Emperor's Cathedral. This church was used as the venue of the coronation of the new emperor or king. In front of this church is an archaeological finding of an ancient sauna used by the Romans when they were colonizing the area.

Paulskirche - Paul's Church

This church was built during the end of the 18th century. From damages during the war, it was rebuilt in the mid 20th century and considered one important attraction of the old city.

Goethe's House

Frankfurt is the home of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of the world's most famous poets. The house of Goethe is located in the inner city and is open for public viewing. The Goethe Museum is just right next to it, housing a very rich Goethe collection.

A Walk Crossing the River Main

From the old city, you can walk down to the river then cross a pedestrian bridge called Eiserner Steg (iron bridge). From the other side of the bridge, you can properly see the skyline. The road parallel to the river is called Museumufer - Museums on the river bank - lining up a variety of museums. You can walk more until you arrive at another pedestrian bridge called Holbeinsteg. After crossing that bridge, look for the Nizza Garden. This garden is unique because it contains tropical plants and palms in an open German climate.

The NEW CITY

This won't be that difficult to find, just follow the new buildings. Towering banks and offices is a sight you won't miss in Frankfurt. Some bank buildings are combining both new and old architecture. You would see for example Dresdner Bank having an old building and two skyscrapers next to it. Around the new city, you can see modern arts like the hammering man and the inverted necktie, representing the city's trademarks, banking and trading.

Shopping in Frankfurt

There are several good shopping opportunities in Frankfurt but probably the most famous area to shop is the Zeil. If you're going for posh shopping then Goethestrasse is the right one for you. This street is lined up with boutiques from Chanel to Tifanny & Co.

Enjoy your stay in Frankfurt!

Manfred Richter has a passion for traveling and photography. He's an occassional contributor of the site http://www.capturedplaces.com/. View his Frankfurt picture gallery at http://www.capturedplaces.com/frankfurt/index.php.Flossy Blog90957
Gerda Blog19071

Pick Your Niche

It's common wisdom that all any service professional or consultants needs to be successful is "passion". Let it be known here that passion alone can be overrated. When you're building a practice, you need more than passion. You need more than a high level of dedication and energy to succeed. You need a plan. A marketing plan with a marketing budget to be exact.

We've all seen this scenario played out in some form in your hometown. Typically, it begins as some starry-eyed owner rents retail space. The newly minted entrepreneur then spends his capital on cash registers, inventory and store signage.

When it's time to open the doors to the shop, the owner is tapped out. The new business, struggling along on the thread bare path of "word of mouth" waits impatiently as bills mount and customers trickle in at a painfully slow pace. Within a matter of months, the newly opened store is finally spending some money on marketing, only it's being spent advertising a "Going Out Of Business" sale.

To avoid the same fat, you need a marketing plan (a part of your overall business plan). Your marketing plan should begin with a thorough investigation into your target market.

* Who are your customers?
* Who is the competition?
* What problems do they have?
* What problems can you solve?
* Is someone willing and able to write a check to hire you to solve the above mentioned problems?

Once you've answered the questions above, you can successfully pick your "niche" market. The wonderful thing about niche markets is they are tightly targeted. That means your marketing dollars go further.

Marketing is merely a matter of bringing the solutions your target market is looking for to the attention of those who will benefit the most.

By defining those who will benefit most from your goods or services, you narrow your focus. Instead of "spraying and praying" with your marketing message, you're speaking directly to your target audience. That cuts down considerably on your overall marketing expenses.

Finally, remember that marketing is not sales. Marketing is focused on the sales you'll make next quarter and beyond. In sales, the focus is upon the sales to be made THIS quarter. Focusing on next quarter's marketing will make next quarter's sales goal a whole lot easier to make!

Kathy Hendershot-Hurd is a Small Business Internet Consultant. She launched her web development firm Virtual Impax (http://www.virtualimpax.com) in 1997. She recently authored the book "Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results." Visit the Beyond Niche Marketing Blog at http://www.beyondnichemarketing.com.Garnette Blog37836
Henrie Blog43551

What Is A VoIP Phone?

In spite of the growing popularity of IP telephony, there are still many people who do not know what a VoIP phone is. What is the difference between a VoIP phone and an ordinary phone?

As far as you are concerned, probably not a lot. You can still use your own landline phone if need be, though in its simplest form there is no VoIP phone handset as such. Just a microphone and speakers will do. All you need is some software which is supplied by the provider.

You can use your normal land-line phone. Just like digital TV requires a box, either set-top or included in the set, VoIP needs a box which you can either buy yourself, or get from your VoIP provider. Once you connect your phone to the box and the box to your internet connection, you have your VoIP phone system using your own phone. Due to the connection speeds involved you have to have broadband or another high-speed internet connection.

Your telephone conversation passes through the internet in packets in the same way as any other file does. As you speak, your analogue voice signal is digitized by the VoIP software into binary form, and the digital stream broken up into small 'packets' which are sent through the internet. These packets each take their own fastest route through the internet, from computer to computer, till they reach their destination. This is the way that all files are sent through IP.

The problem with a streamed signal, such as a VoIP phone conversation, and a packet system, is that the packets do not always arrive in the correct order. This is due to the releative amount of internet traffic each packet comes up against, and the fact that they can each take different routes. Also, some packets are lost, or 'dropped'.

Modern software is becoming increasingly better at arranging packets in the correct order (often through slight time delays which allow them to be rearranged) and covering up 'dropped' packets. VoIP phone conversations are therefore more audible now than they were in the early days of VoIP phone systems.

As I said, you can use your computer microphone and speakers to make and receive conversations, but you can also get a dedicated VoIP phone if you prefer. It's all a matter of choice and does not significantly affect the services you can have.

Some of the services supplied free with VoIP phone systems are:

* Caller ID
* Call waiting
* Call forwarding
* Voicemail
* Conference calls
* Call transfer
* Group pick-up

Once you have your box, any calls you make to another VoIP are free anywhere. For calls to non-VoIP phones there is a charge, but this is generally lower than normal land-line charges.

Your phone number relates to the adaptor, so you can take this with you and use it on any computer with fast internet connection. You can also buy a VoIP phone to go with your laptop and make telephone calls anywhere at any time; just as you can with a mobile, but at a fraction of the cost, and usually free to any other IP phone. This is an excellent inexpensive solution for businesses with a network of offices all calls between them will be free throughout the world.

Another cool feature is virtual phone numbers. You can get local area numbers allocated to your regular phone number, so that if your family live in LA and you are in New York they can ring your LA local number with their landline and speak to you in New York at local rates. How cool is that!

A VoIP phone is now an attractive option for anyone, both as a cheap alternative to a mobile phone and as a complete replacement for a landline.

Copyright 2006 Peter Nisbet

Peter Nisbet is an industrial chemist with a great interest in internet file transmission and reception systems and runs many websites including http://www.data-voip-solutions.com where many aspects of VoIP services and systems are discussed.Glynnis Blog88443
Haily Blog62274

Overcoming Business Process Challenges Of Insurance Industry

Overview:

The stiff competitive landscape of Property and Casualty insurance companies has led them to deeply analyze their existing data they can transform into meaningful information. The information can turn into knowledge and knowledge into actionable plans. P&C carriers realize that this data which is lying in diverse systems throughout their enterprise can play an important role in the entire insurance value chain.

Unlike other industries that produces new finished products, the raw material and finished product for insurance companies are one and the same information. A printed insurance policy is merely a representation of a pure information transaction even though with major financial implications. Because the industry is completely information based, and information has historically been recorded on paper, terminology like holding paper or writing policies is still common today.

A large number of P&C carriers are ignorant of the enterprise-wide management of all the content received from clients, agents, and supplierswhether by paper, fax, email, telephone, audio, video or the Internet. Even if the company has determined how to manage the information on their disparate legacy systems, much of the processing of this information is subject to manual intervention and interpretation. Delays in processing can increase the likelihood of litigation, decrease the opportunity to settle and cause an increase in waiting costs such as the storage and loss of control of a repair facility.

The objective of the whitepaper is to address the top challenges insurance companies face today and how a document centric business process management solution can streamline the existing process followed by the insurance companies.

Challenges:

P&C Insurance companies are realizing that the data captured in documents can play an important role in the entire insurance value chain. The data along with documents needs to be moved from different business systems to a Document Management System for easy storage, indexing and retrieval process. The task can be difficult because the data is embedded in a assortment of heterogeneous forms and exists in numerous formats. A data quality regimen that helps guarantee the quality of data as it passes through all the components of data validation is critical.

In order for insurance carriers to get the status of what is in their documents sets and determine whether these sets really display the characteristics that should be included, a process termed as data profiling must be employed. Data profiling is an analytic process that has the sole objective of sifting through data for the purpose of developing a thorough understanding of the content, structure and quality of data.

Poor quality of data adversely affects the business operations. It can impede the internal business processes that occur within an organization and the external process that take place between business and its customers. Taking a closer look at what constitutes data quality, it can be defined as the process of standardizing, correcting and verifying the data.

FineDocs Solution

Insurance companies obligation to policyholders not only includes providing the best possible coverage and service but also running its business efficiently to keep operating costs low and favorable impact rates. FineDocs Enterprise Document Management software provides capabilities such as document imaging, archiving, indexing along with automated business process flow engine, which improves productivity, customer service, disaster recovery and process integrity while holding the line on operational and manpower costs.

In the past, a policy holder would call an agent about a policy or invoice, but they wouldnt have the file. They would have to search for that particular file by either keeping the customer on hold or had to call back the customer to answer queries doubling the cost of doing business.

Companies have realized the fact that having stacks of papers and retrieving files is a cumbersome process. They also recognize that Document Management in collaboration with a business process rules engine would improve customer services.

Comprehensive: FineDocs features document scanning, document archiving, indexing, storage, annotate, email, along with a business process management engine. The state of art technology combines elements of workflow, business rules, enterprise application integration and document management to improve the efficiency of such insurance processes such as customer service and claims processing.

Collaborative: BPM along with DMS solution can potentially give insurers the ability to orchestrate and monitor every level of human interaction with the core systems. FineDocs understands the unique needs of the insurance services industry and how they can better succeed with efficient process execution. FineDocs proven, enterprise-level business process management platform is the foundation that enables companies to design and deploy processes that increase output and manage resources in an effective manner.

Process Orientation: Insurance companies would like to see all the resources human and material are properly controlled, coordinated and effectively utilized. They need to constantly review business processes and reinvent strategies to lower loss ratio. Investing in FineDocs would enable them to be flexible to adapt to changing business requirements. They would be able to realign processes quickly to take advantage of opportunities that come about with changes in market conditions. By automating business processes the P&C carriers can automate the activities related to different processes which will save a lot of time that is otherwise spent on manually initiating tasks that constitute a process, communicating the required policy information, collecting meaningful data and compiling useful reports. In addition, the automated processes will record all related activities, providing organizations with the ability to track and audit processes.

Robust Architecture: The FineDocs solution leverages Skelta BPM.Net Architecture to manage the most demanding content challenges, the most complex business processes and integration of existing systems within property and casualty insurance companies. It provides dynamic reports with historical and real-time data to monitor and analyze processes. the FineDocs solution integrates Skelta Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) and provides an insight how IT events at workflow engine level will affect progress of high-level business transactions.

Deployment Free: Pyramid understands that insurance companies are not technically savvy and thus has made FineDocs solution deployment free. Users can simply login to the FineDocs server, hosted within or outside the organization and start working on the software over a secured protocol.

User Friendly: Easy interface to Microsoft technology such as office and outlook makes it easier for the business users as they do not need to learn any rocket science technology.

Visit FineDocs at http://www.finedocs.com

Dave Chatterjee has extensive experience of functioning in diversified environments offering leadership qualities coupled with communication, resentation and management skills. Technically sound, he offers hands on experience in product launch, corporate relations, chasing aggressive sales targets, building business alliances and personal experience in closing deals in the global market. Georgeanna Blog31343
Haily Blog94125

Frasier (Season 3) DVD Review

Along with Friends and Seinfeld, Kelsey Grammer's Cheers spin-off, Frasier, dominated the prime time television landscape during the 1990's. Grammer plays the role of Dr. Frasier Crane who, fresh off of his divorce from Lilith, moves back to his hometown of Seattle where he lands a gig as a radio psychiatrist. Frasier's father, Marty Crane (John Mahoney), a Seattle cop recently shot in an attempted convenience store robbery is in need of physical therapy. Frasier and his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) make an effort to mend their relationship with Marty whose plaid shirts and penchant for sports and beer strikes a dramatic contrast with their wine club, opera house culture. After a little prodding, Marty and his dog Eddie (Moose) move into Frasier's upscale apartment, and Frasier hires Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves), a housekeeper and physical therapist to look after the two cranes.

The entirety of the show takes place in mostly three places - Frasier's radio station where he works with show producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin), Frasier's apartment, and the favorite hangout of Niles and Frasier, Caf Nervosa. A witty comedic exploration of the nation's clash of cultures (also illustrated by Frasier's run-ins with sports guy Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe), Frasier stands alone as one of the best-written shows in television history. Not a single episode can be considered a dud.

The Frasier (Season 3) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere which heralds the arrival of a new station manager, Kate Costas (Mercedes Ruehl), with whom Frasier begins a passionate love affair. Given that Frasier is the voice of his peers in contract negotiations, the two compromise on employee salaries and agree to keep their romance a secret. One of the funniest episodes of the season (The Focus Group) centers around a superb focus group response for Frasier's show in which a lone participant, Manu (Tony Shalhoub of Monk fame), cites that he cannot stand Frasier. Consequently, Frasier badgers the man until he ruins his life

Below is a list of episodes included on the Frasier (Season 3) DVD:

Episode 49 (She's the Boss) Air Date: 09-19-1995
Episode 50 (Shrink Rap) Air Date: 09-26-1995
Episode 51 (Martin Does It His Way) Air Date: 10-10-1995
Episode 52 (Leapin' Lizards) Air Date: 10-31-1995
Episode 53 (Kisses Sweeter Than Wine) Air Date: 11-07-1995
Episode 54 (Sleeping with the Enemy) Air Date: 11-14-1995
Episode 55 (The Adventures of Bad Boy and Dirty Girl) Air Date: 11-21-1995
Episode 56 (The Last Time I Saw Maris) Air Date: 11-28-1995
Episode 57 (Frasier Grinch) Air Date: 12-19-1995
Episode 58 (It's Hard to Say Goodbye If You Won't Leave) Air Date: 01-09-1996
Episode 59 (The Friend) Air Date: 01-16-1996
Episode 60 (Come Lie with Me) Air Date: 01-30-1996
Episode 61 (Moon Dance) Air Date: 02-06-1996
Episode 62 (The Show Where Diane Comes Back) Air Date: 02-13-1996
Episode 63 (A Word to the Wiseguy) Air Date: 02-20-1996
Episode 64 (Look Before You Leap) Air Date: 02-27-1996
Episode 65 (High Crane Drifter) Air Date: 03-12-1996
Episode 66 (Chess Pains) Air Date: 03-26-1996
Episode 67 (Crane vs. Crane) Air Date: 04-09-1996
Episode 68 (Police Story) Air Date: 04-23-1996
Episode 69 (Where There's Smoke There's Fired) Air Date: 04-30-1996
Episode 70 (Frasier Loves Roz) Air Date: 05-07-1996
Episode 71 (The Focus Group) Air Date: 05-14-1996
Episode 72 (You Can Go Home Again) Air Date: 05-21-1996

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find where you can find more reviews of movies and TV series. Source: http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/frasier-season-3-dvd.html.Idette Blog8332
Genny Blog99982

Getting Started - Cheap Domain Name Registration

To get started, you need to check and see if the cheap domain name you want is available. When you purchase a domain name with any of the web hosting companies or domain registration companies, you will be able to check the availability there before you make the purchase.

It may be early days, but it seems some speculators have really bought into the idea of the newly released domain names. With extensions like ".USA" and ".MUSIC" and even those that you can create yourself, there's a lot to choose from.

DotWORLDS registrars reports a sudden and massive uptake in domain registrations and now believes that this new surge can only be speculator led.

Normally when users register cheap domain names, they configure them immediately so they will resolve to websites. However, at the moment we are seeing a both individuals and companies simply Parking large groups of cheap domain names, in combinations that may have potential in the future says dotWORLDS.

Right now, dotWORLDS are offering all their domain names free, so other than the time involved there would seem to be no risk - and - with catchy sounding names such as "www. sex.usa", "www. business.usa" and "www. my.blog" already taken, there could be some interesting negotiations ahead.

Is this a winning combination? For those who have already registered, only time will tell.

For more information, visit http:///www.mydomainname101.com

Sinta Makah is a Full Time Adsense Publisher and She Makes her living from Adsense. She is passionate about sharing her Adsense Knowledge and about generating online income:Gwenny Blog40595
Honor Blog17850

Don't Get Left Behind - Reach Your Goals

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 86.5% of all students graduate high school. What happens to the other 13.5%? Gone are the days when you could get by without a high school diploma. Most jobs today require at least a high school diploma for consideration.

If you don't graduate from high school, you will experience lower income and limited opportunities. A high school diploma is important because it requires certain skills that are also basic skills for most jobs, such as regular attendance, social ability, math and reading comprehension, and more. It also is a necessary stepping stone for further education, such as a vocational school, college or university.

Many people face situations that prevent them from completing high school and getting their high school diploma. These circumstances shouldn't stop them from reaching their goals. There are options available to them.

Online High School

Online high school can open the door to many students that previously had no educational options. It is a resource that can be used to fill many unique academic needs, as well as ordinary ones. It is simply a more convenient alternative to traditional high school.

Learning through the computer enables you to tailor your online high school education to meet your needs. You will take math, English, Spanish, and history courses. You will have regular assignments, quizzes and tests. The difference is that you are in control of your education.

Benefits

Set your own pace - you can learn at the pace you need; slower if you need more time to absorb the material or faster if you want to learn at a quicker pace.

Have a flexible schedule - you can choose when and where to take high school classes online.

Create the perfect environment - you can set the stage for your classroom. Online high school is the safe alternative.

Access your materials 24/7 - you can log on and attend class when you choose. Everything is always available.

Don't let excuses stand in the way of your education. You have options when it comes to getting your high school diploma. Make the smart choice and continue your education. Online high school may be the answer to reaching your goals and getting ahead.

http://www.alliedhighschool.com

Heather Brunson is a lead marketing writer for Allied Schools. She has a B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis on public relations. She has additional experience in technical writing.Gladys Blog72568
Fionna Blog19433

Want to Play a Killer Video Game?

One of the greatest video arcade games was "The House of The Dead" and the excitement of shooting your way out to stay alive was intense! It is good to see hot video games turning into movies, such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. One movie in particular has a powerful gory twist, when it comes to game playing. The new movie "Stay Alive" will take you to a whole new level of gaming, if you can stay alive! Do you like creepy video games where your life is on the line?

It was just a matter of time before a movie came out that took you into the game world for real! Think of the last game that you played and be glad you did not die in reality. Imagine the pressure of a video game pushing you to win, or you will end in a bloody death! Sounds like fun until you see some red eyes coming out of the darkness to steal your soul!

"Stay Alive" starts out as an interesting game, but there should have been a clear warning, when you have to chant something! The chant in the movie opens up a portal for the main killer of the game to take your life. Once in the game you can use roses to stop the attacker, but you have to be quick.

The killer in the game is a mysterious lady who does not think twice about running you over with a horse and carriage. She does not wince at stabbing large scissors in your neck. You have to feel badly for the people who first play this game, because they never had a chance to see what was coming. Only the people playing later on can put the pieces of the puzzle together. It is after seeing one person die after another, that the cast of "Stay Alive" gets serious.

This movie has a strong Gothic touch and the mysterious lady killer in the game loves blood. You will get a sense of a vampire blood lust in this movie. Hutch O'Neill(Jon Foster) decides to go to a plantation that is exactly like the one in the video game. While at the plantation he finds a rude awakening. The plantation is not only just like the game, but the master of the house has been killed.

The small group that remains has gathered knowledge about the twisted and sick lady killer in the game. They find out she is kept alive by draining and soaking her body in young girls blood. The trick is getting to the tower that holds her body and killing her. The one way they can kill her is by using nails, but even that ultimately fails. I will let you find out what really kills the Lady of Blood by watching the movie.

Swink Sylvania(Frankie Muiz) plays a geek who cannot shut his mouth, but has a greater understanding of what is going on then anyone else. Swink Sylvania(Frankie Muiz) turns out to be a very important person in this movie, and without him things would have been gory for the two still alive. The movie will give you a sense of 'Hell Raiser' meets the demon eyed blood lady.

The movie really was not that bad and the story line was interesting, for a creepy video game come to life! Video games have gained so much popularity and it is easy to get caught up in the game. Once you start playing, time goes by so fast and you forget what is going on around you. Video games are a nice escape from reality, just as long as no one gets killed!

The next time you are in the video store, take a good look at what is on the shelf. Will you be playing some Madden football or will you be fighting for your life in the streets? Maybe that one creepy video game you see has been calling your name! Either way, it is fun for a bunch of friends to bring over their video game consoles and see who comes out the winner.

Remember with "Stay Alive", you die in the game, then you die for real!

DeWayne H. Strickland has been a Film Freak since the time he could walk. He is a crazy movie review critic in long term therapy. Learn How to Seduce Women, with Almost "Hypnotic Control" and "Accuracy" at: http://www.moviedownloadmatrix.com.George Blog79594
Hetti Blog63784

Safety First with Tools

Humans have been using hand tools since prehistoric times. The evolution from the primitive Stone Age tools to sophisticatedly engineered tools has changed the way we perform work today. Hand and power tools are used daily to help perform tasks that otherwise would be difficult or impossible. However, the advances in tools have also created new challenges for their users. Even simple tools pose great hazards, and can cause severe injuries if not used or maintained properly. In order to reduce or eliminate these hazards, OSHA recommends that special attention should be paid toward hand and power tool safety. In this article, some basic precautions are discussed that can prevent common injuries caused by hand and power tools.

Hand Tool Hazards and Protection

Usually, hand and power tool hazards are caused through misuse and improper maintenance. You should remember the following when handling such tools:

Do not use wrenches when their jaws are sprung;

Never use impact tools, such as chisels and wedges, when their heads have mushroomed;

Tools with loose, cracked or splintered handles should never be used

You must never use a screwdriver as a chisel;

Tools with taped handles should be checked first for any hidden cracks;

Use Personal Protective Equipment, such as safety goggles and gloves;

Keep floor surface where working free from debris and tripping or slipping hazards;

Keep cutting tools sharp.

Power Tool Hazards and Precautions

Power tools could be extremely hazardous when used improperly. They must always be fitted with guards and safety switches. Here are some precautions you should take while handling such tools:

Remember to disconnect all tools when they are not in use and also when their accessories are changed;

Before servicing and cleaning all tools must be disconnected from the power source;

People that are not involved with the work must be kept away from the work;

Never hold the switch button while carrying a plugged-in tool;

Before starting to work, make sure both your hands are free to operate the tool. You can do this by securing your work with clamps or a vice;

Do not wear loose clothing and jewelry that can get caught in moving parts;

Damaged electric tools must be removed and tagged with the words: Do Not Use;

Portable tools should never be carried by their cord;

Electric cords must not be used to hoist or lower tools;

All cords and hoses must be kept away from oil, heat and sharp edges at all times.

Remember, it can only take one mistake! So be sensible and stay safe.

For more Tips and information about tools visit http://www.toolios.com

Guy Scott is a Photographer and is currently some were in this great country driving a Big Truck. Check out my Ramblin-Guy blog http://ramblin-guy.blogspot.com.Flss Blog66226
Franny Blog64792

Pre-Paid Wireless Plans End Outrageous Bills

One of the latest crazes from cell phone service providers is the pre-paid wireless plan. This type of plan offers many benefits that are normally unavailable from a standard cell phone plan. Pre-paid wireless plans represent a flexibility that many people crave. On the flip side of the coin, pre-paid wireless plans often do not have the same perks a long-term contract will yield with a service provider.

Of course there is a good side to pre-paid cell phone service. In many cases cards are offered by cell phone service providers that are then used to buy airtime. The great advantage to these cards is that a customer can always purchase additional cards at the same price when more minutes are needed. You never have to worry about overage charges if you run out of minutes, or whether or not you're killing your peak minutes or not.

It is, however, important to regularly purchase new minutes when using a pre-paid wireless plan. Often the service providers require customers to repurchase your minutes at regular intervals. For example, a customer may be required to purchase new minutes every month, every two months, or every year. The exact schedule will depend on the plan and provider.

Another great advantage to pre-paid wireless plans is that many of the phones used with these plans will keep track of the plans elapsed minutes. Sometimes they have a display of the exact number of airtime minutes left on the current card. It may even display exactly the next new minute purchase should be made and how much these minutes will cost.

This type of wireless plan is great for people on the go. If being tied down by long-term contracts is unappealing, a pre-paid wireless plan is often the best choice. Additionally, the fact that credit checks aren't necessary for these plans is a plus for customers who have had credit problems.

John Miller writes for several online magazines, including http://cheap-product.com and http://products-tips.comGratia Blog38684
Fran Blog58133

How To Get Members Interesteded In Your Autoresponder Message

If you are using your autoresponder to sell a product or service, you must be very careful as to how you approach your potential customer. Few people like a hard sale, and marketers have known for years that in most cases, a prospect must hear your message an average of seven times before they will make a purchase. How do you accomplish this with autoresponders?

Its really quite simple, and in fact, the autoresponders make getting the message to your potential customers those seven times possible. On the Internet, without the use of autoresponders, you probably could not achieve that. Too often, marketers make the mistake of literally slamming the potential customer with a hard sales pitch with the first autoresponder message this wont work.

You build interest slowly. Start with an informative message a message that educates the reader in some way on the topic that your product or service is related to. At the bottom of the message, include a link to the sales page for your product. Use that first message to focus on the problem that your product or service can solve, with just a hint of the solution.

Build up from there, moving into how your product or service can solve a problem, and then with the next message, ease into the benefits of your product giving the reader more actual information with each and every message. Your final message should be the sale pitch not your first one! With each message, make sure that you are giving the customer information pertaining to the topic free information! This is what will keep them interested in what you have to say.

This type of marketing is an art. It may take time to get it exactly right. Use the examples that other marketers have set for you. Pay attention to the messages that you receive from other marketers.

Start a swap file, and keep those messages. Use some of the better sales copy for your own autoresponder messages just make sure that yours doesnt turn out to be an exact copy of someone elses sales message!

Remember not to start with a hard sale. Build your potential customers interest. Keep building on what the problem is, and how your product or service can solve that problem or fill that need. If you are doing this right, by the time the potential customer reads the last message in that series, they will be convinced enough to make a purchase!

Dechen Lau., is an Author, Speaker and Internet Marketing Consultant Ingaberg Blog9896
Filippa Blog80496

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.Gus Blog97998
Haily Blog62274

Travel Option to Limpopo in South Africa - Modjadji, the fabled Rain Queen

Named after the great Limpopo River that flows along its northern border, this province is rich in wildlife, spectacular scenery and a wealth of historical and cultural treasures.

Named after the great Limpopo River that flows along its northern border, this province is rich in wildlife, spectacular scenery and a wealth of historical and cultural treasures.

Known as the Great North, Limpopo province is home to ancient lands and pre-historic secrets. This is home to Modjadji, the fabled Rain Queen; The Stone Age and Iron age relics of Makapansgat Valley and the treasures of Mapungubwe that date back to time immemorial.

Straddling the northern Kruger Park, Limpopo province boasts wildlife safaris, nature trails untamed Africa at its finest. This is the land of wide-open bushveld, big-sky country, the ever-present thorn tree and the mystical baobab tree.

The Limpopo province also offers up Africas wild Edens  from Highveld grassland savannahs to subtropical forests to formidable mountain ranges.

South Africas northernmost province, Limpopo, borders onto Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana thus making it the ideal entrance to Africa. The Limpopo province celebrates a rich cultural heritage and at many archaeological sites the mysteries of the past and ancient peoples are still being unearthed. Historians reveal that the first black Africans moved across the Limpopo (into what became known as South Africa) before 300 AD. The Voortrekkers arrived in the early nineteenth century and this part of the world changed forever. Numerous battles between indigenous African people and the Voortrekkers ensued. During apartheid, portions of land were divided into homeland areas. However, today the Limpopo province is united in its aim to offer the best possible welcome for its visitors.

The Limpopo climate is renowned for its hot yet pleasant summers and dry winters.Its weather is characterized by almost year-round sunshine. It can get very hot in summer (October -March), with temperatures rising to 27 :C (80,6 :F) and, sometimes, even touching the mid-30 s Celsius (mid-90 s Fahrenheit).

Biodiversity

South of Limpopo are the Soutpansberg mountains, South Africas northernmost mountain range and one of the most diverse habitats in the country. There are 340 indigenous tree species here, an abundance of animal life and the worlds highest concentration of leopard. Ancient, gigantic baobabs (upside-down trees) guard vast expanses of mountains, bushveld, indigenous forests and cycads.

Gerald Crawford was born in South Africa, studied electronics, telecommunication, eco-travel and african travel concepts. He taught responsible tourism in South Africa. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me on. E-mail Address: gerald@12234455.co.za Website Address: http://www.12234455.co.zaHinda Blog35118
Frannie Blog48840

College Football Betting And Nfl Betting Are Not The Same Thing

There are at least a half-dozen factors that separate college football betting from NFL betting. For starters, action on college football is much more likely to come from sophisticated bettors, known as "sharps" or "wiseguys", who often possess some insight or kernel of information that may provide them with an edge against the house. Experienced bet takers know not to treat heavy activity on an obscure game, such as East Carolina versus Wake Forest, as casually as they might deal with increased wagering interest on a marquee NFL game such as a Redskins-Cowboys confrontation. For that reason, bookmakers usually move college football betting lines quickly, often one full point at a time. In general, it takes more money to move an NFL betting line and, when it is moved, usually it is by only half a point.

Largely because of a lack of proficiency in the kicking game, key numbers such as 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14 are not nearly as sacrosanct in college football betting as they are in the NFL. College football games just do not fall on those numbers as often as they do in NFL contests.

We may never again see a three-touchdown favorite in the NFL but lines of -30, -40, or even -50 are not that uncommon in the college gridiron game. Oddsmakers and bookmakers also find college totals more difficult to gauge because some coaches try to impress those who have a vote in the polls by running up the score. Others, such as Penn State's Joe Paterno, feel that a third-string player's reward for practicing all week is to get to play in a blowout. Its just these types of unique uncertainties that compel bookmakers to shift college over/under numbers more quickly than they move NFL totals.

It's also the nature of college football that personnel change every year. This makes early season evaluation more difficult and leads bet takers to move lines and totals more quickly, especially in September and early October when the season is still young. There is personnel movement in the NFL too, of course, but mostly it involves players of established ability moving from team to team. In college football, you're always dealing with fresh faces.

By collective bargaining agreement, each week, the NFL publishes a comprehensive list of injured players and their status. Sure, there are mistakes and abuses and players who have been listed as "doubtful" have played while those regarded as "probable" have not but overall, the list is accurate. On the other hand, colleges are under no obligation to announce the status of injured or disciplined football players. This vagueness over availability sometimes can create opportunities in college football betting. Consequently, bookmakers are wary if too much wagering attention is paid to one team.

When it comes to parlay card numbers, you are much more apt to see a slight gap between those prices printed on cards and those posted on the board in the NFL than you are in college football. The key element is that bookmakers can more accurately predict the public inclination for an NFL game than they can for a college football game. Its not unusual then for traditionally popular team such as Dallas or a "hot" team such as Cincinnati, to be listed as a 7 1/2-point favorite on a parlay card but just a 6 1/2 or 7-point choice on the board. Through experience, bookmakers know that "public" teams such as the Cowboys, as well as "now" teams such as the Bengals, will be more aggressively played on parlay cards than they are straight up.

Clearly, understanding the differences between college football betting and NFL betting is essential to winning.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLLEGE AND PRO FOOTBALL

College Football:
Wiseguys frequently supply the action
College football betting lines often are moved by a full point at a time
Key numbers are not as important
Personnel changes can make early season analysis difficult
Information on injuries is not always accessible
Theres usually not a disparity between parlay card and board numbers

NFL:
Money from public is prevalent
Betting lines are usually moved by a half-point at a time
Key numbers are VERY important
Personnel changes are less volatile and easier to evaluate
Information on injuries usually is accessible
Parlay card numbers sometimes are intentionally different than prices on the board.

By Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com/ . The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting: http://www.thegreek.com/ NFL betting and betting on all other major sports. Article reproductions must link back to this site.Ginevra Blog98429
Gavra Blog10104

Are We There Yet?

Summer is here -- that wonderful season when we take our kids on trips to enjoy nature and some relaxed family time together. Of course, whether it is the cottage, a camp site, or a resort, we have to get there first and thats not always easy. Whether driving in the car, waiting for a bus, or waiting at the airport, having something to do with the kids can be a lifesaver! What our family loves to do is to play games. I have assembled here some of our favorite games. The first two are car games, but the rest can work anywhere. Enjoy!

Travel Alphabet: Travel Alphabet is a simple, cooperative car game in which everyone works together to find an object outside that starts with each letter of the alphabet (difficult letters like Q, X, and Z can be omitted). For example, for A, air, airplane, or animals are some possibilities. I like that this game encourages the children to look out of the window and to see the scenery (of course this game doesnt work at night, but by dark, hopefully, the kids are asleep).

Silly License Sentences: This is a funny game where players challenge each other to come up with a sentence using the letters on a license plate. The game starts with the first player challenging the next player to come up with a sentence using the words that start with the letters on a license plate -- in order! So if the license plate was AKPA 569, you might come up with, All kangaroos play around. The sentences can be extremely silly but must be grammatically correct.

Hum That Tune: Can you guess the mystery song? The first player hums a section of a song for the other players to guess (it must be a song that the other players have heard). The next player can either be the one who guessed correctly or the next player in order from youngest to oldest.

Alpha and Omega (or First and Last): This is a word chain game where the next player must make a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. Players alternate calling out unique words (that have not been said in the game so far) that start with the last letter of the previous word. This is usually played with some restriction of subjects (for instance fruits, mammals, birds, etc.). Usually no proper nouns are allowed (names) unless it is specifically tied to the subject as it is in Geography. It is called Geography when cities, towns, countries or provinces are the allowed words.

Crambo: Crambo is a fun game in which a person thinks of a word and the others have to guess which word it is. It utilizes rhyming, expands the vocabulary and pushes one to think of riddles. All players participate all the time. The player who begins the game thinks of a word that belongs to a large rhyming family (a word with many rhymes), like mat, and gives the others a clue by giving a rhyming clue, such as, I am thinking of a word that rhymes with cat. The other players try and guess the word indirectly by giving a short, descriptive riddle as their guess. For instance, if a player wants to guess rat, she might say, Is it a small animal with a long tail? The first player must then guess what rhyming word the challenger is alluding to in their riddle and must answer it, i.e., No, it is not a rat. A player can win by guessing the word or by posing a riddle that the first player cannot figure out (it must be a riddle that gives a good description of the word, as decided by the rest of the players). If all the players give up and cannot guess the word, then the first player wins. The winner gets to start the next game. We also play this game with kids smaller than 7 by having an older player give them a little help.

Ghost: Ghost is one of our favourite word games and we often play it on a long trip (the only danger is that I have sometimes gotten so involved that I missed my exit on the highway!) Players alternate calling out letters that could make up a word and the goal is to try and not be the one who calls out a letter that finishes a word, with a minimum of three letters. If you see no way out, you can fake it and call out a letter even if you have no idea if it could lead to a word. At any time, a player can challenge any other player and then they must say what word they were thinking of that the string of letters could make. If they have a word, then the challenger loses. If they do not have a word, then they lose that round. Each time a player loses, they get one letter in the word, Ghost. When a player gets the word Ghost (loses 5 rounds), then they are out of the game. At that point, the players might finish the game. The order of first-to-last place is decided on by whoever lost the least number of rounds or they can continue playing until all players but one are out. In this game, all words are allowed (not only nouns), except proper nouns (peoples names, place names, etc.). An example with three players: (player 1), L; (player 2), I; (player 3), V. Player 1 realizes that by saying E, she would be out of the game and then thinks of the word LIVING and says, I; player 2 realizes that he is stuck, so he accepts the point and gets a G (first letter of ghost). Variations are:

Advanced ghost: Letters can be added on either side of the word. This makes the game quite a bit more challenging and is a good game for great spellers.

Reverse Ghost: This game reverses the object of Ghost which is to conclude with the shortest word possible. The round in Reverse Ghost does not end with the first word made if a longer word can be achieved. For example, if c, a, t has been called out to spell cat, the game continues with the next player realizing that they can call out a to make the word catalogue.

Preachers Cat: This is another fun game where kids get to practice matching adjectives and names while travelling through the alphabet. Each child says, The preachers cat is a/an __________ cat and his/her name is ____________ with an adjective in the first blank spot and a proper name in the second, both starting with the same letter of the alphabet. The first player starts with A. For example, the player could say, The preachers cat is an awesome cat and her name is Angeline. Play continues all the way through the alphabet, usually skipping X. Usually we play this just for fun. We have no winners or losers and help out a child who asks for help and is stuck.

For more great game descriptions go to http://www.imagineandlearn.ca/Free_Games/free_games.html

For great educational games in all subjects go to
http://www.ImagineAndLearn.ca

Happy Travels!

Aaron Rosenthal is the owner of http://www.ImagineAndLearn.ca, an online store dedicated to the best educational games. He is also a Math and Physics Teacher and, with his wife, is currently having a wonderful time homeschooling their four chiildren.Idalina Blog28067
Gennie Blog89405

Judging People From Appearance

Based on the choice of clothing women can be divided into two categories: those who dress for others and those who dress for themselves.

The amount of clothes people have does not matter in the slightest. However, it is easy to judge a woman based on the amount of quality clothes in her wardrobe. Linen clothes do not make an exception as linen is one of the most ecological of all existing materials.

Lithuania has a very old flax cultivation tradition. Flax is closely associated with women here, to the extent that flax used to be called the womens plant and womens existence was closely related to that of flax. Women used to spin flax, weave linen and use it for a good many household chores. They used to die linen with all sorts of natural colours using cherry leaves to produce blue, flax flowers to produce red and apple tree skin to produce green.

The role of women as artists should not be underestimated either. They all wore self made linen clothes that reflected their spiritual and creative visions. The bed covers, table cloths, and towels exhibited at contemporary ethnographical museums continue to fascinate us by the impressive techniques used to make them as well as artistic qualities such as the subtle harmony of ornaments and colours.

One should not believe that linen clothes are worn only where the material itself is produced. Having long spread all over the world and valued for its hygienic qualities, linen is more and more widely used by clothes producers. Today one has a choice between original designer models and mass produced trousers, skirts and tunics. Many think that linen clothes can only be worn in summer. Contemporary technologies allow for the production of mixed materials, such as especially highly valued combination of wool and linen. Linen makes it resistant and wool makes it warm. Trousers or suits made of this material are perfectly suitable to wear in winter too.

Every time you think of treating yourself to a new piece of clothing, remember that it is not the quantity, but the quality that matters. Dont forget, you are first judged by your appearance

Yva Lauten http://www.evtric.com/Grayce Blog70187
Harmony Blog70990

Take the help of a SAT Tutor NYC

Show me a student who says that he or she is not frightened of appearing in exams and I can show you a lair! Exams have this quality of making students feel frightened and they literally dread this. It is something which has been happening for a long time. However the truth is that one needs to face and clear the exams no matter how frightened they are of the whole thing. One such exam that students need to undertake is the SAT exam. SAT exams are mandatory exams students need to undertake to have a successful academic career; these exams need to be taken right after one has passed out from high school. Scores attained in the SAT exam determines if you are eligible for admission to a reputed college in the United States or not. Now if you are one of those people who are looking to be successful academically by having an excellent academic record, you must make sure that you clear the SAT exams with high marks.

In NYC there are several tutorial agencies that guide students in taking the exams successfully without any hassles. SAT tutor NYC is in fact the best person to guide you not only taking the exams but successfully clearing it too. If you get a helping hand many things become easy and especially if someone is there to guide you throughout the whole process of preparing for the SAT exams, you are sure to be successful. Depending on their preference students can seek the help of an online SAT tutor NYC or a real SAT tutor NYC. Students must make sure that if they want to score really good marks in the exams, they must start preparing for the exams pretty early. Leaving everything for the last moment solves no purpose, so both student and their parents must make sure that they have all the things in place well in advance.

Now SAT exams have a certain procedure and if you want to be successful you must be well versed with the entire thing. So it is vital to know about the whole process of the exams and know it really well, so that when they face the real exams they do not feel that this is something they are doing for the first time. Lots of mock tests are conducted by the SAT tutor NYC beforehand to fully prepare the students to take the exams with ease. Students have different capabilities and the task of a SAT tutor is to find out those capabilities and help him or her use that for cracking the exams successfully.

SAT tutor NYC supplies study materials to students, which are prepared keeping in mind the requirement of the students. Taking private tuitions for a SAT tutor is in fact the best way through which a student can successfully crack the SAT exams. Clearing the SAT exams with a high score if the only means through which you can fulfill your dream of studying in the best colleges and Universities in America.

Hugh Goldsmith is of the view that students must not dread the SAT exams or for that matter any other exams.He helps out students who want advice on any aspects related to exams. For more information on SAT tutor NYC,visit http://www.prestigeprep.comGuinevere Blog87232
Gerda Blog30170

eBay Affiliate Program

Learning about the eBay affiliate program and how it functions within eBay can be time well spent toward developing an effective affiliate program.

Did you know that eBay has an affiliate program? This is sometimes overshadowed by the sheer size of eBay, but you can make affiliate income from eBay.

Here is how it works. Go to the http://affiliates.ebay.com and sign up. This will direct you to Commission Junction (www.cj.com) which handles the commissions for eBay. You should spend time on Commission Junction after you join to see all the other affiliate programs that you can join as well as eBay. You will be amazed at all the affiliate programs that are available on Commission Junction.

You will notice that you can become an affiliate of eBay in several countries. If you speak the language of another country, you can become an affiliate of that country if you desire. I am an affiliate of eBay USA, Italy, France, UK, Canada, and India. I am not active except in the US and Italy. Italy you say! No, I do not speak Italian, but I found an Italian translator through elance.com who helps me with my Google Adwords ads that drive traffic to eBay Italy. When they join and buy, I receive my commissions in US dollars through Commission Junction.

If you refer a person to eBay who is not a member and they join and purchase an item, you get referral fees and a commission on the sale. eBay recently increased its fees. These fees changes will help the smaller affiliates make more money at lower transaction volumes.

Currently, the initial fee for causing someone to join eBay is $12.00. Under the old structure, this covered the first 499 people. Then the fee rose to $16.00 each over 499.

The new structure still pays $12.00 for the first tier, but the tier is for 1 - 49. At 50 - 499 the fee is $16.00. This structure is much more favorable for the little guy.

To understand how this all works, go to eBay and study it. The fee structure is located at http://affiliates.ebay.com/revshare.

Learn about the eBay affiliate program and other affiliate programs on the Net. Affiliate programs when used correctly can make you money without having to monitor them constantly.

Good luck as an affiliate of eBay.

John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has been involved in entrepreneurial activities for over 40 years. Frankie Blog70923
Henrietta Blog42409

Attractive Interior Painting Can Give Surfaces A More Distinguishing Look Than Usual Painting

Decorative and attractive interior painting offers limitless possibilities for modifying and personalizing ones home. Usually the process begins with choosing and mixing colors, apart from these one has to assemble them into shape on their surface. The pleasure of decorating and making more attractive will make one gain confidence in handling their stuff and utensils.

Choices about color are forever going to necessitate gap for reflection. One may choose colors because of the reminiscences they bring to mind, for cultural reasons, or because they are calming and comforting. There is no uncertainty that the most excellent way to do this is to put into practice.

One can only make their individual choices. A few designs can be assisting against wall or floor with stencils and stamps. Few designs characteristic will forever linger, but they can be modified to go with the existing appearance. The wall one is supposed to work on should be well equipped and can be white or pallid.

These are an outstanding way of organizing where Ones paint goes, in addition to means of casing a surface quickly. Whatever one do, itll be better if they always prefer to look at other interiors, at textiles, clothing, and painting, and take their guidance from those they like.

For example, yellow with orange, is absolutely satisfactory. One may hunt for guidance in color hypothesis, but understanding the band and how to blend paint will not be a great help in choosing which colors to utilize, though it can give details why certain color mixture perform in the way they do.

These are just ways of influencing paint to generate a variety of surface texture. The end consequence will always have a class and excellence that cannot be harmonized by any wallpaper.

Vijay Kanth is a seo copywriter having more than 3 years of experience in this field who is currently working for the site 1artclub.com.Heloise Blog46147
Gaye Blog99053

Psychology Private Practice : A New Model For Marketing

Lets face it, private practice has changed from what it was 10 to 15 years ago. Managed care has made therapeutic services more accessible to the masses, but also lowered standards of service and diminished the perceived value of therapy. Providers receive less compensation, have more administrative work, and feel less in control of the service they provide.

I have two purposes in writing these paragraphs. First, I want to share that transitioning to a full fee-for-service practice is quite possible. Second, I want to help you create and realize your vision for a satisfying and successful career.

The thing is, you can make a living helping others. But you have to let go of the idea that the traditional way is the only way. Psychotherapists can leverage their talents, expertise and abilities in many ways. There are many possible formats for delivering psychological help.

So, how do you, as a therapist, format what you have to offer? To begin, try looking at your services as a solution to a specific problem rather than as treatment for an illness.

In the traditional model, clients must be ill. In order for people to access their health insurance, they must be diagnosed as having a mental illness. This is the medical model.

This creates a barrier for many people to choose to utilize psychological services. They do not want to see themselves as mentally ill and in need of treatment. But, as we shall see, even healthy, high-functioning individuals can benefit from psychological services.

Thus, we tremendously expand our potential market when we reduce the stigma of utilizing our services and focus less on pathology.

Instead, we may adopt a problem-solving/skill-building model, in which clients no longer need to be ill to use our services and receive benefit.

Psychology is not just for the sick.

For example, Martin Seligmans book Authentic Happiness (2002) and Daniel Golemans books Emotional Intelligence (1995) and Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998) provide us with frameworks we can use in a problem-solving/skill-building model. See also Reivich and Shatts (2002) The Resilience Factor. Rather than focus on illness and therapy, we can talk about increasing personal and career effectiveness, personal growth, increasing life satisfaction and resiliency.

Can you see how this broadens the reach and impact of our services? We can provide solutions to lifes problems and challenges, without the stigma of a diagnosis keeping in mind that there is certainly a place for traditional services and therapy for mental illness for those that need it.

In this non-traditional approach, we seek to use our services to:

1. Answer a specific problem or challenge
2. Target a service toward a specific group of people
3. Utilize a tangible format.

So, whether you intend to use traditional therapy as 25 percent or 75 percent of your practice pie, its a smart move to identify what non-traditional services you could add to the mix of streams of income for yourself.

William D. Morgan is a psychologist, author, and private practice business coach. He coaches human service professionals and others who want to build thriving practices. For more helpful information and tips, visit http://www.TodaysPrivatePractice.com/membershipinfo.html This is an excerpt from his NEW BOOK Today's Private Practice: Strategies for Building a Thriving Managed-Care Free Psychotherapy Practice, http://www.TodaysPrivatePractice.com.Hadria Blog39940
Fernandina Blog29481

Sherry and Spanish Tapas - a Match Made In Heaven

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wine, or beer, or anything else that takes your fancy to have with your tapas. But until you try it with sherry, youre missing out on a taste tradition going back thousands of years. The first documented mention of sherry comes from around 1 BC - and that author mentioned original vines brought by the Pheonicians in 1100 BC!

First things first though: the Spanish do not call their wine sherry. This is an anglicised version of the word Jerez (which is pronounced hereth with the accent on the second 'e'). To be considered a genuine sherry a wine must come from the sherry triangle. This is a region on the Atlantic coast of Anadalucia bordered by the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Sanlcar de Barrameda. So, no matter what it says on the bottle, anything else is just fortified wine in the style of Jerez.

There are three main types of widely-available sherry: dry, medium and sweet, plus a couple that are a bit different and harder to find. Well cover the main ones first.

The types of sherry.

First we have the dry sherries Fino and Manzanilla. These are pale in colour, bitingly dry and delicately flavoured. The Manzanilla has a salty, nuttier taste. They are primarily served as aperitifs before the meal and with tapas as a starter. However, many Spanish people drink these as a wine throughout the meal. They are very versatile wines which go perfectly with jamn, chorizo, mild cheeses, white fish and all seafood.

Next up comes the medium-dry Amontillado. This is a golden amber colour with a dry but nutty taste. It goes well with poultry and game, robust cheeses and oily fish like sardines and mackerel.

A darker, richer sherry but still a medium is the Oloroso. This is perfect for red meats and stronger game dishes.

Finally comes the dessert sherries : Moscatel and Pedro Ximnez. These are both very sweet and are perfect for desserts and blue cheeses. The Moscatel is a softer wine and the Ximnez is a rich, dark Spanish beauty in a glass!

A couple of options for you to try are a Palo Cortado and a Pale Cream. The Palo Cortado is a rare wine which is a sort of cross between an Amontillado and an Oloroso. Drink it with the richer foods like game, strong cheeses, etc. Youll probably find the Pale Cream more easily available. This is basically a fino that has been sweetened. Its an interesting flavour and goes well with rich pats like foie gras, or try it with fresh fruit and nuts.

A commonly-found sherry is the Cream. This is a dessert wine in the style of the Ximnez but not so rich - or expensive! Try it with sweets, pastries and blue cheeses.

Serving your sherry.

The best sherry glasses are the thin, transparent copitas which are designed especially for the job. They are long-stemmed, to prevent your hands warming the wine, and have a taper towards the top to funnel those subtle and distinctive notes nicely to the nose. Dont fill the glass more than halfway or the wine will not have a chance to blossom and release its aromas as you swirl it around the glass.

If you cant lay your hands on some proper copitas then a champagne flute would be the next-best alternative.

Failing that, just slosh some into a wine glass, you heathen! But better to drink from a wine glass than not to drink at all, thats what I say.

Temperatue.

Fino and Manzanilla should be bought fresh and used quickly, within three months, as they do not last well in the bottle. They should always be served chilled. Once opened, keep in the refrigerator and consume within a couple of weeks. These wines are very delicately flavoured and lose their character very quickly once opened.

Amontillados can be kept in the bottle for two to three years but, again, once opened, should be consumed as quickly as possible. The ideal temperature to drink these is a cool room temperature. However, once theyve been opened you should keep them in the fridge if you dont have a cool place to keep them. Drinking them cold is perfectly acceptable.

The Olorosos, Creams and Ximnezes, being richer and more aged, can be kept in the bottle for years, depending on the quality of the wine. Once opened, they can be kept for months in a cool place, or in the fridge. But bear in mind that they should be served at room temperature to appreciate them at their best. A pale cream, or even a cream, on the rocks is a delicious alternative.

Storage.

Unopened bottles of sherry are very susceptible to oxidisation so should be stored upright, not laid down, in a cool and dark place at an even temperature. All sherries, once opened, should be stored upright with their corks firmly in place to prevent oxidisation and loss of flavour.

There is, of course, a very simple answer to this problem of storage and oxidisation. You simply prepare some tapas little dishes, get a few friends round and open your best bottle of sherry. Then throw the cork away! What better way to enjoy your sherry and tapas the proper Spanish way?

Steve Lean is a writer, photographer and Spanish food nut. He lives in Andalucia, southern Spain and is the webmaster of http://www.proper-spanish-tapas.com Here you can find recipes, ingredients and 'everything you ever wanted to know about tapas - the small plate with the BIG flavour!'Hildy Blog5034
Hillary Blog99704

Attorney Immigration New York Can Handle The Case Efficiently

Getting immigration permission from the high commission of USA or any other country can be a boon for those people, who are planning to settle abroad. Every year, a variety of people try their best to attain the immigration visa of the country they wish to migrate. Be it US, UK, Canada or Australia, the main aim of the immigration attorney is to handle the cases of the foreigners visiting the particular country. Immigration is a very complex task and it takes time to get a particular type of immigration visa. If you are willing to immigrate to a foreign country, immigration attorney helps you in every possible manner to handle the issues related to this matter.

An immigration attorney in New York or anywhere else is meant to guide his clients at all the stages of carrying out this legal process. Immigration attorney can be the best friend of his client and save him from all the odds and problems that may come in his way. Usually, the job profile of the immigration attorney involves the handling of documentation, legal consultation and representing the client in the court of law. The immigration attorney has to check that all the paper work of his client is updated, so that no question can be raised on his immigration to that particular place.

The problems related to immigration are handled efficiently with the help of the best attorney lawyer. There are various cases and types of issues that are handled by an immigration attorney. Adoption of a child from other country, matters related to immigration visas, migration to a particular country with concern to education and various other issues are handled proficiently by an immigration attorney. The immigration attorney understands the fact that his client is important to him and they should be directed towards the right pathway.

If you are stuck in a problem related to your immigration and are trying to find an immigration attorney, then searching out the directories on the internet is an option for you. Looking out for the attorneys on the net can save your valuable time. The main thing is that the attorney has to keep a track of all the details related to immigration case of his client. Your immigration attorney can be the most reliable person for you, if you make a careful selection. In order to make the careful selection of an immigration attorney, you have to go through his track record. He should have enough experience to handle your case properly.

The immigration laws are not always static and keep on fluctuating. It is always mandatory for the immigration attorney to keep abreast of all the laws and rules, so that he can help his client in every possible manner. After all, the reputation of the immigration lawyer is at stake, when he is handling a complicated case. Apart from this, the clients trust is always rested on the immigration lawyer. So, if your have landed in a problem related to immigration, the immigration lawyer can be your life saver.

Hadiya Robins is a legal expert. She works for Pulversthompson and gives advice to clients who are looking for Immigration lawyer new york,Matrimonial lawyer,lawyer new york.For legal advice and to get services of a lawyer in New York visit http://www.pulversthompson.com.Holly Anne Blog72942
Grier Blog11741

How to Make Money with Arts and Crafts

I have been to many arts and craft fairs and festivals in my life and theres on thing I notice in all of them. They are busy. If you pay attention to whats going on at these fairs and festivals, youll notice that people buy these crafts. I thought to myself Why cant I do this? Well, guess what, I can do this and I do.

Let me tell you how I got started in doing arts and crafts. After I visited many of the arts and crafts fairs and festivals, I went home and decided get some e-books on making arts and crafts. The first e-book I got was about soap making. I got this e-book because at the last arts and crafts festival I was at, the soaps was the biggest sellers. I read the e-book and learned how to make soap. I got to work on making soap for the nest arts and craft festival. I didnt want to make a lot of soap at first for fear of not selling it all. Well, I made about 100 bars of soap and asked a friend if I can sell at his book. He said yes. I ended up selling 75 bars of soap. I made a nice little profit from selling the soap.

After that arts and crafts festival, I went home and got a few more e-books. I got about gel candle making, bath salt making and perfume making. I read all the e-books and got busy with making some more soap, and I started to make perfume, bath salt and gel candles. With the research that I did by going to the arts and crafts fairs and festival, I found out what was hot to sell now.

Anyway, I went back to another arts and crafts festival and ended up getting my own booth. I ended up selling all but 10 bars of soap, selling all the bath salt I made, selling all but 1 gel candle and I sold all perfume I made. That weekend I made about $500 with only putting in $100 in products. I was happy. So I went home and ended up get another e-book. I got how to make a wind chime e-book. Well, to make this long story short, I read the e-book made some wind chimes for another arts and crafts festival. I ended up selling all of the wind chimes.

Ernest KentGeorgeanna Blog31343
Flossy Blog90957

Selling Your Published Book - Writing is the Easy Part

Beyond writing your book, you want it to be successful. Success is measured many ways and perhaps the most widely accepted measure is that of sales. While most writers do want to make some income from their hard work, most find the greatest satisfaction from positive customer feedback, but you cannot even get this if you do not have customers, so you need to get out there and promote your book to get sales, customers, and feedback.

There are a number of ways you can promote and sell your book, but reliance on your publisher to market or sell it is usually a sure fire way to failure. Most publishers do not take any active role in either promoting or selling books, they are for the most part only interested in collecting revenues when a book sells and promoting their publishing services so more authors will sign up with them.

Personally, I have found that promoting and marketing through my own website as well as Amazon.com, Alibris.com, Abebooks.com, and other online marketplaces to be quite effective while simultaneously securing a majority of the profits for myself rather than paying someone else with a canned marketing program and no investment in terms of either money or time. Many authors choose to participate in the Amazon.com Advantage Program and pay Amazon over half of the selling price for the privilege of selling on Amazon. To participate, they also have to pay an annual subscription fee which is not very much, but to me it seems absurd. Why should you or I put all our time and effort into writing a book, having it printed at our own expense, pay to have the books shipped to us, and then pay again to ship them to Amazon.com (when they choose to order them), pay Amazon.com to sell them, give them over half of the sales proceeds, and end up with only 10% of the sales proceeds for all our work and risk? The printer is guaranteed a profit when you order copies, Amazon is guaranteed a profit from your subscription fees and over half of the sales proceeds, they also require that you buy back any copies that do not sell. The only person at financial risk in this whole scenario is the author, i.e., you or I. It seems to me that when a financial risk is taken, the person taking the risk should be the one with the greatest potential for gain, but this is not how the publishers or marketplaces have set up the game. You do have alternatives.

Open your own bookstore on Amazon.com and sell your book through it. Amazon.com will still charge you a monthly merchant fee and 15% of the sales proceeds, but that is a whole lot better than giving up over half the proceeds. They will even add to your sales proceeds a shipping reimbursement to cover the cost of packaging and postage for most books. If you have to buy your books yourself anyway, why not sell and ship them to your customers yourself too?

Having been an online bookseller for several years before writing a book, I learned the ins and outs of online bookselling and was able to make use of this knowledge to market my own book. It is not hard to learn, heck, there are thousands of people doing it, I just hate to see the authors taken advantage of by a system they could easily master themselves.

Setting up your own bookstore on Amazon only takes a few minutes, and listing you book only takes a few more. You can also join the Amazon Connect program which allows you as the author to write relevant articles that appear when a customer is browsing the product detail pages of your book, and joining the Connect program is free.

If you are already a bestselling author and you are selling 100,000+ copies of your books already, this option is probably not of much interest to you, but if you are an independent author using a print on demand, POD, printer to make your books for you, this is a viable option for getting your work promoted. Not all books sold by third-party sellers are used books, some of us sell our own books too.

Michael E. Mould is the author of "Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips," [Paperback ISBN 1427600708, CD-ROM ISBN 1599714876] and the developer of "Bookkeeping for Booksellers" [CD ISBN 1427600694], you can learn more about online bookselling at: http://www.online-bookselling.com.Hedda Blog86546
Glynis Blog25451

How to Season your Cast Iron Cookware

Cast iron has a porous surface. The seasoning process serves to fill and smooth the surface of the pan. It's true that the more you use and season a cast-iron, the more non-stick the surface becomes. Here is how you season a new or used cast-iron utensil:

1. If the pan is new, be sure any adhesive label is completely removed.

2. Wash, rinse and dry the utensil.

3. Grease the inside surface with Crisco or other solid shortening. A medium-light coating, as you would grease a cake pan, is sufficient.

4. Heat the oven to 350F, and position the oven rack in the top third of the oven.

5. Open your windows because there is going to be some smoke.

6. Rub a thin layer of shortening (like Crisco) or oil (bacon grease works great, too) all over the inner bottom and sides of the pan with a paper towel.

7. Place your pan upside down on the top oven rack with a rimmed baking sheet or a roasting pan underneath to catch the drippings.

8. Bake the pan this way for 1 hour. Then turn off the oven and allow it to cool with the pan inside.

When the pan is correctly seasoned, the cooking surface should be smooth and shiny. It helps if the first few things you cook with your newly seasoned pan involve oil, try frying or sauting something.

To eliminate any concerns about using too much shortening, you can put the pan in the oven upside down. Put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil on the rack below to catch any drips.

A skillet or other utensil can be seasoned as often as necessary to maintain a good surface. Let's say you've just made tortillas and, after all that heat, the surface of your cast iron looks dry. Just season it again before you put it away.

Until the pan is very well seasoned, either by many uses or repeated seasonings, do not attempt to cook foods with a high acid content (tomatoes, for instance). The corrosive nature of high-acid foods will not react well to unseasoned cast-iron. Once a pan is well-seasoned, however, you can use it for just about anything. I do believe my mother could have fried plutonium in her big skillet.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for a particularly fastidious cook to do is refrain from using soap or detergent in the cleaning process. Seasoned cast-iron utensils may be cleaned very nicely with boiling water and a stiff-bristled brush. (I have a short-handled brush with stiff nylon bristles that I use only for cleaning my cast-iron skillets.) And often, say after making cornbread, I merely brush the skillet vigorously, wipe it with a damp sponge, and dry it with a paper towel. It is important to dry cast-iron utensils well after use; they will rust unless thoroughly dried. Cast-iron utensils will darken with use, turning from a steely gray, when new, to dark gray or black.

Over years of use, my cast-iron skillets have become old friends. Although I would never choose to replace them, if I had to (let's say an astute kitchen thief broke in and recognized my skillets for the treasures they are), I could buy new skillets, season them well, and have some new old friends.

Johnny Waymire has a great free resource site, http://kitchen-appliance-advisor.com , containing practical and helpful information on how to purchase Kitchen Appliances that fit YOUR needs. Visit to find all the helps, brands and reviews to make your next purchase very informative.Gennie Blog73793
Ingeborg Blog70381

SEO 101 For Beginners Revised

Did you know that you can dramatically increase the number of visitors that come to your site on a daily basis from Google?

Web Content (Mass + Keywords) + Links = SEO

Image Text or Javascript?

Question: Navigation is based on images, again if these are images of text?

Answer: Search engines obtain links very considerable and only read text. they like to match the topic of the target page to the text in the link that pointed to the page. Avoid Javascript.

what to do: Use text only navigation. the text and containing elements can by styles with CSS to set up them look like images, give a background image, or at least rearrange them look a little fancier. The optional is to ensure that there is some text based navigation elsewhere on the page.

Gains: Search engines will be able to match the topic of the target page with the reputation (link text). A higher relevancy is better. Ensuring there is text on the page will also help the visually impaired who use text only browsers in conjunction with braile output devices or text to speach software.

Links, and Link Relevancy

Question: You want lots of links to your website?

Answer: Although links may be great for visitors and search engine spiders, the true appraise of the link may not be fully clear to you. Visitors are unlikely to click on irrelevant links and search engines hate them. Reciprocal links (you link to me, and I'll link to you) can be of use when associated, but carry less weight in the search engines than one way inbound links.

what to do: Avoid link farms (pages of links, for the sake of links), treat reciprocal link requests with anticipation and stay associated.

Gains: Spending time and thought on your link profile will ensure natural growth of links. Search engines hate anything that looks artificial, or anything that could be interpreted as 'Search engine Trick'.

Duplicate Content

Question: A webmaster copies content from another website, or sets up numerous sites which are identical, or very similar. Is this mechanism works?

Answer: search engines apply echo content filters to the search results. Although the idea of increasing the market share is a bona fide idea, thousand similar sites is not the way to go about doing it. Efforts put into the secondary sites will be forfeited.

what to do: endorse all of the pages on each of your sites are unique. Querying a search engine for an exact match of long strings of text will show you if the content is bring up elsewhere. If a webmaster does have facsimile pages and wishes to avoid any penalties or filters, the webmaster must choose one page to have the other identical pages redirect to. Redirects are covered later. You may also use random RSS Feeds that are mixed before show up on each page. The RSS have the ability that are always have fresh content but only if you mix 3 or more RSS feeds you will get a unique result and not what all the other sites have that are using the same RSS feeds.

Gains: Your efforts are not wasted, time and money can be saved. Always Fresh content from the RSS Feeds.

Numerous Sites

Question: Following on from identical content, there are numerous sites. A single webmaster has a certain number closely themed sites, all inter-linked and hosted on the same IP address.

Answer: This is seen as search engine Frame-up, the linking structure and numerous sites just isn't natural. Penalties can apply.

what to do: Such site structures can work if set out properly. this means that each site must reside on it's own IP address where, at least, the C class is different. IP address are covered later.

Gains: Increased market share, effectively linked and spiderable sites, no penalties applied.

Unfriendly URLs

Question: The URL (web address) of some of your sites pages look like domain dot com/product.php?id=2346&category=665&sid=f29a3483270cc10b3783706916216e3a

Answer: Search engine spiders are getting better and following and indexing these form of URLs, bit not all of them. The spiders are scared of getting caught in an endless loop of identical pages with 1000s of different URLs. they are also off putting to your site visitors who could surely remember mydomain dot com/products/cars/boostvalves.

what to do: Use Search Engine Friendly URLs. If you are running the Apache webserver on Linux enabled server use mod_rewrite to translate the URLs into something nicer

Gains: Higher chance of being indexed by more of the search engines, keywords in your URL, higher chance of being clicked on in the SERPs

Redirects

There are two main redirects, based on the HTTP specification

301 - moved permanenty

302 - moved temporarily

You should use 301 redirects where ever possible. this can be done in your server side scripting, eg

Code: php

header("HTTP/1.1 301 Found");

header("Location: w w w newdomain dot com/");

redirects can also be set up in your .htaccess file, if you run the Apache web server

IP addresses (C class)

IP addresses are the numerical addresses of computers connected tot he internet. For ease of reading they are broken down into four parts, each called an octet as they contain 8 bits of data when written in binary form. An example my be 62.85.68.114. in this case the C class is 68 (and everything up to it), so if you have a few sites hosted on this IP they would all have identical IP addresses. If each had a single IP address that started 62.85.68. then they all share the same C-class IP address. As the allocation of IP addresses within a server involvement is usually configured so that each server has it's own C-class; this means that a search engine knows hat all sites on the same C-class IP address are all located on the same server

Your competitors might not be standing still; neither should you.

James Saunders is the owner of TrafficBoosterPro, the SEO software which makes Unique Content pages Quickly and Easily! Software that bring massive Traffic from RSS Feeds in AutoPilot, now in it's 2nd revision at http://TrafficBoosterPro.com.Flossi Blog95627
Idell Blog3491