Public speaking the first 3 minutes

This is it! You’ve landed your first Public Speaking engagement. You’ve have prepared and rehearsed. You are all ready to give your best presentation ever.

As you begin you have exactly 3 minutes of your presentation to grab the audience attention and build rapport to ensure they buy in to what you have to say.

In the first 3 minutes of your presentations, your audience is sizing you up. They are deciding whether they like you and whether are you worth listening to. If you lose your audience in the first 3 minutes you will be playing catch up for the rest of the presentation.

Why at the first 3 minutes of your public speaking engagement is most important period of your presentation? This is the time where the attention of the audience is naturally high and focused. Here is where the audience decides to hear you out or not. First Impression counts and you have only one chance at it.

In this crucial period you need to build rapport with your audience. Rapport is a prerequisite for effective communication. Before presenting any material you must build rapport with your audience.

When people are like each other, they like each other. When you have enough rapport with your audience, they will feel acknowledge and engage with you in your presentation.

You can build rapport with your audience by;

- Using the words they use. Use their Jargon’s and preferred terms.

- Use the same tonality and say it like they do

- Use the same gestures and postures.

People create bonds with each others by finding shared experiences. Tell a story to your audience which relays to them that you are exactly like them. Meet as many of your audience before the presentation and build rapport with them individually.

Right form the start let your audience define their own expectation and do your best to meet those expectations. Experiment with different types of openers to see which builds more rapport for you and with your audience. Be flexible, use as many different openers and evaluate your results. The openers which build more rapport with your audience for you will be the best ones. The types of openers that you can look into are;

o Current Events

o Humorous

o Pictorial

o Anecdotal

o Pertinent Quote

o Real-World Situation

o Rhetorical

o Musical

If you have built enough rapport with your audience in the first 3 minutes of your presentation the rest of your presentation will move smoothly. You will have an engaging audience and you will be able to have fun with them and be yourself on stage.

Remember the first 3 minutes of your presentation is the most crucial of all. Start off your presentation with the right foot.

Choosing what products to sell in your home business

You are thinking about starting an online business. The idea of working from home is very appealing to you. You want to do it but you don't know what products to sell. Everyone who sells on the internet has approached this dilemma. So, how do you decide?

1) Brainstorm

The first step to choosing the right product is to sit down with pen and paper. Make sure that there are no distractions so that you can concentrate. Make two columns on your paper with these headings:

a) Enjoy

b) Passionate About

Put pen to paper and let your ideas flow. Try to list at least ten possibilities under each heading.

When your are done, look at your choices. Narrow your list down to three in each column. Now you are ready to see if these ideas might sell on the internet.

2) Niche Market

What is a "niche" in internet jargon? A "niche" is an item INSIDE a larger product arena. This is where many successful internet entrepreneurs have found their fortune.

Let's consider PDAs. There are thousands of websites selling PDAs. A good "niche" product inside the PDA market could be the jackets that protect a PDA. How about computer headphones? Again, thousands of websites are selling this item. Why not focus on the audio splitter. This is the device that connects to the back of a computer for using two headphones at one time.

Take a look at your list. Can you see any "niches"? If you can, you have found the product that you can sell inside your internet home business. The idea behind this concept is to have a laser focal point on a target audience.

The arrival of the internet has produced a world wide market for an assortment of products. Niche marketing can be very successful if you put in the time and effort to market your items correctly. There is a learning curve that you will have to conquer but if you are committed to success you can do it. Who knows? Your "niche" might be the next internet fad.

3) Selling What You Like Or What You Are Passionate About

Having a difficult time finding a niche inside your list? Sell a product that you like or that you are passionate about.

Re-vist your list. Take a look at your choices under "enjoy" and "passionate about". Pick one that you think will sell on the internet. Do you BELIEVE that you can make money from this item (or service) in your home business? Do you think people will BENEFIT from this product (or service)?

Answer these questions: How well do you know the product (or service)? Can this product (or service) improve people's lives?

Your knowledge and your passion could bring you the prosperity that you are looking for. When you are ready to develop your marketing campaign, the main focus of your strategy should be to communicate your expertise and your fervor to your customers. If you can show your clients that your product (or service) can improve their lives, they will want to buy it.

4) Become An Expert

You have chosen your product, now what do you do? Become an authority! Make a commitment to be someone that your customers can trust. Make sure that you spend the time to know and understand every facet of what you are selling. The success of your work at home internet business depends upon it. More importantly, your clients depend upon you.

When you enter the marketing phase of your endeavor, purpose to give your customers reliable and accurate facts that they can trust.

As you refine your expertise, your understanding of your product is expanding as well. Communicate this to your customers. In time, you will know the information that your buyers want. As you satisfy this need, you are now building a relationship with your clients. If you are someone they can trust, you are someone that they will continue to do business with.

Brainstorm. Choose a product. Believe in your product. Communicate your conviction. Become an expert. Follow this formula and you will increase your chances for success in your work at home adventure.

"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success."

Day spas pampering without the time commitment

There is no doubt about it; we live in a hectic society that does not show any signs of slowing pace any time soon. To relive some of the stress associated with always being on the go, many people have turned to spas to help them melt away the worries of the world. But what if you don’t have thousands of dollars and a full week to devote to becoming one with yourself and nature? The answer could be as simple as day spas.

Day spas are a relatively new phenomenon. In the early 80s, there were only a handful of day spas scattered across the United States. In those days, if you wanted spa luxury, you had to foot the bill and make the time commitment. As you can imagine, this severely limited the spa customer base to the privileged.

Today, there are thousands of day spas, and you can find one in almost every community. Day spas are different from their luxury spa counterparts in that customers have the option of visiting for an entire day, a half day or just an hour or two. There are no overnight stays and no week-long package commitments. In a day spa, you can get premium services just like those found in the traditional spas, but for a lot less time and money.

So, what types of services can you get in a day spa? Virtually everything from facials, massage, body wraps, sunless tanning, pedicures, manicures, electrolysis, hair services, make-up applications, hair color, lunch... you name it.

Here’s a brief look at some popular day spa packages:

* $125 to $175 will get you three-hour classic salon/spa experience including manicure with paraffin treatment, pedicure, scalp treatment, shampoo and styling, massage or mini-facial.

* $75 to $100 will get you a two-hour body treatment with exfoliation, massage and steam bath

* For $300 to $500, you can get pampered for the whole day and choose from a host of services. You will also be served meals during your day-long stay.

And don’t think that day spas skimp on luxury. Many spas offer limousine services and treat their clients like they are royalty no matter what walk of life they come from. For this reason, day spa gift certificates have become extremely popular gifts. When you give a day spa gift certificate, you are giving a luxurious gift of indulgence to your loved one. What better way is there to say that they’ve worked hard and deserve a little bit of the finer things in life?

When choosing a day spa, keep in mind that different spas offer different services. In many cases, day spas are ran in conjunction with a full-service beauty salon. That means that you can choose from a wide variety of services. Other day spas, though, may only offer massage and skin-care services without offering hair and nail services. You should also shop around. Prices from spa to spa can vary considerably.

So, if you want to be pampered but have little money and even less time, perhaps a day spa is the perfect compromise that you’ve been looking for. But be forewarned, day spas can be addictive.

A guide to choosing sunglasses

A Guide to Choosing Sunglasses

Sunglasses are one of the ultimate fashion accessories. They are great in helping you to create your own unique image. What exact style you choose really depends on your personal taste, age and the shape of your face. Yet, not matter what style of sunglasses you are thinking of buying, it is important that you end up choosing the best possible quality pair.

Some tips to choosing quality sunglasses are provided below. Being educated by what makes a quality pair of sunglasses is very important when you are searching for your next pair of sunglasses. Keep these tips in mind when you are browsing.

Protection from UV

One major contributor to eye disease is ultraviolet radiation. This is why it is important to choose a pair of sunglasses that protect you from the harmful effect of UV. Just because your glasses have a dark tint doesn't mean that you are protect from UV. Make sure you check the sunglasses UV rating.

What the Sunglasses Are Made From

Generally speaking the heavier the sunglasses the higher quality they will be. You want to ensure that the material that they are made from will last a long time and be able to resist the constant knocks that sunglasses typically take.

Different Tints

Tints are the colors that are applied to sunglasses lenses to help reduce the light that makes contact with the eyes. The particular tint you choose is up to your personal taste. However, different tints will have a different effect on the perceived brightness and glare, and will distort color differently.

As an example, gray tints reduce glare and don't distort the color. On the other hand, yellows lens will distort color but sharpen your perceived view.

To Polarize or Not to Polarize?

Sunglasses that are polarized will reduce the glare of the light which bounces off roads and water. They are typically preferred by people who drive a lot during the day or boat on the water. If you work or play near a lot of flat surfaces you may wish to investigate using polarized sunglasses.

Visit rome - a historical city

Do you bear a passion for history? Are you interested in ancient

architecture and temples? Do age-long and legendary activities

beckon you? If so, then you must definitely explore the ancient

lands of Rome, at least once in your lifetime.

With an area of about 150 square kilometers, and a population of

3.8 million, Rome still stands tall in the vast field of world history.

Whenever we come across Rome, Etruscan tombs, Republican

meeting rooms, Imperial temples, ancient Christian churches,

medieval bell towers, Renaissance palaces, and Baroque basilicas

strike the core of our mind and we enter the superficial world of

history and architecture. Rome takes us through the pages of

history.

Rome is situated halfway down Italy's western coast, about 20

kilometers inland. Rome is a large city, though the historical area

is quite small. A majority of the Rome historical sights are

restricted within a reasonable distance of the central railway

station, Stazione Termini. All the main Rome monuments are

situated west of the train station in Rome. However, it is always

advisable to use the map of Rome, once you arrive in Rome.

Attractions

The central attractions of Rome are the Palatine Hill and the Forum.

Via Del Corso is located north from the Forum to Piazza Del Popolo,

accompanied by Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain on the east.

The Vatican in Rome is situated northwest of the Forum, across the

River Tiber in Rome.

Rome offers a great deal of pleasure with the likes of the

arrogance of the Vatican, the immemorial haunting memories of the

Coliseum or the sheer thrill of going back to centuries ago of

timeless history.

Rome offers you a wide range of excitement, adventure, and

enjoyment. The thrill and sheer experience of Rome is very

distinctive and unique. Rome gives you the liberty to thrive on

wine, architecture, history, and sunshine.

How to take care of your home tanning bed

We all wanted to have our tanning beds to last as long as possible. This is why some people buy tanning beds that are touted to be durable. But tanning beds do last long if the owners take good care of them.

Here are some ways to take good care of your tanning bed.

After each session, you need to do two things, “inspect” and “clean”. You need to inspect the click strip and make sure that it is attached firmly. And you need to inspect the facial glass (if your tanning bed has it) and make sure that it has no cracks or any other “blemishes”. Then, you need to clean. You must clean the bench and canopy acrylics. Use only the right cleaning liquid, not alcohol nor bleach. And use only soft non-abrasive cloth. You must also clean the tanning bed pillow. Do not use the outdoor or oil-based tanning lotions. These will damage the acrylic. And lastly, you must clean and sanitize the goggles. This is also for your own safety.

Everyday, you do the same thing to your tanning bed, even if you are not using them, and especially if there are many users of the bed. That is, you must inspect and clean. You must inspect the acrylics for cracks, wear, or hazing. Then, you clean the pillow, the bench, and the canopy acrylics. You must also clean and sanitize goggles and the bed exterior. Again, use only the approved cleaning solution.

Once a week, aside from inspecting and cleaning, you must do more things to make sure that your tanning bed is in top condition. You must dust the lamps. But do not touch them with your bare hands. Then you must remove and clean the inside of the bench and canopy acrylic sheets. You must wipe and vacuum the fans, the vents, and the vent hoses. Check if the shock tension needs to be adjusted. If it does, then adjust it. Check the set bolts if these are still tight. And check the power cord and the bench-to-canopy connectors if these are also snug with no wear and tear.

And monthly, you clean again the bench and canopy acrylics. You also need to clean the reflectors using the appropriate cleaning solution. Inspect the vent hoses for optimum ventilation and do the necessary adjustments if needed. For sufficient ventilation, make sure that the bed is at least six inches away from the wall. And lastly, check the voltage being supplied to the bed. It should conform with the ones stated in the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you need to replace a lamp, choose replacements that meet the frequency recommendations.

When you do all these things with your tanning bed, then you are assured that the quality of your tanning bed will last longer.

Shades of red

From time to time, I would like to write about colleges and universities from the perspective of studying Rutgers University, my alma mater and school I know best. I have earned two degrees from Rutgers and formed successful professional relationships with university administrators.

According to the latest U. S. News America’s Best Colleges, Rutgers’ flagship campus in New Brunswick ranks tied for 20th among publicly-supported research universities. This is impressive, considering Rutgers ranks ahead of universities that have much larger endowments and longer histories as public institutions. I know alumni who are disappointed in Rutgers’ ranking; they believe Rutgers is closer to a private Ivy League school than a “Public Ivy” such as the University of Virginia or UC-Berkeley.

When I entered Rutgers in the fall of 1978, the university’s football schedule included Penn State, but also Colgate, Yale, Princeton, William and Mary and other schools that are part of the NCAA’s so-called “Championship Subdivision,” a silly name for programs with small stadiums (less than 40,000 seats) that play-off for a national championship. By my senior year, Rutgers had played not only Penn State, but also Boston College, Pittsburgh and Syracuse; this was the only season we lost more games than we won while I was in college. I attended the last Rutgers-Princeton game play in “our house.” I still meet alumni who say they were at that game --and they miss the rivalry, which has been over for 27 years.

When I hear these comments I wonder who college football programs belong to: the students or the alumni. However, I also ask myself, are we really the equal of the schools we played? Having an Ivy League school on a football schedule didn’t grant us equal status by association. At the same time, Rutgers’ academic reputation has not fallen because our chief rivals in football are now Louisville and West Virginia.

Rutgers, like other large state universities, has its athletic boosters. However, it’s rare to see students, alumni and faculty organize an initiative to oppose them.

Rutgers professor William Dowling was an academic leader of the Rutgers 1000, a group dedicated to an ideal: that Rutgers drop scholarship football and invest in top-performing academic candidates, the high-SAT and academic achievers who would ordinarily choose an Ivy League school. The Rutgers 1000 campaigned for ten years, from January 1993 through December 2002.

It’s rare to see a group like the Rutgers 1000 within a state university community, and rarer still, for such a group to have had so much staying power. Student leaders graduate, alumni move on as work and family responsibilities dominate more of their lives. It’s safe for me say that faculty support and alumni memories kept the Rutgers 1000 going, but the Internet brought the news coverage necessary to advance their cause. Professor Dowling wrote Confessions of a Spoilsport, a recently released book chronicling Rutgers’ entry into major college football and the birth, rise and fall of the Rutgers 1000.

As a Rutgers alumnus, and a former board member of the business school’s alumni association, I was familiar with the Rutgers 1000. They made some valid points: football has no connection to the intellectual climate of a university; the sport is costly and rarely profitable, even for the major powers; and, the desire to win becomes a dangerous obsession when athletes, coaches, athletic directors and boosters run uncontrolled.

Dowling also mentions that the campus newspaper and alumni magazine suppressed the group; the magazine refused to accept an ad from them. I agree with Professor Dowling’s position here, too: dissenting opinions on college campuses must never be suppressed. Colleges exist to encourage people to think and form their own ideas, not tow a party line en masse.

However, the Rutgers 1000 shot themselves in the foot; they weakened their case, stating that big-time football would corrupt and degrade the university—because schools of lesser academic stature would be on our schedule. They used the University of Nebraska as an example of how Rutgers could be "lowered" to the academic standards of a "football school."

To be fair, I believe the Rutgers 1000 was quite concerned about the character and academic backgrounds of the athletes recruited by major college football programs. I do not believe that they meant to imply that the “bad apples” reflected badly on the academic reputation of another university.

However, someone in the Rutgers 1000 came up with the Hubie Cornpone Award, using a caricature of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ mascot, to present to the sportswriter who was most likely to bring Rutgers down to the level of the University of Nebraska. That’s when things got out of hand, at least to me.

After reading Professor Dowling’s book, I got curious. I wanted to make some non-football comparisons between Rutgers and Nebraska. It was interesting on one level: both Rutgers and Nebraska have the same school colors, red and white, and fans wear red on game day. However, Rutgers says scarlet is the official color, while Nebraska says Big Red. Therefore, I’ll call this comparison The Shades of Red.

I went to published sources: the Yale Daily News College Guide, U. S. News and the Chronicles of Higher Education. Here’s what I found:

+ Endowment (university system): Nebraska $1.2 billion, Rutgers $550 million

+ In-state tuition (main campus): Nebraska $5,867, Rutgers $9,958

+ Out of State students (main campus): Nebraska 14%, Rutgers 7%

+ R&D Expenditures, Science and Engineering (university system): Nebraska $333 million, Rutgers $310 million

+ National Merit Scholars entering in 2006 (main campus): Nebraska 60, Rutgers less than 30

+ Yield rate (percentage of admitted freshman who accept offers of admission to the main campus): Nebraska 65%, Rutgers 33%

+ Number of undergraduate students (main campus): Nebraska 17,000, Rutgers 24,000

It appears that Nebraska fans bleed red on game day, but their university is fiscally speaking, less red than Rutgers.

In his book, Dowling ignores that in 1989, under former president Francis Lawrence, a man he consistently vilifies, Rutgers became a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The University of Nebraska had been a member for 80 years before Rutgers got the call!

These comparisons are remarkable, considering there are about 1.8 million people living in Nebraska versus 8.7 million in New Jersey. The Garden State has a much larger tax and corporate base to support a flagship state university than the Cornhusker State.

The Rutgers community has much to be proud of in their flagship university; very few research institutions attain top 20 rankings in football and academic performance at the same time. Rutgers is new to this lofty perch, but the university community must act like it belongs there, instead of ridiculing comparable institutions.

Otherwise, we fall further behind Nebraska in the games that really count.

Motorola v3i - martin s quick review

The Motorola V3i is an updated version of the tremendously popular Razr V3. The V3i keeps the same sleek and compact design the original Razr was so loved for, but this version is offered in a classy metallic graphite finish. While the color is the only change in the appearance of the V31, all the features of the Razr have been improved, although some changes are very subtle.

The caller ID screen on the outside is rather small, leaving the shiny casing to become easily smudged from fingerprints, but the V3i is an overall gorgeous phone. The clamshell design flips open easily to answer calls without touching a button, and snaps shut to end them. Users do have to remember to end their calls manually if they are using the speakerphone mode, however.

The buttons and switches around the exterior of the phone all fit smoothly into the design of the V3i and are very easy to use. The keypad is similar to that of the V3, with easy to distinguish keys and great responsiveness. Also like the original, the V3i is a quad band mobile phone, making it ideal for international usage.

The low resolution camera of the Razr V3 has been improved to a 1.2 megapixel camera that features an 8x digital zoom and is capable of video as well. The V3i’s camera is still very poor quality compared to other camera phones on the market, but it is great for occasional usage or for picture messaging.

Another greatly appreciated upgrade seen in the V3i is the addition of a music player. Though the version that includes iTunes software is not available in the UK, the V3i features an easy to use MP3 player that can be controlled through the phone’s exterior keys. Musical playback is available in flight mode and can be used with headsets or played through the phone’s speaker, which provides fairly good quality. The music player also allows users to create play lists for more convenience.

The internal memory features of the V3i are not very impressive, with only 12 MB of storage. MicroSD cards can be used to expand the memory and to store music for play lists, but the card slots are located under the battery cover, making them difficult to access. The 64 MB memory card included with the V3i can easily hold about 150 tunes, but anyone desiring more file storage will have to remove the battery cover.

Although the features of the Motorola V3i are rather outdated compared to other mobile phones, it is a great improvement over the original Razr. If you’re looking for a sleek and trendy clamshell Razr phone, but want the added convenience of a functional camera and MP3 player, the V3i is perfect.

Principles are the key to a congruent life

When you live a congruent life, different parts of your life are no longer split into separate compartments, instead they become part of one integrated whole where each part mutually supports and reinforces each other part.

Many self growth thinkers regard congruency as THE success principle. “Why You Must Bring Congruency Into Your Life” ( achieving-your-dreams. com/articles/articles. php) talks more about this.

For example, you are in a career that appears to be good for you financially at the time but no longer motivates and inspires you. Your lack of love for this career shows through in your attitude and interactions with other people and as a result you may have difficulty in forming friendships leaving you feeling lonely and out of step with the world.

You decide enough is enough! You will change to a career that you feel passionate about…

Fast forward to the new you working at something that you love – now you have passion for what you are doing and the contribution you are making. Now you find that your social circle expands as people are attracted to you as a person that is enthusiastic about what you are doing.

Encouraged by your new life, your stress levels go down, you feel healthier and you eventually find that you are succeeding easily in your new career and even end up financially better off than before.

The way that all the different parts of your life are connected together can work very powerfully for you if you let it. The danger is, it can also work very powerfully against you if you are not congruent in just one area.

PUT PRINCIPLES AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE

A state of congruency where your whole life fits together to form a beautiful picture just like a jigsaw puzzle is a worthwhile goal, but how do you get there?

One of the keys is to recognise that all the different parts of your life are ultimately governed by a set of universal rules or principles.

An example is kindness – being kind to friends and family is something that we all recognise as the “right thing to do” and will bring us rewards in terms of stronger and better relationships with our friends and family. Being kind to a stranger can reward you with a better feeling about yourself.

Being kind to your body results in better health, being kind to your co-workers, your employees, your boss will bring benefits in your work life…

Kindness is a universal principle that we can all recognise and that as individuals we can all integrate into our lives and our spirits.

There are many of these principles – love, fairness, being proactive, being responsible for yourself, honesty, integrity… The challenge is to find these principles and align your life around them.

You should remember that principles are deep, fundamental, universal, timeless truths recognised by all religions and systems of belief as being central to harmonious and successful human lives. If you look at them in this way, they can be separated from the more transient beliefs and values of people and groups that sometimes get mistaken for principles.

Principle centred living will lead to a congruent life, the challenge is to build your life around principles.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PRINCIPLES AND PRINCIPLE CENTERED LIVING?

Stephen Convey’s timeless classic “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a good place to start. The book claims that it is based on the universal principles and as you read it you will find out that this is true.

One of the sections of the book is dedicated to organising your life around principles and making sure that they are integrated across all the different parts of your life in a congruent way. Perhaps the best piece of advice is to get a copy of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, read it and start applying some of the wisdom that’s inside.

One final word of caution – living your life around principles is no quick fix – it takes time, maybe even an entire lifetime to get there, but the results can be very rewarding!

Win bright services with e-fuzion

SEO Delhi company offers a running model of business which needs a least some concept of vital modern technologies, like the internet and email, in order to keep up with the competition and exploit emerging opportunities to take things to the next level. Firstly, being identifiable under your keywords to bring more traffic and to increase online sales. On the internet, search engines are a crucial driver of traffic, and it’s possible to receive hundreds of thousands of visitor each month, may be more, with a strong ranking website with in your target market. It’s no wonder big businesses pays month, may be more, with a strong ranking web site with in your target market. SEO Delhi Company (e-Fuzion) grows your business by telling others about your products and investing in getting your brand seen and heard.

SEO Delhi Company provides a great search engine services with low cost opportunity to bring in potential customers to your website and achieves a great a strong ranking with your site could help to increase your customer number and increase sales. Search engines are also a great way of marketing your business because your website will appear anytime of the day or night under your chosen key search phases, and your website should do your marketing and sales for you. For some yet to even take that first step onto the internet with a basic web presence, search engine manipulation might sounds like a daunting prospect. How ever by taking the time to learn basic SEO principles or by employing the help of SEO professionals, SEO Delhi Company in e-Fuzion provides benefited business from an exceptional return on investment through the major search engines, with long term constructive impact on the success of your website and ultimately on your business.

Yet when you are fast asleep or away on vacation, a good search engine ranking could potentially be bringing in fresh customers to your website for no or very little going cost, which could easily be converting into more direct web sales in no time, and providing you with residual economic remuneration.

Golf travel bags make lovely gifts

Golf travel bags make excellent gifts for anyone who enjoys golfing. They allow you to transport your golf clubs safely and without you having to worry about damaging them. They also come in a variety of styles, shapes and colors. So how do you know which one you need? It really depends on who the golf travel bag is for.

Like I said before, golf travel bags come in a variety of styles, shapes and colors. However, the look of the bag is not the only thing you should consider when buying one - especially for a gift. Perhaps one of the most important things to consider is what kind of distances will the person travel that you are purchasing the gift for. It could be to the neighborhood golf course, or to golf courses across continents.

If they travel fairly substantial distances with their golf clubs, then you will definitely want to get something sturdy and strong. In this case, I would suggest buying a hard sided golf travel bag which is also known as a golf travel case. This is particularly true if the person travels on airplanes on a regular basis. An advantage of using golf travel cases while flying is airlines will often pickup the cost of replacing any damaged golf clubs if your golf clubs were in one of these protective cases during the flight.

Another advantage is of course the peace-of-mind knowing that your golf clubs should be well protected from any damage during the trip. If you are confident that the person you are buying this gift for does not frequently travel long distances with their golf clubs, then you should be able to get by with purchasing a soft sided golf travel bag. In fact, I would strongly suggest going this route in this case.

An advantage of using a soft sided golf travel bag is that the bags themselves typically include several pockets for you to put gloves, shoes, etc. into. They are also less bulky and can fit easier into the trunk of a car. Soft sided golf travel bags also typically come with wheels that make it easier to transport the clubs from place to place.

Again, knowing what features the golf travel bag would need would depend on who the bag is for. If they use golfing shoes, then they would probably appreciate the fact there is a place to put them in the bag.

In addition to the sturdiness of the golf travel bag, cost is obviously going to be a factor that you will want to consider. Not surprisingly, golf travel cases are typically more expensive than soft sided golf travel bags. However, the difference in cost is not massive and there are some golf travel bags that are more expensive than the cases.

Most golf travel cases will cost you around $150 while the average golf travel bag will cost around $75. However, some golf travel bags can cost you well over $200. Of course the differences in prices are often a reflection of the differences in name brand, quality and features.

Heart diseases heart attack the most common heart disease ii

A heart attack, which is the most common consequence of a heart disease, can be recognized not only by three symptoms in the previous article mentioned, but also be recognized by other warning signs, such as unusual chest, stomach or abdominal pain, nausea or dizziness, cold sweat or paleness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, weakness or fatigue, palpitations, and unexplained anxiety.

It is very important to be calm when a relative, friend or person has a heart attack, since you will have to know what to do if something like this happens. The first thing is to call an ambulance immediately. Then, according to experts, check whether the patient is conscious or not and place them flat on their back, kneel beside them and put one hand on their forehead and the other on their chin.

After doing these, tilt back their head. And lift their chin until their teeth almost touch. You will have to look and listen for signs of breathing. Pinch their nose and cover their mouth with yours, if the person is not breathing normally. Give two full breaths. The person's chest should rise as a consequence.

You may check the person's pulse by putting your fingers on their neck, next to their Adam's apple and windpipe, which is the tube through which air passes from mouth to lungs. Put your hands on the centre of the person's chest at the height of their nipples, if there is no pulse. Then put one hand on top of the other. Push down two inches on their chest 15 times. Continue with the two breaths and 15 pumps until an ambulance arrives.

Overcoming touch deprivation

From the time you were a newborn how well you thrived depended in large part by how much you were lovingly touched.

I was born two months premature in Trinidad in 1965. I was only 4 pounds and had to be in an incubator for my first few weeks of life. The doctors told my mom not to get attached to me because I only had a ten percent chance of surviving. My mother didn’t believe them.

And touched and loved me and willed me to live. And live I did. I grew into being a 6’3”, 200 pound man in almost perfect health. Such is the power of love, such is the power of touch.

We tend to get touched less and less as we get older, although our primal need for touch never diminishes. Touch deprivation is a significant form of sensory deprivation. Most of us wouldn’t dream of going weeks or months without opening our eyes, or keeping our ears plugged, yet many of my patients tell me that they haven’t been massaged or held for weeks or months.

Our world is becoming too formal, too stiff, too emotionally cold.

For the sake of your physical, emotionally, mental and spiritual health, give your self more permission to touch and be touched. You can never overdose on loving touch.

Don’t limit touch to sex. Don’t limit touch to just your partner and family. Reach out and touch more people.

Close your eyes sometimes and experience your world through touch.

Your skin is your biggest organ - use it. Get more skin to skin contact.

Everyone can heal and be healed through touch.

Be a great healer and lover by experiencing the miracle of touch as often as you can.

Christopher Scipio

Homeopath/Herbalist

Holistic Viral Specialist

Internet home business scam or an opportunity

If you are planning to start internet based home business, do brief researches before you actually start your internet home business venture. This will provide you with a good understanding of this business domain. It will give you the opportunity to learn from the mistakes most people make in home based internet business.

We don’t want to say that your excitement is groundless. If you are successful in your work at home business, the home business internet income opportunities can be very lucrative. You can work for the entire twenty-four hours if it is possible for you at the comfort of your home.

In internet based home business opportunities you are not forced to interact with your irritating superiors. Also there is no dirty office politics. And the most important thing is that not only does it give you a healthy home business internet income, you also enjoy the warmth and comfort of being with your family members.

All these are the few benefits that a internet home business opportunity can give you. But just as the saying goes that nothing is perfectly good or bad in this world the same applies to the top home based businesses.

It has some lucrative advantages but these home business internet income are not without associated pitfalls. There have been so many scams under the garb of internet home business, that most view such opportunities with suspicion.

Yes, we are here talking about internet home business scams and we want to give you some tips which you should follow while you are to start successful home businesses and make money.

• Avoid the offers of “start work at home business” plans which offer easy money without a basic business idea in place. These offers of internet home business are honey traps to loosen your purse strings. Think for a while before you are being carried away by those ornamental words.

• It is better not to indulge in internet home business plans based on the notorious pyramid schemes. Developing pyramids means that you get a commission when you are able to join new people to the home based business. This ‘Pyramid’ home business is profitable for those who had started it. Please note that pyramid home business is totally different from the internet based home business where you get a partial commission from selling the products and another part of money by joining people in your business.

• When you are starting your online home business, you will come across companies charging fees to give information. If the online home business opportunity is legitimate, then why should one pay for it in order to just know the procedure?

Every thing has both positive and negative aspects. There are risks associated with online home business too. You need to be alert and you will find yourself away from business frauds and scams running under the garb of internet home business. Just avoid the temptation of easy and quick money. Even the most brilliant business opportunity takes time and loads of effort to achieve the topmost position in the world.

Change your mind change your luck

When I was a young man, even a teenager for that matter, I always had an optimism that was hard for others to overcome. Even in the midst of the all the negative influences from family and peers, this positive optimism was difficult to beat down. I was powerful, I was lucky, life was magic. I remember it like it was yesterday.

It didn't matter how many times I was chased home. It didn't matter how many times the girls bullied me. It didn't matter how many times my father beat me. It didn't matter how many times the teachers picked on me. I just knew; This is not it! There is more greatness to come!

When I was kicked out and made to join the military, I wasn't feeling particularly lucky at that time but I still had that positive attitude. Sure there was grief, and I knew, I just knew that there were still great things to come. I did my military service and got out and that pervasive optimism, while struggling for a while arose and pulled me into the most amazing journey within another set of circumstances that saw many wonderful things happen.

As I remember, my body begins to remember. There is an energy that lives inside the memory, it's not just the mind. I am lucky. Life is good. Great things will happen. This is exciting. What next? Bring it on. Even when the bad stuff happens, it's acceptance was easy. "Okay, that's okay, this will pass and even greater things are coming." That's all I had to say. More often than not, these statements have proven true, time and time again.

It's the power of your mind and body. The power of belief. The power of faith. The power of trusting. It's inside - not outside. Energize yourself, your body, your mind, keep checknig in, keeping boosting yourself. It's a game and so is life. There are no winners and losers; just you. Abundance is everywhere, there is plenty of love, money, opportunities, peace, and more to go around! Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.

I'm writing this today from the memory that has come alive in my body, not just a mind-memory. The outcome has been new friends, new opportunities, new clients, new energy, new aliveness, joy, and happiness. Not just with life - even more - with me, my purpose, my talent and gifts, and the embracing of this knowledge and truth.

If you find yourself strugglnig with those truths of yourself, look at the negative influences that pull you from peace and eliminate them from your life. Better to be alone and soar like an eagle than to be in the company of oppressors and jealousy that robs you of your magic, your inspiration, your value, your purpose, and your life.

A victim no longer, take responsibility for the choices, the people, the actions, that are keeping you prisoner to your fears. Time for freedom, for love, for magic, for purpose and passion. Live out loud! Love freely!

Smart yearend planning - tax deductions

There are three main areas we need to keep in mind as the year ends:

1. Taxes

2. Corporate formalities

3. Planning for next year

Revisit the idea of converting your 10 largest expenses.

This is an ongoing process that should be done at least twice the first year. It’s not realistic to expect you will convert all of your biggest expenses the first time around because it’s too big of a task—this is a habit needing to be developed over time. Our largest expenses, habits, and businesses all change over time. As your life evolves, so should your deductions, so keep current.

Strategy: upstreaming income.

The goal of upstreaming income is to shift income from this tax year to the next tax year. Whatever your operating account balance is on December 31 will get added, as of January 1, to your last year’s income. If you have a $50,000 balance, for example, going into the next year, that’s taxable income. You therefore should upstream the money, making it no longer taxable for that year. This strategy is applicable if you have an S Corp, partnership, limited partnership or sole proprietorship.

How to upstream income

Upstreaming income is accomplished by setting up a new entity such as a management company with a different yearend than your business. A business’s income can then be shifted out of the 2006 tax year to 2007. You will want a contract and invoices to reflect this agreement between your business and management company. Move the $50,000 balance to your management company with a June 1 yearend, for example. The money should be moved ideally at least on a monthly basis, not just once at the end of the year. I recommend taking five to 10 checks out of your checkbook and put them in a file for the upcoming year. In January, if you find out you had some expenses you missed—it’d be a lot better to have a check in sequence that you can write from December.

Physical therapy as alternative pain relief

Many people suffer from chronic pain due to health conditions such as arthritis and menstrual cramps. while others experience acute pain as a result of injury or surgery. If you're a pain sufferer, you have plenty of options to ease those pains. While most pain relief medications come in the form of a pill, there are a number of alternative pain relief treatments such as snake oil which is now sold various shapes and sizes.

However, before trying any of these pain relief approaches, always make it a point to consult with your doctor. Some alternative pain relief therapies may not be appropriate for you or may have serious side effects, even if they are of the non-pharmaceutical type. There are factors to be considered including medical condition as well as patient history before undergoing any treatment.

Bear in mind that not all available options are perfect alternative pain relief treatments. While a certain pain relief may work to some people, the same remedy may not work with others. There are some pain relievers that do not provide complete pain relief. You may have to try a number of different strategies and combine some of them before finding an acceptable level of pain relief. As with any treatment, there may also be risks and side effects.

Many people would do anything to find a relief for their pains. One of the advantages of trying out a number of alternative pain relief remedies is that you may find a pain relief treatment that works for you. Penney Cowan, executive director and founder of the American Chronic Pain Association advises pain sufferers to take an active part in their own rehabilitation. People should learn pain management and to know their role in how to regain control of their life in order to live with the pain which seems to have taken over.

While there is no specific cure to pain, physical therapy is very effective alternative pain relief and highly recommended. Hayes Wilson, MD, chief rheumatologist at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and national medical adviser to the Arthritis Foundation, recommends physical therapy to almost all his patients because it teaches people how to take care of themselves. He believes in the clichй, “give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and feed him for life.”

Physical therapists are like fishing instructors who teach patients the self-management skills of pain management. Therapists encourage arthritis patients how to deal with pain in a day-to-day basis by showing them how to build up strength and improve range of motion, and how to make sensible decisions about activities to prevent arthritic flare-ups.

However, keep in mind that physical therapy is not intended to act as an elixir for pain, but rather, as an alternative pain relief treatment. In the case of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, which can take 10 to 15 years off a patient's life, physical therapy serves only as a supplement to immune-modulating drugs. While physical therapy can help decrease inflammation in osteoarthritis, the condition could worsen if swelling isn't fully addressed with the appropriate medicines.

Happiness in dating

Integrating two lives in any environment is at best a challenge. Integrating two lives that are in separate turmoil, on separate paths, and with separate ideas about life does not a magically make a happy existence. Relationships are constant work.

However, dating is the lightest level of being in a relationship and should be taken as such. You are not yet making mortgage payments with your date partner or raising children together so have fun and enjoy the whole experience.

Dating is the part of life that allows you free access to discovering the types of personalities that appeal to you in the opposite sex. Every date you engage in will not be a spectacular experience but if you learn something new or verify something you’ve touched on in the past from each date then it can’t be considered a total loss. You have to consider that dating opens your mind to new and exciting activities and it also prepares you for serious relationships.

Gone are the days whereby you are considered, as a woman, loose or promiscuous if you date a few men at once or many men overall in your dating career. And gone are the days where men feel pressured to take the first step toward initiating contact, plan the date, and pay for everything. The world of dating has encountered a silent solid revolution and as the perfect revolution goes no one was killed but improvements were established.

If you are a young participant in the dating world you may not even realize “we’ve come a long way baby” but as the new years will assuredly bring forth new and improved dating tips, secrets, and general etiquette the younger generations will see their own revolution occur.

As for the more mature participants (and this can include individuals well into their seventies) in the dating scene you have seen many changes. Maybe some of the changes have brought slight turmoil to the table of dating. But so many more of the changes must make you feel good to be alive, adventurous and vibrant. That is why communication with your date is imperative. Odds are you are dating a person close to your age. It is likely they recognize and feel as awkward with the changes as you.

Communication is important in all relationships. Dating is no exception. Honesty and integrity are important also. You don’t have to lay your whole life on the line to date, you simply have to set aside some quality time to indulge in meeting new people, experiencing new and old pastimes, and be a person that gravitates toward the happiness we as humans so often neglect.

Why fruits and vegetables are important

No single food can provide all the essential nutrients that the body needs. Therefore, it is important to consume a wide variety of foods to provide adequate intakes of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, which are important for health.

8 guidelines for a healthy diet

• Enjoy your food

• Eat a variety of different foods

• Eat the right amount to be a healthy weight

• Eat plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables

• Don’t eat too many foods that contain a lot of fat

• Don’t have sugary foods and drinks too often

• If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly

Fruit and vegetables

Fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables all count. Also, 100% fruit or vegetable juice and pure fruit juice smoothies count. Beans and pulses, such as baked beans and lentils also contribute to this group.

Choose a wide variety and aim to eat at least 5 different portions a day. A portion is approximately 80g (e. g. 1 medium apple, a cereal bowl of salad or 3 heaped tablespoons of peas). Servings of fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothies can only count as one portion per day no matter how much you drink. Beans and pulses (i. e. haricot, kidney, baked, soya and butter beans, chickpeas and lentils) only count once per day no matter how many different types you eat.

We do not and can not digest cellulose. This is a carbohydrate used by plants to make their cell walls. It is also called roughage. If you do not eat foods materials which contain fibre you might end up with problems of the colon and rectum. The muscles of you digestive system mix food with the digestive juices and push food along the intestines by peristalsis; if there is no fibre in your diet these movements cannot work properly.

Cluster b personality disorders

The DSM-IV-TR (2000) defines a personality disorder as:

"An enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations the individuals culture (and is manifested in two or more of his or her areas of mental life:) cognition, affectivity, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control."

Such a pattern is rigid, long-term (stable), and recurrent. It manifests itself in all areas of life (it is pervasive). It is not owing to substance-abuse or a medical condition (such as head trauma). It renders the subject dysfunctional "in social , occupational, or other important areas" and this impairment causes distress.

In the DSM, there are 10 distinct personality disorders (Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-compulsive) and one catchall category, Personality Disorders NOS (Not Otherwise Specified).

Personality disorders with marked similarities are grouped into clusters.

Cluster A (the Odd or Eccentric Cluster) includes the Paranoid, Schizoid, and Schizotypal Personality Disorders.

Cluster B (the Dramatic, Emotional, or Erratic Cluster) is comprised of the Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders.

Cluster C (the Anxious or Fearful Cluster) encompasses the Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorders.

The Clusters are not valid theoretical constructs and have never been verified or rigorously tested. They constitute merely a convenient shorthand and so provide little additional insight into their component personality disorders.

We start our tour with Cluster B because the personality disorders it includes are ubiquitous. You are far more likely to have come across a Borderline or a Narcissist or a Psychopath than across a Schizotypal, for instance.

First, an overview of Cluster B:

Borderline Personality Disorder is marked by instability. The patient is a roller-coaster of emotions (this is called emotional lability). She (most Borderlines are women) fails to maintain stable relationships and dramatically attaches to, clings, and violently detaches from a seemingly inexhaustible stream of lovers, spouses, intimate partners, and friends. Self-image is volatile, one's sense of self-worth is fluctuating and precarious, affect is unpredictable and inappropriate, and impulse control is impaired (the patient's threshold of frustration is low).

The Antisocial Personality Disorder involves contemptuous disregard for others. The psychopath ignores or actively violates other people's rights, choices, wishes, preferences, and emotions.

The Narcissistic Personality Disorder is founded on a sense of fantastic grandiosity, brilliance, perfection, and power (omnipotence). The narcissist lacks empathy, is exploitative, and compulsively seeks narcissistic supply (attention, admiration, adulation, being feared, etc.) to buttress his False Self - a confabulated "person" aimed at inspiring awe and extracting compliance and subservience from others.

Finally, the Histrionic Personality Disorder also revolves around attention-seeking but is usually confined to sexual conquests and displays of the histrionic's capacity to irresistibly seduce others.

New guidelines for high blood pressure treatment

Today, high blood pressure treatment emphasizes lifestyle as much as medicine. Approaches to lowering blood pressure may also involve using alternative medicines to supplement traditional medication.

In other words, sole reliance on drugs is now being replaced by more comprehensive methods of disease management.

One of the centerpieces of this approach is replacing a sedentary lifestyle with a more active one. Physical activity is very helpful in reducing hypertension.

Increasing levels of physical fitness has many benefits including bringing blood pressure closer to normal levels. Of course, taking up an exercise regimen should be done under medical supervision, particularly if the patient has been leading a sedentary lifestyle.

Exercise also cuts down on excess weight, which is another factor that pushes up blood pressure above normal levels. There is a strong correlation between obesity and hypertension and the latter can often be controlled by taking care of the former.

Stress is a big factor in most people's lives these days. And stress can contribute significantly to hypertension. Therefore contemporary treatment for hypertension includes making patients aware of the factors that contribute to stress levels.

They are also taught to manage these stress factors better. That includes managing the stress-causing situations better as well as managing the patients' internal reactions to the stress. The latter can include, among other things, yoga, meditation and relaxation exercises.

Many stressors cannot be eliminated, but may be successfully reduced. Both work and home related stress needs to be managed to help control high blood pressure.

A healthy diet is, of course, essential for hypertensive patients. They are advised to avoid excessive intake of dairy products and salt. Blood pressure can be controlled much more easily when diet is managed well.

Alcohol consumption needs to be moderated or eliminated. Now, there is some evidence that alcohol in small quantities can actually be beneficial to the body. However, continued excess consumption of alcohol puts considerable strain on many organs of the body including the heart. Part of the problem arises from the sheer bulk of alcohol, particularly if beer is consumed.

Foods like garlic and onions as well as some herbs have been found to contribute to lower blood pressure. Herbs that contain an amino acid called L-arginine are said to be useful for this purpose. Utilizing alternate medicine should be done only under adequate supervision.

There are also newer drugs to control high blood pressure, including calcium channel blockers. Some of these drugs effectively counteract side effects caused by medication.

High blood pressure treatment has evolved into a well-rounded approach that relies on more than just medication to handle the condition.

Fsbo open houses - what if you get an offer

You've decided to sell your home yourself and decide to have an open house to show off the property. Potential buyers come and you get an offer. What now?

Qualifying Buyers

Your home is looking sharp and you've got the word out telling people about the open house. Now you need to be prepared to take action if a qualified buyer attends, likes your home and wants to buy it.

Most qualified buyers will have a strong lender letter. If one of them wants to buy, you can move on to the next step. There may be people who come to your open house who would like to buy but don't yet have a lender letter. Let me suggest a mutually helpful alliance for dealing with that situation.

Call several lenders before you schedule your open house. Tell them you're planning an open house and you'd like to have a lender on hand to help buyers (even if they don't want to buy your home) figure out what they can afford. Tell them you'd also like them to help you evaluate any lender letter you're offered by a potential buyer. Choose the lender you feel most comfortable with and work out a mutually acceptable date for your open house.

You can introduce all attendees at your open house to the lender. This often proves to be helpful to you, some of the buyers who attend and can be a source of additional loans for the lender. Everybody wins.

Be Prepared for Action

You need to know how you want to handle a contract should someone want to make an offer. Do you have an attorney who will draw it? Are you going to suggest using a contract form? If so, have one on hand. Do you have a specific settlement company you'd like to use? Do your homework and think these things through in advance. Buyers may have ideas and connections of their own. You should consider any reasonable suggestion a potential buyer makes, but be prepared with your own approach if the buyer isn't sure how to proceed. The point is to plan your course of action in advance.

In Closing

FSBO sellers often worry whether anyone will attend their open houses. They are then happily surprised when people arrive. Such happiness can turn to embarrassment when an offer is made and the FSBO seller isn't sure how to handle it. If you think positively and prepare, this need not happen to you.

Health and beauty - celebrities and perfumes

Perfumes are one commodity that most people cannot leave home without. Perfumes make people smell nicer and refreshed. If you smell nice, you are automatically considered hygienically clean and attractive. If you've noticed, most people have a different type of scent and have a preference for the type of perfume they buy.

Celebrities have a preference for the type of perfume they wear as well. However, one trend that people have been noticing for quite a long time now is that instead of sticking to a preferred scent, they make their own signature scent. What used to be known as incensed based scents thus the word per fume or otherwise known as through smoke, perfumes are now named after famous celebrities.

If you've only noticed these up and coming perfumes, you are already a decade late. The first perfume named after a celebrity ever to hit the stands and actually boomed was the perfume White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. This move signified what would soon be a lucrative endorsement and investment for both celebrities and perfume manufacturers alike.

Previously, celebrities were limited to endorsing perfumes for it to become more established and well-known. Now, however, celebrities have been working together with specialists to make their signature scent, one that can be named after them. After Elizabeth Taylor's successful attempt at the industry, many more celebrities followed such as Cher and Michael Jackson.

This article will touch on the emerging perfumes and which celebrity is linked to it. In this article, you will also get to know the scents these perfumes have and which might just suit you. You never know, there might be a celebrity out there who shares the same preferences as you.

First off are the female celebrities and their perfumes. Among the female celebrities that have ventured into the perfume industry recently is Jennifer Lopez. She followed Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s success. Her perfume, Glow by J. Lo, was the one which paved the way for all other perfumes released under her name. After Glow, Jennifer Lopez released other perfumes Still, Miami Glow, Love at First Glow, Live and Live Luxe, and Glow After Dark. Aside from Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion also shared the success of the perfume industry. Shania Twain, Naomi Campbell and many more also ventured into the perfume business.

Celebrities who recently joined the perfume industry include Britney Spears, Donald Trump, Beyonce Knowles, Jessica Simpson, and Paris Hilton. Britney Spears, the pop princess who suddenly lost the crowd due to her unexpected incidents, has risen to the top once again with her clean comeback. Together with her return are the fans that still supported her. This was a great start for a star to once again live the glory of her name and what better way to do it than to make a perfume? Her perfume, Curious, has a characteristic floral scent of magnolia blended with a hint of Jasmine.

Donald Trump, though already a business mogul, rose to fame due to his very much appraised TV show, The Apprentice, and his active involvement in the World Wrestling Entertainment. Very much like him, his self-titled perfume Donald Trump, has a spicy and peppery scent well-suited for the male gender.

Beyonce Knowles, Jessica Simpson, and Paris Hilton also rose to fame recently and have caught on the perfume fever. Beyonce released a perfume called True Star, which is characterized by a clean, fresh and floral scent which works well for feminine girls on the go just like her. Jessica Simpson's Taste perfume has a white chocolate and coconut cream scent which reflects her taste for food and her love for these items. Paris Hilton and her self-titled perfume has a signature frozen apple intertwined with Mimosa Blossoms speaks very vividly of a girl who always wants to be in the limelight.

Perfumes are not only limited to women as you have seen with Donald Trump. There are also many more male celebrities who have chosen to have a signature perfume. Among these male Hollywood stars are Antonio Banderas, Carlos Santana, David Beckham, Enrique Iglesias, Marylin Manson, and Michael Jordan. If vintage perfumes are more your style, there are also perfumes that exist along with stars who have established themselves in the early years. These stars include Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, and Marylin Monroe.

Celebrities do not only see the perfume industry as a means of making money, the industry itself sees celebrities as a saving grace to a falling campaign. The life of a perfume used to extend to as long as six to seven years because the interest of the people remained quite loyal to a single brand back in the days. However, the citizens now want what’s in and new. Having up and coming stars to endorse or make a signature scent is what the public wants. Well-established celebrities also make good business out of the endeavor because they already have a huge fan-base who is as loyal to a brand as they are to their favorite celebrity.

However, whatever the new rave in celebrity perfumes may be, it is important to keep in mind that when picking a scent, it should be one that is good on you and not just good on your favorite celebrity. Each human body may have different chemical reactions to certain perfumes and so the results may not be as consistent. You may stay loyal to your celebrity but also remember that the final say should be yours.

Enticing children to read more books

Kids have the perfect mindset to get lost in the joy of a good book. Books for kids are ultimately the inspiration for healthy imaginative play, long term reading skills, and even the springboard for theoretical conversation at the dinner table. While kids are often on the go and don’t take the time to slow down for a good read, introducing your kids to the joy of reading a good book isn’t as insurmountable as it seems. A little creativity on the parent’s behalf, and you will have a budding reader reluctantly putting their book down to move onto life’s other demands.

Books for kids help to develop their already active imaginations. There really is no such thing as an unimaginative child, just kids with varying imaginative qualities. While one child might be able to imagine underwater cities and create friends from thin air, other children might be conjuring up the next Windows application or mentally developing the technology to hook up 12 gaming systems to a single television without ever unplugging a system again. Developing your child’s unique imagination through books starts with what they are already showing you on a daily basis.

The reasonable argument for enticing kids to read books that are outside of their element includes expanding their horizons. Of course, over time, that’s a fabulous idea. For the immediate enticement stage, it is more likely to be a successful venture if kids are reading books that interest them from the title to the back cover. Let them choose their own books. Nearly all American children’s presses are highly selective about child and young adult reading material. Children who read age appropriate books are not likely to run into objectionable material. However, parents can usually read a thick young adult book in a few hours if there is any concern relating to material.

For the obstinate television watching child, a family reading hour is a great way to entice your children to read books. Start small. Give the entire family a half an hour to read their book and then twenty minutes or so to talk about what they are reading. Chances are, by the end of the first week, the kids will be requesting a few more minutes to finish their chapter or will even take the book into their bedroom to continue after family reading hour has concluded. Younger children will benefit from being read to from books for kids.

Books for kids that stay within their vocabulary limits (with a few challenges for good measure) are more likely to hold their attention than books written on an adult level with language that is too hard for children to grasp. An over achiever may want to break out Shakespeare at the age of eight, but they are not likely to get much out of it, even if they won’t admit it. If children are being read to, it is acceptable to bump up the language a notch or two, as children can often hear the language used and understand it much faster than if they are trying to read it and comprehend it.

Finding books for kids that they will love and you will enjoy having them read can be easily done online. Bookstores are great for titles that are unknown and new authors. Online bookstores often carry out of print books, significantly reduced books, and books that are a little “out of the way” and unique for the hard to please child. Online book selections are easier for parents to determine than for kids. Often kids need more than a page of text to know whether they think the book is perfect or not. Encouraging them to read a series of books for kids can keep them reading for a long time, and then the habit will be well established and moving onto the next title is simple.

Books for kids have a lot of competition these days. Television with 24 hour a day, 7 days a week cartoon and specialized children’s programming, computer games, video games, gadgets that fit in their pocket, DVD players in the car, and there’s probably a few kids out there with electronic gizmos on their bikes are all competing for a kid’s attention. Turning them into an avid books for kids lover takes a little disciplined creativity at first. Rules about the electronic gadgets and gizmos can help establish reading time and story time before bed (what kid doesn’t want to delay bedtime?) can help offset the chronic competition that books for kids face. Parents who love to read are more likely to have kids who love to read. Parents who can at the very least appreciate the books for kids and delve into a book for an hour a day can teach their children to love books. Parents who read to their kids help establish a great vocabulary, better communication skills, and have a marvelous and special bond centered around some very special books for kids.

Learn the basics of income and expense statements

As a commercial real estate insider, you will need to evaluate income producing properties. You do this by analyzing the income and expense sheets of the subject property in which you are interested.

Income and expense sheets do not involve fancy finance or numbers, and you do not have to take a difficult finance class in order to decipher the numbers and what they mean to the end user.

It is very important for you to understand the basics of income and expense sheets so you can verify how much money the property is actually producing, as well as spending on expenses such as maintenance, perhaps utilities, and other such costs.

With most properties you will be able to get the income and expense sheets from the broker or even owner of the property. If the property does not have one, then it is probably extremely mismanaged and is need of many changes. This might be a great fixer upper property, as long as you recognize the risk that comes along with it.

Most income and expense sheets will look similar for real estate. However, if ever there is an item you do not understand, or it seems odd to the property, simply ask the broker or agent for assistance in explaining that item. The item could possibly be something specific to the property, or a scam that the accountant is trying to play to make the property appear either better, or even worse than it really is. Do not pass up an item because you do not understand it. Get the details, and treat it like an important part of your investigation.

The most important aspect of income and expense sheets is the result between the two categories. This is expressed in the following simple equation:

Gross Rents (Income) – Operating Expenses= Net Operating Income (NOI)

Net operating income is how you determine how well a property is performing, as well as determine the cap rate, which is used to find the selling price of a property.

So let’s look at the income and expense sheet to understand the basic items that you will find.

Income: The income is all the money a property generates through rent, laundry rooms, vending machines, utilities (if tenants pay own utilities), perhaps game rooms, if the property is a hotel, and any source that generates cash for the owner. This is recorded in a specific period, often weekly, monthly, quarterly, or year-to-date. Be sure to know which period the specific income and expense sheet is for because it makes a huge difference if the numbers are from a month or a full year.

When evaluating a property, it is a good idea to view the yearly income and expense sheets, as well as the three to five before it. You want to view how the property has performed overall, and identify any odd changes or trends in the numbers. Remember that income is often separated by each department in which it is generating cash. This is where you might find odd items and need to get clarity before making a decision on the property’s performance.

Operating expenses: Expenses are often divided into two different categories, operating and fixed expenses. Operating expenses are the activities that cost money to operate the actual property. They can differ from month to month, depending on the activity and changes in the property. Management and other such expenses can be considered operating expenses - what ever costs are associated with operating the property itself. When these expenses are reduced, then you can increase your overall income.

Net Operating Income: The NOI is the balance on the property after the Operating Expenses have been subtracted from the total income. Notice the NOI is only the gross income, minus the operating expenses. If the number is negative, as shown in parentheses ($20,000), then it is considered a loss. If the number is positive, $60,000, then it is shown without parentheses. The NOI is the unleveraged return that any owner or investor would yield if the property were operated in the exact same fashion as it is currently.

Fixed expenses: Fixed expenses are the costs a property has every month, independent of activity and operations. These are expenses outside the business of operations. Debt service and income tax paid are two examples of fixed expenses. Sometimes income and expense items may be in the wrong place, so be sure to put them under the right category yourself, and calculate the results.

Cash at end of year: This is the overall cash that is available to the owner to do with what he or she will, after all expenses have been subtracted from the total income. This amount is determined with depreciation in the equation. So if you had subtracted it earlier, then be sure to add it back to the net income.

A few notes on the expenses found:

Repair and maintenance expenses: By looking at the repair and maintenance expense, you can determine how well a property has been taken care of, in addition to inspecting the property yourself. Each year there should be about 5% of the total income spent on maintenance and repair. If there are bigger jumps than that, the property may have undergone a major change or renovation. You can ask the owner or broker as to why the numbers either drastically increased or decreased during a certain period, and they should be able to tell you.

Management expense: Management expenses should be identified on the income and expense sheet, and if they are not, then the validity of the report needs to be questioned. Always include an amount you would pay someone or yourself to manage the property because it is a viable expense if the owner managed the property as well, then perhaps he or she did not put in a number in the way of management, but it is absolutely necessary.

As you can see, income and expense sheets are not difficult to read. What can be difficult is getting the support for some odd numbers that you will occasionally see on these reports. Ask questions and investigate the numbers if need be, to get a solid idea of how the property is exactly performing, and how much the property is actually worth. To practice, ask a broker for a few income and expense sheets he or she may have from prior properties. Review them and see if you can identify all the major categories, what they mean, and how they are used. You will have the reviewing of income and expense sheets down in no time, and will be successful in determining a property’s value.

Home equity debt consolidation loans - 3 things to know

Decided to consolidate your debt with a Home Equity Loan? That may be a very smart idea! Consolidating your debt allows you to make just one monthly payment, and home equity loans tend to have low interest rates and tax perks too, which could save you money. But before you borrow from the equity in your home, remember these three things:

It's not available to everyone.

Just because you "own" your home doesn't mean you'll be able to get a Home Equity Loan. The equity you have equals the value of your home minus the amount you still owe on it. So if you only purchased your home recently--or home values have fallen in your neighborhood--you might not have any available equity. Moreover, a lender will also assess your credit and financial situation--such as your credit score, current employment and income--before approving your loan application. Although it's a lot easier to get approved for a home equity loan than other types of loans, some borrowers may not qualify.

Your home is at risk.

With a Home Equity Loan, your house is collateral for the loan. So if you have problems making payments, the bank or lender can actually repossess your house. In general, you should only borrow from a home equity loan for debt consolidation if you're absolutely certain that you'll be able to make the monthly payments.

You may not save as much as you think.

People assume the interest they pay on a Home Equity Loan is tax deductible, and in most cases they're right. However, there are some states in which Home Equity Loan interest is not tax deductible, so check out the rules and regulations in your area before you sign up for the loan. Also, watch out for fees, charges and other extra costs that may be attached to your loan. Paying lots of points and fees could mean that you're not saving as much as you think with your Home Equity Loan.

Although a Home Equity Loan can be a smart, low-cost way to consolidate debt, make sure you carefully research your decision--and weigh the pros and cons--before signing on the dotted line.

5 simple steps to make 2006 the best year ever

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So how was your 2005? Was it by far the best year of your life? I mean over the top, you can’t wait for more? If you are like most people, you probably answered no. If you had the choice of spending the same 365 days and just surviving it or having the best year of your life, which would you choose? Of course you would choose the best year of your life! You know what you would prefer, you always get the same 365 days each year, so what is getting in the way and how do we get it out of there?

First, let’s start with the question, how did you do on your Top 3 goals in 2005? Most people don’t even have a top one goal, let alone a history of what they did on their top 3 goals. Well, let’s turn that around right now.

Step 1: (Spend only 30 seconds on this. REALLY!) Pick your number one goal in each of the following categories. Physical, Financial, and Relationship. STOP! Do it now. We are talking only 30 seconds and then write the goals down.

If you had achieved these 3 goals in 2005, do you think 2005 would have been your best year ever? If you answer is anything but YES, redo Step 1 with bigger goals.

We have done it. In only 30 seconds. Can you believe it? Finally, you are starting your new year off with actual targets that will make your 2006 the best year ever. How much better do you feel knowing you now have clear targets to go after? It kind of takes the anxiety out and allows you to get down to business. You know what you want, now let’s get you there with Steps 2 through 5. Remember, you have only 4 and Ѕ minutes left.

Step 2: Turn your Top 3 Goals into your Top 3 one year goals. If you can not complete your Top 3 Goals in one year, reduce them down to where you can complete them in one year. Make sure you don’t reduce them down to the point where they don’t inspire you, but just enough to make them one year goals.

Step 3: Choose 3 people to hold you accountable to your top 3 Goals, one person for each goal. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We jump from goal to goal never achieving any of them. Once you achieve one of your goals, the new ideas that you will start having will be 1000 times greater then the ideas you are having right now. Just know that these goals you just wrote down ARE the ones that are truly important to you, because you were not given enough time to think about choosing them. They were already there.

Step 4: Get out a blank piece of paper. Choose one of the persons that will be holding you accountable. Write Dear at the top of the paper. Followed by, I, promise to consistently make progress on for the entire year of 2006 until it is achieved. I will give you monthly updates on my progress. Sign your name on the bottom. Do the same thing with your other 2 goals.

Step 5: Give those papers to the respective persons and post your goals in a location where you can review them daily. Update your new accountability buddies on your progress and look out 2006.

Congratulations on completing this exercise. I hope it took you 5 minutes or less. It is actually better the quicker you do it. It prevents all the second guessing that naturally takes place. If you skipped over these exercises you will never understand their power. It’s like the difference between imagining you are standing at the edge of a cliff and actually standing at the edge of cliff.

Once you achieve any of your top 3 goals, you will be flooded by ideas that are 1000’s of times better than before you started on these goals. You can not imagine what you will have access to once you complete just one of these goals. Good luck on your best year ever!

How to ensure good performance of a very fast car during extreme weather

Although driving fast during extreme weathers is not really a good idea, there are times when circumstances would push us to test the limits of our very fast cars. If you happen to be one of those people who are always in a hurry to get somewhere even during bad weathers, you should make sure that your car is in top shape all the time. Always remember that very fast cars can be quite difficult to control during extreme conditions and if you are not prepared for these things, you could end up in a hospital a bed. To help you keep your very fast car in top shape, here are some things that you need to consider.

Buy The Right Tires

When it comes to very fast cars, changing tires regularly is a must. Never take the tires of your very fast car for granted or you will pay for your negligence dearly. Aside from changing tires regularly, you should make sure that you have the right type of tires for your car. According to experts, you need to use different types of tires to match with the season. For instance, during the summer, you need to install summer performance tires that provides good grip during warm weather. After the summer, you need to switch to another type of tires that are suitable for snow and ice. Always remember that summer performance tires perform really badly during the winter so you should never use them during this season. If you are not very familiar with these types of tires, go to your favorite tire dealer and ask about these types of tires.

Check Your Engine Power

If you are planning to drive very fast cars in extreme weather conditions, you better check the engine power first. Although powerful engine can be a lot of fun to have on very fast cars, they are not really very safe especially on slick roads. According to experts, high powered engines can make your very fast car skid on the ice causing you to lose control of the vehicle. This situation can be very dangerous especially if you are driving on the express lane. There have been a number of recorded cases of pile ups in the fast lane due to skidding vehicles so be very careful. You do not really want to risk hurting yourself and others. To help you control the power of your very fast car, look for a feature in the car that gives you more traction control.

Forex can you make some quick money

It is a little known fact that the foreign exchange market, trading upwards of $2 trillion daily, is the largest and most liquid in the world. Until recently, small, risk oriented investors were unable to tap into this market because of the size of transactions and stiff financial requirements for entry. That has all changed. Entry requires only a minimal amount of capital, opening the Forex to almost all investors.

Can you, as a smaller investor, make some quick money trading on the Forex? The answer is yes. But, wait a just a minute, not quite so fast!

One of the perceptions among smaller speculators is that the Forex offers an easy way to make money quickly. While that can be true, there are a number of precautions that the neophyte should take before committing to any sizable trades. Forex education is absolutely vital before you jump in feet first.

Even before beginning to develop knowledge of how to trade and what trading strategies to adopt, understanding a few basics is in order,. Unlike other markets (i. e. stock exchanges, etc.) the currency exchange market does not have a central, physical location for conducting trades. Trading is carried on directly between banks, foreign currency dealers and foreign investors using computer terminals, telephones and broker desks. Thus, foreign exchange trading is over the counter.

Indeed, most currency exchange trading takes place online. This accounts for the recent burgeoning growth of the Forex. Trading may be conducted 24 hours a day from anywhere worldwide. Anyone connected to the internet from their home or office may be a trader, and there has been a rush of investors to this market in search of quick money.

Fortunately, speculators entering this market can take advantage of the many free tutorials available on the internet. Beyond anything else, if you are a beginner, it absolutely critical that you refrain from serious trading until you have gained sufficient confidence by paper trading in a demo account. Making that first trade can be an intimidating proposition if you are a first-timer. Forex brokerages have recognized this, and most have created methods where the novice trader can gain some hands-on experience without having to risk real money. With a demo account, a new investor can practice making trades for a period of time before seriously dipping into the hectic arena of currency trading.

Another cautious way of approaching the Forex market is to avail your self of a mini-account offered by many brokers. Here you can get your feet wet with a smaller initial investment than with a full blown trading account.

One of the characteristics of currency trading is that profits can be realized in a matter of minutes, even seconds, unlike what you may have seen investing in stocks. This is attributable to rapid and random variations taking place in the foreign exchange market. So, it is in this fevered environment that you can make quick money.

Although nothing in the investment world is really easy, there are a considerable number of online signal services which can make earning profits in the Forex easier than you might think. A signal service will monitor the market for you and send any new developments of significance to your computer, cell phone or pager. This way, you can keep abreast of market changes as they occur in real time, offering you greater likelihood of making sound trading decisions.

A word of caution is in order. Numerous scams are showing up where companies offer to do your trading for you. Avoid these like the plague. Craft your own Forex strategies with an expert and trade solely on your own or through a licensed broker. No one should ever do your trading but you.

Yes, you can make money quickly in the Forex market. Trading goes on 24 hours a day in this highly accessible, highly liquid market. Opportunity always lies at your fingertips. Take the cautious approach outlined here. Probe the accumulated knowledge base in much greater depth using online broker services, free tutorials and demo accounts which will provide you the foundation you need to make quick money trading on the Forex.

Scouting for cheap medicines

Spending for prescription drugs just seem to keep on getting higher every time you go to a pharmacy. Making some changes in your lifestyle might help reduce your need for medicines. Chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, and low back pain can be managed better if a patient engages in regular exercise, loses excess weight, and consumes a balanced, healthy diet. Most likely, the patient who practices these self-care methods would also have lesser medicine requirements.

It is common knowledge that being under constant medication is expensive, and in itself, is a source of anxiety for patient. Going without medicine, however, is not an option. But what often escapes the notice of many patients is the availability of safe, affordable, and effective prescription medicines. Generic drugs are cheap medicines that were made specifically as the less expensive duplicates of brand-name medicines. The first step is to consult a doctor or pharmacist about the generic equivalent of the brand-name medicine that was prescribed for a particular condition. Generic medicines are made according to the same strict U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards as brand-name drugs and therefore have the same quality, strength, purity, and stability as their more expensive counterparts. However, not all brand-name medicines have generic equivalents.

When scouting for cheap medicines, it is important for the pharmacist to know the patient’s medical history, including all the prescription and over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, and herbal alternatives that were taken or are being used by the said patient. Knowledge about a patient’s medical history will help prevent negative drug interactions, side effects, and other medical problems.

Scouting for less expensive medication is best done by going to online drugstores. These virtual pharmacies in the Internet offer very affordable products and price discount promos. Going online to scout and buy medicines will also save you trips to the pharmacy which usually involves patiently navigating through heavy traffic and standing in line.

Another strategy that can help you save money without losing drug effectiveness or safety is by pill splitting. Some tablets are available at double the dose with the same or almost the same cost as lower doses. By splitting the larger dose, you can essentially get two doses for the price of one. However, some medicines should not be split, including timed-release pills and capsules.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your prescription medicines are sold at higher dosages and if it's possible to split them. Talk to your pharmacist about how to split pills with an inexpensive, easy-to-use pill splitter.

Those who are using a certain medicine for the first time should not get more than a one-month supply. If possible, get only one-week worth of medicine so that when the medicine doesn't work and needs to be changed right away, you are able to save paying for more than you actually used.

But if you are already taking a medication on a regular basis, buying medicines by bulk can also save money. Many pharmacies and online sites offer price discounts for bulk purchases. Ask your doctor if it's possible to have a prescription for several months' supply of medicines that you can take consistently. Always remember that your insurance company may limit the amount of medicine you can get at one time. Sometimes the cash price for a 3-month supply of medicine is less costly than if you were to pay the insurance co-pay each month for three months. Mail-order services can often save you money on large orders. But make sure to use only trusted, reliable pharmacy Web sites.

For cheap medicines, try over-the-counter alternatives for your prescription medicine. However, they usually come in lower strengths. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for instructions on how to take them.

According to recent studies, antibiotics are not always needed. These often-expensive medications should only be taken when it is prescribed by a doctor. For example, up to 80% of ear infections get better even without the use of antibiotics. Likewise, up to two-thirds of people with acute sinusitis improve on their own without antibiotic treatment.

Some private and State-funded programs should also be looked into as a source of cheaper or even free medicines and health care services. Patient assistance programs from some pharmaceutical companies offer free or discounted drugs for people who cannot afford them. Some non-profit organizations provide doctors and other health care providers with the information they need to access these programs, which include state programs for seniors, disabled, and low-income people.

While the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) offers medicine assistance program to people with rare diseases whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to pay for their prescribed medicines, the Veterans Administration offers prescription drug coverage for retired veterans, their families and survivors.