Holiday s best selling consumer electronics

Shopping for the holiday season, you can never go wrong with gadgets! Here is a list of the top selling consumer electronics this holiday season.

The Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) is currently the most purchased gadget on the market. Not only can this device play games, you can also watch movies and listen to MP3's anywhere, anytime. It also comes with WiFi technology, which allows you to link up with other players or browse the internet.

While the Sony PSP may be the big seller for the year, the iPod nano is expected to takeover the holiday market. This version of iPod is the middle child, between the iPod shuffle and full version of iPod. Available in 2 GB or 4 GB models, this device can store between 500 and 1,000 songs and is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Another gotta-have gadget this holiday season is the PalmOne Treo 650. One of the newest and most advanced smartphones on the market, this is a combination between a PDA and cell phone. No more carrying around two little lifesavers; now you can have everything you need in one convenient device.

The Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513 is the latest in laptop multimedia technology. This machine combines DVD, DVR, TV, MP3, and games — oh yeah, and it is also a computer! Not only does it come with an incredible 17" monitor, but high end speakers and a remote control.

Possibly the most interesting of all of the holiday sellers is the Sling Media Slingbox. This amazing gadget is wanted by everyone and is becoming harder and harder to find. It allows you to remotely connect and view your home television from virtually any computer. You can even view recordings captured on your TiVo! For television enthusiasts, this is an ideal gift that will knock them off their feet.

Multimedia devices seem to be taking over the market. It should be no surprise, then, that the Archos Gmini 420 is high on Christmas lists this year. This miniature toy allows you to enjoy 10,000 songs, 80 hours of video or 200,000 photos. With a massive 20 GB capacity, it is astounding this machine weighs less than 6 ounces. More proof that mobility is becoming essential in all electronic equipment; this is a huge product for the holidays.

Also big in stores this season are the Sony Ericsson W800i, the Nokia N90, and the Motorola Ravr V3. Combining all the features typical of cell phones these days, these tout cameras, MP3 capabilities, and connectivity. However, they each have a unique feature, such as direct phone printing, FM radio, and a small size.

Credit card late charges and how to avoid them

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It is simply getting ridiculous the charges credit card companies are imposing on consumers who are late making payments. Yes, creditors have a legal right to do what they are doing, however ethically speaking that is certainly open to debate! Let's look at some ways you can avoid costly credit card late fees:

1. Pay your bills on time. This one is obvious. When you get your bill, open it up and pay it right away. Waiting means forgetting or hoping that your payment arrives on time.

2. Pay online. Paying via your computer is faster than mail services, but there is still some lag time from when you authorize a payment and when the payment is finally credited to your credit card account.

3. Automatic payment. If your credit card provider permits it, have them automatically deduct a set amount from your account every month. That way they'll get their funds well in advance of their due date.

4. Fight it. Just because the credit card company said that your payment was late doesn't mean that it was late. Call them up and ask them to reverse the charge -- now as high as $39 -- and to adjust their records accordingly.

Allowing credit card companies to run roughshod over you is one sure way to worsen your credit card woes. Know your rights and take action as required.

Buying a house - checking exterior wood

You need to be very careful before committing to the purchase of a house. If the house has wood and brick on the exterior, you need to consider the following issues.

Wood Issues

Wood is a beautiful material, particularly when it is used on the exterior of a home. Compared to stucco and other materials, it is a wonder wood isn’t used more often. The reason, of course, is wood simply doesn’t hold up as well as man made materials. If you are looking at a home with a heavy emphasis on exterior wood siding, trim and so on, here are some things to watch out for when evaluating the opportunity.

1. The first thing to realize is the appearance of wood has almost no relevance to the condition. A perfectly good looking piece of wood trim may be infested with termites or rotting and you will never know by just glancing at it. When inspecting wood exteriors, never trust your eyes.

2. One of the biggest issues with wood is degradation. When looking at particular areas, make absolutely sure you physically touch the wood. In fact, you are probably best off giving it a fairly good poke with a finger. In doing so, you should be looking for soft areas. Soft areas are indicative of rot in one form or another. Finding rot in one area should make you very concerned about finding rot throughout the structure. Put another way, you may want to start looking at other homes on your list.

3. Finding soft spots in wood can be troubling, but there is something worse. If you poke or squeeze a piece of wood and dust or bits fall off, run for the care. This type of degradation is often a sign of termite problems. Termite problems should be a huge red flag for any prospective home. If you buy the house, you are going to have to tent it to kill the bugs and pay to inspect and repair the damage done by the evil little bugs. In short, you are buying a minor, but expensive, nightmare.

Make no mistake, wood can be very attractive on the exterior of a home. Just make sure you don’t rely solely on a visual inspection of it when deciding on the merits of the house.

Does the american government see its citizens as its children

In Americas 230 year history the government seems to have forgotten that there job is to run the government as the people see as best and not the government telling the people what is best for them.

The most recent example is the Internet gambling Ban signed into law last week by President Bush. The bill makes it illegal for banks and credit card companies to transfer money to casinos for the purpose of wagering on sports or games of chance, like roulette, blackjack and poker.

These games are harmlessly enjoyed regularly by millions of Americans everyday, but some people become addicted to these games so the government is telling all of its citizens that no one is allowed to play these games in an online casino.

This is not the first case of the government going against the wishes of the people, in the early 1900’s the government decided that the consumption of Alcohol should be banned, because some people were developing health and mental problems related to drinking too much. So rather then educating the people on the ill effects of prolonged Alcohol abuse the American government banned Alcohol.

But instead of reducing the consumption of Alcoholic beverages it increased, and because the government was not allowing the production or importing of Alcohol, organized grime got into the moonshine business, and eventually the Government saw the error of their decision and repealed the law.

Another great example of a failed policy to protect the people is the war on drugs that the government has been aging since the early 1980’s Billions of tax dollars a year goes into the war on drugs, but what are the results?

The price of drugs has risen, and to support their habits many drug addicts have had to commit acts of robbery and murder to get their drugs.

The American prisons are packed full of people whose only crime was possession of these illegal drugs.

Instead of being an industry that is regulated and controlled you have people selling these drugs to kids in school playgrounds, and shooting each other to protect their territory.

Had the government decided not to criminalize drugs but make it a heavily controlled industry, they could use the tax money for social programs like schools ad to give Americans universal health care.

Please do not misunderstand me I am not in favor for legalizing hard drugs, but the current system is not working at all, but I am all in favor for legalizing online casino gambling.

If I choose to play some hands of blackjack or poker from the comfort of my home what rights does the government have to tell me not to, and what sense does it make that I can not play in a casino over the internet, but I can drive down the street to the local casino and play there.

To enforce this ban millions if not billions of dollars of software and computer hardware will be needed to monitor all of the banks transactions and that money will come from taxes instead of the government taxing online casinos or even having all the online casinos government controlled then they get all the profits to be used to improve the lives of the American citizens, millions of which are bellow the poverty line if not homeless.

The American government needs to start re-thinking its policy of treating its citizens like small children, or the American people need to demand a new government.

What kind of lawyer to hire in a case of medical malpractice

Though there are many factors in choosing a good attorney in a medical malpractice case, one of the trickiest is whether to choose a lawyer who works on contingency, that is, on contingency of a recover, or one who charges by work on an hourly basis.

In medical malpractice cases, people are probably most familiar with a lawyer who works on a contingency basis. As he will describe it to you, this means he doesn’t get paid unless you actually collect a judgment or settlement.

Though this is an attractive option to those strapped for cash, it should be noted that such an attorney is highly motivated to make a settlement as large as possible and may make decisions that will be in his best interest rather than yours. For instance, you’re interested in suing the doctor who failed to set your leg properly. Your contingency fee lawyer however may look at the doctor who is just out of medical school, swamped in educational debt, and who owns about 0% of the practice and wonder what’s really in it for him.

What happens next, is the lawyer starts asking about the accident. So you slipped on the banana peel in the parking lot of the major deep-pocketed superstore? Well, why didn’t you say so!

And the next thing you know, you’re suing a multi-national corporation for millions of dollars of which your lawyer is taking a “customary” 90 percent.

These are the lawyers you’ll find advertised on TV and in your local yellow pages, usually on the back cover, and in full-page, full-color ads on the inside. They’re generously lathered with sympathetic platitudes about your pain and suffering and how they only want to “help.”

A simple word of advice here is that if you can only afford to sue on a contingency basis, call around and find a lawyer who will do it for less than half of the settlement or judgment. This is more than reasonable and should help you weed out the real parasites. Also make sure that the attorney in question doesn’t express an interest in going after parties other than the one that caused you grief. Remember, it was the doctor who set your leg improperly, which led to complications, which led to surgery, etc.

Ideally, and if you can afford it, it is definitely best to hire your malpractice attorney the same way you’d hire an attorney on any other basis, and that’s hourly. Yes, this runs into quite a bit of cash at first, but you’ll have to keep the lawyer on less of a leash, and you’ll be able to trust his advice a little more easily as you won’t constantly be wondering if his advice is in your best interest or his.

Overall, a hourly-paid lawyer is probably going to be more trustworthy than his contingency-fee counterpart (though that doesn’t mean you don’t look over those billing records with the proverbial fine toothed comb!) and you’re less likely to be dragged into quixotic legal forays with a cash-hungry shyster.

On the other hand, if it’s the only affordable solution, shop around for a contingency-fee lawyer, making sure the one you choose is taking less than 50 percent and is willing to focus on the party that actually caused you the pain and suffering, not an oblivious third party with deep pockets. Under these conditions, you should do fine.

Misinterpreting the middle east crisis as an apocalypse

Why is it that some Christian congregations can rejoice at the recent bloodshed of innocent lives in the Middle East? It’s unthinkable that people, totally misusing the Bible and the Book of Revelation, can be that crass and bloodthirsty. The same could be said as people chose to interpret Hurricane Katrina’s effect on New Orleans as God’s divine punishment for the hundreds of sinful residents of that evil city. I’ve heard similar accounts about public congregational prayers of gratitude to God for allowing an earthquake to kill thousands of “infidel” Pakistanis.

These examples illustrate some people’s desire to find simple answers to complex issues coupled with an erroneous conception of the Bible. We all want simple answers to our questions. We want to be able to sort things out in ways that are meaningful to us. However, most of us know that – however wonderful that would be – it simply isn’t in the cards. Complex issues usually require complex solutions. However, when the Bible gets involved or invoked, the issue gets a little thornier.

This un-Christ-like behavior is a phenomenon that comes from believing in the Bible literally. This literalism leads to bibliolatry – an idolization of the Bible.

Although using the Bible literally is very unbiblical, it is not new. It is one of the major bones of contention between priests and prophets in the Old Testament, between Jesus and the priestly class in the New Testament, and between Jewish Jesus groups, including Gnostics, and the Hellenistic Christ Congregations in the development of the early Church and selection of the Books of the Bible.

Biblical literalists seem to believe that Abraham (a Bronze Age nomad – c. 1700 BCE), King David (an early Iron-Age mid-eastern monarch – c. 950 BCE), the Apostle Paul (a first century educated Roman citizen and a devout Jewish Pharisee), and they (as twenty-first century Americans) view faith in God in exactly the same way. For these biblical literalists faith is faith is faith. What Abraham believed and how he expressed his belief, is what David believed and practiced, and what Paul believed and practiced. Consequently, that is what they think they believe and practice today. People who believe this way simply do not understand the Bible.

It seems to me the Bible tells the rather straightforward story of the constant tension between people’s desire for an explicit, prescribed set of approved behaviors that we understand and think God will bless, and God’s (Spirit’s) actual issuance of “fuzzy” moral guidelines.

Some examples of these fuzzy guidelines:

Micah: “What does Yahweh require of you? To do justice, and to love righteousness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mic 6:8)

Jesus: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But who is my neighbor? Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The point? God loves the hated Samaritan who helps someone in need.

We don’t like “fuzzy” guidelines or suggestions. We want specifics that are true all the time and under all circumstances. We want assurances – guarantees. We want teachers to tell us if we do A, B, and C we’ll get a “gold star.” We want to know specifically what God wants. We like explanations to be explicit, cut and dried, and predictable. We like a religion that reassures us we’re on the winning side. And that’s not fuzzy.

In the Old Testament this tension between the explicit and the fuzzy bubbled to the surface early: The covenant with God was given its first shape under Moses during the Exodus. This was followed by the continuing struggle between the ever organizing Old Testament priesthood and the prophets. Priests talked about how rites, rituals, and the Law (Torah) must be kept to ensure God’s blessing. All the major prophets railed against these ideas – that it was love, justice, and humility that God wanted, not obedience to elaborate rite and ritual.

In the New Testament it took only about 150 years for Jesus’ transformational “fuzzy” message of the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Spirit) – which exists within you in the Eternal Now – to be institutionalized by various Jesus groups as a newer form of Judaism and by Paul as a message that the Kingdom incorporated both Jews and non-Jews. Then the Jesus groups dissolved and Paul’s message was overcome with his attempts to reinvent Israel’s scriptural history.

For 14 years Paul experienced the freedom of Jesus’ Kingdom of Heaven in the Damascus/Antioch Christ congregations. It was exhilarating, life-changing, transforming. He began to understand that these Christ congregations, which he once loathed because they undercut his beloved Pharisaic Judaism, had stumbled on to something truly revolutionary: God’s love and presence was not reserved for Jews alone but included all of mankind and was here and now. Nevertheless, he was a Pharisee. He knew the Law (Torah) as well as accepted oral interpretations (the embryonic Midrash) and he just couldn’t let that go. So he became preoccupied with integrating his personal transformation with his knowledge of the Law. He verbalized his sense of this new reality in terms of redefining Israel’s history and thus the meaning of the Law.

As Paul tried to rationally justify his insight, he began moving from the Christ of faith to the Christ of theology. Later biblical writers and early Church fathers began picking up on Paul’s discussion of correct behavior and newly-stated scriptural history. They continued to expand them, getting further and further away from Paul’s Gospel of Freedom. Finally, early church fathers picked up on the Christ of theology and continued the construction of an elaborate, unified dogma. So now the words of Jesus had morphed into the doctrines of Salvation, Christology, Trinity, Original Sin, Atonement, Incarnation, and Apostolic Succession.

Lost was the sense of freedom that had so influenced Paul. Within 150 years of Jesus’ death, the fuzzy had been replaced once again with the explicit.

Contemporary biblical literalists are using the words of the Bible in much the same way as the Old Testament priesthood used the temple rites and rituals. If you listen closely, it is no longer faith in Jesus or in God’s love that matters and transforms lives. There seems to be only two things that matter. First, what matters is the belief in the very words of scripture that one must have faith in, must obey, and must follow. Secondly, what matters is the theology you espouse – a theology that was extrapolated over 300 years immediately following Jesus’ crucifixion. The theology you espouse and faith in the scriptures – that is what makes you a Christian. That is what will “save” you.

Since Christians who know the Bible literally believe that faith is faith is faith – no accounting for linguistic or historical context – they are in a position whereby any scriptural reference can be used – literally – to support any preferred position, including an interpretation of the Book of Revelation that allows them to rejoice in the horror of war in the Mideast. What the biblical literalists do not understand is that to use the Bible in this way puts them at odds with the very prophets they claim to cite, just as the blind use of rite and ritual put the Priestly Class at odds with these same prophets.

I believe many of these Christians not only believe the Bible literally, but have made the Bible an idol – treating the very words of the Bible in the same manner Israel’s priestly class treated the temple rites and rituals in the Old Testament. For Israel’s priests the temple rites were holy, sacred, almost magic-like, to be believed without question, and were absolutely necessary for God’s blessing. If we substitute “words of the Bible” for “temple rites and rituals,” we are describing many of today’s fundamental and evangelical Christians.

The prophets railed against this simplistic idea of what it is that pleases God. Jesus, for example, in telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, railed against this simplistic idea of what it is that pleases God. Paul would turn over in his grave if he knew the early Church was using his temporary lists of behavioral do’s and don’ts as Pharisaical litmus tests for Christian behavior. Paul would have railed against that simplistic idea.

There has always been a tension between the faith, itself, and our attempt to communicate it in a rational language at a given historical period. An authoritarian religious system, either of the Roman Catholic type – with papal bulls & edicts – or fundamentalist/evangelical type – referencing the Bible literally – so confuses the authority of the Church, the Bible, the creeds, and the faith of the people that the tension between God, as we understand God, and our human understanding is removed. Without that tension the doors are opened to idolatry—in this case a blind worship of the Bible itself—which Webster’s defines as bibliolatry.

Righteousness and faith are not equivalent to some form of absolute belief about what’s in the Bible or the New Testament. To believe something literally happened, just because it’s in the Bible, is not the mark of a true Christian. Biblical literalism does not equate to faithfulness.

We can use the Bible and other Spirit-filled writings just like the earliest of Christians used their Scriptures and other material to try to understand their personal transformations. Generations of others have experienced a spiritual awakening before we’ve come along. Those experiences of theirs included grappling with the difficulty of recognizing the spiritual awakening when it happened, as well as the difficulty in verbalizing it after it had been recognized. Just as the initial Christians used their Scriptures and other writings to help them, we can do the same. That’s the timeless value of scripture. Transformed, we begin to focus on the miracles we now see in our own lives, using scripture to help us find the words to communicate those events.

The key words are “our own.”

But if our sense of personal transformation has not developed, then we’ll be operating from an understanding that’s very similar to the children’s ditty, “Jesus Loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” If we cannot see Spirit’s or God’s wonders in our own lives, then we’ll resort to looking for those wonders elsewhere. It becomes very easy then to say, “Well, we’re not sure how God has touched our lives, but we sure believe He touched Paul’s life. Maybe if we believe that strongly enough, we’ll get to Heaven.” Then, in no time we’ll be saying, “Well, we cannot really see how God is working miracles in our own lives, but He sure zapped New Orleans! Praise God! At least He’s still out there and alive. Hallelujah!”

Paul felt free enough to restate the accepted narrative of Israel’s history as he wrestled to explain an answer to the question: “Who was Jesus and why did he die?” If Paul felt confident enough to reconstruct his scriptural heritage, we should have the courage to fully understand, then strip away, the cultural trappings of biblical writers so that we can use the Bible for spiritual guidance rather than as a literal religious instruction manual.

The day i was nearly defrauded on ebay

I have been reading lately about many cases of people, who are the victims of conmen on the internet auction website Ebay. I myself had a negative experience a number of years ago when a man tried to steal Ј170 from me. I was one of the lucky ones as I managed to get the money back.

I had been having lots of fun buying and selling on Ebay for a number of months, without any problems at all. I regularly sold second hand mobile phones and was making a fair amount of money for very little effort. If I ever bought anything that cost over Ј100, I would always meet the seller somewhere, normally just off the motorway. I managed to purchase what I felt were some real bargains and also sold off many items which I no longer needed or wanted.

This fun and easy way of earning cash was soon to come to an end. Maybe I am a bit of a fool, but it came as quite a shock when it happened.

On one particular day, I was scouring ebay, looking to purchase another second hand mobile phone, which I would then re-sell, hopefully for a profit. I eventually found an advert for a buy it now phone, with the asking price low but not extremely low. It was available for only Ј170, I believed I could quite easily make a profit of at least Ј50 at this price.

On the advert there was a mobile number, which I could phone if I had any questions. I duly did this and a man calling himself Tony answered. I asked him the general type questions, which he was happy to answer. He sounded and seemed really nice, however stated that he was unable to meet me as he was unable to drive, as he had yet to pass his driving test. The alarm bells should have started ringing, but for whatever reason, they didn't.

As his house was a long way from where I lived, I reluctantly agreed to pay via a bank transfer. He assured me he would post the phone that very day via Royal Mail Special Delivery to arrive by noon the next day. He seemed very genuine, they always do your thinking and that was that.

As you will no doubt have guessed, no phone arrived the next day or in fact any day.

I tried contacting Tony via e-mail, text and by phoning his mobile phone, there was no reply.

I realised what a fool I had been, however decided to go to the police. They were very helpful and about half an hour later I had a crime number, however was warned that it was very unlikely I would ever see a phone or receive a refund of my money. The police advised me to be very careful as they regularly have complaints from people who have been defrauded on ebay, I was not alone!

Outside the police station I sent Tony a text with the police crime number. To my shock he phoned me straight away swearing at me but eventually agreed to refund me the money, if I stopped the police action against him.

I was very lucky, I am sure many other people as the police stated, never get their money back.

Advice on asbestos disposal

Did William Daniel have proper advice on asbestos disposal? This resident of Ohio was fined $22,600, ordered to perform 208 hours of community service and was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment on 21 Feb 2002 for violating the Clean Air Act. Daniel had improperly disposed 469 bags of asbestos waste thereby causing a grave danger to public health.

Condition of Asbestos is a Major Factor in its Disposal:

Depending on condition, we can divide asbestos into two major groups.

Friable – that which can crumble by hand pressure such as insulation

Non-friable – that which will not crumble under hand pressure such as asbestos sheets in good condition.

If the asbestos is in a non-friable condition, we can leave it as it is. Safety will further improve by painting the surface and edges with a sealing paint that will not allow fibers to escape. Smoothening the edges or surface will release fibers and is dangerous. Friable asbestos has significant risk of breaking up during handling and needs special care. You should seek adequate advice on asbestos disposal before disposing this dangerous contaminant.

General Advice on Asbestos Disposal:

If you are unsure whether your appliance contains asbestos, it is best to contact the manufacturer directly and ask. Giving the model and year of manufacture would help. Ask for specialist advice on asbestos disposal if your appliances contain asbestos. You can use the yellow pages to locate manufacturers and people offering asbestos disposal services and advice.

Disposing small quantities of household asbestos is straight forward, but if quantities are large then consult professional disposal agents. They will observe all laws and will dispose the asbestos in authorized sites only.

The key element of the disposal process lies in ensuring that fibers do not separate and fly into the air. Towards this end, experts advise that we dispose asbestos on a humid and a calm day and reduce the numbers of people involved to the bare minimum. Any dismantling of structures would provide opportunity for the fiber to separate and fly. While dismantling, keep the asbestos sheet wet with soap water to reduce dust and fiber.

After separating the asbestos, you should pack it in heavy gauge plastic sheets. Smaller pieces can be stored in two layers of polythene bags. Any residual dust or small pieces can be picked up using a wet cloth and stored in double plastic packets. You should use similar disposal method for clothes used in the asbestos removal process.

As we said above, so long as we observe common sense precautions in accordance with advice on asbestos disposal and ensure that fibers do not contaminate surroundings and the quantities involved are small, there is no danger of running foul of the Law. However, it is essential that we are aware of the “Clean Air Act” and similar laws before disposing of large quantities of asbestos. William Daniel may have served out his sentence, but the next judge may well be stricter.

Microsoft dynamics crm v3.0 customer relationship management

Customer Relationship Management software effectively implemented, provides business owners and management with an extremely powerful tool for bringing the front-office functions of sales, marketing and customer support together and working far more effectively as a combined team.

Many businesses think wrongly that a CRM solution is only for enterprise class concerns with large check books when in fact software providers such as Microsoft offer scaleable versions for all company sizes. Microsoft Dynamics Software has evolved from their enterprise class Great Plains software however versions have been developed and aimed specifically at the small and mid-range business market.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM v3.0 allows businesses to respond to the growing challenges in the modern business environment by bringing client and prospect information into a central repository, organizing the information and allowing users throughout the business to access the data when they need it. Microsoft Dynamics CRM v3.0 delivers the ability to manage the customer relationship throughout the entire sales cycle from initial enquiry in response to a marketing or sales campaign, through to pre-sales meetings, the actual sale and post sale issues such as delivery and repeat ordering.

Microsoft Dynamics software empowers every decision maker in your business to satisfy customer demands by providing the most up-to-date and accurate client information they need when they need it and ensure that the history of the relationship is encapsulated for all to share. Decision makers in this context need not necessarily be management but a customer service representative with a customer on the telephone asking about an order or information on your other products. All staff in contact with prospects and customers will be able to see at a glance what is happening with a particular account and in customer relations, knowledge is power. Customer relationship software provides everyone in your business with the ability to demonstrate an outstanding level of customer service not possible by traditional reporting methods.

The ability to integrate a customer relationship software solution with existing applications already employed by your business allows for the transfer of information between your word processor and spreadsheet applications and the CRM. Microsoft CRM software has been specifically designed with Microsoft Outlook and Office in mind, and allows a seamless user experience. Mobile workers reliant upon email are able to access Microsoft Dynamics CRM v3.0 via their Outlook client, while marketing and sales campaigns can use data imported from the Dynamics Suite directly into Microsoft Word and Excel applications for marketing campaigns and mail shots.

If your business has several office and site locations, it is still possible to implement a customer relationship software solution across the whole company. Microsoft Dynamics v3.0 is well adapted to be delivered to remote locations via Microsoft Terminal Services, Citrix and other “thin client” solutions. An example is where a business has a central warehousing facility in Detroit with sales offices in New York, San Francisco and Chicago and they all are able to utilise the customer relationship software solution almost in real-time.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM v3.0 benefits your business by saving time and costs, minimizing non-productive activity while maximizing sales revenue by ensuring that sales leads are followed up and do not get lost or “fall between the cracks”, while customer retention is improved by enhancing customer relations and service.

Identity theft and the internet how not to be a victim

Identity theft is a growing problem that has reached worldwide, astronomical proportions. Internet identity theft is on the rise and can have a huge, detrimental affect on your life by destroying your credit score and even leaving you open to criminal charges for crimes that are committed in your name.

When someone else assumes your identity for illegal or otherwise unsavoury purposes, this is known as identity fraud and is growing at a frighteningly rapid rate throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

These unscrupulous characters make a living by stealing your identity and impersonating you to commit crimes such as bank fraud, credit card fraud, mail fraud and more. Criminals abound in this lucrative field and they are quite skilled at rapidly conducting a myriad of illegal operations once they assume another person's identity. Not just a local crime, instances of Internet identity theft have been linked to organized crime and drug trafficking as well as pornography, money laundering and alien smuggling.

The Internet, while providing an efficient and easy to use marketplace for users, is also a domain that is fraught with identity theft opportunity. However, recognizing and protecting yourself from identity fraud is possible. If you use due diligence when conducting business over the Internet, you will be able to give your identity a blanket of protection, thus saving a great deal of heartache and headaches later.

In order to ensure safety in your Internet transactions, you should adhere to the following:

- Always use the same "stored-value" card for all Internet transactions. Stored value cards are ones that are issued by your financial Institution with specified dollar limits.

- Establish an account with an Online Payment Service whose primary service is geared to protecting their clients' financial transactions over the Internet.

- Use a browser that has built in encryption capabilities, which will scramble any sensitive information transmitted via the Web. If the URL address begins with "https" and you see a small "lock" icon in the status window, chances are your browser is equipped with the latest technology to protect your personal or financial information.

- Strive to conduct business with sites that have been authenticated with digital certificates. Click on the authentication logo to ensure you are on a legitimate, protected site before you provide any sensitive information.

- Read the "privacy policy" of the web page you have accessed to ensure that your personal and financially sensitive information will not ever be released to third parties. Sites that have been verified as safe will usually prominently post the logo of the company they have hired to ensure that they have adhered to industry standards for consumer protection.

- Never disclose passwords or your identification information unless you are positive of with whom you are dealing. Legitimate Internet Service Providers will never solicit this information from you via e-mail, so you should promptly report any correspondence of this nature to the original site owner and then delete the mail. Never, click on a URL contained in this type of e-mail, as this is just a scam artist's way of accessing your private information -- commonly referred to as pshishing.

- Maintain records of all Internet transactions and routinely check your credit card statements for accuracy.

- Most legitimate online merchants will provide confirmation e-mail once you place your order. Be wary of those that do not offer this service.

Technological advances provide more and more protection to Internet shoppers; however, as quickly as the innovations are put into place, there are criminal elements that are diligently working to thwart these efforts.

When dealing with merchants on the Internet, you must practice common sense and be security conscious. Should you fall victim to Internet identity theft, you must take action to protect your self immediately.

As soon as you suspect your identity has been compromised through Internet identity theft, contact the service provider. Next, get in touch with your credit card issuer and immediately close your account. Your credit card company will be only too happy to issue you new cards with a different account number. Ensure that your old account contain the notation "closed at consumer's request" so that there will be no harmful consequences to your credit score. Follow up all verbal communication with your credit card company in writing so you have a hard copy record of the transaction.

Next, call all of the three credit reporting agencies to report the fraudulent activity. Request that they review your records to make sure no additional credit cards have been opened in your name without your authorization. Ask that all your accounts be flagged with "fraud alert", so that no accounts can be opened in your name in future without your express permission. Provide the reporting agency with all your contact information, including phone number, so that you can be readily reached should your account show any ongoing, problematic activity.

All this may sound a bit like "over-kill", however Internet identity theft is a thriving underworld activity and your life will change dramatically for the worse if you fall victim to it's evil hold. Therefore, protecting yourself ahead of time in order to avoid Internet identity theft is a smart, sensible move. As the old adage goes: there’s no sense locking the barn door after the horse gets out.

Two keys to surviving a breakup resources and support

Relationships are easy to enter, hard to maintain, and painful to leave. The first blush of interest and attraction fuels the passion that ultimately leads to commitment. In the midst of a relationship, all sorts of things can go wrong, from the failure to communicate or taking the other person for granted, to infidelity or abuse. The breakup is heart wrenching for both people, regardless of who initiated the break up and even when there is good reason to split. That's why, whether you're on the verge of breaking up, in the throes of separation, or recovering from heartbreak, it's important to spend the time necessary to heal. The best thing you can do to help this process along involves finding the right support and resources.

Books are Wonderful Resources

Whether your goal is to mend a broken heart, win an ex back and get back together, or to simply move on with your life, you can be sure that others have traveled the same path. Because a breakup can make you feel lost, it's extremely helpful to rely on the advice and experiences of others to put you on the path to healing.

For example, if your boyfriend (or girlfriend) left you - and played the blame game in the process - it's natural to feel unlovable and at fault. Yet, if you look at the situation from the perspective that he or she left because of his or her own dysfunctional psychological issues, you can more clearly see that it's really not about you, and you can more freely move on with your life.

On the other hand, perhaps you contributed to the break up of the relationship. Perhaps you didn't express your appreciation and gratitude often enough, or maybe you didn't give your relationship the priority it deserved. It could be that, instead of tending to your relationship garden, both of you were busy doing other things while the weeds took over. If your heart tells you that your relationship is worth fighting for (not fighting over!), a book can help you navigate the waters of getting back together.

Support is Essential

Few breakups happen overnight, so getting the support you need throughout the process is essential. When it comes to breaking up, help yourself by expressing your feelings and reaching out to others. Writing about your feelings, asking others to listen to you vent, seeking out advice, and reading about the experiences of others are all tools that can help you mourn your loss, regain your sense of self, and move on with your life.

Online Support and Resources

A breakup is one of life's most momentous events, but the people who are closest to you are often not very objective. After all, they may have their own agendas in pushing you toward one course of action or away from another, or perhaps they care too much to cause you any further pain.

When you go online, though, you can find sites that provide both a wealth of downloadable books and support-oriented discussion boards. Instant access to books can be a lifesaver, and discussing your situation and reading about those of others can give you the one-day-at-a-time approach that will see you though every stage of the breakup process. The best sites even have breakup blogs, where you can journal your thoughts and feelings, and can read others' stories.

A breakup is extremely difficult, but you don't have to go it alone. Whether your goal is to mend a broken heart or get back together, find the online support and resources you need.

Does your child need a math tutor

Many students find math a challenging subject, and hiring math tutors can provide a great solution for trouble in the classroom. Difficulty with math is a widespread problem, particularly with the strong emphasis on testing for students in all grades. High stakes tests can create anxiety, especially for math students, and many students need outside help in order to gain confidence and adequately absorb the material. Tutors can access learning problems and devise a personalized instructional program.

Math tutors offer an opportunity for students to receive individualized instruction. Every student has different needs and no two pupils have the same learning style, but a large classroom setting can't always accommodate the individual student. Some otherwise strong students may need a tutor to get them over a difficult hump or to help them with a specific area, whereas other students can require on-going assistance with their math studies.

It is important to choose the right math tutors. Like a personal trainer, the tutor needs to be matched to the individual. The idea is to increase the student's confidence, reduce math anxiety and shore up skills. It is important to find a supportive tutor who can adjust his or her teaching style to the student.

Math tutors can be located by asking for personal recommendations from other families that have utilized tutors. The student's school may also have a list of tutors that they recommend. Local colleges often have job boards and lists of available tutors. Often, a graduate student or college math major may be the perfect choice for a high school age student. Retired teachers or teachers working part time while raising children may offer tutoring. There are also local and national tutoring firms that will match your student with a staff tutor.

It is important that the math tutor has professional training and expertise in the specific subject matter and grade level that the student needs to master. The math tutor's job is to teach key concepts and problem solving strategies. For young children simply helping with homework may be adequate, but in most cases you are looking for a tutor that can help the student approach problems in a new way so that they can master concepts they have been struggling with in the classroom. The tutor needs to construct a learning plan and adjust it as needed until the student can demonstrate mastery.

Math tutors need to help students with test taking, study skills and self-confidence. The tutor will provide a structure so the student gets the practice that math requires and develops a productive work routine. The tutor needs to bring math alive and make the experience as much fun as possible. Tutoring time should be viewed as positive and supportive. The tutor needs to be a good communicator that makes sure the student feels comfortable asking questions. The tutor needs to provide a balance between offering achievable goals that build confidence and challenging the student to take on increasing difficult material.

Quick cash through payday loans

The worst thing about growing up is that you have to pay bills. Electricity bills, phone bills, grocery bills -- these are just a few of the scores of expenses that have to be taken care of. So much responsibility gets thrust upon us the moment that we start working. The care-free days of childhood are far away as duty and expenses start closing in on us. Moreover, financial crises strike even the most budget-minded of us. We cannot dwell in a state of bliss thinking that we shall never face a cash crunch. That would simply be a case of wishful thinking. Most salaried individuals face cash crunches just when they least expect them. Then it becomes worrisome to actually go out and find a way to get through the monetary crisis.

However, the salaried individuals of today need not worry too much about their money problems. Whenever there is some kind of a deficit, they can always apply for a same day cash loan. Also known as payday loans, loans of this kind cater to people who are employed full-time. This mode of personal finance allows people to avail of quick money as and when the situation arises. The documentation requirements of loans like this are low. So there is no long drawn procedure. You could secure the loan on the very day that you apply for it.

Typically, payday loans are of low amounts and they are given for a short duration. Most often, the borrower has to pay it back as soon as payday comes around. The rationale behind this kind of a loan is that in case of a shortfall of cash mid-month, the salaried individual will have quick access to cash to help him tide over emergencies and the expenses that these situations bring with them.

Yes, the interest rates are significantly higher for a payday loan. However, this is big business these days. Loan providers are falling all over themselves to help salaried people manage urgent expenses. These could be in the form of medical bills, or school fees. The inability to pay them off can lead to a great deal of stress. Loan providers are doing their bit to help people at such times.

Of course, the option of payday loans seems to be closed to people who are not full-time employees. Self-employed people, in general, are neglected. However, payday loans do much to better the lot of those that are not. We are indeed lucky to have these facilities.

Adjustable rate mortgage

The adjustable rate mortgage is a type of loan which will be secured on a home which has an interest rate and monthly payment that will vary. The adjustable rate will transfer a portion of the interest rate from the creditor to the homeowner. The adjustable rate mortgage will often be used in situations where fixed rate loans are hard to acquire. While the borrower will be at an advantage if the interest rate falls, they will be at a disadvantage if it rises. In places like the United Kingdom, this is a very common type of mortgage, while it is not popular in other countries.

The adjustable rate mortgage is excellent for homeowners who only plan to live in their homes for about three years. The interest rate will typically be low for the first three to seven years, but will begin to fluctuate after this time. Like other mortgage options, this loan allows the homeowner to pay on the principle early, and they don't have to worry about penalties. When payments are made on the principle, it will help lower the total amount of the loan, and will reduce the time that is necessary to pay it off. Many homeowners choose to pay off the entire loan once the interest rate drops to a very low level, and this is called refinancing.

One of the disadvantages to adjustable rate mortgages is that they are often sold to people who are not experienced in dealing with them. These individuals will not pay back the loans within three to seven years, and will be subjected to fluctuating interest rates, which often rise substantially. In the US, some of these cases are tried as predatory loans. There are a number of things consumers can do to protect themselves from rising interest rates. A maximum interest rate cap can be set which will only allow interest rates to rise at a specific amount each year, or the interest rate can be locked in for a specific period of time. This will give the homeowner time to increase their income so that they can make larger payments on the principle.

The primary advantage of this loan is that it lowers the cost of borrowing money for the first few years. Homeowners will save money on monthly payments, and it is excellent for those who plan on moving into a new home within the first seven years. However, there are risks to this type of mortgage that must be understood. If the owner has problems making payments, or runs into a financial emergency, the rates will eventually rise, and the owner who cannot make payments may lose their home.

One term that you will hear lenders talking about is caps. The cap can be defined as a clause that will set the highest change possible for the interest rate of the loan. Homeowners can set up a cap on their mortgage, but they will need to make a request from the lender, as the cap may not be present on the rate sheets that are presented.

A bridesmaid gift for your best friend

‘Will you be my bridesmaid’? The all-important question you may ask your best friend or even your sister, who you want to be your bridesmaid or maid or honor. You would want the important person in your life to be there for you and be a part of your most memorable day. It is a special moment when you are surrounded by your loved ones, taking care of you before the wedding and during.

How would you show your love and affection to this special person and how will you show your gratitude to her, for being there with you through all those childhood years and being there for you and standing there with you on your wedding day. That’s how the tradition of bridesmaid gifts came into being. Apart from the maid of honor, there are other bridesmaids too that you would want to thank for by giving bridesmaid gifts.

Preparing for your wedding is an tedious task for these bridesmaids, especially the maid of honor who has a lot of preparing to do. A bridesmaid gift given with love will make all the difference and makes them feel appreciated.

There are several things that can be given as bridesmaid gifts. Usually all bridesmaids are given the same bridesmaid gifts, except for the maid of honor, who gets a special gift for her extra effort. You can also buy a different gift for each one of them or buy the same gift with different colors etc. These days you can even get something personalized made for each one of them. You can give them necklaces and earrings as bridesmaid gifts, for them to wear with their bridesmaid dresses. You can even individually see that you meet their personal tastes. A good wine box along with a bottle of her favorite vintage wine is a great bridesmaid gift. There are toiletry bags to take care of beauty supplies. You can buy a good one with a mirror and enough space to put all toiletries. How about pearl necklaces if you are wearing pearls too, so that all of you look synchronized together and they get a beautiful gift of a lifetime too.

There are several things you could give as bridesmaid gifts, bath robes, make up kits, gift pouches, chains, perfumes, and anything at all that you would give as a gift on any special occasion. Only thing is, you will need to keep each ones personality in mind while buying bridesmaid gifts. Don’t buy things you cannot afford. Be within your budget and buy something that you know they would love. It is the thought that matters, that you care for them. Whatever you buy as the bridesmaids gifts, make sure to get something more expensive or an extra gift for your maid of honor.

By giving bridesmaid gifts, the bride is thanking them for their effort in putting her wedding together. Bridesmaid gifts are a token of appreciation and love. Don’t forget the thank you note. A beautiful bridesmaid gift along with a thank you note does wonders for a long lasting friendship.

Developing a growing business

Many people crave to develop a growing business. Unfortunately, few people can

actually develop one successfully. You see, many people, just like you, start off

but get distracted by not being able to have a vehicle for success.

I'd suggest that you look at some of the leverage factors for the internet.

Leverage Factor #1 - A successful business model.

If you have not built your own business model, you should adopt one from someone

else. For instance, marketing using network marketing, affiliate marketing and so on

are useful, but you need to have a program that allows you to derive multiple

streams of income all at one go.

If you don't already have a business online, or are just interested in looking for

someone to provide you one, you might want to explore this one at

MySuccessCollection. com.

Leverage Factor #2 - Learning and expertise.

To build a bigger base, you definitely need to increase your knowledge. With the

right kind of knowledge, you will find that you become more credible and people get

attracted to you directly. If you had a database of thousands of hours of a learning

library, I think you'd skew the chances to your favor, don't you think? I've

discovered that it's the learner with the right attitude who actually is able to

master the skills necessary to grow the business.

Leverage Factor #3 - Teams and collective effort.

Let's face it - nobody really succeeds on their own. There's really no such thing as

a self-made millionaire - only a team-made one. IF you want to leverage, you have to

find not just the team, but the way to build the team up effectively. I suppose you

might want to be a leader as well, and that takes #2 - your learning. Over time, an

effective and growing business could be in your hands.

To find out more about this opportunity and gain access to mentoring to excellence,

please visit MySuccessCollection. com/stuartmastermind/

Vitamins to supplement or not to supplement

Over half of Americans today take a multivitamin of some kind, believing that it will help them to stave off chronic disease and health deficiencies – but health experts are in disagreement over the necessity of these supplements. Some doctors and nutritionists feel that a multivitamin a day is absolutely critical to a healthy body, while others point out that with a proper diet and exercise vitamin supplementation may be simply redundant.

Some people even take multivitamins or other supplements as a way of replacing the need for a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, or before engaging in damaging behavior such as binge drinking or recreational drug use.

Health experts are largely in disagreement on the subject of vitamin supplements, but on this area they agree – a multivitamin does not obviate the human requirement for a healthy diet. In contrast, many health experts believe that a healthy diet renders vitamin supplements unnecessary, but none suggest that vitamins alone reduce the need for healthy eating.

Some individuals claim that a proper vitamin supplementation regimen can resolve problems ranging from digestive issues to irregular heartbeats, but there are still insufficient clinical studies to conclusively indicate whether a multivitamin is beneficial to most healthy adults.

Ironically, those who use multivitamins the most are generally healthier, more active, and more conscious about their diets than those who choose not to use vitamin supplementation at all. As such, those who would likely see the greatest benefit generally avoid using a vitamin supplement at all.

The major issue that most health professionals have with readily available mass produced multivitamin supplements is their “one size fits all” approach – without individualized testing and custom design for a vitamin supplement program to suit the individual, even when taking a multivitamin there may be a serious surplus of one element despite a significant deficiency of another.

Since people of different age groups, body types, and activity levels all require different types of supplements, it is advisable to get full testing done in order to determine what vitamins really are necessary rather than simply purchasing an over the counter multivitamin tablet.

Shifting to a cheaper insurance

If saving money is your aim, there are many ways to do that. If you are currently in the process of repaying a number of loans, you could merge them together by availing of a debt consolidation loan. This would significantly reduce your debt burden. Moreover, it would make it easier for you to keep a track of your money as you would then be dealing with a single loan provider as against several of them. In fact, if you are smart about your debt consolidation loan, you could end up saving a lot of money by way of interest.

The same holds true for insurance as well. Whether you are talking about something as basic as home insurance or something relatively new like travel insurance, there is bound to be a deal that is significantly cheaper. Thus, before you make your final decision regarding the insurance plan that you would like to avail of, make sure that you scour the markets for the best bargains. These are all long term, recurring costs. No matter how small they might be individually, they do add up eventually. The best way in which you can save on insurance costs is by finding an insurance plan that is cheap and reliable.

For instance, if you are searching for car insurance, you should look out for a plan that will suit not just your budget but also your vehicle. If you find that you are paying a little too much on your car insurance, do not make the mistake of keeping on renewing the same. There is great competition in the insurance markets. Thus, if you were about to make a shift from your current insurance, you would be the one to gain. This is certainly not as difficult as one might think it is.

Ideally, one should shift within a month from the time when the insurance sends in the renewal notice. Shifting at this time would mean that the customer would not have to pay any fee or penalty. However, one should ensure that there is no period during which one is not covered by the insurance. Thus, one should first apply for the new insurance, get it, and only then decide to do away with the services of the earlier insurance provider. Make sure you research the insurance markets thoroughly before changing your insurance provider. You could just search on the Internet and you could soon be inundated with a score of insurance policies to suit your budget and needs.

Finding work at home jobs for moms should be simple

Moms already have a full time job trying to raise children. It is difficult for moms to find the time to be able to work. They are faced with an additional challenge as well because money is usually tighter due to the fact that they are trying to stay home to take care of the kids. Fortunately, there are numberous companies that offer computer work for stay at home moms.

When children are asleep or otherwise entertained, moms can make use of their time by performing work on their computer. There are many websites online that are sharing ideas for moms that are trying to work from home.

There are legitimate opportunities such as data entry or part time work for several companies. Although there are some existing companies that require no training, many positions require at least a little training. If you need specialized training, there is usually a chance to get this training for little cost if not for free.

There are certain types of training that you will not be able to get for free. Some training, such as medical transcription training, require a certificate before you can perform the work. You should check to see if there are any requirements before offering to perform certain duties.

The easiest work for stay at home moms to do is data entry. However, you should consider that companies in need of data entry may be hesitant to have strangers enter names and addresses into a computer. Therefore, you should try to get your name out there as much as possible and make companies in your community aware that you are looking for this type of work. Moms should notify members of the community, local businesses and as many other people as possible. This will increase their chances of finding work.

Prosperity step-by-step

Some may think that the change from paucity or ‘the norm’ to abundant prosperity is a mysterious and miraculous leap brought on by fate or fortune. It is not. It is, in 99% of the cases, a step-by-step and conscious following of an envisioned and intentional path; it is a proven formula.

The formula is repeated on almost every page of the Prosperity Paradigm Website. It is stated simply as Purpose + Passion + Persistence = Prosperity. It may sound simple. It may even, for most, be something too simple to seem real. It is, however, the path that all those who achieve the prosperity they dream and desire, walk step-by-step.

The lover of math in me likes to define it as 3p=P.

If you critically examine the lives of most people, you will see that they wander through life without (a defined) purpose. It is the rare individual who can tell you in a short paragraph immediately when asked, What is the purpose of your life? Even amongst those who can answer, the response most give is usually some vague and hollow repetition of some assumed or inherited survival, societal or spiritual meme. It is meaningless drivel.

It is the truly rare and almost inevitably successful and happy individual who will be able to state succinctly and definitely what the real and tangible purpose of their life is. Their defined purpose may not seem all that important to you. That matters not a whit. It only matters to that person that it has value; more, that it has an all-consuming importance.

If you do not know what your real (self-assigned) purpose is, then the first and most critical step on your path to real and lasting prosperity (and happiness) is to define your purpose. Only you can do that for yourself. Any purpose assigned to your by parents, peers or societal expectations is false. It will not, therefore, bear the fruit you desire success and fulfillment, i. e. prosperity, which is the having of an abundance of ALL things held ideal in mind and dear in heart.

It may take some critical self-examination and a great deal of personal honesty to arrive at a real, defined sense of purpose for your life. So what? What else are you doing with your life? Are you tired of being just average or unhappy; weary of merely surviving?

Figure out with what purpose you journey through these few short years on planet earth. It is step one in your quest for having a meaningful and purposeful life. You, and only you, must decide and define your purpose. Then go about living your each and every day to fulfill that purpose. It is aptly called being on purpose.

Ah, passion. How we soar when we have it! Remember falling in love and lusting after being with that one truly special person? Passion! How wondrous! How consuming! How addictive! How enlivening! How intense! How fulfilling! How passionate!

The next step in your path to real and lasting prosperity is to become PASSIONATE about your purpose and your moment-by-moment existence.

It is often called a lust for life, but it is more than that. It is a lust for the self-decided purpose of your life, AND, it is an immense gratitude for being blessed with being able to pursue that purpose.

Get passionate or stay home. Without passion, life is mediocre. You have already learned that lesson, even if you deny or forget it in order to tolerate some normality or compromise. you have made to get through each day without passion.

Now, here is the tough part for many, many people life will throw you curves, put up road blocks, appear to resist your journey and generally test your resolve. The majority will take these ‘obstacles’ as proof that they are mistaken in their choice of purpose and passion or that they were not destined to have the level of prosperity they desire. Those who take these ‘messages’ as lessons or as opportunities to garner more strength will be the ones who succeed. Persistence pays dividends. Huge dividends. Invest in a little persistence.

Although I would like to find a way to say it better, there is no greater quote than that spoken by Calvin Coolidge, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

So there we have it. The simply stated, but not so simply applied, formula for achieving the prosperity you desire 3p=P.

So now you know. The only thing holding you back from having your heart’s desire is your lack of application of this one formula.

It is your choice. You are totally free to choose a purpose for your life (or not). You are totally free to become passionate about life and your purpose (or not). You are totally free to desist (give up/compromise/take the easy way out) or persist.

Prosperity is a matter of choice, not chance.

National golf tournaments for competitive recreational golfers

Whether you're an avid novice or a seasoned player, the chances are good that you've wished for the opportunity to compete in a golf tournament. It's great to watch the PGA Tour on television, but nothing is more satisfying than entering and playing in golf competitions yourself. Unfortunately, while golf events are routinely held at private courses and country clubs, most golfers who play on public courses don't get the opportunity to participate. Even if they do, they don't have the chance to compete against golfers from around the nation.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the Internet is filling the gap and making it possible for golfers of all ability levels to compete on a national level. After all, community building has become a cornerstone of Web 2.0 in arenas as diverse as politics, music, and gardening - why not golf?

Indeed, the latest trend in the world of golf is membership in an online competitive golf association. The concept's beauty lies both in its simplicity and its utter inclusiveness. Unlike traditional men's and women's golf tournaments, which require organization, registration, and travel, online competitive golf enables golfers to play on any United States Golf Association public rated golf course. Best of all, you can play anytime and with anyone - whether or not they are members of the association.

Typically, an online association will hold monthly events, with each event consisting of four rounds. This doesn't mean that you necessarily have to play four rounds of golf during a single month; instead, you can post your score once you've completed four rounds of play. Your score will count for the month it's entered online, not the month it's played.

Usually, there are seven different types of tournaments held. First, there are the Men's Individual and Women's Individual tournaments, in which only the total strokes are counted. Next, there are the Men's Individual with Handicap and Women's Individual with Handicap, which consists of the total number of strokes minus the golfer's handicap. Then, there are the Two-Person Best Ball and Coed Best Ball tournaments, in which each player plays his or her own ball, but for each hole the lowest score of the team counts toward the total. If, for example, the first player gets five strokes on a hole and the second player gets four strokes on a hole, the second player's strokes count for that hole. Finally, to build on the enthusiasm that many families feel for golf, online associations often include a Parent-Son/Daughter Best Ball tournament.

The competition gets fierce because golfers' scores are posted online to the electronic scoreboard. Typically, the winners of each month's qualifier and the best players in each tournament are invited to compete at a championship to benefit a charitable organization.

While some might ask what would prevent a member from posting fake scores, golfers know that the game is based on principles of integrity and civility. Honest play and good sportsmanship are the bedrock of the game of golf, so members are trusted to post accurate scores.

Most of all, though, those who play golf are embracing the opportunity to compete in national golf tournaments and clambering to see their names at the top of the leaderboard!

Breaking mold s grip on your home

Your walls may be alive-and not with music. Mold spores growing in your home can cause allergic reactions in you, your pets and your kids. Fortunately, it can be easy to banish mold from your house.

The issue of mold continues to be an important topic to builders, homeowners and governmental agencies. Of late it has reached an even higher level of awareness, as plans are made for rebuilding the Gulf Coast. Unfortunately, there is much confusion concerning mold, as well as effective solutions for preventing it.

Experts say the best way to avoid mold in your home is to control moisture. In the summertime, when humidity is highest, this often means running air conditioners or a dehumidifier.

Here are some more things you can do to avoid mold in your home:

• Keep kitchen and bathroom windows open, or use exhaust fans to move moisture outside.

• Make sure your clothes dryer is vented to the outdoors.

• Dehumidify your basement-the floor and walls can be a source of moisture buildup.

• Similarly, be sure the attic is ventilated.

• Reduce the potential for condensation on cold surfaces by adding insulation around windows, piping, exterior walls, roofing and floors.

• Act quickly if your basement or crawl space floods, both in terms of cleaning up and preventing future flooding.

• Mold-resistant materials play an important role in minimizing mold growth. However, unless mold-resistant products are installed in homes and buildings that are designed, built and maintained properly, they offer little protection against mold.

To help fight mold, the Responsible Solutions to Mold Coalition (RSMC) was launched recently through a grant by USG Corporation, a leading building products manufacturer.

RSMC is an industrywide coalition formed to communicate accurate information to both the construction industry and homeowners about how to control moisture, and thereby control mold in commercial and residential construction.

Helpful memory aids for memorization

For over many centuries now, memory techniques have evolved in which how they are used and learned by people. We all know that the process of remembering information is called ‘mnemonics’. We also know that mnemonics isn’t similar to magic tricks but due to its proven efficiency, it’s considered a technique pertaining to memorization.

If you haven’t realized yet how our memory works, a person’s memory effectively functions to how it associates objects and information. But of course, what we need to practice at is how we focus on things and such and eventually associate or link them with other information that enable us to remember what we need to remember.

One way of how to remember things easily is to rhyme words. How do you think we’re able to carry riddles and rhymes during our nursery years in school up to the later years of our lives? Just reading this question alone makes you remember one or two nursery rhymes you’ve learned, right? This also answers how toddlers are able to cope with what they learn in school at this very early stage of their lives. This is also the very reason why rhymes are considered as common memory aids.

Another effective memory technique is the use of initials or the first letter of the word. For example, for a group of items, you can take each first letter and make a word out of it. Remember ROY G. BIV? If you do, you’d know right away that this is not a name of a person but it stands for the seven colors of the rainbow - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Notice how you have easily recognized the initials? Now you’re nodding.

You need not to make a name always out of the initials from a set of items. You can make a word or anything which can easily help you recognize the words equivalent to items. But in some cases, there might be too little number of vowels versus the consonants. Let’s have the items pasta, rye, fish, cheese and table. Together they look like this: PRFCT. We can add the letter E in between the initials to make it a word; in this case, it can be read now as PERFECT. Of course, when you remember the word PERFECT, you’d easily recognize which item stands for each consonant. Simple? Yes.

There are many other ways how to enhance your memory skills. Interesting and effective memorization techniques can be found at memory-improvement-techniques. com.

Gold jewellery has been prized for thousands of years

Gold jewellery has been prized for literally thousands of years for its beauty, being used both to show enormous wealth and as an expression of love and affection. You probably know that gold goes back to the time of the Pharaohs, who wore it all over their bodies, and were buried with it upon their death.

Today, gold jewellery is everywhere. It’s most commonly seen as rings on the fingers of married or engaged people, or as earrings, but many people also put jewellery in their nose, tongue or belly button, among other places. Hip hop culture has led to a resurgence in large pieces of gold jewellery being worn as a deliberate show of wealth, as ‘bling’, and this fashion has spread to many of the world’s young people.

When you buy gold jewellery, there are two important things to consider: the first is what the piece itself actually looks like (the quality of the jewellery itself), and the second is the purity of the gold, measured in carats. Although many people can be snobbish about low-carat gold, it is often what you do with it that counts, with a well-made piece from lower-quality gold actually being much more pleasing than a badly-made piece from expensive gold, and cheaper to boot.

Of course, if you’re not into gold, there are plenty of alternatives. Silver is gaining in popularity all the time, as a way to stand out from the crowd and counter the perception of some that gold is tacky, and platinum is also a well-regarded metal for jewellery-making. It’s possible to make just about anything into nice jewellery given time and skill, with some interesting materials to try being glass, shells and even wood – you can even make your own jewellery out of inexpensive beads and string, if you’re looking for something unique.

Body kits

Customizing your car with body kits is all about improving the looks of your automobile. This does not mean that these accessories cannot serve more practical purposes. Body kits include ground effects, such as skirting that divert and control the amount of air that passes through the underside of the car, improving down force.

If you want to get a “race car look” body kits come with instructions on how to adjust and customize your car to give it a “racy” appearance. Wings and spoilers are also popular body kits. They can either be placed in front or in the back of the car to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase traction during acceleration. There are also kits featuring customized hoods, fenders, side mirrors, mags and windows.

Generally, shops that offer alterations and customization offer two kinds of body kits - fiberglass and urethane. Most drivers prefer the fiberglass body kits because they fit better and can easily be repaired. Fiberglass also looks better than urethane when finished because of its compatibility with paint. The only advantage of urethane is that it is more durable and resistant to slight impacts. The downside is that it is more expensive and more difficult to repair a damaged piece.

A good mechanic will know what kind of body kit fits your car. A body kit has to fit first before appearance – otherwise looks won’t matter. Body kits have been so popular these days; they even have a television show that features the best of them.

A clear view on vinyl window options

Windows are an investment in your home's real estate value. They add style - both indoors and out. But old, leaky windows can also add to home heating and cooling costs by as much as 30 to 40 percent. And with energy costs inching upward, windows are getting more attention than ever.

Windows come in many shapes, sizes and styles and are made from a variety of materials. Choosing appropriate windows for your home is a significant decision, but don't get overwhelmed. Know your facts and work with a qualified contractor so you can be prepared for your next window replacement project.

One of today's most popular and versatile window materials is vinyl. Compared to wood or aluminum, vinyl windows are virtually maintenance free and long lasting. Pioneered by CertainTeed in the 1970s, millions have been installed and the demand continues to grow.

Advanced manufacturing techniques shape vinyl windows into different styles, including single - and double-hung, horizontal sliding, casement, architectural shapes and more, even custom shapes and those with decorative glass.

For energy conscious consumers, vinyl is hard to beat. As an example, CertainTeed vinyl windows with Thermaflect® low "E" glazing system help keep homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter. In fact, these windows can reduce heating and cooling costs by as much as 15 percent each year and come with the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star rating.

529 college savings plan

Saving money for college expenses is a goal I hear many young parents express, and one of the best ways to build tax-advantaged savings for college is the 529 plan. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future college costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Changes in the tax code were made in 2006 making permanent the provision that earnings in a 529 plan are tax free upon withdrawal when used for education expenses. This has resulted in eliminating any change in status for earnings for the 529 plan and made it the premier savings vehicle for college savers.

There are two types of 529 plans: pre-paid tuition plans and college savings plans. All fifty states and the District of Columbia sponsor at least one type of 529 plan. In addition, a group of private colleges and universities sponsor a pre-paid tuition plan. There are differences between pre-paid tuition plans and college savings plans, and each individual family needs to determine which plan may be right for their needs. Pre-paid tuition plans generally allow college savers to purchase units or credits at participating colleges and universities for future tuition and, in some cases, room and board. Most prepaid tuition plans are sponsored by state governments and have residency requirements. Many state governments guarantee investments in pre-paid tuition plans that they sponsor.

College savings plans generally permit a college saver (also called the “account holder”) to establish an account for a student (the “beneficiary”) for the purpose of paying the beneficiary’s eligible college expenses. An account holder may typically choose among several investment options for his or her contributions, which the college savings plan invests on behalf of the account holder. Investment options often include stock mutual funds, bond mutual funds, and money market funds, as well as, age-based portfolios that automatically shift toward more conservative investments as the beneficiary gets closer to college age. Withdrawals from college savings plans can generally be used at any college or university. Investments in college savings plans that invest in mutual funds are not guaranteed by state governments and are not federally insured.

Los 7 mejores musicales

Aquн te presento una lista de las pelнculas mas destacadas en la secciуn de musicales para que disfrutes y entretengas.

La novicia rebelde (The Sound of Music):

La clбsica historia de la familia Van Trapp en Austria y la niсera, protagonizada por Julie Andrews en 1965, todavнa sigue siendo entretenida ya tractiva para la educaciуn de los niсos. La trama, la mъsica, las visuales y el mensaje son parte de la niсez de muchos de mi generaciуn.

Chicago:

Del musical teatral protagonizado en cine por Renйe Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones y Richard Gere es otro de los recomendados. Su mбs reciente estreno en los 2000 es de una excelente actuaciуn, baile y sonido que ha ganado un premio tras otro. Vale la pena!

Mouline Rouge:

Protagonizada por Nicole Kidman y Ewan McGregor , dirigida por Baz Luhrmann este increнble musical fue uno de los mas impactantes que vi. En 2001 Moulin Rouge logro traer a la pantalla grande, de la llegada de un humilde escritor ingles en 1900 a Paris, y su encuentro con una bailarina en Mouline Rouge.

Grease:

Grease es un musical para adolescentes, de 1978 que todavнa vale la pena mirar. John Travolta comienza su carrera de galбn en la pantalla grande, junto con Olivia newton John hacen un dъo inolvidable. Sus canciones siguen siendo un йxito hoy en dнa, reproducidas en transe y house music.

Mary Poppins:

Julie Andrews en 1964 de nuevo hace una brillante actuaciуn junto con Dick Van Dyke convierten este musical en un mбgico de Disney inolvidable para niсos! Ese clбsico nunca pasara de moda.

El Mago de Oz:

Judy Garland en 1939, junto con sus tres amigos (el hombre de lata sin corazуn, el espantapбjaros sin cerebro y el Leуn sin coraje) siguen el inolvidable camino amarillo para llegar al Mago de Oz. Excelente.

La Bella y La Bestia:

Un dibujo animado de Disney para adultos y niсos que fue capaz de ganar los corazones de millones de personas en 1991. Un gran mensaje para no guiarse por las apariencias, lleno de magia y entretenimiento. Increнble sonido!

Aquн termino mi lista, espero que la hayan disfrutado y que ahora puedan con seguridad elegir su prуximo musical!

Plants that clean the air

There are many reasons for creating an indoor garden – significant among them is the need to clean the toxins from our homes and offices. As a consequence of the energy crisis in the 1970’s, today’s homes and offices are built to conserve energy and the outcome has been a lack of air exchange, with the resulting increase of indoor air pollution. The World Health Organization has stated, “there’s probably more damage to human health from indoor pollution than from outdoor pollution.” Symptoms associated with indoor pollution include allergies, asthma, eye, nose, and throat irritations, fatigue, headache, nervous system disorders, respiratory and sinus congestion. In today’s society more and more people exhibit these symptoms as a result of staying indoors the majority of the time.

One of the ways we can change this predicament is to become knowledgeable about and responsive to the environment that we live and breathe in. Foliage plants give us the opportunity to not only provide the calming influences of nature in our homes and workplaces, but also provide us with the oxygen we need to live. In a study conducted by N. A.S. A., researchers found that plants also clean the air inside our homes, buildings, and offices. The sources of chemical emissions that cause indoor air pollution include: acetone, alcohols; ammonia; benzene; chloroform; formaldehyde; and xylene.

These chemicals are found in cosmetics, nail polish remover, office correction fluid, pre-printed paper forms, adhesives, carpeting, caulking compounds, ceiling tiles, floor coverings, paints, particleboard, stains, varnishes, cleaning products, electrophotographic printers, microfiche developers, photocopiers, photography supplies, plastics, spot removers, solvents, tobacco smoke, wall coverings, carpet glue, draperies, fabrics, facial tissues, furniture made from preserved wood, gas stoves, grocery bags, paper towels, permanent-press clothing, plywood, upholstery, computer VDU screens, and community water supplies that add chloroform to chlorinated tap water.

Researchers have discovered the most effective plants are: Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) – removes chemical vapours; Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) – removes chemical vapours; Azalea (Rhododendron simsii hybrids) – removes chemical vapours; Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’) – the best fern for removing air pollutants; Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum) – removes chemical vapours; Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera ‘Bridgesii’) – removes chemical vapours; Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) – removes chemical vapours; Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’) – best of the dracaenas for removing chemical toxins from the indoor environment; Dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’) – especially effective for the removal of benzene; Dracaena (Dracaena marginata) – among the best plants for removing xylene; Dracaena (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’) – especially effective at removing air toxins such as formaldehyde; English ivy (Hedera helix) – particularly effective at removing formaldehyde; Florist’s mum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) – one of the best flowering or seasonal plants for removing formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia from the atmosphere; Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) – removes chemical vapours; Miniature date palm (Phoenix roebelinii) – one of the best palms for removing indoor air pollutants, especially effective for the removal of xylene; Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) – excels in the removal of alcohol, acetone, benzene, and formaldehyde; Red emerald philodendron (Philodendron erubescens) – one of the best philodendrons for removing indoor air pollutants; Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) – good for removing chemical vapours; Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’) – effective for removing indoor air pollutants as well as chemical vapours; and Wax begonia (Begonia semperflorens) – good for removing chemical vapours.

These are some of the plants known to contribute to healthy air quality in our homes, buildings, and offices. Some plants may be better than others are but all plants clean the air as they beautify our surroundings and add oxygen and humidity to the indoor environment. Horticulturist Ken Beattie suggests, “The next plant you buy may save your life.”

Asthma discussed

• 1 out of every 7 children is affected by asthma.

• It is the second major reason for the hospitalization of the children up to age 9.

• Asthma has affected 1 out of every 12 adults.

• The death rate due to it is constantly rising in America, Africa and Latin countries.

• It has become one of the major reasons of absenteeism from school in the US.

• It leads to 2 million emergency room visits and amounts up to 5,000 deaths every year in the USA alone.

Asthma is a chronic disease, which directly affects your airways. The airways are the tubes carrying air in and out of your lungs. Asthma is caused by inflammation and subsequent constriction of your airway. The condition is characterized by an instantaneous reaction by the airways in response to various triggers or allergens and substances.

During an asthma attack, the airway gets inflamed and restricts the airflow to the lungs. It directly effects your breathing and leaves you short of breath. It makes you wheeze and you can experience chest tightness. During an asthma attack the production of mucus by airway cells increases and it further causes obstruction in the air flow through tubes. You can die due to the lack of oxygen, if the attack is severe and prolonged.

Asthma, if not treated and controlled, can cost you your life.

It is widely known disease, effecting millions of people, still there is no concrete evidence towards its cause. Studies have revealed that it is caused due to allergic reactions caused by the presence of certain antibodies or certain conditions. Some studies also reveal that it is caused due to obesity and weight related problems. Various triggers or allergic reactions are known to cause asthma in people. It might not be necessary that the same trigger causes an asthma attack in all people. There are numerous triggers, which can cause asthmatic attacks. Triggers can be categorized as allergens, irritants and other triggers. Among the common triggers which initiate asthma attacks are as follows:

Allergens

Dust

Pollen

Mold

Cockroaches

Dust mites

Animal dander

Irritants

Tobacco smoke

Air pollution

Strong odor

Laughing

Crying

Others

Workplace chemicals

Common cold

Infections

Exertion

Respiratory infection

Flu

It is important for you to identify what triggers an asthma attack for you. It would help you greatly if, once recognized, you in stayed away from any known causes.

Like other diseases, asthma also presents symptoms that characterize its early, advancing and later stages. Some of the common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.

The first stage -- Early warning signs of Asthma

If you are in the early stages of an asthmatic event, you might experience some common symptoms. These common symptoms are characterized during the inception periods of the asthma episode. The symptoms include:-

*Frequent coughing during sleep in the night.

*Experiencing wheezing or coughing after exercising.

*Shortness of breath.

*Extreme exhaustion following exercise.

*Feeling tired and upset all the time.

*Experiencing a running nose, sore throat, headaches and sneezing frequently.

If you experience any of the above symptoms, you should immediately get yourself checked for asthma. The swifter you act, the more you will be able to control it.

The second stage - Advancement and worsening of Asthma

If you are not able to identify the initial symptoms of asthma, or if you ignore those symptoms, asthma could get even worse. The advancement of asthma starts affecting your daily activities and sleep. Some of the symptoms of worsening asthma include.

*Regular and undying cough.

*Frequent wheezing.

*Declined response to medications.

*Shortness of breath.

*Experiencing regular tightness in the chest.

Asthma should be diagnosed immediately upon countering these symptoms or it could further advance into a severe stage causing damage to your body.

The final stage and its symptoms

When asthma enters into its last stage it starts affecting you severely. It makes life difficult for you and can even cause the death. You would need immediate medical attention if you experience any of the symptoms listed below:

*Rapid breathing.

*Undying chest pain and pressure.

*Non-stop coughing.

*Sweaty and dull face.

*Blue fingernails and lips.

*Hampered talking.

*Retraction of neck and chest muscles.

*Frequent gasping for breath.

*Severe wheezing.

Asthma can only be controlled, not cured. So you must abide by proper medication and medical instructions. It is also important to stay free of any known triggers, which can cause an asthma attack.

You should visit your doctor immediately if you are concerned you may be suffering with asthma.

Getting social bookmarking done automatically

We all know that back links are "life blood" that get a site ranked higher in the search engines. So, what exactly is Social Bookmarking? It's a public list of your favorites. Not all your favorites, just the favorites you want to share with others. You can add your favorite website to a public list and retrieve it from any computer. This process is done on someone else's server, not your computer!

If you haven't seen a Social Bookmarking site - go to one of the most popular sites Delicious. The Social Bookmarked tags are the most interesting feature of these sites. And thats not all either.

Finding other people with the same interests via bookmarked tags as you is always a good way to meet interesting friends. There were (and still are) lots of bookmark managers and browser tools to help keep track of the hundreds and thousands of links people amassed. Social bookmarking is a way of showing what interests you share with the rest of web kind. How To Put Social Bookmarking on Autopilot!

you'll want to share you're newly found method of communication with others. Basically Social Book marketing sites allow users to create a set of content bookmarks. These bookmarks are organized by tags which are (usually) arbitrary words or phrases the user can assign to content. Check out trafficwebsecrets. com/socialbookmarking/bookmarking_demon. html.

Social bookmarking is all about sharing and exposure and if done properly - you can be as aggressive as you want to be about sharing information. Balancing being ethical and providing a useful service to others with promoting your own social tagged content enables you to be as aggressive as you like. If you don't put notes on your bookmarked tags - use the comments field for that purpose. The latest technique is using social bookmarking to get one way back links. Put Social Bookmarking on Autopilot!