Nutritional Immunology - The Best Solution

Prevention Versus Cure

We are born inherently with the best doctor in the world - our immune system. When the immune system is funtioning proberly, it should serve as a strong defense from most illness. Nutrition and proper care of the body can do wonders for the immune system. Regardless of the condition of our health, our bodies constantly require nutrition. When we are healthy, wholesome nutrition can prevent us from getting sick. Similarly, when we are sick, proper nourishment can help us recover from illness.

Nutritional Immunology is a science that studies the relationship between nutrition and the immune system. Healthful foods contribute to a strong immune response system, which fights disease-causing bacteria. Many people make an extra effort to be aware of nutrtition when they are sick, but few take the preventive measures that could have stopped the illness before it started. The essence of Nutritional Immunology promotes overall health regulation rather than trying to repair the problem once it occures.

Concerns of Modern Medicine

Even though medical drugs can provide us with symptomatic relief, there are many considerations to weigh carefully regarding the intake of elements in our bodies. Is the desired effect occuring? Are there adverse side effects? What is the precise dosage needed for the illness? Will this drug interact negatively with other drugs? It is the responsibility of every consumer to ask these questions and learn the essential facts. The patient should take an active participation with a thorough and symphathetic doctor if a drug is needed.

The Best Solution

Essetially, each time we choose whole foods and excellent nutrition, we allow our "internal doctor" to do the work. By filling our bodies with the finest treasures harvested from the earth, it is possible to achieve a healthier lifestyle without detrimental side effects. The most notable difference in consuming whole foods rather than harsh chemicals is the unknown effects. Clearly, the best solution is to avoid illness together. It is time to live proactively: to foster proper nutrition in our diets, to gain the rewards of a powerful immune system and in turn to enjoy the fruits of a healthy body.

The Essence of E.Excel Family

E.Excel family is dedicated to the research of Nutritional Immunology. Education is the lifeblood of our industry: by sharing our understanding with each person we contact, we give the gift of health and knowledge. By gaining the insight on how to prevent illness, we can maintain a healthy and energetic lifestyle. Also, by knowing the side effects of different drugs, we can prevent major harm to our bodies. At E.Excel, we understand the power that exists in knowledge and want to offer that proficiency to each of you.

From: readbud

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How to choose a Home Security Camera

Surveillance cameras are being used every where these days, all the malls and almost all stores and small shops have installed surveillance cams to stop thefts and burglaries. You must have probably heard of the net of cams in the Las Vegas casinos, yes without cameras the surveillance staff won't be 1/10th as effective.

Taking the cue from the commercial segment many companies introduced home security camera a few years back, but, back then only the rich could afford the expensive home security camera systems. However, nowadays with development of technology, as home security camera is getting cheaper more and more people are able to afford them. Yes, today even a $30 cam can be turned into a home security camera, it's no more a rich only option.

When selecting a home security camera, make sure it can take clear pictures in the radius you want to set it up. Systems like analogue closed circuit television may run cheap but it's not worth the money. It saves recorded coverage to tapes which are not only expensive in the long run but will also take up a lot of space.

With the advent of internet and like I said earlier, development of technology, we have cheap yet good quality home security camera available that send live feeds to the internet and save coverage at a secured location. You can either watch the feds live or browse through the saved data at any point of time. Install two-three home security camera in a room depending on how big the room is and you can watch what is going on in your house from 5 miles or 5,000 miles away.

For those on a very tight budget, there are the fake home security camera which are very much like the original ones and some even swivel on their axis like the original ones but this strategy is only effective in preventing the crime rather than catching the crime.

However, if you aren't on a budget you should go for tiny cams which can be hidden behind or within objects and are hard to find. These cams when combined with the right software can give you the perfect home security camera system. On the other hand if you want to make it clear to the burglars that your house is not a good choice, install a large cam, a must do for people installing fake cameras, at a location where it can easily be seen.


From: readbud

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Online Electric Guitar Lessons

Learning to play guitar online is arguably the most effective guitar teaching method ever. The only thing missing is a live person in front of you during your lessons, and for some people the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. A real live guitar teacher exuding coolness and dexterity can be handy, but technology has most of the process of passing on musical knowledge and guitar technique covered. So are online guitar lessons for you? Let's look at the advantages of learning in cyberspace, the tools available to you, and the kinds of guitar lessons you will find online.

So why is it better to take online guitar lessons rather than sit in front of a live person? For a start it is much, much cheaper. There are courses that will cost you one hundred dollars or more. Find out how many real-world lessons you get for that price. I can tell you now, it's not too many. Also there's the travelling. Time and money spent just getting to your teacher. Do you really need the aggravation? As far as personal cost goes, online lessons work out to be much less expensive than your local guitar teacher. And you don't have to laugh at your online teacher's lame jokes!

What kind of help and learning materials will you expect from online guitar lessons? Nice clear videos showing you where to put your left hand fingers on the guitar neck and what to do with your right hand to make the music come out. We're talking videos you can play over and over again until you understand what your instructor is trying to pass on to you. Usually some kind of backing tracks are available with online lessons. These are accompaniment for you to test your guitar playing skills. Basically backing music gives you a way of testing your ability to keep time while giving you the opportunity to see how you would sound playing guitar with a real band. By the way, most online guitar courses come with basic tools like a metronome and maybe some written lessons you can print out for future use. Additionally, a lot of guitar courses include some way of asking questions and getting answers back from your guitar teachers.

When you sign up for guitar lessons online, you should be getting a broad musical education. You might have a fair idea of the kind of music you want to play, but online guitar lessons are an ideal method of showing you what is available to guitar players who want to learn more than one musical genre. So just bear in mind you should be able to get a taste of some of the music available to you like jazz, country, fingerstyle, blues, R&B, and so on. Along with a wide range of music, your guitar course should offer you depth of guitar playing experience. You need to learn what it feels like to accompany songs, play solos, and improvise. The best online guitar lessons will give you the opportunity to get this kind of experience.

Okay, so now you know the advantages of online guitar lessons and the materials and tools you should expect to be included in any set of lessons, you can examine any course a little more closely now from a more informed viewpoint.


From: readbud

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Classic Villainy

There is an old adagé that says a hero is only as good as his villain is evil, which best describes the literary role that these mongers of fear, hatred, and curiosity play. In many ways, a villain represents the impulses and desires that most people ignore, the darker traits of human psychology and mental health that need to be suppressed. Some have backgrounds that are laughable, others have tragic pasts that could induce depression and anxiety, but all villains, in the end, serve as the twisted reflection of everything the hero should not become. With that in mind, here are a few examples of great villains that have graced the world in one format or another.

Count Dracula

Whether the reader believes that the character was based on Vlad III Tepes or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the Count is among the most enduring, most powerful villains to have ever appeared in any format. Yes, he was a monstrous fiend in the end, but his charming and elegant demeanor were a contrast to the portrayal of villains during his time. Like real serial killers, Dracula did not look particularly out of place among normal people. In the novel, most people found him odd only because he was not native to England and many things about him were foreign to others. He is among the best examples of literature that shows that the villain can be just as human as the hero, and need not always be a fierce dragon or ancient, overwhelmingly vile demon.

Darth Vader

Even when considering the disappointing nature of the prequel trilogy, it is difficult to deny that Darth Vader served as not only the villain, but the core of the "Star Wars" mythology. His actions shattered a generations-old order and, later, helped shape the galaxy for generations to come. His imposing presence, in his black armor and the distinct sound of his breathing, was enough to instill fear in those that stood before him. The fact that he was more than willing to do the dirty work, something most modern villains hardly ever do anymore, made him that much more convincing as an instrument of oppressive, dominating power. It is true that Luke Skywalker and the other heroes of the "Star Wars" saga had the spotlight on them, but most critics would agree that the sheer presence of a character like Darth Vader was what made the movies such successes.

The Joker

It takes a very special mix of evil and insanity to make the image of a jester into one that instills fear even in other villains. In the universe of DC Comics, this was a feat achieved only by the notorious Joker. The Joker lacks the tragic background elements that made Vader and Dracula such sympathetic villains, but then, his is a character that wasn't designed to instill sympathy. The Joker's primary goal is to kill as many people as he could, preferably in the most comedic (in his mind) manner possible. Some argue that his near single-minded obsession with that goal is a dark mirror to Superman's own single-minded pursuit of good. However, in some ways, The Joker is still best served as a foil for The Batman, with the former using objects meant to spread joy in murderous ways, while the latter uses criminal tactics to enforce the law.

Hannibal Lecter

Villains, by some unknown token, tend to be portrayed as brutish and rough. Most people would expect the villain to look hideous or monstrous, the better to inspire the fear he uses so effectively as a tool. However, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter deviates from that tradition, and he does with such class and grace that he makes his own villainous activities look appealing. To make a man with activities as monstrous as Lecter's look appealing, noble, and even admirable takes a special kind of personalty. Hannibal Lecter is arguably among the greatest villains of all time, with very few having any credible right to compete against him.

Indeed, villainy is more than just being the "bad guy." Behind the fiendish laughter and the menacing costumes lurk a deeper, and not always sinister, personality and motive.

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When Your Meal Bites Back: Tips For Avoiding Food Poisoning

Around the world, food-borne illnesses have become increasingly common. In the United States alone, millions of people get a food-related illness each year.

"Even the healthiest foods can make a person sick if they aren't handled, cooked or stored properly," says Dr. Robert Berkow, editor in chief of Your Health Now, a new health magazine from the global pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. Here are some tips on how to avoid getting sick:

• Always wash hands before handling food. Illnesses are easily transferred from person to person through food. Washing hands before touching fruits, vegetables and other foods helps to kill any bacteria that may be transferred from the person's hand to the food.

• When handling raw meat, poultry or pork, always clean up thoroughly.

Don't just wash your hands but also clean the surfaces of cutting boards, countertops and utensils you use. The bacteria known as salmonella spreads easily on surfaces that come in contact with raw meat.

• Avoid eating undercooked food. Undercooked beef, chicken and seafood increase a person's chance of getting salmonella or E. coli, another type of bacteria. This can cause fever, cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

• Do not eat foods that contain raw eggs. Raw eggs may be contaminated with salmonella, which can be killed by cooking. When cooking, always throw away cracked or dirty eggs.

• Avoid drinking juices that have not been pasteurized. The pasteurization process kills bacteria such as E. coli.

• Avoid canned foods that are bulging or dented, or jars that are cracked. Lids should not be loose or swollen. Look at the "sell by" and "use by" dates. Avoid foods that will expire soon after purchasing and never buy outdated foods.

• Properly store and refrigerate foods when they're brought home. Cooked foods should not be left to stand at room temperatures for long periods before serving, and leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours.

• When in doubt, throw it out. If you aren't sure if that leftover is safe to eat, then toss it in the trash.


From: readbud

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Martin D18 Guitars Reviewed

Martin D18 guitars can run well over $2000, though you can find a few deals online that take the price, with case, down to a low $1799. Keep in mind, though, that if you need it right away, your express order could add as much as $100 to the cost of the instrument.

What makes Martin d18 guitars such high priced musical instruments? Let's take a look.

Constructed of mahogany blocks, and dovetailed neck joints, Martin d18 string guitars have a D-14 Fred body size. With a top made of solid Sitka spruce, and 5/16 inch top braces that have no scallop, the Martin D18 has sides and back made of genuine and solid mahogany.

The Martin D18, end piece is black boltaron, as is its binding. The style of the top inlay is black and white alternating, of boltaron. There is no back or side inlay with D18 guitars. The nut material is white corian.

D18 guitars have a scale length of 24.4 inches, and the fingerboard position inlays are style 28. The back and side finish is polished gloss with a stain of maple and a dark filler. The belly style bridge is solid rosewood from East India.

Martin D18's have saddles with a radius of sixteen inches, compensates, and made of which Micarta. Their bridge and endpins are black, with dots of white, and the pick guards are black. The case for the Martin D18 instrument is 640 molded, with a hard shell. Optional offers include electronics.

Left handed models of D18 guitars are available for no additional cost. Handcrafted in Pennsylvania, Martin D18 guitars come with a lifetime limited warranty.


From: readbud

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The Best Time For Marketing...

The best time for marketing is when they aren't buying.

Be realistic. If you aren't selling the hottest new fashion or gizmo for holiday gift-giving, it's hard to get anyone to think about buying your product or service from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year's. That's a six week lean selling stretch for lots of sales professionals. When you are trying to hit your quarterly and year-end numbers that lean stretch can be tough to swallow.

No leader likes to see their team sitting around the office having a pity party. Instead, build this market reality into your schedule and ramp up your marketing activities during sales lulls.

Why should you invest in marketing to your target market when they aren't buying?

1. To stay front and center on their radar – especially if you target the corporate market.

2. To increase their awareness of you

3. To bring attention to you

4. To highlight the added value you offer

5. To generate a desire to continue to hear what you have to say

What kind of marketing can you do when no one is buying?

Your marketing team can use this time to plan and schedule all marketing strategies for 2006 and get them scheduled and booked.

* If you will be a conference speaker in April, they need to establish a timeline for drafting the speech, shipping handouts to the location, developing the PowerPoint presentation to go with it, the press release, website promotion, travel arrangements, etc.

* If you will introduce a new product, service or program in June, they need to work out all the details for the most thorough and effective rollout with enough lead-time to implement all the pieces, or identify gaps to be filled in a timely fashion.

* If you have increased your marketing budget for 2006 – this is a great time to develop some of those promotional pieces or hire contractors/freelancers to develop them for you.

* If you have a 2006 goal of increasing visibility in a new market, a new niche, or a new country, the marketing team needs time to bone up on the nuances and implications of this goal to prepare successful penetration strategies.

Your sales team does not need to be idle during seasonal sales lulls either. Your sales force can use this time to research growth opportunities for the company and their own territories.

* Sales staff can use the holiday season as an excuse to followup every sale all year long with a brief visit or a phone call: to personally say thank you for the business, to ensure continued satisfaction with the product, service and the salesperson's work and to bind client loyalty with strong rapport.

* In addition, each client contact is a great opening to query them about their plans for the next year, to identify client needs which your product/service can address in the new year – i.e., scouting for 2006 add-on sales.

* Sales staff can also take time to study the market and their territory vis-à-vis the company's 2006 goals and start developing sales strategies and tactics to achieve the company plan and reach their own quotas and incentives.

* Sales staff can use this season for supplemental (internal or external) training to refine their craft.

Marketing is not a passive activity. You have to keep the pipeline full. So, periodically, it is important to reflect and assess how to rejuvenate your marketing efforts. This lull between the holidays is a perfect time to focus on all the behind-the-scenes marketing activities that will make next year, your best year yet!


From: readud

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How to use Promotional pens at Schools and Colleges

When it comes to schools and colleges events, promotional products work tremendously to achieve the objectives. Promotional products can be used for varieties of purposes such as promoting an event, creating awareness, reinforcing existing abilities and to introduce new products. The objective of school and college events can be achieved by simple distribution of promotional pens or through comprehensive promotions. Events held at schools and colleges could be very special and might be been done with some specific objective with department or college. A well promoted event can generate awareness, inspire interest and create momentum. Using promotional pens are best for promoting schools and college events as they leave a far reaching impact. Promotional pens offer thousands of options, from simple stick pens with a single color logo and phone number to intricate multifunctional writing. Promotional pens maybe the most effective promotion tool for the price as well.

Everybody uses pen from pre-school to colleges, it helps to write down notes or could be used at home for day and night purposes. With distributing promotional pens you are promoting the specific event every time it is used. Generally, for school and colleges direct mail marketing really works, you can just start distributing promotional pens before the events so that it kept in the users mind. Promotional pens are relatively cheap to make and there are multiple price points depending on the quantities you order. So it is good if you buy more as you would save more. It is always good to go with custom logo or message embossed on the promotional pen that would in turn promote your event. Promotional pens are the wonderful product originality giveaway for: tradeshows, schools, and colleges.

Benefits of Promotional pens to schools and college events:

Following are hand full of benefits of promotional pens to school and college events:

Promotional pens expand advertising exposure among students and teachers.
Achieve the main objectives of creating awareness.
Boost up your direct mail responses
Improve event performances and encourage students to promote it further
It builds up amazing show traffic.
Reaches the selective audience as a part of intention.
Even promoted every time the pen is used.
Promotional pens are of maximum use to students of schools and college, so in turn students love to receive them.

The beauty of using promotional pens as a part of any even strategy is that there are a number of ways, which you could get the pens out to the public. Just involve your targeted audience and be little creative in distributing your promotional pens so that even after the event it remains memorable among the students. Majority of students use the promotional pens until it continues to write that means the even references is there each time the pen is used. Your school and college even can also be promoted by offering promotional pens to friends, family and sometimes even to strangers. As a final thought Promotional pens are almost always adorned with your event's logo and/or message for excellent and long lasting effect.


From: readbud

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Mastectomy Bras Can Give You back Your Confidence and Shape!

Sometimes, women can lose one or both breasts when undergoing a mastectomy treatment for breast cancer. Mastectomy Bras are designed to hold a prosthesis in the place of natural breasts.

A mastectomy is a common surgical procedure for breast cancer and involves removing the breast. An artificial breast, called a prosthesis, is then attached to take the place of the removed breast.

This procedure can not only leave physical scars but emotional ones as well. A lot of us women tend to become recluses after mastectomies, thankfully now-a-days, there's plenty of help at hand.

It's A Great Alternative For Breast Reconstruction.

Mastectomy bras are great alternatives for women who do not wish to undergo surgical breast reconstruction immediately. Instead, if a woman chooses to wear a breast prosthesis that does not adhere directly to the skin, she will need to wear a special mastectomy bra with pockets for the prosthesis.

Most women will be able to wear a breast prosthesis within 2 - 8 weeks of the surgery, when the physician is satisfied that the area has completely healed. However, in some cases, the duration can be longer.

Mastectomy bras are designed with special pockets in the cup area and these pockets are meant to hold the prosthesis.

A good fitting prostheses and well designed mastectomy bra are important, since they help balance your posture and also provide protection for your chest and breast cancer wounds or scars. They will also help you reduce your chances of having back problems, neck and shoulder pains.

Feel Like The Old You Again!

If the mastectomy bras you wear make people think that you've got plans to join a nunnery, then cheer up! Purely reading about mastectomy bras may make them sound pretty dull and drab. However, there are many attractive bras that come in various colours, including white, ivory, black, beige, etc.

A wide range of styles and designs are being added to the market every day. These bras incorporate the latest in fashion and will make you feel like your old, normal self again.

Some stores even allow you to select normal bras and fit in the special pockets separately, to make them mastectomy bras. This is extremely convenient for women who don?t think mastectomy bras do them justice.

From: readbud

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Better Hearing with Listening Devices

Of all of the ways that people can use listening devices, whether it is for fun, helping to detect problems with plumbing, pest control, covert operations, or keeping tabs on baby, one of the most important reasons for the use of listening devices is to just be able to hear with. That is hearing what the person standing across the room is saying to you. Hearing the timer go off on your stove so that your dinner or that cake you made doesn't burn. Hearing what is being said on the TV without having to turn the sound up so loud that the whole neighborhood knows what you are watching. More importantly, so that a would be intruder, listening to that blaring TV, doesn't know that you are hard of hearing and might not hear them breaking into your home until it is too late.

Let's face it, hearing aids, the type that are typically sold to people with hearing problems are expensive, very, very expensive. And if you don't have health insurance that pays for the cost of these pricy devices, you may be living in a world of partial silence unnecessarily. There are listening devices on the market today like the dynamic new slim line SuperEar. What are so great about these devices are not only their high degree of sensitivity and their mere three-ounce weight, but the price is unbelievably listed at under a hundred dollars. That's right! And these listening devices are so compact they can be easily stowed into a pocket or purse when you are not using them.

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Xerox - Its Journey with Ink

Chester Carlson inventor of xerography founded the Haloid Company on April 18, 1935. The company manufactured and sold photographic paper! It was based in Rochester New York.

In the year 1942 Carlson received U.S. patent No. 2,297,691 on Oct. 6 for electrophotography, later called xerography, the technology that revolutionized the world of imaging.

Xerox as it is known today was trademarked in 1948 when Haloid and Battelle Development Corp. announced the development of xerography.

The first ever copier- Model A or Ox Box, based on xerography was given to the world by Xerox in the year 1949! Today it manufactures printers for office and home use as well as high volume printers, wide format printers and digital printing presses and afcoarse all the supplies that go with these equipments! They also provide services such as document management, assessment and asset management services among a number of other services!

Xerox pioneered work on the carbon-based organic toner during the 1950's and today it boasts of developing a chemically grown toner – Emulsion Aggregation, in short Xerox has been and still is the market leader in copiers, toners and Inks!

It is No.1 in digital production color and No. 2 in office color. Xerox also manufactures compatible cartridges and claims to be a high quality alternative to Hewlett-Packard cartridges!
Xerox manufactures and markets a range of monochrome and colored copiers, fax machines, printers and presses.

Technology:

Xerox Research Center Canada conducts fundamental and applied materials research in toners, inks, photoreceptors and specialty substrates to support xerographic and direct printing technologies.

Solid Ink

Solid ink remains in solid form until heated to a very specific temperature so that it turns to liquid, then instantly turns back to solid when printed. A precise stainless steel print head with tiny holes smaller than a human hair applies the solid ink to the printing media. The print head houses 1,236 nozzles jetting more than 30 million drops per second. The print head jets the ink to a heated drum where it remains in a malleable state that ensures precise transfer to the paper.

This reduces the amount of ink that is absorbed into the paper fibers and controls dot spread.

The brain behind such precise control is the Phaser controller, which is based on a 600 MHz processor and a high-speed 64-bit bus.

A solid ink printer consists of only three major components- the print head that applies ink to print drum, the print drum that transfers image to paper and the controller, which is the brain of the printer that converts data from the computer to information required to print the image on paper. Add a cabinet and a paper tray and you have a solid ink printer.

With print speeds up to 30 pages per minute, and first-page-out within six seconds, the solid ink printer can be three times faster than a comparably priced laser printer.
Advantages of solid ink printers is they give outstanding print quality, 90% less waste as compared to other competitive printers in the market, prints up to 16 pages on a single sheet saving paper and it is Energy Star compliant.

Emulsion Aggregation Toner

It is the breakthrough technology developed by Xerox Research Center Canada and patented by Xerox. This technology uses a chemical process to grow toner particles with well-defined shapes.

Extremely tiny particles of the components that make up toner are placed together in a water-based environment and allowed to bond, and then grow. This simplifies the control of the size and shape of toner particles. Once the particles reach their target size, they are removed from the growth environment. This growth process of completely organic matter requires fewer steps and consumes less energy, making it much more environmentally friendly.

One major advantage is that cost is not a limiting factor in manufacturing EA toner owing to the fact that there is no exponential relation between cost and toner particle size! Moreover, this in turn is due to very less energy consumption during the particle growth phase.


From: readbud

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Is A Blog Right For Your Business

Blogs and Bloggers have certainly made their presence known over the past couple of years. For the politicians and celebrities they have undeniably become a valuable force to pay attention to but...

Is A Blog Right for Your Business?

Wikipedia defines the term 'blog', short for web log, as a web based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles, most often in reverse chronological order...blogs often focus on a particular subject...Although blogs are typically a text medium, there are also non-text versions such as audioblogs (podcasts), photoblogs and videoblogs."

It is my intention in this article to present a list of pros and cons, and sources for more information, should you be considering adding a blog to your marketing mix.


PROS:

-Blogs, like newsletters, can enhance a companies credibility if done correctly. As a blogger you're out there in the blogoshpere providing information about your industry and answering questions. You are the expert.

-Blogs can also be a useful customer service tool-they provide a medium to respond to your customers in an open dialogue and to solve problems before they become problems. If a blog, yours or someone else's, posts a review of your product and there is a problem that needs to be fixed, you can post the fix on the comment section of the blog.

-Blogs increase your exposure in a variety of ways. A simple trade-advertise on my blog and I'll advertise on yours' is an easy method to increase exposure. Additionally, by monitoring and posting on other blogs relative to your industry you can increase brand/website awareness.

-Blogs can also be a tool to direct traffic to your website or storefront. By listing links to your site, your readers can click through and possibly become customers.

CONS:

-Blogs require constant updating and monitoring. According to the Blog Squad, "if you can't commit to writing short posts 2-3 times a week, and if you're not open to dialogue with your potential customers, then blogging might not be for you."<

-Results from blogging are difficult to track and generally slow to come. It takes a while to develop a presence in the 'photosphere' and tracking reader to customer conversions are difficult.

-It takes a concentrated effort to produce creative, interesting, and intelligent content is difficult to come by. Because anyone who wants to blog can, there is a lot of information out there and thus a lot of competition. The good news is that if you are committed to providing quality content, you have a better chance of getting noticed.

-Distribution and publicity are also challenges. Making people aware of and interested in your blog is a marketing campaign in and of itself. Since people have to search for blogs, and they're not sent to them like other forms of marketing, you have to be proactive in your attempts to get noticed.

Bottom Line:

Many marketing specialists will recommend adding a blog to your marketing plan, if you can afford the time to make valuable contributions 3 or more times a week. For more information on how and where to market your blog see Marketing Optimization 101 for Blogs. http://rssdiary.marketingstudies.net/content/marketing_optimization_101_for_blogs

If you're considering adding a blog to your marketing campaign or are interested in more information you may find the following links helpful:

"Tapping into the Blogosphere"
http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/24/google-apple-microsoft-cx_tt_0125straightup.html
"Can Blogging Help You Market your Product Online?" www.bly.com
"The Blog Squad" www.nextlevelpartner.typepad.com/bbab/

And

"Business Blogging or Not" www.webpronews.com


For more information on marketing your business please visit me at www.AMBCreative.net.

Sincerely,

Annette Elton
AMB Creative, LLC

From: readbud

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What You Need To Start A Home Based Business

Are you excited about what a home based business could do for you? When you run a business out of your home you will be able to take advantage of more benefits than you probably ever thought possible. The great thing about a home based business is that you already have the space to get started. But with that being said, there are other things that you will need to have as well.

One of the most important tools of a home based business is a reliable computer with internet access. It is safe to say that if you want your company to be a success that you have a computer to rely on day in and day out. This will help with everything from setting up a website to networking to advertising. When you have a good computer you will be ahead of the game from the start.

Being able to access top notch information is also important when it comes to the start up of a home based business. For instance, you should scour sites such as http://InternetIncomeWorks.com in order to learn as much as you can about income opportunities as well as this industry as a whole. The more information that you can collect on your type of business the better off you will be. After all, if you are new to starting a home based business you will want to get some help. This will guide you along the way, and allow you to make the most out of your business.

Finally, do not forget other details. You will need to set money aside for advertising costs, learn how to network with others, pay for phone bills, and much more. Again, these are all things that you can learn by reading about other people's experiences online.

Overall, it may sound like you need a lot to start a home based business, but this is not exactly the truth. Sure, you will need some items and tools, but all in all you should be able to get away with low start up costs.

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One of America's brightest leaders and thinkers

Marshawn Evans, J.D., has garnered a reputation as an inspiring, articulate and intelligent orator. In the same mode as multitalented trailblazing women such as Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Tyra Banks and Kimora Lee Simmons, Marshawn is a: media personality, distinguished entrepreneur, passionate youth advocate, inspirational speaker and up-and-coming litigator.

Marshawn emerged into national consciousness as the 3rd runner-up for Miss America. Her fame continued to grow after her coveted stint as one of Donald Trump's handpicked cast members on NBC's popular show, "The Apprentice." Marshawn has become a growing fixture in the media, having appeared across a wide-spectrum of leading TV, magazine, radio, newspaper and internet outlets, including ABC, VH1, MTV, Glamour and USA Today.

As Founder of Communication Counts, Marshawn travels around the country working with politicians, athletes, entertainers and media personalities to enhance their communicative skills. Recently, Marshawn launched an upscale clothing operation called JewelME Couture. In her entrepreneurial roles, Marshawn combines the elegant, ambassadorial style that won her the interview for the Miss America competition, with an assertive business brawn and savvy.

Marshawn's passion advocating for young people spawns from her own youth in which she was labeled a problem child. Her avid work with youth has won her prestigious awards and recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and from former Texas Governor George W. Bush. Marshawn's influence on youth issues stretches beyond U.S. Borders as she served as an Ambassador to the International Summit of Achievement in Dublin, Ireland. At the summit, Marshawn presented on best practices for training future leaders, with the likes of former United States President Bill Clinton, former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, actor James Earl Jones and international human rights activist Steve Bono.

A consummate professional speaker, Marshawn's client list includes the likes of Rotary International, Clear Channel, The National Youth Network, Florida State University, and numerous corporations, municipalities, nonprofits, churches and universities. Some of her seminar and keynote topics have included, "The Art of Project Management, Lessons Learned from the Board Room", "Hand-in-Hand: Youth and Adult Partnerships" and "Skirts in the Board Room: Challenges Facing Women in the Workplace."

After distinguishing herself as a top graduate from Georgetown University, one of the nation's premier legal educational institutions, Marshawn took a position as an attorney for one of Atlanta's top law firms. Apart from practicing law, this young business leader and woman of conviction is currently completing work on an upcoming book, inspirational CD and DVD. Her clear ideas, enthusiasm, humility and attention to detail make her one of the rising personalities in the communication and entertainment industry.

This Speaker's Upcoming Events Sat - Jun 10

Marshawn Evans and Jeff Johnson participate in a Teen Summit at the 100 Black Men Conference

Sun - Jun 18

Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant

Event Type: Public Appearance Mon - Jun 19

Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant

Event Type: Public Appearance Tue - Jun 20

Marshawn Evans host the Miss Georgia Pageant
www.4thdimensionmanagement.com

From: readbud

READ MORE - One of America's brightest leaders and thinkers

Stay Alive during Your Model Agency Interview

First Impressions - You get one chance

The old saying goes, "You only get one chance to make a first impression".

This is true in almost every situation and modeling is no exception. When you finally get that model interview that you've been hoping and working for, bring the very best of everything you have to the meeting. Don't hold back; you may not have a second interview!

I am going to mention a few tips to help stack the deck in your favor. When I say this, don't believe for a minute that this will guarantee you a signing with the model agency. It won't. There is generally going to be fierce competition out there and it may come down to you and several other models. If this is the case, you'll want your presence to shine through giving you that oh so minor edge over the others.

First, let's talk about preparation for the interview.

Should I wear makeup or not?

Agents don't want to see your face made up like a Barbie doll. They (or their clients) can make you look the way they require after you are signed. The agent at the first interview wants to see the real you so that he or she knows the material available to work with.

So, you have two choices; Either wear no makeup at all to the model interview or just a little. The latter being my suggestion.
By a "little" I'm talking very little such as ...

- Some concealer to hide major blemishes
- Mascara and just a touch of natural-looking eye shadow
- A hint of blush to bring out the cheeks

And remember, be sure not to overdo any of this. The agent should barely be able to tell you're wearing any makeup at all so just enough to look natural "on purpose".

What to wear to the agency interview

I would suggest wearing clothing that accents your body without being overbearing. You don't want to look like a prude or "easy prey".

Don't wear excessively tight clothing or a blouse with a plunging neckline. You want the agent to first look at your face. Just a good, sensible casual outfit should work fine especially since you'll be wearing very light makeup to the interview.

From a photographer's point of view I would also suggest a button-up shirt with long sleeves. This always looks nice and gives a down-to-earth appearance. Use good judgment when dressing.

Photos or Portfolio

As I stated in the portfolio section of this book, you don't absolutely need a portfolio to take with you to the model agency interview. However, you do want to take the very best photos you have to make a good impression.

How many photos? Again, you're better off carrying only three or four of your very best shots than a portfolio book of 50 mediocre images. So, as a rule of thumb, I'd say to take from three to five good snaps including one headshot and one full body shot to the agency interview. If the agent needs to see more she'll ask for them.

Let your personality shine through

If there's one thing I've learned about professional models, they are definitely not shy!! So, one step in becoming a professional model is to look and act the part. I'm not saying to have a cocky or arrogant way about you.

Just show a pleasant confidence. Here are a couple of pointers.

- Let the agent put his hand out first and then give a good, firm handshake
- Look the agent in the eye
- Smile, Smile, Smile (Let your natural smile show, not a head bowed, nervous smile). Practice in the mirror 'til you have the right effect
- Lean a bit forward when the agent is speaking (this shows you're interested and listening)
- Copy the agent's body language (Be subtle about this but if the agent has his legs crossed or hand to the chin, easily follow and do the same)
- When asked, describe yourself in concise terms, don't ramble
- You have two ears and one mouth; use them in that order.
- Never argue (even if you disagree with what the agent is saying just smile and go on with the interview. You don't have to work with him if the disagreement is unsolvable)
- Get the agent to talk about the model agency; You'll learn more and develop rapport with her because people love to talk about themselves or their business

I know this is a lot to remember so a good way to make this information your own is to get a family member or a friend to conduct a rehearsal interview with you so that you can practice these skills. After a while you will be performing them naturally. If you know a working model, even better to let her help you.

No matter what, don't get defensive

OK, so you've made it through those awkward first moments and the interview is going great. All of a sudden the agent mentions that he would like to talk with you on another date; after you've lost 10 pounds!!

What do you do now?

I know, I know, weight is a sensitive issue with women, especially models, but you should take this in context. First I would thank the agent for his advice because he knows what his clients (and your future employers) want.

If you decided never to talk to that agent again, I would suggest following that advice and lose the ten pounds before setting up an interview with a different model agency.

Losing weight, getting a haircut, or staying out of the tanning bed is not an unusual request in the modeling business so listen to the advice. They are not always right but they are the ones who hire you (or not!).

Secondly, if you really listened, the agent said she wanted another interview with you which means she has enough interest in you to pursue your relationship further. Isn't that terrific? You may have scored with this agent!!

So, let the other model (the one who wasn't listening) storm out of the room in indignant embarrassment but you keep your head and maybe get the job!

Remember these tips during your model interview and present yourself in the very best light. I feel that you will have a definite head start on those models who just walk in with no idea of what to do. Most success is learned. If you don't have it, fake it! Pretty soon you'll find it!

From: readbud

READ MORE - Stay Alive during Your Model Agency Interview

The Beautifying Power of Natural Skin Care Ingredients

Teaming up with the increasing demand for beauty products is the sudden popularity of natural skin care as alternative to beauty enhancer products and surgical treatments. Today, many people prefer to enhance their skin in a natural way rather than to use beauty products due to a number of positive reasons. Fist, natural skin care is safe for it makes use of essential oils, herbs, roots, and other natural ingredients. Second, natural skin care is less expensive compared to purchasing beauty products. Third, natural skin care really works.

Defining natural skin care

Natural skin care is one way of caring for the skin that makes use of natural ingredients like herbs and roots. These ingredients are combined with carrier agents such as emulsifiers and preservatives. This type of skin care becomes popular as most of its ingredients are proven to have anti-inflammatory and healing properties.

With the popularity of natural skin care regimen, many people prefer to use skin care products containing natural ingredients, and spas are also incorporating the use of natural ingredients in their skin care treatments and beauty services. Among the ingredients used in today's natural skin care practices, rose hip seed oil, beeswax, ale vera, tea tree oil, jojoba, shea butter, and witch hazel are the most popular.

Meanwhile, there is more to natural skin care than just mere application on the skin. It basically involves the belief that the body's physical appearance or health is a reflection of what is consumed or taken by the body. Those who adhere to natural skin care pay less attention or concern on using artificial beauty products, for they believe that natural beauty is better than enhanced beauty.

Natural ingredients as effective skin enhancers

The following are three popular ingredients that are commonly used in natural skin care products and treatments:

1. Shea butter
Derived from kernel of the "Karite" tree, shea butter is a common ingredient of natural skin care products sold at drug stores and high-rate spas. Pure shea butter is known to heal skin conditions such as stretch marks and dermatitis. Today, shea butter is regarded as among the safest natural skin care ingredients that provides effective therapeutic results.

2. Honey
Honey is one of the most popular ingredients found in natural skin care products and treatments. It is known to have natural anti-microbial and antioxidant elements. Honey can also retain and absorb moisture on the skin, that is why it is widely used in natural skin care regimen.

3. Jojoba
Jojoba is a popular natural ingredient with healing properties. It is also known for its moisturizing element, thus, perfect for softening the skin.

4. Beeswax
Beeswax is a natural wax found in honey bee hives. This natural ingredient is actually used for a number of commercial purposes, but it is also popularly utilized in skin care treatments and products. Beeswax helps make the skin become smoother and younger looking. It is also known for its healing and anti-microbial elements as well as for its efficient moisturizing component.


From: readbud

READ MORE - The Beautifying Power of Natural Skin Care Ingredients

Why Cash Crate is The Best GPT Site in the Industry

When I first set out to find new ways of earning money online, Cash Crate was the first GPT (get paid to) program I came across. Assuming it was just another internet scam, I skimmed their website and moved on. But a few days later I couldn't stop wondering about it. If their claims were true this could be a nice extra income stream for me. Not really expecting much, I went ahead and signed up. Now, several months and several hundred dollars later, I can tell you that Cash Crate is definitely NOT a scam. After having a good experience with them, I went on to sign up for several other GPT sites, many of which I have made quite a bit of money at, but Cash Crate remains my favorite for several reasons, which I will address in this review.

What Is Cash Crate?
Cash Crate is a Get Paid To site that allows you to earn money by taking surveys and completing trials and offers. Companies are always looking for consumers to try their products or services. GPT programs, such as Cash Crate are hired by advertising companies to provide these leads. Cash Crate gets paid by these companies; they then pass on up to 75% back to us.

How Are You Paid?
Cash Crate automatically sends you a check each month for the previous month's earnings. All you need to do is earn a minimum of $10 to each month to qualify for payment. I can't even begin to tell you how easy this is. I was able to do this within the first few hours of working with Cash Crate. Within a few days I was up to over $50.

Do You Need to Refer Anybody to Earn Money?
Absolutely NOT. You can earn quite a bit of money without referring a single person. If you are like me though and enjoy recruiting new members, there is a very good income to be made this way as well.

Cash Crate has one of the best referral programs available in the GPT industry. This is one of the reasons that Cash Crate remains my favorite GPT site. Cash Crate's excellent referral program makes it not only lucrative, but also easy to refer others to. In my experience, once people understand the power behind this referral program they are very eager to join.

Cash Crate pays you 20% of what your referrals earn and 10% of what their referrals earn. Plus once your referral earns enough to cashout for their first time (only $10) they also give you a $3 bonus. Once you have 50 active referrals under you they raise your referral commissions to 25%!

I compared Cash Crate's referral system to other GPT sites and this is what I found: Between the high referral rates offered by Cash Crate, their quick crediting, and consistent payment history, Cash Crate holds the most earning potential. After several months of working with close to 20 different GPT sites, I can tell you that I consistently earn far more money at Cash Crate than any other GPT site.

If you'd like to try Cash Crate for yourself you can get started here: http://cooldealsites.com/recommends/cashcrate

FROM: READBUD

READ MORE - Why Cash Crate is The Best GPT Site in the Industry

The Best Chick Flicks For Friday Night Movie Dates

If you are short on the funds for your Friday night date with your girl, all you need to do is to get creative. One good idea for a fun date on a Friday night is to go on a movie marathon of your girl’s favorite chick flicks.

In case you have been living under a rock for most of your life, you would know that a chick flick is a movie with a storyline that appeals to women and deals with issues and relationships that women often relate to. A chick flick can either be a comedy or a tearjerker. Some have a bit of action in it, but the action stuff that is typical of guy movies is rare in chick flicks.

Are you sold on the idea of going on a marathon of chick flicks with your chick, but you do not have a clue on what movies to put together for the marathon? Here are a few suggested titles of good chick flicks.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

This Audrey Hepburn movie, widely acclaimed and widely considered to be one of the classics of 20th century cinema, simply appeals to women on many different levels. On one level is the stylish elegance of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in her little black dress, jewels and reed-thin cigarette holder. On another level is the complicated attraction and relationship between Holly Golightly and her author neighbor Paul Varjak. On yet another level is the haunting song Moon River, composed by Henri Mancini and sung by Audrey Hepburn herself. What about this movie does not scream “chick flick”?

Bridget Jones' Diary

Bridget Jones' Diary puts a hilarious spin to the woe of some women who have reached the age of thirty-something with a lot of hang-ups, including having yet to find someone to have a stable relationship with that can become a long-term one. The heroine in this funny British chick flick is the frustrated Bridget Jones, played by Renee Zellweger, who had a highly sexual relationship with her boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), which ended in heartbreak. Into her life comes Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a human-rights barrister who is Bridget’s mother’s choice to be Bridget’s husband. At the center of it all is the diary into which Bridget pours all her anger, irritations, insults and frustrations.

Pretty Woman
A modern take on the classic Cinderella story, this movie tells the tale of a golden-hearted, street-smart Hollywood hooker named Vivian Ward, who is actually a diamond in the rough. She meets a lonely but extremely wealthy businessman Edward Lewis, who hires her to be his arm candy for the various social functions he needed to attend while he was in town. They discover each other, fall in love and act as each other’s savior. Starring the chick flick staple Julia Roberts and the delicious Richard Gere, this movie is a top favorite for chick flick marathons.

Sense and Sensibility

Any movie made out of a Jane Austen book almost always gets the chick flick label. A prime example is the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood and Kate Winslet as Elinor’s sister Marianne. The hopes, dreams and struggles that these two Dashwood sisters went through as dramatized in this movie is something that all women can relate to.

Something’s Gotta Give

This movie is quite unusual in the sense that the protagonists are both sagging middle-aged people when most chick flick couples are often young, firm and beautiful. Nonetheless, Something’s Gotta Give is a very endearing movie. This film stars Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson as two aging people who had to deal with relationship insecurities in order to finally be together.

Thelma and Louise

Who could best help a girl get out of her fun other than her girlfriends? Who else would stick with her through the best of times and the worst of times, regardless of whatever circumstances they may be in? The answer: her girlfriends. Thelma and Louise is the chick flick that celebrates female friendship come hell or high water. It stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, and is popular for being Brad Pitt’s first major Hollywood role.

When Harry Met Sally

Whoever said that men and women can never be great friends? Whoever said that this friendship always has to end when sex comes into the picture? When Harry Met Sally is one of the best chick flicks ever made. It is a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, and it is probably known best for the deli scene where Meg Ryan’s character demonstrated a fake orgasm.

Guys, you do not have to worry about lack of cash just to score a great date with your girl on Friday night. You can just buy or rent copies of these chick flicks, prepare tubs of popcorn and packs of tissue, and enjoy the movies.

From: readbud

READ MORE - The Best Chick Flicks For Friday Night Movie Dates

Declining Detroit and Its Solution

Detroit has been on the decline for over four decades with little left to spur it back into shape. Detroit started as a trading and commerce area between French Europeans and Native Americans. A fort was built to protect the strong area and access restricted to traders. In 1760 Detroit ownership went to the British and in 1815 the city was incorporated. In 1896 Henry Ford, the farmer, built his first car and Detroit slowly moved towards industrial status.

Detroit, the once powerful manufacturing giant for World Wars, Automotive cars and stoves is now a depleted pile of dilapidated buildings, high joblessness rate and rampant crime. So much so that civilized folk are afraid to enter the city. Detroit has nearly 3 times the amount of violent crimes and twice the amount of property crimes as the national average. Detroit is also 82% African American, 26% of households have intact parents, with a medium household income of less than $30,000.

Detroit isn't going to get better on its own unless a major transformation and enlightenment happen. Detroit needs a little checklist that it must follow in order to survive into the next century:

1.) Replace corrupt leadership and change the racial dynamics: Detroit is known for corrupt leadership, kick backs, racial affiliations and the encampment of departments. The city has a difficult time working together and utilizes racial overtones every time it has an opportunity making Detroit appear as a "black" only city. Concern for the City must supercede any personal agendas.

2.) Reduce the cost of business: Let us face the facts that business will not move to Detroit unless they have reduced taxes, reduced labor costs, available land and an educated workforce.

3.) Change the focus away from the automotive industry: Grand Rapids is well known for its production of furniture and being a local health care capital. What will define Detroit in the future? Can we still build stoves, planes, medical equipment, and televisions? We must have a strategy that will transform and diversify our local industry.

4.) Stop the "In your Face!" attitude: Rappers, basketball players, and local racial leaders have been portraying the wrong kind of values. They have showed their youth to serve themselves first, be corrupt if necessary, thrown their garbage into the streets, question authority and act immature. Progressive cities don't disseminate bad values. If you question this logic look at the man relieving himself on a public road mumbling "mind your own business" and ask yourself if you want to live next to him.

5.) Clean up the city: Garbage, urban decay, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of good amusement and shopping have given little reason for people from the suburbs to invest, move into or shop within the city. Traffic moves to the suburbs not to the city and this must be reversed if any meaningful economic reform is to be had.

6.) Urban entertainment and recreation: Parks, music halls, down town entertainment, block parties and the like help to solidify a small city into one group and develop an internal sense of self. People moving to the area want to know that they have places they can spend their disposable income for fun, pleasure and enjoyment.

Detroit has a long way to go before it can consider itself anywhere near a nice place to live. These comments are considered truthful to some and pungent to other but nevertheless they remain true. We can only ask that the people of Detroit and their leaders take head and stop the damage before we cross the very close no point of return.


From: readbud

READ MORE - Declining Detroit and Its Solution

In Search Of The First Ever Amazing Women Of The Year

Are you a woman who holds the secrets to success in maintaining a healthy home and work life balance? If so, you could be one of the first ever Swiffer Amazing Women of the Year!

Swiffer, the revolutionary cleaning system, has partnered with supermodel Cindy Crawford in a nationwide search to find everyday women who are making amazing contributions to their communities. From the multi-tasking mom who finds time to run the PTA and her own online business, to the neighbor who organizes a charity walk-a-thon each year, the Swiffer Amazing Women of the Year campaign wants to publicly recognize women who are finding the time to balance their busy lives while positively influencing others around them.

As the first Amazing Woman of the Year, Cindy Crawford was chosen to launch this program because of her dedication to the Silver Lining Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing lifetime opportunities for children with cancer, and her ability to successfully balance her young family, thriving career and vibrant personal life.

"Honoring women who are making a difference in their communities is something I am thrilled to be a part of," said Cindy Crawford. "As a wife and mother, I know it takes a lot of dedication to balance a healthy work and home life. I am honored to help pay tribute to women who have transformed the world they live in while still juggling their work and personal life."

The five Amazing Women of the Year will be announced in May 2006. Each winner will be awarded a $5,000 donation to the charity of her choice.

In celebration, the original Swiffer Sweeper has been redesigned to make it even easier to keep your floors clean every day. It now features a new look with transparent handle and larger head to enhance its overall performance. With its lightweight, maneuverable pole, the sweeper is quicker and easier than traditional cleaning methods.

Used in more than 40 million households worldwide, Swiffer continues to revolutionize the way people clean their homes. The new redesigned sweeper starter kit contains one sweeper, two dry sweeping cloths and two wet mopping cloths.

from: readbud

READ MORE - In Search Of The First Ever Amazing Women Of The Year

Criminal Background Checks: A Necessity In Our Society?

Everyday the news tells of violence in the workplace and sex offenders on the prowl. The scary thing is that you usually never know who these people might be until it's too late. How many times have you seen an interview of someone describing an accused criminal as the nicest person you could ever know? They would have never suspected this person of committing any crime until the crime had already been commited. A criminal background check could have easily put up a red flag about this person and it might have prevented a future incident.

With the popularity of internet dating, the threat of sex offenders seems to increase daily. It is estimated that the number of Americans using online dating services like myspace.com and match.com is in the tens of millions. Sex offenders now have easy access to millions of potential victims. So how do you protect yourself? You should obtain a criminal background check on anyone you meet online before ever agreeing to meet with them and never agree to be alone with them until you feel safe. When your safety is in question, don't take a chance: get a criminal background check.

Violence in the workplace also seems to be on the rise. According to USA Today, an average of one employee is killed in the workplace every week in the United States. Furthermore, at least 20 workers are seriously injured in violent attacks by a current or former employee. How could these brutal attacks have been prevented? In most cases, a criminal background check could have revealed a history of violence and may have prevented many incidents from occuring. It is now more important than ever to know if someone has a criminal background or history of violence before you hire them.

The process of obtaining a criminal background check on someone used to be a hassle. It took someone with specialized knowledge and a whole lot of effort to gain access to public records of all sorts including criminal records and civil records. Now, because of the speed and convenience of the internet, obtaining a criminal background check on virtually anyone in the United States (and even Canada and the U.K.) could not be any easier. Whether someone has an unpaid parking ticket, or has been convicted of a felony, these public records are all available to anyone.

A criminal background check can and should be used in any situation where safety is an issue. It is extremely difficult for anyone to know you are investigating them so you can conduct one in complete anonymity. Don't become a victim of violence when you can protect yourself in such an easy and valuable way: do a criminal background check.

From: readbud

READ MORE - Criminal Background Checks: A Necessity In Our Society?

Be Cautious When Using Your Nest Egg as an ATM

About five years ago I moved from the ranks of being a renter to that of being a homeowner. Now, not a week goes by that I don't receive some type of offer through the mail encouraging me to refinance my mortgage, open a home equity line of credit (HELOC), or apply for a home equity loan.

Payoff High Interest Credit Card Debt! Lower Your Monthly Payments! Buy A New Car! Refinance And Get Money Now! scream the slogans splashed across the envelopes.

The promotional letters inside point out how easy it will be for me to "get the extra cash you need NOW!" They promise "no out of pocket costs" with a newly refinanced 30-year loan.

Could I use some extra cash NOW? You bet I could! Who needs high interest credit card debt? Not me, no way, no how! Buy a new car? Hmmm, I like that new Pontiac G6 I've seen on tv, maybe in a sleek titanium color with black trim?

For thousands of U.S. households "Home Sweet Home" is rapidly being replaced with a new sentiment - "Home Sweet ATM." According to the latest Federal Reserve study, 45% of homeowners who have refinanced their mortgages pulled cash out and 74% wound up lengthening their mortgage by about six years. Only 17% shortened their loan term opting to downsize to a 15-year mortgage.

In a period of six years, Americans have more than doubled the amount owed on home equity loans and lines of credit, nearing $766.2 billion, according to the Federal Reserve.

If you're in your 40's and you refinance on a new 30-yr. loan, you'll be in your 70's by the time your loan ends. Even if you shave off a few years by paying down your principle, you're still risking not owning your home "free and clear" as you approach retirement age.

What happened to the era when your home was considered your nest egg to be used only for life-threatening or life-changing events like paying for a child's wedding or for a medical emergency? And worst of all, many new homeowners are using their home's equity as another source for financing new debts.

Think twice before using home equity to pay off credit card balances. If you're already overspending on your credit cards now, what makes you think anything will be different after you pay them off with a loan or line of credit? Many people just wind up deeper in debt or facing bankruptcy because they couldn't resist charging their cards up again.

Keep this in mind before tapping your home's equity - Your loan or HELOC is secured by your home. Default on the loan and you could lose your house, even if you declare bankruptcy!

The best use for home equity is to make improvements that add value to your home. Remodeling a kitchen or bathroom, adding an extra room or creating a master suite are just a few of the "hot" improvements that can really pay off when it comes time for you to sell.

If your home truly is your nest egg, be smart about how use its equity. Make sure that it fits in with your overall financial plan and golas. Otherwise, you could be left without a nest and just the egg!









from: readbud

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Budget Conscious; What are the Benefits of Repowering a Utility Golf Cart with a Kohler Engine?

These days, maintaining a fleet of golf carts and utility vehicles is more likely to be a matter of topping up battery cells than checking spark plugs and mixing fuel and oil. The vast majority of golf carts sold in the past decade or so has been electric. Electric golf carts, goes the traditional wisdom, are cheaper to maintain, easier to manage and less trouble in the long run than the models powered by small gas engines.

Despite the popularity of electric golf carts, however, most pros agree that there are some jobs that require the power of a good gas engine. It's not unusual for most course fleets to include at least a few gas golf carts that have been converted to utility vehicles for hauling and other purposes. What do you do when the motor on one of those starts to go?

It used to be easy to replace those with a used utility or golf cart when the engine started to go – but not anymore. Used and rebuilt gas-powered golf carts are rare – and replacing them with a new gas-powered cart could run you between $12,000 and $20,000.

The solution is simple. Don't replace – repower. The decision to repower a utility vehicle that you currently own rather than replacing it with a new vehicle makes sound sense in a number of ways.

1. By repowering a vehicle that you own, you extend the useful life of that vehicle or piece of equipment. There's no need to scrap a perfectly good piece of equipment that just needs a bit of a boost in the engine department.

2. Repowering a vehicle with a new motor can expand its usefulness. You can turn an old golf cart into an all-purpose hauler or plow by fitting it with a more powerful engine.

3. You get a new warranty for your new upgraded engine. Depending on the dealer, you may find a Kohler engine repower kit that contains all you need to upgrade and includes a two-year warranty, or a Honda small engine to replace one that's on its last legs, with a warranty for parts for up to two years.

4. A repower Kohler engine or other small engine could save you money on fuel, especially if you upgrade to a cleaner burning fuel. And it will certainly be kinder to the environment.

5. Speaking of kinder to the environment, check your state's grants and proposals web site if you're considering replacing old motor equipment. Many states offer substantial incentives if you choose to repower a high-emissions piece of equipment with a lower-emissions engine. The same holds true if you choose to refit an engine with after-market parts to reduce its emissions. In some cases, you can even apply for a reimbursement grant that will pay for a repower engine or the refit parts, along with any parts needed to fit the new engine into your tractor or utility vehicle.

6. If your new repower engine does need repair, it will be far easier to get parts for a current engine than for an older model. Spare parts support is yet another reason to upgrade your engine with a repower.

Repowering is also an excellent way to update your greens-keeping equipment. Little has changed in the business end of mowers, rakers and other turfcare equipment. Why replace a piece of equipment that's in virtually excellent condition when a repower kit will upgrade it and keep it running in tiptop shape for years to come? Kohler makes repower kits for Toro, Jacobsen, Club Car and Cushman turf care equipment. Each kit comes with everything you need to drop a new engine into your trusted machine and update it to perfect working order.

From: readbud

READ MORE - Budget Conscious; What are the Benefits of Repowering a Utility Golf Cart with a Kohler Engine?

The Essentials Of Golf

At the core of golf there is competition. Yet the most essential part of golf is patience. Patient competition seems like a contradiction. Yet golf is not contradictory at all. On the other hand it has been said one person can find golf relaxing, while another individual might think it the most stressful sport in the universe.

Professional golfers tend to be graceful. It is as if they are very aware of how the muscles in their body propel them forward. Languid strides and flexibility are words that come to mind when imagining the professional golfer at work.

Some people link golf to sports like bowling or billiards. Not particularly something you want to watch unless you understand the game fully and know the participants well enough to be cheering one or more toward the grand first prize. Serious golf fans are loyal and just as radical (in a subdued manner) as any professional football fan can be.

As a spectator sport golf ranks high on the television ratings. It is highly unlikely anyone has seen the World Cup void of fans on any given year. The collective silences and cheers of golf fans exude a respect for the game. That respect is the attention grabber.

As with any sport, the interest of the young people is a natural part of survival. Without future golf players there is no future to golf. Since golf has been around for arguably five centuries it is not a concern that the sport will ever die away completely or vanish like a lost civilization. Fresh new blood keeps the arterial channels flowing more freely though.

The diversity of golf is found most obviously in the participants of golf. Any level of physically fit persons can choose golf as a sport. It is known to be beneficial exercise. When golf becomes a set part of your scheduled regimen it is very likely extra pounds will come off. Any societal level of persons can play golf. It is nit the game of the rich and famous, on the contrary there are many affordable public golf courses emerging.

Whether you are male, female, young or mature golf is a game of competitive spirit. We mustn't forget it is a patient competitive spirit. Not only are you competing against other golfers you are also being constantly challenged by difficult golfing courses. A public or private golf course has its fair share of challenging factors on the fairways, in the sand traps and across the rolling hills. The most appealing challenge for most golfers is the challenge of improving your game.

You might have seen the cartoons where the golfer has a club wrapped around a tree limb in frustration or yet another where it appears Zen golf might be a new fad. Either account can be considered a fair account when you are talking about a sport with diversity, versatility and class. If you have never golfed in your life, think about it the next time you have some free time. You might be surprised how much fun golf can essentially be.

from: readbud

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What Is God? Where Is God?

 "I have a hard time with the concept of God. I was not brought up in a religious family. I believe there is something beyond myself, but I just don't know how to think of it or experience it."

"I was brought up in family where God was portrayed as judgmental and punishing. I can't even hear the word 'God' without feeling anxious. How am I supposed to open to God when I believe that God is controlling?"

"How can I believe in God when there are so many bad things that happen to people? If there really is a God, then why does He let these things happen?"

"God as a man just does not work for me. The men in my life have been mostly angry and controlling. I don't feel safe opening to a male god."

These are a few of the many comments I hear from my clients as I work with helping them open to a personal source of spiritual guidance.

The New Testament is very clear regarding what God is:

John 4:24
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

1 John 4:16
"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

John tells us that "God is Spirit" and "God is love." He tells us that when we are being loving, we are within God and God is within us.

My personal experience is that God is love, peace, joy, and truth, and that God is everywhere, both within us and all around us. When our hearts are open to love, compassion and kindness toward ourselves and others, we experience the fullness of God within us and the safety of being within God.

My experience is that God is always here guiding us toward our highest good. One of the ways I help my clients to access the wisdom that God has for us each and every moment is to imagine a spiritual being that is here just for you. This can be a Teacher, a mentor, a guardian angel, a beloved relative who has passed away, or the highest, wisest part of yourself – your own higher self. By opening to learning with a wise and loving being who wants nothing more than to guide you toward your joy and the full manifestation of yourself, you open to being guided by the love and wisdom of God

This guidance is your birthright. We were not dumped alone on the planet to fend for ourselves. Yet you will not have an experience of this love and guidance until you open to learning from God. My clients who practice opening to learning with a spiritual source of love and wisdom discover for themselves the truth of God. They are no longer caught in beliefs that do not served them – that God is judgmental, controlling and punishing; that God does not exist; that God will never be there for them personally; that they have to earn God's love; that God can stop people from harming each other.

You will know God when you open your heart to learning about loving actions toward yourself and others. When your primary intention is to learn about how to love yourself and others, rather than to keep on trying to get love or avoid pain, you will have a personal experience of God.

If the term "God" is a negative trigger for you, then change it to Spirit, or Higher Power, or whatever works for you. God is not a being who cares about a name. God is the ever-present experience of love, compassion, truth, peace and joy that is always available for you whenever you choose to open your heart.

from: readbud

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