s="view_date">April 15th, 2007
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 29 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
A Guide to Triathlon Wet Suits
Author : Peter Emerson
Triathlon wet suits are designed with state-of-the-art materials to help athletes get in and out of the water quickly, efficiently and of course, to keep the wearer warm. Triathlon wet suits are much more than the normal wet suit employed by divers simply to slow heat loss underwater and keep warm. Designed specifically for athletic competition, their first priority is to keep a competitive swimmer on top of the water, reducing drag and stalling muscle fatigue, enabling the swimmer to race faster and for longer periods of time.Furthermore, the rubber used on the outside of the wet suit is of the slickest and most slippery materials possible to emulate the scales of a fish as closely as possible. The manufacturing technology employed in creating these wet suits has been a bone of contention between athletes and committee members because they reduce the difference between weaker swimmers and stronger swimmers, not only in speed, but also in all-around efficiency.Because the triathlon wet suit enables a competitor to spend less energy on the first leg of the competition, he or she is able to reserve energy for the other two legs of the process. This can be a huge edge over the rest of the field, assuming of course, that you are not all wearing the same suits.To begin with, the rubber used in most of these wet suits, regardless of the brand name featured, comes from one supplier – the world-famous, Japanese rubber manufacturer, Yamamoto. There is an important difference in the thickness of the rubber used in each and every different brand name of wet suit produced. Some manufacturers opt for the 2mm thickness, going towards producing a suit that weighs less and subsequently feels lighter to the user and is more flexible.Other manufacturers go with the thicker rubber, up to 5mm thick, following the rule of thumb that shows that the thicker the rubber used, the more buoyant the suit will be and ultimately, even though it weighs more, will save the user more energy. In the end, it's the swimmer himself who must decide which option best suits his style.Wet Suits Info provides detailed information about triathlon, scuba, and surfing wet suits, as well as wet suits for kids and infants. Wet Suits Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Triathlon
Triathlon wet suits are designed with state-of-the-art materials to help athletes get in and out of the water quickly, efficiently and of course, to keep the wearer warm. Triathlon wet suits are much more than the normal wet suit employed by divers simply to slow heat loss underwater and keep warm. Designed specifically for athletic competition, their first priority is to keep a competitive swimmer on top of the water, reducing drag and stalling muscle fatigue, enabling the swimmer to race faster and for longer periods of time.Furthermore, the rubber used on the outside of the wet suit is of the slickest and most slippery materials possible to emulate the scales of a fish as closely as possible. The manufacturing technology employed in creating these wet suits has been a bone of contention between athletes and committee members because they reduce the difference between weaker swimmers and stronger swimmers, not only in speed, but also in all-around efficiency.Because the triathlon wet suit enables a competitor to spend less energy on the first leg of the competition, he or she is able to reserve energy for the other two legs of the process. This can be a huge edge over the rest of the field, assuming of course, that you are not all wearing the same suits.To begin with, the rubber used in most of these wet suits, regardless of the brand name featured, comes from one supplier – the world-famous, Japanese rubber manufacturer, Yamamoto. There is an important difference in the thickness of the rubber used in each and every different brand name of wet suit produced. Some manufacturers opt for the 2mm thickness, going towards producing a suit that weighs less and subsequently feels lighter to the user and is more flexible.Other manufacturers go with the thicker rubber, up to 5mm thick, following the rule of thumb that shows that the thicker the rubber used, the more buoyant the suit will be and ultimately, even though it weighs more, will save the user more energy. In the end, it's the swimmer himself who must decide which option best suits his style.Wet Suits Info provides detailed information about triathlon, scuba, and surfing wet suits, as well as wet suits for kids and infants. Wet Suits Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Triathlon
วันพุธที่ 28 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
History of Computer Aided Manufacturing
Author : Kevin Stith
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) is one of the software automation processes that directly convert the product drawing or the object into the code design that enables the machine to manufacture the product. It is used in various machines like lathes and milling machines for the product manufacturing purposes. It allows the computer work instructions to communicate directly to the manufacturing machines.The mechanism of CAM developed from the Computer Numerical Machines (CNC) in the early 1950s. These systems were directed by a set of coded instructions in a punched paper tape. The proposal to develop the first numerically controlled machine was commissioned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from the US Air Force in the year 1949. The entire proposed idea of developing this machine was demonstrated in the year 1952.The motivation factor in developing these kinds of numerically automated machines involves the expensive costs in manufacturing the complex curved geometries in 2D or 3D constraints mechanically. The development of these machines considers the factors like easier programming in CAM and easy storage of programs. A program can be changed easily and avoid manual errors. Numerically controlled machines are safer to operate, and the complex geometry comes at a reasonable price.James T. Parsons proposed the concept of the numerical control operations during the year of 1948. In 1950, the MIT servo mechanism lab developed the Numerical Control (NC) milling project. The remaining program parts were released in the later period of 1952 along with the first successful demo version. After 1955, major companies in the industry developed their own machine designs.IBMs Automatic Tool Changer in the year 1955, G & Ls first production of the skin-miller in the year 1957, and the machining center developed by K & T have all been considered to be major developments to promote the technology with more benefits. CAD drafting and the sculptured surfaces were developed in the year 1965; 7,700 NCs were also installed during the same year.During the year 1967, the concept of developing the CNC machine was proposed. The existence and the major development of the CAD/CAM machines evolved during the year 1972. 3D CAM/CAD systems were introduced in 1976. Expert CAM/CAD systems were developed in the year 1989. The major development of the CAM systems provides you with easier manufacturing of objects with high efficiency. Computer Aided Manufacturing provides detailed information on Applications of Computer Aided Manufacturing, Cam And Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Design , Computer Aided Design Scanners and more. Computer Aided Manufacturing is affliated with Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing.
Category : General Computer: Software
วันอังคารที่ 27 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
How to Analyze a Website
Author : Gene DeFazzio
How to analyze a website is the first, and most important step, in the website design process. It requires answering several questions about this website you're going to create. Now's the time to start a journal. Write down the following questions and give some serious thought to your answers.Why are you creating this website?Your answer is important. It will determine the content, design and development of your pages. Do you have some interesting information you'd like to share? Do you have a product or service to sell? Do you want to display your artistic/creative talent? Do you have some terrific website links you want to let the world know about? Really think about this and then write down your thoughts.Another way to think about this question is what is the goal of this website? Is it to entertain, instruct, inform, persuade, share, sell or display? The answer will provide you with direction and focus as you design your site and help you to develop your theme.Who is my target audience?What type of visitors do I want my site to attract? What are the demographics of your audience. What will be their age, sex and education? Will they search out my site because we share a special interest, do the same kind of things or are they looking for specific information? Is my target audience the business community, stay-at-home moms, artists, or sports enthusiasts? Or is it a combination of several groups?Be as specific as you can about this. Try to pinpoint a certain type of individual then learn as much about them as you can so you can tailor your website to suit them. The key to website success lies in your ability to express your message in such a way as to create interest for your visitors. You can't do this unless you know who they are.How can I communicate effectively?Once you know who the audience for your website will be, what is the best way to communicate with them? Are they looking for a fancy site with lots of interactivity? Do they want all the information on the first page? Would they prefer the content be categorized so that they can access only the section they want? Do I need to include an order form? Would a message board be a good way to communicate?The way your visitors perceive your message will determine how they react to it. If you are seeking to sell something to your visitors make that clear from the start. People don't like to be fooled into taking action. Be clear and forthright in your method of communication and your website will stand with the best of them.What information do I need?If you are designing a site for a client, you will need to know the answers to the preceding questions as well as what their vision is for their site. Do they have a logo they want you to use, do they have specific colors in mind, do they want to include phone and fax numbers on their pages? If this is your own business site, these are questions you should answer also.When creating a personal website, such as one providing links to other sites, it is considered good netiquette to contact the site owners and let them know you are linking to their pages. An advantage to this is that often they will provide a reciprocal link to your site!If you are using someone else's graphics and/or pictures, you should request their permission and plan on providing a credit link somewhere on the page where they are displayed. Are you going to have a message forum on your site? Are you going to have an e-mail list for informing visitors of updates or new content? These are all things you need to consider...and make note of in your journal.What content (data, graphics, photos, etc.) will be included?This is the big job...gathering all the content that you want to include on your website. Are you going to use photos? What kind of graphics do you want? And what information or data are you putting online! Are you going to provide tutorials? Right now, just make a list of the items you think you will want to have on your website...you don't need to gather it all together yet.Make notes about what you need to do such as scan photos or documents, locate or create graphics, write tutorials, sort and organize data. This is a good time to create folders or binders for your website project so that you can keep the content organized. You might need one folder for Graphics, one for Photos, one for Data, one for Tutorials and one for Miscellaneous information. Your content will determine the folder titles you need. Don't let all this overwhelm you...it will all fall into place.Planning your websiteTime spent on this most important phase of website design will pay dividends in the long run. The planning that you do now will make things much easier once your website is online. There are a multitude of details that go into the design of a professional site and solid planning in the early stages of design will help eliminate problems down the road. Remember to spend as much time as necessary planning your website.Planning and organizing are the most crucial steps in designing a website. Once you have a clear picture of what you are trying to say it will be easier to devise a plan to present this information to your visitors. Planning your website is the key to creating a website that is robust, effective and easy to maintain.Gene DeFazzio is the webmaster and author of the Rocketface® Workshop. (http://www.rocketface.com) A website dedicated to the new and aspiring webmaster and home of the award winning webmasters tutorial, "How to Design a Website".
Category : Business:Web-Design
How to analyze a website is the first, and most important step, in the website design process. It requires answering several questions about this website you're going to create. Now's the time to start a journal. Write down the following questions and give some serious thought to your answers.Why are you creating this website?Your answer is important. It will determine the content, design and development of your pages. Do you have some interesting information you'd like to share? Do you have a product or service to sell? Do you want to display your artistic/creative talent? Do you have some terrific website links you want to let the world know about? Really think about this and then write down your thoughts.Another way to think about this question is what is the goal of this website? Is it to entertain, instruct, inform, persuade, share, sell or display? The answer will provide you with direction and focus as you design your site and help you to develop your theme.Who is my target audience?What type of visitors do I want my site to attract? What are the demographics of your audience. What will be their age, sex and education? Will they search out my site because we share a special interest, do the same kind of things or are they looking for specific information? Is my target audience the business community, stay-at-home moms, artists, or sports enthusiasts? Or is it a combination of several groups?Be as specific as you can about this. Try to pinpoint a certain type of individual then learn as much about them as you can so you can tailor your website to suit them. The key to website success lies in your ability to express your message in such a way as to create interest for your visitors. You can't do this unless you know who they are.How can I communicate effectively?Once you know who the audience for your website will be, what is the best way to communicate with them? Are they looking for a fancy site with lots of interactivity? Do they want all the information on the first page? Would they prefer the content be categorized so that they can access only the section they want? Do I need to include an order form? Would a message board be a good way to communicate?The way your visitors perceive your message will determine how they react to it. If you are seeking to sell something to your visitors make that clear from the start. People don't like to be fooled into taking action. Be clear and forthright in your method of communication and your website will stand with the best of them.What information do I need?If you are designing a site for a client, you will need to know the answers to the preceding questions as well as what their vision is for their site. Do they have a logo they want you to use, do they have specific colors in mind, do they want to include phone and fax numbers on their pages? If this is your own business site, these are questions you should answer also.When creating a personal website, such as one providing links to other sites, it is considered good netiquette to contact the site owners and let them know you are linking to their pages. An advantage to this is that often they will provide a reciprocal link to your site!If you are using someone else's graphics and/or pictures, you should request their permission and plan on providing a credit link somewhere on the page where they are displayed. Are you going to have a message forum on your site? Are you going to have an e-mail list for informing visitors of updates or new content? These are all things you need to consider...and make note of in your journal.What content (data, graphics, photos, etc.) will be included?This is the big job...gathering all the content that you want to include on your website. Are you going to use photos? What kind of graphics do you want? And what information or data are you putting online! Are you going to provide tutorials? Right now, just make a list of the items you think you will want to have on your website...you don't need to gather it all together yet.Make notes about what you need to do such as scan photos or documents, locate or create graphics, write tutorials, sort and organize data. This is a good time to create folders or binders for your website project so that you can keep the content organized. You might need one folder for Graphics, one for Photos, one for Data, one for Tutorials and one for Miscellaneous information. Your content will determine the folder titles you need. Don't let all this overwhelm you...it will all fall into place.Planning your websiteTime spent on this most important phase of website design will pay dividends in the long run. The planning that you do now will make things much easier once your website is online. There are a multitude of details that go into the design of a professional site and solid planning in the early stages of design will help eliminate problems down the road. Remember to spend as much time as necessary planning your website.Planning and organizing are the most crucial steps in designing a website. Once you have a clear picture of what you are trying to say it will be easier to devise a plan to present this information to your visitors. Planning your website is the key to creating a website that is robust, effective and easy to maintain.Gene DeFazzio is the webmaster and author of the Rocketface® Workshop. (http://www.rocketface.com) A website dedicated to the new and aspiring webmaster and home of the award winning webmasters tutorial, "How to Design a Website".
Category : Business:Web-Design
The Beauty of Focus and Plan B
Author : Peggie Arvidson-Dailey
Did you ever have one of those days or weeks when you said "What in the world am I doing running this business?!"Yeah. Me too. In fact, last month threw me for such a loop I really was beginning to wonder about my sanity.I'm sharing this story because I think we business owners tend to think so often in the 'now' that we put-off doing any contingency planning. Then, when a crisis occurs, we find ourselves focusing on the negative things that are causing the crisis. And that, my friend, makes it worse!Trust me, there were definitely a few hours last month when I couldn't pull my attention away from what seemed to be the train-wreck I was in - - but ultimately, I not only managed to pull my attention away from the frustrations but had the wherewithal to implement Plan B.Here's an overview of my story:• My computer got a virus and died. (Lesson learned - back up EVERYTHING!)• The new book that I was writing was lost - totally - nothing was salvaged. (This was not the "10 Surprisingly Simple Steps to Sales Success: What Every Pet-Care Business Owner Needs to Know to Build Their Business in a Big Way")• I had to buy a new computer, pronto• I paid Uncle Sam (a lot) for the privilege of running a successful business• All of my financial files in Quick Books(tm) were lost in the computer death; and here's the clincher -• One sitter left (this was expected), the sitter I'd hired to replace her let me know the day before her start date that she'd taken another job, and another sitter alerted me on a Thursday that her last day would be that Friday (these were all midday walkers!)YIKES!!! So, what did I do? I cried. Okay. More like a huge sob. One. Long. Huge. Sob.Then I changed my focus. Instead of 'crying over spilt milk' as my Grandma Jule used to say, I bade a mental goodbye to all the sitters who were leaving and opened my mind to the possibility that better sitters were on their way.Next I pulled out "Plan B" and called in the 'troops.' The troops are the wonderful group of consultants who work with me whenever they can 'on-call' and the troops are also my wonderful caring clients. I asked the on-call folks how much time they could give me in the next few weeks and parceled out the daily walk clients accordingly. I let the clients who were directly affected know that they would be working with a back-up sitter for the next few weeks while we continued to interview for the right fit for them.What happened next blew my socks off! Clients called and emailed and told me their tough work stories. Some even offered to rearrange their schedules to walk their own dogs at lunch! And the on-call folks worked with their internships, babysitter schedules, temp jobs, and school schedules to pick up as many visits as they could. I nearly wanted to cry again. This time because I realized how lucky I really I am.What really turned things around? Two things made all the difference. First was my ability to focus on the right things and second was the fact that I had planned ahead for just this type of situation.Once I stopped focusing on negative and non- productive things I started focusing on how awesome and understanding my clients would be in this situation and how generous and giving the consultants I work with are. By focusing on these things I was able to implement the tasks that would make it happen.So what's your lesson?Be AWARE of your focus. Do you spend more of your day keeping track of what went wrong than what went right? Make a proactive effort to change that now. An easy way to implement this change is to keep a list of 'wins' in your day-planner, your personal journal, or on scraps of paper. The important thing is to end each day recounting the things that went right. It will help you change your mindset, so when you really need a positive focus, it will be easy to find!Create a "Plan B" now while you don't need it. Whether you're a sole proprietor who never gets sick, a large company with tons of employees, or a mid-size company that depends on every client you currently have to stay solvent - -you need a "Plan B." Your Plan B should focus on those things that you take for granted and that could go wrong. What would you do in that situation? Build your plan around it!The beauty of Plan B is that it will already exist even if you're in a panic over an IRS audit, or rushing to go out of town because of a family emergency. You'll have your moment of panic and then the light bulb will go off and you'll say 'Wowsa! Thank goodness I have a Plan B' and you'll be able to focus on making good things happen.Watch your focus and create contingency plans - and even if you have a month like mine - you'll still be in great shape!© 2005 Peggie Arvidson-DaileyAbout The Author: Peggie Arvidson-Dailey, The Pet Care Business Expert, is author of “Surprisingly Simple Sales Steps: What Every Pet-Care Business Owner Needs to Know to Build Their Business in a BIG Way!†To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.peggiespets.comNOTE: You absolutely can use this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author†info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to Peggie@peggiespets.com
Category : Mortgage
Did you ever have one of those days or weeks when you said "What in the world am I doing running this business?!"Yeah. Me too. In fact, last month threw me for such a loop I really was beginning to wonder about my sanity.I'm sharing this story because I think we business owners tend to think so often in the 'now' that we put-off doing any contingency planning. Then, when a crisis occurs, we find ourselves focusing on the negative things that are causing the crisis. And that, my friend, makes it worse!Trust me, there were definitely a few hours last month when I couldn't pull my attention away from what seemed to be the train-wreck I was in - - but ultimately, I not only managed to pull my attention away from the frustrations but had the wherewithal to implement Plan B.Here's an overview of my story:• My computer got a virus and died. (Lesson learned - back up EVERYTHING!)• The new book that I was writing was lost - totally - nothing was salvaged. (This was not the "10 Surprisingly Simple Steps to Sales Success: What Every Pet-Care Business Owner Needs to Know to Build Their Business in a Big Way")• I had to buy a new computer, pronto• I paid Uncle Sam (a lot) for the privilege of running a successful business• All of my financial files in Quick Books(tm) were lost in the computer death; and here's the clincher -• One sitter left (this was expected), the sitter I'd hired to replace her let me know the day before her start date that she'd taken another job, and another sitter alerted me on a Thursday that her last day would be that Friday (these were all midday walkers!)YIKES!!! So, what did I do? I cried. Okay. More like a huge sob. One. Long. Huge. Sob.Then I changed my focus. Instead of 'crying over spilt milk' as my Grandma Jule used to say, I bade a mental goodbye to all the sitters who were leaving and opened my mind to the possibility that better sitters were on their way.Next I pulled out "Plan B" and called in the 'troops.' The troops are the wonderful group of consultants who work with me whenever they can 'on-call' and the troops are also my wonderful caring clients. I asked the on-call folks how much time they could give me in the next few weeks and parceled out the daily walk clients accordingly. I let the clients who were directly affected know that they would be working with a back-up sitter for the next few weeks while we continued to interview for the right fit for them.What happened next blew my socks off! Clients called and emailed and told me their tough work stories. Some even offered to rearrange their schedules to walk their own dogs at lunch! And the on-call folks worked with their internships, babysitter schedules, temp jobs, and school schedules to pick up as many visits as they could. I nearly wanted to cry again. This time because I realized how lucky I really I am.What really turned things around? Two things made all the difference. First was my ability to focus on the right things and second was the fact that I had planned ahead for just this type of situation.Once I stopped focusing on negative and non- productive things I started focusing on how awesome and understanding my clients would be in this situation and how generous and giving the consultants I work with are. By focusing on these things I was able to implement the tasks that would make it happen.So what's your lesson?Be AWARE of your focus. Do you spend more of your day keeping track of what went wrong than what went right? Make a proactive effort to change that now. An easy way to implement this change is to keep a list of 'wins' in your day-planner, your personal journal, or on scraps of paper. The important thing is to end each day recounting the things that went right. It will help you change your mindset, so when you really need a positive focus, it will be easy to find!Create a "Plan B" now while you don't need it. Whether you're a sole proprietor who never gets sick, a large company with tons of employees, or a mid-size company that depends on every client you currently have to stay solvent - -you need a "Plan B." Your Plan B should focus on those things that you take for granted and that could go wrong. What would you do in that situation? Build your plan around it!The beauty of Plan B is that it will already exist even if you're in a panic over an IRS audit, or rushing to go out of town because of a family emergency. You'll have your moment of panic and then the light bulb will go off and you'll say 'Wowsa! Thank goodness I have a Plan B' and you'll be able to focus on making good things happen.Watch your focus and create contingency plans - and even if you have a month like mine - you'll still be in great shape!© 2005 Peggie Arvidson-DaileyAbout The Author: Peggie Arvidson-Dailey, The Pet Care Business Expert, is author of “Surprisingly Simple Sales Steps: What Every Pet-Care Business Owner Needs to Know to Build Their Business in a BIG Way!†To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.peggiespets.comNOTE: You absolutely can use this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author†info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to Peggie@peggiespets.com
Category : Mortgage
วันจันทร์ที่ 26 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Love Conquers All
Author : Syed
There is an image of love, deep inside each one of us. The world around us is full of perceptions, about love. It would not be wrong to say that the word love and the ../images of love are over exposed and oft repeated. Television shows, big-screen movies, music, books, and internet, love seems to be the quintessential theme. There is absolutely no denying the fact that love is a beautiful emotion and much sought after too. However, in its initial stage love is very wonderful. With time, love and relationships both change. And love, always does not mean a romantic relationship. Yet romance is, probably, the most written about and discussed subject. Romantic love is a string of emotion which ties two singles together in the bond of love. This feeling is not just based on understanding but also physical attraction. Nevertheless, the physical attraction is a misleading factor in love. This attraction is as intrinsic to two strangers, as wanting to be in love. It is not uncommon to hear stories that two people looked at each other, imagined they were in love, only to realize that it was just pure lust, not love. Men and women have derived different meanings from the word love. When a man says he loves a woman, he is just trying to capture the emotions of a woman and make her his captive, emotionally speaking of course! On the other hand, for a woman, love means she is submitting her self to this person, for an unspecified period of time which spells eternity for her! Women do not use the word love flippantly. A woman in love is a blissful and happy person who can do anything to preserve the sanctity of her love relationship. Fundamentally speaking, love is an extremely powerful emotion that has the ability to capture anyones imagination and life. Many love relationships do not end up in a forever yours situation, but end up in a hate and regret situation. While many people part ways on a bitter note and no longer seeing eye to eye, some mature people decide on remaining friends even after break-up. Its true that when a love relationship ends in anger, then the pain is felt for a longer time. You will find yourself comparing your ex to your dates. And eventually when you truly fall in love you shall be able to overcome the pain and resentment you have felt about your ex and truly embrace your new found love and bask in its warmth. Each one of us has our very own reasons to search for someone special. For a majority, the reasons may be obvious but for some of us, the reasons are far from obvious. One may look for a companion who will love the person, like there is no tomorrow, while another many be looking for a soul-mate, someone to connect with at the spiritual level. Whatever is the reason there is one eternal fact about all of us: we will all lead an incomplete can not live a normal life, without love. Websites like www.TheSinglesNetwork.com are prime example of how many people across the world are actively seeking love. With so much effort, risk and heartburn involved in love and its after effects, why do we bother with love? The answer is simple yet complex, suggests Tom Chapman, the owner of the largest singles network in the world, The Singles Network. He says Its our inane curiosity to court the unknown and experience the warmth and wonderful sense of completion it provides us with, even though it may be just for a short while. And Virgil summed it up beautifully by saying, Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to Love. Tom Chapman, CEO, Net Content Creations, Inc.Tom@TheSinglesNetwork.com http://www.TheSinglesNetwork.com
Category : General Society
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 25 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Sports Arbitrage Trading Reviewed
Author : Chris Rohrer
SureBetPro was created by C.E.O. James Beattie a little more than 1 year ago. If you haven’t heard of it by now, SureBetPro is an automated sports arbitrage trading software package that finds arbs in real-time. The software makes finding arbs around the world extremely easy and allows for fast execution of trades. The company has seen astounding growth throughout Australia and Europe as well as the US more recently.What is sports arbitrage trading? Sports arbitrage trading is not to be confused with gambling which carries a risk. It’s a system where a trade is placed with two different bookmakers that have opposing views on the outcome of an upcoming sporting event. The result is a win with one bookmaker and a loss with another. Because both bookmakers had different odds on the sporting event, you make a profit regardless of the outcome.How much money can I make? This really depends on the amount of money one has to spread among the bookmakers. Typically the arbs range from 1% to 10% and from time to time arbs will come in around 15%. Before any money can be made at all, the user will need to fund his/her neteller account so that funds can be distributed among the 70 or so bookmakers. It is not recommended to trade more than $1,000 with each bookmaker otherwise they may see you as a syndicate and syndicates tend to wipe bookies clean. However you can place as many $1,000 trades as you like throughout the day with different bookmakers to maximize your trading profits. Trading results will vary with the individual.How long does it take to get my money back from the bookmakers? Money is paid out directly back to your account within 1 to 3 hours after the sporting event. I personally have never had to wait more than 1 hour to see my funds beamed directly back to my account. At this time you can then recycle your profits and trade on yet another sporting event.Can I build a business with SureBetPro? Many people do not know that SureBetPro offers multiple streams of income. The company offers $80 in commissions for every person a trader brings into SureBetPro and $47.50 per month for the life of their subscription. On top of this, business builders can build a personal forced matrix which can offer up to $250,000 per month with a complete matrix. SureBetPro is quite the program when it comes to establishing residual income.There are many books and programs available in regards to arbitrage trading. It can be a tedious task learning how to arbitrage trade from scratch; however automated systems make it easy for anyone to get started.Chris Rohrer is an established writer and home business owner. Chris Rohrer makes it easy for anyone getting started with sports arbitrage trading. http://www.profitplusonline.com
Category : Cruises
SureBetPro was created by C.E.O. James Beattie a little more than 1 year ago. If you haven’t heard of it by now, SureBetPro is an automated sports arbitrage trading software package that finds arbs in real-time. The software makes finding arbs around the world extremely easy and allows for fast execution of trades. The company has seen astounding growth throughout Australia and Europe as well as the US more recently.What is sports arbitrage trading? Sports arbitrage trading is not to be confused with gambling which carries a risk. It’s a system where a trade is placed with two different bookmakers that have opposing views on the outcome of an upcoming sporting event. The result is a win with one bookmaker and a loss with another. Because both bookmakers had different odds on the sporting event, you make a profit regardless of the outcome.How much money can I make? This really depends on the amount of money one has to spread among the bookmakers. Typically the arbs range from 1% to 10% and from time to time arbs will come in around 15%. Before any money can be made at all, the user will need to fund his/her neteller account so that funds can be distributed among the 70 or so bookmakers. It is not recommended to trade more than $1,000 with each bookmaker otherwise they may see you as a syndicate and syndicates tend to wipe bookies clean. However you can place as many $1,000 trades as you like throughout the day with different bookmakers to maximize your trading profits. Trading results will vary with the individual.How long does it take to get my money back from the bookmakers? Money is paid out directly back to your account within 1 to 3 hours after the sporting event. I personally have never had to wait more than 1 hour to see my funds beamed directly back to my account. At this time you can then recycle your profits and trade on yet another sporting event.Can I build a business with SureBetPro? Many people do not know that SureBetPro offers multiple streams of income. The company offers $80 in commissions for every person a trader brings into SureBetPro and $47.50 per month for the life of their subscription. On top of this, business builders can build a personal forced matrix which can offer up to $250,000 per month with a complete matrix. SureBetPro is quite the program when it comes to establishing residual income.There are many books and programs available in regards to arbitrage trading. It can be a tedious task learning how to arbitrage trade from scratch; however automated systems make it easy for anyone to get started.Chris Rohrer is an established writer and home business owner. Chris Rohrer makes it easy for anyone getting started with sports arbitrage trading. http://www.profitplusonline.com
Category : Cruises
Toyota Tacoma, the Phenomenon Continues
Author : Mark Clarkson
The latest version of Toyota Tacoma is a completely redesigned one. Its quirky and brawny aura is retained only that its dimensions are expanded to accommodate bigger loading capacity. At first glance, it can be ascertained that the Tacoma these days are bigger and also said to be better than its predecessors.Toyota Tacoma come in two choices – the 2WD and 4WD. The two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available in all body styles. Both are sophisticated and powerful. However, between the two, Tacoma's 4x4 is getting more sales than the former. Toyota revealed that 40 percent of Tahoma's sold are 4x4 trucks. The latter feature a two-speed transfer case, optional locking rear differential and a heavy duty chassis. Toyota Tacoma is said to challenge the trucks made by GM, Ford and DCX.Toyota Tacoma is ruggedly designed to give comfort and remarkable performance while conquering the road. Its double-wishbone type suspension and air shocks provide a smooth ride like that of passenger cars.On the road, Tahoma can deliver a first rate all-round drive ability. It is also manufactured with powerful Toyota Tacoma performance parts to complement its sturdy built. The rear step bumper, front tow hook, and its 6-foot cargo bed are also made lighter. They are made from durable composite materials to support its purpose and goal as a real truck. V6 Tacoma can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Alternatively, its four-cylinder models can tow up to 3,500 pounds.Tacoma has 2 standard airbags, ABS and brake assist and anchor points for child restraint seats. The four-cylinder Tacoma engine produces 164 horsepower and features 16 valves, DOHC, and variable valve timing with intelligence.In essence, Tacoma accounts for nearly 10 percent of US Toyota sales. Moreover, the driving factor of Tacoma is the celebrated Toyota build quality and reliability. History reiterates that with Toyota you will lose a lot less bucks.Toyota Parts Online
Toyota Tacoma performance partsMark Clarkson is a 35 year old marketing consultant for a leading auto parts store. This native of Denver is also an offroad enthusiast.
Category : Automotive:Trucks
The latest version of Toyota Tacoma is a completely redesigned one. Its quirky and brawny aura is retained only that its dimensions are expanded to accommodate bigger loading capacity. At first glance, it can be ascertained that the Tacoma these days are bigger and also said to be better than its predecessors.Toyota Tacoma come in two choices – the 2WD and 4WD. The two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available in all body styles. Both are sophisticated and powerful. However, between the two, Tacoma's 4x4 is getting more sales than the former. Toyota revealed that 40 percent of Tahoma's sold are 4x4 trucks. The latter feature a two-speed transfer case, optional locking rear differential and a heavy duty chassis. Toyota Tacoma is said to challenge the trucks made by GM, Ford and DCX.Toyota Tacoma is ruggedly designed to give comfort and remarkable performance while conquering the road. Its double-wishbone type suspension and air shocks provide a smooth ride like that of passenger cars.On the road, Tahoma can deliver a first rate all-round drive ability. It is also manufactured with powerful Toyota Tacoma performance parts to complement its sturdy built. The rear step bumper, front tow hook, and its 6-foot cargo bed are also made lighter. They are made from durable composite materials to support its purpose and goal as a real truck. V6 Tacoma can tow up to 5,000 pounds. Alternatively, its four-cylinder models can tow up to 3,500 pounds.Tacoma has 2 standard airbags, ABS and brake assist and anchor points for child restraint seats. The four-cylinder Tacoma engine produces 164 horsepower and features 16 valves, DOHC, and variable valve timing with intelligence.In essence, Tacoma accounts for nearly 10 percent of US Toyota sales. Moreover, the driving factor of Tacoma is the celebrated Toyota build quality and reliability. History reiterates that with Toyota you will lose a lot less bucks.Toyota Parts Online
Toyota Tacoma performance partsMark Clarkson is a 35 year old marketing consultant for a leading auto parts store. This native of Denver is also an offroad enthusiast.
Category : Automotive:Trucks
วันเสาร์ที่ 24 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
My Experiences with the Hawaii Earthquake and What I Should Tell You
Author : Sensei J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc.
Aloha everyone from Oahu My family is safe and sound. On Sunday October 15th 2006 at 7:08 AM I was lying in bed when I felt a vibration. For some reason I recall thinking there must be something wrong with the washer and dryer downstairs from our apartment. One minute later another vibration occurred and I sat up. My wife came into the bedroom and asked me if I felt that. I replied yeah and she said she thought it was an earthquake. Less than two minutes later our power went out. Jan said she saw lights in the other building so I continued with our plans to take the family to breakfast as Pagoda Restaurant near downtown Honolulu. Then I started seeing something very dangerous when one knows what idiots drivers can be. The traffic lights were out. I only saw one light out so I continued until getting stuck on several major intersections with no traffic lights. What a bunch of morons, and yes we can include me in that group for not turning around and going home at the first light, people were driving through the blacked out light as though they had a free pass instead of treating it like a stop sign. Lesson: Stay home Finally making it to Pagoda restaurant, wondering if they were even open by now, my family and I parked to assess the situation. It seemed a bus driver had dropped a bunch of tourists off at the restaurant which turned out to be closed. My compliments to the restaurant. The provided free coffee and danishes to everyone. Pagoda Restaurant really shined during such a dark time.We worked our way back home. Other drivers had woken up to what they were supposed to do at a blacked out signal light and just a few of them were playing chicken with all the good drivers. My wife changed the batteries in our portable radio Lesson: Have plenty of batteries on hand KSSK radio did a great job keeping people informed so the city officials contacted KSSK along with using the Civil Defense announcements. All in all the information from KSSK radio was essential. Lesson: Get a radio with batteries According to our Governor, she was on the big island (Hawaii) when the 6.5 earthquake hit. She stood in her door frame and watched her TV set get tossed across the room. Upon the second quake the hotel she was staying at was evacuated. Lesson: Get in the door frame which is well supported if you can't get out away from falling debris. Although the phone lines were working via radio city officials suggested not using the phones except for emergencies. I was staying off my cell phone in case I need to keep it charged. Most people have cordless phones now. My wife's cell phone was almost dead. Lesson: Get one of those cheap phones that plugs into the wall. On Oahu we found out power had to be restored slowly over the entire island and most of the state. We were told the water ran to us via gravity and to refill they had to use electric pumps. Some pumps didn't have electric generators to pump the water. We were told via KSSK to use water sparingly and use bottled water if possible. Now, I had a problem with that. I told my family don't do dishes don't shower, but for cooking and drinking I wasn't going to use up all our bottled water and then run out of city water. So we used the city water for cooking and drinking and saved our bottled water in case we lost the city water. Lesson: Keep a good supply of bottled water Getting dark now. My wife decided to fix dinner. We have an electric stove, but she had a propane driven stove used for camping. So she fixed spam, pees and rice. Spam is s staple here. Being an old Illinois boy I was surprised to see it on menus at restaurants. Our neighbors were cooking out on their drill. Lesson: Make sure you have an alternative means to cook meals for your familyWe turned on the high powered flashlights we had so we could see. The radio advised against using candles and I agreed. My son seven year old son Hunter played with the flashlight in all kinds of ways I'd have never thought of before. From hand puppets, which he was quite good at to telling us to close our eyes then covering the flashlight with a towel so he ?magically? disappeared. Lesson: Keep high powered flashlights. Keep working batteries in them since it's hard to change batteries in the dark. KKSK reported power coming on a little at a time. 20,000 homes out of over 800,000 had power in them. This was going to take all night. For some reason, though almost all businesses were closed, there were people lined up three blocks down to buy gas at the one station that was open. Whey they thought they needed to buy gas when their safest place to be was home I'll never figure out. Lesson: It costs just as much to fill the top of the gas tank as it does the bottom. Another huge line was for a place selling huli huli (flip flip) chicken. The traffic got so jammed up one motorcycle officer told the people to stop selling chicken or he'd arrest them. This according to KSSK caller at the place selling the chicken. That was straightened out and hungry people were still allowed to buy chicken. Lesson: Keep a good supply of canned goods and other staples. Our own power came back on about 11:00 PM. We were all actually asleep when the power came back on. The city officials had recommended turning off the water heater to help keep the circuits from overloading so we turned that back on in the morning. Not everything, as of the next morning (this morning) was completed by the city. There were still some traffic lights flashing and a few were still out. Police were directing traffic on some places but the morons who didn't care for other people managed to find the other lights and risk everyone else's lives' by not being courteous drivers. Most people tried to be courteous towards other however and Hawaii drivers do seem to be more courteous than other states I've vistied. I recall my first day here being surprised when someone let on the highway and I got on it from the short on ramp. This really could have gone a lot worse. Imagine the same morons with no signal lights during rush hour traffic on a Friday. Imagine people during rush hour traffic and no signal lights trying to get to the stores and gas stations and hospitals not thinking about the traffic but concerned for their families. One broken arm, according to reports I heard, was all that happened during this whole thing. We were lucky. Now I have a question for you, since I know most of this is going in one ear and out the other. What is the difference between those unprepared people and you? They didn't think it would ever happen to them either. They kept meaning to prepare, but had more important things to do. Lesson: Prepare for an emergency before the emergency About The AuthorJ. Richard Kirkham is a dual certified teacher and martial arts instructor. He's a writer currently residing in Honolulu with his wife Jan and son Hunter. Please visit his website at http://KirkhamsEbooks.com.
Category : Family
Regional Cuisine Of China: Szechuan Style
Author : Kirsten Hawkins
The Szechuan style of cuisine arose from a culturally distinct area in the central western of part of China, a province known as Sichuan. This area of China came into its own culturally towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, during the 15th century. However, it was also the climate of the area that helped to shape the culinary traditions that were to arise from Sichuan province and make their way into the realm of international cuisine.
The Szechuan style of cuisine arose from a culturally distinct area in the central western of part of China, a province known as Sichuan. This area of China came into its own culturally towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, during the 15th century. However, it was also the climate of the area that helped to shape the culinary traditions that were to arise from Sichuan province and make their way into the realm of international cuisine.
The province from which the cuisine that the world knows as Szechuan evolved is often hot and humid, and this contributed to this necessity of preparing foods in ways that differ significantly from other regions of China. Szechuan cuisine is primarily known for its hot and spicy dishes, though naturally there is more to Szechuan food than spice and sauces rich and strong in flavor.
A general overview of culinary history and trends reveals that, for the most part, areas that tended to spice heavily were areas in which the fresh food supply was not as reliable as in places that traditionally used a lighter hand in their use of spices. The climate of Sichuan is conducive to faster food spoilage. This, particularly in the past, made necessary food preservation techniques that themselves left behind a strong flavor, such as salting, pickling, drying, and smoking. Thus, spices served to mask the flavors of less than fresh foods and those that have been preserved by methods that affect their natural flavors. In addition to masking certain flavors, the use of hot spices, such as chili peppers, tends to be more common to hot climates, as the sweat that they can produce is thought to cool the body.
Much of the spicing of regional Chinese cooking is based upon bringing together five fundamental taste sensations Ââ€" sweet, sour, pungent, salty and bitter. The balance of these particular elements in any one dish or regional cuisine can vary, according to need and desire, especially as influenced by climate, culture and food availability.
In Szechuan cuisine, there are a variety of ingredients and spices used to create these basic taste sensations. These include a variety of chili peppers, peppercorns over various types, Sichuan peppers, which are in reality a type of fruit, not pepper, and produce a numbing effect in addition to their warm flavor. Sichuan peppers, also called flower pepper and mountain pepper, are a traditional part of the Chinese five spice powder, or at least of those that are modeled upon the most authentic versions of the spice combinations common to regional Chinese cooking.
Other ingredients used commonly in Szechuan cuisine to create the five fundamental taste sensations include different types of sugars, such as beet root sugar and cane sugar, as well as local fruits for sweetness. The sour comes from pickled vegetables and different varieties of vinegar. A special bitter melon is added to many dishes to offer the touch of bitterness that complements other flavors. Other spices and flavors include dried orange peel, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and bean paste. Salt is important to Szechuan cuisine, and the area produces uniquely flavored salts that help to distinguish authentic Szechuan cuisine from the other regional cuisines from China.
Szechuan cuisine is marked by its rich traditional flavors, which stem from a culture of hundreds of years and are in part shaped by the natural forces of climate. Authentic Szechuan cuisine offers a unique dining experience made up of adventurous and creative taste sensations.
วันศุกร์ที่ 23 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
How to Rate Your Role Model!
Author : Inga Yandell
"The most important single influence in the life of a person
is another person... Who is worthy of emulation." - Paul D.
ShaferToday there are so many people in all fields of life with the
power to influence; we are literally spoilt for choice. With a
smorgasbord of potential role model's there exists no
guidelines for choosing wisely a person of true worth to
observe and follow.In modern times a role model reflects diversity both in
character and skill, their standard of living is measured
against their drive to succeed. When we choose to emulate
a person our values and actions are directly related to them,
therefore it is relevant to reflect upon our role models and
their quality of standards.Reputation alone will not positively influence development in
people those with impact must inspire us!To decide on a suitable and empowering mentor that best
embodies your goals and beliefs it is useful to consider the
following criteria.1. Does this person represent healthy habits?A role model should encompass the best attributes of both
emotional and physical health.2. Is this person confident in developing relationships
through quality people skills?The art of conversation and the ability to charm others helps
us to network and build success socially and professionally.3. Do they seem balanced and show an understanding for
their emotions?Our well-being relies heavily on how we relate to ourselves.
When we embrace both positive and negative emotions our
experiences equip us with new wisdom for handling more
of life's challenges.4. Is there a strong sense of self with this person, do they
celebrate their individuality?Being unique is a human quality that generates confidence
and sets us apart from one another.5. Is this person relentless in their pursuit of
self-improvement through a continuous desire to learn?Wisdom is not attained but grows with new experience and
understanding, it is therefore an endless endeavour that
must be pursued if we are to broaden our perspective and
awareness of our world.6. Is this person well spoken?We improve our relations and communication through
accurate expression of ourselves. It is the aptitude for
elegance of speech that gives meaning to our words and
advocacy from inspiration.7. How thoughtful is your role model? Do they analyse their
actions for consequence and show creativity to encourage
initiative?Authenticity teaches us to value our artistic abilities and
honour our passions with purpose. It is also important for
our personal growth to be responsible to others and
ourselves.8. Doe's this person teach you the value of a realistic
understanding of our world?The ability to observe and assess the truths of our world
honestly and without judgement, affords us the insight to
start implementing strategies to positively impact our lives.A quality role model never places limitations on themselves;
instead they embrace feelings of connection, worthiness,
contribution, accomplishment, playfulness, balance and
tranquillity.Observing others is an invaluable practise for developing
direction in our lives and if you want to become your best
then consider your mentors wisely!"Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by
their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself
had a fool for a master." – Ben JohnsonWith good guidance may you all find inspiration and
passion in life.For more information email: karinga22@optushome.com.auInga Yandell, is an internationally recognized performance
consultant and National Figure Champion. She is a
qualified fitness instructor and member of both the
International Association of Sports Science and the
Australian Fitness Network. She has published several
newsletters and has been featured in Knox Leader's Sports
Star. She is also a Freelance Fitness Journalist registered
with the Australian College of Journalism.Inga is an advocate for Worksite Health Promotion. In her 8
years of research and practice she has worked with
individuals and groups, people with injuries and
challenges, business executives, and those in high stress
careers. She currently offers workshops and training
sessions for corporations, universities, and sports clinics
worldwide. Inga operates a full-time private practice and
continues to train as an athlete. Her work with individuals
and business executives gives her special insight into
using the mind-body connection to achieve the best in
personal performance.
Category : Self-Improvement:Leadership
"The most important single influence in the life of a person
is another person... Who is worthy of emulation." - Paul D.
ShaferToday there are so many people in all fields of life with the
power to influence; we are literally spoilt for choice. With a
smorgasbord of potential role model's there exists no
guidelines for choosing wisely a person of true worth to
observe and follow.In modern times a role model reflects diversity both in
character and skill, their standard of living is measured
against their drive to succeed. When we choose to emulate
a person our values and actions are directly related to them,
therefore it is relevant to reflect upon our role models and
their quality of standards.Reputation alone will not positively influence development in
people those with impact must inspire us!To decide on a suitable and empowering mentor that best
embodies your goals and beliefs it is useful to consider the
following criteria.1. Does this person represent healthy habits?A role model should encompass the best attributes of both
emotional and physical health.2. Is this person confident in developing relationships
through quality people skills?The art of conversation and the ability to charm others helps
us to network and build success socially and professionally.3. Do they seem balanced and show an understanding for
their emotions?Our well-being relies heavily on how we relate to ourselves.
When we embrace both positive and negative emotions our
experiences equip us with new wisdom for handling more
of life's challenges.4. Is there a strong sense of self with this person, do they
celebrate their individuality?Being unique is a human quality that generates confidence
and sets us apart from one another.5. Is this person relentless in their pursuit of
self-improvement through a continuous desire to learn?Wisdom is not attained but grows with new experience and
understanding, it is therefore an endless endeavour that
must be pursued if we are to broaden our perspective and
awareness of our world.6. Is this person well spoken?We improve our relations and communication through
accurate expression of ourselves. It is the aptitude for
elegance of speech that gives meaning to our words and
advocacy from inspiration.7. How thoughtful is your role model? Do they analyse their
actions for consequence and show creativity to encourage
initiative?Authenticity teaches us to value our artistic abilities and
honour our passions with purpose. It is also important for
our personal growth to be responsible to others and
ourselves.8. Doe's this person teach you the value of a realistic
understanding of our world?The ability to observe and assess the truths of our world
honestly and without judgement, affords us the insight to
start implementing strategies to positively impact our lives.A quality role model never places limitations on themselves;
instead they embrace feelings of connection, worthiness,
contribution, accomplishment, playfulness, balance and
tranquillity.Observing others is an invaluable practise for developing
direction in our lives and if you want to become your best
then consider your mentors wisely!"Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by
their own teaching. For he that was only taught by himself
had a fool for a master." – Ben JohnsonWith good guidance may you all find inspiration and
passion in life.For more information email: karinga22@optushome.com.auInga Yandell, is an internationally recognized performance
consultant and National Figure Champion. She is a
qualified fitness instructor and member of both the
International Association of Sports Science and the
Australian Fitness Network. She has published several
newsletters and has been featured in Knox Leader's Sports
Star. She is also a Freelance Fitness Journalist registered
with the Australian College of Journalism.Inga is an advocate for Worksite Health Promotion. In her 8
years of research and practice she has worked with
individuals and groups, people with injuries and
challenges, business executives, and those in high stress
careers. She currently offers workshops and training
sessions for corporations, universities, and sports clinics
worldwide. Inga operates a full-time private practice and
continues to train as an athlete. Her work with individuals
and business executives gives her special insight into
using the mind-body connection to achieve the best in
personal performance.
Category : Self-Improvement:Leadership
No Heaven for Harry
Author : Steve Sommers
I was wondering where God is in the Harry Potter books. Don't get me wrong. I've read them all and I plan on reading the next one when I can get my hands on it - all seven thousand pages, or whatever monster volume J.K. Rowlings comes out with, because nobody edits her anymore. (I'm not such a huge fan, but I find these books pleasantly diverting enough so that I read each one all the way through).
But as to my question, after reading all of these books I was just struck by the fact that nobody ever goes to church in her books. Even the cruel Aunt and Uncle who care for young Harry in the muggle(non-magical) world never go to church. It seems to me that she Rowlings posits a sort of agnostic or secular type of England where no one much seems to have any sort of spiritual philosophy, outside of perhaps just the existence of magic.
There are ghosts in her books which indicates some sort of after life. They function sort of as a comic relief and they don't do much of anything except basically hang around and make conversation every now and then. There's no indication that they ever faced judgement or will or might go either to Heaven or Hell or even what unfinished business they might need to finish on the Earth. Major characters who have died, Harry's parents, Sirius Black, don't become ghosts. So, what happens to them?
There's never any mention of God. There's also no mention of the Devil. And there's never any mention of where magic comes from or why there's even magic in the world. (I know. The evangelical answer is: The Devil. But these are her books and it's for her to answer). This finally makes her books rather unsatisfying because she lacks a unifying framework to put all of her stories in.
I haven't dismissed the idea that her books are in themselves metaphors for a Christian theology. In this case, Hogwarts schools would represent the world, the students are us, Lord Voldemort would be the Devil (obviously) and Dumbledore would be God, you know with his long white beard and all-knowingness. Maybe then Harry is Jesus. Well, I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this interpetation.
Generally, I don't think Christian symbolism works too well in fantasy. I'm thinking of C.S. Lewis's Lion, Witch and Wardrobe books, whichI read when I was eight or nine. I read a few of them and then stopped when I figured out what was going on. The fantasy elements were fun, but the preachiness turned me off. And I got enough of that in church, anyways.
I was wondering where God is in the Harry Potter books. Don't get me wrong. I've read them all and I plan on reading the next one when I can get my hands on it - all seven thousand pages, or whatever monster volume J.K. Rowlings comes out with, because nobody edits her anymore. (I'm not such a huge fan, but I find these books pleasantly diverting enough so that I read each one all the way through).
But as to my question, after reading all of these books I was just struck by the fact that nobody ever goes to church in her books. Even the cruel Aunt and Uncle who care for young Harry in the muggle(non-magical) world never go to church. It seems to me that she Rowlings posits a sort of agnostic or secular type of England where no one much seems to have any sort of spiritual philosophy, outside of perhaps just the existence of magic.
There are ghosts in her books which indicates some sort of after life. They function sort of as a comic relief and they don't do much of anything except basically hang around and make conversation every now and then. There's no indication that they ever faced judgement or will or might go either to Heaven or Hell or even what unfinished business they might need to finish on the Earth. Major characters who have died, Harry's parents, Sirius Black, don't become ghosts. So, what happens to them?
There's never any mention of God. There's also no mention of the Devil. And there's never any mention of where magic comes from or why there's even magic in the world. (I know. The evangelical answer is: The Devil. But these are her books and it's for her to answer). This finally makes her books rather unsatisfying because she lacks a unifying framework to put all of her stories in.
I haven't dismissed the idea that her books are in themselves metaphors for a Christian theology. In this case, Hogwarts schools would represent the world, the students are us, Lord Voldemort would be the Devil (obviously) and Dumbledore would be God, you know with his long white beard and all-knowingness. Maybe then Harry is Jesus. Well, I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this interpetation.
Generally, I don't think Christian symbolism works too well in fantasy. I'm thinking of C.S. Lewis's Lion, Witch and Wardrobe books, whichI read when I was eight or nine. I read a few of them and then stopped when I figured out what was going on. The fantasy elements were fun, but the preachiness turned me off. And I got enough of that in church, anyways.
About the Author
Steve Sommers is the author of Breakfast with the Antichrist
Category : Ethics
Love Test - What If You Love Your Friend?
Author : C D Mohatta
You are friends and you enjoy your friendship. You behave with each other as you do with your other friends. One day you find that you ha href="download.php?format=HTM&articleid=25871&type=">Downlove begun having different feelings for your friend. You like him/her more than a friend and are developing romantic love. What should you do?You want to tell your friend about your feelings. But you are not very sure about them yourself. Have you really crossed the relationship of friendship and developed romantic love? You are thinking about that and the more you think the more you get confused. Emotions are like that. They can play havoc with us.After lot of deliberation, you have decided that the feelings of love are true and figments of your imagination. Should you tell your friend? What if he/she does not reciprocate? What will happen to the friendship? This is a difficult situation. You don't wish to sacrifice your friendship, but if your friend does not reciprocate that will happen. And there is no way of finding his/her feelings indirectly. You have to do it yourself. What should be done? Please ask. Please tell about your feelings and ask if your feelings are reciprocated. If yes, you are lucky. If not, let the friendship suffer. You cannot continue loving someone without finding out your friends feelings. That will be much more painful. CDMohatta writes articles on Relationships, love, Divorce, Dating and other related issues of life. In the context of this article, please read more articles - Love - Who Are You Looking For, Destructive Relationships and Discomfort In Relationships
Category : General Society
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 22 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
A Tale of Two Restaurants
Author : T.J. Schier
Scene 1. A quick-serve restaurant, Anywhere, USA.
Cashier (no eye contact with guest): For here or to go?
Guest: Here. I'll have a Burger Deal #1. [Wow. What a nice greeting.]
Cashier: Okay. What kind of drink?
Guest: Diet cola. [Why don't they just let me do this myself? The cashier isn't doing anything but pressing buttons.]
Cashier: Want dessert?
Guest: No thanks. [I don't even know what they serve for dessert.]
Cashier: $4.29
Guest: Thanks. [For letting me give you my money.]Scene 2. A quick-serve restaurant, Anywhere, USA.
Cashier (smiling and looking guest in the eye): Welcome! Have you ever been here before?
Guest: Every week!
Cashier (pointing to a countertop mat): Thanks for coming back! So you know about our new Deluxe special?
Guest: No, I don't. I'll try one of those.
Cashier: The meals come in two sizes--regular and value-sized. Which do you prefer?
Guest: I'll try the value-sized.
Cashier: Great choice! We get lots of compliments on it! Your total is $4.99. Have a great meal and let me know if you need anything else.
Guest: I will!In Scene 1, the cashier offers service, which leads to a satisfied guest. That's okay. But in Scene 2, the cashier offers hospitality, which leads to a loyal guest. That's better.All too often, we are guilty of forcing our cashiers to follow a series of service steps in an effort to standardize our delivery system. To that end, we simply process people through a line. As guests, if we wanted that, we could simply have a terminal where we enter our own order. That idea would be as successful as the failed full-serve restaurants where you had to cook your own steak!As Bruce Tulgan, founder of Rainmaker Thinking, says, "Do you want your spouse satisfied or loyal?" Therefore, our cashiers need to stop acting like service robots and start providing a better experience. The scenarios above take the same amount of time for the guest but provide a totally different tone for their meal. Consistent performance at this level will enhance the benefit for the guest, distance yourself from the competitors, and drive frequency--the only true way to build long-term sales.Guests want value. As you know, value equals the benefit received divided by the money spent. How can any other type of restaurant provide a better value for the dollar than a quick-serve with a fairly low check average? All it takes is moving the benefit to the guest. Here's how.Shift communication: Spend 30 seconds per employee prior to and after each shift. Let them practice on you--versus the guest--and review their shift numbers, their best highlights, and opportunities they have.Guarantee message: On table tents, counter mats, register toppers, or buttons/stickers on the cashier, allow the guest to manage the employee while you are not around. (See "The Training Manual" in the March 2003 issue of QSR for more details.)First-timer identification: Add a button on the register for "first-time guests." The cashier can find out if the guest is a first-time visitor to your concept, press the button, and it prints on the ticket. The kitchen can ensure it's outstanding and the manager can stop by their table if they are dining in. It really creates a wow!Grow your skills: If you don't know what you don't know, you can't be an effective leader. Constantly learn something new and teach it to your staff. A few books every manager should read:First, Break All the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham. Challenges the norms and teaches you how to move your leadership style significantly forward.MYOB, by Jim Sullivan. Plenty of easy-to-implement ideas (and laughs) for any restaurant.Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, by Jeffrey Gitomer. Clearly illustrates the point outlined in the scenes above. Okay is not okay.Service That Sells, Pencom Publishing. Full of selling ideas.Send Flowers to the Living! Rewards, Contests and Incentives to Build Employee Loyalty, by TJ Schier. If you want the employee to treat the guest better, you need to treat the employee better. This book has plenty of restaurant examples.Reading articles and books or watching videos is a start but cannot replace practice and repetition. It starts with you, then your managers and employees. Watching Tiger Woods gives us motivation but doesn't make us a better golfer without practice and dedication. Begin moving the hospitality needle and see your sales increase!T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.
Category : Business:Management
Scene 1. A quick-serve restaurant, Anywhere, USA.
Cashier (no eye contact with guest): For here or to go?
Guest: Here. I'll have a Burger Deal #1. [Wow. What a nice greeting.]
Cashier: Okay. What kind of drink?
Guest: Diet cola. [Why don't they just let me do this myself? The cashier isn't doing anything but pressing buttons.]
Cashier: Want dessert?
Guest: No thanks. [I don't even know what they serve for dessert.]
Cashier: $4.29
Guest: Thanks. [For letting me give you my money.]Scene 2. A quick-serve restaurant, Anywhere, USA.
Cashier (smiling and looking guest in the eye): Welcome! Have you ever been here before?
Guest: Every week!
Cashier (pointing to a countertop mat): Thanks for coming back! So you know about our new Deluxe special?
Guest: No, I don't. I'll try one of those.
Cashier: The meals come in two sizes--regular and value-sized. Which do you prefer?
Guest: I'll try the value-sized.
Cashier: Great choice! We get lots of compliments on it! Your total is $4.99. Have a great meal and let me know if you need anything else.
Guest: I will!In Scene 1, the cashier offers service, which leads to a satisfied guest. That's okay. But in Scene 2, the cashier offers hospitality, which leads to a loyal guest. That's better.All too often, we are guilty of forcing our cashiers to follow a series of service steps in an effort to standardize our delivery system. To that end, we simply process people through a line. As guests, if we wanted that, we could simply have a terminal where we enter our own order. That idea would be as successful as the failed full-serve restaurants where you had to cook your own steak!As Bruce Tulgan, founder of Rainmaker Thinking, says, "Do you want your spouse satisfied or loyal?" Therefore, our cashiers need to stop acting like service robots and start providing a better experience. The scenarios above take the same amount of time for the guest but provide a totally different tone for their meal. Consistent performance at this level will enhance the benefit for the guest, distance yourself from the competitors, and drive frequency--the only true way to build long-term sales.Guests want value. As you know, value equals the benefit received divided by the money spent. How can any other type of restaurant provide a better value for the dollar than a quick-serve with a fairly low check average? All it takes is moving the benefit to the guest. Here's how.Shift communication: Spend 30 seconds per employee prior to and after each shift. Let them practice on you--versus the guest--and review their shift numbers, their best highlights, and opportunities they have.Guarantee message: On table tents, counter mats, register toppers, or buttons/stickers on the cashier, allow the guest to manage the employee while you are not around. (See "The Training Manual" in the March 2003 issue of QSR for more details.)First-timer identification: Add a button on the register for "first-time guests." The cashier can find out if the guest is a first-time visitor to your concept, press the button, and it prints on the ticket. The kitchen can ensure it's outstanding and the manager can stop by their table if they are dining in. It really creates a wow!Grow your skills: If you don't know what you don't know, you can't be an effective leader. Constantly learn something new and teach it to your staff. A few books every manager should read:First, Break All the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham. Challenges the norms and teaches you how to move your leadership style significantly forward.MYOB, by Jim Sullivan. Plenty of easy-to-implement ideas (and laughs) for any restaurant.Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, by Jeffrey Gitomer. Clearly illustrates the point outlined in the scenes above. Okay is not okay.Service That Sells, Pencom Publishing. Full of selling ideas.Send Flowers to the Living! Rewards, Contests and Incentives to Build Employee Loyalty, by TJ Schier. If you want the employee to treat the guest better, you need to treat the employee better. This book has plenty of restaurant examples.Reading articles and books or watching videos is a start but cannot replace practice and repetition. It starts with you, then your managers and employees. Watching Tiger Woods gives us motivation but doesn't make us a better golfer without practice and dedication. Begin moving the hospitality needle and see your sales increase!T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.
Category : Business:Management
วันพุธที่ 21 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Starting the New Year Off with a Powerful Resolution!
Author : Charlene Rashkow
Whether we like it or not, people do judge by appearances. In fact, research indicates that people judge others in 10 to 15 seconds of meeting. Not much time to make a fair assessment, yet that is simply the way it works. And the same principle applies when someone views your e-mail, looks at your website or hears your telephone communication. Just 15 seconds is all you get to make your first impression.Based on that statistic, doesn’t it make sense that you should start the New Year off with a new resolution, one that suggests you pay more attention to how you communicate? Given that many of your clients will never visibly see you, the way you present yourself through e-mail, website or telephone communication speaks volumes.In the past, we worried a great deal about how we were dressed for professional presentations and were bombarded with opinions and articles related to dressing for success. Yet in today’s technological age, many of our clients never see us. Therefore we are judged strictly on our written or telephone presentation. Unfortunately, we don’t necessarily have control over how people perceive us, but we do have control in the way we send messages. The key to building a successful client base starts with how you convey your communication.Stop for a moment right now and consider what your communications are saying about you. Is your tone friendly and supportive? Are you easily accessible? Do you respond quickly to inquiries? Are your e-mail messages gracious or curt? Do you convey sincerity, interest and professionalism when speaking on the phone.The next time you have the opportunity to communicate with someone via e-mail or phone consider carefully how you respond. Bear in mind that a bit of personal rapport combined with excellent customer service goes a long way.Key Points to Consider:1.Make sure your messages are not curt or aloof but are always friendly and approachable. If a person has provided a name, use it. Don’t respond by saying hello, hi or good day. People enjoy hearing their names used.2. Be receptive to inquiries and respond quickly. Don’t think that waiting will indicate you’re very busy. If you don’t respond quickly, someone else will get your business.3. Carefully review any of your written material making sure there are no spelling errors. I’m not suggesting that you have to write a masterpiece, but if your message is important enough to attract a new client, it might be worth your while to be sure it’s well written.4. Communicate a level of honesty and trust. Sincerity takes people very far and when your message is communicated with authenticity and appreciation for the potential client, you have a much better chance of gaining a new client.Pleasant and professional attitudes go a long way in reaching your goals. So the next time you have an opportunity to make a presentation, whether through e-mail or telephone, stop for a moment and think about your New Year resolution. With so much competition out there, you want to stand above the crowd, so make every effort to rate high when communicating. Remember, every word you utter, whether through an important proposal or through a simple telephone conversation, represents your image and your business. Give careful attention to your level of integrity through the words you speak or write.Copyright 2005About the AuthorCharlene Rashkow brings 15 years of experience as a Writing Stylist/Consultant to her creative efforts as a freelance writer. She has successfully helped companies and individuals reach their objectives by writing exceptional web site content, press releases, bios, and articles of interest, business plans, proposals and all other forms of professional or personal material. You may visit Charlene Rashkow at http://www.allyourwritingneeds.com.
Category : Depression
Whether we like it or not, people do judge by appearances. In fact, research indicates that people judge others in 10 to 15 seconds of meeting. Not much time to make a fair assessment, yet that is simply the way it works. And the same principle applies when someone views your e-mail, looks at your website or hears your telephone communication. Just 15 seconds is all you get to make your first impression.Based on that statistic, doesn’t it make sense that you should start the New Year off with a new resolution, one that suggests you pay more attention to how you communicate? Given that many of your clients will never visibly see you, the way you present yourself through e-mail, website or telephone communication speaks volumes.In the past, we worried a great deal about how we were dressed for professional presentations and were bombarded with opinions and articles related to dressing for success. Yet in today’s technological age, many of our clients never see us. Therefore we are judged strictly on our written or telephone presentation. Unfortunately, we don’t necessarily have control over how people perceive us, but we do have control in the way we send messages. The key to building a successful client base starts with how you convey your communication.Stop for a moment right now and consider what your communications are saying about you. Is your tone friendly and supportive? Are you easily accessible? Do you respond quickly to inquiries? Are your e-mail messages gracious or curt? Do you convey sincerity, interest and professionalism when speaking on the phone.The next time you have the opportunity to communicate with someone via e-mail or phone consider carefully how you respond. Bear in mind that a bit of personal rapport combined with excellent customer service goes a long way.Key Points to Consider:1.Make sure your messages are not curt or aloof but are always friendly and approachable. If a person has provided a name, use it. Don’t respond by saying hello, hi or good day. People enjoy hearing their names used.2. Be receptive to inquiries and respond quickly. Don’t think that waiting will indicate you’re very busy. If you don’t respond quickly, someone else will get your business.3. Carefully review any of your written material making sure there are no spelling errors. I’m not suggesting that you have to write a masterpiece, but if your message is important enough to attract a new client, it might be worth your while to be sure it’s well written.4. Communicate a level of honesty and trust. Sincerity takes people very far and when your message is communicated with authenticity and appreciation for the potential client, you have a much better chance of gaining a new client.Pleasant and professional attitudes go a long way in reaching your goals. So the next time you have an opportunity to make a presentation, whether through e-mail or telephone, stop for a moment and think about your New Year resolution. With so much competition out there, you want to stand above the crowd, so make every effort to rate high when communicating. Remember, every word you utter, whether through an important proposal or through a simple telephone conversation, represents your image and your business. Give careful attention to your level of integrity through the words you speak or write.Copyright 2005About the AuthorCharlene Rashkow brings 15 years of experience as a Writing Stylist/Consultant to her creative efforts as a freelance writer. She has successfully helped companies and individuals reach their objectives by writing exceptional web site content, press releases, bios, and articles of interest, business plans, proposals and all other forms of professional or personal material. You may visit Charlene Rashkow at http://www.allyourwritingneeds.com.
Category : Depression
10 Ways To Increase Your Free eBook Downloads
Author : Rojo Sunsen
1. Anticipate the objections your visitors might have
about your free ebook offer. You should research
your target audience's needs and wants.2. Allow your visitors to feel good about themselves
by giving them compliments. If they feel good, they
will also feel good about downloading your ebook.3. Tell your visitors the emotional and logical reasons
why they should download your free ebook. It can be
the goals they'll acomplish, positive feelings, etc.4. Publish a list of respected or famous people that
have downloaded your free ebook. Just remember
to get their legal permission first.5. Tell people what they're thinking and feeling as
they read your ebook ad. Most people will start to
actually do it, statements should back up the ebook.6. Make your free ebook offer very rare. People
perceive things that are rare as being more valuable.
You could use a limited time offer or free bonuses.7. Create rapport with your visitors by telling them
something they already know is true. They'll know
for sure you're not lying and download your ebook.8. Show your visitors how much enthusiasm you
have for your free ebook. Most people will start to
feel the same and download your ebook.9. Make your visitors curious about your free ebook
by telling them they need to sign-up to get access to
a password protected site in order to download it.10. Motivate people to download your free ebook.
Tell them a lot of positive things like: "You can now
reach your goals and change your life forever!"About the author:Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.
Category : Business:E-Books
1. Anticipate the objections your visitors might have
about your free ebook offer. You should research
your target audience's needs and wants.2. Allow your visitors to feel good about themselves
by giving them compliments. If they feel good, they
will also feel good about downloading your ebook.3. Tell your visitors the emotional and logical reasons
why they should download your free ebook. It can be
the goals they'll acomplish, positive feelings, etc.4. Publish a list of respected or famous people that
have downloaded your free ebook. Just remember
to get their legal permission first.5. Tell people what they're thinking and feeling as
they read your ebook ad. Most people will start to
actually do it, statements should back up the ebook.6. Make your free ebook offer very rare. People
perceive things that are rare as being more valuable.
You could use a limited time offer or free bonuses.7. Create rapport with your visitors by telling them
something they already know is true. They'll know
for sure you're not lying and download your ebook.8. Show your visitors how much enthusiasm you
have for your free ebook. Most people will start to
feel the same and download your ebook.9. Make your visitors curious about your free ebook
by telling them they need to sign-up to get access to
a password protected site in order to download it.10. Motivate people to download your free ebook.
Tell them a lot of positive things like: "You can now
reach your goals and change your life forever!"About the author:Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.
Category : Business:E-Books
You Think About Divorce After a Baby?
Author : Sabrina Tremblay
If this title send you a message, this is surely because you felt your not sure about the living with your husband. Don't worry, your not the only one, probably all the woman feel bad after this situation, it’s a big change in your life and you are just normal.Fortunately, there is a solution in my opinion in order to recover a bad situation following an event difficult to surmount...Firstly you must put water in your wine, the compromises form the key of the success of any relation which is respected. Then you have to inform you, read on the subject and if it is not enough, consult a professional. The better advice I can say to you is to get informed and please, take your time!To finish, this article is there to make you become aware of a thing, take your time and leave you to it chance with you and your spouse to adapt to the changes.You can also consult this site in order to obtain more information about divorce and lawyers and/or to obtain free resources.I wish you a good success in your family life and I will really try to give you good information about divorce, divorce lawyers and solution to resolve matters!Sabrina Tremblay
http://www.all-divorce-lawyers.com
Category : Innovation
If this title send you a message, this is surely because you felt your not sure about the living with your husband. Don't worry, your not the only one, probably all the woman feel bad after this situation, it’s a big change in your life and you are just normal.Fortunately, there is a solution in my opinion in order to recover a bad situation following an event difficult to surmount...Firstly you must put water in your wine, the compromises form the key of the success of any relation which is respected. Then you have to inform you, read on the subject and if it is not enough, consult a professional. The better advice I can say to you is to get informed and please, take your time!To finish, this article is there to make you become aware of a thing, take your time and leave you to it chance with you and your spouse to adapt to the changes.You can also consult this site in order to obtain more information about divorce and lawyers and/or to obtain free resources.I wish you a good success in your family life and I will really try to give you good information about divorce, divorce lawyers and solution to resolve matters!Sabrina Tremblay
http://www.all-divorce-lawyers.com
Category : Innovation
วันอังคารที่ 20 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Spirituality and Success: Bridging the Gap
Author : David Ferruolo
Copyright 2005 David FerruoloThere is a new breed of spiritual seekers these days; people looking for a better way to live. We, as a whole, are not content with the routines of daily life, and the quest for material gain is no longer completely satisfying our needs. Humanity is looking for fulfillment, and we have finally realized that peace, contentment and happiness come from inside of our selves, not from external sources. We have, after all these decades of probing, realized that what we have been seeking has been with us, inside us, all this time. We need only to turn our eyes inward to see the potential that resides within. Getting to know ourselves along with our connection and relationship with spirit, will unlock that potential, and catapult us on an amazing journey through lifea journey where worldly success and spiritual bliss are achieved simultaneously.Worldly success can be achieve and coexist in harmony with spiritualityits the way things are supposed to be. Primarily our perception and thoughts of what should be are what hold us back. Success is more a state of mind and how one perceives themselves as successful. Your happiness is a choice that is made continually, throughout each moment of each day. Again, thought and perception mainly dictates whether you see yourself as happy or not. To truly achieve life success, you have to make your life a success. This is only feasible if you are happy. People from all walks of life are choosing to live a more spiritual life, to follow a path of peace and contentment while striving for success And why not? Can we have both? YES!But what does it mean to live a spiritual life? Do we have to forsake our possessions and the desire for achievement and accomplishment? Being spiritual does not mean we have to give up our thirst for life, and being successful does not mean you have to be unhappy and sell your soul. In fact, a centered, contemplative and motivated person is better poised for the greatest of life successes. By knowing who you are and what you are capable of, and realizing your connection to the earth, spirit and humanity, you can move past fears and begin to live the amazing adventure your life is meant to be!Spirituality is not about perfection, nobody will ever achieve that, but it is however, striving to live the best life you can and to be the best person you can be everyday in every way. It"s about following your heart and not being afraid to peruse your dreams. Its about having compassion and forgiveness; being loving and kind and inspiring and motivating others to reach inside themselves and thrive. Its about living morally and justlybeing virtuous and holding true to your hearts desires. Being spiritual is to adapt a Christ like consciousness and without judgment, ego or fear, pursuing your journey on earth and cherishing the gift of life.And what about success It is such an arbitrary term, meaning so many things to so many people. I like to ask, What is your definition of success? How do you define being successful? Are you on a certain path just to appease or please someone else? Do you act a certain way because you believe it is the socially acceptable thing to do? You have to ask yourself what do you really want, what speaks truth to your soul? What, in your heart and mind, will make you a success. Many people have a certain goal or dream, and will not believe they are successful until they reach that point. But living successfully is a daily path, not a destination or something to be achieved or attained. We need to look at success on a smaller scale; the successes we achieve moment to moment are just as important as life-long success.Spirituality and success are both paths to travel and not definitive destinations. To achieve total life success, one must make living spiritual and being successful a lifestyle. Like water and clay, they should be molded together to create the masterpiece of your life. You cannot have one without the other. How can you be happy if you do not feel you are a success? Contrarily youre not a total success if you cannot find peace and contentment.For centuries we have followed these two paths separately, thinking we cannot have it both simultaneously. And for centuries, we have been frustrated and unfulfilled, bouncing back and forth from the paths of spirituality and success. What we have failed to realize, and are beginning to awaken to, is the idea that both paths are synonymous. We can have both; we can live fulfilling spiritual lives and be successful at the same time. After all, it is what we were born for. But son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commandments in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2 NIV
About the author:
Dave Ferruolo is the Author of Connecting with the Bliss of Life: Powerful Lessons for Living a Peaceful and Happy Life. He is an inspirational and motivational speaker, success coach, consultant and spiritual counselor. Dave is a former Navy SEAL and runs several businesses in central New Hampshire. He is a master scuba diving instructor, adventurer traveler and has a love for hiking, diving, kayaking and skiing. For more detailed information on Daves books and services visit his website at http://www.daveferruolo.com
Category : Self Improvement
10 Things to Help Your Business When Sales Are Slow During the Holidays
Author : Alexandria K. Brown
Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don't have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder.1. Evaluate your virtual team and make changes if necessary.Are administrative tasks taking up most of your time and keeping you from working ON your business? Then hire a virtual assistant. (See my article on this topic at www.EzineQueen.com/everything.htm.) Are you paying too much in taxes? Meet with your accountant to talk about getting more aggressive with write-offs, or make appointments to interview new accountants. Same goes for your lawyer -- do you love him/her? If not, take this time to ask around for referrals.2. Learn how to get more business via your Web site.Would you like to be getting business leads and sales 24-7? Then look at how your Web site could be working better for you. For help in writing copy that sells, sign up for Red Hot Copywriter Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's e-zine at www.Red-Hot-Copy.com. To get more targeted Web visitors, sign up for Marc Harty's free e-course at www.StrategicTraffic.com. It gave me tons of new ideas!3. Revamp your e-zine or launch an e-zine.Remember that having a ready list of warm prospects is your goldmine, and having an e-zine positions you for more sales on a regular basis and for the LONG-TERM. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to release your first issue! If you're not publishing yet, get ready with all the great free resources at www.EzineQueen.com.4. Clean out that e-mail inbox once and for all!Unanswered e-mails, people to follow up with, information not recorded or filed in the proper places --- need I say more? Delete e-mails that are more than a few months old. Set up e-mail folders to help you stay more organized in the future. And if your program allows, set "rules" to automatically sort incoming e-mails into those folders.5. Clean out your filing cabinet, bookshelf, desk, etc.Is your office a fire hazard? Do you have to rustle through giant stacks of paper like a large rodent to find anything? Will your spouse not even enter the premises? Put on some good music, start digging, and make piles. Make sure to have plenty of trash bags and cardboard file boxes on hand. (And a good glass of wine always makes it more fun.)6. Upgrade or clean up your computer.Your computer probably holds most of the information that's crucial to your business, so take care of it! Now's a great time to do an overhaul. Upgrade your operating system (do you STILL have Windows 95?), get rid of unnecessary files, archive old files to CDs, add more disk space for all those downloads, and do system maintenance. Not sure how to go about this? Find a geek-for-hire to come and help you out.7. Let your clients know how much you are thankful for their business.Whether it's holiday cards or thank-you notes, this is a good practice for both your business and you. Letting the universe know you're grateful for what you have will only bring you better things in the future.8. Plan an upcoming teleseminar.For a quick cash-flow boost, plan a paid teleseminar! These phone-based events are easy to do and can be great income generators. Either host it yourself on a topic you're qualified to talk about, or invite a special guest to interview. To encourage holiday signups, offer special pricing for those who register before the new year. (Learn how to host a successful teleseminar at www.EzineQueen.com/teleseminar.htm)9. Write down your 25 best accomplishments for this past year.This simple exercise is extremely powerful. Time goes by so quickly that we forget to celebrate the good things that happen. First I light a candle and write down my 25 accomplishments. Then, taking each one in, I read them aloud. After the last one, I blow the candle out, and then IMMEDIATELY make a list of 10 goals for the new year. (After truly acknowledging all the amazing things you did this year, you'll feel incredibly powerful and set even higher goals!)10. Actually enjoy the holidays!Yes! I realized that for the past few years I've been running around like a nut every December and suddenly the next year is here. Christmas and New Year's blaze by like a freight train, and I'm back to the grind shortly thereafter. Where's the joy, peace, and love?Remind yourself what the holidays are for -- to take a step back and appreciate what you have, to enjoy your family and friends, to give to others, and to be good to yourself. So take that walk in the snow, go to that tree lighting with your kids, get that massage, and plan a leisurely shopping day during the week.Remember, we only have so many Christmases in a lifetime.(c) 2003 Alexandria K. BrownABOUT THE AUTHORAlexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/
Category : Insurance
Twiddling your thumbs and waiting for some business to come in? Why not use this downtime to set yourself up for greater success in the new year? Here are my 10 picks, but you don't have to do them all. Even doing just one will get you another rung higher on your business ladder.1. Evaluate your virtual team and make changes if necessary.Are administrative tasks taking up most of your time and keeping you from working ON your business? Then hire a virtual assistant. (See my article on this topic at www.EzineQueen.com/everything.htm.) Are you paying too much in taxes? Meet with your accountant to talk about getting more aggressive with write-offs, or make appointments to interview new accountants. Same goes for your lawyer -- do you love him/her? If not, take this time to ask around for referrals.2. Learn how to get more business via your Web site.Would you like to be getting business leads and sales 24-7? Then look at how your Web site could be working better for you. For help in writing copy that sells, sign up for Red Hot Copywriter Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's e-zine at www.Red-Hot-Copy.com. To get more targeted Web visitors, sign up for Marc Harty's free e-course at www.StrategicTraffic.com. It gave me tons of new ideas!3. Revamp your e-zine or launch an e-zine.Remember that having a ready list of warm prospects is your goldmine, and having an e-zine positions you for more sales on a regular basis and for the LONG-TERM. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to release your first issue! If you're not publishing yet, get ready with all the great free resources at www.EzineQueen.com.4. Clean out that e-mail inbox once and for all!Unanswered e-mails, people to follow up with, information not recorded or filed in the proper places --- need I say more? Delete e-mails that are more than a few months old. Set up e-mail folders to help you stay more organized in the future. And if your program allows, set "rules" to automatically sort incoming e-mails into those folders.5. Clean out your filing cabinet, bookshelf, desk, etc.Is your office a fire hazard? Do you have to rustle through giant stacks of paper like a large rodent to find anything? Will your spouse not even enter the premises? Put on some good music, start digging, and make piles. Make sure to have plenty of trash bags and cardboard file boxes on hand. (And a good glass of wine always makes it more fun.)6. Upgrade or clean up your computer.Your computer probably holds most of the information that's crucial to your business, so take care of it! Now's a great time to do an overhaul. Upgrade your operating system (do you STILL have Windows 95?), get rid of unnecessary files, archive old files to CDs, add more disk space for all those downloads, and do system maintenance. Not sure how to go about this? Find a geek-for-hire to come and help you out.7. Let your clients know how much you are thankful for their business.Whether it's holiday cards or thank-you notes, this is a good practice for both your business and you. Letting the universe know you're grateful for what you have will only bring you better things in the future.8. Plan an upcoming teleseminar.For a quick cash-flow boost, plan a paid teleseminar! These phone-based events are easy to do and can be great income generators. Either host it yourself on a topic you're qualified to talk about, or invite a special guest to interview. To encourage holiday signups, offer special pricing for those who register before the new year. (Learn how to host a successful teleseminar at www.EzineQueen.com/teleseminar.htm)9. Write down your 25 best accomplishments for this past year.This simple exercise is extremely powerful. Time goes by so quickly that we forget to celebrate the good things that happen. First I light a candle and write down my 25 accomplishments. Then, taking each one in, I read them aloud. After the last one, I blow the candle out, and then IMMEDIATELY make a list of 10 goals for the new year. (After truly acknowledging all the amazing things you did this year, you'll feel incredibly powerful and set even higher goals!)10. Actually enjoy the holidays!Yes! I realized that for the past few years I've been running around like a nut every December and suddenly the next year is here. Christmas and New Year's blaze by like a freight train, and I'm back to the grind shortly thereafter. Where's the joy, peace, and love?Remind yourself what the holidays are for -- to take a step back and appreciate what you have, to enjoy your family and friends, to give to others, and to be good to yourself. So take that walk in the snow, go to that tree lighting with your kids, get that massage, and plan a leisurely shopping day during the week.Remember, we only have so many Christmases in a lifetime.(c) 2003 Alexandria K. BrownABOUT THE AUTHORAlexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," is author of the award-winning manual, "Boost Business With Your Own E-zine." To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://EzineQueenTutorial.com/
Category : Insurance
Direct Mail Marketing Enterprise Wins Web Marketing Associations 2006 WebAward
Author : Joy Gendusa
Clearwater, FL, 23 October 2006 - The Web Marketing Associations WebAwards named the winners in its 10th annual international WebAwards competition. Among them was PostcardMania, receiving the Business to Business Marketing Standard of Excellence. The WebAwards recognizes the best websites in 96 different industries and is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful website. This is PostcardManias third award for its website development and content. The objective of www.postcardmania.com is three-fold: 1) to give viewers a wealth of marketing data in order to help them be in the drivers seat with regards to their marketing campaigns; 2) to impress on viewers that PostcardMania is a full-service postcard direct mail marketing company and a result-driven company that has a true concern for the overall economy of the nation by 3) imparting to all visitors that they can be causative over their income and expansion by understanding marketing basics.Our website was designed to give our customers and prospects a wealth of marketing data to help them get the best return on investment on their direct mail marketing campaigns, said CEO of PostcardMania, Joy Gendusa, we win when our customers reap the benefits they want from their mailings.About the WebAwards:Founded by the Web Marketing Association in 1997, the WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful website. The goal of the WebAwards is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective websites on the Internet today. Beyond validation, entrants benefit from a website assessment by a professional judging panel, which provides specific feedback on how each site ranks against standards of excellence. For more information, visit www.webaward.org. ### About PostcardMania:Hailed as one of the 500 fastest growing privately-held companies in the USA by Inc. Magazine, PostcardMania was founded by Joy Gendusa in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. Today they are on a $15 million-dollar-revenue run rate and employ over 135 people. PostcardMania was the first full-service postcard direct-mail marketing company to market to general businesses nation-wide and help them expand through the use of direct mail marketing techniques. Their services include graphic design, printing, highly-targeted mailing list acquisition and mailing services with FREE marketing advice. Visit PostcardMania's web site at www.PostcardMania.com
Category : Direct Response Marketing
The Honda CR-V Rolls Off The Line From Honda's East Liberty Plant Available For Honda Detroit
Author : Ann Knapp
About The AuthorAnn KnappHONDA BLOOMFIELD is the second generation of the original Honda Detroit Automobile dealership in Michigan. We provide the Detroit Metro area with new and used Honda vehicles. Finding used cars in Detroit is very easy where we value your trade. If you are looking for new Honda vehicles in Detroit, used car in Detroit please reach out to Honda Bloomfield as your car dealer in Detroit. Visit us at http://www.hondabloomfield.com
Category : Auto Motive
วันจันทร์ที่ 19 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Team Building Events and Exercises
Author : Robin Chandler
This document is all about understanding teams and team building training; the purpose of team building activities; why corporate team building events can be effective; planning a team building strategy; building creative teams.Why have a team building activity or event?This is a phrase we hear a lot these days: 'we need some kind of teambuilding activity'. Corporate team building events are on the increase: everyone seems to be having them these days. But are they living up to expectations?See, from our point of view, often the people talking about team building don't really know what they mean.The reality is, that many, if not most, team building activities don't work. They should. All that thought, effort, money, planning should make your team building event exciting, worthwhile and productive.It's as if we all know that teams are good. We understand the sum of the parts thing, but we don't quite know how to make a team work in the way we'd like it to, so we think, 'My team isn't working as well as it could; a team building will sort it all out.'Why a team building event?When people say they want a team building event their picture is of this perfectly working group of people. But they don't take the time to pin that picture down and really get clear what the issues are. If they did that then their team building activity would certainly help them get their team working more effectively.So, before you can even tackle the 'how' you need to tackle the 'why'.Here are some questions that will help you clarify 'why a team building event'.Do you want people working better together?Do you want to set new team goals and agreements?Do you need to iron out communication difficulties that have crept in?Do you want a jolly - to reward the team for being terrific?Do you simply want to get everyone's creative juices going and brainstorm new ideas?Do you need to set clear parameters and boundaries so everyone knows what's expected of them?Do you want to inject some fresh enthusiasm and energy into a group that's been working too hard and may have lost sight of the goal posts?Have the goals posts moved and you need to let everyone know that?Benefits of team building activityA good corporate team building event can tackle many of the challenges facing your team. There are real payoffs and advantages to being part of a well-functioning team. To begin with, it's just pleasanter being around people who get on.More importantly, real benefits include:A feeling of identity
On-going support
Creative pooling of ideas
Increased confidence
Things tend to work better as a result of team effort
You aren't alone
Goals that make sense
You don't have to keep reinventing the wheel
If you do have to reinvent the wheel for some reason, so is everyone else in the teamA team building training can address a huge range of issues you may be facing and certainly make work a better place to be.How teams workWhat is a team?It may help you decide what your team building activity is going to look like if you understand a bit more about how teams work. And, get this - no matter what the books say (and there are plenty of them) - every single team is different: there is no model you can follow that will create the perfect team.You'll read that you need ideas people, drivers, completer-finishers, etc., etc., etc. And yes, possibly you do need a variety of 'types'. But for our money, the 'types' are far less important than ensuring that your team knows why it exists and what its aims are.So let's look first at just exactly what being a team means. You might think that the very word 'team' is clear in and of itself: a group of people working towards shared goals. We wish it were that straightforward. As it isn't, we thought we would unpick it a bit.Sports teamsThe most obvious kind of team that everyone knows about is a sports team. Every team member is on the same side trying to beat the opposition. They train together, get to understand how to make the most of each other's skills, and when working well, they are able to fulfil the manager or coach's strategy.They know who their opposition is and they have very clear goals. Yes, there may be personality quirks and differences, but the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.Work teamsHowever, it's not quite so straightforward when it comes to work teams, though, is it? Personalities, which in a sporting context might get absorbed by the team for the good of the game, often take centre stage in the workplace.The oddest thing of all, of course, is that it's not always clear who the 'opposition' is. You'd think it would be the competition - whoever your closest corporate rival is. Unfortunately, far too often, the opposition turns out to be right at home base: another team or department, the 'management' or someone sitting right beside you.The common enemyNow the thing about 'opposition' is that it gives a common focus, a common 'enemy' if you will. Now that's great if it's productive. Creative ideas can pour out of a group when they have to figure out how to handle the competition.However, when the common enemy is someone or some group or some department, or the 'them' and 'they' are within the same company, the results are divisiveness, gossip, complaining. The end result of this is, of course, a loss of productivity and people working against, not for each other.Then it's all about 'them' and 'us', with people running around using their energies to get more of 'us' to agree just what's wrong with 'them'. We see this in company after company after company - people are spending vast amounts of time and energy having a 'go' at each other rather than using that same amount of time and energy to make things work better.This is one of the key reasons why team building is such a hot topic. People can easily recognise that something needs to be done, but they aren't quite sure what.Defining your teamKinds of teamsThese days we see a lot of 'virtual' teams - people who hardly ever see each other, or even work in the same office or even the same country.Then there are teams that all sit in an open plan space and chat with each other all day as things arise.There are teams where people sit in separate spaces and get together once a day/week/fortnight.There are teams that seem to do all their communicating via e-mail or conference calls.There are teams that work on projects together and others where people go off and do their own thing and come together every once in a while to report and bring everyone else up to date.Whatever your team looks like, however, it still has to be able to function well and achieve its goals.What teams aren'tThey don't have to be a family
People don't have to be bosom buddies
People don't even have to like each enough to want to have dinner together
Teams aren't group therapyTeams can, however, on occasion, be any or all of those things.Team building trainingEffective team buildingTeams are complex machines and it's not surprising that they malfunction occasionally or need re-alignment. Every once in a while all teams need an MOT, so of course, you want to ensure that your team building event is as effective as it can be.The one thing that everyone recognises is that your team building activity needs to be done away from the office environment. The idea is to slow things right down; to get away from e-mails, phone calls, questions and demands, being asked to pop into unscheduled meetings, people dropping by.It means getting away from all the day-to-day stuff that sometimes makes it hard to see what's going on and what's needed.Here are a few hints and tips to make planning your team building event more effective:Everyone needs to have some input into what the team building event should accomplishListen carefully to people's concerns and incorporate them in the team building trainingNo one should ever be put on the spot or humiliatedPeople shouldn't be forced to do things they don't want toPeople learn better when they're having funFocus on the positives of the team rather than just what isn't workingTeam building activitiesOnce you know what you want your event to achieve, then you can decide what it's going to look like. You can do the go-carting thing, the throwing people off Welsh mountains thing. You can have the cosy get-away in a country hotel thing. You can have it non-stop fun, be business focused or have a bit of both.There are hundreds of different team building exercises, games, workshops, courses, all designed to get your team working better and handling the day-to-day challenges in the workplace.There is no 'right' kind of team building activity, only the one that's right for you.The key always is to ensure that your event has a positive effect on the morale, motivation, confidence and effectiveness of the team and its individual members.Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who provide Team Building Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
Category : Business:Team-Building
This document is all about understanding teams and team building training; the purpose of team building activities; why corporate team building events can be effective; planning a team building strategy; building creative teams.Why have a team building activity or event?This is a phrase we hear a lot these days: 'we need some kind of teambuilding activity'. Corporate team building events are on the increase: everyone seems to be having them these days. But are they living up to expectations?See, from our point of view, often the people talking about team building don't really know what they mean.The reality is, that many, if not most, team building activities don't work. They should. All that thought, effort, money, planning should make your team building event exciting, worthwhile and productive.It's as if we all know that teams are good. We understand the sum of the parts thing, but we don't quite know how to make a team work in the way we'd like it to, so we think, 'My team isn't working as well as it could; a team building will sort it all out.'Why a team building event?When people say they want a team building event their picture is of this perfectly working group of people. But they don't take the time to pin that picture down and really get clear what the issues are. If they did that then their team building activity would certainly help them get their team working more effectively.So, before you can even tackle the 'how' you need to tackle the 'why'.Here are some questions that will help you clarify 'why a team building event'.Do you want people working better together?Do you want to set new team goals and agreements?Do you need to iron out communication difficulties that have crept in?Do you want a jolly - to reward the team for being terrific?Do you simply want to get everyone's creative juices going and brainstorm new ideas?Do you need to set clear parameters and boundaries so everyone knows what's expected of them?Do you want to inject some fresh enthusiasm and energy into a group that's been working too hard and may have lost sight of the goal posts?Have the goals posts moved and you need to let everyone know that?Benefits of team building activityA good corporate team building event can tackle many of the challenges facing your team. There are real payoffs and advantages to being part of a well-functioning team. To begin with, it's just pleasanter being around people who get on.More importantly, real benefits include:A feeling of identity
On-going support
Creative pooling of ideas
Increased confidence
Things tend to work better as a result of team effort
You aren't alone
Goals that make sense
You don't have to keep reinventing the wheel
If you do have to reinvent the wheel for some reason, so is everyone else in the teamA team building training can address a huge range of issues you may be facing and certainly make work a better place to be.How teams workWhat is a team?It may help you decide what your team building activity is going to look like if you understand a bit more about how teams work. And, get this - no matter what the books say (and there are plenty of them) - every single team is different: there is no model you can follow that will create the perfect team.You'll read that you need ideas people, drivers, completer-finishers, etc., etc., etc. And yes, possibly you do need a variety of 'types'. But for our money, the 'types' are far less important than ensuring that your team knows why it exists and what its aims are.So let's look first at just exactly what being a team means. You might think that the very word 'team' is clear in and of itself: a group of people working towards shared goals. We wish it were that straightforward. As it isn't, we thought we would unpick it a bit.Sports teamsThe most obvious kind of team that everyone knows about is a sports team. Every team member is on the same side trying to beat the opposition. They train together, get to understand how to make the most of each other's skills, and when working well, they are able to fulfil the manager or coach's strategy.They know who their opposition is and they have very clear goals. Yes, there may be personality quirks and differences, but the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.Work teamsHowever, it's not quite so straightforward when it comes to work teams, though, is it? Personalities, which in a sporting context might get absorbed by the team for the good of the game, often take centre stage in the workplace.The oddest thing of all, of course, is that it's not always clear who the 'opposition' is. You'd think it would be the competition - whoever your closest corporate rival is. Unfortunately, far too often, the opposition turns out to be right at home base: another team or department, the 'management' or someone sitting right beside you.The common enemyNow the thing about 'opposition' is that it gives a common focus, a common 'enemy' if you will. Now that's great if it's productive. Creative ideas can pour out of a group when they have to figure out how to handle the competition.However, when the common enemy is someone or some group or some department, or the 'them' and 'they' are within the same company, the results are divisiveness, gossip, complaining. The end result of this is, of course, a loss of productivity and people working against, not for each other.Then it's all about 'them' and 'us', with people running around using their energies to get more of 'us' to agree just what's wrong with 'them'. We see this in company after company after company - people are spending vast amounts of time and energy having a 'go' at each other rather than using that same amount of time and energy to make things work better.This is one of the key reasons why team building is such a hot topic. People can easily recognise that something needs to be done, but they aren't quite sure what.Defining your teamKinds of teamsThese days we see a lot of 'virtual' teams - people who hardly ever see each other, or even work in the same office or even the same country.Then there are teams that all sit in an open plan space and chat with each other all day as things arise.There are teams where people sit in separate spaces and get together once a day/week/fortnight.There are teams that seem to do all their communicating via e-mail or conference calls.There are teams that work on projects together and others where people go off and do their own thing and come together every once in a while to report and bring everyone else up to date.Whatever your team looks like, however, it still has to be able to function well and achieve its goals.What teams aren'tThey don't have to be a family
People don't have to be bosom buddies
People don't even have to like each enough to want to have dinner together
Teams aren't group therapyTeams can, however, on occasion, be any or all of those things.Team building trainingEffective team buildingTeams are complex machines and it's not surprising that they malfunction occasionally or need re-alignment. Every once in a while all teams need an MOT, so of course, you want to ensure that your team building event is as effective as it can be.The one thing that everyone recognises is that your team building activity needs to be done away from the office environment. The idea is to slow things right down; to get away from e-mails, phone calls, questions and demands, being asked to pop into unscheduled meetings, people dropping by.It means getting away from all the day-to-day stuff that sometimes makes it hard to see what's going on and what's needed.Here are a few hints and tips to make planning your team building event more effective:Everyone needs to have some input into what the team building event should accomplishListen carefully to people's concerns and incorporate them in the team building trainingNo one should ever be put on the spot or humiliatedPeople shouldn't be forced to do things they don't want toPeople learn better when they're having funFocus on the positives of the team rather than just what isn't workingTeam building activitiesOnce you know what you want your event to achieve, then you can decide what it's going to look like. You can do the go-carting thing, the throwing people off Welsh mountains thing. You can have the cosy get-away in a country hotel thing. You can have it non-stop fun, be business focused or have a bit of both.There are hundreds of different team building exercises, games, workshops, courses, all designed to get your team working better and handling the day-to-day challenges in the workplace.There is no 'right' kind of team building activity, only the one that's right for you.The key always is to ensure that your event has a positive effect on the morale, motivation, confidence and effectiveness of the team and its individual members.Jo Ellen and Robin run Impact Factory who provide Team Building Presentation Skills, Communications Training, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching for Individuals.
Category : Business:Team-Building
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 18 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
The History of Wind Generated Power
Author : Will Reece
With the increased costs of energy derived from fossil fuels, many consumers are interested in alternative sources of energy. Unfortunately the market trend tells us that little to no relief in oil prices is in sight. A great source of power can be harnessed from the wind using electricity generating windmills. Below is a brief history of wind power, and how it came to be.Wind power has been harnessed for many, many years. Nobody knows for sure when man started using the wind's power to grind flour or pump water, but it is thought that the first windmill appeared in the Persian region. From there this windmill technology spread back to northern Europe. Windmills crafted by the Dutch were used primarily to pump water.Windmills were definitely not the first structures to harness the wind. This award belongs to the sailboat. More than likely, founded in small scale (small canoe with an animal skin as a sail) the sailboat became the only way to cross large areas of water. The sailboat evolved into large ships moving great distances by using only wind as a source of power.Windmills on a smaller scale showed up in America in the mid 19th Century. The Aermotor and Dempster design were invented and many are still in use. From 1850 to 1970 more than 6,000,000 windmills were installed in the United States. The main application was pumping water for livestock and providing farm homes with a water supply.In the late 19th Century, the first windmill to generate electricity was born! This was the Brush postmill in Cleveland Ohio, and the year was 1888! The rotor was approximately 17 meters in diameter. This windmill had a gearbox with a high spin ratio attached to a DC generator.By the middle 1920's, several small scale systems were found across the Midwestern plains and used to supply farms with electricity. These systems generally had a 1 to 3 kilowatt output.1941 saw the largest wind generator to date. This generator's capacity was 1.25 megawatts. It was known as the Smith-Putnam machine. The rotor measured an astonishing 175 feet in diameter.Today, many wind turbines are in operation from small scale residential systems that are affordable to the homeowner to large scale wind turbine farms that are used to supply a large amount of electricity to utility customers.For more information on wind power, visit us online at fuelfromthewind.com.Fuelfromthewind.com is one of the alternative energy sites Will Reece owns and operates. Please visit us today!
Category : Reference-and-Education:Science
With the increased costs of energy derived from fossil fuels, many consumers are interested in alternative sources of energy. Unfortunately the market trend tells us that little to no relief in oil prices is in sight. A great source of power can be harnessed from the wind using electricity generating windmills. Below is a brief history of wind power, and how it came to be.Wind power has been harnessed for many, many years. Nobody knows for sure when man started using the wind's power to grind flour or pump water, but it is thought that the first windmill appeared in the Persian region. From there this windmill technology spread back to northern Europe. Windmills crafted by the Dutch were used primarily to pump water.Windmills were definitely not the first structures to harness the wind. This award belongs to the sailboat. More than likely, founded in small scale (small canoe with an animal skin as a sail) the sailboat became the only way to cross large areas of water. The sailboat evolved into large ships moving great distances by using only wind as a source of power.Windmills on a smaller scale showed up in America in the mid 19th Century. The Aermotor and Dempster design were invented and many are still in use. From 1850 to 1970 more than 6,000,000 windmills were installed in the United States. The main application was pumping water for livestock and providing farm homes with a water supply.In the late 19th Century, the first windmill to generate electricity was born! This was the Brush postmill in Cleveland Ohio, and the year was 1888! The rotor was approximately 17 meters in diameter. This windmill had a gearbox with a high spin ratio attached to a DC generator.By the middle 1920's, several small scale systems were found across the Midwestern plains and used to supply farms with electricity. These systems generally had a 1 to 3 kilowatt output.1941 saw the largest wind generator to date. This generator's capacity was 1.25 megawatts. It was known as the Smith-Putnam machine. The rotor measured an astonishing 175 feet in diameter.Today, many wind turbines are in operation from small scale residential systems that are affordable to the homeowner to large scale wind turbine farms that are used to supply a large amount of electricity to utility customers.For more information on wind power, visit us online at fuelfromthewind.com.Fuelfromthewind.com is one of the alternative energy sites Will Reece owns and operates. Please visit us today!
Category : Reference-and-Education:Science
Ronaldinho the Soccer Player
Author : Kevin McNally
As the soccer world cup approaches every fan is looking forward to watching the genius knowns as Ronaldinho the soccer player.Every young boy dreams to be as good as Ronaldinho the soccer player. Ronaldinho is the best player in the world and plays soccer with a smile on his face !Ronaldinho the soccer player is known as the best soccer player in the world. Ronaldinho video clips and soccer tricks are being sent online as soccer fans marvel at his skills.History of RonaldinhoRonaldinho the soccer player became known as " little Ronaldo " in Portugese in order to distinguish himself from the other famous Brazilian, Ronaldo. Ronaldinho's real name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira and he is widely known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho in his native Brazil.In his childhood Ronaldinho the soccer player was a star at Futsol and beach soccer and he then moved onto Brazilian club Gremio before moving to Paris SG.His performance as part of the winning Brazil World cup squad in 2002 attracted the interest of bigger clubs and he moved on to FC Barcelona for £18 million.Ronaldinho ProfileClub AwardsSpanish La Liga: 2004-05 , 2005-06
Champions League 2005-06
Spanish Super Cup: 2005-06 with Barcelona
International AwardsUnder-17 World Cup 1996-97
Copa America: 1998-99 2004-05
FIFA World Cup: 2002
Confederations Cup: 2004-05Ronaldinho has also won many individual awards including World player of the year and European footballer of the year.When you watch Ronaldinho movie and video clips you will be amazed at the skill, even his official adverts for Nike are a joy to watch !Some soccer players earn the respect of opposition fans and Ronaldinho scored two brilliant individual goals for Barcelona away to their closest rivals Real Madrid and the Madrid fans saluted Ronaldinho with a standing ovation despite Real Madrid suffering a 3-0 defeat.The profile of Ronaldinho is impressive and there is no doubt that Ronaldinho the soccer player will be regarded as one of the greatest ever.---------------------------------------------------
Kevin McNally offers soccer tips and tricks at
World Cup Soccer
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Soccer
As the soccer world cup approaches every fan is looking forward to watching the genius knowns as Ronaldinho the soccer player.Every young boy dreams to be as good as Ronaldinho the soccer player. Ronaldinho is the best player in the world and plays soccer with a smile on his face !Ronaldinho the soccer player is known as the best soccer player in the world. Ronaldinho video clips and soccer tricks are being sent online as soccer fans marvel at his skills.History of RonaldinhoRonaldinho the soccer player became known as " little Ronaldo " in Portugese in order to distinguish himself from the other famous Brazilian, Ronaldo. Ronaldinho's real name is actually Ronaldo de Assis Moreira and he is widely known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho in his native Brazil.In his childhood Ronaldinho the soccer player was a star at Futsol and beach soccer and he then moved onto Brazilian club Gremio before moving to Paris SG.His performance as part of the winning Brazil World cup squad in 2002 attracted the interest of bigger clubs and he moved on to FC Barcelona for £18 million.Ronaldinho ProfileClub AwardsSpanish La Liga: 2004-05 , 2005-06
Champions League 2005-06
Spanish Super Cup: 2005-06 with Barcelona
International AwardsUnder-17 World Cup 1996-97
Copa America: 1998-99 2004-05
FIFA World Cup: 2002
Confederations Cup: 2004-05Ronaldinho has also won many individual awards including World player of the year and European footballer of the year.When you watch Ronaldinho movie and video clips you will be amazed at the skill, even his official adverts for Nike are a joy to watch !Some soccer players earn the respect of opposition fans and Ronaldinho scored two brilliant individual goals for Barcelona away to their closest rivals Real Madrid and the Madrid fans saluted Ronaldinho with a standing ovation despite Real Madrid suffering a 3-0 defeat.The profile of Ronaldinho is impressive and there is no doubt that Ronaldinho the soccer player will be regarded as one of the greatest ever.---------------------------------------------------
Kevin McNally offers soccer tips and tricks at
World Cup Soccer
Category : Recreation-and-Sports:Soccer
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Chocolate
Author : Lee Dobbins
Chocolate, or the cocoa bean to be more exact was used by the Aztecs as early as the year 400 but it was Columbus who first introduced it to the new world when he brought it back to Spain. Chocolate as a drink was quite popular in Europe in the mid 1600's, but chocolate as a solid wasn't introduced until 1847. Thirty years later, milk was added to create milk chocolate and candy bars have been enjoyed world wide ever since!Making ChocolateIt is actually quite simple to make chocolate, but each maker has his own secret recipes. First off, the cocoa beans are roasted and ground up. Next you add sugar and the other ingredients (milk if you are making milk chocolate). Each maker will have a different list of ingredients. The ingredients are blended together through a method called conching which uses a special machine. Finally, the chocolate is tempered -heated up and then cooled again for the final result.Chocolate NutritionGood quality chocolate is actually rather nutritious! It contains vitamins and minerals including calcium and magnesium. It also contains anti-oxidants that help to prevent cancer and heart disease. These benefits are found mostly in dark chocolate and only in high quality chocolates that use 60% or more cocoa solids. Cheap chocolate is mostly fat and sugar and has little nutritional value.Storing ChocolateYou should store chocolate in a cool, dry place. It does absorb flavors so make sure you wrap it tight. You can freeze it for up to 6 months. Chocolate stays good for up to a year.
Health Benefits Of ChocolateGood high quality chocolates contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help your health. Now I’m not talking about the cheap candy bar stuff â€" but high quality gourmet chocolate with 60% or more cocoa solids. This chocolate contains contains calcium, iron, potassium and the vitamins A, B1, C, D and E.Along with vitamins, high quality chocolate contains the highest amounts of magnesium among natural foods. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to diabetes, joint problems, hypertension and PMS.One of the additional health benefits of chocolate is that it has been found to contain catechins - some of the same antioxidants found in green tea. The catechins attack free radicals which damage cells and are thought to lead to cancer and heart disease. So eating chocolate, may help to prevent heart disease and cancer!Chocolate Trivia- Chocolate is made from beans, the Nib is the heart of the bean or what remains after they are roasted and shelled. Ground nibs are called liquor they are unsweetened and liquid when warm but solid when cooled. The fat of the bean is Cocoa butter and when pressed out, the powdery stuff left is cocoa powder.- That white stuff you see sometimes on milk chocolate is called fat bloom, it doesn't affect the taste and you can still eat chocolate that has it!- Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs- White chocolate isn't really chocolate at all since it contains no chocolate liquor! It still tastes pretty good, though doesn't it?Lee Dobbins is a writer for Online Gourmet Foods where you can
find out more about gourmet foods and chocolate.
Category : PPC Advertising
Chocolate, or the cocoa bean to be more exact was used by the Aztecs as early as the year 400 but it was Columbus who first introduced it to the new world when he brought it back to Spain. Chocolate as a drink was quite popular in Europe in the mid 1600's, but chocolate as a solid wasn't introduced until 1847. Thirty years later, milk was added to create milk chocolate and candy bars have been enjoyed world wide ever since!Making ChocolateIt is actually quite simple to make chocolate, but each maker has his own secret recipes. First off, the cocoa beans are roasted and ground up. Next you add sugar and the other ingredients (milk if you are making milk chocolate). Each maker will have a different list of ingredients. The ingredients are blended together through a method called conching which uses a special machine. Finally, the chocolate is tempered -heated up and then cooled again for the final result.Chocolate NutritionGood quality chocolate is actually rather nutritious! It contains vitamins and minerals including calcium and magnesium. It also contains anti-oxidants that help to prevent cancer and heart disease. These benefits are found mostly in dark chocolate and only in high quality chocolates that use 60% or more cocoa solids. Cheap chocolate is mostly fat and sugar and has little nutritional value.Storing ChocolateYou should store chocolate in a cool, dry place. It does absorb flavors so make sure you wrap it tight. You can freeze it for up to 6 months. Chocolate stays good for up to a year.
Health Benefits Of ChocolateGood high quality chocolates contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help your health. Now I’m not talking about the cheap candy bar stuff â€" but high quality gourmet chocolate with 60% or more cocoa solids. This chocolate contains contains calcium, iron, potassium and the vitamins A, B1, C, D and E.Along with vitamins, high quality chocolate contains the highest amounts of magnesium among natural foods. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to diabetes, joint problems, hypertension and PMS.One of the additional health benefits of chocolate is that it has been found to contain catechins - some of the same antioxidants found in green tea. The catechins attack free radicals which damage cells and are thought to lead to cancer and heart disease. So eating chocolate, may help to prevent heart disease and cancer!Chocolate Trivia- Chocolate is made from beans, the Nib is the heart of the bean or what remains after they are roasted and shelled. Ground nibs are called liquor they are unsweetened and liquid when warm but solid when cooled. The fat of the bean is Cocoa butter and when pressed out, the powdery stuff left is cocoa powder.- That white stuff you see sometimes on milk chocolate is called fat bloom, it doesn't affect the taste and you can still eat chocolate that has it!- Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs- White chocolate isn't really chocolate at all since it contains no chocolate liquor! It still tastes pretty good, though doesn't it?Lee Dobbins is a writer for Online Gourmet Foods where you can
find out more about gourmet foods and chocolate.
Category : PPC Advertising
วันเสาร์ที่ 17 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
Christams - Giving Is A Blessing
Author : C D Mohatta
Christmas brings a new life to the believers. Much before Christmas comes, the mood around the world changes. It is the anticipation of lovely days ahead of giving joy, meeting friends and family and feeling the spirit in the air that changes the most negative person to positive moods. Chastens makes a person different. The same man, who you never see smiling, laughs during Christmas. That is the festive spirit of Christmas and that is why it is a lovely festival.The most important part of Christmas is of course celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Another ritual of Christmas that makes it so special is giving. We send so many cards to friends and family that we lose the count. Similarly giving gifts is very important. Selecting the right gift for everyone, wrapping it lovingly and sending it across, all this is joyful. This joy cannot be described in words.As I said earlier, it is the giving that is the major reason of happiness. If we look at our moods and behavior, we find that we always derive greater joy in giving compared to receiving. Can we not celebrate this spirit of giving everyday? Can we not get this joy everyday? Can we not make someone happy everyday? We can. With conscious effort, we can do one act a day that makes somebody genuinely happy. Why not carry the spirit of Christmas all the year and enjoy the happiness of giving. One is blessed when one gives. Let us get these blessings round the year. To keep the Christmas spirit alive all through the year, you may view some screensavers on Christmas. Click Christmas screensavers - 1 and Christmas screensavers - 2 About the author of this article:CD Mohatta writes for messages in screen-savers, desktop wallpapers, and online greetings. He writes on living, inspiration, romance, business management, etc. You can download screen-savers or send greetings at these websites which contain his writings: Everyday Inspirational Screensavers, Friendship Greetings and Love Sorry Cards.
Category : General Society
Hypnosis in Childbirth - Alternative to the Epidural?
Author : Julie Johnson
If you are like me, you are probably skeptical of things that sound too good to be true. Hypnosis promises an easier and possibly a pain-free childbirth. Is it a laboring woman's advantage to use self-hypnosis? Can a woman really be free from pain in labor without an epidural? It seems hard to believe that hypnosis can be that effective.While I was studying to teach Lamaze classes, I was introduced to hypnosis for childbirth. Since I am a doula, I advocate anything that will help my clients have an easier, safe delivery. However, I was extremely leary of the whole idea. I grew up believing that hypnosis was of the devil, but still was intrigued with the concept of a painless, non-medicated birth. As I further studied hypnosis, I found that it is self-taught, allowing the person to be in complete control. Hypnosis is simply deep relaxation. Relaxation is what we teach our students in Lamaze. Self-hypnoses is just an extension of this skill.What I have found in my experience is that hypnosis works. Really! Women who practice self-hypnosis in pregnancy have an easier, shorter and more controlled childbirth. With hypnosis, some women appear to be sleeping during active and transition phases of labor. One of the benefits of practiced hypnosis during pregnancy is when a woman becomes afraid or uncertain in labor, her experience with relaxation takes over and she will be able to calm quickly. Who wouldn’t want that?WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?Hypnosis is deep relaxation, self taught. For some, it takes very little time to become relaxed. For others it is a taught skill. The more you practice, the easier and faster you can achieve relaxation. The feeling of deep relaxation is a heavy feeling or a light/ floating feeling. You may even feel a tingling sensation.HOW DOES IT WORK?When a woman experiences fear in labor, she will have tension. With the tension, comes pain. The relaxation takes away the fear and tension, thereby, reducing or eliminating the pain of childbirth. The more a mother-to-be practices before labor, the less chance fear will creep in during childbirth. The mother who practices relaxation or hypnosis will have an advantage over others who have not practiced. The incentive of practiced hypnosis is that it results in a shorter childbirth and a relaxed mother. An extra bonus is there is less need for medical interventions.HOW TO STARTFirst get a relaxation CD that is soothing to you. Find a comfortable spot without interruptions. Lay or sit comfortably. Breathe in and out deeply and slowly. For beginners it is best to have a relaxation CD where someone is talking you through it. The more you practice the better. Practicing a minimum of 15 minutes daily for at least 4 or more weeks before delivery can be helpful in reducing the fear and, thereby, reducing the pain. A pre-natal yoga class is very beneficial as well.So! DOES HYPNOSIS REALLY WORK?Yes, it does work for a mother who truly practices and remembers what she has practiced during labor. Hypnosis is a powerful aid because it empowers the mother.Where to Go for More Information:There are many childbirth hypnosis methods out there. Any hypnosis childbirth class can help achieve an easier childbirth experience if the mother practices. For others who prefer to study in the privacy of their home there is "Hypbirth." This is a home childbirth hypnosis study program. Please visit www.birth-angel.com for more information on this product and other pregnancy and childbirth resources.Julie L. Johnson is a wife and mother of three who has experienced every pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and breastfeeding situation there is and has lived to tell about. She is a Certified Lamaze Childbirth Educator, Certified Doula and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant practicing in Southern California. Her website http://www.birth-angel.com provides services and products to help ease the transition into motherhood.
Category : Innovation
If you are like me, you are probably skeptical of things that sound too good to be true. Hypnosis promises an easier and possibly a pain-free childbirth. Is it a laboring woman's advantage to use self-hypnosis? Can a woman really be free from pain in labor without an epidural? It seems hard to believe that hypnosis can be that effective.While I was studying to teach Lamaze classes, I was introduced to hypnosis for childbirth. Since I am a doula, I advocate anything that will help my clients have an easier, safe delivery. However, I was extremely leary of the whole idea. I grew up believing that hypnosis was of the devil, but still was intrigued with the concept of a painless, non-medicated birth. As I further studied hypnosis, I found that it is self-taught, allowing the person to be in complete control. Hypnosis is simply deep relaxation. Relaxation is what we teach our students in Lamaze. Self-hypnoses is just an extension of this skill.What I have found in my experience is that hypnosis works. Really! Women who practice self-hypnosis in pregnancy have an easier, shorter and more controlled childbirth. With hypnosis, some women appear to be sleeping during active and transition phases of labor. One of the benefits of practiced hypnosis during pregnancy is when a woman becomes afraid or uncertain in labor, her experience with relaxation takes over and she will be able to calm quickly. Who wouldn’t want that?WHAT IS HYPNOSIS?Hypnosis is deep relaxation, self taught. For some, it takes very little time to become relaxed. For others it is a taught skill. The more you practice, the easier and faster you can achieve relaxation. The feeling of deep relaxation is a heavy feeling or a light/ floating feeling. You may even feel a tingling sensation.HOW DOES IT WORK?When a woman experiences fear in labor, she will have tension. With the tension, comes pain. The relaxation takes away the fear and tension, thereby, reducing or eliminating the pain of childbirth. The more a mother-to-be practices before labor, the less chance fear will creep in during childbirth. The mother who practices relaxation or hypnosis will have an advantage over others who have not practiced. The incentive of practiced hypnosis is that it results in a shorter childbirth and a relaxed mother. An extra bonus is there is less need for medical interventions.HOW TO STARTFirst get a relaxation CD that is soothing to you. Find a comfortable spot without interruptions. Lay or sit comfortably. Breathe in and out deeply and slowly. For beginners it is best to have a relaxation CD where someone is talking you through it. The more you practice the better. Practicing a minimum of 15 minutes daily for at least 4 or more weeks before delivery can be helpful in reducing the fear and, thereby, reducing the pain. A pre-natal yoga class is very beneficial as well.So! DOES HYPNOSIS REALLY WORK?Yes, it does work for a mother who truly practices and remembers what she has practiced during labor. Hypnosis is a powerful aid because it empowers the mother.Where to Go for More Information:There are many childbirth hypnosis methods out there. Any hypnosis childbirth class can help achieve an easier childbirth experience if the mother practices. For others who prefer to study in the privacy of their home there is "Hypbirth." This is a home childbirth hypnosis study program. Please visit www.birth-angel.com for more information on this product and other pregnancy and childbirth resources.Julie L. Johnson is a wife and mother of three who has experienced every pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and breastfeeding situation there is and has lived to tell about. She is a Certified Lamaze Childbirth Educator, Certified Doula and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant practicing in Southern California. Her website http://www.birth-angel.com provides services and products to help ease the transition into motherhood.
Category : Innovation
An Introduction to Seraphim Angels -
Author : Ross Bainbridge
Seraphim angels are extremely popular collectible items. Ranging in size from small pins for lapels to figures several feet tall, they often feature flowing gowns, beautiful golden or brown locks of hair, rosy cheeks, hands and feet, and, of course, the signature feathery wings. You can give them to your family and friends, collect them to beautify your home, or buy and sell them on the secondary market as a profit-making venture.
Making a seraphim angel as a long, arduous, exacting process. The art form requires loads of patience and skill, and a steady hand. Seraphim angels are usually made of porcelain, porcelain bisque, or resins.
To begin, a master sculptor first designs an angel as a two-dimensional sketch. He then submits it to his distributor for approval. After a design has been decided upon, the master sculptor begins work on the three-dimensional clay sculpt. This is the most artistic phase of the process, wherein the artist gets to create all the highly personal details of the angel.
Once the final clay sculpt has been approved by the distributor, a mother mold is carefully made of silicone. The clay sculpt is destroyed in that process. From the mother mold a master mold is made out of hard epoxy. A few molds are then made from this master mold. A team of highly trained artisans then set to work using the molds to reproduce the sculpt in porcelain, supervised the entire way by the master sculptor. Experienced detail painters then apply all the color and details to the figurines. In the case of most high quality figurines, the master sculptor inspects each finished product to ensure perfection.
Many seraphim angels are limited editions, making them a rare aesthetic commodity and elevating them to the level of collectible art.
About the author:
Seraphim Angels Info provides detailed information on seraphim angels collecting, history, names, value, Roman seraphim angels, retired models, and more. Seraphim Angels Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.
Category : Product Reviews
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 15 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2551
How to Blog Your Way to a Book Deal
Author : Tracy Repchuk
In July of 2005, I started to play around with a blog. In essence, a blog was a daily journal type of personal website that you could instantly get up and running, and use to promote yourself, your books and display your work, until you got a conventional website. I wasn't quite certain what I would use it for, but I loved the freedom of being able to write and share thoughts with whoever was interested. It was also a good tool for promoting yourself and referring traffic back to a master website, and taking advantage of the search engine inclusions.As an advocate for blogs, and an author, when I came across something called a blook, I felt a shift occur in the traditional publishing house philosophies, and thought how wonderful it was to see another route to riches for the common writer. It opened up the world of writing, publishing, promotion, and catharsis in many cases - and this is called a Blook.A blook is a book with content that was developed in a significant way from material originally presented on a blog, webcomic or other website. This material includes the website's characters, themes, ideas or outline that ends up getting published as a printed book.As the Editor of Poetry Canada magazine, I get queries all the time about:
what type of book should I write, how do I get an agent, a publisher, an editor, should I self-publish, and the answer to these questions can go on ad infinitum, and range from what you know, research, hard work, hard work, dash of luck, and/or go for it.But with the discovery of blooks, and now a prize for them aptly called "The Blooker Prize," recommendations came easier. Creating a book is now as easy as selecting a topic, and working at it every day, while you document your journey, adding insights and tips. With a prize totaling $15,000 and no fee to enter, now you can afford to convert your blog to a blook, and start searching for the next big publishing deal, or at the very least get your book thoroughly funded.I discovered that tons of blooks have already been published, both by traditional publishers and self-publishers. In fact, some traditional publishing houses in search of the next big name author, have begun to mine blogs and websites for new talent. In the world of self-publishing, more and more content is being developed first online.The launch in 2005 of the Lulu Blooker Prize for literary coincided with the 450th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of movable type, and it offered fresh evidence that the oft-touted rumor of the death of books is greatly exaggerated.This type of award and recognition opens up a whole new world for those who can write, and write, and write, but couldn't successfully get it to the promote stage.I checked out the various winners of the 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize, and it was very interesting and simple for some. One winner for Non-Fiction named Julia Powell, had a blog site that took you on her journey of doing a full year of Julia Child's recipes. Kind of like a reality based TV show in print. She won for her conversion of that journey from Blog to a book called Julie & Julia (hardcover).Other winners were:Fiction - Cherie Priest for Four and Twenty Blackbirds. You can now find the book in print, and getting rave reviews and for theWebcomic - Zack Miller for Totally Boned: A Joe and Monkey CollectionSo if you are looking for motivation to write, create, and just do it, here is an interesting way to one day get recognized for it.Happy writing, sharing, and best of luck on your journey.Tracy Lynn Repchuk is the author of "The Poetry of Business", which is available through Chapters, Indigo, Amazon and various stores in the US. She speaks at Chamber, Rotary, and other business and networking organizations about her book, and entrepreneurial experiences.
She is also the President and Founder of the Canadian Federation of Poets http://www.federationofpoets.com and Editor of Poetry Canada magazine http://www.poetrycanada.comHer latest marketing efforts include a website that has increased sales by 200% over traditional sites.
Check it out: http://www.ifyoucanimagineityoucanhaveit.com
Category : Writing-and-Speaking:Writing
In July of 2005, I started to play around with a blog. In essence, a blog was a daily journal type of personal website that you could instantly get up and running, and use to promote yourself, your books and display your work, until you got a conventional website. I wasn't quite certain what I would use it for, but I loved the freedom of being able to write and share thoughts with whoever was interested. It was also a good tool for promoting yourself and referring traffic back to a master website, and taking advantage of the search engine inclusions.As an advocate for blogs, and an author, when I came across something called a blook, I felt a shift occur in the traditional publishing house philosophies, and thought how wonderful it was to see another route to riches for the common writer. It opened up the world of writing, publishing, promotion, and catharsis in many cases - and this is called a Blook.A blook is a book with content that was developed in a significant way from material originally presented on a blog, webcomic or other website. This material includes the website's characters, themes, ideas or outline that ends up getting published as a printed book.As the Editor of Poetry Canada magazine, I get queries all the time about:
what type of book should I write, how do I get an agent, a publisher, an editor, should I self-publish, and the answer to these questions can go on ad infinitum, and range from what you know, research, hard work, hard work, dash of luck, and/or go for it.But with the discovery of blooks, and now a prize for them aptly called "The Blooker Prize," recommendations came easier. Creating a book is now as easy as selecting a topic, and working at it every day, while you document your journey, adding insights and tips. With a prize totaling $15,000 and no fee to enter, now you can afford to convert your blog to a blook, and start searching for the next big publishing deal, or at the very least get your book thoroughly funded.I discovered that tons of blooks have already been published, both by traditional publishers and self-publishers. In fact, some traditional publishing houses in search of the next big name author, have begun to mine blogs and websites for new talent. In the world of self-publishing, more and more content is being developed first online.The launch in 2005 of the Lulu Blooker Prize for literary coincided with the 450th anniversary of Gutenberg's invention of movable type, and it offered fresh evidence that the oft-touted rumor of the death of books is greatly exaggerated.This type of award and recognition opens up a whole new world for those who can write, and write, and write, but couldn't successfully get it to the promote stage.I checked out the various winners of the 2006 Lulu Blooker Prize, and it was very interesting and simple for some. One winner for Non-Fiction named Julia Powell, had a blog site that took you on her journey of doing a full year of Julia Child's recipes. Kind of like a reality based TV show in print. She won for her conversion of that journey from Blog to a book called Julie & Julia (hardcover).Other winners were:Fiction - Cherie Priest for Four and Twenty Blackbirds. You can now find the book in print, and getting rave reviews and for theWebcomic - Zack Miller for Totally Boned: A Joe and Monkey CollectionSo if you are looking for motivation to write, create, and just do it, here is an interesting way to one day get recognized for it.Happy writing, sharing, and best of luck on your journey.Tracy Lynn Repchuk is the author of "The Poetry of Business", which is available through Chapters, Indigo, Amazon and various stores in the US. She speaks at Chamber, Rotary, and other business and networking organizations about her book, and entrepreneurial experiences.
She is also the President and Founder of the Canadian Federation of Poets http://www.federationofpoets.com and Editor of Poetry Canada magazine http://www.poetrycanada.comHer latest marketing efforts include a website that has increased sales by 200% over traditional sites.
Check it out: http://www.ifyoucanimagineityoucanhaveit.com
Category : Writing-and-Speaking:Writing
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