The annoyance of the three paragraph essay

So we begin where we have so diligently been instructed to start, at the beginning. Our teachers berate us over topic sentences and main ideas using the terms interchangeably but stressing that they are distinctively different from each other. It is that paradox which boggles my mind and evokes writer's block. I like to consider that I have more fulfilling things to do than to keep track of which is which in my first paragraph. I would much rather get a root canal than agonize over some imaginary division between essential two words that mean the same thing to me. Remember that the topic sentence is to introduce the subject matter. For example a proper topic sentence for piece of work would be, "I hate three paragraph essays." The main idea would probably be the same thing but together differently or I think you have to explain it. After deliberating through that issue and introducing the topic we are told to write a transitional sentence and push ourselves to get to the bulk of the essay where you explain your subject.

Most instructors dictate that you have at least three points of defense and/or explanation. I assume three was chosen because it is the number of the trinity or because it was inspired by Hitler's Third Reich. The three paragraph essay is stifling to creative expression in its rigid structure. An English teacher once tried to explain the divinity of the three paragraph essay by comparing it to a triangle saying, "The triangle is one of the strongest structural shapes, which can endure a great amount of weight that's what makes it perfect for an essay." I personally don't appreciate the comparison, because in my opinion the triangle is the most dangerous shape. It has pointy ends which can break skin depending on the degree of the angle, but that's geometry. It has also been brought to my attention that a three paragraph essay looks like a fat chick. A small light bit of writing on top followed by a heavy middle section ending with a little bubble of words for feet. It just isn't proportional or aesthetically pleasing. The three paragraph essay also doesn't lend itself to an agreeable flow of thoughts. Everything of significance is crammed into the center. Three paragraph essays read more like an E. E. Cummings poem whereeverythingisranintoexaggeratetherateofspeechorthought. Jokes aside, it really does push everything in to close together. Readers that skim through derive very little because there are no breaks between the thoughts to slow them down to take matters into consideration. New ideas should not just be broken down into sentences they can be expanded into paragraphs so one has more room to explain. Having only one paragraph pressures writers to use concise words, and let's face it some of us don't like to visit words outside of: good, bad, cool, dumb, and weird.

The three paragraph essay of course cannot do without the conclusion. So, this gives the writer an opportunity to be redundant by saying what they have already wasted our time with. Three paragraph essays are rigid, terribly proportioned, and dull to look at and read. That's why writing three paragraph essays are annoying to write.

Left handed golf

Left handed golf players might be scarce in numbers compared to right handed golfers but statistics show that there are a lot of Left handed golf players out there. It used to be rather difficult to find left handed clubs in stores, but that is gradually changing. It is becoming more and more common to find sets of left handed clubs in sport stores. The best way for a left handed golf player to play golf is to use the right golf equipment. Experts recommend left handed golf players wait until they can get suitable left handed golf clubs and the best place for this is over the internet.

Golf Buy It Online has an incredible range of left handed golf equipment for men, ladies, senior and junior golfers from irons to putters and drivers to wedges and more. You’ll be able to find left handed clubs from all the best brands in golf such as Ping, Callaway, Mizuno, Cobra as well as many others.

Left handed irons can be found in sets and individually and feature the likes of Ping Golf G10 Steel shafted Irons, Nike Golf Ignite Steel Shafted Irons, Callaway Golf X-20 Steel Shafted Irons and more. Left handed putters that can be found at Golf Buy It Online include Odyssey Golf White Hot Number 9 Putters, Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Detour Putters, Nike Golf Ignite 001 Heel Toe Putters as well as many others. If you’re looking for left handed drivers then you’ll be able to find Taylor Made Golf R7 Superquad Men’s Drivers, Titleist Golf 907 D2 Drivers, Callaway Golf FTi Graphite Square Drivers and more at Golf Buy It Online.

Left handed instructors are starting to become more common with the rise of famous left handed golfers recently. The most notable left handed golfers on the PGA tour include Mike Weir and Phil Mickleson, who are two of only three lefties to win a major championship.

As golf continues to expand and appeal to more people, the options for left handed golfers are becoming much more diverse. Still, the best tip for left handed golfers is to look online at Golf Buy It Online for your left handed golf needs.

Football betting myths

Given the massive popularity of the NFL, it's surprising that the sport is shrouded in so much betting misunderstanding and misconception.

Let's try to separate betting myth from reality:

Myth #1: Betting lines are created to beat the public.

Reality: With the exception of the Super Bowl, the public plays almost no role in the linemaking process. The betting line is created and adjusted to meet the opinion of professional gamblers because it is they, not the casual fan, who bets serious money on the game.

Myth #2: Betting lines get balanced action.

Reality: While the goal is to construct a betting line that is of equal attraction to both favorite and underdog players, it rarely works out that way. More typically, a third of the games on the NFL schedule will have an insignificant amount of betting to cause much of a concern, another third will have active but balanced betting and the remaining third will have mostly one-way action. Traditionally, how the house fares on these lopsided games, called "decisions," determines whether books win or lose.

Myth #3: Bookmakers have inside information that they use to establish "trap" games.

Reality: Nowadays, with nearly everyone having access to the Internet, it's not so much the information as how well that data is interpreted. Bookmakers still may occasionally receive information regarding injuries or weather changes before players, but thanks to technology, that advantage often can be measured in seconds. Many years ago, if a bookmaker found out some significant nugget of data, he might try to lure the bettor to the "wrong" side. Those days are gone as inside information has all but ceased to exist and there is no such thing as a "trap" game.

Myth #4: Bettors have the edge early in the season because oddsmakers and bookmakers need more time to assess the teams.

Reality: More hours are spent analyzing the opening week of the NFL season than any other is. A detailed, in-depth assessment of NFL teams begins more than a month before the opening kickoff. While it's true that teams often do not tip their hand during the preseason or against weak, non-divisional foes, players are in no better position to uncover this deception than are bookmakers. Historically, the first six weeks of the season have been very kind to bookmakers. That's probably not just luck.

Myth #5: Professional gamblers pick their spots, betting just a couple of games a weekend.

Reality: Actually, sophisticated gamblers bet a lot of games. Think of it this way: If you're a successful gambler, why risk serious money on just a few games where a freak play or an official's call can make you a loser? The wider the net is tossed, the less of a factor luck becomes in the outcome.

Myth #6: Wiseguys bet more on games they really like.

Reality: More than any misconception, this myth probably best illustrates the difference between how professionals and amateurs think. A professional gambler believes that if a game is worth betting, it's worth betting significantly. Professional bettors generally wager approximately the same amount on every game they play. The concept of a "best bet" is a media creation that is foreign to professional sports bettors. Professional gamblers believe all their bets are good ones; that's why they make them.

Myth #7: Bettors can win by concentrating on a specific conference, division or region.

Reality: Not likely. It's not enough to have one specific area of expertise because the NFL schedule demands that teams play half their games outside their own division. Knowing the strength of a team is worthless if you don't also know the strength of the opponent.

Myth #8: Statistical wagering trends are important.

Reality: Technical analysis may be popular but it's hardly meaningful. Professional bettors put little faith in the favorite/underdog, home/away pointspread analysis that so often is cited by gridiron "handicappers." It's just another method of backfitting dismissed as irrelevant by wiseguys.

Myth #9: It's never wise to bet on rumors

Reality: Oh, yes it is. For example, if a professional bettor hears a rumor that Peyton Manning has the flu and is too ill to play quarterback for the Colts, he'll quickly bet on Indianapolis' opponent. If the rumor is correct, the gambler has stolen the line on a game that's certain to change. If the rumor is false, then he's played Indianapolis' opponent at a fair price. Since most lines are accurate, the bettor takes little betting risk in chasing a rumor.

Tips on choosing a good watch

A Watch is the single most important accessory that is worn by any person. The watch stands for a whole lot of things. It represents the person's, character, personality, taste, interest area, and last but not the least, gives a fair idea of his/her financial status.

The contemporary watch

The design of contemporary watches can range from the ultra-modern to the classic and from fun to chic, and everything in between. It comes as no surprise that there is a watch for every occasion. Moreover, more and more companies are coming out with watches that suit the different moods of a person.

There are special watches that can be used while embarking on a particular activity, like deep sea diving, mountain climbing etc. On the whole there is an innumerable choice out there which specifically caters to the different and continuously changing tastes of the people.

Difficulty in choosing

Choosing a watch for your needs is a difficult process, so imagine what choosing a watch for somebody else might mean. It's a pleasant headache if not anything else, as what you select might not be the choice of the person whom you select if for.

Your choice is after all your own choice, and will have no bearing on the personal taste of another. So what is the right watch for you? How do you select a good watch? Here are a few tips that might just help you decide. Read on.

The need

You must thoroughly analyze what you need the watch for. Answer questions like: Do I need the watch for regular use? Do I want it for a special activity? Do I want one for special occasions? Where and when am I going to use it? Etc.

This is the first factor that would dictate your choice of the watch.

The purpose

The purpose of the watch is of paramount importance. You might be surprised with this tip, but the fact of the matter is that people, these days, don't just buy a watch to keep track of the time.

They use it like an accessory and a thing of beauty. For them, time is just one aspect, but more importance is given to the fact, whether the watch will complement their attire or appearance.

The features

So what are the definitive features that you are looking for in the watch? Is it a great design? Do you want a luminous dial or a simple one? Do you want a watch, where a date is shown as well as time? Do you want it to show, specialized features like altitude height, depth etc.

All watches have certain key features, which are common across all watches. However, if you want some exclusive features, then your can pick those that have a certain amount of style, and have a classic, romantic, or a futuristic range of features.

The watch face

It’s the face of the watch, which is the deciding factor, when you buy a watch. The face of the watch must be such that, its size is commensurate with the wrist size of the person who is going to wear it.

For e. g. if your hand has a big wrist, and you select a watch with a small face, it will look ungainly and supremely inelegant.

The safest bet for males is a big watch face, while for females it is a small watch face.

The strap

Many a times, people don't put too much of an importance on the strap of the watch. However, it might be a good idea to give due thought to the strap. Some straps don't gel together with the watch, or might not complement the overall skin tone and color. They look out of place.

The best bet has always been a stainless steep strap. It is durable and looks good. Another option is a leather strap; however, it's not suitable for all occasions.

The price

Watches come in a whole dynamic range of prices. They can suit the constraints of each and every pocket. Exclusive watches are expensive, and there is quite a lot of snob value attached to them.

It’s advisable not to go overboard, when you buy a watch and you must spend well within your means. Some watches have a good re-sale value. Make a bee-line for such watches as even if you want to change them after a couple of years, you can sell them at a fair price.

Resistance to water

Almost all watches, these days, are water resistant. This is really an important consideration, as there will be numerous instances of your watch being brought into contact with water.

Make sure to ask the vendor, about the degree of resistance to water. For many watch makers, the term "water-resistant" means different things.

You won't go wrong if you consider the above tips, while buying a watch. A word of caution here: Steer clear of impulse buying, while buying a watch.

Birdwatching a free and fascinating pastime for all

My first experience of deliberate birdwatching took place in Richmond Great Park. The time; 1966, the occasion; one of the first dates with my (now) husband. There I was, all dressed up and ready to knock him out with my drop dead gorgeousness (memory plays strange tricks as you get older!) and there he was, luring me into the undergrowth of the park, hissing to me to keep my head down. No, it wasn't this bird's feathers he was after observing, but a green woodpecker that he had spotted. It must have been love on my part because, although I don't remember seeing the flash of emerald, I do remember getting my trendy high boots covered in mud.

And that was the first of many times that I have shared the joys of avian observation with my spouse. He had been a committed twitcher from an early age. As a boy, a family friend had dragged him along to many birdwatching expeditions, from sighting a large wader (a ruff) on a one time sewage farm, soon to become the fifth terminal at Heathrow, to happy weekends spent observing the many migrants arriving on the Norfolk coast from Europe.

Birdwatching is one nature pursuit that just about anybody can get something out of, and most of us have 'twitched' at some time in our lives. What child hasn't fed the ducks, or pigeons? That's the good thing about birds. They are so accessible. You can see them almost everywhere at any time of the day. And you can hear them; blackbirds and nightingales have been immortalised in song and verse. The ubiquitous gull can be heard far inland; pigeons coo vociferously in our city centres; rooks squawk as they arrive at their evening roosts and starlings chatter as they gather in flocks on our roofs, telegraph wires and urban trees. No other wild animal group is so easy to see and admire. The skill of flying, and therefore the ability to get out of the way if needs must, has been a boon for the latent birdwatcher in all of us.

That birdwatching foray with my husband to be was the first of many enjoyable observations of our feathered friends. Some I will never forget. Standing on top of the Preseli hills in Wales and listening to the liquid bubbling coming from the throats of hundreds of curlews in the gathering dusk of the evening; sadly not a common occurrence nowadays. Or that magic afternoon, cycling along a country road with my young son and counting 32 larks as they rose skywards from the fields either side of us. Another sight, rarer now than it used to be, was the spectacle of thousands of starlings darkening the sky and turning as one with a whoosh of wings, above the field next to our first home; We've watched puffins and guillemots on Skomer island off the coast of West Wales and along the seashore we have seen countless flocks of all sorts of waders. And how to describe the thrill of seeing two peregrine falcons screeching over a deceased pigeon that they were devouring at the base of a sea cliff; or watching red kites circling lazily in the thermals above the hills of mid Wales.

And there are always more. I'm so glad I've seen at least one dipper, incongruously running along a stream bed, underwater feeding. Another stream frequenter, the heron, can also be sighted, perched in prehistoric stance, in the middle of a field. What is it doing? I am assured by that fount of all bird knowledge (my husband) that it's on the lookout for a tasty mole; and sometimes, if we went out on a Summer night, we would be lucky enough to catch sight of a little owl, staring down at us from his high perch on a telegraph pole.

We called one of our houses Hafod Y Wennol, Welsh for summer house of the swallows, because, in it's previous life as a cow parlour, the swallows had swooped in and made their little mud nests on it's walls. We felt so guilty at evicting them from their home, especially after such a long and perilous journey from their Winter habitat somewhere in Africa. But swallow poo is prolific and not to be tolerated indoors; and they did have a garage and another barn to breed in. For many years they were a significant part of our summer; the sighting of the first arrival was always noted. Their twittering and swooping round the farmyard a never ending source of enjoyment; their gathering on the telephone wire and subsequent departure a gloomy time, heralding as it did the approaching winter.

And at our next home, a tall Edwardian town house, we had the amazing luck to be the Summer residence to a flock of swifts, whose ariel acrobatics, as they screamed past our windows, would have put the Red Devils to shame. We never tired of watching as they swooped and dived after insects, banking at the last second when it seemed they must collide with the house wall. It was better than television!

We have been lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the country where birdlife is prolific and constant. But town dwellers have opportunities too. In any urban garden a wide variety of town birds can be seen; especially with a little bit of encouragement. Introduce a nut feeder and a bird table and, abracadabra, in an amazingly short space of time there will be blue tits, robins, blackbirds, sparrows and various finches; if you're lucky there might be the odd nuthatch. The tiny wren might hop about underneath, picking up any titbits and, if, they all suddenly scatter for no apparent reason, look up to the skies and search for the shape of a sparrowhawk, on the lookout for an unwary prey.

Yes, bird watching is something that you can do all through your life; from a window or outdoors. Introduce your children to this fascinating world and they will have a pleasure that will last and last; it's free entertainment and an excellent grounding in learning how to appreciate some of the wonderful world around us.

Bad debt loans ensures that debts no longer trouble bad credit borrowers

Borrowers with a bad credit history have little credibility among the loan providers. The debt burden further tatters the faith that the individuals would have enjoyed. In fact, debts are considered a prelude to the bad credit history. Debts become unmanageable and when not paid in full result into County Court Judgements and bankruptcy. These further result into bad credit history.

The chain of events leading up to bad credit history can be given a break through a bad debt loan. Bad debt loan is a debt consolidation loan designed particularly for borrowers who have suffered or continue suffering from bad credit history.

As in any debt consolidation loan, the ultimate aim would be to find a solution to the immediate problem of debts. Bad debt loans function in a manner similar to the debt consolidation loans offered to the regular borrowers. The borrower lists the total debts that are remaining unpaid, and the loan provider renders an amount equivalent to the debts, sometimes even lesser. This is when the unsecured debts form a majority of the debts. Such debtors are easily lured into lowering the amount repayable. The borrower is assisted, since he has to take a lesser value of bad debt loan.

Gaining faith of the loan provider has ceased to be as uphill a task as it used to be in the yesteryears. Loan providers have accepted bad credit as a regular phenomenon. The large number of people who have contracted bad credit history has contributed largely to this acceptance.

Loan providers employ other innovative means to safeguard the amount lent as bad debt loans. Principal among these is demanding a collateral from borrowers. Such loans are termed as secured bad debt loans. Though the borrower is obliged to repay in full the bad debt loan, both secured and unsecured, only the secured bad debt loan gives loan provider the right to directly claim repossession in cases of non-payment. This clause lessens the risk involved in a bad debt loan. The excessive interest that borrowers have to shell out on account of the bad credit history also gets toned.

The amount offered under bad debt loans may not be equivalent to the amount desired. Borrowers will have to do with a lesser amount. Cautious lenders try to play safe by lending up to 60% of the collateral pledged. The amount ranges from Ј1000 and Ј100,000 for between 1-25 years. The repayment term is enough to allow borrowers to plan well for the repayment.

Online Bad debt loans were launched to benefit borrowers who found it difficult to visit loan providers while their own work was getting hampered because of non-attendance. This has now become common with a majority of the borrowers preferring to apply online. Loan providers have other reasons to favour online loan processing. The regular rush of borrowers and personnel to deal with the rush can be safely eliminated if the applications are made online. Duplication of work relating to documentation is minimised. Faster approval of the bad debt loans is thus facilitated.

Bad debt loans result in substantial improvement in the credit status. Regular repayments made on bad debt loan shows the borrower’s commitment to the credit process. These are positively reported in the credit file. Improvement in credit status will be beneficial both on the current loan and any other loan that the borrower plans to draw in the future. The borrower has better chances of the repayment schedule being made less strict in the event of financial depression. Borrower gets a better deal when the current loan is sought to be refinanced. When the borrower approaches for a new loan, he need not be penalized for a bad credit history.

What you should know about smallmouth bass fishing

Smallmouth bass fishing is one of the most popular leisure activities of Americans today. The good thing about smallmouth bass fishing is that is very relaxing. According to experts, smallmouth bass fishing can help fight stress and help a person live better quality of life.

Getting Acquainted With Smallmouth Bass Fishing

There are a number of things that beginners should know about smallmouth bass fishing. If you are still new to smallmouth bass fishing, it would be a good idea for you to acquaint yourself with the different habitats of the smallmouth bass. Note that knowing where this type of fish lives and how they behave in their natural habitat is very important.

Generally, smallmouth bass prefer to live in cool water and follow the trail of their food sources. This type of fish is very sensitive to pollution in the water so you will not really find them in areas that are polluted. Another thing is that this type of fish is very sensitive to the changes in the temperature so they tend to move from one place to another during the year to find cooler places. In most cases, the smallmouth bass stays deep into the water during the summertime if you insist on doing some smallmouth bass fishing this summer, it would be best for you to find the deep portions of the river. For beginners, smallmouth bass fishing during the summer can be quite difficult so you will need to take an expert guide with you if you want to catch some fish. If you cannot afford to hire a guide, try to go with a friend who has been doing smallmouth bass fishing for quite sometime.

Favorite Habitat Of The Smallmouth Bass

Rivers are one of the favorite habitats of the smallmouth bass thus if you want to go smallmouth bass fishing with your friends, you should go to a clear river. The rock strewn part of the river is usually the favorite hiding place of the smallmouth bass. Find an area on the river that has hard and gravelly bottom. These places are usually the best spots for smallmouth bass fishing. In most cases, you can find the big ones at the back of boulders and rocks. On the other hand, you should stay away from soft sandy or muddy areas of the river when you go on a smallmouth bass fishing expedition. This type of fish does not like to live in muddy or soft sandy areas so do not waste your time trying to find them there.

Wall mounted jib cranes

In order to effectively lift and maneuver unwieldy and extremely heavy materials and objects around the workplace, wall mounted jib cranes are probably the best available solution, and offer a great deal of flexibility and high performance to ensure maximum wallproductivity gains are enjoyed.

There are a number of material benefits of a wall mounted jib crane over other similar alternatives, and these benefits vary between accessibility issues to the level of weight that can be moved, as well as the overall stability offered by the unit when it is in use as a lifting agent. Perhaps the most important benefit of mounting a crane on a wall rather than having it set as a floor based movable gantry is that when mounted on a wall, and secured into place, the space that is required on the floor is minimized.

By allowing operators and machinists to have 360 degree access to materials on their benches, you can ensure that they are able to carry out tasks much more quickly, and thereby improve their work productivity.

Different cranes are required for different tasks, and wall mounted jib cranes are most useful in situations where your staff need to be able to lift extremely heavy objects into place in order to work on them or carry out eye level inspections.

A wall mounted jib crane must be securely installed, and when properly fitted and tested, weights of around 2,000 pounds can be lifted by the arm. Rotation of 180 degrees is possible where space allows, and with a jib length of up to 89 inches available, these units offer a wide range of access to make manipulation of otherwise unwieldy objects a much simpler proposition.

The ideal method of mounting one of these units for optimal security is on a vertical girder. The actual height can be set appropriate to your business needs, but it is recommended that for safety the minimum height of the jib should be well above head height. The jib must be fitted horizontally, and is supported by an 85 inch cable for stability. The actual lifting gear can be moved along the jib, as required, and both electrically powered and manual lifting is possible depending on the individual installation.

Where a lower roof space precludes the use of a cable staying system, a wall mounted jib crane with a cantilever is recommended. Thanks to a back weighting, similar levels of stability are possible, although the overall weight of the unit is marginally higher. Performance levels are identical, with lifting capabilities up to 2,000 pounds possible, while a 90 inch jib length means excellent access to a wider area of the work shop floor and more flexibility for staff.

Regardless of the exact system that you opt to install in your workplace, you will find that the wall mounted jib cranes are both efficient and hardwearing and will serve you well in the long term. Purchasing one of these fine lifting systems should be seen as an investment in, rather than a cost to, your business.

What makes a good credit card

There are plenty of great credit cards on the market, but there are also plenty of bad ones too.

The biggest problem is that what can be a good credit card for one person can be a bad card for someone else. So, how do you know what makes a good credit card for you?

Here are a few tips to help you decide what will make a good credit card for your needs:

Take your time

The best way to find the right card is to take your time and shop around for the best deal. Even if you have a card already, you should periodically check new deals. Your current card company could be offering a better rate to new customers that you might be able to take advantage of if you ask them. The more time you spend looking around before signing for anything, the better deal you will get.

Examine the rates

One concept that is universal to all good cards is a card that has a low rate. It is better to get a card with low rates and charges, as this will save you money. Try and stick to fixed-rate cards as the interest rate will not rise as often as with variable rate cards. Any change in interest rates will usually be imbedded within the mountain of post you get sent by a card company, so remember to read the mail you get from your lenders.

How you will pay?

Another important factor to consider when choosing a card is how you will pay each month. If you plan to pay the minimum payment each month, you need a card that will let you do this. If not, then a card that you have to pay back the whole balance each month might be better.

How much you want to pay back each month will affect which cards are best for you.

Honesty is the best policy

Whatever card you are looking for, you should make sure that you are honest with yourself. If you are unrealistic then you will end up with a card that isn’t right for your needs. Getting a card that has a great introductory rate but then a high rate after is only good if you can really afford to have a zero balance after the initial offer period. If you are honest about your financial status and your ability to stick to a budget then you will find the right card for your specific needs.

Extra perks

Although it might seem attractive to get a card with all the extra bells and whistles like card protection and air miles etc, these cards might be more expensive. Make sure that any extras you are offered are things that you really need, and find out how much they cost. The best cards are usually those that have the fewest features, as you get lower rates and therefore a better deal.

How to launch your business on a shoestring budget

In the beginning of any business, you may not have a lot of money to spend – especially when you're trying to work from home. Without the backing of a corporation, you're the only one you can turn to for start up funds. While you might be able to take on a business loan, sometimes it's better to try to get things started with your own money to see if your business idea is something that will succeed. The good news is that you don't have to have a lot of money to get started – only $100 to $200 will do it. Here's what you need to get started on your home based business.

Research Comes First

When you're first starting out, it can help you to research other similar companies to find out what they're doing and how you can borrow their ideas. You will also want to find information on how to do the not-so-fun tasks of your internet based business – bookkeeping, tax records, etc. But much of this information can come at a steep price. However there are a few free or nearly free ways to do your own research. The library is a great supplier of books on starting and running a successful home business. Even if you can't take the books out, you can sit in the library and photocopy the information you need – for free.

Online is Where You Need to Be

If you don't have a lot of money to get started, one of your first priorities is going to be to get internet access. While you can use the facilities at your local library for a while, this is not the most flexible option. You can now find a number of dial up internet service providers that cost less than $30 a month, though the connection time can be slow. If you are able to spend just a little more, try adding a DSL connection to your phone bill services. This is a much faster internet connection, plus it can be cheaper because you're combining phone related service.

Using the Internet to Your Advantage

A home based internet business needs a place where customers and clients can go to learn more about what you offer. You'll be happy to know that websites are not only easy to build and edit these days, but also quite cheap. Just start by buying a domain name for your website address (it can be as low as $20 a year) and then go shopping for a web host provider. Web hosting is generally quite low too, but is paid on a monthly basis. What's great about hiring a web host provider, however, is that you can get many free tools with which to create your website and then change it as your needs change.

Free Traffic is Free Profits

When you establish a website, you need to make it something that will be seen by the customers you are targeting. There are numerous (free) ways to do this.

Post free articles on websites

Create a blog that links to your main website

Purchase an email list to send out free emails with a link to your site

Add keyword specific articles to your website

Make sure to link with other related sites and ask them to do the same

All of these steps are simple and free of charge, letting you reap the benefits without costing you a cent. The more traffic you get to your site, the higher the profits for you and your products.

Starting your home based internet business doesn't have to be an expensive endeavor. In fact, it just might be the most cost effective way to become a successful business person.

Camping party planning

Camping parties are normally multiday events. Organizing a party away in a camp environment has its challenges. A camping party is the combination of a destination party and a beach party. It requires a great deal of planning and preparation.

Among other challenges, you have to be ready to train people how to set a tent, make a safe campfire, and more. With all its challenges camping is always going to be a hit with kids and most adults. A camping party is a unique event that can include all the good things of any kind of party and more.

Partying while camping offers an opportunity for not only campfires, but sing-alongs, ghost tales, and lots and lots of fun stuff you would never think of at a party hosted at a private home.

Camping is a lot of fun but it is not without its challenges. If you hate bugs, are afraid of bears, or you can’t live without all of the comforts of your home, camping is not for you. If you don’t enjoy sleeping in a tent, or in an RV, you may reconsider having a party while camping. Public restrooms and showers mean you have less privacy than in your own home or in a hotel room. While many enjoy the break from the comforts of everyday routine, for some it is nothing short of a nightmare.

Camping requires a lot of planning and preparation. The less prepared you are the less fun you will have. If you don’t prepare the necessary food, equipment, spices, and whatever you may need, chances are will have to do without them. Make sure you check with camp management about the rules and regulations, so you avoid unpleasant surprises. Some campground may have rules against dogs, open fires, noise, etc. Make sure you call ahead and understand the rules before committing to a campground. Before you make a reservation, check with the campground for any dangers you should know about such as bears, snakes, or moving waters.

Popular campsites fill up quickly, especially during popular holidays. Be sure you make your reservations extra early, if you plan your party around some of the biggest holiday dates such as Memorial Day, The 4th of July, and Labor Day.

Pepsi 400 daytona international speedway

After numerous frustrating finishes, Tony Stewart finally won at NASCAR's most famous track. Stewart dominated the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 last year, but still needed a dramatic four-wide pass to move to the front, then pulled away on a restart with nine laps left to seal his first Nextel Cup victory in 14 starts at Daytona International Speedway. “Winning this race at the Daytona 500 or at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the best win a driver could ever have” Stewart said. But Stewart will settle for this for now, he celebrated by climbing the fence into the flag stand to claim the checkered flag. It was his second consecutive victory and showed that the 2002 series champion can still be a contender. He started from the pole, led a race-record 151 of 160 laps, and moved to third in the standings Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, but the history of auto racing at Daytona goes back much farther than that. In 1936, the precursor to today's Daytona 500 was born on a course that went down 1.5 miles of highway.

William H. G. France, a mechanic and racer who'd moved south from Washington, D. C., eventually took over the job of running the beach races on the second of two courses used for those events. In 1947, he presided over a meeting at Daytona's Streamline Hotel where NASCAR was born.

A decade later, France began working on his showplace. "Big Bill" France was building it, he insisted on 31-degree banking in the corners. That's as steep as he could make the turns and still keep the machines putting down the asphalt from tipping over.

When drivers gathered for the first Daytona 500, it was an eye-popping experience. Drivers were more accustomed to half-mile dirt tracks and saw the 1.366-mile paved track at Darlington.

Bob Welborn ran 140.121 mph to win the pole for the first Daytona 500, and Lee Petty won in a photo finish over Johnny Beauchamp. It was at Daytona International Speedway where Junior Johnson discovered that if he tucked his car right behind another one, he could go faster than he could run by himself. And drafting became a part of the sport.

Get the latest NASCAR odds at WagerWeb. com

An internet business could make you a lot of money

An internet business is often the ideal type of opportunity for people who have to juggle other commitments and therefore can not work normal hours. If by chance you actually do stumble on a good idea it is amazing how fast the business can grow and generate revenue.

The trick then is to find the right type of internet business; one that will not eat all your capital before it starts to generate a return. Hopefully the profits you generate will either be based on a subscription basis or on receiving repeat orders from satisfied customers.

There are so many businesses on the Web competing and trying to market their wares. Unless you have identified a niche where margins are high and you have a unique selling proposition, chances are that you will not be successful.

You will have to answer the following questions before you can even think about building your website: What makes your offering different from the rest? Why should somebody buy from you? What can you do better, faster or cheaper than everybody else?

Choosing the right products to market on the internet is only half the battle. Then identifying which key words you want to target on the search engines, building a proper website that actually converts the traffic to paying customer and finally satisfying their demand so that you can earn from them time and time again is the other half.

When starting an internet business from scratch it is important to choose the right domain name. The name should have the main keywords that you want the business to be found by the search engines. So for example if you are supplying exclusive men's shoes then something like exclusivemensshoes. com would be ideal for your business.

Again your business name should reflect your choice of domain so calling your business Exclusive Men's Shoes would fit the bill. This will help in your battle to secure targeted traffic via the search engines.

OK, so now you know what you are marketing and you have chosen the right domain name and business name; how do you get to appear on the search engines for your chosen keywords?

This is the really tough bit! You will need to build quality inbound links to your website. Some search engines do not like paid listings whilst others frown on non relevant links. One of the best ways to build quality inbound links is by writing expert articles on your chosen field and then publishing them on article submission sites.

People who have websites that focus on the same subject matter as you will find these articles but are only allowed to use them on their websites as long as they retain the links pointing back to your website.

If you are lucky and persistent enough you will end up writing one or even a few killer articles which will get published on many websites and might even get translated into different languages!

Obviously there is a lot more to starting a successful business then just the basic techniques outlined above. Read my previous articles on the subject and you will discover a lot of simple techniques that you can use to make your internet business a success.

The world has turned ebay so what s a e-shopkeeper to do how to turn cyberdust into cybergold

Admit it or not, the world has “gone Ebay”. That is not a bad thing at all, really. People enjoy the convenience of shopping online and often are bargain-hunting.

So what does that mean to us, and “who are us”?

Well, we are the entrepreneurs who are feeding our families (and often stray animals in my case) and make our living selling our wares on the Internet.

I now own a number of e-commerce businesses, and they do very well, but I learned something along the way (from our customers) that now seems important to me, and I had to be flexible to make changes to accommodate them. Many of my own customers want to sell my products, but don't necessarily want to be an affiliate. Affiliation is either confusing to them, degrading, reminds them of MLM, or a thousand other reasons (and many of them valid) for not wanting to go that route.

They want to sell my products on Ebay. I can understand the psychological and emotional advantages of that. It is for a variety of reasons. It offers them more control. They want to buy wholesale from me and sell retail there (or close to it). They, like me, want to live “the American dream”, and part of that dream, these days, it seems, can consist of a. not answering to a boss b. working at home in jogging suit or pajamas c. not working on commission but having control of purchases d. the ability not to have to handle inventory but drop ship. In other words they want their only investment to be their membership and listing fees on Ebay.

“Ok,” I decided. I can live with that. I enjoy shopping on Ebay too, or one of the shopping channels like Shop. com or Mysimon. com or Shopzilla. They are all fun and unique and it's great to be able to compare prices and such.

So finally, after 10 years in the “cartoon trade” or “image licensing” (and publishing), I decided to take my images wholesale. But I waited until I could find a manufacturer who could make the clothing, not just the funny t-shirts, but all kinds of clothes, high quality and low cost. It took four years of searching.

Now our firm has the ability to sell one or ten thousand of the same items wholesale, and drop ship them at no cost to our clients. It is our “brand” and we can offer unique images on the clothes that nobody else can, very similarly to Ralph Lauren exclusively offering the Polo emblem, except our emblem(s) happen to be single panel cartoons.

This has been done, of course on tees, sweatshirts, and caps, and yes, we do that too, but in addition, we decided to do our own line of “designer cartoon-wear”; which I don't think has ever been done before, at least not to my knowledge. We can produce items for men, women and children and have them out the door priority mail worldwide within 24 hours. Not bad. And offering a 30 day unconditional guarantee doesn't hurt either.

Adding these extra values makes people want to buy more often from you. We have clients from Peoria to Italy (all reselling on shopping channels, Ebay, and from their own E-commerce websites.

It really feels good knowing I am able to sell a product line that nobody else has, and sell they enjoy it enough to resell it and make a good profit.

Instill good eating habits in children for good health

As we are besieged daily by more news of overweight and obese children in the United States, we are reminded that our children aren’t eating healthfully. And it’s our fault. Our children follow our lead, trust our judgment and take our advice.

It’s our responsibility to make sure children are eating a healthful, varied diet. But that’s truly a tall order since children are often not open to new foods and will willingly and loudly reject a variety of healthy foods.

So what do you do? There are several steps to getting your children to eat better, be healthier and, hopefully, keep their weight in check.

First, set a good example.

If your children see you skipping breakfast, woofing down a burger for lunch and eating a beige, carb-laden dinner, they are learning very little about good nutrition from you.

Remember that your children are watching what you do and, as with so much else, they are taking your lead. If your diet needs re-working, use your children as inspiration for that change.

Second, go slowly.

If your children are accustomed to fruity pops for breakfast and chicken nuggets and fries for dinner, definitely go slowly in making changes to their diet. If you suddenly give them a smoothie with a protein chaser for breakfast and a spinach salad for dinner, you will meet with resistance, substantial resistance.

Start with slowly adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet. You can offer a fruit smoothie with breakfast (maybe make it with frozen yogurt to begin with to literally “sweeten the pot”, then taper that off as your children get used to it). Switch from white bread to whole wheat. Make this a non-negotiable item. If they are used to cold cereal in the morning, allow that, but add the smoothie. Then adjust the kind of cereal they eat, and so on.

For lunch and dinner, it’s much the same. Make changes slowly, and get your children accustomed to one thing before making another (hopefully subtle) change. Remember, some experts say it takes 10-12 exposures to a new food before children will accept it. They might never accept brussel sprouts, but if you have offered them a dozen times in various forms, you might be surprised one day when they say, “yum”.

Third, make it fun.

Since many adults consider healthy eating to be torture, imagine how hard a change this can be for a child, particularly if they’ve literally been raised on carbs, sugar, and fat. If you’ve set a good example, and been patient by moving slowly in changing your child’s diet, you might be surprised to see some resistance fading away. Now you can add in some fun.

* Head to a salad bar restaurant. Although there are abundant bad choices at these restaurants, there are enough good ones to bring even the most resistant child to the baked potato bar, or the spaghetti bar, or even – gasp! – the green salad bar. Dessert is often frozen yogurt.

* Or make your own Lunchables for your child, but fill the individual spots with grapes, cheese cubes, carrot sticks and turkey breast.

* Take your kids to the park for a picnic dinner, but instead of hauling along some fried chicken, make oven-baked at home, and add a homemade potato salad and fruit salad. *Get your kids into the kitchen with you. Although they might still sniff at the thought of eating asparagus, having a hand in preparing it might encourage them to at least try it – that’s the child ego coming out and you can exploit it for all its worth in this situation.

Stuck on scrapbooking host a party

If you're stuck on scrapbooking, you have lots of company. More than 26 million Americans are snipping, trimming and gluing along with you. And why not? Scrapbooking is a great way of preserving cherished moments for future generations-whether it's that great family vacation to Hawaii, a best friend's beautiful wedding or even your beloved pet.

Hosting a scrapbooking party is a new way to create lasting memories and offer a fun activity at your next get-together. Here are some easy ideas to get you started:

Scrapbooking Party Tips

Theme-Enthusiasts at Skinny Cow®, the low-fat ice cream treats, point out that the best parties are a lot sweeter when they have a theme or are thrown for a special occasion. You might want to give a friend a wedding or baby-shower-themed crop party and have each guest design one page for an album that you can give to the mother-to-be. Other great scrapbooking parties can be thrown to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays and graduations.

Invitations-Make your invitations stand out by using your stellar scrapbooking ability to announce your party. Remind your friends to bring their own scrapbooking supplies, including their albums, scissors, trimmers, stickers, pens and other tools.

Atmosphere-Help your friends get into the scrapbooking state of mind by setting the scene with playful decorations. Provide sufficient room and good lighting for them to create their masterpieces. A little background music can also go a long way to set the mood for a memorable girls' night in.

Games and Prizes-Motivate and energize your friends by playing games with fantastic prizes. You can give an award for the best page of the night. Another great activity involves "progressive layouts," a game where each person works on the pages of the other guests one at a time for a timed period. In the end, each guest will have a memory-filled page that every other guest has worked on.

Favors-Who doesn't love to receive gifts? Give each guest a sticker pack, die cut or other scrapbooking item. To add another layer of sophistication, match your gift to the theme of your party. Your friends will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Sweet Break-This is everyone's favorite part of the party. Keep your friends coming back by offering a delicious treat, such as Skinny Cow low-fat ice cream treats. Set up an area away from your guests' work space to serve the ice cream. Go the extra hostess mile and serve the ice cream sandwiches stacked in tiers like a layered cake so everyone can pick her favorite flavor.

Here's a tasty idea for a cake you don't have to bake.

The Skinny Cow

Cake Recipe

4 Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich six-count multipacks*

Just before serving, assemble the ice cream sandwiches in four layers. Place nine sandwiches close together on the bottom layer; seven sandwiches on the second layer; five sandwiches on the third layer; and three sandwiches on the top layer. Mix the four different flavors within each layer for an eye-catching assortment. Makes 24 servings.

*Multipacks come in four crowd-pleasing flavors: vanilla, mint, strawberry shortcake and chocolate peanut butter.

For a sweet break, you can serve this tasty ice cream sandwich cake that you don't have to bake.

Sitemap generators good investment for online businesses

For those who are not familiar with sitemaps, a sitemap is quite simply a map or a guide that lists all the sections and pages of your website. One may find that a lot of websites have this feature, particularly the HTML type, for the benefit of users or visitors who have specific needs that may be answered by content in your site that is not readily located by clicking on section links or using search engines. It is a practical way of ensuring that users of your site are able to maximise the site to suit their needs.

Aside from the HTML sitemap, other types are the Text and XML sitemaps. A text sitemap is a simple text file containing your website’s list of URLs, and that may then be submitted to a search engine, such asYahoo, to inform them that the pages are up. This, then, allows their search engine spiders to visit the site and index it for future searches. An XML sitemap, meanwhile, is one in a formatted file recognised by Google Sitemaps that helps the search engine index your site’s URLs and keep track of changes made in the site.

Those who do business online recognise the reality that their sites need to be constantly updated with offerings and content that are interesting and in high demand, to keep the business running. As your site grows with more and more pages, while the increase of similar sites—your competition—threaten to reduce your hits, an updated sitemap proves more vital in the survival of your venture. Moreover, using all three types of sitemaps can help boost exposure for your site.

For this job, owners of big websites or a multitude of small online businesses can make use of free sitemap generators available online. Purchasing an unlimited version sitemap generator is also a good idea for the most updated sitemaps. You can think of using sitemaps as free or low-cost advertising for your business.

Online businesses with constantly updated sitemaps of their websites can make sure Internet users who are voluntarily seeking out specific information will find their way to the site’s content that even closely matches their needs. For instance, when a user does a search for a specific product, an updated sitemap can help a website with a wide array of product offerings to be included in the results and provide the user with a direct URL. Consequently, both the website and the user benefit from it; with the help of a sitemap, the search engine takes the user directly from the results page to the relevant web page, and with more people easily finding your site, business profits are not that far behind.

The easy way to build sitemaps for your site is to find a website generator that creates all three types of sitemaps. One such product is provided by XML-Sitemaps. com, which has basic the information on sitemap generation, as well as easy to follow guidelines.

Do you have an ebay store

In this article we look at the benefits of having an eBay Store. Selling on eBay does not require you to have an eBay Store, but it sure does make things a lot easier.

There are 3 store subscriptions you can sign up for with eBay Basic (15.95/month), Featured (49.95/month), & Anchor (499.95/month).

Now most people starting out will of course go for the Basic store and not the Anchor. You would need to make huge profits to go for the Anchor store. We’ll talk more about the Basic, and Featured Stores here.

If you have a Basic Store you may want to consider upgrading to a Featured Store. Things have been changing with eBay stores and some of things I’m most thrilled with is the $30/month allotment of eBay Keywords.

Free Keywords

Yes, that’s $30/month each and every month worth of free eBay Keywords. With eBay Keywords you will drive more traffic to your listings by putting your ad at the top of the page for the keywords you choose. This also separates your store from other listings. This can significantly increase your store sales.

More Pages

With a Featured Store you get double the web pages! Which only increases your presence on eBay. You can also reduce the size of the eBay header on your pages giving you a page that’s more focused on your business. This helps build your own brand on eBay, and you can match it to your website.

Advanced Reports

With a Featured Store you get advanced monthly reports and traffic stats you can access anytime. I just love looking through my reports to see all the in-depth info that the reports give me. The Path Analysis allows you to see how visitors move around in your store. This is so important as you develop your business.

Owning an eBay store will not only bring you more sales, but it’ll cost you less by using it in the long run. These are just some of the many advantages of owning an eBay store. Once you own one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t go for it sooner.

Safe online shopping top tips

When you start shopping online, you will be quite excited by the sheer variety and quality of goods that are open to you. There is plenty to see and most of it can be brought directly to your door. Just remember though, that shopping online is still a comparatively new thing and because it is such, there are a few precautions that it would be wise to take. This won't hamper your ability to buy things from most sites, but it never hurts to be careful!

The first thing to remember is that if you recognize the name of the company, you're probably in good hands. This being said some shops online you will not of heard of as they operate purely online. This enables them to keep costs down and pass the savings on to you the consumer. If the place that your buying from has a physical store location, they'll have a lot invested in making sure that your information remains secure and that you won't have cause to regret buying from their company. If they operate only online then check to see if they have customer service numbers displayed. This way you will know if you do get a problem you will be able to call them direct instead of being restricted to email communication. This can get very annoying if you need to chase information on delivery or in the unlikely event that you have a problem with your purchase.

Similarly, you should look for secured pages. When you go to enter your credit card information into the fields, check to make sure that the "http" in the URL has turned into an "https." Another helpful hint involves looking for the lock symbol to appear in the upper left hand corner. This shows that you have hit a secure, encrypted page and that your information will not be visible to just anyone who logs in. A secure page is one that can only be accessed by someone inside the company itself. Also, seeing only numbers at the beginning of URL is also a sign that you may be a scammer's site, even if you see the lock. When in doubt, check into the reputation of the company.

Where you login can also affect the safety of your purchase. When you are getting ready to pay, don't use a shared computer, whether it is at work or at a computer center or cafe. Remember that none of the information that you put onto a public computer should be considered "safe."

When you come to the place where you decide how to pay, remember that the safest method of payment will always be the credit card. Credit cards have better tracking than other forms of payment and payments can be stopped if necessary. Debit cards will withdraw money directly from your account and that money may not be recoverable if worst comes to worst.

Remember that most of these precautions are not necessary under most circumstances. Online shopping is very safe, but you should always be safe rather than sorry!

Cruising for special needs accommodations

If you are disabled or have certain special needs, you can still have a cruise ship adventure. If you fall into this category, your best bet is to consult with a travel agent to find the best cruise line that will accommodate your needs.

No two cruise lines are quite alike, so comparison shopping is required when choosing your options. Your particular disability could be the deciding factor on which cruise to take. For instance, not all cruise ships can accommodate wheelchairs easily. Cabins are notoriously small, so you must get dimensions to determine if your wheelchair will even fit inside your room.

Luckily, some of the larger cruise lines have specially designated cabins that have wider doorways. The bathrooms are large enough for a wheelchair to roll right inside. The closets are built for a lower reach and the elevators have controls easily accessible for those people sitting in wheelchairs. Some cruise lines will have collapsible wheelchairs available, but it is highly recommended that passengers bring their own. If motorized wheelchairs are in use, you must bring your own charger that is adaptable to a normal 110 volt plug.

Part of going on a cruise is experiencing the various ports of call. Small boats called tenders are used to carry the travelers from the cruise ship to shore. Every effort is made to ensure that wheelchair bound passengers get to experience these ports of call. However, the tenders that take passengers to shore are not always accessible or safe for the disabled. If the wheelchair bound does manage to safely get to shore, certain ports of call may not always be equipped to handle special needs.

Hearing impaired passengers can also request special accommodations. Some cruise lines will offer ADA (American Disabilities Association) compliant rooms. They will have tele-typewriters (TTY) or telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD). These cabins might come with ADA approved kits which include visual smoke alarms, door sensors so you know someone is at your door and even alarms that vibrate.

Travelers with guide dogs or other service animals will have a tougher time finding a suitable cruise. Each port of call has different rules and regulations regarding animals. Your travel agent can check with the Department of Agriculture for each port of call to determine their guidelines. Sometimes the services animals could be denied permission to leave the cruise ship.

Special nutritional needs are also accommodated on many cruise lines. Vegetarians have options as do those passengers who require low fat, low salt or low cholesterol diets. Guests with lung impairments that require oxygen can cruise too, but must ensure that they have a plentiful supply of oxygen for their travels.

One of the caveats for disabled guests or those with special needs is that you should be autonomous and travel with another companion in case any support during the cruise is required. No matter what infirmities you may have, the cruise line should be notified upon booking. However, with special planning for your special needs, you should be able to have an extra special adventure!

Mister upload your free musical upload service

The archaic period of File uploading sites has come to an end. Once termed as an innovative style of resource sharing has leaped from being just a file sharing resource to an online community of sharing and storing information. Misterupload. com is developed for all music lovers to share and store their musical files on this prophetic free music upload site. It’s meant to share with care.

Being from an entertainment industry, I have seen lot of upcoming artists trying to use internet as their launch pad for showcasing their talents. They didn’t achieve their goal, but ended up storing their valuable collection on site without even getting applauded for their effort. This site is not showcasing or launching any new talent but only gathering and building an online community where everyone can share and store music with everyone else with ease.

Misterupload. com is the first music uploading website. It offers uploading facility from the free account to a maximum size of 700 MB. Stumbling across the uploading sites is something I do a lot. I bought myself a premium account without drilling a hole in my pocket, to avail the indispensable features like the support for resuming downloads and to create folders online on my account, to name a few. You must have uploaded files from other uploading site but for how long did your uploaded file stay there? With my premium account, my files stay there as long as I want them there, may be even for the whole life.

There are other file uploading sites which are very convoluted to use but Misterupload. com is a user friendly website, allowing just about everyone from beginners to musical prodigies to share and store their files. It allows multiple uploading from 5 locations on a free account and doubles it in its premium category. After uploading the file, the account holder is given a URL, which enables him to share it with others. Unlike other uploading sites, there is no delay in either downloading or uploading the files.

A business plan defines your business strategy. On the similar thought, Misterupload. com was developed. Its perceptible goal of sharing and storing music files is depicted in the sumptuous features like uploading using forms, flash files, directly from URL’s and also using FTP. Premium account has been given the privileges of unlimited downloads and resuming downloads, if at all your connection fails.

Launched on the New Year eve, Misterupload. com is being operated from Amsterdam; Netherlands is aimed at being the number one in music file hosting providers. It is not meant for you to sit and listen to music. But, is for you to share your music files with others and host them. Whenever you think of hosting a music file you think of Misterupload. com. It’s your free musical upload service. Let’s start sharing.

External hard drive data recovery

It is possible to store your data in a variety of ways. It can be stored on CD’s, removable disks or DVDs and more. But no matter where you store your information, that device may break down at any point. It doesn’t matter what condition it is in, it can stop working.

There are many things that can happen to cause loss of data, there could be water or fire damage to your computer or you could delete a file by mistake. If your hard drive simply fails when trying to bring up a file, then the best way to resolve the issue is to go to an external hard drive data recovery service company.

External hard drive data recovery is the process of obtaining lost data from hard drives like Fireware or USB. Sometimes the task is easily done, other times it may be a bit more difficult. The methods used are similar to accessing files under normal circumstances, but it is more time consuming and exacting.

The first step to recovery is a full evaluation of the external hard drive. The external hard drive professionals would determine the scope of the damage, what data may be retrieved and what they would have to do to retrieve the data. This initial evaluation could cost some money but many companies do this for free.

Then the company would give you an idea of how much the whole project will cost. This includes the service the company puts in to obtain your data and the amount of data restored. It is common practice therefore, when you search around for an external data recovery company, to get quotes for the cost of restoring your data.

After the estimation is handed to you, the data recovery service expert will wait for you to give her the go ahead. If you agree to her estimation, she will start the recovery process. At the end of it, the company will get the files to you in the format you specify and some will even fix the damaged drive.

Proteins for hair growth

Protein and amino acids for hair growth

Many people ask me what proteins are most appropriate for hair growth. People with hair loss often turn to protein and amino acid supplements as part of their treatment regime. Although it is rare for a lack of protein to be a primary cause of hair loss, there is no harm in taking extra protein or amino acid supplements if you wish for your hair growth. If you take a blood test your serum total protein should be between 60–80 grams per liter. Less than this suggests a problem with protein intake. And you may take some of the protein supplements now available as either as powder protein supplements or liquid protein supplements. Soya bean protein is considered good for hair growth but take care not to take it in excess other wise it can have some negative affect.

Amino acids and proteins

Much importance has been given to proteins for hair growth. Protein serves as the major structural component of all cells in the body, and functions as enzymes, in membranes, as transport carriers, and as some hormones. During digestion and absorption dietary proteins are broken down to amino acids which serve as the building blocks for formation of structural proteins and functional compounds of protein such as enzymes and pre cursors of hormones etc. There are 20 amino acids in all which are required for the synthesis of proteins.

Proteins for hair growth

But out of which some of the amino acids cannot be synthesized by the body and are therefore are required to be taken as dietary amino acid supplements if you wish to take them to stimulate your hair growth. The amino acids: Phenylalanine, Valine, Tryptophan, Threonine, Isoleucine, Methionine, Histidine Arginine, Lysine Leucine are considered to be essential amino acids. But the distinction between essential and non-essential amino acids is not very clear, as some amino acids can be produced from others. For example the sulfur containing amino acids, methionine and homocysteine can be converted into each other but neither can be synthesized de novo in humans. Likewise, cysteine can be synthesized from homocysteine, but not otherwise. So, for convenience, sulfur-containing amino acids are sometimes considered a single pool of nutritionally-equivalent amino acids.

Hair follicles require a constant supply of amino acids via the blood stream to maintain hair growth. Hair follicles contain some of the fastest growing and dividing cells in the body so their energy, vitamin, mineral, and amino acid consumption is high. If amino acids are lacking, particularly the essential amino acids listed above, the hair follicles may be less able to produce hair fiber.

Benefits of amino acids

A lack of amino acids in a first world country diet is very unusual and for the most part supplements are not required. However, everyone should ensure they have a healthy, balanced diet that provides all the amino acids required. There are many amino acids, but the nine amino acids which are known as essential amino acids must be provided in the diet and are indispensable amino acids which are required for both hair and other functions of the body. The body can make the other 11 amino acids needed to synthesize specific structures from the nine essential amino acids and carbohydrate precursors.

Protein supplements

Proteins from animal sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt, provide all nine indispensable amino acids in adequate amounts and for this reason are considered “complete proteins”. Proteins from plants, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and vegetables tend to be deficient in one or more of the indispensable amino acids and are called ‘incomplete proteins’. Vegetarian and vegan diets may contain enough protein, but people following these diets may not be receiving all the essential amino acids if they do not pay attention to the type of protein they eat. Vegan diets adequate in total protein content can be “complete” by combining sources of incomplete proteins which lack different indispensable amino acids.

Amino acid function for hair

In terms of hair fiber production, the most important amino acid is cysteine. Cysteine is the most common amino acid in hair. It is particularly important because it contains sulfur molecules. As part of a keratin protein chain, these sulfur molecules cross link with each other to produce disulfide bonds. These chemical bonds are what gives hair its strength. For this reason the most popular amino acid supplement taken for hair is cysteine.

Besides the proteins, nutritional diet vitamin supplements and safe herbal supplements are the best diet supplements for hair growth.

How credit card companies lure students

If you’ve been to college before, you’ve seen the millions of ways students have been drawn in for a credit card application. The sad thing is though that a lot of these students don’t necessarily realize what they are getting themselves into. We are going to break down some ways on how credit card companies lure in students so that you can avoid this situations.

Getting the freebies

Everyone has seen these stands regardless of where you’ve been. From free t-shirts to a free burrito, people love free stuff. What a better way to get a free t-shirt by applying for a credit card application. A lot of students just fill out the paperwork thinking its innocent work for that $5 burrito. What they don’t realize is that they are affecting their credit score and possibly their credit history.

The problem with getting a credit card when you sign up for freebies is that you don’t know exactly what the terms and APR rates are. Sometimes what students may realize is that the credit card may have an annual fee. An annual fee is applied to your credit card statement regardless of if you use.

Hard selling

Besides the freebies, students may sometimes notice a kiosk set up at their school from a credit card company. A lot of these salespeople are highly trained in their area and lure you into signing up for a credit card application. Some of the tactics they use are making it sound like a wonderful financial opportunity or how it can build up your credit. Once again, this is bad because you don’t know the official terms and exactly how the card acts.

Sponsorships

Students may find that when they attend an event at school, it will be sponsored by a major company. A lot of the times, these events are sponsored by a credit card company. During these spiels, they will generally promote the credit card throughout the event. This way of selling a credit card is technically less pressurized because of the lack of the one on one basis.

A lot of the times you will just receive a flyer or brochure at the end of the event. The best way is to simply throw the credit card brochure out or just use it as scrap paper during class.

When looking for your first credit card or a credit card to be added to your collection, it’s important that you do your research. The freebies like a free t-shirt or burrito just isn’t worth it when it comes down to your credit. When you do apply for a credit card, make sure you pay attention to the APR rate, if it has an annual fee, and what kind of rewards it has to offer.

When you do receive you first credit card, it’s up to you to be responsible with it. Treat it as if it were cash and don’t overspend. If you can follow these golden rules, you will be debt-free for your lifetime.

Anchoring the nlp secret to self confidence

We have all heard about Pavlov – the guy who found that he could condition dogs to drool by merely ringing a bell. The dogs were conditioned to associate the ringing of the bell with food. In NLP we call what Pavlov did anchoring.

If you think about it anchoring plays a large part in our lives. We all have a song that makes us feel good...or bad. NLP gives you the chance to create your own anchors and to create them in other people as well.

Imagine having the people around you associate feeling good with you! How would that change your relationships with them? How about that person you are attracted to? If you could make them associate feeling of attraction with you how would that change things?

So how does anchoring work?

Someone has an intense emotional experience and at some point during that experience a specific stimulus is applied creating a neurological link between that stimulus and emotion. A negative example of this would be a woman whose husband has died. As those who attend his funeral pass they touch her on her arm while giving her their condolences. Weeks after the funeral the woman will only have to be touched on the arm for those feelings of grief to come back to her.

The stimulus could be anything from a touch to a tone of voice (how dos it feel when that certain person tells you that they love you with that certain tone of voice?) to the tapping of a pencil on a table top. The important thing is that it is used at a certain point of the experience and that it is suitably unique when there is strong emotional stimulation so the two get associated with each other.

Let’s try an exercise in developing instant self confidence:

Think of a time when you were totally confident, you felt powerful and there was no doubt in your mind. As those feelings come back to you they will peak and subside. Start clenching your fist. Repeat this and then test it by clenching your fist. If you’ve done it right you should feel a welling up of those same emotions. This is how simple it is. See what a difference anchoring can make to your life? Imagine firing off this confidence anchor whenever you are feeling a little unsure of yourself.

You can also do this to other people. The same principles apply.

The effectiveness of the anchor depends on the strength of the emotional experience, the uniqueness of the anchor and the number of times it is repeated.

This article covers the very basics of anchoring a good practitioner course will give you many powerful anchoring techniques and applications from training to playing poker.

As mentioned near the beginning of the article imagine anchoring everyone around you to positive feelings. How about being able to anchor your boss to good feelings? Would this make a difference to your career? You bet it would.

If you could anchor yourself to states of extreme confidence power and motivation that you could then fire off at any time you wanted what would be different about your life? Imagine being able to do the same to the people around you. Would this increase you power as a business leader or manager? How about doing it to your children as a parent? The possibilities are immense.

Football and website marketing

Well here we are just about to start football season again. I read in the paper and in some magazines about the draft and the outrageous salaries that go out to players and coaches. Everything is so high profile and to watch some of the players is actually quite amusing. Most of the well known players seem to really take offense if they are not paid gobs and gobs of money for the work they do. I relate this to website marketing in a unique way. Football players are paid to provide performance. As long at they perform, they stay under contract. Staying on the payroll is a good thing, and occasionally if they have an outstanding season, they demand a raise.

Website marketing can be thought of in the same way. You, the website owner, are the coach and it’s up to you to find the players that are going to perform for your team. There are lots of players out there to choose from. Some players have natural enemies in the form of competition. Some players sit the bench and others are overpaid and under perform. Ever have an adwords campaign that really did not work? That is a player that needs to be fired. Overhauling them or rehabilitating them really does not do much either. You have to start fresh.

Start thinking about your article writers as team members. Are they in shape? Do they practice? Do they follow directions and the plays? Do they follow your lead and give you what you want? Link builders can also be team members. Actually anyone that you hire out has that performance accountability. You might as well get used to the idea that not all of your players are going to stay. Some need to be benched immediately and some move up to the starting roster. Don’t get discouraged if your star draft pick turns out to be a dud or even worse pulls up an injury. Finding the right people does not usually come from one company. You have to look around for them. Some you will find by word of mouth, some on Elance, some from a website you heard about and some from people you train yourself. The best team is the one that is hand picked and groomed. Incentives always seem to work well with performance based players. Don’t be afraid to give the stars the royal interview and splash their name around, they love it.

So how do you start? Well outsourcing is always a good idea, so copy what other people are doing. You’re in competition right? Do what works. Look all over the place. If you’re trying to rank well on Google, then put Google to work for you. Look in classifieds, and forums where these people hang out. Think of it as keyword research. You would not do a lousy job with something that is so important. Keep a file and a list so that you can be organized. Soon you will have the team you always wanted, and the cost to get them will not matter very much.

Truck driver safety - behavior plays a vital role

Hiring the wrong truck drivers can be disastrous. Hiring the right ones can save lives.

Naturally, safety training plays an important role in driver safety. Other factors may be even more significant according to a 1993 study conducted by Behavioral-Values Research Associates.

The research was conducted on maintenance workers between the ages of 22 and 64, who had been with (XYZ) Company for an average of 17.5 years. They were given four assessments that measured their behavioral style and attitudes, their knowledge of safety rules, and their pictorial and mechanical reasoning abilities. Interestingly, the study shows the only significant differences between the two groups of workers (injured vs. non-injured) were in their behavioral styles and attitudes/values.

The research validates that when companies implement a pre-hiring assessment selection system, four things happen. These companies:

· Reduce accidents

· Reduce worker’s comp claims

· Reduce turnover

· Reduce maintenance costs.

G & P Trucking in Gaston, SC, has been assessing the behaviors of all driver applicants for seven years. G & P President, Clifton Parker says, “We are doing a better job during the hiring process. The behavior testing has given us insight on the applicants’ true beliefs and actions rather than finding out later. The bottom line is that it has helped us lower accident cost.”

Common sense tells us that truck drivers who are naturally careful and cautious are going to cause fewer accidents than those who are prone to experience “road rage.” So, trucking companies would be wise to hire drivers with a “long fuse,” people who are slow to anger.

The safest drivers are those who are steady and cautious by nature, and those who genuinely put others’ well being above their own. The BVRA research found workers with the best safety records are those who are high in the “S” and “C” behavioral styles and low in the “D” factor. They are also high in the Social value. Let me explain.

In 1928, Harvard psychologist William Moulton Marston defined the four behavioral styles (DISC) we all have in varying degrees. Around the same time, psychologist Eduard Spranger published his studies of six values or attitudes that determine how we view the world and what’s important to us.

Target Training International in Scottsdale, AZ, continued their research and produced the first computer-generated behavior and values assessments that companies use today to hire and manage the best employees. These are two of the assessments used in the BVRA research project.

The four behavioral styles are “D”-Dominant, “I”-Influencing, “S”-Steady, and “C”-Cautious.

Those high in the “D” factor want control, they are quick to anger, and become impatient easily. They are the ones most likely to experience “road rage” if they don’t like the way someone else is driving.

Those high in the “I” behavioral factor are extroverted and people oriented; they talk a lot and like attention. The research found no significant difference in the “I” factor between the injured and non-injured workers.

People high in the “S” factor are steady and patient, they move slowly, and have a strong focus on their team’s success. So we can see why those with a Core “S” style are more likely to be safe drivers.

Those high in the “C” factor are extremely cautious, pay attention to detail, and believe in following rules set by others.

So, it’s understandable that truck drivers high in both the “S” and “C” factors, and low in the “D” style will have or cause fewer accidents. It’s also significant that research shows those high in the Social value are the safest workers because they selflessly put others’ needs above their own.

One thing BVRA‘s research didn’t show, which I believe is significant, is the ranking of those workers in the Individualistic Value. Even more than those with Core “D” behavioral styles, people high in this value are passionate about having power and control over situations and other people, so I believe it’s important for trucking companies to hire drivers who are low in this attitude.

Simply put, the ideal driver – the one you want to hire – is one who is high in the “S” and “C” behavioral factors, low in the “D” factor, high in the Social value, and low in the Individualistic attitude.

©2006 Annette Estes. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint granted as long as entire text and tag line are included.

Margin trading dangers highlighted by real cases

Margin Trading Dangers Highlighted by Real Cases

Several recent high profile company share price collapses on the Australian Stock Exchange highlight the danger posed to ordinary shareholders from large scale margin trading of shares by directors of listed firms. So dramatic have been the consequences that no equities investor can afford to ignore the lessons.

Significant shareholdings by directors in a listed company have traditionally been viewed favourably as an alignment of executives' and other private shareholders' interests, but this ideal can be dramatically compromised in cases where those large shareholdings have been aggregated through, and remain security for, margin loans. Directors leveraging into positions well beyond their capacity to meet margin calls may create a known and acceptable risk for themselves but their actions inescapably also create a significant but hidden and usually unsuspected risk for other shareholders.

On exposure in a falling market, the consequences can be devastating to all concerned.

Basically margin trading involves borrowing through a brokerage to purchase shares on deposit with the shares purchased being held as collateral for the loan. As with all leveraged investments the potential for both amplified profits and losses exists, but particular additional risks attach to margin trading of shares.

Depending on the particular share being purchased and subject to other margin account criteria such as maintenance of a minimum balance, a private investor may be able to borrow, say, 50 loan to collateral value must be maintained at all times - hence a 50, owing to the director's perceived influence on the company and the scale of business such a purchase will bring to the margin broker. Thus the director's margin is only 20 of the purchase price of one million $10 shares through a margin broker. Borrowings amount to $8 million with $2 million "equity" being put up by the director to complete the $10 million purchase. Furthermore, the margin trading agreement states that a minimum 80 to a market value of $9 per share will reduce the director's holding of 1 million shares to a value of $9 million, but still carrying the $8 million debt and therefore breaching the 80 loss) will then be served with a "margin call" for a further $1 million to re-establish the original loan/asset ratio. Failure to meet the call will invoke conditions allowing the margin broker to sell some of the holding to re-establish the required 80 in the $10 share price to $8 would see the director's initial $2 million equity wiped out altogether and, in the absence of any margin call being met, the broker would very likely dump the entire holding at best price to minimise losses. Apart from sheer pressure of volume, attendant negative publicity through stock exchange disclosure requirements would probably see the company's share price devastated even though the company may remain as a viable enterprise. Any shortfall in recovery by the broker through sale of shares held as collateral would remain a liability against the director.

In this situation private shareholders become unsuspecting victims of a risk they didn't even know existed.

This scenario is far from academic. In a number of now salient Australian cases, dumping of directors', executives' and related party holdings have indeed seen share prices slashed, stock exchange listings suspended, directors and executives lose their jobs with their entire company shareholdings wiped out. Residual personal liabilities are suspected of being huge in some cases. Consequently, private investors have also suffered massive write downs in the value of their own holdings.

Needless to say, any company subject to such a fate will find it nearly impossible to raise fresh equity capital and will pay heavily for debt - particularly in today's credit crunched world. Assuming the enterprise can remain solvent, aggressive sale of assets becomes the most logical choice to fund a restructuring program.

Private investors engaged in margin trading the same company may well suffer a similar fate to the directors, albeit without a loss of employment.

A more detailed case study is available through the resource link.

As the case study points out, effects of a major margin call default can be widespread and devastating, seriously affecting even secured investors in related companies.

So how should the private investor guard against such an unwelcome outcome to a seemingly quite reasonable investment?

As we have discussed, potentially damaging margin trading by directors and executives can be difficult to detect, but some clues may be available through stock exchange announcements. Better still, just ask the Company Chairman through private correspondence or at the Shareholder's Annual General Meeting. Companies able to report a clean slate in respect of such activities are likely to be happy to do so. Investigate the others.

In one recent case it turns out that not only were directors purchasing shares on margin for their own accounts but were also margin trading other listed shares with shareholders' funds in the Company's name. Needless to say the Company and its shareholders soon lost many millions of dollars once markets suffered a modest reversal.

For the private investor, good advice is to avoid margin trading through a margin broker altogether. This, however, does not completely exclude the leveraged purchase of shares which remains a valid investment strategy under certain circumstances. It does, however, place vital separation between financier, sharebroker and shareholder.

In one recent Australian margin trading case, some private investors reportedly had their entire nominee-held share portfolios seized and sold to recompense the margin financier, a major bank. When the margin brokerage house collapsed, private investors were left as unsecured creditors of the failed broker. Prospects of recovery from this position would be dim indeed.

At a time when ever more complex means of trading traditional share markets are being developed, such as options, short selling, stock borrowing and margin trading, investors need to recognise that new opportunities for exceptional profit also bring exceptional new risks. Some may well be hidden behind a cloak of "immateriality" even though potential consequences could be disastrous.

In summary, private investors can minimise exposure to margin trading risk by taking a few precautions:

" Treat very fast growing companies with caution. These companies and their high profile directors seem most susceptible to the allure of big rewards offered by serious margin trading while overlooking the exceptional risks posed to both themselves and others.

" Examine available stock exchange announcements and news to unearth margin trading practices relating to major shareholdings, including those of directors, executives and related parties. These may be difficult to find and interpret, but they do exist.

" Simply ask the Company Chairman if Directors and Executives or even the Company itself, is involved in margin trading the company's own shares - if the answer is yes, stay away.

" Also ask if shareholders' funds are being used to margin trade any other company's shares - hidden danger lurks there too.

" Avoid personal use of margin share trading accounts altogether - borrow elsewhere if you intend to use leverage for share purchases.

" Ensure any shares you purchase on leverage are registered in your own name to avoid the possibility of seizure by a higher ranking creditor should your sharebroker's business collapse.

Eventually disclosure of margin trading by company directors, executives and related parties may become mandatory under stock exchange listing rules, but until that time equity investors will need to include "margin trading risk" as yet another factor for their own determination.

Peyton manning 1998 draft day pick

Peyton Manning was born on March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. At 6 foot 5 inches and weighing 230 pounds, Manning is one of the bigger quarterbacks in the NFL. From early on in life it was evident that Manning was going to be a great football player. His father, Archie, played quarterback in the NFL, and Peyton was destined to fall in his footsteps.

Manning attended Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. He started at quarterback for three consecutive seasons, and during this time he racked up some of the best statistics that the state has ever seen. For his career Manning passed for 7,207 yards while leading his team to an overall record of 34-5.

After high school Manning decided to take his game to the University of Tennessee. When everything was said and done he ended up being one of the greatest college football players of all time. He led the school to a 39-6 record over four years by passing for 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns.

With the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning was selected by the Indianapolis Colts. In something that is uncommon in today’s day and age, Manning has started every game of his NFL career. This is saying a lot as a quarterback in the NFL.

Manning started his career on the right foot by passing for more than 3,700 yards and 26 touchdowns as a rookie. He set many NFL rookie records, and has continued his record setting ways since then.

During the 2006 season Manning led the Colts to a 12-4 regular season record, and an eventual win in the Super Bowl. This win solidified him as one of the top quarterbacks in the game.

With many years left to play it is safe to say that Manning will continue to put up big stats, and lead his team to victory after victory. When everything is said and done there is a good chance that Manning will finish his career as the best quarterback that the NFL has ever seen.