Automotive sales leads - how to caputure and generate leads from your own website

If you are like most car dealers when prospective buyers visit your current website you only have 2 ways to capture their information.

They must either submit a vehicle inquiry (less than 3% will do) or apply for financing (less than 1% will do), that means 96% of your website visitors are leaving your site without you even knowing who or what they were looking for.

Now some car dealers will have savings certificates and free test drive gifts but that still only captures the "in the market right now crowd."

Consumers use the internet for information and most of the time they will look and shop a few months before they are actually ready to buy. With your website only offering 2 ways to capture your visitors information and these two methods being designed for ready to buy now consumers it is totally eliminating your chance to follow up with the "not ready to buy at this exact second" crowd which is over 96% of your website visitors.

Studies have also proven that generating automotive leads from your own website offers the best closing ratios however if you do not have effective ways to capture those "ready to buy now" and "just looking" automotive sales leads you will never see the true success of your Internet Sales Department.

You need to look at your current website capture methods and try to incorporate a system that will be able to capture your visitors information no matter where they are at in their own buying cycle.

By focusing your capture efforts and trying to build a large database of email addresses you will have greater success and sell more vehicles online.

If you would like to see what some of the top automotive groups are doing to build their database visit: HiddenAutoLeads. com

All types of chinese teas explained

Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.

There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea.

Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.

Green Tea

Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.

According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.

Oolong Tea

This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented. Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves.

Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted.

Black Tea

The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing.

Red Tea

As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea.

White Tea

This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.

Yellow Tea

Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.

Flower Tea

Here is a unique type of Chinese tea – the Flower tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma.

Compressed Tea

The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.

Mercedes b-class begets the dodge hornet

The Mercedes B-Class, a line of compact cars about the size of a Volkswagen Golf, is expected to be imported to the U. S. market within one or two years time. This model is unusual in that it will be the first vehicle marketed by Mercedes in the U. S. that is not a true luxury car. Instead, the German automaker is hoping to capitalize on its venerable name by serving a greater share of the American populace by marketing a more ordinary model. Soon after the B-Class’ debut, yet another small vehicle derived from Mercedes will also make its appearance in the U. S.: the Dodge Hornet. Both the B-Class and Hornet are being developed to revolutionize their respective brands, pitting DaimlerChrysler against some of the leading youth brands in the world.

Not everyone thinks that it is a good idea for Mercedes to sell a budget model in the U. S., particularly one sporting the Mercedes marque. Yet, Mercedes has been building smaller models for years and in Europe the brand is known for producing luxury cars as well as vehicles for the masses. Indeed, Mercedes’ biggest adversary, BMW, also produces a line of small cars and is planning on bringing these vehicles to the U. S. shortly. Thus, like it or not, Mercedes must respond and the B-Class will be the answer.

For Mercedes, the B-Class likely to make it to the U. S. will be a four door sedan outfitted with a six cylinder gas engine. A hatchback, popular in Europe, will probably not be included in the deal knowing American consumers’ disdain for that particular body style. Diesel powered B-Class’ are a possibility and will become even more likely should BMW introduce the same.

For Dodge, the Hornet represents an answer to Scion and their line of youth oriented brands. While the Mercedes B-Class will likely appeal to VW and Nissan owners, the Hornet will target Scion owners as well as those inclined to purchase a Honda Element or other small, boxy vehicle. DaimlerChrysler, the owner of both Mercedes and Dodge, knows that the Hornet is necessary as the brand’s current entry level vehicle, the Caliber, is too expensive to compete against the lowest priced cars from Japan and Korea. Considering that Chinese cars selling for $8500 or less will also be arriving soon, DaimlerChrysler must respond and respond quickly with the Hornet.

While plans haven’t yet been finalized, the Hornet will likely strongly resemble the concept vehicle now on display at car shows around the country. This means that the Hornet will sport a 1.6L I4 mated to a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission, with a horsepower output of 170. With 19 inch tires, stow and go seating, and Saturn ION-like doors, the Hornet will not be confused with any other vehicle on the road which is exactly what Dodge hopes will happen.

To keep production costs down, DaimlerChrysler is looking for a manufacturing plant, probably in Mexico, to build the vehicle. Aiming to keep prices to around $10,000, DaimlerChrysler may tap Volkswagen to produce the vehicle at one of its own plants. This would enable VW to fill excess capacity and give DCX a readily available source to produce the Hornet.

Yes, the B-Class is poised to change the way American consumers think about the Mercedes brand while giving the make a chance to capture a broader chunk of the market. With the Hornet deriving its platform and other key components from the B-Class, Dodge will also benefit and be able to holds its own against Asian imports. Yes, both products present risky moves for parent DaimlerChrysler, one that the automaker must take in an ever changing and highly competitive world.

How a good disability insurance policy upholds you during sick times

Worried about the revved up medical bills on your recent sickness - temporary disability? It has made a big whole in your monthly budget. And now you are having sleepless nights on any possibility of recurrence of the situation in future.

Well, with the changing lifestyles, diseases among the generations have increased. Sometimes these diseases take the from of disabilities, costing you more on your pockets. But buying an insurance policy can give you some amount of respite. When you are unable to work, disability insurance coverage replaces some portion of your earned income. You get two major types of disability coverage:

Short-Term Disability Coverage: This type of insurance coverage gives you cover for the early days of your disability. This policy can pay you benefits for two weeks to two years. Usually short-term disability is included in the employee's benefit package.

Long-Term Disability Coverage: As the name suggests, long term disability helps you replace your income for an extended period of time. This time period generally ends after five years or when the age of the disabled person is 65. This long term disability is either provided by your employer or you can also have it individually. Under this, there are two types of individual insurance. One is non cancelable and the other is the guaranteed renewable.

In this type of insurance scheme, the renewal of the policy cannot be refused by the insurer. The insurer is also required to pay the premiums on time. The major difference between the two is that, you have an extra security in a non-cancelable contract, that the premiums will never be raised above that shown in the policy.

But a guaranteed renewable insurance policy can raise the premiums, if the change made affects all the policyholders. Due to this, the initial premiums are less expensive for the guaranteed renewable policy as compared to the non-cancelable one.

Insurance on individual disability is a basic concept. It considerably replaces your total income and that too on a tax free basis. The disability policy provided by every company is different from the other. But it is not a product that you can shop for on the basis of competitive rates. Buying a cheap disability insurance policy is just like throwing away money.

So before going in for a particular insurance policy, it is advisable for you to do a little market survey and put your hands on the one that is the most suitable to you.

Baby shower theme - how to find the most creative baby shower themes that please the mom-to-be

So, you need a special unique baby shower theme to make your party different, huh?

A baby shower isn't just about helping parents-to-be get ready for their little arrival, but about fun, encourage and memories for years to come. Why not use an unique baby shower theme to piece together a perfect party time for every invited person?

You can type "baby shower theme ideas"("baby shower themes" or "theme party idea" and "party theme") into internet search engines, such as Google, MSN Search and Yahoo! Search. The smart spider will lead you to the most relevant web sites for those coolest theme ideas.

Also, there are tons of ideas from party handbooks and experiences you already learned from other theme based parties, such as kids' birthday parties and bridal showers.

Somehow, you can't jump out from the endless mind bogging for the best baby shower theme ideas. I guess you just get into the wrong direction.

However creative you could be, don't forget your best friend is about to be a Mommy, and this is the solely reason you want to throw her a baby shower! So chose the baby shower theme more personal to the mom-to-be, than yourself!

Before you run for the best theme idea, ask a few questions about the expecting Mommy:

* What does she like and dislike?

* Does she business like, shy, formal, friendly?

* Is the she expecting a girl, boy? Twins or More?

* How many people she'd like to invite?

* Does she plan to invite kids?

* Will she like to have her husband and other guys show up?

* Do you have a co-host? Does she have any idea?

More questions you ask the mom-to-be, more theme ideas come out with the answers themselves, automatically! And you may not be aware of this: The best baby shower theme lies somewhere in the depths of your imagination.

You can setup a ladies-only tea party in your house at a Sunday afternoon if the mom-to-be only feel comfortable when she stay with a small group of people. You can also throw a Hollywood glamour baby shower for parents-to-be who are super movie fans (so are their closest friends including you).

Or what if she is a second-time mom and her elder kids are Pooh lover? Phew, it couldn't be more exciting than having a Winnie the pooh baby shower and arranging everything in the ways that Pooh-like.

And if you're inviting the new daddy and his buddies to your party, the male guests would love to enjoy a western style BBQ in your backyard with beers and country music.

No matter how you plan the shower party, a good theme always serves as your inspiration when you're picking the location and time for your baby shower.

You can use theme based baby shower ideas run through the invitations, decorations, games and food, especially in preparing a baby shower cake to fit the party setting. When you're preparing the baby shower supplies, gifts and favors, the shower theme will practically tell you the best ideas to pick up.

In fact, baby shower theme can really make planning baby showers a snap.

Safety motorcycle helmets

Motorcycle helmet is used as a protective gear for the head to avoid severe injuries brought about by accidents. In some countries, wearing helmet is comparable to wearing seatbelts, regulated as part of the street ordinances as general safety measure. But of course, any promulgation imposed is debatable and others would drop the matter in every philosophical manner they can give reason against its use.

Looking at the physical make-up of motorcycles will not guarantee pure salvation in every imaginable trauma. When used, it can only lessen the severity. To have an understanding on its function it is important to know how fatal head injuries can disable a person in one incident. When it comes to serious matters like heavy impact, a helmet is nothing. The most important thing about skull fractures is to avoid the fragments from embedding the sensitive tissues of the brain, until then, most head injuries are not as fatal as expected. Basically, a full-blown impact on head can lead to permanent malfunctioning of the body system.

Another kind of fatal head injury caused by motorcycle accident is when the brain is stirred while there is no open wound in the head. In this case the brain bumps the side of the skull leading to small yet deadly movements and rotation enough to cause internal bleeding inside. The use of properly designed motorcycle helmet can help absorb the shock in the head after it sinks to its protective cushions. It must not be too soft to let the head crush through its hard interior walls at once. After that, the hard plastic will yield without control. Helmet design considerations are all about the tolerable impact the head can handle, which the soft linings provide as protection, and the exterior protection from punctures.

Types of motorcycle helmets for effective use come in different appearance:

FULL FACE - Covers the full area of the back of the head, chin but has a shield made of plastic in the eye area for visibility. It is usually ventilated though some still consider it warmer and lacking flow of air inside. It tends to isolate a rider and restrain hearing because of full head coverage.

OPEN FACE - Almost the same as the full face design except it has no chin cover, which means it has low protection for the face. It has a plastic shield open to particles during a ride. It can cause injuries out of trapped small debris caught on speed. Thus, it is advisable to wear riding goggles as additional protection for the eyes.

Motorcycle helmet may not give ultimate protection but it saved a lot of lives during minor injuries.

Seven important tips for credit repair

In today’s society, no one can overemphasize the importance of a good credit line. In fact, having a bad credit record is even worse than having no money at all. Without bad credit it would be very difficult to get loans and do other transactions that would soon become necessary in the future such as applying for an apartment. However, people with bad credit need not sulk since they can still save themselves from their bad record through credit repair.

Credit repair may be done with a help of a financial adviser but it also helps to make some adjustments yourself. The best way of doing this is by proving that you are indeed capable of managing your finances. There are many ways of doing this, some of them are quite simple but they can definitely help mend a broken credit record.

Here are some important tips for credit repair:

1. Be sure to have your accounts settled on time. Whenever you get your bills, pay them immediately even way before the due date so you would not forget. Credit bureaus have a high regard for payment history and they factor it in your credit score, taking up as much as 35% of the score. A good idea is to have your accounts registered on automatic transfer so that payments would immediately be made.

2. If you have past debts, pay them off, or at least show that you are trying to. If you do not have enough money to pay everything, keep paying even in small installments. This will show that you are indeed responsible enough in trying to clear your accounts. Pay as much as your budget allows and pay regularly. Credit bureaus will notice these efforts, increasing your chances of getting a better score.

3. In case you do miss paying some accounts, try to catch up immediately. Not only do credit bureaus look at your missed payments, they also check how long bills are kept unpaid. If you respond quickly, you can still show that you can indeed pay your debts even if it is a little later.

4. Register to vote. While it may not seem to be connected, registered voters do have better standings with credit bureaus. It can show that you are a responsible citizen as well as a responsible creditor.

5. Get hold of your own copy of your credit report. In the credit report, you would find a list of reasons you got a low score. Knowing this is necessary for credit repair and to avoid future mistakes.

6. Limit yourself to only one or two new credit accounts if you do intend to apply. Possibly, a bad-credit card and a bad-credit mortgage would be enough for you to manage easily. Getting several credit accounts at once may make you a hot object for credit bureaus.

7. Keep your old accounts, do not close them. Closing your old bad accounts will not erase them from your credit record. Pay them off and then keep them clean. Having old accounts can actually increase your average account age, which can help boost your credit rating and help repair your record.

Bad credit is not impossible to repair if you know for yourself the important steps to mend your broken record. Try these steps yourself and see your credit line improve.

How to get the most out of your speaker investment

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In a perfect world, you would have an unlimited budget to hire top speakers for your next meeting or convention. Since it's not, here are some tips on getting the most for your meeting dollar. Let me tell you about a project I worked on with the American Payroll Association that could be a model for you -- or at least expand your thinking about ways to use speakers.


APA's Executive Director/CEO, Dan Maddux had a week of speaking and seminar slots to fill. Instead of assigning each slot to a different speaker, Dan chose to maximize the contribution of a few top people, using three of them in three different ways. That's how Dan made 1 + 1 + 1 = 9. Three speakers used three ways equals nine slots filled. Here's how such a move can save your organization and money and let you "trade up" to speakers you otherwise couldn't afford.


Save on Hotels and Airfare

Cutting the number of speakers might or might not reduce the total nights lodging needed, depending on your schedule. However, you'll definitely save on transportation -- for instance, three round-trips versus nine.


Speakers May Reduce Fee

I can't promise you that all speakers will do extra presentations for the same rates -- they won't. But the speaker you hired last year might have been more flexible if you had only thought to ask, "After your keynote, could you do a breakout session?" Or," Could you emcee?" "Could you moderate a panel?" Even, "Our chairman is a bit nervous. Could you coach him on speaking?"


Speakers may give you a better price for three consecutive days at one hotel, rather than three separate dates months apart.


For example, for the Florida Realtors Association, I asked, "After my luncheon speech, would you like me to do a seminar on speaking skills?" They said, "Well, the agenda is already slotted in, but we'd love it if you would emcee our Top Producers' panel, the first breakout session after lunch."


For the California Interment Association, I was scheduled to present a two-hour seminar after lunch. I said, "What else is going on? Would you like to me to do a spouse program?" They said, "We've never had one, but we've invited spouses for a breakfast get-together." I added a 45-minute program that same morning. The only difference to me was that I had to go to the hotel a few hours earlier. Like most speakers, I want my clients to know I am there to serve them, not to pick up my speaking fee and run.


It's Easier to Get Sponsors

Trading up to big-name (or bigger-name) speakers makes it easier for you to get sponsors. Whenever people say, "We can't afford you," I always ask, "Do you have sponsors to help pay for your event?"


Who would sponsor your event? Consider approaching the exhibitors at your conventions, or whoever sells to your members or who wants good PR with the people in the audience. List these "angels" prominently in the program. I always make a point of giving sponsors a good plug in my presentations. For example, after my opening story for the American Cemetery Association, I quoted the founder of my corporate sponsor, Service Corporation International. Then I gave examples to reinforce my points by reading from their newsletters, and my walk away line incorporated their name. I always let sponsor know, "Don't worry, they won't have any doubt who paid for me," and make a joke about it in my speech.


Three Invaluable Bonuses

Having speakers on hand throughout your event gives you far greater flexibility in scheduling. Continuity can establish a powerful connection between audience and speaker, getting your message across in a way that a wide variety of speakers couldn't. Dan Maddux says, "We found that when we triple-booked those speakers, they become even more popular, really getting to know our people who always want them to stay around longer." Continuity, during an event or from year to year, means your speakers are able to notice and volunteer to help your organization in special ways you may not have thought of.


How It Works

Recently, 1,674 members of the American Payroll Association attended its Sixteenth Annual Congress in Nashville. Dan chose as keynote speakers Art Linkletter, Susan RoAne, Willy Jolley, Al Walker, and me, Patricia Fripp. He had little trouble getting sponsorship to help pay for these keynoters because of the success of his past conferences.


The Congress was scheduled to start on a Monday. Dan came up with the idea of offering an extra pre-Congress program on Sunday, "For Women Only." This isn't as sexist as it may sound because seventy-five percent of APA's membership is women. Dan figured that many could take advantage of cheaper Saturday night airline tickets, saving their company's money, so they might be open to an extra day of education and fun.


He called this extra program "Women on the Ladder to Success: Career Strategies for the Millennium," and used six presenters. Three were from within the Association and industry, including the current president. Three were professional speakers who were also scheduled to speak during the main Congress. Each of the professionals gave two talks at this separate Sunday session. I did "Women in the Workplace, the Evolution of Career women" and "Are You a Wonder Woman or Superman in Payroll?" (In a custom-made Wonder Woman costume I had made 20 years ago. The fact I can still wear it deserves applause!) Susan RoAne spoke on "Taking Charge of Your Accomplishments" and "Women Who Make Things Happen: Traits of the Savvy and Successful." Diane Parente's programs were "Your Passport to Image Credibility" and "Looking Your Professional Best Without Spending a Fortune."


Then, at the kick-off Monday session for the full membership, Susan was the keynote speaker with "Schmooze or Loose: How to Gain the Verbal Edge." She also presented a program for the vendors, "How to Make the Most of the Trade Show." Diane Parente delivered a breakout session on "Image, a Powerful Tool," and gave Dan's Board of Directors one-on-one consultation as a bonus. (17 in all.) I delivered the Congress's keynote speech, "Insights into Excellence," presented a marketing seminar for the vendors, "How to Nurture Relationships Once You Leave the Trade Show," and, as a break-out, conducted a workshop on "How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas."


Having booked the Sunday before the conference, Maddux thought of a way to use his talent pool for a Speakers' School on Saturday. Last year this program had been a success, but with a smaller audience of their speakers who talk on tax law changes, it had not justified a hiring a keynote caliber presenter to teach it.


As I was already going to be there for several days I was excited at the prospect. I suggested we invite his association members scheduled to give programs during the congress. He also invite the APA leadership from the State chapters who have to speak at their meetings and get no formal public speaking training. As far as I am concerned the more the merrier. I charge the same whether my audience is five or 5,000. After the session I helped the President and Woman of the Year totally rewrite their talks. They have now requested I train them at least 3 months before next yearнs convention.


Synergy Makes Good Sense

Dan says "Using proven professionals in several slots so they develop a rapport with the audience is a better investment than bringing in a different speaker for each slot. In our case, two of the speakers, Diane and Patricia, had been so successful as keynoters the previous year that the audience was looking forward to seeing them again. This gave us the advantage of repeat role models, because our presidents turn over every year. The added fact that Patricia, Diane, and Susan had worked together before, and are best friends, gave us even more bang for our buck. We could never have put a dollar value on that kind of synergy.


"I need my speakers to deliver a message and be powerful role models. Patricia, Diane, and Susan are all self-made women over fifty, looking good, feeling good, and they've built their careers themselves. This is an important message for our Association audience."


More Bang for Your Buck

Dan Maddux was able to negotiate with his speakers for a lot of extras. Many professionals figure that, as long as they are there anyway and being well paid, their time belongs to the client. Therefore, they are happy to take on extra tasks.


The next time you are planning to hire a speaker, consider using him or her in multiple ways. It doesn't hurt to ask if the speaker would be willing to:

• Deliver one or two "breakout sessions" or a spouse program along with the keynote at the same half-day fee.


• Introduce other speakers.


• Emcee the event that they are part of.


• Help association Presidents of Board of Directors with their own presentations, either in advance or while the speaker is there.


• Say a prayer at a meal.


• Moderate a panel.


• Sign autographs.


• Appear in the sponsor's booth to make their sponsorship more of an investment.

Like most of my comrades in The National Speakers Association, I want to be memorable and to give full value for your meeting dollars. For the Hamilton Bank in Philadelphia, I even leaped out of a spaceship, wearing a Wonder Woman costume. (Getting into the spaceship was a little more complicated, but that's another story.)

Learning basic accounting principles

Accounting has been defined as, by Professor of Accounting at the University of Michigan William A Paton as having one basic function: "facilitating the administration of economic activity. This function has two closely related phases: 1) measuring and arraying economic data; and 2) communicating the results of this process to interested parties."

As an example, a company's accountants periodically measure the profit and loss for a month, a quarter or a fiscal year and publish these results in a statement of profit and loss that's called an income statement. These statements include elements such as accounts receivable (what's owed to the company) and accounts payable (what the company owes). It can also get pretty complicated with subjects like retained earnings and accelerated depreciation. This at the higher levels of accounting and in the organization.

Much of accounting though, is also concerned with basic bookkeeping. This is the process that records every transaction; every bill paid, every dime owed, every dollar and cent spent and accumulated.

But the owners of the company, which can be individual owners or millions of shareholders are most concerned with the summaries of these transactions, contained in the financial statement. The financial statement summarizes a company's assets. A value of an asset is what it cost when it was first acquired. The financial statement also records what the sources of the assets were. Some assets are in the form of loans that have to be paid back. Profits are also an asset of the business.

In what's called double-entry bookkeeping, the liabilities are also summarized. Obviously, a company wants to show a higher amount of assets to offset the liabilities and show a profit. The management of these two elements is the essence of accounting.

There is a system for doing this; not every company or individual can devise their own systems for accounting; the result would be chaos!

Hello from chicago - part 5 - a visit to the pullman historic district

Chicago, Arlington House, Sunday, October 23, 2005, 6:25 am

After being appropriately prepped as a result of our visit to the Chicago Cultural Center we decided to head off yesterday to visit the Pullman Historic District, a planned industrial and residential community dating back to the 1880s, on Chicago's South Side.

In order to get there we took the red line all the way to the end and then connected onto the 111 bus. What was very interesting to note was that the population on Chicago's south side is predominantly black, as much of the black population from the US South had migrated northwards after the 2nd World War. Actually Chicago was known as one of the most racially segregated cities, and today, with the demolition of many of the bleak urban housing projects, the city is attempting to create more integration between its black and white population.

The Pullman Historic District is the manifestation of a very interesting social experiment: It was built between 1880 and 1884 as a planned model industrial town by George M. Pullman for the Pullman Palace Car Company. George Pullman (1831 to 1897) arrived on the scene with a design for the Pullman sleeping carriage which he originally developed to carry the dead body of Abraham Lincoln to his funeral. As a result the Pullman Sleeping Car Company was established and a whole town was built around the business and named after its originator.

We went to the Visitor Center and saw an 18-minute movie that described George Pullman and his ambitious plans for his development of a model community, a total environment, that he intended to be superior to that available to the working class elsewhere. By so doing, he hoped to avoid strikes, attract the most skilled workers and attain greater productivity as a result of the better health and spirit of his employees.

To achieve his vision, George Pullman hired Solon S. Beaman, landscape architect Nathan F. Barrett and civil engineer, Benzette Williams. The town was constructed by Pullman employees, using local red clay from Lake Calumet and component parts that were produced in the Pullman factory. This project is one of the first examples of industrial technology and mass production in large-scale housing. The town was a complete planned community and included schools, a library and hotel all run by the company.

Pullman's large Arcade building (now demolished and the present location of the Visitor Center) featured a restaurant, a bank, a library, a post office, a theater, and numerous shops. It was a forerunner of the modern shopping center. The town was completely self-contained. Pullman residents enjoyed the manmade Lake Vista and plenty of parks and promenades, features typically missing from Chicago's working-class neighbourhoods.

The town of Pullman was a model of financial efficiency. Pullman demanded that the company return an 8-percent profit and the town return a 6-percent profit. A huge engine pumped sewage from the town to a nearby Pullman-owned farm, where it was used as fertilizer for produce that would be sold back in the town.

George Pullman maintained ultimate control over the town, even restricting workers' access to alcohol, as the Hotel Florence only sold alcohol to out-of-town visitors. Resentment towards this paternalistic despot started to build. Misfortune struck with the decline of the Pullman car's success which forced George to slash wages. Workers responded with a strike, fuelled by Pullman's failure to reduce grocery costs and rent, but George simply fired them. The situation deteriorated as railway workers refused to handle Pullman cars and President Cleveland had to intervene, sending federal troops to the scene. The workers were forced to sign documentation declaring that they wouldn't join a union.

Although the strike collapsed, George Pullman's model for handling the "labour problem" had failed. Pullman had prided himself on his paternalistic approach with his workers, and he could not see how his heavy-handed methods had resulted in this worker rebellion. Criticized and scorned, Pullman died a bitter man in 1897.

In 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered the Pullman Company to sell the non-industrial land in the neighborhood to its inhabitants, determining that the Pullman Palace Car Company did not have the proper authority to provide nonmanufacturing services such as renting property. Finally, residents could buy their homes.

Robert T. Lincoln, the son of President Lincoln, became head of the company after Pullman's death and simplified its name to the Pullman Company. The Pullman Company continued to produce its famous cars at 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. But with the explosion of automobile ownership, rail passenger traffic went into rapid decline. In 1957, Pullman Incorporated closed its plant in the neighborhood.

Only three years later, the city of Chicago included Pullman on a list of "blighted and deteriorating areas" that required clearance and redevelopment. Residents responded by forming the Pullman Civic Organization and began working to gain landmark status. The Historic Pullman Foundation, which formed in 1973, helps ensure the area's preservation and restoration by sponsoring various events such as neighborhood walking tours, annual house tours, Sunday brunch at the Florence Hotel, and presentations at the Pullman Visitor Center.

In many ways the housing development was ahead of its time. Each building, most of them townhouses, had gas and water, complete sanitary facilities and abundant quantities of sunlight and fresh air, which was a rarity at that time, when the working class was mostly housed in squalid tenements. Originally the town of Pullman housed about 12,000 people while today it still has a population of about 2,000, with an ethnically and economically mixed background.

Other famous buildings on the Pullman grounds include the Hotel Florence, named after Pullman's favourite daughter. It opened in 1881 as a hospitality showcase for visitors to George Pullman's perfect town and originally had 50 rooms, a dining room, a billiard room, a parlor and the only bar in Pullman. The Historic Pullman Foundation managed to save the hotel from demolition and today the hotel is closed to the public while it is undergoing a capital improvement program to restore it for use with the State Historic Site.

The Pullman Clock Tower and Administration Building was built in 1880 for the executive offices of the Pullman Palace Car Company, at the time one of the most beautiful industrial complexes in the United States. In 1998 the Clock Tower and Administration Building were seriously damaged by a fire set by an arsonist. Since then the building has been stabilized and the restored Clock Tower was put back on just a few days before our visit. Future use of the site is currently being debated by a task force institute by Chicago Mayor Daley and Illinois Governor Ryan.

Another interesting building located on the Pullman Historic District is the Queen Anne-style Market Hall which was built in 1881. The Market provided a venue for fresh fruits, meats and other goods. The original market was destroyed by fire in 1892 and a new market was built on the existing foundation. The market is surrounded by four colonnaded circular apartment buildings that were built with the new Market Hall in 1893. Unfortunately the Market Hall Building was destroyed by fire in 1973 and today it awaits restoration.

The Greenstone Church, located centrally in the Pullman Historic District, has an exterior facade of serpentine stone quarried in Pennsylvania. The sanctuary is unchanged with the exception of the chancel arrangements. All of the cherry wood is original. Today the church is still occupied by a Methodist congregation.

The visit to the Pullman Historic District was very interesting. It taught us about a different time of ultimate laissez-faire capitalism, industrial growth and immigration, labour unrest, urban planning, architecture and the ultimate failure of a rather unique social experiment.

Digital video recorder record your favorite shows with ease

It’s been a long time since our primary television-recording dilemma was a simple matter of choosing between VHS and Beta. The intervening years between the much-lauded advent of the videocassette tape recorder and these days of astounding recording choice have been busy ones for those in the consumer electronics industry, with the result that the lay person simply wanting to tape their favorite show while they go out for the evening can feel a little unsure about which way to turn. With videocassettes quickly becoming a thing of the past, the television recording public are feeling the urgency of familiarising themselves with the new methods of saving their favorite shows for later. So let’s take a quick look at what makes digital video recorders so great.

Digital video recorders work, in very basic terms, by copying the shows you want to see later directly on to the hard drive stored within the device. This very conveniently eliminates the need to store a multitude of cassette tapes, or even DVDs, and allows you to say a not so fond farewell to those hurried moments of scurrying around at the last moment, desperately trying to lay your hands on a blank tape before you miss the all-important first five minutes of your show. Most of the hard drives included in these digital video recorders are rather large, meaning that you can store almost as many shows as you would like – you’ll never again have to wait for re-runs to see that episode you loved so much.

But surely this capacity to store shows on the digital video recorders hard drive is something of a disadvantage too – doesn’t it eliminate also the portability of the cassette tapes we used previously? Does this mean that we can’t share shows that we’ve taped with our friends, or bring the recording with us when we visit their homes? On the contrary, digital video recorders are more share-friendly than ever. Shows stored on the unit’s hard drive can be transferred to DVDs, offering you that same convenience or portability you enjoyed before. But digital video recorders can also allow you send the shows you have taped over the Internet, meaning that sharing recordings is more instantaneous than ever before.

The barrage of new technology that hits us almost every day can undoubtedly be daunting, but much of it is actually quite easy to master. You don’t necessarily have to understand the nitty-gritty of a digital recorder’s innards to be able to enjoy the simple convenience it offers. And once you master the recorder’s simple operations, you’ll never go back to those burdensome cassette tapes.

Optimising your framed site for search engines

One method that web designers can use to design and structure a website is to use frames. However, if your web site utilises frames then you could have major problems getting indexed in the search engines. Although site design using frames has become less prominent with the rise in popularity of CSS, there are still sites out there utilising framesets. But there are ways to sidestep the problem.

In the past, frames were considered a great way for site designers to quickly and easily display content whilst maintaining a structure throughout the site (e. g. by having a title, or navigation bar). They allow more than one HTML document to be shown on a page by displaying each one within its own "frame", which are defined by the "frameset" HTML tag. This tag defines which pages to show and the size and position of the frame it should appear in. Although this sounds great in theory, it creates problems with both navigation (and therefore search engine indexing) and usability.

As web usability expert Jakob Nielsen has documented on his site, useit. com/alertbox/9612.html, there are several usability issues associated with frames:

They can be disorientating to users – if they click within one frame and this affects another frame it can make navigation confusing.

The address bar doesn't change as the user navigates between pages, because the pages load inside the frameset. Again, this can confuse and disorient users.

The loading time increases because there is more than one page to load. If the site takes too long to load then visitors are going to go elsewhere instead.

If a user bookmarks a page within the site, they will be sent to the default frameset when they revisit rather than the bookmarked page.

On top of this, there are also issues with search engines finding and indexing all of a framed site's pages. The most fundamental problem is that search engines find and index pages by following HTML links in a document, and because framesets reference a page rather than linking to it, the pages within the framed site cannot be reached. Ultimately, this means that no matter how large a site is there's a possibility that only the frameset page will be indexed.

There is a way round this problem. You can place a "noframes" tag in the body of your frameset page to provide alternative content that will be displayed if the browser is not frames compatible. Fortunately, search engines can also read this tag, so if you include normal links within this tag the search engines can spider them like a normal site. Visit w3schools. com/tags/tag_noframes. asp for more information on the noframes tag.

So now the search engines can find your pages, but what happens when your visitors find them?

Because the frameset dictates which pages should be loaded, if an internal page is accessed directly through a search engine then it will be loaded outside the context of the frameset. This means that the page will be viewed on its own without any of the intended accompanying pages specified by the frameset, such as a navigation bar. This type of page is known as an "orphan" page. They are confusing for visitors because once they find the page they may not be able to navigate the site, meaning you may end up losing the visitor, or worse, a customer.

Again, there is a way around this issue. You can use JavaScript to force the page into its framed context, and although this causes problems with JavaScript incompatible browsers it does neatly avoid the orphaned page issue. There is a great tutorial available at webreference. com/js/column36/forcing. html showing how this is done.

There are alternatives to frames that allow for similar functionality, the most popular would be to position elements on a page using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), or if you are designing a dynamic site then utilising Server Side Includes (SSI) would be a good option. Although the above shows how to avoid the complications caused by frames, for the various stated reasons it would be better to avoid them altogether.

How to maintain your mental health

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In recent years people have realized the importance of proper diet and exercise, and recent surveys show that over the last 20 years people are eating better and working out more often, resulting in people living longer, but people are still lacking in their understanding that their mental well being is just as important as their physical health.

Today most people get on average 4 to 6 hours of exercise every day, and make sure that everything they put in their mouths is not filled with sugars or preservatives, but they pay no attention to their mental health, no vacations, not even the occasional long weekend, 60 hour weeks, taking work home with them and even working weekends. All of this for hopes of one day getting that big promotion. What good will it do you when your brain overloads and you have a breakdown in the office.

In the end your physical health will suffer no matter how well you eat and how often you exercise. You will wind up with high blood pressure, stress and tension all of which raises the chances of you having a stroke or heart attack.

In hopes of helping you avoid this I am providing you with the things I do to keep my mental health in tip top condition.

My absolute favorite thing to do to refocus myself is to go for a long ride on my Harley. Nothing brings the world back into focus like riding free like the wind, there is no better forms of therapy as far as I am concerned.

Another great way to relieve the stresses in your life and help put a sparkle in your mental health is a trip to the casinos. Most people go to the casinos and expect to go home a winner, I do not. I go to have a good time.

I enjoy the skill required in
blackjack or poker, or just like pressing my luck on the roulette wheel or slot machine. I also make sure not to take my credit cards with me to the casinos. Every week I put a few bucks on the side and when I have enough to go to the casino I go, and have a real good time. This way I can blow every penny I bring with me and know I am not hurting my self financially.

Sometime I just like to sit at a poker table, blackjack table or roulette table and just make small bets. This may not be as exciting as risking large sums of money, but in the end I play longer, and I probably win more often. The best part is because I do not expect to win I am not disappointed when I don’t win, and on those occasions that I do win beside going home with more money I have a supper big smile on my face because the night was all that much better.

Another reason why I love the casinos is how far they are from where I live so I can take my bike out in the morning have a good 3 hour drive to Atlantic City then at the end of the day I get to enjoy another 3 hours on my Harley, and if the weather is really bad I can either take my truck or just stay home and log on to one of the many online casinos available to choose from.

I also enjoy watching an hour or 2 of television every night, some light sitcoms are a great way to lighten your minds load, and laughing out loud for 30 seconds every day is a great way to release stress.

Video games are also great for stress release, if you are mad at your boss what better way to get it out of you then boxing, just imagine you are pounding on your boss and hope you don’t lose.

I hope you try some of these methods or think of some of your own to help keep the stress down in your life and keep your mental health in as good of condition as the rest of you.

Managing risk in your portfolio

Wealth is an abstract. It is sometimes defined as fecundity or sustainable spending. It is defined as the primary goal for investors and is measured by the level of ‘expendable income’ or ‘capital’ in their portfolio.

Many people define wealth by the total of their assets including real estate, funds, and investments. Others measure it by calculating the amount of money they can afford to spend. Either way, it is important to pick one method of calculating wealth, and stick to it.

How wealth is defined dictates how a person approaches investing. Benjamin Graham states that the investment management is the management of risks, not of returns. This is the foundation of a well-managed precept.

There are several methods of managing risks. Each one provides several benefits, depending on the investor’s aggressive behaviors or willingness to accept high-risk ventures. However, understanding risk can be tricky. One person, such as a broker, may consider a stock that does not perform well as a high-risk stock. A private investor may consider a low-risk stock anything that does not drop below the 10% level.

Individual Risk

This is the risk associated with the investor’s personal wealth. What can the investor afford to lose? And, how long can that investor leave their funds untouched. It is also important to calculate how much that investor needs to gain, and in what time span.

Managing Individual Risk

This is easy to calculate in the short term. Just estimate how much money can be comfortably invested. In the long run, it involves a few in-depth calculations. The amount of gains expected, and the impact of failing to meet expectations is a risk that must be written in black and white. When an investor is planning for their retirement, the funds must grow. The rate at which they grow depends on the number of years before retirement.

If the money is not needed, and its loss will not have a major impact on the investor’s wealth, then the investor can look at biotech stocks that may skyrocket if the lab discovers a new drug, or a cure for a disease, or will bottom out if the lab loses their funding.

Market Risk

This is the risk associated with the different markets. Can an investor survive a stock dive, or if the real estate bubble bursts. This will determine whether the investor can manage mutual stocks, or should stick with blue chip stocks. It will also determine whether the investor purchases a good home in a good neighborhood, expected to appreciate 10% in ten years, or penny stocks that might double in eighteen months.

Managing Market Risk

This risk is associated with the area in which the money is invested. One way to manage this risk is to stay within markets the investor understands. Another way is to avoid buying into both fields. Gold and Real estate are solid, but when they are increasing, stocks decrease, and vice verse. By understanding the risk and expectations in one, two, and five decades, the investor can create a good diversification package.

The first two have statistically based solutions; increasing risk tolerance addresses an emotional challenge. One way to manage risk tolerance is to minimize the negative impact of the negative risk.

There are two ways to manage risk. First, by building a cushion against risk. Second, by ignoring it.

Education

Education is a wonderful buffer against risk. It is not a magic spell to protect investors from every facing risk and losing money, but the more knowledge an investor has, the less often they will make a poor investment choice.

Millions forced to opt for private dental treatment

This April the Government is forcing a new service contract on dentists that includes a new pay scale, changes to their working hours and surgery arrangements. Now dentists are not a cantankerous profession, but there's widespread irritation and disillusionment amongst them at the Governments seemingly heavy-handed action. And they're determined not to be pushed around.

As a result thousands of dentists are registering their refusal to accept the new contract and have given their notice to quit the NHS at the end of March.

This will create mayhem for clients. Many seeking treatment on the NHS will be simply turned away. Those dentists who do accept the new NHS contract will then face a flood of new clients seeking treatment. The vast majority will again be turned away as even before this bust up, there was a dire shortage of dentists. Waiting lists are bound to be a mile long. No, sorry, two miles long!

As a result, if you are desperate for treatment to a broken tooth or an abscess, you'll be forced to search out a community based dental surgery operated by the NHS itself. Ask your Doctor for directions to the closest to you. The odds are they'll be miles away. This means a long journey plus a hospital style queue on arrival. Getting dental treatment will simply take all day!

For many, private dentistry is the only alternative. Going private means you'll get an appointment when you want one rather than waiting for ages with the NHS, and you can pick and choose your dentist. But it can be expensive. The only good news is that there are solutions to keep costs under control.

You essentially have three key options: dental insurance, capitalisation schemes or cash plans.

Dental Insurance The insurance industry has responded with a whole host of varying dental insurance policies. The following are just some typical examples:

Western Provident has been in the dental insurance market for many years. Its Providential policy provides a basic level of dentistry cover with fixed monthly premiums. For those aged 18 to 49 the premium is Ј12.48 and Ј15.90 per month for those between 50 and 69. Policyholders have to pay the first 25% of each treatment but can claim up to Ј250 per year towards routine treatment including check-ups, visits to the hygienist and fillings. Emergency dental treatment can be claimed up to Ј1,000 per year but cover for accidental dental injury is limited to Ј250 per treatment.

Ј6 per month gets you basic dental insurance with Universal Provident. Their policy insures you for up to Ј1,000 per year for routine work but it won't pay for check-ups. Accidental damage up to Ј1,000 per year and dental emergencies are insured up to Ј5,000 per year.

Many policies also limit the number of dental treatments they'll pay each year. For example, the policy from Boot's limits your claims to two check-ups, one crown and four fillings a year up to Ј500. Boot's policies start at Ј9 per month.

Capitalisation Schemes This is the most expensive option. Prior to taking up the policy, your dentist has to make an assessment of your dental health and places you in one of five treatment groups. This will determine how much your scheme costs. The better your dental condition, the less you pay.

For example, Denplan's dental care scheme costs between Ј9 and Ј30 per month. We are told that their average fee is Ј16.

Cash Plans The last alternative is a composite health cash plan. These pay out for dentistry but also a wide range of other health treatments such as optical treatment, hospital treatment, physiotherapy, chiropody even allergy testing. Each policy spells out exactly what is covered and the maximum value you can claim to for each kind of health treatment. You have plenty of choice as most cash plans offer three or four grades of benefit level. The more you pay, the more you can claim. Some plans allow you to reclaim 100% of the cost up to the annual maximum set for each health category, some will only pay a proportion of the cost. With cash plans, the maximum cover for dentistry tends to be in the range of Ј70 to Ј200 per year depending on the company you choose and the option you go for.

For examples of cash plans, visit securehealth. co. uk and hsa. co. uk. Click on “cash plans” when you get there.

How to get top value in Dental cover As with most types of insurance, you'll get it cheapest on the Internet. Search for “dental insurance” but use the. co. uk variant of your search engine – otherwise you'll come up with masses of American sites!

The best UK sites to visit are those that either enable you to compare plans or those operated by a specialist dental insurance broker. With brokers, you submit your details and they'll come back to you with the options and best dental policies available for you.

If you do want to go direct to an insurance company, you can still do it on the Internet - but it's unlikely that you'll stumble on exactly the best policy for you amongst the many hundreds available. And the broker may well be cheaper. It will come as no surprise that we recommend the broker route!

The diabetes diet should you start now to prevent type 2 diabetes

A type 2 diabetes diet is getting more and more important as the disease becomes increasingly common in Western society. A sound diabetes diet is needed because of increasingly bad culinary habits and lack of exercise in many people’s lives today. By eating wisely and exercising regularly, type 2 diabetes is a disease that is preventable, even though it can be very serious, but ultimately, prevention is far easier than a cure.

Type 2 diabetes can be described as the body's incapability of managing and regulating blood glucose levels. Even though the body produces good and efficient insulin, the means whereby glucose is absorbed into the cells for metabolism breaks down and fails.

As far as diabetes goes, type 2 is the most common type of diabetes prevalent in the United States today, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes incidences. It affects nearly 21 million people in the United States alone and the frequency of the disease has soared in the last thirty years. It is normally linked to obesity, prior history of gestational diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes, a family history of diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, older age, physical inactivity and ethnicity. Compared with 6% prevalence in Caucasians, the incidence in African Americans and Asian Americans is estimated at approximately 10%, in Hispanics 15%, and in certain Native American communities, 20% to 50%.

If you are a person who is at risk of, or have previously been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, weight control should be of paramount importance. A diabetes diet is easy to implement and you can simply start by replacing simple carbs such as pasta and white bread with ones that take a bit longer to digest like whole grains, whole grain bread and legumes. It’s important to try and remove, if at all possible, candy and sugary sodas, as well as all kinds of processed foods but even more importantly, cut right back on your fast food intake. A diabetes diet should involve eating plenty of leafy greens, fresh fruit, and the colored variety of vegetables. Try and limit red meat intake and stick to lean cuts.

Above all, don't give up on improving your diet. Seek professional guidance from diet planners and nutritionists if it all seems like an uphill struggle - both your health and your quality of life will thank you for it!

Take the low approach to great abs

Everybody wants a six pack, including you. It is probably the most sought after goal and hoped result of working out. Working toward great abdominal muscles, not only looks great, but cuts your risk of injury and improves your performance in everyday life. Not only are rock hard abs a symbol of fitness, but strong and flexible abdominal muscles help trim your waist and end back pain. Two very important health goals of many who enter an exercise facility. It allows you to move from side to side with stability and control. Men and women want to walk on the beach and show off all their hard work by exposing their abs. From what has been seen in gym and health facilities, it is most worked on muscle group or it is the most neglected. What category do you end up falling into? There are many ways in which you can work you abdominal muscles. There is a scientific sequence to effectively shaping and creating great abs.

Most people are stronger in their upper to middle abdominals compared to their lower abdominal muscles. It is recommended that you work your lower abs first since you are freshest and have the most energy to get the most out of your stomach. The abdominal muscles react and provide optimal results visually when performed to failure. Failure occurs when the muscle is thoroughly exhausted and the exercise can no longer be executed. This means you can not do one more painful repetition. Your mid-section should be worked in this manner all the time.

Some examples for lower abs are as follows:

The reverse crunch (using the slant board) - with your hand holding the bars and your legs straight on the floor, raise your knees to your face, while bending your knees, until the fetal position. Then slowly drop your rear end until you touch the board and repeat the exercise.

Leg lifts (performed on the Roman Chair) - Start with your back on the back support and lift your knees/legs to its highest point. Feet should not be allowed to swing behind your rear end at its lowest point for safety and momentum purposes.

Hanging leg raises (performed on the cable machines) - Start by hanging from the middle pull up bar on the cable machines. The hanging leg raise is probably the most result producing stomach exercise since it is generated from the lower abs and then incorporated the upper abs at its peak. It begins by having your feet lift over and above your waist until it reached approximately where your hands are holding on. Remember to keep you body from swinging back and forth. This will cause you to use more stomach muscles and less momentum.

Then proceed to your upper/middle abs to get that desired burn.

The Ab Roller, which is great for upper abdominals and obliques, is great to start with since it promotes safety and immediate results. Exercises utilizing the ball and floor mats are great ways to end a stomach workout. The utility ball allows for maximum stretching to hit all areas of the mid-section.

Since your stomach is considered your smallest muscle, you are able - and recommended to - train them up to 6 days per week. A cardiovascular work out which consist of constant aerobic activity which last for more than 30 minutes at your 80% target heart rate is extremely beneficial and necessary to achieve that ever desired six pack.

Great abs are only obtained through hard work, perseverance and proper form. They are the central point in which your motion begins and ends. In the end, great abs will give you the needed support for your workout and your life.

Christmas time

As we ready ourselves to celebrate yet another Christmas to honor the birth of our Lord Jesus let us remember that this is a time to focus on the many blessings in our lives. Each day should be a day to focus on these things we hold dear that the Lord has brought to us but Christmas time is especially good for bringing these things that we should always notice to the forefront of our minds and our thoughts.

Christmas time is about giving and not only in the way of handing out material presents to one another that we purchase from the many stores we have to choose from but it's mainly a time of giving the most important things like an ear to someone who needs to be listened to or a coat for a small child who is need of one. Handing out and giving can be done best by giving someone a smile when they are feeling down or encouragement to get past the gloom they might feel in order to stand tall and move onward with joy.

Christmas time giving can mean giving a home to a small animal that otherwise would be alone and cold and miserable out in the elements with nobody to care for them. All these things make a difference in the world and they might not individually heal all that needs to be healed but each offering of kindness furthers the cause of bringing true love and peace to a world badly in need of these things.

A few material gifts are fine and are especially welcome from the children who wait for old Saint Nick to come and spread his joy to the children but among the joy of the material should also be a lesson that the best and most important gifts come from inside and are given from the heart and soul from one human being to another.

I feel that even as we watch the nightly news that tells us of the many sad and evil things of this world that goodness overcomes and goodness makes up the majority of the people of this world.

As the three wisemen were guided by the star of Bethlehem to the manger to witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus let's also use that same light that shines in us from Jesus to guide our hearts to do good deeds and make another human being feel special and cared for in the most important ways by the power of love and mercy.

Let the lesson of Jesus being turned away from the Inn inspire us not to turn away from someone or something that may be in need of our help and our light to shine on them. The power of the human spirit and the human heart can work wonders and the pureness of a kind act can turn wrong into right.

This holiday season let that same pureness flow from within your heart and into anothers and let's make Jesus proud to be our Father and our Lord by our actions that are inspired by his love for us.

May you and your family have a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year and may the light of the lord always shine upon you and carry you in your time of need.

Los angeles dentist

I do not like dentists offices. Lets put it this way, I will not choose it over a stroll in the park, or even a wrestler's den if you ask me. Be it squeamishness or plain fear, los angeles dentists have never been in my Fave 5 lists.

My daughter of course thinks otherwise. All of eleven years old, peer pressure and television factor has made sure that looks are more important that fear and pain, and she nonchalantly announced that she wants to visit the dentist for orthodontist treatment, no less. So off we went in search of a suitable los angeles cosmetic dentist.

Whether you look for a Encino cosmetic dentistry or a Van Nuys orthodontist, there is one thing in common - high prices. However, years of competition and a large number of doctors have contributed to a downward pressure, but the fact remains that there are a few dentists who are a league out of the ordinary. Nowadays the accent is on high quality and a few dentists are so busy that getting appoinments seem to be a lotto pick.

We finally decided on an Encino dentist focusing on orthodontic treatment. We have gone through our first round of visiting and talking to the doctor. My daughter is excited, actually I also have a grudging compliment. Who know, better late than never, I can get around visiting the doctor sometime. But not too soon, though…

To be continued....

Reliable life insurance company which are the best companies

One of the first steps a person takes when determining whether a particular life insurance company is reliable is to check the financial rating of the life insurance company. A financial rating, given by independent research companies, gives you an idea of how financially strong a particular life insurance company is. If a life insurance company is financially strong, it should be a reliable life insurance company, right?

Simply put, yes. But when you’re looking for a reliable life insurance company, you must make sure the company is more than just financially reliable. To find the best life insurance company, you must find the company that fits your needs.

Before you begin shopping for the best, most reliable life insurance company, ask yourself the following questions. You’ll be better prepared when you start talking to life insurance agents.

Do I want a term or whole life insurance policy? Term life insurance policies offer life insurance for a certain period of time. They’re less expensive, but they don’t offer the same kind of savings components offered by whole life insurance policies. Whole life insurance policies offer life insurance for the rest of your life. They’re generally more expensive, but they offer savings and estate planning components.

Do I want to be face-to-face with a life insurance agent, or am I comfortable shopping over the telephone, through the mail, or online? While the last three shopping methods may be quicker or more convenient, many people prefer face-to-face communication when making a purchase as big and important as life insurance.

What kind of customer service do I expect? It’s definitely important to know the answer to this question before you start doing business with a life insurance company. As mentioned above, life insurance is a big and important purchase. Therefore, your insurance agent or the company’s customer service representatives should treat you the way you deserve to be treated – kindly, and with respect.

Artists biographies on film top movies about visual artists

Visual artists biographies is a popular theme in the movie world. Moviemakers have always been fascinated by visual artists biographies, especially if it includes struggle with insanity, drug addiction or social conventions. In addition, it gives them an opportunity to depict original or resurrected artworks on the big screen.

Here you can read about some of the most interesting movies about visual artists biographies.

Lust for Life directed by Vincente Minnelli in 1952

Vincent Van Gogh biography had gained several cinematic adaptations. Lust for Life with Kirk Douglas as the struggling artist is one of the most notable. The movie is based on a best selling book by Irving Stone, who also authored The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo, which also had appeared on the silver screen.

If you are a fan of Van Gogh artwork, you would enjoy watching Last for Life, which features almost 200 of Van Goghs original paintings. However, if you are familiar with Kirk Douglas previous filmographic, seeing him as a tortured Dutch painter might take a little adjustment. Another recommended film about Van Gogh is Robert Altmans Vincent and Theo from 1990.

Surviving Picasso directed by James Ivory in 1996

Like Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso image made him an iconic figure outside the artistic circles. While Van Gogh symbolizes the self destructive, manic depressive artist who achieves success only after his death, Picasso represents the misanthropic and womanizer artist. Picasso infamous relationship with women is the focus of this Merchant and Ivory film. The story is told from the eyes of Picasso mistress Francoise Gilot and features only reproductions of Picasso works. With Anthony Hopkins talent and his physical resemblance to Picasso, Surviving Picasso manages to create an unflattering portrait of an artist as a cruel, self centered genius.

Girl with Pearl Earring directed by Peter Webber in 2003

Comparing to Van Gogh and Picasso, Vermeers biography is less known and less controversial. Therefore Girl with Pearl Earring is much more restrained and delicate. The movie focuses on a short period in Vermeers life in which he was painting the portrait of his young low class maid. Although Girl with Pearl Earring does not avoid filmic conventions by over dramatizing Vermeers painting process, the movie is worth watching if only for its artistic design, which success in evoking Vermeers perception of light and color.

Basquiat directed by Julian Schnabel in 1996

The most common critique against movies that deals with visual arts is the way they depict the creation process. Therefore, there were big expectations from Basquiat, which was directed by the celebrated painter Julian Schnabel. Schnabel did well in depicting Jean Michelle Basquiat rise and fall story in less the predictable manner we have seen millions time before. However, the only reason to watch Basquiat is David Bowie plays the role of Andy Warhol.

Frida directed by Julie Taymor in 2002

Like most of the visual artists who had their life story appear on the silver screen, Frida Kahlo carried an unusual biography, which includes bus accident, problematic marriage, and an affair with Leon Trotsky. Like Van Gogh, Picasso and Jackson Pollock, who was the subject of a biopic from 2000, Frida Kahlo was an icon long before Frida was released, but the 123 minutes film did help to strength her position as a feminist idol and probably the most famous woman painter of the 20 century. Frida tries its best to integrate Frida Kahlo life story with her painting and the result is very colorful and pleasant, but still does not stay far enough from the conventions of depicting artists on film.

How to maximize personal development by instantly stopping mental spam

Did you know that the one solitary reason why people fail in their personal development efforts is because they allow their own belief systems to get in the way?

You will find people who say that there were circumstances beyond their control that made them have to step away from their self improvement efforts, but that is very rarely the truth of the matter.

Yes, it is possible for life to throw up roadblocks that you have to hurdle, but if you are truly dedicated to making improvements in your life, you will find a way to get over, under, or around any roadblock that is put in your way.

However, since the most powerful gift that any human being has is their mind, that power can be used to trip you up just as easily as it can be used to lift you to new heights.

In fact, in a society that is filled with a seemingly never-ending supply of negativity, an increasing lack of free time, and a continually growing list of tasks that any given person is called upon to do, it is no surprise that people have trouble staying on track with their personal development efforts.

The trick to breaking out of that vicious cycle is to recognize that it is your own mind that is allowing you to believe that the circumstances of your life have the power to get in your way, and then redirecting your mind whenever that happens.

Let’s say for example that you are in the process of becoming financially secure. You are focusing on that goal, and you are inspired to take action on business ventures, create new products, or offer new services.

The normal course of the human thought process is to then immediately start to think about all of the things that are going to stand in the way of your success.

Maybe the business venture that you want to get involved with will require resources that you don’t have easy access to. Maybe the products that you want to create will require a large expenditure of time. Perhaps you don’t see an easy way to offer the new service that you have been thinking of.

Another example could be that of weight loss. You decide that you are finally going to buckle down and start exercising and eating right, and you get excited about the more healthy (and smaller) person that you are going to become.

Once again, your mental roadblocks jump in the way. You start to think about how much time it is going to take you to workout every day. You give thought to how much more difficult it is going to be to prepare and have access to healthy foods. You start to think about how physically and mentally busy you already are, and how cleaning up your health is going to cause even more strain on your life.

There are endless examples just like the two that were listed with regard to finances and health, but the process is always the same. You decide to make some positive changes in your life, but then you talk yourself right out of doing it.

The simple way to stop this process is to come up with a word or a phrase that you can use to immediately sweep away the negative and disempowering thoughts that come to mind when you are considering your personal development efforts.

It could be a simple power word like “Next!” or something more in-depth such as “I am in control of my ability to accomplish _________________, and nothing is going to stand in my way!”

You can come up with any word or phrase that works for you on a personal level, but the key to achieving success with this method is to consistently use it – especially in the first 30 days of your personal development efforts.

It is a well-known fact that it takes anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks for a new habit to become fully ingrained into our lifestyle, and that fact applies to mental thought processes as well as the actual tasks that are involved in your self improvement efforts.

This method seems simplistic, which is exactly why many people will think that it is not effective. Another negative human habit is that we tend to only give value to something if we have to spend a lot of money for it, or if it is something that is going to require a huge effort on our part.

This simple but effective self improvement technique does not fit either of those descriptions. Rather it is amazingly powerful, yet ridiculously simple.

Whenever you have a disempowering thought, you immediately dismiss it. Whether those thoughts come out at random intervals, or if they are constantly popping up on a frequent basis, the solution is the same. Dismiss every disempowering thought with your power word or phrase every single time that such a thought crosses your mind.

Before you know it, not only will you have consistently taken action on whatever your initial goal was, but you will have simply and easily reprogrammed yourself for continued success in the future as well. You will also have built a rock-solid base of self-confidence that you will be able to rely on for the rest of your life!

Do you know how to keep customers

The best way to keep customers is to not have any. If you don’t have customers you can’t loose them. I know you are thinking and may even be saying aloud that this guy is a complete nut. Just how stupid can you be and still write or maybe someone is writing this for him.

Let me clarify what I mean by not having customers. Most people would classify a customer as someone who buys a product or service from you. If you see people who buy your products and services as simply potential buyers of things then you are completely missing the boat.

What you should see from people who purchase from you are potential clients. Clients are people with whom you build a long term relationship by determining their needs and goals and finding a way to fulfill those needs and goals. This does not mean selling them the sizzle instead of the steak or any other form of selling them something that does not take them in the direction of their goals.

This does mean finding out everything you can about your potential clients needs and goals. Who are they, what is their family life like, what is their troubles and how can you help them to alleviate the trouble and reach their goal?

Make sure you qualify your potential clients to assure your products and services are right for them and they are right for you. If your product or service is not right for them or they are not right for you do not be adverse to saying “Sorry, I can’t help you.” The first way you build a client relationship is to assess your potential clients needs and if you and they are a fit. Once you see they do fit then you are well on your way to building a lasting relationship.

In a buy sell relationship you have people trying to sell you something all the time. Every time you hear from them it is to sell you something. I don’t know about you but I really get tired of this type of relationship. I like to believe the person on the other end of the sales pitch has my interest at heart even when I know that isn’t true.

When we are talking about selling on the internet, sales pitches are getting ridiculous. I have been on people’s list where I get a sales letter from them every day and sometime the same sales letter more than once. These people may care about the quality of their products but they care very little about a relationship with their customers. What they do care about is a sale and a profit.

What they fail to realize is that what they get in profits by making these types of sales could actually be increased many times over by creating a real client relationship. The trouble is that this client relationship is too much trouble to create.

I know you have heard of Joe Girard, the famous car salesman who sold more cars than anyone else ever has. He built his entire business by sending thank you cards. In fact, he sent so many, he employed 3 full time staff members to send them out for him. He sent out thousands of cards every month and on the front of the card he said “I like you”.

If this worked for him then there is absolutely no reason to believe it will not work for you. Just imagine that over the course of the year you spent $10 on sending cards to one family. If you got just one referral from that family you would make enough profits to send them cards for years. If you get several over the course of several years you would build a referral business like you have never imagined.

Think about it for just a minute. What would your business and profit ratio be like if you increased you sales in the next year by just 20% . Would that be worth sending out a few hundred cards.

If you could find a way to make sending cards to your clients easy and affordable would you be interested?

Las vacaciones son la mejor soluci╨▓n para relajarte

Si te sientes un poco estresado con el trabajo, con tu pareja o con la familia y necesitas tomar decisiones, ver a los problemas con otra perspectiva siempre ayuda. Aquн te recomiendo tomar unas pequeсas vacaciones en donde tu decidas.

Puede ser el lugar mas inesperado el que te puede hacer mejor. Debes buscar en diferentes sitios que lugares estбn disponibles por el fin de semana o una semana entera (si te la puedes tomar).

Los lugares mas ideales deben ir de acuerdo a tu gusto. Por ejemplo si disfrutas del sol algъn lugar de veraneo con el mar y la playa van a ser perfectos. Si no te gusta la playa, busca algъn lugar en las montaсas tranquilo que te traiga paz y serenidad.

No necesitas gastar mucho dinero para tener un buen resultado, ya que solo unos dнas es suficiente sin tener que perder mucho tiempo en el viaje de ida y vuelta. Puedes optar de ir en auto que es mбs econуmico o en aviуn depende de los precios.

Si vives en Europa, un fin de semana en Barcelona no te costara demasiado y sin duda te abrirб la mente y dejara atrбs los problemas que parecнan tan grandes que no te dejaban pensar.

Tomarte unas vacaciones es algo positivo que solo traerб buenos resultados. Lo sitios desde ya dependen de tu poder econуmico. Si tu disposiciуn no tiene limites, St Tropez en la costa de Francia es un lugar vacacional ideal. Fiestas desde las 3 de la tarde en la playa, mercado en el centro del pueblo, las playas mas increнbles y mucho mas.

Si tu poder adquisitivo es un poco limitado, puedes ir a palma de Mallorca en Espaсa, a Ibiza o elegir entre muchos de los puertos de la zona.

Si vives en Sudamйrica o centro Amйrica, uno de mis lugares favoritos es Punta del Este en Uruguay. Aunque un poco caro, siempre saldrбs de ahн con una sonrisa. Las playas mбs inolvidables, junto con los bares de moda, y actividades entretenidas las 24 horas del dнa te esperan ahн.

Si no optas por ir a Punta del Este, Brasil es otro de los lugares mas increнbles. Ahн puedes ir a Buzios disfrutar de los camarones con palito, las playas los cocos, los helados, y mucho mбs.

En Argentina tambiйn puedes encontrar lugares vacacionales, como Miramar, Pinamar, Mar del Plata, y otros.

Si buscas lugares sin playa durante el invierno puedes ir a Bariloche, Villa La angostura, Las Leсas en donde puedes esquiar.

Sin duda, cualquier lugar que elijas un poco alejado de tu trabajo, o deberes diarios te ayudara a relajarte y pensar mas tranquilamente como solucionar o seguir adelante en tus decisiones.

The rise of allergies and asthma

It is estimated that over half of Americans between the ages of 6 and 59 would test positive to one or more allergens. About one quarter of these people would be allergic to dust mites, ragweed or cockroaches. Surveys suggest that about ten million Americans are allergic to cats. Two million are allergic to insect stings. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology believes allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic (i. e. long-term) disease.

The problem is not confined to the U. S. It is estimated that between forty and fifty per cent of children in North America, Western Europe and Australia have some form of allergy. Why is this a problem if you have asthma? The WHO believes 90 per cent of asthma attacks are triggered by allergic reactions.

An allergy starts with the body's increased sensitivity to something it perceives as a threat. The immune system overreacts to an allergen that for others is an innocent, unthreatening substance. We don't know why some people become sensitized to an allergen and others do not, but it is believed that people inherit a tendency for allergies, although not to a specific substance.

Some experts believe the sensitivity is related to a child's environment and lifestyle. Increasing sales of antibacterial sprays and other cleaning agents means today's homes are generally cleaner. Children spend more time in the home and less time playing outside in the dirt. Consequently they are less exposed to potential allergens and denied the chance to develop immunity. This is believed to lead to allergic sensitization.

Studies have shown that children in large families or who attend a daycare center are less likely to develop allergies. It has also been found that children who share their home with dogs and cats have less allergic reactions than those raised in a pet free household.

Pollen is a common allergy and asthma trigger. When these tiny particles enter the airways of someone sensitive to their presence proteins on the surface of the pollen and an enzyme also carried by the pollen cause an overreaction. The protein triggers the immune system and the enzyme interacts with the cells of the airways. This inflames the respiratory passages and leads to breathing difficulties.

Understanding this process may lead to new, more effective medications, but what can you do in the meantime? Firstly know the pollen count for your area. However be aware that the pollen count is usually taken the day before it is broadcast. It can be reduced by rain or cool weather, and increased by hot weather or short thunderstorms.

There are some easy preventative actions you can take for each type of allergy. If you have an allergic reaction during yard work and in damp places dispose of anything that smells moldy; if pets start a reaction regularly wash them and their bedding; many allergies will improve if you do not smoke.

Vigilance is the best prescription for a food allergy . Today you can encounter food substances in the most unexpected places. There was a classic school experiment that involved burning a peanut and measuring how much energy it gave out. Now pupils burn an alternative. Some pupils discovered they were allergic to peanuts the hard way as the oils in the nut gave off fumes.

Now there is another food to treat with caution. Sesame seed allergy is one of the fastest growing allergies in the world. And don't think you'll only find the seed resting atop a bun. They are used in salad dressings, ethnic foods, baked goods and even soap.

So what can you do if you suspect you are allergic or asthmatic? First, educate yourself about the condition. Experts agree that knowledge is the best prescription.

Do some research. Consult your doctor. They may recommend tests to determine any allergies you have. If an allergy or asthma is identified there are medications, precautions and complementary therapies you can use to control your condition.

Above all do not believe that a diagnosis of allergy or asthma means you have to live a less active, enjoyable life. Our understanding of these conditions is incomplete, but we know enough to allow sufferers to take control.

How to get online gambling legalized in the usa

For many people the several hors drive to the nearest casino just is not realistic because of their busy lives, in California last week a man was arrested for locking his kids in the car while he went into a casino to gamble, but he would have been able to sit at home and watch his kids if he could have logged into an online casino.

But the law is reversible. Now is the time when politicians who have been eyeing the ultimate seat of power will start declaring their intention on running in the next presidential election.

This is where the American people have the power. Now is the time to start protesting the Unlawful gambling act.

Thru protest at the candidate’s rallies you will tell them this is an issue that is not going away. The issue of online gambling managed to get the American people to put the Democrats into power in congress, and now it can do the same for the highest political office in the United States.

When ever a presidential hopeful is appearing in your area you should hold a rally outside where ever it is the candidate will be appearing. Try to locate the entrance and exit they will use and make sure t have people with signs and chanting slogans.

By making Online Gambling a hot issue the candidate will have to address it. If a candidate can not get votes they will not win so if they think they can win by getting the gambling vote they will take up your cause.

Besides protests, I also recommend

Letter writing campaigns: letter writing campaigns are a great tool it allows you to tell your leaders how you feel and gives them a good sense of how strong the American people feel about the subject.

Petitions: petitions are much the same as letter writing except that instead of thousands of letters the receiver of the petition only gets 1 letter with the names of all the signatures on it.

The internet is a great tool for protesting, it allows you to pass your letter or petition to people not only all over the country but the entire world, and can also help spread useful information about protest marches by being accessible to everyone with an internet connection

There are also several myspace pages dedicated to trying to get the laws changed thru protest. The Angryonlinegambler is one such page. He not only offers an online petition but also a message board for people to leave messages about gatherings, and rants about how the government is making the wrong decisions.

It is also important to highlight the benefits to legalized online gambling

Millions of dollars a year could go to the American Government from taxing American player’s winnings, and if American land based casinos were allowed to get into the action then the government could make hundreds of millions for schools, and to further the war on terrorism.

Legalized Online Gambling in the USA would create hundreds of thousand if not millions of much needed new jobs in the customer service industry in the United States and would there for benefit the government.

Tips while you travel through southwest airlines

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If you reside in the south west or you have to travel to the southwest, most of the times you travel through Southwest Airlines. You can take help of the south west airline guide to know all the available flights and the arrival and departure time as well the fares and all the necessary information related to your travel. But to save some bucks and make your travel easier, you need to follow some tips.

1. You should seek for the best fares available for a travel program and because these are very time limited you need to decide fast that which one will be good for you. You can plan in advance for your travel visit and check out the website of the airlines or help guide so as to save many bucks of yours.

2. You can also join the Southwest Frequent Traveler Program whereby if you have to make frequent visits with southwest you can buy tickets for your short trips and use the free tickets that you will earn for your longer and expensive trips.

3. Since Southwest finds that boarding is better and takes less time when they board the travelers in groups, they doesn’t assign seats. You have groups namely A, B and C where A is the best group that gives you a chance to board first. You can also make more seating selection and can also assure a bin for your carry on luggage when you get the A-status. You would get a C - status that will end up you in a middle seat or you have to check your carry on luggage.

4. The pilot of the airlines stands below the Jetway before the incoming flight arrives and you need to queue up before some time the flight arrives. If you stand half an hour before the arriving flight, you should find your place next to a seat in the boarding area but this works when your place in the queue or line happens to be next to a seat.

5. Sometimes you will need to wait to get your pass. You can obtain a pass by paying a small fee to some companies that assist you in reserving your pass in advance.

6. Before the general boarding, children of the age group in between five to eleven who are not accompanied by elders, adults traveling with any child below the age of five and people with physical disabilities are allowed for a pre board. As such, when you make your reservation and check in you should provide your personal or special status.

7. Previously you had to print your boarding pass at home even if it was midnight before you travel but now they have a 24 hour window that provides you with printed boarding passes.

8. You need to weigh your luggage prior you proceed to board in the flight and since there are certain luggage policies you are allowed to carry small personal size briefcase or purse with you and you need to place large items in the overhead bins. In case you had a C status and all the bins are filled up you will have to check your carry on luggage.

9. You should try to reach on time and while you board go directly to your chosen row, set your luggage and sit down instead of chatting with your friends. When the plane fills yup, you can head to back and never backtrack. Don’t carry heavy luggage that you can’t lift up to the overhead bin because at that moment you yourself are responsible for settling down your luggage.

10. You can avail gifts and discounts while you are on the board as you get some discount coupons and can get rapid rewards and credits that you can use in your later travel.

For more information log on to southwest-airlines-guide. info