What is royal jelly

What’s all the buzz about royal jelly and is this popular supplement right for you?

Royal jelly, also known as gelee, is a thick gelatinous milky white substance secreted from glands near the head of nurse worker bees and fed to the hive’s queen from her larval stages and up into adulthood. Its sole purpose it to stimulate her growth and development. It seems that the royal jelly acts on the juvenile hormones in the developing queen’s body and this allows her to mature while the drones, which aren’t given royal jelly, remain in a state of physical immaturity. A hive queen can live up to seven years, but without her special diet of royal jelly the queen would have had the same short life cycle of any other worker bee – seven to eight weeks.

The Ancient Egyptians kept bees as far back as 5,500 B. C. and royal jelly has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries and still is today.

People have used royal jelly as a general health tonic for ages but it is also used for specific aliments too. It has be touted to relieve heart, liver, kidney, digestive and skin disorders, to treat high cholesterol, slow the signs of aging, relieve the pain of arthritis, slow the progress of multiple sclerosis, enhance immunity, improve sexual performance, enhance hair growth and even to heal bone fractures. Many people swear that royal jelly helps improve their stamina, energy and overall sense of well being too. Melbrosia, a mixture of royal jelly and bee pollen and is commonly used by menopausal women to manage their hot flashes and other associated physical symptoms.

It is popularly held belief that royal jelly has rejuvenating and anti-aging properties in humans, scientifically it hasn’t lived up to this expectation, but it isn’t without potential medical benefits.

Royal jelly is comprised of mostly water, but it also contains proteins, fats, sugars and other trace substances too. One of the types of protein found in royal jelly, and one of the sugars, has been found to have antibacterial or antimicrobial properties. The gelee also contains vitamins, minerals and other phytosterols like Neopterin - also found in humans this chemical is believed to play a role in our immune system. According to PDR Health, “Royal jelly may have hypolipidemic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities. There is very preliminary evidence that it may also have some antibiotic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and anti-cancer effects.”

As a supplement can be taken in a tablet or capsule form, or it can be ingested in a wide variety of food items such as chocolates, fruit bars and antioxidant drink mixes. Royal jelly can also be found in an amazing array of personal care items like lip balm and skin cream too.

While royal jelly supplements and products are widely available and frequently used pregnant and nursing mothers, those with allergies or hypersensitivities to any of its components shouldn’t use this supplement. Side effects include rashes and itching, asthma attacks and bronchospasms, and rarely, anaphylaxis and even death has occurred.

As with any health supplement unsubstantiated claims are common place when it comes to extolling the virtues of royal jelly, and though there are no current studies that point definitively to the benefits of its use there is emerging information that looks hopeful.

Participating in seo contests then you have to think of a well structured strategy to win

In normal niches the competition is not as killing as in SEO contests, well... except for the search engine optimization niche off coarse. But to be the best in an SEO contest you don't always have to have a big wallet, or a huge network of authority websites. You can also win with a good strategy, and good SEO tactics.

The number one for the search engine contest keyword phrase is always the one everybody is focused upon. And everything that page does is being duplicated by hundreds of people. And that's not what you want, do you? You want to win by surprise. The best way is off course hitting the first spot a day before the end of the contest. But how can you do that? Well I'll explain it to you.

First of all you need to get yourself indexed, get some low pagerank backlinks from some link directories or something. This is to know your position in the contest, once you rank at a spot for the specific key phrase you kind of know how hard it is going to be, if you rank on the first 3 pages of Google the competition isn't that hard. But if you rank at the tenth page it's going to be a little more difficult.

The next thing is to use your network of websites. You can do that by placing a link from each website to your contest page. But if you have many websites and many pages on those websites, it can trigger a Google penalty, and you don't want that in the contest. What you also can do is creating a page on every website you own and link to that page from all the pages within the website. You will get high valuable links with a lot of weight because the links are on topic.

Another tip from me is try to rank high with a handicap. If you screw up your on page optimization and you can rank high, you can give a final boost to your ranking by doing some on page optimization right before the contest ends.

And off coarse do what I'm doing now: write articles. This is almost the most important thing in SEO, writing articles about the subject. This article is about SEO contests, and it would never been written if i never participated in the pvmultimedia seo contest. Also like you see above, you can put anything in your article, so put your targeted keywords in it for the contest. You can see I'm doing that as well, I wrote down the words pvmultimedia seo contest because those are the contest keywords.

And if you write a lot of articles you have to submit them to ezinarticles. com and other big article directories, they will be all over the web in no-time. All organic backlinks from highly optimized content related web pages from all around the globe, all different ip addresses, all with the one link you prefer, all one way links. This is the way to be the best, not money, no networks just be smart and stay out of sight.

como jugar al backgammon

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El juego de mesa backgammon es uno de los juegos mas antiguos del hombre. Se dice que las primeras variaciones del juego comenzaron en el antiguo Egipto, Area Mesopotбmica y Antigua Roma. Desde entonces, el juego ha evolucionado, cambiado de nombre varias veces y dispersado a diferentes partes del mundo. Actualmente es un pasatiempo original alrededor de los Estados Unidos, Asia del Este, Europa y Medio Oriente.

Para comenzar a jugar necesitas a un compaсero, dos dados y una tabla de backgammon especial. La tabla esta dividida en dos lados con divisiones numeradas de 1 a 24. Puntos 1 a 6 son la llegada, 7 a 12 la salida. 13 a 18 el punto medio.

Al comienzo del juego, cada jugador tiene dos fichas en el punto 24, 3 fichas en el punto 8, 5 en el punto 13 y 5 en el punto 6. Cada jugador tira los dados y el puntaje mas alto comienza la jugada.

El que comienza mueve las fichas de acuerdo a la posiciуn opuesta de las agujas del reloj, desde su punto de partida para llegar al punto de partido del oponente.

El objetivo del backgammon es mover tus fichas hasta llegar al punto de partida de tu adversario y luego removerlas del tablero. La velocidad del progreso del juego es determinada por los resultados de los dados.

Cada jugador tira dos dados en cada turno, y deber una o dos fichas de acuerdo al nъmero que salio en cada dado. Puede mover una ficha sumando el puntaje de los dos dados, o mover dos. Por ejemplo, si el resultado del dado es 5 y 4, puedes mover una ficha 9 lugares o mover una 5 y luego otra 4 para adelante.

Si los dados salen dobles, un numero dos veces, puedes mover las fichas 4 veces en vez de dos. Es decir, si sale un doble 2, moverбs 2 lugares cuatro veces. En ese caso puedes o mover una ficha 8 veces, 2 fichas cuatro lugares, 4 fichas dos veces o la combinaciуn que elijas que requiera dos lugares 4 veces.

Puedes mover una ficha a un casillero que hay solo una de tu oponente, y asн la "comes". Luego, esta ficha es ubicada en la mitad del tablero, llamada el bar.

Tu oponente puede volver a jugar una vez que puedo ubicar a la ficha en algъn casillero de su llegada que no este ocupado por mas de una ficha tuya. Por ejemplo, si tira los dados y sale 2 y en ese casillero no hay ninguna ficha o solo una tuya, el puede entrar y seguir sus jugadas. De lo contrario, deberб esperar a su turno y volver a intentarlo.

Una vez ubicadas todas tus fichas en el casillero de llegada de tu oponente, deberбs comenzar a removerlas del tablero. Es decir, si tiras los dados y sale 1 y 2 puedes mover una ficha del casillero 1, si sale 2, puedes mover una ficha del casillero 2 y asн sucesivamente.

Si tu oponente no ha removido ninguna ficha mientras que tu has removido 15, tu ganas el juego y viceversa. Lo mismo ocurre si tu has removido 15 fichas y el tiene algunas en el medio comidas, (sin aun haber removido ninguna) tu ganas el juego.

El juego es muy entretenido e inteligente que te puede acompaсar en muchas ocasiones. Disfrъtalo!

Play the pop-up game five ways to effectively use pop-ups as a website tool

There are ways to increase your profits by using pop-ups as a website tool. More than likely, you have heard of pop-ups, but there is new software on the market that will amaze you. It has never been as easy to use pop-ups to market your website as it is today. You might be glad that you took a few free minutes to learn about pop-up marketing.

The new pop-up marketing software is not just your standard pop-up anymore. Today, you can market in a much less intrusive and irritating way to your customers. The prevalence of pop-up blockers in web browsers is huge and very affective. In the older days, it was a necessary tool because computers would literally freeze up because of p pop-up. Your job as a marketer is to draw in customers and keep them. However, you do not want to drive traffic away by having huge amounts of pop-up that take over their screen. When using the software, you will need to decide which type of pop-ups you want to use. Be sure to check out several of them before making a decision.

Pressure Pop-up - These types of pop-up have a countdown button that appears after your customer is on the web site for a while. The great thing about these is that they are set to give your customer time to look over the site, and will leave the screen once the count down runs out. You can put anything on your pop-up to entice customers to buy.

Instant Opt – In Pop-up - A new software feature of pop-ups is opting in by clicking either yes or no. Using this feature is good for capturing potential customer’s email address. All business depend on lists to make future contacts about products, discount and special offers or drawings – and not just the typical tasks of order taking and receipts.

Conditional Timed Pop-ups - Timing is everything in business. With this feature, you can decide when you want a pop-up to appear. A pop-up that appears too early may not give your customer time to thoroughly taken in the site, or a pop-up appearing when they were about to order without a discount will damage your profits a lot.

Changing Pop-ups - If you want to keep your customers from being bored every time they come to your site – then use different pop-ups. The new type of software for pop-ups allows you to stage different pop-ups to appear with new information. It can be offering them a new product, information, or even close outs on certain products. You can make it to fit your customer’s needs and that spells more profit for you.

Generalized Pop-ups – This software configures pop-ups to look exactly the way you want, and timed the way you see fit.

There are numerous places online where you can order the new pop-up software. Many times, you can order them with different features separately, like the changing pop-up software. In the end, it will cost more though so you might want to consider buying a package deal with the other software included. As you can see, there are great benefits with the new pop-up software. In addition, most of the software has other features that you will like. They are fully integrated with to work with other types of web design software. You don not have to be a computer scientist to run them either. Most of it is WYSIWYG, or what you see is what you get type programming.

Other features are just as valuable with the new software of pop-ups. You can edit to your hearts content any aspect of your pop-ups. If you want the color or shape to be unique, you can change it. You can change the wording to suit any style of customer you have too. In most programs, you do not have to dispose of any past work that you have created. There are numerous save features for wording and designs. This alone saves you lots of time for the other important business aspects that you have to do. And that is the part that is important – getting down to business on the Internet.

How to choose the right bird watching hat

Bird watching is a very relaxing activity. Many people go into bird watching not just to see and observe their favorite birds but also to get rid of stress. According to studies, birdwatchers show less signs of strains and stress compared to those people who sit inside the room and watch TV or tinker with their computers. The fact that bird watching takes the person outdoor and let him or her commune with nature helps that person fight stress better compared to his or her counterparts. If you are one of those people who are leading sedentary indoor lives, doing some bird watching will greatly help you stay fit and healthy.

Getting Ready For Bird Watching

There are at least two basic things that you will need when you want to go bird watching. First, you will need your binoculars and second you will need a hat. A bird watching hat is just as important as the binoculars because this will protect you from the heat of the sun. Note that the damage in the ozone layer of your planet is so great that being exposed to the direct heat of the sun is now considered hazardous. In recent years, cases of skin cancers due to the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun have increased considerably thus we should never take things for granted when we go into the sun. It doesn’t matter if we only get exposed to the sun once in a while; you still need to protect yourself from being directly exposed to the sun.

When choosing a bird watching hat, you need to consider the size, shape and color of the hat. Choose a wide brim hat over those dainty looking hats. Wide brim hats that shade your face are effective in protecting your face from the damaging effects of the sun. A hat that is made of thick cloth material can be a lot cooler compared to bird watching hats that are made of leather and other types of materials. Furthermore, hats that are made of cloth are easier to manage compared to those hats that are made up of more rigid materials. Note that the rigid materials of your hat can be quite inconvenient especially when you are straining to take a better view of your favorite bird.

The color of your bird watching hat is very important. Although bright colored bird watching hats can be quite attractive, they are not really suitable for bird watching. Bright colored hats make you stick out from your hiding place. Instead of using bright colored hats, try some of those earth colored hats. Brown bird watching hats in particular are very helpful when you want to blend into the bushes.

Maximizing your online income with google adsense

When it comes to making money as a publisher from Google Adsense, some webmasters have difficulties getting their ad displays right and therefore leave a lot of money on the table. Google Adsense is by far is the most popular contextual advertising program used by online publishers worldwide. Adsense has variety of revenue generating products starting from Pay per click ads, Adsense for search, referrals for Firefox with Google toolbar, or other Google products (a complete list is available when you log into your Adsense account). Many webmasters think that just copying and pasting the Google Adsense code into a web page will create a huge amount of money, but that assumption is a mistake. Here are some tips to increase your online income from Google Adsense.

1) Make sure the ads that are appearing on your site are related with your current content. When placing the Adsense code into the page for the first time, it can take a while until targeted ads show up. If after 24 hours still not matching ads show up, you should look into section targeting with Google Adsense. Section Targeting helps Google to pick the right keywords on your website to deliver better matching ads.

2) Keyword Density. Experiment with the density of keywords on your website. If you use the proper keyword density in your content, your website will attract better targeted ads. the result will be that your visitors are far more likely to click on a relevant ad.

3) Use Online Keyword research tools like Overture Keyword Tool, Wordze. com, the Google Keyword Research Tool, or Wordtracker to pick the best keywords for your website. The reason for this is that you want to get as many visitors as possible to your website. Keywords that are searched for often are good to have on your website. You will also need these keywords for link building and SEO so that your website ranks for those important keywords.

4) Experiment with different ad formats and colors. No "one size fits all" exists when it comes to Google Adsense. Testing is needed to optimize your income. Try ads with borders and without, too.

5) Embed your Adsense ads in your content. Use CSS to have the content flow around the ads as that can improve clicks to your ads significantly. Make sure that the font used on your website matches the font used by Google Adsense.

6) DO NOT place any image near your ads to attract better click-thru's. This technique was allowed for a while, but recently Google Adsense updated the Terms of Service and by placing images near the ads you would violate the TOS. However, you still find websites out there that have not been updated to reflect this change. These webmasters are risking their membership in Google Adsense.

7) Rotate Google Adsense Ads Colors to reduce common Ad Blindness. To prevent regular users from ignoring the ads, you can rotate different types of color palettes for your Adsense ads. The best way to do this is to use an ad or banner rotation software like OpenAds (formerly known as PHPAdsNew).

8) Track your ad performance. Google gives you the ability to track ads by website or by custom channel. Up to 200 custom channels can be set up. Again, testing is critical for your success.

Age new spirituality - inspirational stories part 62

The next question for consideration is what we mean by law being universal. Our universe is that portion of existence which is characterised by what the Sanskrit psychologists call Desha - kala - nimitta, or what is known to European psychology as space, time, and causation. This universe is only a part of infinite existence, thrown into a peculiar mould, composed of space, time, and causation. It necessarily follows that law is possible only within this conditioned universe; beyond it there cannot be any law. When we speak of the universe, we only mean that portion of existence which is limited by our mind -- the universe of the senses, which we can see, feel, touch, hear, think of, imagine. This alone is under law; but beyond it existence cannot be subject to law, because causation does not extend beyond the world of our minds.

Anything beyond the range of our mind and our senses is not bound by the law of causation, as there is no mental association of things in the region beyond the senses, and no causation without association of ideas. It is only when "being" or existence gets moulded into name and form that it obeys the law of causation, and is said to be under law; because all law has its essence in causation. Therefore we see at once that there cannot be any such thing as free will; the very words are a contradiction, because will is what we know and everything that we know is within our universe, and everything within our universe is mouled by the conditions of space, time, and causation.

Everything that we know, or can possibly know, must be subject to causation, and that which obeys the law of causation cannot be free. It is acted upon by other agents, and becomes a cause in its turn. But that which has become converted into the will, which was not the will before, but which, when it fell into this mould of space, time, and causation, became converted into the human will, is free; and when this will gets out of this mould of space, time, and causation, it will be free again. From freedom it comes, and becomes moulded into this bondage, and it gets out and goes back to freedom again.

To get more information visit : spiritual-simplicity. com

How to get a mortgage you ll be happy with

These days, may people have poor credit. With the explosion of cheap and easy credit, more people have been landed with a poor credit rating. This has led to the phenomenon of the sub-prime mortgage.

However, simply because you have an adverse credit history does not guarantee that you will qualify for an adverse credit mortgage.

The reason for this is the lender must first weigh the risks a particular applicant poses and then make a decision to approve the application or not. In some cases, the risk is too high and the application is denied.

In other cases, the risk is moderate and the lending company simply increases the interest rate to account for this. There are many things a lending institution or sub-prime lender might do in order to account for an adverse credit history yet still approve the mortgage loan application.

The first step towards buying your property is to find out exactly how much money you can borrow. In the United Kingdom, this is worked out according to your income, usually three times your annual salary before Tax and National Insurance are taken away i. e. your ‘real’ income, not the one on your paycheck.

Some lenders will offer up to six times your salary! They're not doing you a favour. A mortgage is a fat loan that has to be paid back. Default on it, then go bankrupt, and you may find it impossible to get credit of any kind.

Before taking the plunge, it’s important to improve your credit rating as much as possible. Before you fill out any applications, take whatever steps you can to improve your credit. Pay off old loans, and once they are paid off, ask your creditors to remove negative information from your credit report.

If you need new, positive credit listings, and can’t get a normal credit card, consider getting a secure credit card; one which is issued against a guarantee/collateral. This collateral is usually a deposit in the issuing bank; you can borrow up to this amount.

An easier route is a department store credit card; make a few charges on it, and pay them off promptly. The goal is to get positive entries on your credit report. Though this sounds a little desperate, it is the best way in which you could establish good credit with a lender.

Ensure you pay all your bills on time (or before time); never later than the due date. A positive credit history would be extremely helpful in getting you a mortgage.

The best thing for people to do when applying for a mortgage is to talk to their broker regarding the types available and the options they qualify for. This way, you'll have a better idea of what is available to them and then can make an informed decision.

However, be aware that some mortgage lenders will pay some brokers commission for custom pushed their way; it's better to make sure that you are using an independent broker to get you the best mortgage for your circumstances on the market.

Try to beg or borrow money from friends and relatives before applying you’re your mortgage, if you sure you can repay them quickly, and keep them loving you(!) Revise your plan. How much do you really need to realise your dream, in a practical sense?

If you end up getting a mortgage with a sub-prime lender and aren't happy with your interest rate, remember that you can always remortgage again later. Be sure to maintain a good repayment history and work to improve your credit rating so you will be ready to remortgage again when the time comes.

Just right storing and serving draft beer

If you’ve been drinking beer for any amount of time you are probably aware of draft beer. People around the globe enjoy the cold sudsy beverage that comes from a keg and out of the beer taps. When stored and served right, it is a tasty and refreshing way to enjoy a cold beer. However, some problems can arise that can definitely take away from the quality and taste of your favorite beverage.

The most important factor in proper draft care is the temperature of the beer. The proper temperature for storage and serving draft beer is 38 degrees Fahrenheit. If the keg falls above or below 38 F, the appearance, freshness, and most importantly, taste can be affected. Draft beer is kept at this temperature so that it can maintain the carbonation level that it has while it is being made at the brewery. It does not matter whether it is a domestic or imported beer or if it is pasteurized or not; the temperature must remain between 38-40 degrees.

If a keg gets too warm, the beer will foam up while it is still in the container. This happens because the pressure applied by the beer tap handles is not enough to keep the carbonation in the beer. This can lead to wasted beer and wasted profit. Once a keg has lost pressure and the carbonation in the beer is gone, it affects the taste, making it more bitter, and the appearance of the beer, making it appear clouded.

If the keg gets too cold it causes the carbonation found in the beer to remain there until the customer consumes it. The result is overfilled beer glasses and a lower yield of beers per keg. Also, if temperature drops too much without the pressure from the beer tap handles being changed, the beer may become over carbonated. This will result in foamy pours.

Temperature can be maintained with a little care. To properly measure a keg’s temperature you must place a thermometer in liquid with the keg. This is important to do to maintain proper temperature. A keg can go from 38 degrees to 48 degrees in as little as four hours. On the other hand, it can take up to ten hours for a keg that measures 48 degrees to be cooled down to 38 degrees. This is a serious matter in a business or party situation!

One way to prevent improper temperature is make sure that your keg refrigerator is well maintained and sealed properly. A poorly sealed cooler can warm the keg by several degrees over a relatively short period of time. When storing kegs, avoid keeping other items in the same cooler as the beer. Having other items in the same refrigerator can lead to people opening the door and affecting the temperature of the keg.

One must consider temperature when receiving a keg from delivery as well. A keg that has ridden around in a delivery truck for several hours is more than likely going to be several degrees warmer than when it came from the warehouse. The bottom line is that with a little care and attention draft beer can always be good all the way from the bottom of the barrel until it comes bursting forth in a golden frothy spray out of the beer tap handles.

How to start a small business is quite easy when you use the internet

A lot of people wonder how to start a small business, but very few are brave enough to really take a few steps. Starting a small business, after all, is very intimidating. If you want to start your own business, you have to be willing to put it all on the line. You have to be willing to work tirelessly, night and day, in order to make your business succeed. Most people are simply not up to putting in this level of dedication. Nonetheless, if owning your own business is your dream, I say go for it. After all, you only have one life to succeed in.

Figuring out how to start a small business isn't the hard part. The hard part is putting in the work to make it happen. After all, starting a small business is practically a nightmare. There is just so much to do before you can make it succeed. You need to plan it out financially, get investors or business loans, and find an appropriate area to set up shop. You have to get advertisers, make business connections, and ensure that you have a good supplier. No matter what you do, there is one key and one key only to how to start a small business: dedication. Without it, you just will not survive in the business world, and that is that.

You have to trust your gut, after all, and you have to know that you have good instincts. If you don't have good instincts for business, no amount of coaching will help you to succeed. If you don't know how to start a small business yourself, no one can show you how. There is just too much that can go wrong. Everyone will have different opinions on what you should do and what you shouldn't.

You have to be willing to act on your own judgments, and not take other people's opinions as fact. After all, the important thing is not so much making the right choices, but making choices and sticking with them. There are many strategies for how to start a small business, but all of them require conviction. If you do not have the tenacity, there is no way that you will learn how to start a small business. You will fail unless you can trust yourself. So before you start your own small business, you should do some soul-searching.

The internet offers many business opportunities and it is well worth spending time browsing round the various money making oppertunities.

What is financial security

Wouldn’t it be great to be financially secure—to never have to worry about money?

What would it take to get there? In fact, what exactly is financial security?

Ask 10 people to define how much money it takes to attain financial security and you will probably get 10 different answers. For some people, financial security is having $10 million in the bank. For others, it’s $50 million.

I doubt anybody would say $1 million. Being a uni-millionaire isn’t what it used to be. With the median home price in the United States around $220,000 (the median price in my hometown, Seattle, is pushing $425,000), there may not be much left after paying off the mortgage. Even having the full million in the bank earning 5% per year will only produce an income of $50,000 per year. That’s not bad, but not enough to jet around the world and party with Paris Hilton, Mick Jagger, and Diddy.

What about $10 million? At 5%, that will generate an annual income of $500,000—without working. Now we’re talking some real money!

The problem with defining financial security in these terms is that having $10 million, $50 million or even $1 million is a pie-in-the-sky dream for most Americans. We’d all like to have millions of dollars, and it’s not bad to aspire to that goal. The problem is, if we define financial security by such large amounts of money, most of us will believe that it’s out of our grasp. Instead, we should use a realistic definition of financial security that can be achieved whether somebody makes $10,000 a year or $1,000,000.

First, let’s look at what financial security is not.

Financial security isn’t making or having a certain amount of money. There are many people who have made millions of dollars who are not financially secure. Stories about musicians, superstar athletes and multi-million-dollar lottery winners who end up in bankruptcy court are so common that they’ve become a clichй. If someone makes $500,000 a year, but spends $600,000, are they financially secure? Of course not.

Financial security also isn’t limited to being independently wealthy, having servants bring you martinis by the pool, and flying your private jet to Monaco to party with heiresses, super-models, and rock stars. If that’s what you want, then go for it, but this is a very narrow definition of financial security.

I prefer a broader definition, one that puts financial security within the reach of anybody with a desire to improve their financial situation, and a little bit of discipline.

To me, financial security consists of 4 things:

1) Being debt-free

Consider two women:

Jill:

Makes $35,000 a year.

Has $250 in her savings account.

Owes $10,000 on her credit cards.

Joan:

Makes $35,000 a year.

Has $10,000 in her savings account.

Owes $250 on her credit cards.

Which woman do you think feels financially secure? Which sleeps better at night?

Certain debt is understandable. Few people have the money to write a check for a car or a house. Borrowing money for an education or to start a business may also be acceptable, but borrowing money for other reasons is probably a mistake.

How many of you are still paying off the credit card debt for:

- The vacation you took last summer?

- The elegant, romantic Valentine’s Day dinner last February?

- The pair of expensive Italian shoes you just gave to Goodwill?

- Christmas presents your kids no longer play with?

- Electronic equipment that has since become obsolete?

When you owe somebody money, they have power over you. You go to work, even if you don’t want to, because you have to pay back your debt. If you don’t pay, you can be sued, your car can be repossessed, or your house can go into foreclosure. That doesn’t sound like security to me.

2) Being in control of your expenses

As I mentioned earlier, if you earn $500,000 a year, but you’re spending $600,000, you’re on your way to the poorhouse. If you control your expenses so that they are less than your income, you can save and invest the extra money, and you’re on your way to becoming financially secure.

3) Consistently increasing your savings/assets/net worth on a monthly basis

Most people have little to show for years or even decades of hard work. For whatever reason, they can’t or won’t save money and they’re one paycheck away from being destitute.

We should focus on saving money every month. It’s a great feeling to watch your savings grow, especially because the interest compounds without any extra effort from you. Instead of you working for money, your money can work for you.

4) Not being forced to work at a job you dislike just to pay the bills

Many people live paycheck-to-paycheck and are stuck at jobs they don’t enjoy because they have to pay their bills. If they quit their jobs or were laid off, it wouldn’t take long before they were in dire financial trouble.

If you are debt-free, control your expenses, and focus on increasing your savings on a monthly basis, you can survive tough times, such as a layoff, for months, or even years, without a change in your lifestyle. You will also have the freedom to quit a job you don’t like and take your time finding a new job, preferably one that you will enjoy.

Financial security is an admirable goal for which we should all strive. However, it’s important to define financial security so that it is achievable for the average American. Being debt-free, controlling our expenses, increasing our savings every month, and doing what we love can lead to happy, fulfilling, and prosperous lives for us all.

Altria to launch marlboro filter kretek in indonesia

PT H. M. Sampoerna, the Indonesian world's largest tobacco company, has begin launch clove flavored cigarettes or the Marlboro mix 9 brand name.

The subsidiary of Altria Group Inc. will start selling filtered Marlboro Mix 9 from July 9, its first new brand in 18 years, said the people, who declined to be identified before an announcement next week. Clove-flavored cigarettes, known as kretek, dominate sales in the Southeast Asian nation, the world's fifth-largest tobacco market.

The launch may help Indonesia's largest producer of tobacco products win a larger share of the estimated $10 billion market for kretek cigarettes by attracting customers of PT Gudang Garam, owned by the family of Indonesia's richest man, and the Djarum Group. Sampoerna's sales growth has been cut by tax increases.

"It's a fantastic and excellent strategy," said Rezza Zulkasi, an analyst with PT First State Investments Indonesia in Jakarta, which manages 1.5 trillion rupiah ($167 million) in assets. "People want to have the international brand, but also want the local taste."

Sampoerna will start selling the kretek Marlboro in Java and Bali, the people said. Leo Burnett, a unit of Publicis Groupe SA, the world's fourth-biggest advertising firm, will help market the product. The ad agency created the "Marlboro man" advertisement campaign in 1955.

Where To Buy

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Make over magic skin care beauty tips

Beauty and skin care are the two most important things to a woman. Making your skin beautiful takes a lot of work. Eating a balanced diet, especially foods rich with beta carotene, and taking some skin care treatments are crucial. Good skin care is essential to maintain the youthful glow of your face and skin. Skin care can also help in keeping the adequate moisture needed for your skin, not only helping retain the appearance of youth, but to ensure the health of it. A skin care regimen doesn't really take hours, but nevertheless having a routine can have an important role.

Some of us are not born perfect , having a smooth complexion to complement a perfect smile. Some of us may have marks, scars, or blemishes. For older women, imperfections can take the form of wrinkles. However, you can still enhance or do something about it, with the proper care. This means a change of habits or lifestyles for those who live hectic schedules. Another piece of advice is minimizing stress and anxiety, which also have some effects on your skin.

SKIN BASICS

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and it protects the body from infection, injury, and harmful ultra-violet rays, so it isn't a surprise that most women take good care of it. The skin consist of two main layers:

? the inner layer, or the dermis

? the outer layer, or the epidermis

The skin should be exfoliated at regular intervals to remove dead skin cells and give your skin's surface a radiant kind of glow. The dermis, meanwhile, is responsible for giving the skin its elasticity. However, it also needs to be protected from the sun and other harsh elements. When the skin loses its elasticity, which is a sign of the aging process, it becomes sagging and wrinkles started to form.

SKIN TYPES

? OILY SKIN – prone to spots and blackheads

? DRY SKIN – easily wrinkled and needs to be moisturized regularly

? MATURE SKIN – a part of every woman's aging process

? ECZEMA – is a skin disease often caused by allergic body responses

? ACNE – when the oil producing glands of skin get inflamed, it erupts to pimples and blackheads

SKIN CARE SOLUTIONS

1. CLEANSING – wash your face with any gentle, fragrance-free cleanser. It is preferable to use one labeled with balanced ph levels. If you have oily skin on your face, use a cleanser that contains a small concentration of benzoyl peroxide. The more polluted the surroundings, the more you will need to perform skin cleansing.

2. MOISTURIZING – excessive cleansing sometimes has the tendency to strip the skin of its beneficial oils. Those oils helps retain moisture and serve as a barrier between the polluted environment and yourself. You can remedy this by using a lightweight moisturizer during the day, with the option of using a night cream before sleep.

3. PROTECTION – the last step for good skin care is protecting it from the sun's harmful rays, which can cause lasting damage to your skin, as well as cause problems like skin cancer. Use a sunscreen with a minimum of SPF15 every time you go outside, especially if you're going to a beach and will be doing some sun bathing.

SKIN TREATMENTS

Whenever you have certain injuries such as cuts or allergic skin reactions, there are specialized skin treatments like creams and lotions available. For stretch marks, there is a specialize gel for it, though you also have the option to try herbals and organic skin care products. For extreme cases, you should consult a dermatologist.

For some minimal skin scars and other blemishes, some simple make over magic can be done by using a concealer. Just use a small make-up brush to dab concealer or foundation directly onto the blemished area.

Following these beauty tips, so you can transform yourself from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, without the need for expensive cosmetics. You can do your “make over” for glowing skin at home, and the results will yield benefits for you in no time.

Avoid foreclosure and save your home

No homeowner wants to face foreclosure. Losing a home can be one of the most traumatic financial events in a person's life, but it is happening every day. Here are some tips that can help you avoid foreclosure.

Early action is key. Few people wake up to find that their home is in foreclosure. There are always warning signs that precede the event. Being aware of these warning signs and taking fast, decisive action early on can mean the difference between keeping your home and losing it.

As soon as you know that you are going to miss a house payment, contact the lender. Contacting the lender early on allows the lender to help you work out alternatives. The truth is most banks do not want to take your home. They do not want the hassle of foreclosing, maintaining, and then selling the home. They would much prefer that some arrangement be worked out, but this often requires your early contact with them.

You should always follow up a phone call with a letter. You can draft a hardship letter and send it to your lender. This is not a good time to be too creative. Be specific about what caused the payment delinquency, make it detailed and be honest, but also be concise.

Do not accept a short sale unless you absolutely have no other choice. A short sale is when the bank or lender agrees to sell your home for less than what you owe. The difference between the selling price and the amount you owe will still need to be made up by you, and, of course, you will lose the home in the process.

You will find that being polite and patient with lenders will go a long way. There are many solutions that a lender can offer you. These might include extending the repayment period, suspending payments for a few months, or tacking the missed payments onto the back end of the loan.

You may also want to talk to your lender about extending the contract. For example, if you have a 30-year fixed rate loan, perhaps you can change it to a 40-year loan. Not all lenders will be willing to do this, but it is certainly worth asking about as the difference in the payment amounts can be the difference between keeping the home and losing it.

Refinancing, in general, is also a common option but homeowners should understand that refinancing is much easier to get when the housing market is moving up and less easy to get when the market is moving downwards.

Another option for some homeowners is bankruptcy. This is an option that must be decided on based on the advice of an attorney. Not all homeowners can find relief from the bankruptcy court. For this reason, you must speak with an experienced attorney who can fill you in on the details and whether or not your home can be protected.

Avoiding foreclosure is not always easy and it can be very stressful, but do keep in mind that foreclosure will remain on your credit record for seven years. It may be up to four years after a foreclosure that you will be approved for regular interest rates again. These are just a few of the reasons that you should work as hard as possible to avoid foreclosure.

The pleasure of transforming your hobby into your profession

If a hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit, could you count the number of hobbies you have practiced over the past or you are still pursuing now and then that have given you some kind of return apart from the psychological one? In case you can identify even one, then you probably already know all there is to know about the pleasure of having a hobby as a profession. But if your hobby list is empty, or you are unsure if one of the things you are doing or have done during your free time could be categorized as a hobby turned into a profession, then you should better invest some time in reading the text that follows.

First of all, you should know that hobbies are practiced due to a person's interest on something and for the enjoyment that hobby can bring to the individual, rather than for financial reward that can result from the outcome of someone's efforts. Whether you are a collector, a crafter, a sports fun, or a painter, engaging in a hobby can lead you to acquiring a certain set of skills and advance substantially your capabilities, knowledge-base and experiences. But remember that these outcomes are directly related to the personal fulfillment a person receives from practicing the hobby of his or her choice.

Second, you probably are familiar with the phrase that says "The person that has turned his hobby into his profession is a happy one." It is true that for a number of reasons, more and more people have turned their hobby or hobbies into their daily occupations and those that have done so, state that this decision has dramatically changed their life towards the better. They advice others to do the same and they do have a point, if one considers that the person who uses his or her skills to earn a living actually practices something he or she loves doing. For example, if you have been receiving compliments for your cooking or pastry skills, from a variety of people, perhaps you should consider a career in that field. If you love computers and you spend every single minute experimenting in computer languages or playing computer games, then maybe a career of that sort could fit better your type. But generally speaking, a person who does something for fun and not remuneration is called an amateur or a hobbyist, as distinct from a professional.

But finally, in order to determine which hobbies you practice could become your future career paths, you should better examine how easy it is to make a living from your leisure and recreational activities. For example, very few people can live from stamp collection, but many find it enjoyable. A lot of people like to observe and study the stars, but few have actually invested in this hobby and became astronomers. But a number of people who enjoyed traveling and writing have become journalists, or others who preferred cooking than dinning out have turned their passion into a flourishing business venture. Regardless if others find your hobby trivial or boring, you should invest some time in examining whether it has been ever introduced as a type of career. Even if not, do not get discouraged. People always find new ways to explore their entrepreneurship and business usually evolve just based on an idea. If you add on this equation talent, skill, and determination, you most probably have a winner. Whether you are an amateur writer or a painter, give it a shot and who knows? Maybe the next Hemingway or Picasso is you!

History of the bahamas

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article will give you the basics on the history of the Bahamas.

Those of you not familiar with the history of the Bahamas now have at least a basic understanding of its history and culture.

Christopher Columbus's first landfall in the New World in 1492 is believed to have been on the island of San Salvador (also called Watling's Island), in the southeastern Bahamas. He encountered Taino (also known as Lucayan) Amerindians and exchanged gifts with them.

Taino Indians from both northwestern Hispaniola and northeastern Cuba moved into the southern Bahamas about the 7th century AD and became the Lucayans. They appear to have settled the entire archipelago by the 12th century AD. There may have been as many as 40,000 Lucayans living in the Bahamas when Columbus arrived.

The Bahamian Lucayans were deported to Hispaniola as slaves, and within two decades Taino societies ceased to exist as a separate population due to forced labour, warfare, disease, emigration and outmarriage.

Some say the name 'Bahamas' derives from the Spanish for "shallow sea", baja mar. Others trace it to the Lucayan word for Grand Bahama Island, ba-ha-ma ("large upper middle land").

After the Lucayans were destroyed, the Bahamian islands were deserted until the arrival of English settlers from Bermuda in 1650. Known as the Eleutherian Adventurers, these people established settlements on the island now called Eleuthera (from the Greek word for freedom).

The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718 but remained sparsely settled until the newly independent United States expelled thousands of American Tories and their slaves. Many of these British Loyalists were given compensatory land grants in Canada and the Bahamas. Some 8,000 loyalists and their slaves moved to the Bahamas in the late 1700s from New York, Florida and the Carolinas.

The British granted the islands internal self-government in 1964 and, in 1973, Bahamians achieved full independence while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Since the 1950s, the Bahamian economy has prospered based on the twin pillars of tourism and financial services.

Despite this however, the country still faces significant challenges in areas such education, healthcare, correctional facilites and violent crime and illegal immigration. The urban renewal project has been luached in recent years to help impoverished urban areas in social decline in the main islands.

Today, the country enjoys the third highest per capita income in the western hemisphere.

Feeling guilty

Human as we are, we make mistakes. We hurt other people intentionally or unintentionally. We often fail to realize the importance of the people around us in our daily lives and quite often we feel guilty about it.

We feel guilty for a lot of reasons. We may feel guilty towards our spouse. Failing to remember a special and memorable day when the other partner so prepared for it can cause feelings of shame and remorse.

We may feel guilty towards our children. We may have promised our kid to attend one of the most important upcoming soccer games he has but then an emergency meeting was called at work which we cannot escape from. Our child feels unloved and we feel so depressed knowing that there is nothing we could do to replace the importance of our presence during his game.

We may feel guilty towards a family member. We may have rejected calls and invites from our mother who just misses our company and would once in a while want to be visited because she feels alone and lonely.

We may feel guilty towards our friends. We may not have been there during the times when she had a problem and needed a shoulder to cry on.

We may feel guilty towards ourselves. We may not have believed in our abilities. We may not have given ourselves the chance to try or explore the possibilities that await us. We may have felt that we are nothing compared to other people.

Guilt usually begins to build up inside us especially when we feel that we have committed something wrong. The guilt feeling serves as our watchdog to somehow tell us if we have hurt other people as well as to remind us to make amends and correct our mistakes. In my own opinion, what’s more important is the fact that we acknowledged our mistakes after feeling guilty and work on ways to apologize as well as make up for what we may have done.

Life is a matter of setting priorities. It is important to note that while one tries to, we cannot please everybody and we make mistakes along the way. Of course, try to avoid committing the same mistake over and over again. Make the right choices and learn to appreciate the people as well as the circumstances that have brought you to where you are right now and have somehow shaped you to who you are today.

The baby stroller- how to choose

You will need to begin gathering the things your baby will need, now that you got the news that you are expecting a bundle of joy. You may feel overwhelmed if this is your first baby with all the decisions that need to be made.

Deciding on the type of stroller you will use for your baby is one of the biggest decisions you will need to make. You need to determine your budget first before you begin choosing from among the many different types of strollers. The cost of strollers can range from $10 to $400 and higher.

The lower end strollers are generally the lightweight umbrella strollers. Easy folding and storage give these strollers an advantage. High prices for a stroller could indicate greater quality and better features. You should know which of the variety of features that come with strollers is important to you?

Which would you want a convertible travel system or a stroller and a car seat? A travel system has a stay in the car base, a stroller frame to which the infant carrier/ car safety seat is attached. These are wonderful especially for your newborn baby.

A play tray that has places for a bottle or juice cup come with strollers. Many strollers come with canopies that have vinyl windows to let you keep an eye on the baby. Easily applied foot brakes that are attached to both rear wheels and a wrist strap brake that can be used together are included on most strollers.

While you have the strap on it gives you extra safety while you are stopped because the stroller can't roll away. Strollers are now coming with a parent tray that fits over the handle bar as well as a large storage basket that fits under the seat(s). It has a holder for a cup of coffee or a soda, your cell phone, snack, and your keys.

Reversible handlebars that can be moved from front to rear or vice versa and are height adjustable are now on most strollers. The reversible handlebars can help you to see your baby while he rides if necessary and the height adjustable feature is a great back saver.

Next to be considered is the seat. Will the seat recline enough, if it reclines, to allow your newborn to lie almost flat? Will the seat be comfortable for your baby and well padded? Can the seat padding be removed so it can be washed? Blankets that can be attached with snaps to the seat come on most upper end strollers

Your baby's stroller becomes like a bunting on wheels with these blankets. Your baby is protected from wind and harsh sunlight with the use of these detachable rain hoods. Another twist comes with your decision about a baby stroller. You can have for free a stroller that is almost brand new from your friend. She promises to get the stroller ready for you and cleaned.

Is it a safe choice for your baby to have a used stroller? Before you place your baby in it you will need to look over some things and it could be a very good choice for you and your baby. No gaps, dents, or cracks should be found in the frame. Bolts and screws must all be in place.

If it were anything less your baby could be seriously hurt in an accident. Are there any sharp spots on the frame? Can your baby be cut by screws sticking out or are there loose screws? Is the frame and handle bar properly joined?

Do you need to look over the wheels for leaks in air pressure or are they solid?

The wheels; are they worn?

Do the wheels need replacement?

Are the wheels turning appropriately?

Are the axels crooked?

Are the brakes holding when applied and working properly?

No matter if the seat is in straight us position or reclining position, does the seat hold?

Your baby could be seriously hurt if the seat does not hold the position well. Is the seat lining fitting the frame properly and is it clean? Strollers have a variety of options, types, and styles. Multi-seated strollers are available for two children or more.

There is a variety of seating arrangements including tandem and side by seating as well as stadium seating which a variation of tandem seating where the rear seat is higher than the front allowing the second child to see more than just the back of a head.

Jogging strollers have a triangular wheelbase with one large one out in front and two in the rear. Jogging strollers also come with multiple seating. Used or new enjoy your outings with your baby or children.

Getting a tax credit for doing the right thing

Making energy-efficient home improvements and purchasing fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicles is no longer just an environmentally friendly move - making these purchases could save you money at tax time.

That's because the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will offer consumers federal tax credits for making energy-efficient purchases.

Using energy-efficient appliances and installing better windows and insulation can provide many benefits. In addition to lower energy bills, individual energy-saving action can increase comfort in the home and reduce air pollution.

By driving or buying or leasing a new hybrid gas-electric automobile fuel-efficient vehicle you can get an income tax credit of $250-$3,400 plus better mileage-meaning lower gasoline prices--and fewer emissions.

What Are Tax Credits?

One of the best benefits this year is the new tax credit offered by the Energy Policy Act. Qualifying products and vehicles can mean having to pay less at tax time.

Eligible homeowners don't get an instant return on what they buy, like a rebate or a discount. Instead, they itemize the purchase on their federal income tax form and that affects the total amount of tax they're supposed to pay. This credit increases a person's rebate or lowers the amount he or she owes.

A tax credit is not like a tax deduction. It's generally more valuable since it reduces tax dollar for dollar, while a deduction only removes a percentage of the tax that is owed.

Home mortgages, charitable giving and home office expenses reduce taxable income only by a percentage of what's taken in tax; a tax credit, on the other hand, reduces taxable income directly, not as a percentage.

Energy-Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit: The Breakdown

According to the Department of Energy, you can, for example, get a one-time tax credit of up to $500 total for installing efficient new windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in your home. Building materials must meet Energy Star® requirements and must be placed in service from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2007.

New Tax Credits for Solar Energy Technologies

There are also tax credits for solar energy technologies and for fuel cells. Some consumers may also be eligible for state rebates.

Avoiding private mortgage insurance

Some lenders require private mortgage insurance, or PMI, when you obtain your mortgage. It can cost you hundreds, even thousands of dollars each year. It is rather easily avoidable, however, by simply making different financial arrangements. Here are a few ways that you can get out of this extra financial burden.

Private mortgage insurance, sometimes also referred to as Lender's Mortgage Insurance (LMI), is required by law if you borrow more than the necessary 80% of the loan to value (LTV) of the house. Once you go and borrow beyond this 80%, PMI becomes necessary. PMI can range anywhere from two-tenths up to nine-tenths of the total amount of the loan.

Lenders look at loans larger than this value as being a greater risk to themselves. The private mortgage insurance is designed to offset their risk. However, what has actually happened, is that while it makes the lender more comfortable, it can also make it that much harder to get a mortgage because now the payments become larger to pay for the PMI. There are three ways around this problem.

* Make A Larger Down Payment

When you come up with the remaining 20% of the value of the house, you then make it unnecessary to pay the PMI. Simply by putting down this amount, you can save hundreds of dollars each year. Even if you have to borrow the money from a relative, the savings will make it worthwhile if you can produce cash at closing.

* Piggyback Loans

This is a recent feature among lenders to help people have a way around PMI. Instead of taking out one mortgage, you actually take out two. The first one is for 80% of the amount you need. Obviously, if you go more than this, you pay PMI. This becomes your first mortgage.

A second mortgage is taken out at the same time, as a piggyback on top of the other one, typically either for 10%, or even 15%, of the remaining balance. The amount not included in this amount is expected from you as a down payment. These percentages may vary with different lenders, but they will be similar.

* Reduce Amount Owed

Private mortgage insurance was designed to be required only when more than 80% is borrowed. This means that mortgages should contain clauses in them that automatically eliminates this added charge when you get the principal down to 80%. The lender can, however, require you to pay PMI until you actually bring it down to 78%, and you must be current with your payments. (High risk loans may have different terms.) In some mortgages, however, there may be a required period of time to pay the PMI - even if you pass the 80% mark. Still, some lenders may let you talk them into removing it once you do so.

If you already have a mortgage and are paying PMI, it would be worth it to make larger payments if you can just to be rid of it. Once you reach the 80% LTV, PMI can usually be removed soon after.

In 2007, if you took out a mortgage this year and are required to pay PMI, you may be able to claim some of it on your taxes. The main requirement is that you make less than $110,000 for the tax year. It may not be available after this year.

The ghost of players future

Although we'd like to think of ourselves as a scientifically oriented society, there's a certain amount of magic and mysticism that accompanies almost everything we do. Nowhere is that more true than football. Players are carefully groomed, statistics are highly monitored and every potential player is examined from their high school and college career foreword to see their strength and weaknesses. Though all this happens, the perceived potential of an NFL draft pick is still pure prophecy. Some players fulfill their promise and make a team the Super Bowl winner. Other players fail to make that potential a reality and lead their team down a dark and winding path.

Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams was anybody's dream of a football player. A Heisman Trophy winner with speed and strength, he seemed like the next Walter Payton or Earl Campbell. It was no surprise to anyone when head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Mike Ditka, traded all of his draft picks to get Ricky Williams. Although Williams and Ditka seemed like opposite sides of the spectrum, conventional wisdom was that Williams would lead the Saints to an unprecedented string of wins. Unfortunately not only was Williams unable to live up to his potential, he did so badly that the team performed at an all-time low. Ditka was eventually fired for the team's performance and Williams traded to the Miami Dolphins. Williams, who not only could not perform on the field was terribly shy and had awful relations with the media off the field. He was finally diagnosed with severe depression and social anxiety disorder. With medication, he began to do better, but decided that marijuana was a better medication than the Paxil he'd been proscribed. Not long after that, Williams failed his three allowable drug offenses, and was asked to retire from football. Although he has tried several times to get back into the NFL, his continued failure at drug testing indicates that he may never be able to return to the sport of which he seemed to have such great promise.

Ryan Leaf

Arguably one of the worst players to ever take the football field, it's unimaginable now to realize that Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning were neck and neck in the draft of 1998. Manning went to the Indianapolis Colts, had a stellar rookie year and set five new NFL records. Ryan Leaf went to the Chargers. He struggled both on and off the field playing one of the worst NFL games a quarterback ever played, completing only 1 of 15 passes with two interceptions. By the end of the year his completion rate was only 45.3%. He spent the second year out on injuries. Complicating his poor performance was bad behavior, fighting with fans, heckling media and being insubordinate to coaches. Leaf was traded 3 times in 5 years, and eventually left football to coach at the college level.

Courtney Brown

Courtney Brown was known for such a prolific running ability that he was drafted first by the Cleveland Browns, who intended to build their team around his strong running game. Unfortunately, his many injuries and failure to perform on the field earned him the nickname, "Tough luck, Brown". He spent the entire 2006 season on the injured reserve list and then failed a physical and was unable to return. In 2007 he was cut and it is doubtful that he can ever return to play at a professional level for a sustained period of time. A tragic injury cut his career far short of his expected potential.

We see these young college players with their skills, agility and potential and imagine nothing can go wrong. Whether it's a medical disorder, poor behavior or tragic injury, a player is sometimes simply unable to live up to their prophecy.

Starting a cruise travel agency

For people who love to travel, starting a travel agency specializing in cruises can be very exciting. Earning a living by talking about your cruise experiences and helping direct less experienced cruisers to the right vacation can be very rewarding. Many people are also attracted to the travel discounts you can receive by becoming a member of the International Airline Travel Agency Network (IATAN). Membership is available after earning $5,000 in commissions during the previous 12 month period.

It takes a little while to build your business. Great customer service and knowledge of the business are key ingredients to a successful career. Cruise lines tend to specialize to certain types of people. Some appeal to older crowds, others have many activities for children, while look for more active cruisers by providing more daytime activities on the ship or nighttime entertainment choices. One of the best ways to gain a lot of customers quickly is to sell a group trip. Join local groups, religious organizations, college alumni programs, etc.

Cruise lines typically pay commissions of 12% - 15% of the base fare. This excludes charges for port taxes and government fees. Additional money can be made by selling travel insurances where commissions are much higher, selling tours while your clients are on land and booking airfare and transportation to the airport or port. If your clients take travel insurance, they will be covered in case of delays, lost luggage or sickness, which will reduce your chances of having an unhappy customer.

As with any upstart business, you need to control expenses. A cruise travel agency can be operated right out of your home with the majority of work done through the telephone or internet. Cruise tickets can be sent by messengers to your clients. One of your more important and higher expenses will be the Errors and Omission Insurance Policy. This will protect you from mistakes during the booking process or from errors in printed materials or advertising.

Building new credit habits

Building New Credit Habits

Repairing your credit entails getting rid of the

negative credit report information and catching up on

your overdue bills. This could raise your credit score

but might not be enough to make you credit worthy

again. However, to raise your credit score high enough

to entitle you to a loan, you have to rebuild your

credits. Doing so would only prove that you have the

capability to handle credit responsibility.

Although it might be difficult to start, but once you

achieve that momentum you need, you will be sashaying

to a good credit score. You can always begin by

developing the required credit habits.

The Do’s of Using Your Credit Card Wisely

Although many people are born without the skill it

requires to use credit cards, it is important to learn

the rules of the game. All you need to do is to

remember simple do’s and don’ts of credit card usage

and in time, you would welcome healthy spending habits

in your financial life.

The first thing you do want to ever do is to use your

credit card to make your everyday purchases,

especially food, gas and clothing. It is bad enough

not to have cash-on-hand but buying simple everyday

items can develop into a habit wherein you may tend to

substitute a credit card with cash. It is always

advisable not to take your credit card out of your

wallet for everyday purchases but instead use your

cash or a debit card.

The next thing you do not want to do is develop a

habit of making minimum-only payments. If you make

minimum payments each month, you are only increasing

the length of time it will take for you to pay off

your debt. Additionally, it will also increase the

amount of interest you could end up paying.

If you are one of those people who usually buy things

that are way off budget, remember not to use your

credit card to buy things you cannot afford. One way

to get into debt is living off borrowed money. You

might end up waking one day realizing you are so much

indebt that you wish to return your expensive

purchases back to wherever you bought them from.

The Do’s of Using Your Credit Card Wisely

Learn how to make correct decisions when it comes to

buying items you need against those you simply want.

Everybody knows what a “need” is and what a “want” is.

Remember not to substitute need from the want and vice

versa. If you are using your credit card wisely, it

only means that you are being responsible in

recognizing what things you need and which you only

want.

Next, always let your creditor know in advance if you

would not be able to pay your monthly payment on time.

Since most creditors offer assistance with your

payment if you give them a heads up, it is important

not to simply forget about the payment for no reason

at all. You can do this by simply calling your

creditor, explain the situation and ask if they allow

late fees to be waived.

Lastly, do not exceed with your credit limit. The

safest is to stay within at most 30% of your credit

limit. Because the major part of your credit score

reflects on the quantity of debt you actually have, it

is important to keep your balance low in order to

preserve a good credit standing.

Car hire in munich for world cup 2006

The World Cup in Germany this summer will be the biggest tourist draw in Europe for 2006 as well as being the most popular and watched sporting event in the world. The host cities of Germany are prepared for the influx of tourists and fans, seeking to soak up the atmosphere of the greatest show on Earth.

As one of the main host cities Munich is set for the opening of the tournament with added accommodation and improved transport links added to cope with the additional hoards that will descend on the city this summer. Munich is no stranger to high volumes of tourists as open of the most popular short break destinations on the continent and, of course, the centre of the world famous Oktoberfest.

Last minute travellers to Munich during the World Cup will find it difficult to attain accommodation. Despite the added rooms and camps, most hotels and sites have been sold out for some time. Some of the major hotel booking ( superbreak. com ) resellers might have some availability if not in Munich then perhaps in the surrounding towns of Bavaria. There are alternatives outside of the city of Munich and these options can be explored further by visiting the official German tourist website ( germany-tourism. co. uk/pages/getting_around. html ).

Bavaria itself is one of the main tourist hot spots in Germany with a range of attractions that should keep even the most restless of tourist occupied for a week or so. For those hoping to mix some

World Cup action with something more sedate then Bavaria might just be the place to explore. Bavaria is a great region for driving with rolling landscapes and scenery befitting any country, not least the famous Black Forest itself. Car hire is easy to come by in the region and is centred around Munich and in particular the International Airport. Most of the major car rental ( easycar. com/aspx/car-hire/location/Munich. aspx/EN ) firms have a presence there to travel around Munich for the World Cup or to the wider Bavaria to get away from the celebrations.

Sightseeing in munich germany

There is a lot to see in Munich, Germany. Late spring and summer are popular tourist times in this city. In addition, the Oktoberfest celebration is a big event. Oktoberfest last for six days and always draws large crowds. There are many hotels and restaurants in addition to unique sightseeing opportunities.

Accommodations in Munich Germany

There are several Munich hotels to choose from, many near the Munich airport or the train station. This makes it easier to get around without a car. The city offers quite a few good quality, affordable hotels. There are many that have rooms available for about 100 Euros per night.

Many restaurants in the city have menus written in English. In addition, a good percentage of the people speak both English and German. This makes communication here easier than in many other areas of Europe. It’s easier to get by here without any German language skills than it is in most other areas of the country. It’s still a good idea to know some basic phrases in German in the event you need something and only German speaking people are nearby.

Sightseeing in Munich Germany

There are quite a few tours that you can take while staying in Munich. You can choose between walking and bicycle tours of the city. Some are a one day tour and others are several days or a week long. This gives you the opportunity to spend time touring the area with a knowledgeable guide.

The Third Reich Tour takes you to places related to the Nazi Movement in Germany. There is a lot of information about the rise to power of Adolph Hitler. You will experience the architecture and history of the time period. This tour is available throughout the spring, summer and early autumn.

Dachau Concentration Camp has been preserved and is open for tours. This was the first concentration camp and is preserved as a memorial to those who lost their lives. Information is written in English and German, allowing you to tour the camp on your own. Guided tours are also available.

The Bavaria Film Tour is a tour of the largest film and television production studio in Germany. Films such as The Never Ending Story and Cabaret were filmed here. In addition, many current television series in Germany are produced here. During the tour, you will see the scenery and special effects from several movies and television shows.

Munich is home to Museums, such as Bayeresches National Museum. This is the Bavarian National Museum and has three floors of exhibits, including Gothic and Renaissance art. The BMW Museum has a large collection of cars and motorcycles from the beginning of the company’s history to the present time. When planning your trip, keep in mind that most museums are closed on Mondays.

Olympic Park is open for tour. This was the site of the 1972 summer Olympics. It is open for sightseeing tours. During your stay you may want to visit the Allianz Football Stadium. In season, you may have the opportunity to watch a match. This has been the location of the Soccer World Cup and is a popular attraction for sporting fans.

Munich is home to many old churches. The Cathedral Church of Our Lady was built in the 15th century. This church contains art and Gothic style architecture. The Church of St. Peter is the oldest in the city, more than 600 years old. St Johann Neponuk Kirch is an ornate church from the Rococo period. Art and architecture lovers will enjoy the ornate historical churches in the region.

History and fundamentals of karate

History:

Though Karate is often associated with Japanese martial arts, its true origin dwells in Okinawan combat techniques and Southern Chinese martial arts. It is basically a fusion of both arts and was introduced to Japan only in 1921. During this period, Karate was simply known as "Te", or hand, as called by the Okinawans. Chinese influence is evident in the original symbol for Karate - the "Tang Hand" or “Chinese Hand”.

There were no specified or concrete Karate styles in the early days and simply generalized as Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te, named after the three cities in which they were formed. Each city had its own methods, principles, system and traditions of Karate.

The introduction, popularization and modernization of Karate to Japan are mainly credited to Funakoshi, an Okinawan master, venerably regarded by many practitioners as “The Father of Modern Karate”. Other prominent Karate experts in his time include Kenwa Mabuni, Miyagi Chojun, Choshin Chibana, and Motobu Choki.

Japan began introducing Karate as a subject in schools before the Second World War and soldiers in the army were often trained in the discipline. Competitions and different styles also started emerging as several universities started karate club programs during this period.

The popularization of Karate in the West has its roots in the American military occupation of Japan and Okinawa after the Second World War, and Japanese immigration to the United States.

Fundamentals of Karate:

Karate mainly stresses on volatile combat techniques such as punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open hand methods. Grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throwing, and vital point striking are also parts of this discipline.

Karate training is divided into three main sections –

• Kihon refers to the study of basic techniques, movements and components

• Kata or 'form', a fixed sequence of moves, is a series of movements and techniques linked together by the combatative principles that the kata expresses.

• Kumite or 'sparring' evovles from well-defined kata to open attack and defense.

The Uniform – Color of the Belt and Ranks:

The Karate uniform is white and comprised of the Kimono (shirt), Dogi or Keikogi (pants) and a belt (white or colored), a combination introduced by Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. The color of the belt is dependant on the rank and expertise of a practitioner. In accordance with commonly held standards, white belts are for beginners, and black for the highest rank. This, howver, may differ from one organization to another. Each rank may also have subdivions of its own even if the color of the belt is similar.

Styles and Variations:

Karate styles can be broadly classified into Traditional and Full Body Karate. Traditional styles are those that developed in the early period of the 20th century and include variants such as Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, Kushin-ryu, and Shindo Jinen Ryu. Full contact karate includes styles such as Kyokushin-kaikan and Kansuiryu. Many of the styles have offshoots that developed into styles of their own. Although the concepts remain universal, each representation differ from one another.

Dealing with car salesmen

Who hasn’t seen that popular depiction of a car salesman as a slick, smooth-talking con artist out to sell you what seems to be a serviceable enough automobile, only to have it break down as soon as you drive off the car lot? This scenario has been used in countless movies and comic strips; unfortunately it’s not very funny if you are on the receiving end of a lemon.

We’re certainly not suggesting that all car dealers are unscrupulous hucksters lying in white for the next pigeon to come along but the sad reality is that there are people who, while not entirely deceitful, may "neglect" to mention hidden defects or slap you with a surprise bill for "additional" costs. Understanding your rights as a consumer and learning how to negotiate from a position of strength will go a long way in helping you get the best possible automobile deal for your money.

When you are first making inquiries at various automobile dealerships for a car you wish to purchase, take the opportunity to get a feel for the salesperson at each of the particular branches; to test drive them so to speak. It is important to take this crucial step before you get into the nitty-gritty of bargaining.

Trust your instincts; is this person someone you will want to deal with for such an important transaction? Do they inspire trust in you and make you feel comfortable? You will want to deal with a person who shows genuine concern about giving you what you need yet informed enough to suggest better alternatives.

On the other hand, if a salesperson is impatient or too insistent or possibly even downright rude, walk away; you don’t need the aggravation and there are certainly many much more accommodating car dealerships that will help you out.

Make sure you test-drive your potential car as much as is reasonably necessary and ask all the questions you need to know no matter how trivial; a good salesperson will know that every little question is a legitimate concern and it is reasonable to expect thoroughness on the part of a customer.

Another thing to be sure of is that the salesperson is clear and straightforward in all the aspects of the planned purchase.

It’s true: a salesperson’s ultimate goal is to close the sale. But there are good, knowledgeable salespeople out there who will not be afraid to suggest a totally different solution even if it affects his commission.

Fly fishing hampshire

These are my recollections of my first introduction to fly fishing in Hampshire on the River Test but let me first explain..........

I caught my first brown trout in a stream at the back of our house known as Crimple Beck in Burn Bridge Nr Harrogate in North Yorkshire with a red worm at the age of four on a one piece solid fibreglass rod that had belonged to my father.

When I was seven I caught my first brown trout whilst fly fishing on the River Coquet at Felton in Northumberland where my grandparents lived and where I spent all my school holidays. I fly fished almost every day in the easter and summer school holidays on this river but also on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire.

As a teenager my grandparents sent me Trout and Salmon magazine each month which I read from the front to back cover paying particular attention to any articles about chalk stream fly fishing.

It was a dream and an ambition of mine to, one day, go fly fishing for brown trout on a chalk stream and at the age of forty nine that dream came true thanks to the generosity of my wife Anne and sons John and Adam.

Through Orvis, who are a fishing equipment retailer, they arranged for me to have a day's fly fishing in Hampshire on the world renowned River Test on the Timsbury 5 stretch. As if the gift could not get any better-the date they had selected was during the Mayfly season!

We arrived at the fly fishing beat, to which we had exclusive use, parking the car near the fishing lodge which was equipped with table, chairs, cooker, tea, coffee, milk, sugar, wine, mineral water, cheese and fruit-luxury fly fishing in Hampshire! The stretch was about a third of a mile of the main River Test with about four hundred yards of a tributary which almost ran parallel to the main river. The bankside had been mown-yes mown. The water was crystal clear despite it having rained with this stretch being mainly slow flowing. The sky was overcast with small hatches of Mayfly and a few brown trout rising throughout the day. The weeds which I understand they cut every month were clearly visible and it was thrilling to watch some specimen brown trout swimming in this beautiful stretch.

I also spent some time fly fishing on the faster flowing tributary and caught two brown trout which, having put up a superb fight, I returned to the water. My wife and son John also did some fly fishing using my tackle and Anne caught a grayling.

I mainly fished using a dry fly but occassionaly used nymphs.

In the early evening the clouds broke and the sun appeared resulting in further hatches of Mayfly on this exquisite stretch of the River Test which provided idealic fly fishing in Hampshire.

The day was most memorable for us all - I have never experienced fly fishing like it!

Reluctantly we had to leave but we will be back fly fishing once again in Hampshire-perhaps next time we will try the River Itchen.

They are just afraid of writing

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Sometimes, students as well as scholars are afraid of designing and completing new project, one of the most difficult in their turbulent student life, one of the longest during their short period of study, and one of the most important as well. Why are so many people afraid of the writing assignment? Why so many students afraid of dissertations? Apparently, they have too many questions and too few answers.

Let us, answer some of them.

First, remember that it is not always necessary to make your own research. Certainly, when you are assigned to undertake some research in your instructions than you should perform it. In the majority of cases, however, you can use available statistical data.

Second, the data mentioned can be found relatively easily.
There are plethoras of publishing sources that contain the data you are interested in. Even, if you do not have data on some specific problem (for example media coverage of the war in Iraq), you have the possibility to conduct the research and analyze available publishing sources.

Third, there are other sources that can be researched. For example, if you are assigned to complete the assignment on geography, then you should visit library to conduct your research, or visit geographical society, if your research pertains to some regional topic.

Fourth, both quantitative and qualitative data can be used in your research. Certainly, what type of the research should be used depends on the type of your assignment. Needless to say, it is imperative to use quantitative methods in the writing assignments of technical subjects, but even in this case you should indicate why the particular method has been chosen. When you need to back your research up with statistical data, the use of quantitative research is indispensable. Qualitative date is frequently used when you would like to find out the psychological or social reasons of a particular event or trend. You can either use your own date, or use data from other sources.

Fifth, in your dissertation project you are expected to analyze your data, both the one collected by yourself from your own research or from other sources. You should answer such questions as why does this trend continue, what makes it grow or fall, why is it changing? You could explain how particular methods are applicable to the process that you research. One should reveal one’s own understanding of the vital elements of the concept mentioned and their influence on the process that you research.

Fifth, you dissertation can be written on some literature. In this case it would be a literature-based paper. If you are assigned to conduct the research on particular book, you should emphasize some important topics of the book, which in your opinion make this book distinctive. This type of dissertation requires some research on literature criticism; however make sure that you use literature criticism, after you have read a book.

Certainly, we have answered only part of the questions that concern students. Undoubtedly some questions still remain unanswered. If you would like to lean more about dissertations and the steps that should be taken to complete them, you are more than welcome to visit Custom Essay Writing Service.

A look at bodybuilding as a sport

Competitive bodybuilding is a sport in which athletes attempt to develop and maintain the perfect muscular body. As bodybuilding competitors show off their physique and perform with a number of poses, they are judged by a qualified panel of experts who will render the final decision as to the winner.

When it comes to bodybuilding, the appearance of a competitors physique is much more important than how much he/she can lift. The sport of bodybuilding, therefore, should not be confused with or compared to a competition of strength. Instead, it is one of visual appeal. Bodybuilding is open to both men and women with specialized categories for each.

For those who regularly compete in bodybuilding competitions, or are interested in participating, the main strategy for contest preparation includes a combination of resistance weight training, a customized nutrition plan and plenty of rest. Resistance training is very important in bodybuilding as it is this that causes an increase in muscle size. The importance of nutrition comes into play as muscles grow, are injured and repaired during the bodybuilding process. In order for the body to properly heal itself, a customized nutrition plan is a must. Generally, bodybuilding competitors will eat a larger number of meals per day, but in smaller quantities. For instance, rather than eating three normal meals a day, a bodybuilding competitor may divide their food up into six or seven small meals.

Because of the strenuous regimen required of any bodybuilder, athletes often enlist the help of a nutritionist and a professional trainer. These individuals can work together to make sure that the athlete is training properly and also receiving the proper amount of nutrition. Rather than having to figure out how much to eat, when to eat and how often to work out, the trainer and nutritionist will handle all of the details while the athlete concentrates on building muscle.

At the end of the day, which is often exhausting for many bodybuilding competitors, rest is essential. Not only for the obvious reasons, but it is during rest that the muscle growth occurs. Without eight hours of sleep every night, some bodybuilding competitors find it difficult to regain energy and rebuild strength after an exhausting workout. In addition, many competitors find that an afternoon nap may further increase their body’s ability to increase muscle.

Individuals who are interested in entering into the world of bodybuilding should consult with local trainers in their area. If there are no trainers to be found, a stop at the local gym may provide answers as to finding a qualified trainer. Bodybuilding is a sport that requires a lot of dedication and even more hard work, which is evident in the physique of most competitors.

The information in this article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be used in conjunction with, or in place of, professional medical, nutritional or training advice regarding bodybuilding as a sport or as a hobby. If you are considering a venture into the world of bodybuilding, you must consult with a physician prior to beginning any exercise and/or nutritional regimen.

Guide to online debt consolidation

Online debt consolidation programs help individuals to research, apply and take part in debt reduction programs. The consumer can manage the financing of debts at the click of a mouse. With the problem of excessive debt growing on today, online debt consolidation programs are becoming easy and beneficial.

An online debt consolidation program can allow a consumer to get a loan that will combine, or cover, all of the balances of their unsecured debt. This online debt consolidation program will offer the consumer a loan, plus additional help in getting their debt consolidated. Once debt is consolidated with an online debt consolidation program, then the consumer can begin to make just one payment once a month, on the entire debt balance. The interest rate is generally much lower than the interest rates found in credit card agreements, so online debt consolidation programs can save monthly payments also.

The online debt consolidation programs enables to easily secure and manage the account. With the Internet, times and finances have changed, and now consumers can manage their finances online, without going to the bank, filling out documents and saves on explaining problems. With online debt consolidation programs, consumers can get control of their debt, and do it from the convenience of their own homes.

A consumer need only begin today in researching online debt consolidation programs over the Internet. There are hundreds of companies that offer online debt consolidation programs and these programs can be listed on websites that offer general information about debt with links to the site, or a consumer can simply browse for home pages of online debt consolidation programs. There are different option included with different programs, so be sure and compare before determining the right program for you and your needs.

Consumers are encouraged to be careful when searching or researching lending companies that offer online debt consolidation programs. While an online debt consolidation program can be very beneficial, and most programs offer good and honest help, there is fraud throughout the industry today. Ask for references and also be sure to read all documentation before entering into a contractual agreement with an online debt consolidation company.

Many fraudulent sites have come up which charge excessive interest rates for even smallest of loans. These also charge application fees whereas one should never pay any fees to apply, as it should be free of cost. These also charge excessive loan fees and hidden charges. There is almost no help or customer service from such scammers.

Before applying online for a debt consolidation loan, one should make sure that the website is well organized, has helpful resources, has a short application form, no application fees, no obligation, no hidden charges and no bad credit.

Consumers have begun to see the potential of online debt consolidation services and are now using them to the maximum. The company gathers all the monthly bills and payments and offers you some quotes online. Compared to a bank or any other financial institution, where one has to show a spotless record and a large amount of paper work, here one gets results in a matter of minutes.

If a consumer is able to find genuine online debt consolidation sites then settling debt problems becomes much easier and quicker.