Love movies perhaps a video franchise business is for you

Starting Your Own Video Franchise

Did you know that you can receive the kind of support and direction provided to franchisees and still open your own video store?

Video Store Builder Home Entertainment Businesses offers prospective video store owners the chance to create their own businesses but still reap the benefits that come along with being part of a franchise. Video Store Builder assists the entrepreneur in creating his business, turnkey, from start to finish. They provide help with planning elements such as store layout, and they provide the inventory and tools you’ll need to make your video store operational. Perhaps the key benefit, however, is that Video Store Builder will make connections with distributors for you.

Then, once the set-up of your store is complete, it’s all yours! There are no franchise fees, no corporate rules to follow, just your video store the way you want it. But Video Store Builder remains dedicated to helping you along the way at any time you feel it’s necessary.

Another company providing similar services is Zone 3 DVD and Video Rental Store. Zone 3 even designs the store for you, for those entrepreneurs interested in opening a video franchise but not in planning a location from scratch. Zone 3 offers a variety of store designs to fit every start-up budget, and they will help you decide on the size and layout that’s best for you.

Zone 3 provides everything you need to start your video franchise from a full inventory to financial advice as well as an experienced training team.

Starting a Video Franchise at Home

Perhaps you’re interested in starting a video franchise, but you really want to be able to work at home. There are tremendous opportunities for you to do that too!

Family Tree Music Video converts clients’ family memorabilia—such as photos and home movies—into “Hollywood style” music videos. They add special effects, music, titles and even voice-over provided by the client to these priceless family artifacts.

The market for this is huge. Almost everyone would love to see their family memories preserved in a lasting format.

For an initial investment of $67,500 you receive all the equipment you’ll need to set up a studio capable of producing these videos in your own home. Family Tree Music Video will provide you with marketing materials such as a customized TV infomercial and website. You’ll be completely trained and enjoy continual support. You’ll also have the freedom of no royalties or overhead costs. Best of all, you’ll be providing a service that your clients will cherish for years to come!

Another option for prospective franchisees who want to work at home is Home Video Studio, Inc.

This company started out only offering two services, or “profit centers”: home movie transfer and video duplication. They now have 21 profit centers including DVD transfer and duplication, which are their fastest growing areas. You, too, can capitalize on this success!

This is a turnkey, home-based business that you can work on full or part time. You don’t need any experience because Home Video Studio, Inc. provides a complete training and support package that includes a full-time sales and tech support team. This video franchise has low overhead and high profit potential.

What About a Video Game Store Franchise?

Maybe you’ve considered opening a video franchise, but did you ever think about a video game store franchise? This is much more specialized than a video store that also rents games, and this type of business attracts a specialized consumer.

Play N Trade Video Games is a video game store franchise whose concept was “conceived by gamers for gamers.” Who better to help you build a business that will “be the gamer’s ultimate destination?” In fact, that is Play N Trade’s goal.

Play N Trade offers a wide range of products such as new and used video games and game consoles. They enjoy a reputation of being the place to find everything from the original Nintendo—of nostalgic value to today’s adult gamers—to the newest, most popular systems like the Xbox 360. Additionally, Play N Trade provides repair services and diagnostics. Everything a gamer needs would be within reach in your store.

Just a few of the things that set Play N Trade apart from other video game stores are superior customer service and total interactivity including in-store tournaments and a “try before you buy” policy that allows gamers to be absolutely certain that they are getting the best value possible.

As a franchisee in the Play N Trade franchise you’ll enjoy national brand recognition and top-notch guidance from experts who know gamers.

This business opportunity is truly unique. The video game industry is an expanding one that is going to keep expanding, and Play N Trade is a leader in the field. They even made Entrepreneur. com’s Franchise 500® list of the best franchise opportunities for 2007.

Play N Trade has already established customer loyalty with its customer-centric approach to sales.

If you love video games or simply want to be part of a franchise that caters to consumers who embrace the newest technologies, Play N Trade is the business opportunity for you!

The 7 scrapbooking supplies essential for the serious scrapbooker

Buying scrapbooking supplies has never been simpler, with the huge variety of products available online these days. From albums and paper to all kinds of embellishments, the internet can be a fantastic place to buy your scrapbook supplies. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced scrapper you should be able to find a huge variety of scrapbooking accessories and equipment to help you put your creative ideas into practice. Web sites are also great places to find lots of free scrapbooking ideas to inspire you to try out new techniques and experiment with different page layouts.

There are so many scrapbooking supplies on sale these days that it can be a bit daunting for new scrapbookers to know where to start! The seven essential items that are needed for all scrapbooks include album, refill pages, cardstock and acid-free adhesive. Good quality scissors are important, and a paper trimmer can be very useful. Acid-free, permanent pens are crucial for journaling and other annotations. Then there is the huge variety of scrapbook materials designed for decorating your pages, including stickers, frames and die cuts, as well as paper piecing patterns and stencils. You can use your imagination and have a lot of fun with embellishments!

One way to save time when deciding on what supplies you need is to buy a pre-packaged scrapbooking kit. Ready made kits come in a big choice of themes, and contain a coordinated selection of products related to a specific theme, such as weddings, travel or babies. Using a kit can make it quicker and easier to plan your scrapbook layouts, at the same time giving you the flexibility to come up with a unique look and add your personal touches. If you like to use digital scrapbooking software, there are loads of downloads and CDs available to help you build your pages on your computer.

The Internet is a brilliant source of all sorts of scrapbooking supplies and ideas to help you preserve your treasured photos in a unique and memorable way.

5 steps to perfect hair

Your hair is your crowning glory. Look after it and it will shine for all the world to see. You don’t always need expensive treatments, or visits to a hair salon to manage your hair professionally. There’s so much you can do yourself.

1. For shiny, healthy hair think first of your body’s intake. Your hair is really just a reflection of what you are inside. A good balanced, nutritious and healthy diet will do more to make your hair shine than any shampoo or conditioner. And drink eight to ten glasses of water a day too; hair is 25% water, so don’t let yours go thirsty!

2. Dry your hair after washing in the ambient temperature of your room after using an absorbent towel to soak up the excess moisture, but don’t rub hard. If possible, don’t use blow-drying, flat irons, curling irons or hot rollers. Artificial heating will leave your hair brittle and damaged in time. Be natural whenever you can.

3. Prevent unnecessary hair damage by using the right kind of hairbrush. Only comb wet hair with a wide-tooth comb, combing from end to root, but avoiding touching the root. Detangling wet hair with a hard steel comb can create a lot of damage, so don’t!

4. Remove trichoptlosis, or split ends, like this: take small sections of your hair and carefully twist them in a gentle downward motion. The split ends will stick out. Using sharp scissors, carefully cut into the twisted section, but not right through, to remove the damaged cuticles and leave a natural layered look. Cut roughly the same amount from each twist to balance the effect.

5. Hair loss can be slowed, or even reversed by applying a few simple tips, though they probably won’t cure an underlying condition. Biotin can help to regenerate hair follicles: blend bananas with honey, yoghurt and low-fat milk, and drink it daily. Supplements such as Vitamin B6, zinc and saw palmetto will help too, but eliminating stress and getting plenty of sleep may work just as well.

We are all obsessed with our hair, whether we are 9 or 90, male or female. Look after yourself first and foremost and your hair will reflect that care and attention. The Biblical Samson’s strength lay in his fine flowing hair. Your hair reflects your strength too.

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Women crews build homes and dreams

With hammers in hand, women across the country are coming together to build homes and better futures with families in need.

Habitat for Humanity International's Women Build program, sponsored by Lowe's, a home improvement retailer, is working to make homeownership a reality. The organization trains women volunteers and the future owners of Habitat homes to construct and maintain simple, decent and affordable homes.

"We have seen so many positive changes through the Women Build program, not only in the lives of the new homeowners, but in the lives of the volunteers," said Fiona Eastwood, director of Women Build. "Women from all walks of life are picking up tools, determined to build a better future for our nation's children and leave a legacy of volunteerism."

Women Build is not about excluding men, however. It's about including women who have a willingness to learn new things and meet new people.

According to Eastwood, women are often intimidated on a "mixed" construction site. At a Women Build site, she says women are able to quickly and comfortably learn construction skills.

In a recent survey conducted by Lowe's and Habitat for Humanity, women most often cited their desire to help children and families in need as a motive for volunteering. Another reason they often cited was the desire to improve their communities and neighborhoods.

Habitat houses are sold at no profit to partner families and are financed with no-interest mortgages that are issued for 15 to 30 years. House payments go into the "Fund for Humanity" to be used to build more Habitat for Humanity homes. With Lowe's as the national underwriter for the Women Build program, more than 150 homes - an increase of 50 percent over last year - will be built this year by women crews.

"We're proud to partner with Habitat in supporting women who help families move out of substandard housing into their own home, where they can enjoy the dignity that every family deserves," said Larry Stone, chairman of the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation.

Disability insurance online

What is Disability Insurance?

“The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are the largest of several Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. While these two programs are different in many ways, both are administered by the Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program.”

- Social Security web site, June 2006

The Social Security office will want to check your medical history to be sure you qualify for disability benefits. The Social Security office is one way to get disability benefits, but in most cases these benefits will not be substantial enough for families.

Disability insurance can be obtained through any number of insurance companies. In the event that you are disabled, this insurance will serve as financial protection. You will receive a percentage of your gross income from your disability insurance policy, income that will ensure your own financial safety.

You do not have to go through the Social Security Office to take out a disability insurance policy, nor to receive the benefits from that policy. The Social Security disability program is not related to any disability insurance policy that you take out.

“Individual disability insurance is truly a basic concept. It is an insurance product designed to replace anywhere from 45-60% of your gross income on a tax-free basis should a sickness or illness prevent you from earning an income in your occupation. Every disability insurance policy from every insurance company is very different, this is not a product to simply shop for the most competitive rate. To buy the cheapest disability insurance policy on the market is to throw money away. The odds of getting paid a monthly benefit under a cheap contract may be significantly lower than receiving benefits from a quality contract.”

- About Disability Insurance web site, June 2006

Types of Disability Insurance

Most people are familiar with two types of disability insurance: short-term disability, and long-term disability. Short-term disability insurance is included as part of a benefits package with many different employers, and usually provides an income in the early part of disability. Short-term disability insurance generally provides coverage for a period of several weeks, and does not exceed a two-year term.

Long-term disability, however, can last for a period of several years. These types of policies may be included as a part of employment, in a benefits package, but many purchase these disability insurance policies individually.

As far as disability insurance goes, however, there are still more policies to learn about. One type of disability insurance is the Own-Occupation Disability Insurance. The definition of this policy reads:

“The inability to perform the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation, the insurance company will consider your occupation to be the occupation you are engaged in at the time you become disabled, they will pay the claim even if you are working in some other capacity.”

Another kind of disability insurance is the Income Replacement Insurance. This is a very popular type of disability insurance, and most insurance agents are familiar with this policy. The language of this type of disability insurance reads:

“Because of sickness or injury you are unable to perform the material and substantial duties of your occupation, and are not engaged in any other occupation.”

Common in employee benefits packages, Gainful Occupation Coverage is another popular form of disability insurance. The language here is worded very carefully:

“Because of sickness or injury you are unable to perform the material and substantial duties or your occupation, or any occupation for which you are deemed reasonably qualified by education, training, or experience.”

Budget your way to success

Budgeting sounds like a boring strategy used by our parents. For a long time, budgeting was considered the way to manage money because it helped people keep track of where their finances were going. But lots of people are choosing not to budget because it seems so needlessly complicated with little or not benefit. But there is a benefit to budgeting; the real trick is finding a budgeting method that works for you. Here is an excellent strategy to help you manage the money in your personal portfolio.

The first thing you need to do is create a budget. Creating a budget does not have to be restrictive, but it should be a guideline to help you manage your income and your expenses each month. The first thing you want to do is list all your expenses on a month-to-month basis. The next thing you want to do it list all of your income on a month-to-month basis. Then compare. Many people who have trouble saving find that their expenses are very close to their income. So what can you do?

One option you have is to reduce your expenses. This might mean going out with friends a little less or giving up on some luxury that you typically enjoy. Another option you have is to increase your income. Unfortunately, for many people, this is easier said than done.

One way that you can reduce your expenses and increase your income is by using a debt consolidation loan. By consolidating many outstanding debts that are due throughout the month into a single loan with a single monthly payment you will be accomplishing several things.

First, you will be reducing your monthly payment because you will be securing a larger loan and is spread out over a longer period of time. Second, you'll be reducing the amount of interest you pay because you will be consolidating your many debts into one debt from one provider. Reducing your interest not only helps to reduce your expenses but also increases your income!

And if you are able to find some assets that can help you get a secured loan, you'll be able to spread out your payment over a longer period of time and you will likely qualify for a lower interest rate because you have some security to offer the lending institution to back up the loan.

Now that you are actively pursuing a budget, you will need to find a way to continue to reduce your expenses over time. A secured loan will help you do that. But don't forget that there are many ways you can also increase your income.

Congratulations! You are assembling a budget and getting control of your finances and at the same time you are reducing your expenses and increasing your income.

What you need to know about smoking

Cigarette boxes always state: “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health” at the back of the boxes, or at the end of their commercial ads. But do people really heed these government warnings? Do people really understand what smoking does to them?

In the United States, an approximate of 25.1 million men and 20.9 million women are smokers. It is quite alarming to know that quite a huge chunk of the smoking population belongs to a younger age group. Almost twenty-seven percent of smokers are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. A recent survey showed that almost twenty-three percent of high school students were current smokers, and that most of these high school smokers were White and Hispanic students.

Cigarettes

A cigarette is made out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco combined with certain additives rolled and stuffed into a paper cylinder. The act of lighting a cigarette to make for the purpose of inhaling its smoke byproduct is called cigarette smoking.

Cigarette smoking and its effect

Around four hundred forty thousand people die in the United States from any form of tobacco use. Nearly one out of five deaths is linked to smoking, it beats alcohol, car accidents, suicides, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs put together. But how does cigarette smoking kill?

An approximated four hundred chemicals are present in cigarette smoke, and most of them are toxic to the human body. Certain ingredients found in cigarettes may affect as much as the internal functioning of your body organs to the efficiency of your body's immune system. Continued cigarette smoking may cause a multitude of different medical complications, and at worse, the effects may be fatal. these include:

l Cancer. Cigarette smoking is responsible for at least thirty percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. It is the major cause for these forms of cancer:

Ѓ lungs

Ѓ larynx (or the voice box)

Ѓ oral cavity

Ѓ pharynx (or the throat)

Ѓ esophagus

Cigarette smoking is also said to be a contributory factor in developing these forms of cancer:

Ѓ bladder

Ѓ pancreas

Ѓ liver

Ѓ uterus and cervix

Ѓ stomach

Ѓ colon

Ѓ rectum

l Heart diseases. Cigarette smoke contains very fine particles that penetrate the alveolar wall into the blood and exert their effects on the heart in a short span of time. Among these heart diseases are:

Ѓ heart attack

Ѓ stroke

l Lung diseases.

Ѓ emphysema

Ѓ bronchitis

l Pregnancy complications.

Ѓ miscarriage

Ѓ early delivery (or premature delivery)

Ѓ still birth

Ѓ sudden infant death syndrome (or SIDS)

Ѓ low birth weight

In addition, smoking is not only harmful to your own body. In the long run, it will take its toll on the people surrounding you, through second hand smoke. So if you care about your own health and for others as well, don't get started with the habit. If you're a cigarette smoker, try and quit the habit. Your body will thank you for it.

How to keep the love alive in your relationship

Some believe that romance should just come naturally, and if it doesn’t, or if the original closeness that existed in a relationship starts to subside, it means that something is wrong. Nothing is further from the truth. Keeping love alive requires time, attention and the willingness to keep things fresh and learn how to constantly reconnect. Here are some steps that will help us reconnect with our partners, and keep the love alive.

Step 1: Give up dead routines

After the initial excitement of being together is over, many fall into a routine and begin taking one another for granted. They assume they know what their partner is feeling, that it doesn’t matter if they come late for a date, don’t look as good as they used to, or decide to spend more and more time out with friends. However, it is crucial to realize that there are many small ways in which we sabotage relationships. Unless two people feel cared for and valued by one another, it is easy for the feelings of love to fade away.

Break into routines. Snap out of ruts. Take time to plan exciting, romantic, delicious times to spend together. Even if it’s just for a little while. Dedicate time to the relationship that nothing can interrupt. This is a sacred time for the two of you, and during it do what makes both of you feel most fulfilled.

Step 2: Take Charge of How You Perceive Your Partner Each Day

The good feelings between partners are often heightened by the way in which they view one another. Do you view him as a hero? Someone you can look up to and respect? Or are you mostly dwelling upon his/her faults? After a relationship has gone on for a while it is easy to begin to view one another as ordinary. This is a sure-fire technique for putting out any fire that might exist. Remember, when you first fell in love, you only saw the best about that person and focused on how wonderful they were. If you want to keep the love alive, keep that going consciously.

Here are two exercises to do to help. Get a personal notebook to record your experiences and feelings in. Read it from time to time. Dedicated a certain time each day to the relationship and what is possible between the two of you.

Exercise A – How You See Your Partner

Take some time and write down a description of how you see your partner. Who is he/she to you now? How do you feel about him? Write this down without censoring your thoughts and feelings.

Then, write down how you saw him when you first met, and how you felt about him then. See how your feelings of closeness are affected by the way you are perceiving the person today. Realize that how you perceive a person is totally within your control. You can have the most beautiful person in front of you, but if you do not see it, it is of no avail.

Consciously view your partner in a way that is similar to the way you did in the beginning. They will feel the effects of this, and begin responding in kind.

Exercise B – Stop Pushing Him/Her Away

There are many, little things we do (consciously and unconsciously) that push our partners away. Many are afraid of intimacy and do a great deal to short circuit it. Take a little while to write down ways in which you push him/her away. This is not to blame yourself, but to become aware of the times when you are not actually inviting closeness, but putting on the brakes.

Now, decide to change the way you behave. Each day take one item on your list (the way you’ve pushed him away) and do the opposite. For example, rather than criticizing him in public, say nice things about him with friends. A few small actions can have huge effects. .

Step 2: Understanding Hidden Expectations

There is nothing that can cause us to disconnect from each other as much as expectations that have been unfulfilled. We all enter relationships with many kinds of expectations and dreams, some we are aware of, others not. There is nothing that causes more disappointment than our expectations which are not being met.

Take a moment to become aware of what you are expecting of your partner. Is it possible for him to fulfill these expectations Does he want the same thing from the relationship?

More often than not, it is our unfulfilled expectations, not the other person, which make us upset. In order to feel close and satisfied in a relationship, a crucial step is making sure your expectations can be met. See how your expectations align with the person you’re with. Also take time to see if anyone can fulfill them? Are these expectations realistic or simply childhood dreams you are still carrying with you?

Exercise C –- Letting Him Fulfill Your Dreams

Become aware off which expectations of yours your partner does meet. Now see if you are willing to be satisfied with that. Can you find a way to feel grateful for what you are receiving? Sometimes just deciding that what your partner offers is good enough, can allow the love to re-ignite once again.

Then, let him know that he’s making you happy. Most people have a deep need to know and to hear that they are meaningful to you.

Step 6: Re-Choose Your Partner

When these steps are taken, you will not only be more connected, but you will be with your partner because there is no other place you want to be. The relationship will not be one of convenience, but one of choice. The actual act of re-choosing our partners, of knowing they are the one’s we want to be with, is the culmination of the reconnecting and romance we’ve found.

Sometimes it is very beautiful to make this process conscious. You can write down and express the ways in which you wish to recommit to your partner, you can write down and express the aspects of them that cause you to feel this way. By doing this on an on-going basis, we not only keep the love and relationship fresh, but we keep ourselves aware of why we are with the person, what our part is in the relationship, and the joy and romance that is possible for us to have forever.

Cc/author/2005

Selecting a magazine your conscience might influence you

Selecting a magazine can be an interesting thing when you already know what you want. You can either make a choice as to the type of magazine you use depending on your activity or occupation in life. Several types of profession or occupation count in deciding on a magazine. However, for the purpose of this article, I will classify all religious professions as humanitarian. This also includes those that provide counseling and all sorts of moral upbringing. If you are a humanitarian, select a magazine that has the following qualities:

The first point is what do you think or want society to be like? With this in mind, look for magazines that prescribe genuine and acceptable standards in our surroundings, magazines that preach religious messages or that condemns any form of immorality.

Look for periodicals that the advocate equality for all, equality in terms of expression, wealth, gender and that epitomize goodness at all cost. Through this, you become inspired day-by-day to pursue what you desire.

Select a magazine that criticizes society and its leaders, magazines that address social issues directly such as one the passes judgment without fear of favour or repression from a particular public officer. Decide on a magazine that will make you see what society should do in the face of dishonest officers or that which calls to order the breach of public trust held by public trustees.

Think of a publication that sympathizes with your passion on being a good leader. When you read of articles that uplift your spirit, your dreams are directed towards your passion. When your dreams, passions and aspirations reach their apex, actions prop up. Your plan of becoming a leader materializes. You are the architect to better sculpt the society. Do not wait for others to start. Start today by reading those publications which match your thoughts to action.

Do you think that there is no forum for you to put through your views? Then prefer that publication which allow for views or which has an opinion page. This might be the only way for you to speak out to the pubic against an issue of social concern, for example where you can speak out against the oppression of man by man. You cannot claim to be a humanitarian campaigner if you cannot use the opportunity given to you to speak about what you hold.

Seek for publications that will tell you where, when and to whom to make donations to change the lives of others. Permit yourself to be read as having been a mover and shaker of your society. If you begin to walk in a spirited new path, new prospect for humanity will crop up. The humanitarian values that we advocate for will become realities. Rise up and become the person that you think the world needs.

Liberate from the bad credit tag with bad debt secured loan

Loans have become a necessity in the contemporary world. The reason being the evident rise in the standard of living. Your regular income can barely make ends meet. Loans can provide you with additional funds to satiate you financial appetite.

The financial situation becomes even worst if you have a history of bad debt. You may be attached with the label of bad debt due to a gamut of reasons such as bankruptcy, self-employment status, arrears, defaults, individual voluntary agreements, county court judgments, slow credit or no credit and many more. Bad debt is like a black spot on plain blank sheet of paper. Bad debt secured loan is an ideal way out for you in such a scenario. It can be procured conveniently, as the loan would be available against a property. Therefore, your bad debt would not be a predicament.

You can utilize your bad debt secured loan for an assortment of reasons such purchase of a car or boat, debt consolidation, home improvements, wedding, vacation and many more. Like any other secured loan, it too is tagged with a flexible loan repayment term, which makes it easier for you to repay.

Secured loan in essence denotes funds that can be accessed by pledging any securable property against your loan amount. Securable property can include a car, jewelry, home or any other personal possession which can serve as a guarantee for your loan repayment. High value collateral can aid you to get preferable loan amount. Home is the most favored form of collateral for a secured loan. A security reduces the risk for the creditors’ and ensures favored interest rates. But due to bad debt, the interest rates on the loan may be comparatively high.

Before you go on board with a bad debt secured loan, make certain that the amount you borrow can be repaid easily. As in case of any default of scheduled repayments, your home can be repossessed. The reason behind it being, your home acts a guarantee for your loan repayment.

With a bad debt secured loan you can repair the damage of your credit effectively. It can also facilitate you to locate better loan opportunities. In addition to these it can even prevent any further damage to your credit standing.

You can navigate through various loan quotes that are offered by many online loan providers. A thorough knowledge of the best available options can keep you at the helm of affairs. You can enrich with expertise of loan advisors to assist you decide upon an affordable bad debt secured loan.

How to send sms text messages online for free

Mobile phones, undoubtedly, can be labeled as the greatest invention of modern times. They make our life easier with their countless advantages, one of which is the highly effective SMS or Short Messaging Service. SMS is the general term for the technology which provides people with the ability to send and receive text messages via mobile phones.

With recent technological advancements, free international sms messages can now be sent on a global level anywhere in the world through many online service providers. And the best part is that you don’t even need a mobile phone if you have a computer. You simply register with the desired information on any of the sites that offer free SMS service and just follow the simple instructions. There is a space for the mobile number of the recipient, as well as space for the message. It depends on the free sms provider, but usually, the maximum number of words allowed is generally fixed at 137 characters. However, some India sms providers allow even more than this. SMS messages can include words, numbers or any alphanumeric combination. Also, binary format is usually supported.

Some free sms service providers offer many additional services to senders, such as delivery confirmations or replies. This way, you'll be able to track your sent messages and see when it gets received. Also, if you opt for replies, the recipients can even reply back to you. This two-way sms communication without spending a dime is possible only through a free SMS service provider on the Internet.

Considering the fact that you usually have to pay to send SMS, sending free, international SMS through online sms service providers is a great, quick way to communicate with friends and family. For example, In the United Kingdom, messages cost Ј0.10, and with people sending tens of messages each and every day, costs can mount up.

Also, writing a text message using your cell phone just takes too long compared to using your keyboard. Even on the most modern mobile phones with advanced predictive text messaging, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to write a message. Just think how quick it is to type a message on your computer keyboard, it is much quicker than using your mobile phone.

Being free, some messaging services are reliable, some do not work at all, and others are very slow. Also, many services will add and advert to the bottom of your message, although this does not cause much problem, for, it does reduce the number of allowed characters.

Be very careful when registering for a free SMS service. Not all are as free as they claim to be, some send chargeable sms messages to your phone, making the service rather expensive.

Cook eggs don t boil

Chopped, sliced or wedged, hard-cooked eggs are the basis of egg salad and add protein and a happy glow to tossed and composed salads and casseroles. Chopped yolks and whites comprise Eggs Goldenrod and Polonaise Sauce. Whole hard-cooked eggs become comforting, familiar deviled eggs or zingy, newly rediscovered pickled eggs. Simply sprinkled with an herb or more fancily coated in sausage for Scotch eggs, hard-cooked eggs are nature's own hand-held snack food. With a supply of hard-cooked eggs on hand, you're ready for almost any meal occasion.

Hard-cooked eggs are often incorrectly called hard-boiled eggs. Yes, the cooking water must come to a boil. But, you'll get more tender, less rubbery eggs without a green ring around the yolk and you'll have less breakage if you turn off the heat or remove the pan from the burner, allowing the eggs to cook gently in hot water.

Very fresh eggs may be difficult to peel. The fresher the eggs, the more the shell membranes cling tenaciously to the shells. The simplest method for easy peeling is to buy and refrigerate eggs a week to 10 days in advance of hard cooking. This brief "breather" allows the eggs to take in air which helps separate the membranes from the shell.

1. Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above eggs.

2. Cover. Quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat.

3. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes for Large eggs (12 minutes for Medium, 18 for Extra Large.)

4. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water (not standing water) until completely cooled. Once cooled, refrigerate eggs in their shells and use within one week of cooking or peel and use immediately.

5. To remove shell, crackle it by tapping gently until a fine network of lines appears all over the shell.

6. Roll egg between hands to loosen shell.

7. Peel, starting at large end. Hold egg under running cold water or dip in bowl of water to help ease off shell.

8. To segment eggs evenly, use an egg slicer or wedger. For chopped eggs, rotate a sliced egg 90 degree in a slicer and slice again. Or chop eggs with a sharp pastry blender in a bowl. Draw down a wedger's wires only partway to open an egg to hold a stuffing or resemble a flower.

Consider a reverse mortgage - as your last option

Home buyers often save rigorously for their home, forgoing expenditures and making sacrifices to pay down the mortgage and save for retirement. At retirement they get to enjoy their dream home debt-free. The only problem with this scenario for a lot of retirees is that they live on a fixed, and often not very large, income.

One option is to take a reverse mortgage - a loan against the home, which brings you money while you still live in your home. You can usually borrow between 10 to 40 percent of the value of your home depending on your age. A reverse mortgage loan requires no repayment for as long as you live in your home and you will never owe more than the value of your home.

This loan is different from a traditional mortgage in two ways. In order to qualify for a traditional mortgage, the bank checks your income to see how much you can afford to repay each month, but with a reverse mortgage there are no monthly repayments. With most loans, if you fail to make your repayments, you are in trouble. With a reverse mortgage, you don't have any repayments. Thus, the debt grows larger as you keep getting cash advances and the interest is added to the amount you owe. This is why a reverse mortgage is called a "rising debt, falling equity" loan. As the amount you owe (your debt) grows larger, your equity (the value of your home less debt) is getting smaller.

You can receive income from your reverse mortgage in two ways. You can take the loan and invest it in an annuity. In turn, this annuity will provide you with income until your death. The second alternative is to receive monthly income from your reverse mortgage provider. Here you simply increase the size of your loan on a regular basis in order to receive income.

There is one big downside to all of this - you still owe money on your home. The total amount you will owe at the end of the loan will equal the loan plus all the interest accrued. All the interest can be a substantial amount of money.

Before you apply for a reverse mortgage, discuss your options with your family. Remember that a reverse mortgage will reduce the size of your final estate.

A global solution to regional mass transit

As gasoline prices continue to fluctuate, regional mass transit systems look better and better as an alternative to personal automobiles for daily commuting. But, as these systems expand to meet the growing demand, they often run into an increasingly common dilemma.

Much of the best technology available today is from Europe and Asia, but most regional systems are government entities that must observe "Buy American" mandates when upgrading their infrastructure. Fortunately, reconciling the two demands doesn't always require settling for a less-than-optimal solution.

Chicago's Metra commuter rail is a case in point. Metra serves 500 miles of track and 230 stations in six counties. As part of a plan to upgrade both efficiency and customer satisfaction levels, Metra is replacing aging passenger cars with new Highliner cars, featuring the latest mass-transit technology from around the world.

The cars are being built by a Japanese company, Nippon Sharyo, and powered by Toshiba traction motors, but the final drives-a key high-value component-will be supplied by Voith Turbo of York, Pa. The final drives will be assembled and tested in Pennsylvania using gear wheels, bearings, seals and gear couplings from qualified U. S. suppliers.

"These units will help Nippon meet the 60 percent American content requirement for the new cars with no sacrifice in either quality or technology," said Voith sales engineer Michael Klug.

The drives feature an advanced design that helps prevent oil leakage, making the new cars more environmentally friendly than the ones they replace. They are also compact and robust, which contributes to rider comfort by increasing the car's reliability, and to operational efficiency by reducing maintenance requirements.

The first 16 Highliner cars went into service with Metra already. Voith will deliver a total of 116 final drives over the life of the program.

"We expect this kind of partnership to be the model for many more regional transportation systems across the U. S.," added Klug. "The marriage of global technology and local manufacturing and service is very hard to beat."

Summer vacation alternatives which fits your family the best

As summer approaches, parents everywhere are starting to think about "The Summer Vacation". Vacations can be fun, educational and provide lasting memories for years to come, the trick is, finding the right one. Whether you're looking at a short day trip or a month long cross country excursion, here are some tips to help make that choice a little easier.

Sometimes the simple things are the most fun. When we were kids, we were left to our own devices for entertaining ourselves for a good part of the summer. If you can’t afford a two week trip or have no public pool available, a day trip to the toy store could work wonders. You could get some water guns, balloons to fill with water and other water toys that connect to a garden hose for a fun afternoon in the back yard. A new bookshelf can be filled with a whole summer’s worth of reading, or a rocking horse can be great fun for exercising the imagination.

If your work schedule and the kids' day camp won't allow for a few weeks away, maybe a series of short day trips are for you and your family. A day trip usually consists of a destination no more than an hour or two away from home. The beauty about these day trips is you can go some place different each weekend. Beaches and lakes are at the top of the list for day trips. If you live near a major city, a trip to the museum or zoo is always fun. Check the internet for theme parks that might be close by too.

The day trip can easily be made into an over night/2 day trip. Maybe you and your kids want to spend more than just a day in the city? You can find inexpensive hotels to stay in and make a full weekend trip out of your visit.

Road trips can be fun too. Why fly to your destination when you can make a vacation out of the trip itself? If you live in the Northeast and want to go to Disney World in Florida, you can drive down the coast and visit a few places along the way. There are plenty of historical sites and national parks to see. Why fly over them when you can stop and explore them for yourself? In fact, you could rent an RV and save on finding lodging along the way.

Of course theme parks are always the number one destination for kids. All of them want to go to Disney Land, Sea World, Busch Gardens, Six Flags and many others. There’s more to life than theme parks and if you’re going on vacation for longer than a week, there’s no reason why you can’t work in some educational with the fun. Plan for a day or two at the park and then go visit some other sites as well.

Specialized vacations are fun too. Do you and your family enjoy diving? Or maybe you like hiking, or rock climbing or ATVs? You can expand on any of your hobbies and turn them into a vacation. ATV camping is a hot activity now as longer trails are opening up everyday. Most resorts also offer specialized activities such as scuba diving or rock climbing along with instruction for beginners of all ages. Dude ranches can be fun too and give your child a glimpse of what life might be like on a ranch or to work with horses.

Largest webmaster community bans googlebot and other search engines

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Every webmaster dreams of having tons of pages indexed in Google and other search engines. The thought of receiving millions of visitors each month is enough to make any site owner shiver with joy. Why then did Webmaster World, the nets largest community for webmasters, close the doors to all robots...including Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft?

In a bold move to end the madness of "rogue bots", Brett Tabke, has dis-allowed all robots from spidering his massive site.

"Seeing what effect it will have on unauthorized bots. We spend 5-8hrs a week here fighting them. It is the biggest problem we have ever faced."

Webmaster World has long been the premier destination for webmasters seeking knowledge about all aspects of site development. For many users, the best way to find things around Webmaster World is via Google search. The internal search is so terrible, members are allowed to enter a custom Google search code on the top of each page.

Being that Brett's site is so established, it will be interesting to see this play out. Will his site be affected by the eventual downfall in search traffic? Does the site have enough critical mass to sustain traffic levels and growth without the major search engines?

These are all interesting questions that we should ask ourselves. Many webmasters rely completely on the 3 major search engines to provide traffic.

Webmaster World is currently testing a solution for the internal site search in an effort to combat user's reliance on external search.

I'm excited to watch this story unfold. The largest webmaster community is the net's guinea pig for this extremely bold move.

Butlins bingo generous refer-a-friend program

There are 5 steps to start playing at Butlins Bingo. First, learn to play their games. They have a ‘Learn to Play’ guide that will help you familiarize yourself with the bingo games, and all the other casino games. Second, register to create an account. Be sure to provide an accurate email address since you need to activate your account by confirming to the email that they’ll send, which is the step 3. Fourth, deposit money into your account and lastly, the step 5 is have fun!

Butlins Bingo offers a 90 Number bingo game with giant jackpots of more than Ј23k. Upon your initial registration, you are entitled to a free Ј1 sign-up bonus. That’s equivalent to 10 bingo tickets, considering each ticket only costs Ј0.10. In case you want to play more, you can make an initial minimum deposit of Ј10 which will be matched with a 100% bonus. You can receive up to Ј125 sign-up bonus as a first-time depositor!

The rewards don’t stop there! With their loyalty program, every bingo ticket you purchase will be given an equivalent number of loyalty points which you can trade for cash. Aside from cash, there are also prizes you can choose to convert your loyalty points for. These include a champagne hamper, a shopping spree, an LCD TV, a trip to Paris and many more! There are no losers here at Butlins Bingo, only winners! Just keep on playing and accumulating those points!

Another way to earn free cash is to refer a friend. They will give you Ј5 for every friend, and in return your friend will get a Ј2 welcome bonus instead of the regular Ј1. That’s sharing the fun at Butlins Bingo, and earning at the same time! Other games here are slots, keno, poker, and other fun games. For withdrawals, the minimum amount allowed is Ј10. Other features of this bingos site are a bingo timetable, a community page to catch-up on the latest on the Butlins Bingo community, and downloadable bingo alerts so you’ll not miss the next progressive jackpots!

Butlins Bingo is powered by Parlay Entertainment Ltd, a leading online gaming software company, and brought to you by the UK’s famous Butlins holiday company, and St. Minver. Although the promotions of this site are not that big, the progressive jackpots at stake, the fun you get from playing bingo, and their chat games will surely compensate for your time and money. Here at Butlins Bingo, thousands of cash prizes are given away every day!

Temporary office space is ideal for start-up companies

If you are starting a new company in temporary office space with flexible leasing options is a priority. If you’ve ever shopped around for commercial office space in this area, you more than likely have come to realize that flexibility is far from what is being offered. In fact, most commercial leasing companies will require you to sign a yearly contract and don't forget you may have the extra financial burden of hiring a secretary or the hassle of buying additional office furniture and computer equipment.

But what if, for example, you are fully capable of performing the majority of your work from the comfort of your own home office, say two or three days per week? The solution is simple – there are companies who will gladly provide temporary office space in a prestigious building for people like you. They deliver where the commercial office space companies generally do not.

You will find these companies will allow your small start-up office a much smoother transition to Orange County, California. Furthermore, temporary office space, from an executive suite provider, is completely furnished...with almost any type of office equipment available for your use. All you have to do is walk in and sit down at your desk. You can even have a phone connected to an exchange. Typical commercial office space contracts require you to handle all that by yourself.

Here are just a few of the advantages over commercial office space most professionals do not know about:

• You set up the rental package around the needs of your company.

• You can be moved into your temporary office space almost immediately.

• You avoid restrictive leases that come with many commercial office space contracts.

• You get full-service options that are not available with typical commercial office space.

Whether you are looking for a temporary or permanent business location in Orange County, California, office space with flexible terms is waiting for you.

The pitfalls of selling your home alone

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Many homeowners think that selling home alone without the help of a Realtor will help simplify the process and will save them money in the end. The fact of the matter is that selling your home on your own isn't easy work. In fact, you may actually lose a substantial amount of money when you try to sell your home alone because you aren't well spoken in the language and business of real estate. A Realtor can not only save you money, they can save you time and stress so that you can make the transition from one house to the other as smoothly as possible.

Putting Your Home on the Market

Putting your home on the market requires more than a for sale by owner sign in your front yard. While this is a start, there is a lot more to it. Many homeowners learn about multiple listing services, which is basically an index of homes that are on the market and then pay about $750 to have their home listed. When calls don't start flooding in inquiring about the home many sellers wonder what the problem is. The problem is that it takes more than a listing to get Realtors to visit your home with their clients. Realtors are loyal to other Realtors--that's just the way it works. Also, when you work with a Realtor he or she may be able to network with others to be sure that your home is getting as much exposure as possible, all for the price of the sales commission. A Realtor will also have other avenues to explore with listing your home on the Internet and locally.

If you want to sell your home on your own you will have to not only keep your home in show condition, you will also have to be accessible for appointments when convenient for potential buyers. Showing your home can be exhausting and you may do the home an injustice if you cannot downplay the negative aspects of the home and accentuate the positive features.

The Value of Your Home

Many sellers lose money when they attempt to sell their home on their own because they do not know the market value of their home. A Realtor knows all of the current market values, whether they are rising and falling and can help you get the most for your home no matter what the market situation is. Many sellers unintentionally under price their home because they do not have a professional helping them, or overprice it, which keeps all of the serious buyers away! A Realtor can help you price your home so that it not only sells, but so you can make a profit.

Reputation

Most people that are in the market for a home go with a Realtor; in fact 80% of buyers work with a Realtor because the Realtor has a good reputation and they need help maneuvering the real estate market. If you put a sign in your yard, in the newspaper, or on bulletin boards in various areas buyers have no idea who they are dealing with. Though a buyer may be able to get a good deal on a home that is for sale by owner, they are leery of working with someone that they don't know and may or may not have real estate experience.

Final Thought

As you can see, there is a lot of reason to work with a Realtor instead of trying to sell your home on your own. While a Realtor may take as much as 6% of the selling price, this is peanuts for all of the work and stress that they are saving you from. Legal paper work, home inspections, showing your home, and marketing with other Realtors to sell your home as quickly as possible for a reasonable price is what a Realtor does. When you try to take on all of these responsibilities on your own, unfortunately you have a good chance of failing or losing money.

Selling your home is difficult enough when you think about packing up and moving, but it doesn't have to be overly stressful. A Realtor can do all of the dirty work associated with selling your home so that you can go about your every day life, and still sell your home in record time. Knowing the market, knowing the real estate business, and having connections in local real estate makes all of the difference, and these are not things that your average homeowner possesses, but a Realtor does.

New instrument for futures and options traders

Oil dominated volume on HedgeStreet last week as crude prices dropped 5.01% to close at $59.76. Investors doubt an OPEC production cut. Wholesale gas and currencies were active too. The dollar was up 0.68% against the euro, closing at $1.2595/Ђ, and up 0.75% against the yen, closing at Ґ119.01/$. The yenпїЅs weakness continues to surprise, especially given the end of the easy money policy by the Bank of Japan earlier this year. Stocks rallied to record levels. The Dow closed at 11850.21. Bonds sold off sharply on Friday with the 10-year yield up 12bp to 4.70%. Gold plummeted 4.38% to close at $572.40. All these changes are good news for the U. S. economy. Energy is getting cheaper which offsets housing weakness and boosts corporate earnings. Lower gold prices may augur tamer inflation next year. Investment is coming back into U. S. stocks, boosting the dollar. Long term rates remain low. Freddie Mac releases 30-year mortgage composite on Thursday; HedgeStreet binaries stop trading on Wednesday. CHF and CAD now trade intra-day.

This week: Virgin threatens to cancel Airbus380 orders; earnings from GE, Pepsi, Costco and McDonaldпїЅs; FCC votes on telecom mergers; and U. S. customs stops seizing cheaper Canadian drugs on the border even though imports remain illegal.

ECONOMIC RELEASES THIS WEEK

Tuesday: Wholesale inventories expected at +0.7%, with sales racing ahead this the inventory-to-sales ratio at low 1.15 months. Treasury budget expected at a $45-55bn surplus with receipts running 12% year-on-year, expenditures at 8%.

Wednesday: Crude inventories and FOMC minutes.

Thursday: Initial Claims expected at 311K. Trade balance expected at -$66.5bn, off the July record of -$68bn; a solid rebound in exports expected.

Friday: Retail sales expected at 0.2%, ex-auto at 0.0%, lower due to lower gas prices. Autos have a potential to surprise to the downside.

STARBUCKS 40,000 ... PETSMARTпїЅS HOTELS ... CHICAGO TO EAT MORE MEAT

Starbucks announced a goal of 40,000 coffee shops, up from 12,000 now. I am on three lattes a day; I don't think I can handle five... PetSmart will operate in its stores 850 animal hotels catering to 110m U. S. households with pets (63%). For $36 a night, pups can enjoy TV, lambskin blankets and day care activities. Five billion people on the planet wish they had it as good as U. S. pets. That fence will sure stop immigration ... The CME and Deutsche BпїЅrse talked about a potential tie-up. The Germans were impressed with Ferris BuhlerпїЅs lederhosen and his rendition of Danke SchпїЅn, Auf Wiedersehen? The merger makes no sense, and God knows Chicago doesnпїЅt need more German food ...

The best credit card offers

Credit cards had been one of the most widely used forms of paying various types of bills. This may range from regular purchases, to bills payment transactions in large amounts.

This is different from debit cards in the sense that the former may purchase in its behalf even if the owner does not have a corresponding amount credited to the card.

Generally, the issuer of the card provides a credit limit. The predetermined amount is the maximum allowable transaction to be made by the consumer or owner of the card.

Credit card companies compete for the fast growing market by offering various promotional strategies such as the following:

1.Interest rates

Credit card companies try to offer the lowest possible interest rate per payment due. Said interest rate may range from 1.2% up to 5%.

2.Minimum amount due

Every month, the credit card company has a predetermined percentage of amount due based from the current charges or purchased made by the owner of the card.

Failure to pay the said minimum due would result to additional charges on the part of the owner/consumer.

3.Waiving of dues

The usual practice had been that of waiving the first of the cards' annual dues.

Other offers had been cutting off one or two billing periods without any additional charges if the consumer did not pay for the period covered by the promotional advertisement.

Should the consumer pay the whole amount charged to the card before its billing period, the interest due from the balance is likewise waived

4.Extension card

Supplemental cards are usually offered for the cardholder to enable them to extend the use of the card for any family member (or friend) to whom they would want to grant access to its use.

5.Balance transfers

Most credit card companies offer a very low interest rate charging for any balance transferred to their card from that of another one.

The catch is to encourage consumers to transfer all the balance charges from their current card to their very own card company.

Payments are arranged on a predetermined period of time. The disadvantage of this is that if the consumer decides to pay the whole balance earlier than the stated date, no rebates would be granted.

Consumers that are not wary of their purchases may find themselves in immense debt if payments are foregone or if the individual makes purchases more than he or she is capable of paying at the end of the billing period.

Missed payments would result to finance charges that would be added on top of the month's interest charges. Thus resulting to higher charges.

It has been said that the rampart use of the credit card system had resulted to the Great Depression of the 1920's.

The rise of the automobiles during this period resulted to a great increase in the demand for fuel. To accommodate the large purchases, fuel companies accepted credit payments so as not to loose transactions to their competitors.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Still, if the individual is wary and cautious when making purchases using a credit card, one may find that he or she may use it for his or her own convenience.

Below are some of the advantages of using a credit card:

1.Low risk of loosing cash.

Large purchases may be made without having to carry the money around.

2.Readily available

Emergency purchases, such as that of medicines, may immediately be accommodated at any store that accepts credit payment.

Pilates instructor insurance is mandatory

As a Pilates instructor, it is quiet likely for you to get hurt or get an injury. Imagine this while performing or demonstrating one of the Pilates exercise and trying to perfect it, you pull a muscle. This could be true too while helping a student and the student is hurt, he can sue you for the same. How do you protect yourself? Pilates Instructor Insurance pay up for medical bills and protects you from financial losses.

When you are working with an organization, which is owned by someone else, their insurance does not cover you and will not protect you. Most gyms, studios and schools require to have your own insurance.

For you to be eligible of /instructor insurance, it is important that you have completed a certified training program and must provide a copy of your training while applying for insurance. To facilitate and help the instructors completely to protect themselves, their business and even their family against any consequences, insurance companies cover and protect you at a competitive rate.

1. General Liability insurance: It protects you from financial loss. If a student is injured and sues you for negligence, if not insured with this policy, you will have to pay for losses from your own pocket. This insurance takes care of such loses occurred.

2. Personal injury liability insurance: Protects you against suits involving libel, slander or wrongful invasion of privacy.

3. Product liability insurance: Insures your apparatus. The aggregate limit is $ 100000.

4. Miscellaneous professional liability insurance: Protects against bodily injury arising out of rendering or failing to render professional services.

5. Sexual abuse liability insurance: The insurance cover in such cases per occurrence is $ 100000 and $ 300000 is aggregate limit.

6. Professional indemnity: It indemnifies the insured against claims for compensation for breach of professional duty because of any negligence by the way of act, error, omission or misstatement or misleading advice. This insurance is must for Pilates instructor.

Pilates instructor need to renew their insurance prior to expiry. The registration of the insurance should be current at all times to maintain the currency of your insurance. It is the responsibility of the individual to maintain their insurance cover and no company will accept responsibility for a claim made during a period for which there is o cover. It is the responsibility of the Pilates instructors to advice their insurance company of any change of address so that notices can be sent in a timely fashion.

As a Pilates instructor, a malpractice lawsuit could be put on you when you had least expected it. At that critical moment, your Pilates Instructor Insurance will be the most reassuring thing. In today’s litigious society, professional insurance has become essential element of the business liability insurance portfolio. Professional liability insurance has broadened to include coverage for a wide range of professionals and students practicing in the healthcare related arena including Pilates Instructor Insurance.

How to build shoulders

To build those impressive shoulder muscles that make a man seem so cut, it is important that to over work the muscle tissue in the shoulders is the worst thing you can do. Working the shoulders once a week between workouts on other parts of the body is what is most recommended by professionals. However, following a specific workout pattern can add to the effectiveness of building muscle tone in the shoulder area. The end result can begin to be achieved in as little as eight weeks when the exercise regimen is executed properly. A very effective way to begin to bulk up those muscles in the shoulders is marked out below and is highly recommended by professional bodybuilders throughout the world.

It is important to not become too repetitious in the working of the shoulder muscles and it is advised to develop two different work-out plans and to alternate the use of each weekly. So plan 'A' would be used for the first week; then plan 'B' for the second; continuing to rotate the exercise plans accordingly. A good example of either plan is a series of exercises that are both heavy and light to the muscles to be toned; i. e. the shoulders in this case.

Warm-up exercises are critical when working the shoulders as it is when working all muscles and this regimen has those warm-up activities already built in. *Also, it is important to remember that to increase the intensity of the workout, one should not add to the number of sets or the number of reps. suggested; rather they should simply cut down the rest time between each from one minute to thirty seconds as is determined to be workable by the trainee.

To begin, a suggested plan 'A' starts with “Dumbbell Shoulder Presses.' These are accomplished by:

- Sitting on a bench with your back completely straight. Two dumbbells are held just above shoulder height with your palms facing out. - Press straight up until the dumbbells almost touch together. - The return the dumbbells to the starting position.

This exercise is suggested to be done in three sets with eight to ten reps. in each for maximum warming up and working of the shoulder muscles. Following this, is an exercise known as “Upright Rows.” These are done by:

- Standing with your feet slightly apart and holding the dumbbells with an overhand grip in front of the thighs. - Raise the dumbbells to chin level. - Return to the starting position.

This should also be done in three sets with eight to ten reps in each for maximum effect at working the shoulder muscles.

Finish the first plan with “Dumbbell Lateral Raises” which are accomplished by:

-Standing straight with a dumbbell in each hand, held with the palms of each facing each other. - Raise the dumbbells out to each side to reach shoulder level. - Then return to the starting position. - This working of the shoulder muscles should be repeated in three sets but should have between ten and fifteen reps in each set.

The next week, plan 'B' should commence and that includes the following exercises. To begin, you will start with “Dumbbell Front Raises.”

- Stand straight with your back straight and the dumbbells grasped in an overhand clutch holding each in front of the thighs. - Raise each dumbbell one at a time to shoulder height; alternating arms. - Return to the starting position.

This is an excellent warm-up for the second week's plan as only one arm is working the shoulder muscles at a time and should be done in three sets with ten to fifteen reps in each.

Follow with “Bent Over Lateral Raises” by:

- Standing bent at the waist with your knees slightly bent, grasp the dumbbells with the palms facing inward and the elbows slightly bent. - Raise dumbbells at your sides. - Return to the starting position.

This exercise is an excellent workout for the shoulder muscles and works wonders at building mass in the same. It should be done in three sets with ten to fifteen reps in each for maximum effectiveness.

Finish plan 'B' with “Sitting Presses” (also known as “Smith Machine Presses.”) Begin by:

- Sitting on a bench with your back straight. - Grip the barbell with your palms facing forward. - Press the barbell straight up. - Return to the starting position.

This is an extremely powerful exercise that will definitely enhance the shoulder muscles as you proceed to build them up.

So to conclude, working your shoulder muscles on an alternating rotation of exercises as are described above and not overworking them during any given time period will produce the results you are ultimately seeking to achieve.

Strategies to fight email spam

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If you are a business owner and you rely on email, spam is going to be a major concern. How you address it can make a big difference in employee efficiency. Email spam has been a nuisance and has gotten even worse over the last several years. Email spam slows down server performance and can eat away at storage. Cleaning all those bad messages out of your inbox is time consuming. The easiest way for viruses to spread is via email.

Having a strategy to deal with email spam and viruses threats is essential for any business to survive and be productive. You can limit the negative impact to your business by having policies and guidelines in place.

Tips to avoid getting email spam:

• If you have a company web site, use a contact form that the web site visitor
  can fill out. Some spam mers use robots that crawl web pages looking for
  email addresses. Your web site designer should be able to help you with this.


• When signing up for forums, products and services use a free email or throwaway
  account like hotmail or Yahoo mail.


• When signing up for offers be careful what boxes you check although technically
  not spam you may get a lot of email offers you do not want.


• Never reply to an email spam message, this just lets them know that your
  account is active.


• You may want to use a throwaway email address if you post on newsgroups
  or forums.

These measures may help to reduce spam, but if you have an old email address you may want to change your email address or deploy a spam filter system. There are several choices for anti spam systems you could buy software that runs locally on your PC to filter the spam, but this can be expensive, does not prevent virus infection, and is not a good choice in a networked environment. Managing individual machine spam software is inefficient.

If you have limited technical resources you can outsource you email spam filtering to a hosted anti spam and virus solution provider. Spam filter service providers colocate their spam and virus filters in data centers with redundant power and network connections. You will need to change your mail exchanger on your dns servers to point to the service providers spam filters. Your service provider will then scrub your email for spam and viruses. They then forward your email to your mail server minus the spam and viruses. This gives you a few extra layers of protection. In the event of a network outage or server downtime your email is held and is delivered when the network or your server is available minus the virus and spam. Spam filter services also scan for viruses; this adds another layer of defense to the virus software already running on your network.

If you have an organization with more than one hundred email boxes investing in your own spam filter appliance is the most cost effective solution if you have the technical expertise to manage the system. A spam appliance sits in front of your email server and blocks spam and viruses. The price of the spam appliance will depend upon your number of users, amount of mail and storage requirements.

Fighting spam is no longer be a losing battle if you have a good strategy to deal with the threat.

Personal loans to help you get forward

There is an old saying that the money gets the world going. That saying is certainly true if not truer than when it was originally said. However one change that has come about for the better is that the money is now available more freely and one such form is the personal loans.

Personal loans are a great help to the people and provide the borrower great flexibility in how to invest the money taken on credit. Money taken in the form of personal loans can be used for any of the following;

For debt consolidation

For home improvement or

For business reasons

A borrower can use personal loans for any of these or any other purpose.

While taking the personal loans different people have different criteria while they are looking for loans. Some people look for lower interest rates where as some look for lower monthly installments whereas few are able to put securities online while others cannot.

Considering the needs and the credit circumstances of different people there are two ways by which the borrowers can take personal loans. The two ways are;

Secured personal loans – in this type of loans the borrowers are necessarily require pledging a security to the creditor. This in turns provides the borrowers benefits of low interest rates and low monthly installments and others.

Unsecured personal loans – this type of loan taking is available to everybody i. e. to tenants, employed and also to homeowners who do not want to put anything on line as collateral as it is one of the feature of this loan. This makes this loan congenial to every borrower. Other features of this loan include a small amount with a generally short period of repayment.

Same options are available to the people with bad credit history as well people like defaults or arrears. They just need to know what their credit score is and then follow the guidelines given to them. It can also help them in increasing or improving their credit score as well which may help them in getting favorable loan terms next time.

Borrowers can choose any of these personal loan forms depending on their requirements and financial circumstances. The personal loans can be applied for either online or by applying to the lender available locally the requirements of different borrowers being different you will have to follow different guidelines.

Loans are the needs of all those persons who do not have enough money by themselves. A source of money for them is personal loans. They are one of the best options available because they provide all those services needed by a person when one takes the loan.

What al qaeda will never understand about the katrina disaster

There are rumors that Bin Laden and his minions are sitting around laughing at the spectacle of the mighty United States bungling the relief efforts for the Gulf Coast. It is certainly ironic, and would be laughable if not for the tragedy it caused, that for disasters anywhere in the world, cargo planes laden with relief supplies are in the air in a matter of hours and ships change course instantaneously to bring aid and comfort, yet it takes us more than a week to reach our own victims.

The terrorists will never see, nor ever comprehend, the real story. They have no interest in individual heroic efforts in the face of total chaos. They pay no attention to the thousands of families who are opening their homes, and their hearts, to the dazed, the poor, the dispossessed.

They chortle at destruction, whether caused by nature or their own design. But they cannot fathom the people who dig themselves out and get on with their lives: the flood victims who find a dry haven and go out to find a job; the subway riders who return to work the following day on a different train; the financial workers who move into new quarters and return to their duties; the families who grow in strength because of the horror they have endured.

The terrorists believe that America is powerful because of its military, its technology, and its wealth. They will never understand that the West’s power is in its people. They see a politically divided nation but are blind to its unity and cohesiveness as a community. They fail to appreciate that in the face of catastrophe, all Britons are Londoners, and all Americans call New Orleans home.

The anarchists’ subjugation of individual importance to their overriding cause, and their misinterpretation of religious fervor, has forever blurred their vision, concealing the rugged, optimistic, and unfailingly generous individualism that created and maintains the America we know.

And because they don’t understand us, they’ll keep on heaping terror on us, never realizing that they cannot, ever, win.

Basic information for bass fishing

Since three-forth of the world is composed of bodies of water, it’s natural that a great number of people rely on fishing for their livelyhood or just for their recreation needs. There are numerous of fish species swimming under the lakes, seas, ponds, and rivers. Most anglers consider fishing as the delight in their purpose-driven life, a sport, as they say.

Bass fishing, at present, is considered as America’s number one freshwater sport, its industry is in fact seventy percent higher in growth compared to other types of fishing activities. Bass is a fish that belongs to the Serranidae family or sea basses and the Centrarchidae or the black basses. This family of perchlike fishes are large and oblong with compressed bodies that dwell in warm and temperate seas throughout the world.

Along the Atlantic coast, black or common sea basses a sluggish bottom fish are found. Its size averages 6 pounds or 2.7 kilograms in weight and 18 inches or 45 centimetres in length. The Pacific Sea basses, on the other hand, are giant fishes with bulky characteristics that reach a weight of 600 pounds or 270 kilograms and a length of 7 feet or 2.1 metres.

There are two things that should be considered in bass fishing, which are, the bass location on the lake or river and bass catching using different techniques, presentations and baits.

In locating bass dwellings, there are lots of different factors that have to be determined like map-reading, how to locate active bass just after cold fronts and during early spring and late fall periods, understanding water depth, water clarity, temperatures, seasonal patterns, locating structure areas and finding their vegetation areas.

In map reading, there are two general types of lake maps that most anglers use. These are the Hot Spot maps that show more fishing spots and the Topographical map which shows more details. Experiment first by taking it on shore and looking for areas where fish are most likely be. The next step would be familiarization.

In locating bass one element that should be considered is the vegetation or the area where they eat, breath and cover themselves. In other words, it is where they could be found to congregate. If there is no vegetation, other elements like irregular contours, shallow water close to deep-water areas, points and point drops and other types of structure can require alternative techniques.

The rest of the necessities are the selection of a few crankbaits. One needs a shallow diver and a deep diver but two colors of each are fine. A natural looking crankbait, one that resembles baitfish and a shocker bright one should be selected. These represent the two extremes, nonetheless are very effective.

The most successful method of catching bass is the crankbait. The throwing and retrieving method can be done with varying speed and its depth can be determined by the speed of the reeling and by the pole.

Bass love colorful lures and they seem to hit them more often. When fishing with these lures, one should always try to make them look good in the water and make the bass come after them. This can be done by making them swim as realistically as possible.

Bumping these lures against objects in the water attracts fish, but the chance of getting the lure stuck might be a risk you don't want to take.

A worm, on the other hand, is a good lure and represents the most edible and tasty meal. Even plastic worms will do.

Before competitions became a part of it, bass fishing was reserved for seasoned anglers and did get much media coverage. It was a recreation mostly practiced in the springtime and mostly early in the mornings and late in the afternoons all over the globe. Now, it has grown tremendously in every way, from the effort to gain knowledge to the technology to the equipment used to get the best results.

For more information visit bass-expert. com

Student loan educational aid

Student loans are offered to students to assist them in paying the required fees. Student loans are generally lower compared to other loans and is issued by the government most of the time.

Typically student loans differ from country to country. In Australia for example, students can pay for university courses using the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). The selection criterion for HECS is based on the student’s rank achieved in the secondary school final examination. HECS fees are government-subsidized, and are substantially cheaper than full-fee paying places which have lower entry requirements.

In Canada however, students are normally eligible for loans provided by the federal government, not withstanding the loan offered from province to province. The loan are amazingly interest free until the student graduates.

Students can apply to the loan through their provincial residence. The province of residence is normally the place where you lived long before you become a student.

The Canada Student Loan (CSL) provides for a maximum of $165 per week of full-time study, and more money from their province of residence. All Canadian students may also be eligible for the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation Bursary (CMS Grant), and other grants provided by their province of residence.

Almost all, charter banks in Canada have programs for professional students which can provide more funds than normal in the form of a line of credit, sometimes with lower interest rates as well. Students may also be eligible for government loans that are interest free while in school on top of this line of credit, as private loans do not count against government loans/grants.

The student in Ireland enjoy the third-level tuition to be free since 1997. For other expenses of the students, the major banks an interest free system of loan.

In New Zealand however, the student loan are offered only to tertiary students who passed the criteria imposed by the government. Full-time students can claim loans for both fees and living costs while part-time students can only claim training institution fees.

Good thing, on 2005 general election, one of the policy from the Labor Party is that all interest charges on student loans should be abolished.

In United States, loans come in many form in this country. Noted are the forms and kinds of loans:

The Federal Student Loans made to students directly: No payments until after graduation, but amounts are quite limited.

Federal Student Loans made to parents: Much higher limit, but payments start immediately.

Private Student Loans made to students or parents: Higher limits and no payments until after graduation.

Federal student loan borrowing grew first and foremost since the utmost loan limits were increased and middle - and upper-income students became eligible for Stafford Unsubsidized Loans.

On the other hand, regardless of the increases in cumulative debt that occurred, most undergraduate loan recipients appear to be able to repay their loans with little difficulty, as long as they complete their degree programs.

However, repayment obligations are much more difficult for professional school students, who oftentimes left their institutions with debt of $100,000 or worst, more. This is also or undergraduate borrowers who do not complete degree programs.

Perhaps, more research would grant better insights and be an eye opener into how debts can affect these students after they leave higher education.

The perfect african safari

Many people dream of going on safari; seeing animals in the natural habitat and experiencing the beauty of the African landscape. A boutique safari hotel offers luxurious surroundings with an outstanding backdrop.

Where is it?

Many safari holidays are based in South Africa and Kenya. South Africa is one of the largest African countries, located at the bottom of the continent, whilst Kenya is further north on the east coast of Africa.

Where can I stay?

The beauty of staying at a boutique hotel when you’re on safari is that it offers you the comfort and luxury you would expect from a city hotel, whilst also allowing you to experience the unique landscape. The Makanyane Safari Lodge in South Africa is set within a huge game reserve and features just eight suites, whose design includes indoor and outdoor showers and glass walls so that your view of the park is undisturbed. Wide folding doors allow you to let the outside in and the hotel organises safari drives and game walks so that you can see everything you came for. In Kenya, Dodo’s Tower is a luxury boutique way to see big and small game up close. It’s expensive, but worth every penny, as a private airstrip allows you to go wherever you want to, the excellent cuisine can be served as you watch the sun go down from your balcony and you are free to drink in the sights and sounds of Kenya’s Lake Naivasha.

What can I see?

Safari holidays are designed to let you see big game and other wildlife in its natural habitat. There is nothing more astounding than being in the same environment as animals you’ve only ever seen in a zoo or on the television. The plains of Africa are home to a huge number of species, but most people want to see elephants, giraffes, big cats, zebras, hippos and birds. Whatever your particular interest, the guides arranged by boutique hotels can tailor your trip to give you the best chance of seeing it. In addition to the animals, don’t forget to pay close attention to the landscape itself. The wide plains, lakes and volcanic formations all make for stunning photographs and unforgettable memories – and the perfect backdrop for some stunning sunrises and sunsets.

How do I get around?

Once you’ve arrived at the airport, you will need to drive or take a connecting flight to the game reserve. This can be organised for you by your hotel, who may also be able to arrange your safari tours. These will either be in 4x4 jeeps, or special minibuses. You can also take safari walks with a trained guide, charter an aircraft or take a hot air balloon ride.

Mother s day gifts top 10 gifts for mom

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Spending statistics compiled for the National Retail Federation show that eight out of ten Americans celebrate Mother's Day, and spend nearly $100 on average for Mother’s Day gifts, (men spend more than women).

Mother figures of all types receive gifts on Mother’s Day. Whether she is your mom, step-mother, mother-in-law, wife, aunt, daughter, friend or grandmother, the list below will help you select the perfect gift for the mom in your life.

Top 10 Mother's Day Gifts

1. Greeting Cards

Mother’s Day cards are the number one Mother’s Day gift. Hallmark reports that more than 150 million will be sent from U. S. households to mothers this Mother’s Day.

2. Flowers

More than 50% of all Mother’s Day gifts include flowers. Sending flowers online has never been easier, with several reputable florists to choose from.

This year, instead of cut flowers, consider sending a living plant. By giving a bonsai tree, flower bulbs, outdoor plant, or an indoor potted plant, your mom will enjoy your gift long after Mother’s Day.

3. Dinner Out

Moms rank a dinner at a nice restaurant as one of their favorite gifts. Line up a babysitter, make the reservation and get out! If getting out is next to impossible, Omaha Steaks can send you a complete gourmet dinner.

4. Relaxation

Give her some time off to slip into a favorite pair of pjs, read a good book, sleep, soak in the tub or listen to her favorite music.

To help her relax, send her a spa basket, some new pajamas, or purchase a gift certificate for a massage, facial, manicure or pedicure at a local spa.

5. Weekend Away

A weekend trip is the fantasy wish of many mothers. Not a bad deal for dads either. Close to home or far away, you can make her fantasy weekend come true at any online travel website.

6. Jewelry

If you’ve given mom flowers for years, why not mix it up this year with a piece of jewelry. Retailers offer several Mother’s Day themed pieces. Classic earrings, bracelets and necklaces work just as well.

7. Handmade Gifts

Mothers love every macaroni craft, crayon illustration, poetry composition, and finger painting their child makes. Displayed in a beautiful frame, children’s artwork becomes a priceless original.

8. Electronics

Whatever is “hot” works for many digital age mothers. This year, consider an Apple iPod portable digital audio player, or iPod accessories.

When it comes to iPod accessories new options are available every day. Mom can extend her iPod with an iPod clock radio, fun and functional armbands and cases, docks and chargers, FM transmitters for listening in the car, or speakers for her home or office.

For digital age fitness moms, how about a heart rate monitor from Polar? Wearing a heart rate monitor can improve fitness in any type of activity. A built-in calorie counter provides an additional incentive to keep going.

9. Gift Certificates

You will never get the wrong size again. Most online retailers offer gift certificates.

10. Time with You

What most moms want is to spend time with the family, so if you don’t live near her, plan a trip to deliver your gift personally.

Visit savvy-mothers-day-gifts. com for more gift ideas and great Mother’s Day gifts. >>

Clutter cleaner 2

But first, it is beneficial for you to actually see what you have and how it looks to others. You can do that yourself by taking pictures of the rooms that you want to organize and then take action. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words” and the pictures you take will definitely say a lot to you. We tend to get complacent with what we are doing and get used to the disorder, but other people looking at the pictures will immediately be able to see what needs to be done. That is the purpose of the pictures we take and it will shock us into action. Now you are ready to begin the task of getting rid of the clutter. Clutter Cleaner - Part 2 will specifically tell how to go about completing that.

When you don’t have organization skills when it comes to cleaning your house, then you need to just get rid of the extra stuff. As inspiration to stay with the task as we saw in Clutter Cleaner – Part 1, you will need to take pictures of the rooms you want to change. Post the pictures of the area you have decided to clean so that you can see what other people see. Now we are ready to actually get to work cleaning the clutter. Do one area at a time, like a bedroom or kitchen.

Whichever area is the worst in your opinion, or is the most important to you to correct, is the place you should start. Begin the process by matching up items and getting rid of things that don’t match, don’t have lids, or are not part of sets (like socks, earrings, or toys). Keep a big, plastic trash can close by to throw things that are obviously not good anymore or broken. Then, begin to remove the “good” stuff. Keep in mind as you remove articles from the room that you must place each thing is its correct pile: donate, discard, or keep.

With all the stuff removed from the room and separated into piles, it is a good idea to go through the keep pile one more time and thin it down to half again. In your keep pile, you probably have a number of pairs of shoes and even extra clothing that you will not wear. Going through the keep pile again will give you a chance to eliminate the extra pairs of shoes that you don’t wear but still look good or are band new. If you haven’t worn them, then you need to donate them. Only keep the shoes you use that fit neatly into the closet. Clothing that is good or new, or that you haven’t worn in a year or more needs to be donated also.

Now that you have all the stuff out of the room and sorted into piles, you can do anything extra that you had been outing off for awhile. For instance, you wanted to change the curtains and bedspread, or change the color of the paint, or replace an old dresser, add shelving to the closets, or even clean the windows so now you have the perfect chance to do any of those things.

Get delightful money

Secured Loans UK offered by many financial lenders, have been designed keeping in mind the two important criteria for any borrower looking for short term cash. The primary concern is the speed of transaction and secondly, the ease of the transaction. Now, the instant payday loans can cater to both these needs beautifully, thereby, providing the most feasible option for short term fund arrangement for any borrower. The entire process can be conducted online, saving time and effort on the part of the borrower and the paperwork requirement has also been eliminated. In Secured Loans UK all one needs to do is, find out the relevant website of a reliable lender, compare rates of interest and terms and conditions of the loan with other lenders and then apply, using the online application form available at the website, itself. In Secured Loans UK finance is an essential tool for existence and a sudden shortage, therefore, can create havoc in our routine lives. As any salaried individual plans out his life, on the basis of the fixed income being credited to his account each month, a financial crisis can upset all his well laid plans. Emergency funds can be arranged through loans but then again, people shy away from approaching any financial institution for a loan, due to the lengthy and tedious process of loan application and sanction. In Secured Loans UK some documents are required to be faxed for verification, as these loans do not need a credit check for loan approval. Hence, the option of these loans is also a perfect solution for borrowers with a bad credit history. In Secured Loans UK the only details that the borrower is required to provide are his basic personal and employment details and information about his savings or checking account.