Phentermine may be the right solution to reduce obesity

Phentermine is short-term obesity reduction diet pill. It acts as an appetite suppressing drug. It does not cure obesity by itself but it helps you to control your appetite. But for losing weight you have to maintain a restricted diet and do exercises. So, it implies that the diet pill should be used in conjunction with exercises and a restricted diet program.

As your appetite gets decreased your food intake too decreases. Phentermine is not to be taken without any consultation with a doctor. He is right person to decide whether you require it or not. Follow his instructions on your Phentermine intake doses.

Phentermine is not a self medication drug. Pregnant women and breast feeding women should not use this pill as the side effects of it may show up in the child. It is advisable that an individual with blood pressure, heart ailments, diabetes, and allergy must tell his health history to his doctor before going for the drug.

Phentermine diet pills are available with local pharmacists and online pharmacies. The online pharmacies are better option as one can find low price Phentermine pills plus you need not spend time to go on for hunting it.

Your obesity may be due to high intake of food or hereditary or general lack of physical activity on you part, but lessening of food intake would always help in removing the obesity. There are hundred of ways to get away from obesity. But before opting for a method it should be clear on your mind that nothing works better than following a restricted diet plan and doing physical exercises. Phentermine diet pills act as an agent to lower appetite and nothing more than that. It should not be used for longer period than prescribed as the pill is to be used for short-term only.

Internet marketing good guy marketing

In times past when an expert had something to say they made themselves available to magazines, newspapers, radio and television to spread some of their knowledge to the masses. In the 21st Century this dynamic has changed.

Today experts are often found posting in the form of personal or business blogs, social networks or message boards.

These same individuals will likely produce articles of their own and make them freely available on the web.

It would seem that mentoring has found a new way to express itself. Experts seem eager to pass along information. If you’ve ever wondered what benefit there is to these experts this article will seek to explain how helping others can have a profound effect on personal success.

“Good Guy” Marketing

The primary benefit for experts is that whenever they post on a blog or forum they can place a link to their business website in the signature line of the post. This signature remains in place for site visitors, but it is also picked up as a backlink by search engines.

By helping others develop their knowledge on an issue you can also provide another series of backlinks to your website.

I suppose this may sound like a selfish motivation, but if you look historically at business it has always been driven by seeking to help consumers understand how to use your product and help them understand why your product is superior to others. This is the premise of “Good Guy” marketing.

This idea isn’t all that different from the interviews for print publication of yesteryear except that the end result can be global instead of regional or national in scope. In times past an article would include a byline on the individual being interviewed and it would typically result in interest by others in the work or product they were involved in.

Today, that process is altered in that the expert can develop information when they want and make it available to free article directories without the need for a willing publication. In many ways this scenario is much more beneficial to both informed consumers as well as the ‘Good Guy” marketer.

Business as Usual

The good thing about this Internet marketing strategy is that it can be done without a significant amount of fanfare. You can simply respond to posts, create your own posts or develop articles because it serves a valued purpose. The tag line information can be set to come up automatically. In essence marketing is taking place in an arena where you are simply sharing your knowledge with those who are most interested. This could well be one of the best forms of marketing available.

What is voice over internet protocol

The "Voice Over Internet Protocol" telephone system is one of the modes of telecommunication via internet. The abbreviated form of "Voice Over Internet Protocol" is VOIP. It is a form of advanced computer technology that has affected the telephone systems.

Voice Over Internet Protocol

Actually, there are three different types of VOIP services. The most commonly used service for business purposes is the VOIP service processed by using an "Analog Telephone Adapter" which is also known as ATA. It is the simplest type of VOIP service as ATA permits the use of a standard phone and it does not require any specifically designed IP phones that are generally used in other types of VOIP services.

ATA functions by transforming the analog signals into a set of digital packets. These packets are forwarded to the broadband internet connection and are apportioned to the apt and appropriate telephone exchange for the call to get completed.

How The Use Of VOIP Phones Is Advantageous In Business

The VOIP telephone service has been gaining popularity tremendously, especially, in the field of businesses. The VOIP service providers permit the utilization of standard telephones which enables to make phone calls through a telephone connected to a landline telephone system.

The VOIP system is inexpensive as the making of calls by using this system does not require any setting of phone lines and even the charges of calls are very cheap. This feature of cheap call rates is very much beneficial for the business people who are managing their businesses at international levels. It is the most efficient method of telephone system.

Difference Between VOIP Telephone System And Regular Telephone System

There are many people those who are bit confused between a VOIP telephone system and a regular telephone system. No doubt, the purpose of both the telephone systems is to make phone calls but the main difference lies in the manner they both work.

In a regular phone system, the analog audio signals are forwarded through fiber optics in the form of telephone lines to the traditional telephone companies and get converted into the voices. But in case of VOIP telephone system, the analog signals get converted into digital packets and are then forwarded to the broadband internet connection, which are then distributed to telephone exchange for the completion of a call.

How To Select Perfect VOIP system

There are numerous VOIP service providers in the competitive market but you should choose the best among them. The following tips can really assist you in finding the best service provider.

1 - Before planning to opt for a VOIP service provider, you should always survey the market thoroughly by going through the reviews and testimonials of the existing or old users. This will help in getting a comparative scenario in front of you and will help in taking a decision.

2 - You should always choose the VOIP service that provides all the services required by you. For example, a method to upgrade VOIP network without any additional equipment, cheap local and international call rates, etc.

3 - Enquire from the service providers about the features that they proffer if the phones and the analog adapters have to be taken along on business trips that is whether they provide wireless phones or handsets in such a case or not.

The Voice Over Internet Protocol telephone system has proved to be a great model in the telecommunication industry because of its unique features.

What to tell your kids about money the 7 essential lessons

If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked by a parent what to tell your kids about money, I’d be a millionaire. There are many different aspects of money management you can & should tell your children about. Here I will share with you what I believe are seven of the most important principles

1. Money can be exchanged for goods or services.

This is one of the first few lessons you should teach your child once they are old enough to understand – usually around the age of 3 years. Next time you go down to the corner store to buy one or two items, let your child hand the money to the cashier. By doing so, they will gain a greater appreciation of the concept of being able to exchange money for things you want or need.

2. One should be careful with money.

Some people I know, seem to think that any coins with a value under 50 cents are just too small to be bothered using, and so when cleaning out their loose change from around the house will simply throw these smaller coins in the bin. What a waste! Encourage your child to be careful with all denominations of money, and show them how those small coins can add up, by starting a family small coins box. Maybe you could use the money to fund small family outings (a trip to the shop to get ice creams).

3. Money has to be earned.

There are many people in the world these days that don’t seem to have ever learned this lesson. They sit around home and expect handouts so they can live, or turn to a life of crime to fund their existence. Be careful not to give your child money every time he or she asks, without expecting anything in return i. e. completion of household chores.

4. Encourage one-third savings, one-third donations, one-third spending.

The exact proportions in which your child divides their money are up to each individual family to decide, based on their beliefs and the needs of the child. This can quite easily be achieved by providing them with 3 piggy banks or moneyboxes – one for spending, one for saving & one for donating.

5. Avoid borrowing money wherever possible.

It is always much harder to repay money that has been borrowed, than to save your money. Some loans, such as home loans, tend to be unavoidable though. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t have the cash to buy it, you can’t afford it!

6. Money isn’t your best friend so don’t let it control your life.

Quite simply, try not to become so over committed with your finances, that you are forced to work 60 to 70 hours a week to continue the lifestyle. If you do, then you are letting the money control your life. You don’t usually need the fancy car (and car loan) or overseas holiday (and personal loan). All these things are nice, but only if you can easily afford them!

7. Show them how to budget & live within their means

This is one of the most important skills that your child must know, that so many people don’t seem to know how to do. Recent surveys have shown, that many people are spending 10% to 20% above what they earn. They are earning enough money to fund their lifestyle, but they simply aren’t budgeting it, and so are wasting large amounts of money each week.

With these seven lessons under their belt, they will be off to a great start, but there are many more money skills that your child will benefit enormously from learning. To learn more, visit the Kids Money Tips web site.

Self motivation secrets

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We all have a lack of self motivation at times. We can learn a hundred ways to improve our lives, but then hesitate to act. Something less important catches our attention, or we just don't feel like doing what we need to do. Even a person who is normally highly motivated can sometimes have a hard time getting started on an important task.

Is there a solution? There are probably dozens of them. Below are six of the best self motivation techniques that consistently work when used. Try them all, but if you find even one or two here that work for you, you'll be on your way.

Self Motivation Techniques That Work

1. Talk to get motivated. One of my favorite ways to create energy and motivation is to talk. Once I tell my wife about the article I'm going to write, I'm out of my slump and back at the keyboard. For less inspiring tasks, talk about the larger goals it will help you achieve.

2. Stimulate your desire. Seeing their potential future motivates many to sign up for get-rich-quick plans. The really good salesmen can put you in your imagined dream home in minutes, and make you feel motivated to do anything to make it real. Learn to be your own salesman.

3. Stimulate your pain. One Neuro-Linguistic Programming technique is to mentally link pain with not acting. It is like when finally stop hitting that snooze button on the alarm, and get up because you think you might lose your job. Just imagine any bad consequences that may occur if you don't do what you need to do.

4. Find a true interest. If you have no interest in what you are doing, it might mean you need to do something else. If it's just a task you dislike, but it needs to be done, relate it clearly in your mind to the greater goal. I don't like to drive, but I don't have a motivation problem when I'm driving to the mountains for a vacation.

5. Boost your energy. You need energy for self motivation. Coffee may help for a while, if caffeine doesn't create other problems for you. Exercising and sleeping well help too. Yo should also watch out for sugary foods. The "sugar blues"kill motivation. Once you find energy boosters that work for you, make a list and keep it handy for future use.

6. Take any small step. I've found if I commit to raking up one bag of leaves, I soon want to finish all the yard work. Taking any small step towards your goals is a great self motivation technique. To make this even easier, break larger goals down into small steps.

Motivation techniques really do work, but don't ask me how to get motivated to use them. In any case, you were motivated enough to read this far, so you'll be fine. Oh, and humor is number seven. A good laugh can overcome that feeling of being overwhelmed that sucks away self motivation.

Rocket spanish - download a whole education in speaking spanish

Did you ever day-dream about being able to speak Spanish? Understand what people speaking Spanish were saying, be able to talk with them? Travel in Latin America or Spain and be able to get out of the tourist traps, take a taxi, visit the restaurants, see the sights and make friends where the real people live?

It's not as hard to learn Spanish as you might think. The Internet, new teaching methods and digital media have revolutionized the way languages are learned. This has brought learning another language into the cost and time-requirement range of millions who could not afford it before but can now.

Don't think in terms of traditional classroom learning. This is the 21st Century, we've gone beyond that. Modern interactive courses, available at low cost, can help you learn fast and easy. There are excellent digital media learning courses that you can download and study whenever and wherever you want to.

The 31-lesson learning course by Rocket Spanish, for example, can be downloaded in a few minutes (depending on your connection speed) and you can start with it immediately. It comes in MP3 format which can be downloaded from your computer to your iPod or other MP3 player. Or it can be burned into CD's to be played on the CD player in your car or anywhere.

You will hear Spanish spoken by native speakers, interact with them and learn to pronounce words and speak as they do. The advantage of learning from skilled native speakers is that you can learn to speak Spanish without an accent, or at least with minimal accent.

Also, with your lessons on digital media, you can listen to them again, take a refresher course, anytime! Even while you are on the plane to Acapulco or Cancun!

With traditional classroom learning, it takes years to become fluent. But with an interactive learning course you can learn a language in only weeks or maybe months. Using natural methods (learning Spanish like you learned English, through learning basic conversation and then expanding from there) you will be able to carry on a basic conversation within a few days!

Spanish is an excellent language to start with. There are many common words between English and Spanish, so you already know more Spanish words than you realize! And with Spanish it's easy to get started. You can make yourself understood with a 2,000 word vocabulary! That's enough to make and pay for purchases, ask directions, order in a restaurant, take a taxi... most basic activities.

Spanish is very useful to know. Not only is it the fourth most prevalent language in the world, it is the most prevalent language in the Americas. There are 41 million Hispanics in the U. S., of which 17 million don't speak English, or don't speak it very well.

You can use Spanish to communicate with your Hispanic neighbors! You can use it in traveling to Mexico, many other Spanish-speaking countries and Europe where Spanish is widely spoken! You are almost certain to find many uses for Spanish and be delighted to be able to communicate!

So what are you waiting for? Quit dreaming of speaking Spanish, download a course and start learning it! It's fun, it's easy and costs less than a couple of computer games!

Go ahead, expand your mind and your horizons! Start now! Do your part to increase international understanding! Learn to speak Spanish!

Fun extra features of today s luggage

If you’ve ever wandered around the luggage department of a department store, you were probably amazed at how far luggage has come in the last 20 years. There’s so many bells and whistles, it’s like the auto aftermarket. Who knew the average traveler would care about these fun extras? Of course, we are all familiar with retractable wheels and extendable handles but what about other useful additions? Let’s take a moment to look at the most innovative ways luggage companies lure in the unsuspecting buyer.

First, we have the addition of extra handles. Many bags now have handles at both ends; the better to shove you into the overhead compartment, my dear (and pull you back out again).

Then there’s the feet. Yes, that’s right; first “handles”, then feet. Many bags now feature plastic or rubber pieces on the long side of the bag, opposite the handle side, so if you put your luggage down on a wet or dirty surface, your luggage will be protected. A small nicety you’ll certainly appreciate when wearing a white raincoat.

Along with the ands and feet, your bag may have a backbone. That’s right, something manufacturers call “runners”. Runners are two hard rubber strips that are attached to the back of the luggage. If you’re going up the stairs or escalator, for example, you can pull the luggage along with you and the runners will help the bag to slide as you pull it.

Now your bag has hands and feet, but can it stand up by itself? How you pack your bag has a lot to do with whether or not your bag can remain upright. For optimum stability, pack heaviest items in the part of the bag that will be the bottom when the bag is standing up, and lightest items at the top of the bag. To help you, manufacturers are redesigning their product the have more overall balance built into the structure of the luggage.

If you’ve traveled, you’ve filled out a name tag. This is usually a small, sturdy business - card size paper encased in a plastic cover and attached to the handle of your luggage. Some luggage now have a built-in holder attached to the outside of the luggage, instead of tied to the strap. There is a lot of information regarding traveling on today that one can find simply by logging into the Internet.

Find the right broker

Most traders find that it is necessary to utilize a broker when making transactions on the FOREX exchange. A broker is a middleman that handles the actual buying and selling of orders for traders. The broker may be an individual or a company, they will often also offer advise and suggestions for their clients but they only execute orders based on the decision of the trader. Brokers earn their profit either through fees or commissions.

In the case of a FOREX broker they must be associated with a large financial institution to have access to the necessary funds for margin trades. When looking for a broker in the U. S. you need to be sure that the broker is registered as a Futures Commission Merchant by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This will allow you to protect yourself from fraud and abusive trade practices.

To start trading in the FOREX market you must open an account with a broker. There are a large, even overwhelming, number of brokers available on the internet. To pick the right broker yourself you need to be prepared to spend some time doing some research. This will help you understand the different services available from various brokers as well as their fees and commission structures.

As with anything else there is no better way to find out the truth about a broker than to talk to someone who actually uses them. Talk to anyone you know that is involved in the FOREX market and find out which broker they use. Then ask them what they like or dislike about their broker and any problems they may have had in dealing with them.

One way to test an online broker is to contact their help desk and see how quickly they respond to your questions and how helpful the answers are. Be sure to keep in mind thought that just as it is with many other things with FOREX brokers you may find that the level of pre-sales help is significantly better than the level of help you receive after you sign up for your account.

While customer satisfaction and safety is of paramount importance they are just a couple of factors that you should pay attention to. Just as importantly is how fast the broker can execute a trade and what level of slippage you will experience with them. Any broker that is online should provide automatic execution and be able to describe their slippage policy. They should be able to provide you detailed information on how much slippage you can expect in both normal and fast moving markets.

Another vital factor is your costs. What is the brokers spread? Is this spread fixed or can it vary. If you are looking at a mini-account do they use the same spread or do they have a higher spread. Are there any other fees or hidden costs involved? Be sure to keep in mind that the cheapest broker may not be the best, the broker that has slightly higher spreads might provide extra services that more than compensate for higher costs.

Everyone needs a margin account to effectively trade in the FOREX exchange, be sure to get the details of the broker's margin accounts and fully understand them before opening an account. What are the margin requirements? What method does the broker use to calculate margins? Does the margin vary depending on the day, the currency involved or event the account type? Many brokers have different margin policies for mini-accounts.

To be successful at trading FOREX you need good trading software and you need to be comfortable with using it. Most brokers will offer free practice accounts that function just like a real account and use the same software. Sign up for several of these and thoroughly test the software paying close attention to the reliability and speed especially when the market is moving quickly.

Some other things to look into are minimum balance requirements, interest on balances, and what currencies can be traded. You should ask about lot sizes and irregular lots and be sure to see if the client accounts are insured and to what level.

Fisherman s wharf san francisco a short tour

Nearly 16 million people visit San Francisco each year, and more of those people visit Fisherman’s Wharf than any other area of the city. Indeed, as many as 3,000 people per hour walk through the intersection of Jefferson and Powell during the peak season. What makes Fisherman’s Wharf so appealing? Read on to learn more about the Wharf’s main attractions.

History

Fisherman’s Wharf began in the 19th century as the home of the San Francisco fishing fleet. At one time there were as many as 500 fishing boats, which were coming and going all day long. The Italians and the Chinese were the main rivals in the fishing industry, but due to the high degree of discrimination against the Chinese, the Italians were able to dominate the business. The area between Taylor and Jones Street is now known as the Italian Harbor, and many of the restaurants, such as Scoma’s, Tarantino’s, Alioto’s, and others, are named after their Italian founders.

Pier 39

Pier 39 is the highlight of Fisherman’s Wharf. Pier 39 attractions include 110 shops, 13 restaurants, the Aquarium of the Bay, and the California sea lions. The sea lions are there throughout most of the year. They only leave during their mating season, which takes place over about three weeks from early to late July. Also, if you need to catch a taxi, the Wharf’s main taxi stand is in front of Pier 39’s main entrance.

Alcatraz

At present, the Blue and Gold Fleet is the exclusive operator of Alcatraz ferries. All Alcatraz ferries leave from Pier 41. During the summer months, tickets are often sold out as much as a week in advance, so you should purchase your Alcatraz tickets before you arrive in San Francisco.

Boudin Bakery

The Boudin Bakery flagship restaurant is a huge two-story building which houses a demonstration bakery, a restaurant, and a small cafй. Throughout much of its history, Boudin was secretive about its bread making process. Now, you can watch the bakers at work through the 30-foot window in front of the bakery. Watch as they make bread sculptures of every kind of sea creature imaginable. If you would like to learn even more, Boudin provides guided tours until 5 PM every day. Bistro Boudin on the second floor has outdoor balcony seating, a big-screen TV, and a collection of historical pictures of San Francisco.

Seafood Restaurants

The restaurant industry began in Fisherman’s Wharf in 1916 when Castagnola’s became the first restaurant licensed by the city to sell seafood on the street. Many of the restaurants began as chowder stands serving the fishing fleet. Today, the largest concentration of seafood restaurants on the Wharf is at the end of Taylor Street, next to the Italian Harbor. The best-known Wharf restaurant, Scoma’s, is the busiest restaurant in the entire city. They have their own fishing boat, and they do their own preparation, so you can be sure the fish is fresh. Their specialty is blackened swordfish, which is seasonal. They don’t accept reservations, and it is not uncommon to wait 45 minutes for a table at dinner time during the peak season.

The Cannery

The Cannery was the first building built on Fisherman’s Wharf after the 1906 earthquake. Originally it was a peach canning plant for Del Monte, the largest peach canning plant in the world at that time. After falling into disrepair for many years, the Cannery was bought in 1963 by Leonard V. Martin, a San Francisco lawyer, who reinforced the exterior of the building and completely redesigned the interior to accommodate the shopping complex that is there today. There are no chain stores in the Cannery; each store is one of a kind. The building next to the Cannery, the Haslett Warehouse, originally served as the warehouse for the Cannery, and as living quarters for some of the Cannery workers. The building now houses the Argonaut Hotel.

Ghirardelli Square

The first building built on what is now Ghirardelli Square was the Woolen Mill, which housed the Pioneer Woolen Mill. After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the owner of the woolen mill had to fire his Chinese workers, and he went out of business. Ghirardelli and his sons bought the building in 1892 and moved their chocolate factory to it. The other buildings of Ghirardelli Square were built over the next thirty years as the chocolate factory expanded. In the 1950’s the factory moved across the bay to San Leandro. The owners, wanting to preserve these historic buildings, converted the square into a shopping complex, the first shopping complex built on Fisherman’s Wharf, which was completed in 1964.

As you can see, there are many things to do at Fisherman’s Wharf. There is a great deal of history on the streets, and on your next trip to San Francisco, we recommend that you visit the Wharf and have a look.

Your last resort stop smoking pill

As we always see on cigarette packs, "Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." This is a notice that is commonly disregarded by smokers. Without even reading this notice, they just tear open the cigarette pack, grab a stick, and light it as if they don’t want to see the glaring truth in front of it. Unfortunately, the warning stated on this package is very true. Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of death. As a matter of fact, 440,000 people in the United States die each year because of illnesses caused by this bad habit.

Fortunately, a lot of people have become aware of what smoking can do to their health and have made attempts to quit. Unfortunately, because of a substance called nicotine that is found in cigarettes, many people find it difficult to resist their cravings for the “high” that this substance can give. The good news is that there are now aids for smokers who want to quit. They can try chewing a nicotine gum or putting on a nicotine patch. These are two of the types of nicotine replacement therapy wherein the craving for the pleasurable feelings is quenched by the content of these gums and patches, taking away the need for a stick of cigarette. But, since this method is not always effective, a new option has been added: the stop smoking pill.

A New Use for an Anti-depressant

Zyban is a stop smoking pill that causes a sustained release of bupropion hydrochloride, the same substance found in the anti-depressant, Wellbutrin SR. This stop smoking pill boosts the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the body, giving the user the same pleasurable feeling that is induced by the nicotine found in tobacco. These pills should be taken a week before a smoker starts to quit smoking in order to combat the withdrawal symptoms that usually haunt quitters.

Although Zyban is more effective than other anti-depressants in this aspect, it has some side effects that doctors should warn their patients about before prescribing this solution. It has been proven to cause depression in users and can increase suicidal tendencies.

The New Stop Smoking Pill

Another stop smoking pill was approved by the FDA last May. Varenicline was proven to help more than one out of five smokers to stop smoking after using it for a year. This pill works by inhibiting the feelings of pleasure that smokers feel when they light up a cigarette. This stops them from associating the wonderful feeling with a stick of cigarette that they usually crave for when they are under stress, cutting off their dependency to it.

Now available under the name of Chantix, this drug should be taken twice a day for a minimum of twelve weeks in order to stop a person from lighting up a cigarette. A side effect of this stop smoking pill is said to be nausea and vomiting.

Because of the side effects that can be caused by these two stop smoking pills, they are usually considered as a last resort for people who would like to quit smoking. And for those who plan to use Zyban to quit smoking, perhaps it should be coupled with exercise in order to decrease the dependency on that medication. Exercise, after all, can hasten the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the body, giving a person the same high feeling that these pills can provide.

Award-winning boston schools

Attending an excellent public school is one of any parents highest priorities. For those living in or considering a move to Boston, the award-winning Boston Schools are an excellent choice. Boston Schools and their governing board have the following plan in place to continue the excellence that is the most appealing feature for parents and the community.

A national commendation to the district of Boston Schools was recently awarded by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The award considers a variety of print and on-line publications in its annual awards competition. Publications of two Boston Schools have earned Awards of Excellence: the Boston Public Schools Career and College Guide, and The Boston Educator.

“Effective communication is critical to engaging students, families, staff, and the community in the success of Boston Schools,” said Superintendent Michael G. Contompasis. “I am pleased that our improved communications efforts have been recognized, and I congratulate the Boston Schools staff and external partners who worked to create these award-winning products.”

On September 19, 2006, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, School Committee Chair Elizabeth Reilinger, and Interim Superintendent Michael Contompasis traveled to New York City to accept the Broad Prize for Urban Education from Eli Broad and the Broad Foundation as the most improved urban school district in the country. The Broad Prize includes $500,000 in scholarship money for the students of Boston Schools. This was Boston's fifth year as a finalist. Boston has earned a total of $1 million in scholarship money, having earned $500,000 total for being selected as a finalist in the previous four years.

"… the School Committee, Superintendent Contompasis and his staff have been working hard to accelerate the improvement in all of the city's schools," Mayor Menino said. "This award today could not have been accomplished without the hard work of the staff in Boston Schools and of the students and their families who make Boston Schools an exciting place to be and a great place to learn."

There are 146 schools in the district of Boston Schools. The enrollment in Boston Schools is 57,000 students.

Boston Schools have a unique history; it is the first district in the United States to open a school; the Boston Latin School was founded in 1635, and Mather, the oldest public elementary school opened it doors in 1639. The public school system in Boston Schools is the oldest public school system, started in 1647, and opened the nation’s first public high school in 1821.

Truly, a public school system that serves, that has a rich history, and continues to be recognized nationally, is one that all Boston Schools parents (or parents considering a move to a new city) should consider enrolling their children in.

5 features to look for when choosing a property rental service

If you're thinking of using a property rental service for your Spain holiday rental or apartment for rent, there are some key features you should look for before making a commitment. You'll want the best possible service while also earning maximum profits for your vacation rental. Here are five major features every property rental service should offer.

1. Excellent Customer Service

Your guests will remember you by the service they receive during their stay at your villa rental, apartment or vacation rental. The property rental service you choose should offer excellent customer service and be able to provide testimonials from satisfied property owners. Your guests should arrive to a clean villa, home or apartment.

If renting for a vacation, golf holiday or some other Spain holiday, each guest should receive a welcome packet including directions to the rental property as well as helpful information about the surrounding area. If you have an apartment for rent, tenants should be treated well. Rental payment collection, service maintenance and assistance with local utility and phone set-ups should be provided with friendliness and thoroughness.

2. Cleaning Management

A property rental service should provide reliable cleaning management. You might live too far away to handle cleaning or manage a maid service. If you live in England or the U. S., but your vacation rental or apartment for rent is located in Fuengirola, Mijas, Puerto Banus, or Elviria of Spain, then you'll need a property rental service that will handle cleaning with care. For holiday rentals and villa rentals, cleaning must be provided between each guests' stay and sometimes during the week of a stay as well. For vacation homes and villas, the lawn must be maintained as well. Be sure this is included with your service.

3. Key Holding, Inventory, and Detailed Necessities

You may not be able to handle local errands for your vacation rental or apartment for rent. Therefore, the property rental service should be entrusted with these tasks. Some necessities to keep the rental property operating legally include key holding, insurance, property tax and levies, building permits or licensing, bank account management, phone and utility set up and billing, etc.

Another area of importance is inventory. The furniture and other valuables in your apartment or villa rental must be kept on an inventory list and checked physically each time a guest departs. If you live in another country but own rental property in an area of Spain such as Costa del Sol, Marbella, Benalmadena or any other area, then obviously you're going to need someone locally who can check your inventory for you. Choose a property rental service that provides these types of services to eliminate worries while you're away.

4. Building Refurbishing and Major Repairs

Another feature to look for in a property rental service is whether or not they provide building refurbishing services and major repairs. The benefit of this is the provider will already have contacts to do the jobs needed. You won't have to spend endless hours trying to find a dependable contractor or handyman.

5. Promoting Your Apartment or Spain Holiday Rental

Check to be sure the property rental service will promote your apartment for rent or Spain holiday rental. Promotions will increase your number of rentals and profits each year. A property rental service may handle your advertising in local, national and international venues. If they have a website, they may promote your holiday rentals at the site. If you own a vacation rental near golf courses, then make sure they will advertise your rental from the angle of "golf holidays."

Keep these features in mind during your search for a property rental service. By choosing a service with great features, you'll have peace of mind knowing that your holiday rental or apartment for rent is in good hands!

Be cautious with your bad credit personal loan

If you have a bad credit history, you probably know how difficult that history can make your life. For example, bad credit can prevent you from getting a job, getting into an apartment, or getting a loan. If you are unable to get a personal loan because of your credit history, you may have trouble buying a car or simply paying your bills.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take that will help you get it. Below, you will learn a few tips that you should consider when pursuing and applying for any type of personal loan.

Understanding Why You Have Bad Credit

There are many reasons why your credit history may be tainted. Perhaps you filed for bankruptcy years ago, but have made consistent timely payments to your current loan and bill obligations since then. Or maybe you simply mailed your car payment late a few times, but pay all of your other bills on time. Ultimately, you may have bad credit but still be a great customer for a personal loan.

When you apply for one, the loan provider needs to determine their potential risk. The key to applying for a loan when you have bad credit is to identify the blemishes on your credit history and downplay them. For example, if you have missed some payments recently, but overall have a good record, downplay the missed payments as mistakes that you have learned not to repeat while emphasizing your good record of timely payments.

How To Compare Personal Loan Quotes Online

Often, applying for a bad credit personal loan online is more effective than doing so in person at your local bank. Financial institutions that accept loan applications online are often more lenient in their credit policies. Whereas you may fail to receive one with your credit history from visiting your local bank, many companies that accept applications online are more forgiving of your credit history. That said, you need to compare quotes between multiple financial institutions to get the best deal, and make sure you are really comparing

Will my home be at risk if i take out a secured loan

There are as many uses of personal loans as there are people who borrow them and most lenders will be happy to allow you to borrow for whatever purposes you desire. However, there are a couple of general principles that you should apply when deciding how much to borrow, what type of loan to take out, and how long you want to take to repay the loan.

One of the first and most important guidelines in this regard concerns secured loans. Secured loans will be secured over your home and will give the lender a right, in the event that you fail to repay your loan, to sell your home to recover the amount owed. This is a serious event that you will wish to avoid at all costs and by following a few simple principles you should be able to drastically reduce the chance of this occurring.

Many people worry that their home will be put at risk if they take out a secured loan over their home. This is because any secured loans that you take out will give the lender a right over your home. This right allows the lender to step in and take possession of and even sell your home in order to recover the amount you owe him if you fall behind in your payments or otherwise breach any of the terms of the loan. The answer to whether or not your home is at risk will, as always, depend to a very large extent on your own personal and financial circumstances.

In general, people take out secured loans all the time and in the vast majority of these cases, there will be no significant danger to their homes. In fact, in most of these cases, the taking out of a secured loan will in fact be a wise financial move that will result in savings, useful investments, or otherwise improve the financial situation of the borrower.

However, there are cases where lenders have been willing to lend to people, far more money than they can afford to repay simply on the ground that there is security for the loan. If you look at the situation from the point of view of the lender, they will only see that there is security for the loan and that therefore, whatever they lend to you will be safe as they will be able to recover it by selling your home if it turns out that you cannot manage under the payments. In these cases, the lender has taken little notice of or paid very little attention to the ability of the borrower to repay the loan and have allowed the borrower to borrow more than they can afford. In these circumstances, there is a good chance that the home of the borrower will be at risk.

Therefore, you should always budget carefully before taking out any secured loans and make sure that you can properly afford all of the repayments in full. You should add up all of your income and all of your current expenditure and see if you can afford the proposed repayments on the loan. So long as you can comfortably afford these repayments, allowing yourself a little room for the unexpected so that you are not spread to thinly on the ground, you can take out the loan, but if you have any doubts whatsoever that you can afford the loan, then you should forget it. You should never assume that simply because a bank or lender is willing to give you a loan that you must be able to afford it.

Before taking out a secured loan, think carefully about all the implications that may occur if you default on any repayments. Always make sure your finances are in order.

Sometimes you may be able to get a better interest rate from a secured loan company just by simply asking for one! Try and call the company, it is always better to speak to someone in person.

Tips to buy online organic foods

Whether you’re looking for organic foods online or in your local supermarket, the one thing that you can be assured of is that you will be able to find at least one or two organic products. Granted you will want more than one or two organic products to tide you over for the week, but it does go to show you how far organic foods have really come in the last few years.

From near obscurity to actually being sold in places outside of health food stores is no small feat, especially when you take in the opposition it has to face in the guise of processed foods, and the more readily available non-organic foods. If you’re looking for a ready source of organic foods however, your best bet is to turn to suppliers of organic foods online.

These organics foods suppliers come with more than a few benefits, one of which is the fact that your foods will more often than not, be delivered straight to your door. This saves you the hassle of fighting your way through rush hour traffic to get to your grocers, and also saves you the trouble of having your toes run over by errant shopping carts.

That’s just one benefit of course that you gain by getting your organic foods online. Another great benefit is that you have a ready supply of organic foods at the touch of a button. You also have a larger supply of organic foods to choose from, both the natural organic food variety as well as the processed organic food variety.

This means that you have necessarily a larger choice than you would otherwise have had in a normal grocery store selling organic foods. You will also find that this applies to the online version of your favorite supermarket. Their selection of organic foods online will be greater than what you might find in their stores, and these also include the maybe-not-so-readily available organic meats.

It’s easier to find organic produce and organic processed foods than it is to find organic meats, but by using the internet to facilitate your weekly shopping you will find just about all your organic foods online.

And if you’re still not convinced, you also have an added benefit in the form of lowered monthly food bills. You might have gone organic, but that doesn’t mean that you need to pay through your nose for it. If you get your organic foods in-store, be it a supermarket or a health food store, you will find that your weekly expenditure is more.

By getting your organic foods online you will find that your costs come down a significant amount. Of course to get this last benefit you will need to do a little bit of research and find an online store which will give you lower prices with the same great quality that you look for, but in the end it will be worth the effort.

Home improvements spruce up your home this season

With a few simple improvements you can add character and curb appeal to your home at a reasonable price and make it the envy of the neighborhood.

Tidy up perimeter landscaping. Collect and remove all weeds, loose leaves and litter from the property. Put up a fence or replace an old one in disrepair. Today's attractively priced vinyl fencing is one option that is easy to install, easy to care for and looks good for years. New styles and darker colors give you a wealth of options.

Inspect your home's siding. Is it chipping, staining or rotting? Your siding may just need a power wash or it may need to be replaced. If it's the latter, talk with your local contractor about low-maintenance vinyl and fiber cement siding options. New styles, such as CertainTeed's Board and Batten vertical vinyl siding, mimic the look of traditional siding and come in a wide range of colors.

Look at the roof. Asphalt shingles can last many years depending on the quality of the shingle, the slope of the roof and proper ventilation. To be sure your roof is in tip-top shape, use binoculars to look for missing, cracked, curling or decaying shingles. If any are spotted, it may be time to replace your roof. Consider asphalt shingles as new styles can add dimensional appeal to your home. They're long lasting and feature a Class A fire rating.

Picture your home online. Home improvements are also home investments. If you want to see how your chosen fence, cladding, roofing or other selection fits on your house, go to certainteed picturemyhome. com to give your home a virtual makeover.

What is a foreclosures list

For some of the best deals in real estate, you have to dig a little deeper below the surface. It's tough to find good discounts on homes from a real estate agent, since often times they will be selling them for as much as possible to satisfy both the homeowner they represent and pad their own commission. But buying properties from a foreclosures list means getting the chance to win incredible homes for way below market prices. These unique properties are available from mortgage lenders for incredible discounts, because they are the result of defaults by homeowners. After a default, the lender involved will need to find some way to settle the debt owed. By repossessing and selling the homeowner's property at auction, the lender can collect the money they need to settle the loan debt.

Buying Foreclosed Homes

However, homes for sale through these means can often be purchased for way below their actual value. Since the bank or lender usually only needs to collect an amount that is much less than the full value of the property itself, they are free to undersell homes and still make back what they need to cover the debt. As a homebuyer or investor, buying foreclosures from a for sale list at sales such as these can be a great chance to take advantage of undersold property and win it for way below its actual value. This means great initial savings, but also a big chance for potential profits through investment.

How to Find Foreclosure Listings

At BankForeclosuresSale, you'll be able to find hundreds of these incredible foreclosure listings through our online foreclosures lists database. It's easy to use our service to find the perfect listing for your needs, since you can search by town, city, county and a number of other criteria. As one of the internet's leading listings service providers, we are more than experienced in helping people find the listing of their dreams easily, and for a great price! We'll show you how to buy a house through all kinds of different means, including buying from government services like HUD and VA, and even bank owned foreclosures that offer incredible savings.

You'll have access to all kinds of educational information about buying everything from a Fannie Mae home to a pre foreclosure available direct from a homeowner. And our 24-hour Customer Support we'll help you locate the perfect home for sale in the area of your choice. So sign up today and use our foreclosures list to find all kinds of bank foreclosure and other great properties currently available!

Minor but important duties for your wedding party bridesmaids and groomsmen

Your wedding party is a major factor in the success of your wedding day. Too many couples assume that once they've selected their brides maids and grooms men that they are finished. Unfortunately, many people don't know what it means to be in a bridal party. Bridesmaids and groomsmen need to do more than just look pretty. Put these people to work! If your wedding party knows the who's, what's, when's, and why's, they will be able to handle many of the details that may derail the enjoyment of what should be your happiest day.

Many sites will tell you the traditional roles for your wedding party. I'm going to give you some tips on additional (and non-traditional) jobs for your bridesmaids and groomsmen to perform so that you can spend your time on more important details.

Babysitter: Make it the responsibility of someone in your wedding party to know where the rest of the wedding party is at all times. When time comes for someone to make a toast, the wedding party dance, the dollar dance, the garter auction, games, etc. it is frustrating for everyone to be waiting for that one person who is outside, in the bathroom, or talking to your cute cousin.

Activity Leader: Put your bravest party animal in charge of leading activities. This person needs to be someone willing to lead a bunny hop, talk on a mic, lead people to the dance floor etc.

Clean-Up Crew: Assign the task of making sure nothing gets left behind to one of your attendant's. It will be their job to check the area of the ceremony, reception, and dance to make sure none of the wedding party left things like bags, purses, shoes, coats, wallets, keys, etc.

Nanny: Find your most child loving attendant, and give them the task of sheparding children off the dance floor during special events and dances. Children are great, but they don't realize that the Bride and Groom's first dance is not an appropriate time for them to be chasing bubbles on the dance floor.

Designated Driver: Don't forget this important job! No need to let senseless tragedy ruin your perfect night.

While these are not traditional roles for your average wedding party, assigning someone to these tasks will make your day less stressful so you can spend your time making your wedding beautiful.

Giving customer incentives will grow you rich

Do you run a business? Is your product so unique that it cannot be bought from anywhere else? Is your price the lowest customer can pay in the market place? Is there any other reason why your customer must speak to you fist before placing order with any one else? May be you provide a great service… may be you give your customer a satisfaction guarantee that your competitors cannot beat or come any where near to.

As a business owner, you probably recognise one fact – competition is fierce. It is not getting easier to do business and prosper unless you offer your customer that no one can. In other words you must differentiate yourself from your competitors so that when they think of buying the service or product that you offer they think of you.

Business consultants offer many recommendations for doing that. Competitor analysis… branding… product-sourcing strategies so that you get them cheap…and so on and so forth!

From my experience working with small to medium sized business owners, I am certain that the following one strategy works better than any other consultant speak. Make your customer want to give you more business. If your customer is willing to come to you fist before going elsewhere, you have foundations of a very profitable business. But how do you do that? Surely it is easier said than done, right?

It is in fact easier done than said. A small business I know of operates in insurance industry. He has been in business for years so he had plenty of experience of closing the deals. Because he knows his way around the industry, he can get good deal according to the requirements of his clients for them to put pen to paper. He was doing fine but he wanted to grow faster than his competitors. So his problem was to generate leads on the front end.

Every one in his industry was advertising in newspapers and other media outlets to generate leads. He took a creative approach. He stopped advertising and started to approach his existing customers for referrals. He offered them an inducement that not many could refuse – free week long vacation for two to almost anywhere in the country in return for introductions to their friends who may be interested in his services. His existing customers were already happy with the service they got and didn’t mind introducing friends. His new customer acquisition costs came to halt and customer database started to swell. His costs of give away vacation incentives: None! This was a win-win situation all around.

Businesses do not have to come up with large advertising or marketing budgets to generate fresh business. If you already have existing customers than they can be the best source ore business. In a study published in Harvard Business Review not very long ago, it was concluded that 5% increase in retained customers increased the profitability by an average 80% for most industries. Existing customers are your gold pot. By being creative you can use that resource to get even more customers.

And yet most marketing departments spend more than 50% of their budget on new customer acquisition who are least profitable in the first place.

Fighting bacterial infections

The advent of antibiotics in modern medicine had empowered and gave medical practitioners an upper hand in the fight against bacterial infection. Innovations in medical science and technology have allowed physicians to improve their effectiveness in saving the lives of people.

However, the “antibiotic miracle” is also the reason why new strains of antiobiotic-resistant bacteria have emerged. Unsupervised use of antibiotics have allowed certain bacteria to adapt to the active ingredients and develop resistance. These powerful strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria present a menacing threat and danger to the health and lives of the general public. Developing “next generation” antibiotics has become a formidable challenge for those in the medical and pharmaceutical professions.

What is a Bacteria?

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that have the ability to reproduce through cell-division. These are minute living organisms that looks like balls, rods, or spirals when seen through the microscope and can grow on any non-living surface which may not necessarily pose any danger to your health. Some bacteria are even beneficial to one's health such as Lactobacillus Acidophilus. This particular bacterium helps in the digestion of food in your stomach and fights some disease-causing organisms. It can also give some nutrients to the body. In fact, some bacteria are being used to make health foods like yogurt and cheese.

But there are certain strains of bacteria that when they get inside your body, you will become ill. This is called bacterial infection. These wide variety of bacteria brings about infections which range from mild to life-threatening diseases. Bacterial meningitis is an example of bacterial infection that needs immediate medical attention. Infectious bacteria, like Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli, can mutate rapidly and produce chemicals called toxins that can destroy the cells and tissues in your body. Severe gastrointestinal problems from contaminated food is caused by E. coli while gonorrhea is brought about by gonococcus bacterium. Some infections are considered contagious such as strep throat and tuberculosis. However, infections of the heart valves (endocarditis) or bone (osteomyelitis) are not considered transmissible. Common bacterial infections include pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and skin infections.

Risk Factors

Everywhere you go, there are a multitude of microscopic invaders which include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other infectious organisms that can be found in the air that you breathe, in drinking water, or in the water that you use for washing the dishes, and that which you use in taking a bath. It can also be found in the soil, your plants and pets, on your food, and even in your own body. Although every human being is exposed to these countless bacteria, some of us are at higher risk of infection than others. Aside from a weakened immune system, there are also other risk factors for bacterial infection and illness.

Age – Younger people are more susceptible to bacterial infections caused by Escherichia, better known as E. coli while older people are at an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections from a bacteria strain called Streptococcus Pneumoniae.

Nutrition – Malnutrition affects functions of the immune system. A balanced diet of nutritious foods, minerals, and vitamins is needed by the body to keep it healthy and strong against infections.

Genetic Predisposition – Research reveals that some people are genetically susceptible to infections but hopefully, with the use of genetic testing, researchers can come up with drug therapies to target genetic defects.

Antibiotics and Bacteria

Antibiotics are powerful medicines that stop bacterial infections by killing the invading bacteria or stopping it from growing without harming the host. The effectiveness of antibiotics may vary depending on the severity of the illness, site of infection, immune status of host, and the resistance factors of bacteria.

Different antibiotics work in different ways. While Vancomycin and Penicillin discourage formation of bacterial cell walls, other antibiotics such as Erythromycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol prevent protein synthesis. Moreover, other antibiotics like Sulfa drugs inhibit bacterial metabolism while Ciprofloxacin and Rifampin interferes with DNA synthesis. Polymixin B interferes with cell membrane permeability.

Prevention and Treatment

In order to protect yourself from getting these infections and illnesses, you must first understand the distinction between the two. Infection comes first before you get the disease. Infection happens when these bacteria or other microorganisms enter your body and begin to reproduce by mutation, damaging the cells and tissues in the process, thus, causing you to be ill. Your immune system begins to respond to infection by allowing the white blood cells and antibodies to work against whatever is causing the infection. So, avoiding areas where you could possibly get infected is a must.

There are several practical ways to prevent infections from happening, thus, staying disease-free. Simple regular hand washing with soap and water before meals, after coughing and sneezing, after using the toilet can rid you of most germs. In the absence of soap and water, there are alcohol-based hand-sanitizing gels that are available for protection. Vaccines are proven to be effective in warding off a lot of disease. Though vaccines are given as early as childhood, there is still a need for adults to be vaccinated for new illnesses. Medicines such as anti-parasitic drugs can protect you from getting malaria while travelling. Over-the-counter drugs such as antibiotic creams can minimize infections due to minor cuts and injuries.

Always consult medical professionals for advice. Your doctor can perform diagnostic tests to find out if you're infected, the seriousness of the infection, and how best to treat that infection. Finally, always maintain a healthy immune profile to reduce susceptibility to infections and diseases.

Tips to create banners that make people rush to your website

The internet world has made banner advertising a popular and widespread form of advertising where practically all the websites have one or the other form of banner advertising on it. Though it is thought that the effectiveness of banner advertising on the web has declined, there are many tips, which if followed, prove to make people rush to your website!

People have no time to wait. So make sure the banner ad uses only a small file. This is because a large. gif or. jpg file takes a few seconds to download, wherein the visitor may have either left the page or just scrolled down the page without seeing the banner. And if people don’t see your banner, they are sure not going to click on it! So make it a point to restrict your file size to below 10K or 15K;it may be difficult, but where there is a will, there is a way! Make it a point to have a call to action on your banner. This means having the words ‘click here’ or ‘sign up now’, where you guide the user to click on the banner. The main reason this has to be included is that people are so used to off-line advertising where people just see banners, without having to do anything. They are usually not aware that they have to click on the banner to find out more! So make it a point to have a call to action on your banner ad to improve the effectiveness of the banner.

People are always more attracted by moving elements in a banner. As the whole idea of banner advertising is to grab the attention of the reader, using small animation in the banner is sure to achieve this. However, make it small because if the file for the animation is large, then its downloading time will be long. This tries on the patience of the web user and may annoy them. When annoyed, they may also just leave without clicking on the banner. The incorporation of some sort of fake element in the banner also makes the banner successful. There are many fake elements’ banner designers can use like fake scroll bars, fake text boxes and fake submits buttons. When using fake elements, the web user think that they are clicking on a link to another page when clicking on a fake scroll bar, when in reality, they are actually clicking on a banner with a picture of a button and text link.

When designing the banner, use bright colors like blue, green and yellow as they have a higher CTR than black and white banners. The color red should be used sparingly. It is quite advisable using the word “free” in the banner as you are bound to get more clicks this way. Of course, you should decide on this free offer, according to the object of the banner ad. Show the reader that clicking on the banner will prove to be beneficial to him or her. You could place questions like ‘do you want more traffic’ or ‘need help with taxes’ in the banner, wherein the answer is found on your website. People don’t have the patience to read long banners; so keep them short. When people click on a banner, they want to go directly to the web page to find the information they want. They don’t have the patience to end up on the home page to go hunting for the required information.

Another important point to be remembered about banner advertising is to place the banner on sites that target for your target audience. This means, that if you have a banner for a new golf club, it is of no use placing it on a site dedicated to software. Visitors to this site will not be interested in the banner, thus leading to no clicks on the banner, and thus a waste of your money. Emphasize the benefits of your product, and not it’s features, as this is what interests a visitor more. It is always better to test your banners by designing several banners using different styles and messages. Run each banner for a week or two, and collect data on its click through rates. Then analyze the data to determine what is common among the successful banners. You can then refine your banner ad accordingly and test them again.

Use all these tips in your next banner ad, and you are bound to find some improvements in its popularity with more people rushing to visit your site!

How to prevent identity theft and computer crime

I am often amazed at the number of spam e-mails that I see in my inbox everyday. Though most of it is harmless a lot of it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The other day my husband told me a friend of his was a victim of computer crime. He was looking for a quick loan of $5,000 and he ended up with an empty bank account. This happens to a lot of people, and it’s not because they’re stupid, it’s mostly because they need money and it seems that someone is offering it to them for little or nothing.

Though some computer crime comes in the form of embezzlement most of it comes in your e-mail box. You may get an offer for a payday loan or you may have been informed that she won the lottery. My husband’s friend found an e-mail in his inbox telling him he could get a $5,000 loan within a matter of days. Because he needed money badly he clicked on the link and apply for the loan. What he didn’t know was that he was about to be the victim of computer crime.

This type of computer crime is very common. When the company contacted him they told him that he had to give them close to $900 in order to secure the loan. When he didn’t hear back from them, he called their phone number and spoke to a woman who said he needed to send even more money. This is very common with computer crime. If they think you are not wise to their scheme they will try to get even more money out of you. When the money still didn’t come through my husband’s friend called again. This time the phone was disconnected and the company, along with his money, was long gone.

There are also other types of computer crime you have to be aware of what you are surfing the net. If you get an e-mail that says you have won a lottery delete it immediately. If you get an e-mail that says you must enter your password for Paypal, or one that asks you to enter your information at your banking web site, you must also delete the e-mail. These are both common computer crime frauds that try to get your information so they may clean out your bank account or use your identity to get credit. Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true it probably is.

The reasons why most people will never find online success

Q: Tim, I have spent the past few months trying so hard to start an ecommerce business. I have read virtually everything you have written. I have listened in on more than one of your teleconferences.

I have clicked and spent and clicked and spent and clicked and spent. I filled the laundry basket and sold on eBay. I became a Clickbank affiliate (I think I am an affiliate of almost the entire Internet).

I know that it's ironic that I want to make money on the Internet considering I have not one drop of technical skill in my body, but I am a single mom: bottom line is my kids NEED me... and I really and truly am relentless when it comes to getting what I want (in other words, what I lack in technical skills I make up for in persistence.)

Please, please, please...just give me one word or sign or anything...that this CAN be done by the little people (such as myself). Otherwise, I will return to my 5am job that exhausts me so much, I can't even tell my children apart anymore (which isn't flattering to a daughter and son who are almost 5 years apart in age!).

This Internet thing is kicking my butt and from what I have studied, you are the "Dr. Phil" of the ecommerce wannabes, successes and everything in between. (Please don't be offended by the comparison with Dr. Phil....I merely use this in the most pop-culture way possible).

I swear, I am ready to sacrifice my PC in the backyard firepit and return to my old typewriter: that is how frustrated I am.

Thanks for letting me vent (must be an estrogen thing).

-- Mary (real name withheld)

A: Hi Mary, The first thing you need to do is close your eyes, take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

(repeat as necessary :o).

First, let me say that I understand your frustration, but it has been my experience that most people in your situation (including yours truly when I was first starting out) create much of their own frustration because they put themselves under too much pressure to succeed quickly. Their situation is not a happy one and they want to change it TODAY. When that doesn't happen, frustration and anger can set in.

Everyone wants to hit home runs the first time at bat. They want big money and they want it fast. When results don't come as quickly as they think they should, they say, "This Internet thing doesn't work and those who claim to make money are scammers!"

I have been an Internet marketer for 3 years now. The first year I did miserably. I lost about $5,000 trying to figure it all out on my own. One day it occurred to me that succeeding would be much easier if I knew what the heck I was doing.

You see, I, like so many others, didn't take the time to educate myself on Internet marketing. I saw others making money online and figured if they could do it, I could, too.

I just found the crowded pool and dove in head first. As you expect, I almost drowned because I had not taken the time to learn how to swim. Heck, I couldn't even float...

So I stopped what I was doing and became a student instead of a practitioner. I discovered that I was making every mistake in the book because I had not taken the time to learn what to do, and more importantly, what not to do.

After losing a ton of cash, time, and sleep, it finally started to make sense.

I remember finally making $100 profit from eBay in one week for sales of my own ebook (CD Money Machine).

I had made hundreds of thousands of dollars in other ventures, but that $100 was the hardest money I had ever made. That's why it meant so much to me. It told me that FINALLY I was doing something right.

I took that $100 and plowed it into more auction listings and just kept repeating the process.

Then I moved beyond eBay to my own website.

Then I started to concentrate on developing more products, creating my own affiliate program, pursuing more joint ventures, expanding my marketing campaigns.

Success came to me, BUT ONLY AFTER I stopped doing everything wrong and learned to do a few things right.

Like so many people before me and like so many of you now reading these words, I wasted a year of my life and thousands of dollars because I did not take the time to learn first, then do.

I had unrealistic expectations of myself and the business. I expected big bucks and fast results and when they did not come, I looked for someone other than myself to blame.

It took me taking a step back and reassessing my entire thinking to finally learn how to succeed.

And I succeeded in baby steps, not giant leaps.

There were no home runs.

There were a lot of foul balls and finally base hits.

That's how you succeed.

Here's the bottomline:

There is no such thing as a real get-rich-quick opportunity. If someone tells you that you can start with no money and no experience and make hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight they are lying to you and you are a fool for believing them. Yes, you can make lots of money in a short period of time as an Internet marketer, but you're not going to get rich this week unless you hit the lottery or your rich uncle dies. And you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than either of those things happening. Be realistic, be smart, be logical. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. An Internet business is no different from a brick and mortar business: both take hard work, dedication, perseverance, and an investment of time and money. Just because your business is "virtual" that does not mean that you don't have to put some time and effort into launching, building, and running it. Yes, there are many things you can do to automate the process, but you have to build the business before expecting it to run on autopilot. You must have patience, realistic expectations, and the ability to keep plugging along even if you are not getting the results you expected at first. The problem with we humans is that we are an impatient species. We expect our grand ideas to play out quickly and effortlessly. We expect things to happen at lightspeed. We are a microwave society: nothing happens fast enough for us. In business, nothing happens quickly. Until you understand that, you will drive yourself to failure every time. You will start ventures and quickly abandon them. You will grow frustrated and you will fail. This is the biggest lesson you can learn here, so read this several times and ask yourself: Is he talking to me? When someone is unhappy with their current situation they are prone to desperation, which leads to unrealistic expectations, which leads to failure, which leads to anger, which leads to a dead end.

I know because I hear from them all the time. I receive emails like:

"Tim I'm broke and in debt and if I don't make $1,000 by Friday they will take my house! Tell me what to do! You are my last hope..."

And...

"Tim, if you don't tell me how to make $500 today my wife is going to leave me. You have to save my marriage..."

These are not made up statements. I am not trying to be funny.

These are actual quotes from emails I've received. And I receive hundreds like this every month.

There is nothing I can say to these people (other than "I'll mail you a check") that will make them feel better about themselves and their situation.

When I reply with the truth, that I am not their salvation and they need to study and work a plan of action, often these same people reply with hate mail.

If I don't tell them what they expect to hear or offer to solve their problems I am the villain. I become the target of their venting. And that's fine. They have to blame someone if they aren't willing to take responsibility for their own lives.

The difference between you and these people, Mary, is you are really trying.

You're learning and practicing and testing and TAKING ACTION.

That puts you in the 1% of people who actually have a chance to make it.

You tell me the things you've done, but you don't tell me anything about your results.

Have any of your efforts paid off, even in small ways?

Large success is built upon a foundation of many small successes.

Have you taken the time to actually learn about Internet marketing, affiliate programs, pay per click, etc.?

It's one thing to signup with a bunch of affiliate programs. It is another thing entirely to know what you should do after you sign up.

Other than listening to me and other so called gurus, what have you done to educate yourself on the Internet marketing business?

What books have you read? What websites have you visited? What forums have you been to?

Education is the first step.

I'll say it again: you must learn to swim before diving in the big pond or you will drown.

No one is going to throw you a life jacket.

No one is even going to notice that you're drowning.

It's sad, but it is entirely true; you are on your own.

Here is my best advice for you: Stop trying to make money until you learn all you can about the Internet marketing industry.

Read books, study the successful marketers, do a Google search for 'Internet marketing forums' and spend time reading what others have posted. You will find people in those forums who have been there, done that. Post questions, ask for advice, join the community. You will find kindred spirits and people more than happy to help you learn and grow.

Finally, if technical ability was a prerequisite for Internet success 99% of the so called big dogs (this pup included) would be back working day jobs.

The key to Internet success is not technical, it is mental.

You can hire someone to write an ebook or hack together programming code for you, but you can't hire someone to do your thinking for you.

Success is about having a plan of action and working it through to the end.

It is about learning to effectively market your products.

Remember, you can have the greatest product in the world, but if you lack the ability to market it, no one will ever know.

On the other hand, you can have a horrible product, but if you are a master marketer you will sell a ton.

Ever heard of Microsoft?

It's easy to find products to sell. The key lies in having the ability to market them, and that is a skill that must be learned before you do anything else.

Don't give up on your dreams, just slow down.

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

If you don't make a million dollars by Friday guess what: life goes on. Your kids will still love you, even if you can't tell them apart.

Set goals in baby steps, not giant leaps.

Think long term success, not short term efforts.

Instead of getting frustrated with yourself, pat yourself on the back and say "Dang girl, you are taking action... You are doing things to give your kids a better life!"

Did that sound like Dr. Phil?

I have more hair, he has more money. :o)

Keep the faith and don't give up.

Tim Knox

Mystery shopping explained

Mystery shopping is a work at home business that many people has come to enjoy. With this business, there are no real requirements you need to be able to apply to become a mystery shopper. However, you should not that some niche areas have certain requirements, but for the most part the only limitation is that you be of legal working age. As with any job, you must be dependable and reliable, while representing the mystery shopping company you will not be able to cancel or miss jobs on a regular basis or you run the risk of losing the position.

Other qualities you should possess, is observation, you should be able to be very aware of all your surroundings, because this is required for mystery shopping. You will be asked to make specific notes of various aspects and report them back. You may also be required to have internet access, if you are reading this article, you likely have that aspect taken care of already. In mystery shopping you are given detailed instructions by the company as what they want you to do.

They will want you to visit a particular store on a specified day, what you do at the store can vary depending on the particular company and what they hope to gain from the mystery shopping experience. You may have only have to report on the appearance of the store and the overall helpfulness of the staff. On the other hand, you may be given very specific and detailed instructions. For example, you might need to ask for a specific product or member of the sales staff, you could also be asked to make a particular statement on the policy of the store.

Mystery shopping can take place in a variety of establishments, for example you could be asked to visit a particular fast food restaurant, a casual restaurant, department stores, retail or grocery stores. The time spent at these varies depending on the instructions the mystery shopper receives. Mystery shopping has turned into a very lucrative business for many people and it allows people to earn money by doing what they like to do… SHOP!

How to visit a new mom and have her love you afterwards

Going to visit a new Mother and her tiny baby? As a Mom who has been there 4 times, I've had great and not-so-great experiences when friends came to visit postpartum. Make your visit a blessing instead of a drudgery with these tips.

1) Call beforehand and ask what you can bring her to eat

A new Mom, especially if she's breastfeeding, is hungry! Don't ask if she wants you to bring her anything. Most new Moms in our culture are unlikely to ask for help. Tell her that you ARE bringing her lunch and would she prefer Italian or Chinese? And make sure, if you're preparing something, that it's not loaded with empty carbs. New Moms have enough trouble going to the bathroom in those postpartum days! She needs good nutrition, not junk.

2) When you arrive, don't smell like a bouquet on overdrive

Newborn babies have sensitive skin. Some of them break out when they are held by someone with a lot of synthetic perfume on. When you go visit a new baby, don't smell like you've been attacked by Chanel No. 5. Skip the perfume. You're not on a date, ok?

3) Wash your hands

New Moms are particular about their babies, and neither she nor her newborn needs your germs. Wash your hands first and then ask if you may hold the newborn. And for goodness sakes, leave a sneezing, snotty nosed child at home!

4) Don't hog the baby

The new Mother's job is to rest and bond with her baby. Don't grab the baby and try to jolly her out of her cries when she obviously wants her Momma back. Hold the new baby briefly, perhaps while Mom uses the bathroom or cuddles her toddler, then give baby back. Now.

5) Do something useful

Ask Mom if you can watch her older child for a half hour so she can nap with the baby. Ask if you can load the dishwasher, or fold a load of laundry. Insist. Don't say "Is there anything I can do?". Say "What can I do?" At the very least, bring paper plates and disposable flatware. She may have forgotten to buy that, but it sure makes those postpartum days a little easier.

6) Keep your visit brief

Mom is tired, recuperating from childbirth and above all needs to rest and learn about her new baby. Counting fingers and toes, cooing, crying, breastfeeding and changing diapers takes all day! A new Mom doesn't need to play hostess. Don't stay more than about 15 minutes unless you're her best friend or close relative, and even then, keep it very brief.

If you remember these tips, the new Mom will really appreciate you, and she'll return the favor the next time you have a baby!

Italy milan and pisa

When visiting Italy, it seems every destination has enough historical sites to keep you busy for a month. Oddly, Milan and Pisa don’t fall into this category.

Milan

Milan is a thoroughly modern city and I would hazard to guess a wealthy one. This is not really the place for a budget traveler, but then again budget travelers seem to survive anywhere.

Milan is a good city to stroll around in. One can see a lot of interesting little shops and neighborhoods, but there isn’t the “monument to…” you find in most Italian cities. Don’t worry, the Cathedral makes up for it all.

In a city with a very modern feel, an old structure dominates. If you have interest in churches, you must visit Milan. The “Duomo” is simply staggering in appearance. From the outside, it is all gothic spires and frescos. I don’t know why, but the place is just radiates intensity and power. The inside of the structure is world unto itself. Marble is everywhere and you can’t help but stand around with your mouth open.

I hate to say it, but Milan can be a bit boring once you’ve had your fill of the Cathedral. The nightlife can be vibrant, but there is a definite dress to be seen feel to the place.

Pisa

Who hasn’t heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When you visit, you will indeed find the tower is leaning. Unfortunately, you will not find much else. The tower is impressive as are the buildings immediately surrounding it. Nonetheless, the rest of Pisa is more interested in getting on with things. A nice place to visit, but don’t plan on spending more than a day or two.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Milan or Pisa if you know what to expect. If you’re expecting destinations similar to Rome, you’ll be disappointed.

Do not let your stresses get the best of you in the business world

Do not let your anxieties and stresses overwhelm you when you are at your job. Sometimes it can be difficult to overcome your stresses, however there are ways of dealing with your problems. Here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties in the business world.

In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

Sometimes, we can get anxious over a task that we will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. For instance, you and your team have to play in the championship game in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself playing the game in your mind. Imagine that your playing in front of a large audience. By playing the game in your mind, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self - Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

Many times we get overwhelmed with many different tasks at our jobs. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This will help you to refocus on your present situation.

Take a vacation day to relax. Many people work two jobs nowadays. Sooner or later, the long work hours will catch up with you and take a toll on your health. Take the day off and do something you enjoy.

As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work. The better you can manage your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.

Taking a risk with online dating

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I’m sure you’ve been hearing loads and loads about online dating and so far, you’re undecided on whether online dating is a blessing in disguise or just another meeting place for perverts. Well, just in case you do decide to take a risk on online dating, here are a few tips to remember so that nothing undesirable would happen.

Don’t Give Away Everything On The First Date
This is actually a common strategy tip that you can apply to all forms of dating, whether you’re doing it in person or through the aid of a computer. Experts say that you shouldn’t be totally open during the first date. You have to act a little mysterious and intriguing. You should try your best not to give in completely and right away, even if your date is the perfect mate. When dating online, you’re basically asked to do the same thing but for different reasons. Whereas keeping a little to yourself during live dates are meant to retain the other person’s interest, when dating online, you’re advised to do the same as a precaution. Because dating online doesn’t guarantee at all that you’re talking with someone who’s really who he or she says he is, you shouldn’t be too trustful and virtually believe everything your “date” says. It’s truly better to be safe than sorry.

Take The Time To Know The Person
Again, this is a common dating tip that you can apply to all forms of dating. Don’t let yourself be blinded by a person’s superficial beauty. For a relationship to grow and work, you have to find out if you’ve got more than sexual chemistry going on for the both of you. If you take the time to know your date, you’ll know if he or she has some secret quirks that can easily make you tick or turn you off. Now, when taking the time to know a person, I’m not saying that you should spend time with them 24/7. All it takes to know a person is to talk to your date and listen to what they have to say, rather than do the talking the whole time.

Do A Little Research
One really wonderful thing about the Internet is that you can know just about anything and everything in one sitting. You can try checking on and confirming the identity of your date through a little Internet research. You may also make sure that the dating site you’ve enlisted into have employed sufficient protection to ensure that none of their members would get easily fooled, swindled or smooth-talked into believing something false.

More dating information

The luxury of traveling with yacht charter companies

Luxury is something everyone deserves from time to time. Such an indulgence can make a vacation a truly rejuvenating experience. One of the best ways to get the luxury of the rich and famous to fit into your budget can be yours through yacht charter companies. These companies specialize in creating custom sailing vacations that redefine travel.

Planning Your Luxury Trip

With your budget in mind, it is easy to plan a chartered yacht vacation. Companies often have a fleet of sailing vessels that can accommodate parties of various sizes. You may want to make it a more intimate trip with only close family. There are charters that can be rented for as few as two people. These include either a sailboat or motorboat and can come with or without a crew and captain to sail the ship for you. If you choose not to hire a crew, you will have to show that you are knowledgeable of sailing and can handle the ship competently.

The next part of planning is to determine your starting and ending ports. This could be a place close to home and sail in one area or start and finish at two different ports. Generally, starting and stopping in the same port will save you money and is usually more convenient.

You can also fly to a destination far from home and then sail another exotic sea. There are luxury yacht charter companies that cruise the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas or around Alaska, the Panama Canal, or anyplace you can imagine.

Determining the type of cruise is another aspect of planning a chartered yachting trip. You can have as little or many crew members as the ship will hold. A captain takes all the worries out of navigating and onboard housekeeping services make it a real vacation that rivals the finest hotel services. You can also choose to have a chef and service crew as part of your vacation package.

If you like the idea of knowing what it is really like to sail, but don’t want to risk safety, you can charter a sailing cruise that puts you in the role of deck hand. A competent crew will direct you as to your “chores” for keeping the ship in top shape and on course.

Destinations & Ports of important Charter Companies

One of the greatest benefits of choosing a chartered cruise as a vacation is the choice. You will most likely have a rough itinerary and that can be affected by weather. However, you are flexible in deciding how long you want to stay in a particular port and if you want to add or subtract stops along the way.

Your yacht is your hotel that travels with you. There is only one flight and one hotel to book! Then you take all of your luggage and unpack it just once to enjoy several days of new destinations.

If you have never experienced cruising before, a chartered experience is a great way to get your feet wet. It is different from cruise lines with thousands of guests because the people on your ship will be your friends and family. The personal touches of a chartered trip will help you develop your love for the sea with all the best benefits of commercial cruises.

Berlin capitale de la vie nocturne

Le mur de Berlin, appelй йgalement le mur de la honte, fut йrigй dans la nuit du 12 au 13 aoыt 1961, dйmarquant ainsi la RFA ( Rйpublique Fйdйrale ) et la RDA (Rйpublique dйmocratique) sous le contrфle des puissances occidentales et communistes. Des milliers de personnes de la RDA ont alors tente de traverser le mur au prix de leur vie. Le Mur, sйparant physiquement la ville en « Berlin-Est » et « Berlin-Ouest », est pendant prиs de trente ans le symbole de la guerre froide et de la partition de l'Allemagne а l'issue de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Mais qu'en reste t'il aujourd'hui et comment les berlinois ont-ils relevй ce dйfi de la libertй retrouvйe?

Au niveau historique, Berlin est l'une des villes europйennes les plus anciennes ayant йtй fondйe en l'an 1200. Son nom actuel est probablement dы au mot slave berlen. Pour les touristes en nostalgie d'architecture ancienne, ne comptez pas sur Berlin. Les seuls endroits vous donnant cette chance de pouvoir ressentir son passй se trouve au Nikolaiviertel (Quartier Nicolas0, prиs de l'hфtel de ville. Le touriste averti remarquera bien vite que Berlin ne laisse pas indiffйrent de par sa discontinuitй.

C'est cette discontinuitй qui fait de Berlin une ville peu ordinaire, trиs convoitйe par les touristes et la jeunesse.

Berlin est une ville passionnante et accueillante, sans cesse en mouvement. Classique ou moderne, venez retrouver avec plaisir une architecture unique au monde. Bien que moderne, il est possible au touriste de retrouver l'histoire de la ville depuis l'an 1200 jusqu'а nos jours en traversant des quartiers particuliers, ayant notamment conservй l'architecture typique du communisme ou tout se ressemble ainsi que le style amйricano europйen.

Mais dиs la destruction du mur, le bloc est et Berlin en particulier, a vite comblй ce manque aussi bien au niveau architectural que culturel. On compte aujourd'hui dans tout le Berlin rйunifiй prиs de 150 thйвtres, 300 galeries, 180 musйes et surtout, 3 des meilleurs casinos allemands.

La rйputation des casinos berlinois n'est plus а faire, les experts en jeux de cartes ou machines а sous vous le diront. A ce niveau, Berlin se retrouve au deuxiиme rang national avec ses trois casino bien cфtйs parmi les 126 rйpartis sur le territoire.

Ainsi, si les Berlinois sont fiers de leur ville, c'est surtout en raison de ses activitйs nocturnes et de sa jeunesse que pour son passй йcorchй au cours du XXe siиcle. Le touriste arrivй la veille au soir et ayant profitez de la vie nocturne berlinoise risquerait de manquer de courage de se rendre dans les lieux suivants, et passerais alors а cфtй de beaucoup de choses.

La premiиre visite а effectuer obligatoirement est le Palais du Reichstag, considйrй comme le monument par excellence et le plus reprйsentatif de Berlin avec la Porte de Brandebourg. Le Reichstag a traverse tous les йvйnements historiques de Berlin pour n'avoir au final rempli sa fonction que pendant 40 ans.

Une fois remis de vos йmotions, promenez vous sur la Unter den Linden, avenue correspondant aux Champs Elysйes franзais s'йtendant sur 1,4km et offrant а elle seule plus d'histoire que la ville moderne puisse vous offrir. On y retrouvera avec dйlectation la Schlossbrщcke, le Zeughaus, l'йdifice du Nouveau corps de garde ainsi que le thйвtre Maxime Gorki, et le Palais am festungsgraben.

Mais Berlin c'est aussi sa cathйdrale, sa tour de tйlйvision, et l'Alexander Platz, sans oublier Friedrichstrass, Place Gendarmenmarkt : l’йglise franзaise et l’йglise allemande, Charlie Checkpoint, Topographie de la Terreur, Le musйe Juif, Potsdamer Platz, La Nouvelle Galerie nationale, Le Forum de la Culture, Le Parc de Tiergarten, La colonne de la victoire (Siegessдule), Le Jardin zoologique, L’йglise commйmorative de Guillaume Ier, Kurfьrstendamm, Les musйes de Charlottenbourg : le musйe йgyptien et la collection Berggruen, Le chвteau de Charlottenbourg, Le parc de Charlottenbourg et pour ceux ayant le temps: Les archives du Bauhaus, Le quartier Scheunenviertel : la Nouvelle Synagogue et les Hackesche Hцfe, Les musйes de Dahlem, Le musйe d’Art Contemporain de la gare de Hambourg, Le Vieux Musйe, La Maison de Brecht.

Dйouvrez йgalement tous les programmes culturels et sociaux proposйs par Berlin tout au long de l'annйe. Tous les soirs, des opйras et piиces de thйвtre sont mis en scиne de faзon somptueuse, sans oublier ses nombreux concerts.

Mais Berlin c'est aussi: dиs le mois de janvier la nuit des musйes, en fйvrier le festival du cinйma, pour continuer sur sa lancйe avec la Foire du Tourisme et biennale de Musique en mars. Pour la Pentecфte, amusez vous lors du Carnaval des cultures а Kreuzberg par la Love Parade - rendez-vous international incontournable des fans de techno en juin et le Festival des Musiques d'ailleurs au Tempodrom au mois de juillet,. Au mpois d'aoыt sur Gendarmenmarkt bougez vous au Festival international de Danse afin de vous prйparez en septembre au Marathon de Berlin et dйcouvrir l' Art Forum. Octobre, profitez de la fкte du Jazz Fest. Au niveau culturel profitez du mois de novembre avec les Journйes de la culture juive et les marchйs de Noлl de dйcembre.