<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331</id><updated>2011-04-21T13:38:29.692-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Captamerica</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>40</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1708336559743665972</id><published>2008-06-02T05:46:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-02T05:46:06.027-07:00</updated><title type='text'>How Do You Measure Your Fish?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;This might sound like a stupid questions, but it's nonetheless one that every angler should answer. Measuring our fish &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/remortgage.php&gt;remortgage house&lt;/a&gt; one of the only ways we have to accurately &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/auto-insurance.php&gt;auto insruance&lt;/a&gt; how large a fish is. Sure we &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Web-Hosting/web-hosting.php&gt;sql server hosting&lt;/a&gt; weigh them as well, but weighing a freshly caught fish can be a real pain in the butt, especially if that fish is in the salmon or trout species of fish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our goal as anglers should be so do as little damage as possible to our quarry, so that they can fight another day. Unless of course we're fishing for dinner, but &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;Refinance with bad credit&lt;/a&gt; the whole we should all want to damage our catch as little as possible, and still get an accurate measurement as to our catches size. Sure, we can carry a small tape measure in our fishing vest or tackle box, which is what I did for many years, but did you know that there's a much better way?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What if your tape measure where always with you while you are fishing because it was on your rod? Wouldn't' this be convenient? There would be no more searching through pockets to figure out which one the tape measure was left in. And there would be no more rifling through your tackle box to find your tape measure whenever a "measurable" fish is caught. If your tape measure is on your rod, it will always be right there whenever you need it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is where rod rulers come into play. With the help of a rod ruler, your measuring device is always available whenever you're fishing. How helpful would this be? I can tell you, from experience, that it's pretty darn helpful. The fish that are caught and measured are happier as well. The entire process is made much faster when a the tape measure is on your fishing rod.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, in my opinion, the answer to the question of how do you measure your fish, is a rod ruler. It just makes sense to have your tape measure on your   jrwfishing/rodruler.htmrod at all times. This simply eliminates a step and makes you a much more efficient angler. And what does being a more efficient angler mean? That you can spend more time with your line in the water (where the fish are), rather than wasting time searching for &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Donate-Car/donate-car.php&gt;donate vehicle to charity&lt;/a&gt; things as a tape measure. This means that you'll catch more fish&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.....Montana!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This Is How To Measure Fish:   jrwfishing/rodruler.htmhttp://jrwfishing/rodruler.htm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1708336559743665972?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1708336559743665972/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1708336559743665972' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1708336559743665972'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1708336559743665972'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-do-you-measure-your-fish.html' title='How Do You Measure Your Fish?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-399271638138152090</id><published>2008-06-01T07:39:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-01T07:39:51.049-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Tips On How To Use Your Bread Machine</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Bread machines make home baking easy. However, some people who use one &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Donate-Car/donate-car.php&gt;where to donate a car&lt;/a&gt; disappointed with the results. This is usually - if not always - because of incorrect usage. What follows are some essential &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Coffee/buy-premium-coffee.php&gt;Premium Coffee&lt;/a&gt; good bread machine tips.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many bread makers stand idle because the owner has tried baking one or two recipes with disastrous results. If this has happened to you, don't give up and store the machine away from the light of day never to &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;Select Quote life insurance&lt;/a&gt; seen again. Instead, persevere and refine the recipes and how you use your bread maker. Here are some tips you may find useful.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The best tip you'll ever get is to carefully read the instruction manual that came with your machine. Not all machines are the same so, even if you've had a bread maker before, you should read the instructions and take note of key points, like cleaning the appliance, what order to put in the ingredients and understanding the various baking cycles.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some manufacturers state that it is perfectly okay to place the mixing paddle and the bread pan in a dishwasher. However, never do this as using a dishwasher will shorten the life of both paddle and pan. Instead, wash with warm soapy water. Never immerse the pan in water instead, put water into the pan and let it soak for 15 minutes, then empty and simply wipe clean with a dish cloth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't let removal of the paddle turn into an epic struggle. Before using, coat the paddle with margarine, olive or cooking oil. This makes removing the paddle after baking much easier. Never try to free the paddle by using a knife or metal utensil as this will scratch the non-stick coating.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Different machines require that ingredients are added in a certain order; always, always add the ingredients as instructed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Unless, otherwise stated in the recipe, always use bread flour as it contains more gluten than regular flour - as well as helping the bread to rise, gluten gives structure to a loaf.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to use honey rather than sugar remember to reduce the liquids used (milk, water etc.) by the equivalent amount.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When using either butter or margarine, it is better if they are nearly at room temperature. You should also cut butter and margarine into small pieces so it will blend easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Measuring the ingredients correctly is vital. Use measuring cups, spoons and jars. When adding flour, give it a tap and level it off with a knife. When using brown sugar, press it down gently before leveling. Never pour liquids into measuring cups or spoons over the bread machine pan, as some liquid will inevitable spill over in to it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Loaves that sag in the middle can be because there is too much water in the recipe. You can experiment by reducing the amount by 1 tablespoon at a time. A sagging loaf can also be caused when the yeast has become too active, which results in a rapid rise followed by a rapid collapse. You can either add more salt (salt is a yeast inhibitor) or by reducing the amount of yeast.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even when following a recipe to the letter, the dough can be either too wet or dry. This can be because of a number of factors. Many recipes give measurements in cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and so on, however, not all cup measures are the same. Also, humidity and temperature can affect the constituency of dough. You can increase or reduce the amount of liquids used but be sure to write down the new measurements so you remember the next time you use the recipe.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Home baking, even when using the best bread machine money can buy, is as much of an art as it is a science. If your loaves of bread aren't coming out of the bread maker how you would like, then don't get despondent, instead try &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;refinancing a home&lt;/a&gt; the recipe slightly. Before long you'll be baking perfect loaves each and every time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow the links for   breadmachines4youbread machine reviews on leading brands like the   breadmachines4you/oster-bread-machine.phpOster bread machine, the   breadmachines4you/zojirushi-bread-machine.phpZojirushi bread machine and many others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-399271638138152090?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/399271638138152090/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=399271638138152090' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/399271638138152090'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/399271638138152090'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/06/tips-on-how-to-use-your-bread-machine.html' title='Tips On How To Use Your Bread Machine'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-5321506108166121442</id><published>2008-05-31T07:13:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-31T07:13:36.189-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Antibacterial Cleaning Products Harmful To Your Health</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Store shelves are lined with cleaners shouting "antibacterial, kills 99% &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;Refinance house&lt;/a&gt; bacteria". The public is convinced that they must use cleaning products that contain antibacterial properties to clean their homes &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;term insurance quotes online&lt;/a&gt; in their personal hygiene. However, the use of antibacterial products can be detrimental to you, your family's health and the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A report on the Center for Disease (CDC) website stated "no evidence suggests that there is evidence that the use of antibacterial soap containing 0.2% triclosan (active ingredient in antibacterial cleaning products) provides a benefit over plain soap in reducing bacterial counts and &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Conference-Call/web-conferencing.php&gt;audio conference call&lt;/a&gt; of infectious symptoms in generally &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Food/gourmet-food-gift-ideas.php&gt;Gourmet Food Gift Baskets&lt;/a&gt; persons in the household setting." Plain soap and water, in other words, gets rid of the majority of germs that linger on the hands and body".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Additionally, another study concluded that there was no difference in infectious disease symptoms over a one year period in 228 inner city households using antibacterial cleaning products and those products that did not contain antibacterial agents. These findings further highlight the need to educate consumers on the limitations of antibacterial cleaning products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The use of these so called antibacterial cleaning products claims to kill 99% of bacteria. However what becomes of the remaining 1%. This 1% remaining becomes the super germ. The overuse of antibacterial cleaning products breeds stronger and stronger organisms and thus less resistance to cleaning agents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, in order for antibacterial products to really remove 99% of bacteria, the cleaning agent should be left on the area which is being cleaned for at least two minutes for it to be effective. Most people do not have the patience to properly use antibacterial cleaning products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our bodies have an immune system to fight off bacteria, germs and virus. When we continually fight germs and bacteria with antibacterial cleaners we are hindering our immune system to naturally fight off these germs and viruses. Thus are immune system is continually weakened.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Scientific American journal, it states "It appears that after, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Donate-Car/donate-car.php&gt;donate your used car&lt;/a&gt; spraying a counter with an antibiotic cleaner, some chemicals linger and continue to kill bacteria but don't get all of them. The ones that survive develop a tolerance: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" Soon we have populations of antibiotic resistant bacteria.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"What is this stuff doing in households when we have soaps?" asks molecular biologist John Gustafson of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. These substances really belong in hospitals and clinics, not in the homes of healthy people."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In June of 2000, the World Health Organization warned that antibacterial products directly contribute to the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The American Medical Association (AMA) says "(bacterial) resistance ascribed to overuse of antibiotics is a growing problem, and there is concern that some types of infections will eventually not be treatable with antibiotics".&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On June 13, 2000, the AMA advised consumers to avoid extensive use of "antibacterial soaps, lotions, and other household products". The AMA has also urged the Food and Drug Administration to increase regulation of antibacterial products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So next time you purchase that antibacterial cleaning product keep in mind that they are hindering your natural immune system, and these products are very detrimental to the environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For environmentally safe, non-toxic household cleaning supplies, visit   shaklee.net/carolbelanger/getclean/getstarted/indexGreen Starter Kit as seen on Oprah!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-5321506108166121442?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/5321506108166121442/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=5321506108166121442' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5321506108166121442'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5321506108166121442'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/antibacterial-cleaning-products-harmful.html' title='Antibacterial Cleaning Products Harmful To Your Health'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-9196091162878262525</id><published>2008-05-30T05:59:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-30T06:00:00.818-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Acne Medicine - From Mild To Maximum</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;There are a tremendous number of lifestyle factors &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;consolidation debt management money&lt;/a&gt; could be responsible for placing you among the millions of people who suffer &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/mortgage-loans.php&gt;mortgage quote on line&lt;/a&gt; acne. You may be able to control some of them, like &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/IRS-Tax-Attorney/irs-tax.php&gt;IRS trouble&lt;/a&gt; diet, your skin care regimen, and the levels of stress in your life. On the other hand, you may be genetically predisposed to developing acne, and if so, you may have to spend your time on combating it instead of preventing it. Your dermatologist may prescribe either topical or oral acne medicine or antibiotics. Even with acne medicine, severe acne may take months to clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Choosing The Right Acne Medicine&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One mistake many acme sufferers make is to panic at the first sign of a flareup and grab the strongest acne medicine they can get their hands on, often spending money needlessly. If you have a mild acne outbreak, you may not need to do anything except wash with an oil free &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/accident-claim.php&gt;accident claim&lt;/a&gt; because your body's immune system just might take care of the problem in a matter of days. If your outbreaks are severe, seek help from a dermatologist, so you don't aggravate your acne by choosing the wrong acne medicine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Regardless of why you get acne, as long as you are only afflicted with a mild flare-up, you won't have to resort to any of the harsher acne medicine to relieve your condition. You may, in fact, be able to eliminate a mild acne inflammation without resorting to acne medicine at all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Let Your Body Do Its Thing&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your body's immune response is perfectly capable of warding off all kinds of minor infections, &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Celexa-Citalopram.php&gt;Celexa&lt;/a&gt; the ones which result in acne. You may find that your acne simply disappears spontaneously after three or four days, as long as you are careful to wash with a mild, oil free soap twice daily and protect your skin from any substances which might cause inflammation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Acne Medicine For Severe Outbreaks&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If, however, you are unfortunate enough to develop an acne outbreak which is both stubborn and painful, you should head as soon as you can to the dermatologist or doctor, and get some advice as to the appropriate acne medicine. Don't take it on yourself to prescribe your own acne treatment regimen if you have severe outbreaks. Doing so may aggravate your condition rather than improving it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most dermatologists or doctors will recommend topical acne medicine like benzyl peroxide or lotions to eliminate the bacteria which cause acne inflammation. These acne medicines are usually effective in a matter of days, but if they don't work for you when applied as directed, you may need a stronger form of acne medicine. And that means a return visit to your doctor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Either Accutane or ProActiv is an acne medicine which requires a prescription, and both are highly effective. You will not, however, be allowed to use them if you are either pregnant or breastfeeding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For especially stubborn and severe cases, he prescription may be for an antibiotic to be taken orally. Your doctor may even have to resort to draining your acne pimples, and then have you follow up with a course of oral   mybeautyhelp/acne/your-acne-scar-removal-options-60antibiotic acne medicine. Acne of this severity may linger for quite a while, and it is not unusual to wait as long as two months for it to finally clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Acne Scar Removal&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you have suffered from a major acne outbreak, you might have developed some unsightly scars. But don't despair; there are now laser treatments which can eliminate acne-related skin blemished and scarring. Once you have been free of acne outbreaks for a sufficient period, you can approach your dermatologist to see what your scar and blemish removal options are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also find more info on   mybeautyhelp/category/acneacne and   mybeautyhelp/acne/acne-remedies-47acne remedies. Mybeautyhelp is a comprehensive resource to get help about beauty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-9196091162878262525?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/9196091162878262525/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=9196091162878262525' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/9196091162878262525'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/9196091162878262525'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/acne-medicine-from-mild-to-maximum.html' title='Acne Medicine - From Mild To Maximum'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-6672765810008475892</id><published>2008-05-29T05:22:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-29T05:22:04.629-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Ice Fishing - A Perfect Way To Spend A Winter Day</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;There is a draw between a lake &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/erectile-dysfunction.php&gt;impotence treatment&lt;/a&gt; a fisherman. The summer brings out your boat, warm breezes, and fishing under the bright blue sky. When the snow puts an icy blanket over it, the lake continues it's frosty invitation. Eskimos do it. So do polar bears and seals. People in Norway, Sweden, New York and Minnesota do it too. What is it? It's ice fishing! Wherever there's a lake &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/erectile-dysfunction.php&gt;impotence cause&lt;/a&gt; ice thick enough to walk on, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;cheap life assurance&lt;/a&gt; will find people ice fishing. This charming sport has entertained fishermen in the 'off' season for ages. Putting on layers of warm, dry clothes, you can't help but feel a part of the long line of ice fishers before you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although the concept of the sport seems simple, it is not as easy as it sounds. People often think that ice fishing only involves digging a hole in a lake and then throwing your line into it. The fact is that there is more to it than just trying to stay warm (although that is often a big part of the experience). After all, it is called ice fishing. If you &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Structured-Settlement/structured-settlement.php&gt;sell structured settlements&lt;/a&gt; not able to catch any fish, than you can hardly call your outing a success. You will find that there is more than your share of hard work involved in catching a fish during the winter. From making the hole in the ice to releasing the fish, there are a lot of little things involved in the process that you never really think about. But if these little things are not done correctly, it may very well result in lost fish.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Once you have arrived at the lake, it is a good idea to make a pattern of the holes that you want to drill. Generally, the experts say to start your first hole about 10 feet from the shore. You should then drill about four to eight holes in a line. You may want to drill several lines of holes that create a grid or fan shape in order to thoroughly cover the structure on which you are working. Be sure to do all of your drilling when you first arrive. As you might imagine, fish are frightened by the noisy drill. Do the drilling once, and they will return to the spot before you know it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are two basic approaches to ice fishing. There is the active and the passive approach. The active approach is jigging (done by hand or with a wind-operated tip-up), while the passive approach is done by using a set line. Most ice fishing is accomplished using set lines. A set line is exactly what it sounds like. It is a line sitting still with a minnow on the end waiting for a bite. If you &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;student loan debt consolidation&lt;/a&gt; this method, you are able to fish more than one hole at the same time, as well as do other things, such as cook or make a fire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A set line will usually &lt;a href=http://canadian-meds-shop.com/cart.php?add=303&amp;aid=6855&gt;Viagra Soft Tabs 30 pills @ 50mg here&lt;/a&gt; rigged with a single small wire hook tied to the end and a split shot attached six to eighteen inches up the line. A minnow is hooked and the line is sent to within inches of the bottom or into the strike zone. You may also use bear paws to add dropper lines to your main line. This lets you fish at multiple depths. Once you've put the lines down the hole, all you have to do is wait for a hit to set off a flag.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;Here are a few ice fishing safety tips: Watch your step. Avoid ice fishing near feeder streams or known springs; brush, logs, plants or docks; multiple ice cracks or ice that is popping or otherwise audible; and dark-colored ice that may be weak. Spread out. Too many people congregated in one area may be more than the ice can safely support. Disperse weight and fishing holes.&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You've caught the fish, now what? When bringing in the line by hand, you have got to make sure the line doesn't go slack. As you are pulling with one hand, grasp the line with the other before letting your first hand go. You are going to also have to judge quickly how green the fish is before it reaches the surface. If it's too active, the fish will be harder to bring up through the hole, and you will run the risk of losing what you have worked so hard to catch. Once you do have the head through the hole, the fish is all yours. Now that you have the basics, what are you waiting for? Get out on the ice and start fishing!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Toni Grundstrom is a freelance writer. When I work it is in the Marketing field and when I play it is outside. Don't let the winter keep you inside.   cabinfeverreliever.wordpressClick here for information on a great cabin fever reliever.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This article may be distributed freely on your website, as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box, are unchanged.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-6672765810008475892?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/6672765810008475892/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=6672765810008475892' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6672765810008475892'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6672765810008475892'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/ice-fishing-perfect-way-to-spend-winter.html' title='Ice Fishing - A Perfect Way To Spend A Winter Day'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-3032383393492118972</id><published>2008-05-28T06:20:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-28T06:20:15.232-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Try These Natural Remedies for Eczema and Dermatitis</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;People who get eczema usually have a family history of allergies or asthma. Though the cause of eczema is still unknown, there are indications that it might be linked to an over-reactive immune system. It is possible that when the body comes into contact with allergens in the air or on the skin, the immune system overreacts to these allergens causing inflammation and irritation of the skin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes the skin is just reacting to an irritant and allergies are not involved. You may be able to help your particular type of eczema &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;consolidate student loans&lt;/a&gt; by avoiding sodium hydroxide, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate found in many soaps, toothpastes, shampoos, etc. These can worsen or cause eczema for a lot of people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Natural products can help, but you should still read the labels as they sometimes have these chemicals as well. You might also try stopping the use of perfumes, deodorants and cosmetics that are not natural. There are chemicals in these that also might trigger a reaction.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some different types of eczema are:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Atopic dermatitis &lt;a href=http://canadian-meds-shop.com/cart.php?add=501&amp;aid=6855&gt;Paxil - 30 pills @ 20mg each here&lt;/a&gt; This kind usually begins in infancy and is due to allergies. It is typically found in families with a history of asthma or hay fever. This kind is most likely due to a malfunction in the body's immune system. Stress can worsen atopic dermatitis, but it is not the cause.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contact dermatitis -- Caused by direct contact with an irritant or allergen. The irritants can include bath soap, laundry soap, household cleaning products and detergents. The allergens can include weeds, jewelry, perfume, cosmetics, neomycin (an ingredient in antibiotic creams), etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Seborrheic dermatitis -- This is a red rash with a yellowish oily scale. It is common in people with oily skin or hair and may come and go depending on time of the year, physical stress or neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease. It is called cradle cap when found on babies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stasis dermatitis -- This kind is usually found on the lower leg as a result of fluid accumulation in the tissues just beneath the skin. The excess fluid inhibits the blood's ability to nourish the skin and puts pressure on the skin from beneath.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Neurodermatitis -- This is a contact dermatitis or eczema that occurs in areas where your &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Food/gourmet-kitchen-accessories.php&gt;Gourmet Kitchen&lt;/a&gt; rubs or itches the skin. It is made worse as you rub or scratch the area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perioral dermatitis -- This type is also known as rosacea, adult acne or seborrheic dermatitis. It involves the skin about the nose and mouth. The exact cause is not known, but it is likely that cosmetics, face creams, etc. may be the culprit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Natural eczema and dermatitis remedies:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vitamin B12 -- People with eczema tend to have a vitamin B12 deficiency.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil -- You can apply it right on your skin. In just a couple of &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Medical/ortho-evra.php&gt;birth control patches&lt;/a&gt; it is completely absorbed. Adding coconut oil to your diet is also beneficial. Not only will it give you healthier skin, it may also help you lose weight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Neem -- The beneficial effects neem has on the skin makes it an excellent treatment. It moisturizes and protects the skin and heals the lesions, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;the cheapest car insurance&lt;/a&gt; and irritation. In India, leaves from the neem tree are traditionally used to treat eczema and a range of other inflammatory skin conditions. It can be in a cream to put &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;Consolidate student loan&lt;/a&gt; on your skin or it can be taken internally.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Apple Cider Vinegar -- Put one to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and take three times a day. You can add raw honey as a sweetener. You can also apply it directly on the skin by mixing 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into half a cup of water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it directly on your skin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You may also find that boosting your immune system is beneficial. Even though eczema is caused by an overreaction of the immune system, by boosting your immune system, you help it work more effectively. Another thing you might look into is food allergies. It is possible that food allergies are causing the immune system to overreact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kathy Love is the creator and webmaster for   natural-cure-remedy/index.htmlnatural-cure-remedy where she has compiled information about natural cures and remedies for various ailments, diseases and health issues to help you learn to take charge of your health. For more information about eczema, go to her   natural-cure-remedy/eczema.htmlEczema page.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-3032383393492118972?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/3032383393492118972/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=3032383393492118972' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3032383393492118972'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3032383393492118972'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/try-these-natural-remedies-for-eczema.html' title='Try These Natural Remedies for Eczema and Dermatitis'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1425773322685320015</id><published>2008-05-27T06:18:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-27T06:18:15.526-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Some Irish Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;St. Patrick&amp;rsquo;s Day is March 17th, and it is a &amp;ldquo;day for wearing green&amp;rdquo; and other Irish traditions. Even though the patron saint St. Patrick was not born in Ireland, everything that is Green (which symbolizes spring and the prospering of the crops), fun and Irish can be worn &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;joint life insurance&lt;/a&gt; used to celebrate this holiday. And it is a holiday for all ages. Here are some entertaining ideas to use on St. Patrick&amp;rsquo;s Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few drops of green food coloring goes into anything you might want &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Donate-Car/donate-car.php&gt;donating a car&lt;/a&gt; even a mug of draft beer. Anything made with Irish cream or Irish whiskey has the Irish spirit, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Authentic Corned beef and cabbage&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Corned beef brisket, about 4 lbs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 juice orange&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;18-20 whole cloves&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 tsp. whole yellow mustard seeds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 tsp. caraway seeds&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 tsp. whole coriander&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put corned beef brisket into large pot for cooking. Take cloves and insert them, then sprinkle remaining spices on. Cover brisket with water, bring to boil, then simmer for 3 hours or until tender.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 lbs. small potatoes, peeled&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 1/2 lbs. &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Food/gourmet-food-items.php&gt;Gourmet Foods&lt;/a&gt; peeled and cut into large pieces&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 medium head cabbage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;About 40 minutes before beef is finished, boil a large pot of water and cook potatoes and carrots. Add cabbage about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve as it doesn't need to cook long. Drain vegetables.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Arrange meat and vegetables on a platter and serve with your favorite mustards.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;St. Patrick Day Cookie Pops (for the kids to make)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Box of Vanilla Wafers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Box of Popsicle sticks&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanilla or chocolate frosting; or Peanut butter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Various decorations &amp;ndash; chocolate chips, icing packs, assorted green candies, green sugar sprinkles, ju ju bees, sprinkles, etc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Spread out &amp;frac12; of the vanilla wafers, with the flat sides up on the plate. Take the vanilla, chocolate icing, or peanut butter and spread across flat surface. Next, take a Popsicle stick and lay it down with the end in the middle of the cookie. Top with another vanilla wafer to make a sandwich.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now the kids can get creative! Turn the cookie pop into a green shamrock; apply vanilla icing and draw with green icing pack; make a pot of gold with candies; anything you want! They make a great treat for the kids to take to school!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easy Hot Whiskey Punch (for the adults) Serves 1 &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 measure of whiskey&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 teaspoons white sugar&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4-6 cloves&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 slices fresh lemon&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;7 oz. boiling water&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Put whiskey, sugar cloves and lemon slices into a strong glass. 2. Pour on the boiling water until the sugar has dissolved. 3. Sip contentedly by a blazing fire.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Irish Scones&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 cup butter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 cups flour&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2 teaspoons baking powder&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/2 teaspoon salt&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1/4 cup sugar&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 egg&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 cup milk&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Note: You can add raisins, dates or other dried fruits, if desired.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Makes about 18 scones.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Preheat oven to 425&amp;deg;F.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a large bowl, combine butter and flour until crumbly. Add baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat egg and milk. Mix into dry ingredients to make a dough. Turn onto floured surface and roll to one-inch thickness. With a cookie cutter or the bottom of a drinking glass, cut dough into 2-inch rounds. Place on greased cookie sheet, about one inch apart and bake for 15 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When serving your Irish creations don&amp;rsquo;t &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;refinance interest only&lt;/a&gt; an Irish toast to bless the meal!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Niall Cinneide loves entertainig and celebrating St Patrick's Day. He publishes views, information and news about &lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.St-Patricks.info"&gt;St Patricks Day&lt;/a&gt; at St Patricks Information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright &lt;a target="_new" href="http://www.Your-Holiday.info"&gt;http://www.Your-Holiday.info&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1425773322685320015?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1425773322685320015/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1425773322685320015' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1425773322685320015'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1425773322685320015'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/some-irish-recipes-to-celebrate-st.html' title='Some Irish Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick&apos;s Day'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1858029518794454853</id><published>2008-05-26T07:01:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-26T07:01:20.400-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Bass Playing Tips to Get You Out of That Rut</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;A bass playing tip concerning sound production:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most bass players have a set plucking/striking hand position. Try playing a riff, lick, line or melody you have often played before, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;loan consolidation student&lt;/a&gt; time moving your plucking/striking hand to either side of its standard position. Notice how different the string tension feels. Notice the change in sound. If it is better, use the new position for that particular sound.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Try that too:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Take one of your stock standard lines &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/injury-lawyers.php&gt;injury lawyers for you&lt;/a&gt; play it in at least 20 different ways.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Think laterally. Hit the strings a lot harder than you have ever done before, play softer, play very legato, play very staccato, mix the two, play the line a lot faster, play it a lot slower, play it in a different position, a different key, a different register, slap it pop it, pick it, mute it, change the feel from straight to swung or vice versa, use a completely different fingering for both left and right hands, change the line from major to minor or vice versa, play it with your eyes closed, imagine a scene to suit the mood of the line, hold the bass in a completely different position... and so on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you have not &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/insurance.php&gt;online insurance quote&lt;/a&gt; at least one new and potentially useful thing through that experiment, start all over again with an open mind.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Still not enough?&lt;/b&gt; Imagine playing another instrument. Think of the sound of that instrument. Think of its typical phrasing. Vocalize it. Then re-create the sound your are "hearing" on your instrument. You might be surprised!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides being an innovative and highly respected music educator, George Urbaszek plays double bass, guitar, bass guitar and bassitar. He has over 3000 performances and 120 recording sessions to his credit and has toured Australia, Central Europe, Canada, USA and the Pacific Islands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;George has performed with artists ranging from Rolf Harris through to Judith Durham, Beccy Cole, Marina Prior, George Washingmachine, Thelma Housten and the New York production of Porgy and Bess. His former students include Brendan Clarke (winner of the Australian National Jazz Award), Kim Khahn (Robbie Williams, Mel C, Natalie Imbruglia) and Rory &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Marijuana-Effects.php&gt;marijuana facts&lt;/a&gt; (John Butler Trio).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After lecturing for thirteen years in the Jazz Department of the Australian National University, George is now residing near Byron Bay, Australia, where &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;refinance bad credit&lt;/a&gt; works from home teaching students from all over the world using an innovative approach of step-by-step online bass lessons. These lessons cost as little as US $3.46 every and are available at www.creativebasslessons.com/free-online-bass-lessons.htmwww.creativebasslessons.com/free-online-bass-lessons.htm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1858029518794454853?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1858029518794454853/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1858029518794454853' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1858029518794454853'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1858029518794454853'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/bass-playing-tips-to-get-you-out-of.html' title='Bass Playing Tips to Get You Out of That Rut'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-312439597470268301</id><published>2008-05-25T06:06:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-25T06:06:27.359-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Carpet Cleaning Scams</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;By far most carpet cleaning companies are honest. Many are Ma and Pa run companies that do &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Food/chinese-sauces.php&gt;Chinese food&lt;/a&gt; great job. Just like every industry there are clear signs &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;line car insurance&lt;/a&gt; watch out for.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the Price &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;Consolidate federal loans&lt;/a&gt; too good to be true it probably is&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you are told that they will clean every &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;Consolidate federal loans&lt;/a&gt; for $10.00 most likely there is a catch. The average room should cost between 30-50 dollars if not a little more. When they say $10.00 it most likely is just a quick clean and when they get there they will tell you that pre-treater is .30 cents a square foot. Often times they may offer to clean an area for free to show you what they can do. They will pick a spot in the center of the room and clean it well. If you decide not to go with them then you will have a nice clean spot in the middle of your room that will stick out from the rest of the carpet. You are better of just going with a business that is honest with their prices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Guarantees&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many companies offer a guarantee but be sure to read the fine print. You may find out that if they leave a spot or two &lt;a href=http://canadian-meds-shop.com/cart.php?add=2010&amp;aid=6855&gt;Acomplia - 30 pills @ 20mg each!&lt;/a&gt; they will come back out and clean it but a surge charge may apply. &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Medical/ortho-evra.php&gt;ortho evra birth control&lt;/a&gt; make they have an established reputation. If there is a problem they may not be there tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coupons&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many companies offer coupons and it is a great way to build up clientele. However always read the fine print. Some coupons will say they will clean any room for $10.00 but in the fine print it will read up to 100 square feet. Have you ever heard of a room only being 100 square feet. They then charge an extra amount for every additional hundred.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To view more carpet tips please go to www.requestcarpetcleaning.comwww.requestcarpetcleaning.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The owners of www.requestcarpetcleaning.comRequest Carpet Cleaning have over 50 years experience combined, and realize that it is easier to keep you as a Client than it is to find new clients. No one can offer year-round spot cleaning or touch-ups. We can! And we stand by our work 100%. Request currently services all of Colorado and southern Cheyenne.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-312439597470268301?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/312439597470268301/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=312439597470268301' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/312439597470268301'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/312439597470268301'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/carpet-cleaning-scams.html' title='Carpet Cleaning Scams'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-8028076053454820004</id><published>2008-05-24T08:21:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-24T08:21:45.492-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Wedding Favors Holders and Decorative Boxes</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;So you have purchased small wedding &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/debt-consolidation.php&gt;self cert loans&lt;/a&gt; or candy treats &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Web-Hosting/web-hosting.php&gt;hostgator coupon&lt;/a&gt; all the guests at &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/St-Johns-Wort.php&gt;St. John's Wort&lt;/a&gt; party but you dont know how to give them out &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/&gt;medications&lt;/a&gt; a fashionable, unique way. Well, heres a suggestion: try using elegant boxes, drawstring bags, and display cases that you find while shopping online. Putting wedding favors into unique packages is a great way to make everything fit in with your vision of the perfect wedding and the theme that you have chosen for the most special day that youll share with your friends and family. There are so many more options when you can pick out the perfect package to give your very personal wedding favors to your guests in. Try sticking in little notes to commemorate your intimate connection with your guests and to demonstrate your immense appreciation for the fact that they have stood by you and supported you on your wedding day. Here are several examples of the amazing packaging options that you can choose from to add your personal touch to your wedding favors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CD Size Glassine Envelopes:&lt;br&gt; Use these &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/IRS-Tax-Attorney/irs-tax.php&gt;IRS tax attorney&lt;/a&gt; to put in CDs that you have personalized and decorated to match your wedding color scheme. You can put anything on these disks, from the enchanting music that you have picked for your wedding to the collage of pictures that you have collected over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beach Pails:&lt;br&gt; These pails can come in a variety of colors including blue, white, purple, and pink and can hold a variety of wedding favors, especially perfect for holding candies such as chocolates, Jordan Almonds, or conversation hearts. These beach pails will be an adorable addition to your beach themed wedding and every different color will add a little bit of panache to your wedding reception, regardless of your theme your guests will certainly love these. Try spreading other fun items around the tables like flip flop magnets or vibrantly colored confetti.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blooming Flower Boxes:&lt;br&gt; These elegant however realistic boxes are great for any wedding theme, especially one with lots of flowers or colors. The box is shaped like a blooming flower and you can stick anything youd like in the top including chocolates, mints, messages, charms, and other small however precious and thoughtful wedding favors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chocolate Colored Favor Boxes:&lt;br&gt; These richly colored two piece boxes will enhance any color scheme with their luxurious and deep chocolate color. Try decorating them with ribbons, glitter, confetti, or maybe even paints or pens. These come in a pack of 12 to make ordering and shipping as simple as a click. Putting these boxes filled with candies or trinkets will make your guests eager to sit down and open them up to see whats inside.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joe Palladino is the owner of Her Wedding Favors and offers fine www.herweddingfavors.comwedding favors and unique www.herweddingfavors.combridal shower favors. All of his products are discounted, high-quality cheap wedding favors. You can find these wonderful www.herweddingfavors.com/wedding-favor-bags.htmlwedding favor bags online for affordable prices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-8028076053454820004?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/8028076053454820004/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=8028076053454820004' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8028076053454820004'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8028076053454820004'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/wedding-favors-holders-and-decorative.html' title='Wedding Favors Holders and Decorative Boxes'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1949416780484328932</id><published>2008-05-23T04:57:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-23T04:57:45.584-07:00</updated><title type='text'>purchase Property In Thailand - But Make Sure You Do It Right</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Have you thought at some time that you would like to purchase property in &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;car insurannce&lt;/a&gt; but then decided it might be too difficult? If so, you are not alone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's amazing that on so many Internet sites, and in so many property magazines, there are articles galore about how to purchase a home in Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus etc., but it's so hard to find any information about how to purchase property in Thailand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;however Thailand must be one of the most attractive places in the world to own property. With its lush, exotic scenery, its wealth of beautiful temples, its constant warm sunshine and the charm and friendliness of its persons, it has an appeal unmatched anywhere. And it's not actually all that &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;consolidate student loans&lt;/a&gt; for foreigners to purchase property there.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So if you want to purchase property in Thailand, how do you go about it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The most important thing you must be aware of is that, although there is no bar to you as a foreign individual owning a building - e.g. a villa - in Thailand, you cannot own the land on which it is built. There are a number of ways you can get round that. &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li&gt;You can set &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/massachusetts.html&gt;Massachusetts Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; a Thai limited liability business. that &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Web-Hosting/web-hosting.php&gt;enterprise web hosting&lt;/a&gt; cost you an up-front payment of about $12,000 USD plus about $100 USD per month. There is nothing to stop a foreign individual or couple from doing that and it will enable you to own land.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;You can purchase a 30-year lease, which you can register as renewable for consecutive periods of 30 years. &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-equity-loan.php&gt;home equity calculator&lt;/a&gt; contract for the lease, which is in Thai but accompanied by a notarized English translation, is signed at the local Land Office, and you pay 1.1 percent of the appraised value of the property.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Many westerners opt to own a condo (condominium). The process for that is more straightforward as there is clear provision in Thai law for foreign ownership of up to 49 percent of units in a condo complex. To purchase a condo you must transfer currency from a bank outside Thailand to a bank inside Thailand - Bangkok Bank has the most organized set-up for international transactions. Make sure the transfer document states clearly that the funds are for the purchase of a condominium.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Of course there are a lot of westerners, especially males, who choose to marry a Thai national and purchase property in Thailand in the spouse's name. that is fine as long as it's a genuine marriage, but entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of buying property is &lt;u&gt;not&lt;/u&gt; a good idea. The authorities take a dim view of it, and if the arrangement breaks down the legal complications can be very unpleasant.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There have been a lot of misconceptions about how difficult it is to purchase property in Thailand. Actually it's not difficult at all and an increasing number of westerners are using that as an attractive alternative to the traditional Europe holiday spots, which are becoming increasingly crowded. What's more it can even be an alternative solution to the problems currently being experienced by the US and UK property markets. The Thai persons are happy to have the foreign currency and it's in their interests to make the process as simple as possible. The delights of life in Thailand, and the fact that your dollar, pound or euro goes a very long way in Thailand, mean that if you're careful you can scarcely go wrong!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Elaine Berry is the owner of the Bizwrite Real Estate Service. To find some beautiful properties to purchase in Thailand, come and visit www.bizwrite.co.uk/realestate/overseasproperty.htmlwww.bizwrite.co.uk/realestate/overseasproperty.html If you would like to find out how to refinance your home in order to purchase your Thai property, visit us at www.bizwrite.co.uk/realestate/lending.htmlwww.bizwrite.co.uk/realestate/lending.html&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1949416780484328932?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1949416780484328932/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1949416780484328932' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1949416780484328932'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1949416780484328932'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/purchase-property-in-thailand-but-make.html' title='purchase Property In Thailand - But Make Sure You Do It Right'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1560816576430215708</id><published>2008-05-22T05:31:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-22T05:31:13.276-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Changing Organisational Culture Requires a Change in Leadership</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Changing culture or the way we do &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Homeowners-Insurance/homeowners-insurance.php&gt;online homeowners insurance quotes&lt;/a&gt; around here need not be as difficult as it first seems. We often make it more difficult for ourselves because the first and most important change often needs to come from us as leaders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We can make it doubly difficult if we build &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/remortgage.php&gt;home refinancing information&lt;/a&gt; project around a focus of changing culture. It can appear that we are changing culture for changing sake. We can also get lost in the forest of consultant jargon, models and methods and miss the trees of the objective we are trying to reach.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To adequately discuss what changing culture is, we need to start with a definition of what organisational culture is. A useful tool for that amongst the plethora of tools available is the Cultural Web developed by Johnson and Scholes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the Cultural Web, culture is described as the mix of routines and rituals, stories, symbols, control systems, power structures and organisational structure that form the paradigm of the organisation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The routines are the ways that members of the organisation bemustwards every other and that link different parts of the organisation. These are the way we do things around here. There are also rituals of organisational life, such as training programmes, promotion and assessment which point to what is most important in the organisation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stories told by members of the organisation embed the present in its organisational history and flag important events and personalities. Other symbolic aspects of organisations such as logos, offices, cars and titles or the type of language and terminology commonly used become a short-hand representation of the nature of the organisation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The control systems, measurements and reward systems emphasise what is important in the organisation focusing attention and activity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Power structures, the most powerful managerial groupings in the organisation, are the ones most associated with core assumptions and beliefs about what is &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/remortgage.php&gt;home remortgage&lt;/a&gt; The formal organisational structure, or the more informal ways in which the organisation works, reflect power structures and delineate important relationships&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The paradigm is the set of assumptions, held in common and taken for granted in an organisation, which lies within the cultural web which bonds these assumptions to the day to day action of organisational life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are two ways of attacking the issues that make up the culture of an organisation. In both cases a current state view is necessary to comprehend where we are now. In both cases we must also comprehend the future state of our desired culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In one method we will build a cultural transformation programme to deliver cultural change as its own outcome. that rarely works. The smart persons will change their habits when the persons who care about culture (the bosses?) are looking and will know all the right things to say. However their behaviour rarely changes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the other method, we will build a case for change in the business to achieve a business outcome. We will drive relentlessly to the outcome and we will monitor the supporting &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;consolidation debt management money&lt;/a&gt; making fine tuned adjustments to what we say and how we say it, what we do and how we do it, based on our knowledge of the culture. Organisational culture will be a result of what we do, not what we do being a result of an try to change current culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The second method is nearly always successful, in my experience. It does however require clarity of thought and discipline from the leader. The recipe for success is simple.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be clear about the objectives of the organisation. Communicate those objectives early and often. Communicate by different mediums and different techniques. Remember some persons a visual, some are auditory and some prefer text. Communicate using the recipients language unless you are trying to change the language used.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concentrate on those things which get in the way of reaching the objective with urgency. If the objective is important and they get in the way, why would we not attack them? that would be only if the objectives were not really important. that may include persons, recognising that some persons do not fit in terms of competence or desired culture. Recruit to fit the new culture requirements of behaviours and beliefs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Only ever talk about &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Conference-Call/web-conferencing.php&gt;low cost call conferencing&lt;/a&gt; not problems. It may seem trite, but problems engender negativity, opportunities engender a positive mind set.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concentrate on developing new stories, eliminating routines and changing power structures and control systems as a &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Meridia-Sibutramine.php&gt;meridia drug&lt;/a&gt; to reach the objective, not vice-versa. Tell persons they have succeeded. Nothing reinforces appropriate behaviour like praise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Changing culture is not so difficult. Culture usually only raises its head as topic when results are not what we want and we provide leadership that allows an unsuitable culture to develop. By all means use some tools to assist comprehend and monitor culture, but we must provide a change in leadership to change culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kevin Dwyer is Director of Change Factory a change management and business improvement business located in Australia and the Fiji Islands. To see more articles visit www.changefactory.com.auwww.changefactory.com.au.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1560816576430215708?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1560816576430215708/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1560816576430215708' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1560816576430215708'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1560816576430215708'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/changing-organisational-culture.html' title='Changing Organisational Culture Requires a Change in Leadership'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-4577725943971078236</id><published>2008-05-21T04:41:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-21T04:41:53.733-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Transform Your Home With New Flooring</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Have &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;life insurance quotes&lt;/a&gt; gotten bored with how your home looks, how it feels, has it lost the luster in your heart that it first had when you moved in. Does it feel like it might be time for a change, for a new venue? A great number of persons feel the same way, in &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/injury-lawyers.php&gt;injury lawyers&lt;/a&gt; quite often. But rather then moving you might consider replacing some or all of the flooring in your home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Replacing flooring along with minor changes in furnishings from time to time can keep that feeling of newness ingrained in your home. Adding a special touch with just the right flooring can make even the most commonplace room dcor into something special. Carpets once were king, now hardwoods and custom style tiling have come into their own. Not to say that carpeting has gone out of style, it hasn't. But more and more where once a home was wall to wall carpet, persons are experiencing the magnificence and select beauty that contrasts in flooring materials can make in a home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One methods of home decorating use to be to visualize a room with all the furnishings, then furnishing the room with the flooring only being thought of in a functional manner or by virtue of color coordination. But today it is not uncommon for the floor itself to be the center piece of the room, with everything else being selected only to compliment the beauty of the floor itself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interior design today will view a space and visualize a period or a texture that &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Meridia-Sibutramine.php&gt;cheap meridia&lt;/a&gt; the space. With the texture in mind the very first thing to be concentrated on is what type of flooring to use. It becomes the single most important &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;refinance my mortgage&lt;/a&gt; of the space because everything else in the room, by design will compliment that particular flooring material color, texture and design, everything! You might think that the concept is hard to follow but it really isn't. Because flooring is usually the largest single element in a room, it stands to reason that it needs to be considered very highly when its time to make the decision to put it in place.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To make my point, the next time you are at the supermarket or discount store, pick up a copy of your favorite home magazine, and when you get a moment, sit down and study it. I don't mean read it, but study the pictures. If you do you will find the essence of what I have just said is true. You will discover that in fine homes, homes that continually get photographed for these types of magazines, more often then not, the floor is the center piece of the room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How can you know? Looking at the pictures, do the room spaces seem to be full? Do they seem cluttered or furnished too heavily? Usually not, and if they do, how memorable was the flooring material? Do the individual pieces fit well with the flooring, are they arranged in s manner that cover most of the &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Student-Loan-Consolidation/student-loan-consolidation.php&gt;student loan consolidation comparison&lt;/a&gt; or are there lots of throw rugs about? Sometimes possibly but more often the room are sparsely furnished to allow the viewer to take in all of the room. You might notice that every furnishing fits into a well molded scheme that accents the beauty of a floor. Bedrooms if any might be an exception to that type of design, but they too are often floor orientated in design.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might argue that what you are seeing is a perspective from anyone who has a passion for fine flooring, and you would be right. Most great interior designers have a passion for the finest of flooring materials. But you don't must be filthy rich or an interior designer to share in that passion for fine flooring. With the cost effective, durable and beautiful choices availed to homeowners like us today; we too can have those magazine picturesque type spaces in our homes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I found that when I started thinking about what type of flooring best fit a space in our home, the better job we did in the entire design project of every room. The best way I can tell you to begin is to visualize your rooms empty with no flooring, no wall paint or coverings, all neutral or white, then from the floor up, decide how you want the room to feel. Consider the light, the time of day the light is natural, when will it be used, how will it be used, then think about the feel of the flooring, how do you want it to feel.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Too many persons get bogged down with the ideas of ease of installation, ease of maintenance, and durability. All admirable qualities to consider, but they shouldn't be your driving motivation for selecting the right floor. If I had to put them in order these would be the criteria for selecting the perfect floor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Could the flooring stand alone? Would the space have beauty with nothing but the flooring material in place?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Will the flooring give voice to the way I want to feel about the room. Will the flooring match or compliment the particular type of energy I want that room to have?&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Will changes in light (natural to artificial) change negatively or positively the aspect of the space? Sometimes flooring material that is too dark or light will tend to be less appealing during specific times of light. Be warned though that is not always true, so it is important to comprehend how the room will be used and when that use will take place if possible.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Then decide what type of furnishings you might want or need that will rest directly on the flooring. Those furnishings might be ones you want to obtain, or ones that you already have. In either case, the flooring needs to fulfill its task of melding the contents of the room, how ever furnished into an esthetically pleasing as well as applicably functional space.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Then if you so choose, you can hold your choice up to the general considerations usually taken into account about flooring, which would be durability, ease of maintenance and then ease of installation. I put ease of installation last on the list, because a great floor is worth some extra effort if need be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you can conquer these criteria in selecting your flooring material, I can almost guarantee that the rest of the room will fall into place and make for that picture perfect room that deserves to be showcased in the next issue of your favorite home magazine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So the next time the walls of your home seem to want to close in on you and moving comes to mind just because, you might want to consider a change in flooring. It's usually a lot cheaper then moving, and has the advantage of adding value to your existing home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Scott Best is a freelance creator in association with newfloordesign.comnewfloordesign.com View more articles from Scott at newfloordesign.com/newsletters/newfloordesign.com/newsletters/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-4577725943971078236?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/4577725943971078236/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=4577725943971078236' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4577725943971078236'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4577725943971078236'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/transform-your-home-with-new-flooring.html' title='Transform Your Home With New Flooring'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-378297185363614669</id><published>2008-05-20T05:17:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-20T05:17:20.186-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Finding the "Best of the Best" in Coffee</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Tips for Finding Perfect Premium Coffee...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is coffee and THERE IS COFFEE! You likely know about &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;insurance quotes auto&lt;/a&gt; generic quality coffees you find at the supermarket, using the inferior Robusta beans. And, in contrast, there is the alternative: the coffee regularly termed Gourmet Coffee you purchase direct from roasters around the country. Popular large volume roasters, like Starbucks as well as most of the the smaller roasters dispersed about town, essentially utilize that far better grade, high altitude, shade grown Arabica bean.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That being said, and broadly known by all nowadays, how can you siphon out the crme de la crme of gourmet coffee beans to purchase?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To begin with, let's hone in specifically on taste. Nowadays, coffee has become &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/cialis-faq.php&gt;tadalafil&lt;/a&gt; "drink of experts"... evolved into an art of reflection! We've begun to savor our coffee...flavor identify and define the subtle hints and nuances, as well as the qualities that identify the bean's continent of origin. You as a coffee drinker, can begin to explore and experience the undertones of your coffee's region, but better however, begin to revel in the independently specific flavors of the bean defined by the specific hill and farm where it's grown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; Coffee Cupping: Defining Coffee by its &lt;I&gt;"Underlying Flavors" &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/I&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are, nowadays, a limited number of coffee roasters that independently test their coffee beans for taste observations and aromas. These beans are graded and assessed just like fine wine. that activity is called Coffee Cupping or Coffee Tasting. Professionals known as Master Tasters are the assessors. The procedure involves deeply sniffing a cup of brewed coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it draws in air, spreads to the back of the tongue, and maximizes flavor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These Master Tasters, much akin to wine tasters, then try to measure in detail, every aspect of the coffee's taste. that assessment includes measurement of the &lt;i&gt; body &lt;/i&gt; (the texture or mouth-feel, such as oiliness), &lt;i&gt; acidity &lt;/i&gt; (a sharp and tangy feeling, like when biting into an orange), and &lt;i&gt; balance &lt;/i&gt; (the innuendo and the harmony of flavors working together). Since coffee beans embody telltale flavors from their region or continent of their origin, cuppers &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Nefazodone-Serzone.php&gt;Nefazodone&lt;/a&gt; also try to predict where the coffee was grown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is an infinite range of vocabulary that is used to describe the tastes found in coffee. Descriptors range from the familiar (chocolaty, sweet, fruity, woody) to the conceptual (clean, vibrant, sturdy) to the wildly esoteric (summery, racy, gentlemanly).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Following are a few key characteristics as defined by Coffee Geek. (coffeegeek.com/guides/beginnercupping/tastenotes)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; Key Characteristics &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;i&gt; Acidity: &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/i&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;I&gt;The brightness or sharpness of coffee:&lt;/I&gt; It is through the acidity that many of the most intriguing fruit and floral flavors are delivered, and is usually the most scrutinized characteristic of the coffee. Acidity can be intense or mild, round or edgy, elegant or wild, and everything in between. Usually the acidity is best evaluated once the coffee has cooled slightly to a warm/lukewarm temperature. Tasting a coffee from Sumatra next to one from Kenya is a good way to begin to comprehend acidity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;i&gt; Body: &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/i&gt; &lt;br&gt; that is sometimes referred to as &lt;I&gt; "mouthfeel". &lt;/I&gt;The body is the sense of weight or heaviness that the coffee exerts in the mouth, and can be very difficult for beginning cuppers to identify. It is useful to think about the viscosity or thickness of the coffee, and concentrate on degree to which the coffee has a physical presence. Cupping a Sulawesi versus a Mexican coffee can illustrate the range of body quite clearly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;i&gt; Sweetness: &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/i&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;I&gt; One of the most important elements in coffee, &lt;/I&gt; sweetness often separates the great from the good. Even the most intensely acidic coffees are lush and refreshing when there is enough sweetness to provide balance and ease the finish. Think of lemonade...starting with just water and lemon juice, one can add sugar until the level of sweetness achieves harmony with the tart citric flavor. It is the same with coffee, the sweetness is critical to allowing the other tastes to flourish and be appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;i&gt; Finish: &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/i&gt; &lt;br&gt; While first impressions are powerful, it is often the last impression that has the most impact. With coffee the finish &lt;b&gt; (or aftertaste) &lt;/b&gt; is of great importance to the overall quality of the tasting experience, as it will linger long after the coffee has been swallowed. Like a great story, a great cup of coffee needs a purposeful resolution. The ideal finish to me is one that is clean (free of distraction), sweet, and refreshing with enough endurance to carry the flavor for 10-15 seconds after swallowing. A champion finish will affirm with great clarity the principal flavor of the coffee, holding it aloft with grace and confidence like a singer carries the final note of a song and then trailing off into a serene silence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; Coffee Buying Caveat &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Buying coffee simply &lt;i&gt; by name &lt;/i&gt; instead of &lt;i&gt; by taste &lt;/i&gt; from your favorite roaster (in other words buying the same Columbian Supreme from the same "Joe's Cuppa Joe Roaster") definitely has its pitfall! According to Coffee Review, "Next year's Clever-Name-Coffee business's house blend may be radically different from that year's blend, despite bearing the same name and label. The particularly skillful coffee buyer or roaster who helped &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/injury-lawyers.php&gt;injury lawyers for you&lt;/a&gt; the coffee you and I liked so much may have gotten hired elsewhere. Rain may have spoiled the crop of a key coffee in the blend. The exporter or importer of that key coffee may have gone out of business or gotten careless. And even if everyone (plus the weather) did exactly the same thing they (and it) did the year before, the retailer that time around may have spoiled everything by letting the coffee go stale before you got to it. Or you may have messed things up that year by keeping the coffee around too long, brewing it carelessly, or allowing a friend to pour hazelnut syrup into it."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your savvy coffee-buying alternative is to look for roasters who purchase their beans in Micro-Lots- smaller (sometimes tiny) lots of subtly distinctive specialty coffees. According to Coffee Review, "These coffee buyers purchase small quantities of coffee from a single crop and single place, often a single hillside, and are sold not on the basis of consistency or brand, but as an opportunity to experience the flavor associated with a unique moment in time and space and the dedication of a single farmer or group of farmers."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; Coffee Review: Coffee Ratings &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And finally, look out for the very small community coffee roasters that will submit their coffees to be 3rd-party evaluated by Coffee Review and other competitions for independent analysis and rating. Coffee Review regularly conducts blind, expert cuppings of coffees and then reports the findings in the form of 100-point reviews to coffee buyers. These valuable Overall Ratings can provide you with a summary assessment of the reviewed coffees. They are based on a scale of 50 to 100. &lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Mortgage-Refinance-HomeEquity/home-refinancing.php&gt;refinance lowest rates&lt;/a&gt; line for a certain premium purchase: &lt;/b&gt; To find the coffee that will ascertain most flavor satisfaction, seek out beans that been independently reviewed and rated. that approach will, without a question offer you the advantage of being able to choose the flavor profile suits you best in a bean. What's more, it gains you certainty in quality due to its superior rating. The higher the rating, the better the flavor. True premium coffees start from the upper 80's. By finding a roaster that consistently rates within the 90's will ultimately purchase you &lt;I&gt; the best java for your buck!&lt;/I&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;www.coffeereview.com/about_us.cfmwww.coffeereview.com/about_us.cfm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;About The Author &lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michelle Faber is owner of Gourmet CoffeeXpress, the &lt;i&gt;"Ultimate Website Gallery", &lt;/i&gt; &lt;br&gt; showcasing the creme de la creme in gourmet coffees, &amp; teas, and artisan chocolates, desserts &amp; gifts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit Gourmet CoffeeXpress at www.gourmetcoffeexpress.comwww.gourmetcoffeexpress.com to indulge in the world's most EXTRAORDINARY Gourmet Coffee, Tea and Desserts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-378297185363614669?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/378297185363614669/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=378297185363614669' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/378297185363614669'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/378297185363614669'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/finding-best-of-best-in-coffee.html' title='Finding the &quot;Best of the Best&quot; in Coffee'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1597073824034163565</id><published>2008-05-19T04:30:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-19T04:30:59.145-07:00</updated><title type='text'>What Are The Ingredients In Athena 7 Minute Lift?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Women around the globe are catching on to the magic of the Athena 7 Minute lift that has been clinically tested and shown to work to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in under 7 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what are the &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/auto-insurance.php&gt;dui auto insurance&lt;/a&gt; in Athena 7 minute lift that make it such an effective product?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of the ingredients are natural and have known qualities for revitalizing the &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/erectile-dysfunction.php&gt;impotence treatment&lt;/a&gt; Lets have a look at just a few of these ingredients.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic Mentha Piperata [Peppermint Oil]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The power of peppermint has been recognized for centuries for its powerful healing qualities. It has is refreshing, revitalizing, and invigorating for the skin, making it a great choice for skin care. In fact, Greek mythology tells about its use by the Goddesses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic Citrus Aurantium elcis [Orange &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Fine-Wine/champagne.php&gt;Champagne&lt;/a&gt; Oil]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Orange peel oil is one of many citrus oils used in Athena 7 minute lift. Orange is packed with vitamin C making it an &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/IRS-Tax-Attorney/irs-tax.php&gt;IRS lawyer&lt;/a&gt; antioxidant and it soothes the skin. The powerful antioxidant activity means that it helps to correct free radical damage. And as well, it smells great! Have an orange for breakfast and wear one too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic Olea Europaea [Olive Fruit Oil]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For centuries, the persons of the Mediterranean have used olive fruit oil both on their food and on their skin. In fact, it was once classified as a sacred oil because of its powerful healing and health benefits, making it an excellent choice for the skin. Its an excellent antioxidant and it protects the skin against free radical damage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic Rosa Damascena [Rose Flower Oil]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is nothing quite as sensual as the scent of a rose. But did &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/hawaii.html&gt;Hawaii Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; know that the essential oil has exceptional healing qualities. In fact is it the most precious essential oil in the world. It will revitalize, smooth, and heal the skin, leaving it revitalized and younger. The rose has been known to make skin look as much as 10 years younger.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Organic Jasmine Officinale [Jasmine Oil]&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you havent experienced jasmine, you should. that is one of those oils that leaves you feeling uplifted. In fact, it is considered the king of essential oils. Not only does it smell great it has exceptional anti-inflammatory properties making it a great choice for the Athena 7 minute lift.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So there you have it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These ingredients, and more, are the basis behind the effects of Athena 7 minute lift.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The way Athena works is fast, as well as effective, and that is another advantage of a product that works quickly.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So to get great looking skin, use a wrinkle cream that works, has low side effects, has safe natural ingredients, and that has plenty of testimonials and before and after photos so you can see the effects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So go for it and get great looking skin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find out which wrinkle creams really work at Marcus Ryan's site which reviews the top rated www.wrinklecreamsreview.com" target="_blankanti wrinkle cream products that work in minutes. Get your free samples of these breakthrough wrinkle at his site, and get younger looking skin right away!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1597073824034163565?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1597073824034163565/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1597073824034163565' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1597073824034163565'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1597073824034163565'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-are-ingredients-in-athena-7-minute.html' title='What Are The Ingredients In Athena 7 Minute Lift?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-8384015401863897365</id><published>2008-05-18T08:08:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-18T08:08:18.715-07:00</updated><title type='text'>7 Fun Places to Propose Marriage in California</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;One of &lt;a href=http://canadian-meds-shop.com/cart.php?add=3747&amp;aid=6855&gt;Cialis Professional - 10 pills @ 20mg each!&lt;/a&gt; great things about proposing marriage is the fun you'll have coming up with a creative place to pop the &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;car ins&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Structured-Settlement/structured-settlement.php&gt;structured settlement cash&lt;/a&gt; you live in California or are considering a visit, here are 7 fun places you might want to consider for your marriage proposal:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. Ferris Wheel  Santa Monica Pier&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Santa Monica Pier is a great place to pop the question. You can spend all day soaking up the sun &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;quick quote car insurance&lt;/a&gt; the beach, then, when the sun starts to set, take a ride on the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier where you can propose to a spectacular sunset, then head on over to Ocean Ave. Seafood for dinner and champagne.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. Sunset Gondola Rides  Huntington Beach&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Huntington Beach is another beautiful place to propose marriage. And, there's no better spot to do that than on a Sunset Gondola Cruise through the canals of Huntington Harbour and Sunset Beach. They encourage you to bring the beverage of your choice, where your gondolier will be happy to uncork it and provide cups. Your gondolier can also sing for the two of you. Gondola Cruises are available 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. for two to six persons. Call them at 562-592-3295 to book a gondola.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3. Top of Splash Mountain  Disneyland&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What better way to ask your sweetheart to take the plunge with you than on the 5-story Splash Mountain plunge ride at Disneyland, where you can pop the question right before the 52-feet drop. Be sure to purchase the photo before you leave, so you'll always have a picture of the moment you proposed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4. Catalina Island&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Celebrate your romance on the "island of romance," Catalina Island, located 26 miles from the coast of Los Angeles. You can propose in any number of picturesque spots, or you can go for the fun spots like a glass-bottom boat, your own private peddle boat, on a submarine tour, while snorkeling "Lover's Cove," or, if you don't mind the expensive tab, on your own private jeep tour of the island, where you can stop at any number of spots and propose.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5. Hot Air Balloon  Temecula, Del Mar and Napa&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tell her your love is reaching new heights by proposing during a hot-air balloon flight over some of the most beautiful California landscapes. Many of the popular locations include flights over Temecula, Del Mar or Napa Valley. Many locations offer sunset as well as sunrise flights, with a champagne brunch or toast upon landing. Hot Air Flyer offers in-flight champagne service while on their sunset flights over Temecula and Del Mar. Call them at 714-369-5757 for more information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;6. Helicopter Tour over Los Angeles&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See the sights of Los Angeles from a helicopter which will take you on a tour of all the Los Angeles sights - skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, and the Sunset Strip. Let her know she's the real star by proposing while flying over the Hollywood Sign. You can also have the helicopter land at the Santa Monica Airport for dinner at the fabulous Typhoon Restaurant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;7. Dodger &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/debt-consolidation.php&gt;annuity loan&lt;/a&gt;  Scoreboard Message&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the two of your are Dodgers fans, you might consider asking for her hand in marriage with a scoreboard message on the Dodger Stadium Ribbon Board behind 1st and 3rd bases during a Dodgers home game for a cost of $50.00. A Dodger Dog, beer and a proposal, what could be more perfect?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These are just a sampling of some of the creative ways and places to propose marriage in California. There are probably a million other ways and places, every as unique as you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shari Hearn is a creator and creator of a www.weddingplanning411.com/wedding planning website where you can learn about such things as www.weddingplanning411.com/Wedding_Favor_Keepsakes.htmlwedding favor keepsakes and www.weddingplanning411.com/Used_Wedding_Dress.htmlused wedding dresses&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-8384015401863897365?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/8384015401863897365/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=8384015401863897365' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8384015401863897365'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8384015401863897365'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/7-fun-places-to-propose-marriage-in.html' title='7 Fun Places to Propose Marriage in California'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-5961252851207250540</id><published>2008-05-16T06:37:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-16T06:37:33.166-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Do You Have To Speak A Foreign Language To Be A Global Trader?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;If you want to be &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/&gt;generic Viagra&lt;/a&gt; global trader, you dont have to speak the language like a native but its sure a good idea to know something of the language in your target market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I can tell you from personal experience that any effort made toward trying to speak the local language will go far toward building good will. If nothing else, learn a few key words.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ive discovered in my travels throughout the world that I could pretty much get by anywhere if I knew the local words for hello, thank you, good-bye, the numbers 1, 2, 3 and where is the bathroom? A personal suggestion: learn that last phrase first!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, the language of international business is still English but any knowledge of the other countrys language can humanize you and let the foreign trade partner understand that you value him and his culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of your communication can be in English but a good translator (or anyone with a real familiarity with the language) can still prove valuable. Sometimes the communication  even if written in English  may take a tone that might suggest anger or frustration. Someone knowledgeable with the language or culture might be able to explain the tone  before you say or do something youll regret.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More often youll be involved (or you may want to get smart about, in case youre asked) in translating catalogs and &lt;a href=http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3007962-10464753&gt;Get your FREE credit score and more!&lt;/a&gt; material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If youre an intermediary  anyone acting on behalf of a supplier, for instance -- its important to remember that your supplier put a lot of effort into developing a catalog that will appeal to his English-speaking customers. Hes probably inordinately proud of it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your sad duty is to inform him that, alas, he must start over. There &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Medical/Mesothelioma/mesothelioma.php&gt;mesothelioma symptom&lt;/a&gt; subtleties in language that can become critical when doing business in a culture with dramatically different cultural expectations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In other words, knowing the language is not good enough. Your sales material especially has to be translated with a deft touch. Unfortunately, machines do not have that touch. There is just no substitute for human translators.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Im aware of one company that needed a 200-page catalog translated from English to Spanish and to save money, they used a machine translation. You can probably figure out what happened next. The machine made such a mess of the catalog that the company had to pay a translator anyway to sort out the mess. Expenses. Wasted time. Bad deal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The matter of finding a good &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Finance/Credit-Card/credit-cards.php&gt;credit card apply&lt;/a&gt; service isnt just a luxury. It can mean the difference between success and failure in setting up a viable trade program. You can add value for your supplier by pointing out four key attributes of a top-notch translation service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ability. Its important that your translation service employ native speakers of the language youre translating into. The reason? They are able to capture nuances of the language and the culture that non-native speakers  no matter how well schooled  are likely to miss.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Understanding. Your translators must have a complete understanding of products and descriptions in your suppliers catalog. that is important. When you speak with them, determine from their feedback if they have an understanding of your products and a willingness to learn about them. Ideally, a company representative (it could be you as the intermediary) should be available to answer questions about the products in the catalog.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consistency. Remember what I said earlier about the time your supplier put into developing the original catalog? Make sure you choose a translation service thats sensitive to your style. You want the translation to be consistent with the visual and written style you have chosen (assuming that style is not going to offend readers in your target audience!). And ask the translation service if you can use the same translators for future catalog updates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meet Deadlines. I probably should have listed that first. The service must be able to meet hard deadlines. Dont overlook your role in the process. Provide needed text and supporting materials as early as possible to ensure your translator does the very best job. If youre preparing multiple catalogs at the same time (a good idea because renting presses can be expensive), the ability of your translation service to meet deadlines is even more important.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dennis Hessler is the publisher of The Computer User's Guide to Running Your Own Exporting Company and numerous other books, video tapes, software packages and The International Trade Connection newsletter which is designed to show entrepreneurs new to exporting how to get involved in the booming global market.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learn more about international trade at his website, www.spyglasspoint.comwww.spyglasspoint.com&lt;/a&gt; You can also download a free sample copy of The International Trade Connection at the site. If you have questions about any of his products or international trade in general, e-mail Dennis at &lt;a href="mailto:Dennis@spyglasspoint.comDennis@spyglasspoint.com&lt;/a&gt;. Spyglass Point Productions, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/car-insurance.php&gt;car insurance online quote&lt;/a&gt; Box 13141, Pensacola, FL 32591 U.S.A.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-5961252851207250540?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/5961252851207250540/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=5961252851207250540' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5961252851207250540'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5961252851207250540'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/do-you-have-to-speak-foreign-language.html' title='Do You Have To Speak A Foreign Language To Be A Global Trader?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-4478130087085033743</id><published>2008-05-15T05:50:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-15T05:50:44.901-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Keeping the Good Ones: 3 Keys to Retaining Top-Notch Employees</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;One of &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Life-Insurance/life-insurance.php&gt;life assurance quote&lt;/a&gt; most frustrating but common problems I come across in my consulting work is that of retaining key talent. Companies spend untold amounts of capital investing in tomorrows leaders, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Donate-Car/donate-car.php&gt;donating a car&lt;/a&gt; to see them hastily depart down the road for what they view as better opportunities elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many executives believe that money is a major reason behind many of these departures. Money does play a part, but only a very minor one. Money as a motivator is insufficient, though lack of money can be a demotivator. So, the old notion of throwing money after an employee who is unhappy and looking elsewhere will only serve to create an unhappy employee who is better off financially.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Employees are motivated by a variety of factors, and thus there is no simple shotgun method to motivate mass numbers of employees. Motivation must be intrinsic. It comes from within each individual and cannot be caught or passed on (much like a common cold). To that end, I have come up with three keys to improving your employee retention. If you are in the process of developing tomorrows leaders, make certain you understand these principles. Otherwise, you will serve only to further the corporate ambitions of your leading competitors through serving only as a corporate pit-stop of sorts for the best and brightest.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key #1: Build a Better Culture&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to retain those employees in whom you have invested time, capital, and relationships, you must first improve your entire corporate culture. What does that mean? It could mean:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-looking at your corporate hierarchy structure. Is &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/injury-lawyers.php&gt;injury lawyers 4 you&lt;/a&gt; vertical or horizontal? Vertical structures tend to result in decreased communication (due to increased layers of middle management), poor employee empowerment (due to the ubiquitous need for approval from higher-ups) and general lack of day-to-day knowledge by higher-ups of corporate functioning (which results from the old management by walking around phenomenon). Horizontal structures tend to do the opposite, and decrease friction and power struggles between management and employees due to increased visibility and accountability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-improving employee input and communication mechanisms. Do your employees have an avenue for direct communication with their management and leadership? Where do they go with legitimate concerns or innovative ideas?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-analyzing middle managements tendencies toward micro-managing. If you want employees that feel respected and valued, middle management needs to understand that micro-managing results in the opposite effect.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-remember that all investments that improve the quality of life for your employees are surefire winning investments. Work supports life, not vice versa. Employees that lead balanced, &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/auto-insurance.php&gt;auto insurance low rate&lt;/a&gt; lives come to work happier and are more productive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- forget about downsizing as a profit management tactic. First off, downsizing sends a direct message to ALL employees (not just the ones that are let go) that they are expendable commodities. Second, downsizing has never had any positive effect on company morale. Eliminating jobs rather than eliminating problems in capital management processes is plain dumb.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key #2: Empower Your Employees&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Empowerment is an oft-discussed but seldom understood concept. Management consultants, motivational speakers and the like discuss empowerment in motivational terms. However, all long-term motivation is intrinsic anyway, so the notion of empowerment as a motivational tool is nonsensical. Empowerment can be more accurately defined as the ability of employees to make decisions that affect the outcomes of their jobs. What kind of decisions are we talking about?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-decisions about hiring practices&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-decisions about how to deal with customer service issues&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-decisions about local management practices&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-decisions on how to manage overtime&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-decisions about physical working conditions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so on. Empowered employees make quicker decisions, are more confident in their abilities to get the job done right, increase customer satisfaction, and decrease corporate costs associated with remediation work (work that has to be duplicated due to employee mistakes, which results from lack of accountability).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Empowered employees engage in innovation rather than dilemma-solving. Innovation involves a continuous improvement in the status-quo, whereas dilemma-solving always results from failure. Someone makes a mistake, causing a decrease in the status-quo, and time and energy is spent fixing the dilemma, which results in the previous level of production. Empowered employees innovate due to increased freedom, satisfaction, and personal accountability. To that end, it is crucial that your company invest in advanced personal development opportunities for your employees rather than boring, remedial training. The former promotes innovation, the latter dilemma-solving.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest benefit to empowering your employees is the loyalty it generates. Human tendency is to value those who value our contributions, and &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Web-Hosting/web-hosting.php&gt;net web hosting&lt;/a&gt; employees certainly feel valued and respected by their employer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key #3: Improve Your Relationship Skills&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bottom line in any corporate culture is that relationships make or break a company. Relationship skills are an overlooked aspect of corporate culture. With respect to relationships and relationship skills, does your company:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-have numerous exemplars among its ranks that display your ideal corporate personality traits (genuineness, empathy, sense of humor, family values, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-value people more than outcomes?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-actively invest in advanced development opportunities for your employees? (seminars on relationship building, etc)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-have chief executives of all kinds that are readily accessible and easily approached?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-listen more than it talks? (most people believe communication is about improvements in one area and not the other, which is crazy)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-listen and incorporate customer and client feedback readily?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The better the relationship skills among your employees and management, the better your corporate culture. In any area of corporate productivity, an improvement in relationship skills and process will readily increase profitability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Leif H. Smith, Psy.D., has worked with hundreds of individuals and executives to improve personal and professional performance and effectiveness. He specializes in executive coaching and leadership development, and has worked with corporations such as The American Lung Association, America Online, Purdue University and others to that end.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, or to sign up his complimentary monthly newsletter, visit www.personalbestconsulting.comwww.personalbestconsulting.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-4478130087085033743?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/4478130087085033743/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=4478130087085033743' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4478130087085033743'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4478130087085033743'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/keeping-good-ones-3-keys-to-retaining.html' title='Keeping the Good Ones: 3 Keys to Retaining Top-Notch Employees'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-2251378860583942325</id><published>2008-05-14T05:53:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-14T05:53:43.460-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Dumbing Down of Chinese Culture</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;When the communists, soon after they came to power in 1949, introduced simplified Chinese characters, it was ostensibly to reduce illiteracy on the mainland. However, their real objective was to enable peasants and other illiterates to read the incessant propaganda posters the Party kept churning out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Therefore to that day mostly words useful for propaganda such as "change," "long live" and "factory" have been simplified. Many &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Computer/Data-Recovery/data-recovery.php&gt;data recovery tape&lt;/a&gt; have been simplified only by removing, or even changing the position of, two or three strokes, which makes one think how necessary that simplification really is.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When people are learning to read and write anyway, can't they just as well learn "" ("shell" in traditional creating) as ""? Is it really more difficult to remember "&amp;" (combine) than the simplified "v"? "" (join) than ""? "@" (toilet) than"@"?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now mainland authorities have trumped through their long-held insistence of simplified Chinese being the only Chinese creating allowed in the UN, to the chagrin of Taiwan, many Hong Kong people and not a few overseas Chinese, for whom even newspapers and magazines printed on the mainland are usually published in traditional script.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many Chinese &lt;a href=http://formsdxgabbefsm.blogspot.com&gt;Formsdxgabbefsm&lt;/a&gt; are put &lt;a href=http://meeytvzofum.blogspot.com&gt;Meeytvzofum&lt;/a&gt; by joining a component for meaning with the component for sound. By cutting out the meaning component from the character, you are just left with the sound component.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thus the character for the sound "gan" which can mean "to do" and "dry" using, in traditional creating, the two different characters "y" and ~", are both simplified to "r." that has led to the ludicrous situation on the mainland where "gan" (to do, and also in slang "do it" which in many dictionaries are translated into English as "f***" is used in the English translation of menus as "f***" for the word "dried," as in "F*** the salt beautiful pole duck chin" (Salty dried ducks' beaks.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/rhode_island.html&gt;Rhode Island Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; of Chinese being able to work out roughly the meaning of the character by understanding the meaning component of the word and the sound by the sound component, with simplified characters they have to know that "r" stands for both "dry" and "do" by already knowing the sound and the meaning. Therefore, you have to already know what you're learning, which rather defeats the purpose of education.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite more than fifty years of simplified characters on the mainland, many restaurant and company owners prefer to use traditional characters in the name of their business, as traditional characters are considered more elegant.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A few years ago the Chinese government cracked down on the use of traditional characters on business signs, making them illegal. that has not stopped many business owners from carrying on with the practise of using traditional characters, and especially in the southern part of China, the fronts of restaurants and other businesses are replete with beautiful traditional characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Indeed it seems like the mainland authorities have had as much success in banning traditional characters from signs as the French have had in banning English words from their language.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Simplified characters are at their worst downright ugly ("*" &lt;a href=http://supermanyccyfuvqsw.blogspot.com&gt;Supermanyccyfuvqsw&lt;/a&gt; of "," "`"instead of "" and "" instead of "!", ) and at best incomprehensible for the casual observer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;China has come a long way since trying to educate the illiterate masses of the 1950's. Now that most Chinese children go to school, I think it's time for the mainland to bring back traditional characters to celebrate the great heritage of the Chinese language, instead of forcing the ugly and ill thought-out simplified characters on the world. Then they can enable the masses to read the classics in their original form, as well as bringing China in line with the rest of the Chinese-creating world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Having done that, they can leave the Chinese written language to evolve naturally, letting usage define simplification to ease understanding, like every other language on earth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cecilie Gamst Berg&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-2251378860583942325?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/2251378860583942325/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=2251378860583942325' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/2251378860583942325'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/2251378860583942325'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/dumbing-down-of-chinese-culture.html' title='Dumbing Down of Chinese Culture'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-7631577477227078318</id><published>2008-05-13T05:49:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-13T05:49:57.063-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Improving Your Improvisation Skills</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;What exactly is improvisation? It's a word that means, "to make up..." to create without &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Insurance/Car-Insurance/auto-insurance.php&gt;auto insurance quote online&lt;/a&gt; or plan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many students want to improve their ability to improvise but make a big mistake when they think that means learning new techniques. No. The key to improving improvisation &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/california.html&gt;California Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; is to be able to let go of &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/washington.html&gt;Washington Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; need to control what comes out of you and let &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Clozapine-Clozaril.php&gt;Clozapine&lt;/a&gt; music itself takeover. that makes all the difference!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here, we are not making something up or trying to produce something. We are allowing the music to come through us and be born of its own. that &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Coffee/specialty-gourmet-coffee.php&gt;Specialty Gourmet Coffee&lt;/a&gt; in approach" makes all the difference because it puts an end to trying to come up with material!! Being able to improvise does not mean having a lexicon of techniques to draw upon. It does not mean virtuosity at all. It means being open and receptive to what's coming next.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;that skill is developed as you learn how to accept what is coming out of you, regardless of so called mistakes or errors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Your improvisation skill will increase with your ability to relinquish control. A paradox to be sure, but one that I've found to be true again and again. Learn technique of course. Learn chords, yes. But then let it go and play the piano.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Edward Weiss&lt;/b&gt; is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's www.quiescencemusic.comonline piano lessons&lt;/a&gt;. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.comwww.quiescencemusic.com&lt;/a&gt; now and get a FREE piano lesson!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-7631577477227078318?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/7631577477227078318/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=7631577477227078318' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/7631577477227078318'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/7631577477227078318'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/improving-your-improvisation-skills.html' title='Improving Your Improvisation Skills'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-3426232778983268808</id><published>2008-05-12T05:28:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-12T05:28:40.018-07:00</updated><title type='text'>DJ Mixing - How Waves Affect A DJ Mix</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DJ Mixing Without A &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Lithium.php&gt;Lithium&lt;/a&gt; Potential Problems To Watch Out For...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When two &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Auto-Accident/auto-accident-attorneys.php&gt;auto accident attorneys Nevada&lt;/a&gt; waves of a similar frequency coincide, a phenomenon called reinforcement occurs. Basically, the two waveforms combine to create a new waveform &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/injury-attorneys.php&gt;injury attorney Austin&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/accident-lawyers.php&gt;accident attorneys Phoenix&lt;/a&gt; far greater in amplitude than either. Greater amplitude means it gets louder - a lot louder. If you're a DJ, that may be a problem, because you've just gone to great lengths to ensure that your two records are playing in sync - and there's a good chance that a lot of similar frequencies are being put out at exactly the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So How Do I Fix My Mix?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, you're going to get &lt;a href=http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3007962-10464753&gt;Get your FREE credit score and more!&lt;/a&gt; sick of me saying that, but the only way to get the hang of that is by practicing. However, being aware of the problem is half the battle - some DJs don't even know that fluctuating sound levels are an issue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, to be a really top DJ you need to have a great understanding and control of the sound you're putting out - not just in terms of levels, volume and amplitude, but within the sound itself as well. By that, I mean that you'll need to have a solid knowledge of equalization - what it is, how it works, how to identify EQ problems and how to use your equipment to rectify them. But we'll go into that in more detail later on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Back to the Mixing...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, because of waveform reinforcement, you shouldn't just wallop your cued record up to 100% and then bring the live channel down. that will cause a surge in levels that may be bad for the PA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some amplification and mixing systems have a sound compressor feature, which smooths out level surges like that - but it's better not to have to rely on that.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you do mix by bringing both channels to 100%, it's probably not going to be a disaster - but it's better to learn best DJ mixing practices from the beginning, rather than having to unlearn later.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what you need to do is bring up your cued record until you can hear it under your live record. Then, you can start to bring down the live record while simultaneously bringing up the cued record. Once the cued record hits 100%, you can continue fading out the other record until the transition is complete.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The timing with which you do all that will depend on the two tracks you're mixing; but two crucial points here are that you should fade up the cued record before fading down the live record, and the two channel faders should not be fully up at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, that second point depends on the tracks in question - if they are both loud stomping tracks with fairly constant levels then the point is true. However, if you're performing a mix across the breakdown of a track, then the levels will be naturally lower on that section, so you can easily come straight in with a kicking beat at full volume there... again, experience will show you when you can bend the rules, and when you can break them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;DJ Foley is a DJ and Music Producer with over ten years' experience in the music industry. If you're looking for some DJ advice, the onlinedjtips.comDJ tips&lt;/a&gt; site features plenty of tips and tricks, as well as some useful onlinedjtips.com/dj-mixing/DJ mixing&lt;/a&gt; techniques to get you started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-3426232778983268808?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/3426232778983268808/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=3426232778983268808' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3426232778983268808'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3426232778983268808'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/dj-mixing-how-waves-affect-dj-mix.html' title='DJ Mixing - How Waves Affect A DJ Mix'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1983008517630432179</id><published>2008-05-11T06:55:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-11T06:55:26.523-07:00</updated><title type='text'>How to Choose an Office Espresso Machine</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Coffee is as essential to &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Meridia-Sibutramine.php&gt;purchase meridia&lt;/a&gt; office as are desks or computers. The coffee that is provided in the workplace helps employees to be alert and perform their jobs &lt;a href=http://juneidfhiw.blogspot.com&gt;Juneidfhiw&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=http://rudaiment.musiced.net/&gt;Rudaiment&lt;/a&gt; high level. The caffeine &lt;a href=http://batzzqmrc.blogspot.com&gt;Batzzqmrc&lt;/a&gt; in coffee provides a burst of energy to keep workers sharp and alert. Espresso is &lt;a href=http://www.shop24-7-365.com/Legal/Personal-Injury/personal-injury-attorneys.php&gt;personal injury attorneys Massachusetts&lt;/a&gt; different in its beneficial effects, and as a result, many companies are choosing to place an office espresso machine in their offices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An office espresso machine has &lt;a href=http://captkirkjipbdbjdcwe.blogspot.com&gt;Captkirkjipbdbjdcwe&lt;/a&gt; of the same components of your standard home espresso machine. The only difference is that an espresso office machine is specifically designed to produce larger amounts of espresso at a faster rate. Choosing the right espresso machine for the office will largely depend on the number of workers it will be serving. that number will determine how many cups you will need the espresso maker to produce.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One feature you will want to look for in an espresso machine for the office is an overall ease of use. Several different people will probably be using the machine so you want to be sure that it is not too difficult to operate. It should also be fairly easily cleaned, as some espresso machines can be quite difficult to clean.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I would highly recommend purchasing a fully automatic office espresso machine, which as the name indicates is automatic and can produce espresso on its own without any human effort. If you have a larger office, a fully automatic office espresso machine is probably your best option.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are a number of great places to find an office espresso machine, both online and offline. Many office supply stores carry espresso machines designed specifically for an office setting. However, if you want to get a truly great deal on an espresso machine, shopping on the internet will find you the best bargains. eBay in particular has an extensive selection of espresso office machines, both new and used, and at unbeatable low prices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discover how to get a truly great deal on an www.espressomachinesforless.com/office-espresso-machine.htmlOffice Espresso Machine&lt;/a&gt;. Check out www.EspressoMachinesForLess.comwww.EspressoMachinesForLess.com&lt;/a&gt; for helpful espresso information, and to find all types of espresso machines at bargain basement prices!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;ezinearticles.com/?Astoria-Espresso-Machine-Review&amp;id=675906Astoria Espresso Machine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1983008517630432179?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1983008517630432179/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1983008517630432179' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1983008517630432179'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1983008517630432179'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-choose-office-espresso-machine.html' title='How to Choose an Office Espresso Machine'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1823970172045798701</id><published>2008-05-10T06:56:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-10T06:56:52.125-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Creating a Culture of Innovation</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Although everyone in business agrees that innovation is vital to continued growth and success, creating work cultures that encourage creativity is easier said than done. Bowing to competitive pressures, we demand immediate paths to profitability and 100% success. Doing more is confused with increased productivity, even though its well &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelF-J/IronMan/index.html&gt;iron man&lt;/a&gt; that negative stressors like anxiety and fatigue lower performance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An article titled Who Needs Nature? describes the free-range expeditions of discovery experienced by those of us who, growing up in &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/unicorns.php&gt;Unicorns&lt;/a&gt; different time, spent hours of unstructured and unsupervised time messing around outside as kids.(1) Beyond lamenting the loss of the archetypal American childhood, the article serves as a reminder that messing around is a crucial part of innovation, and has its place in the adult landscape of work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Writing about insight in his book, Scientific Methods, Richard Jarrard explains that, the combination of mental relaxation with either physical relaxation or mild exercise creates the conditions that are conducive to insight.(2) Weve all experienced that phenomenon when the answer to a problem suddenly pops into our minds as were driving to the store, gardening, or otherwise distracted from thinking about it. Conversely, I have seen anxiety  cut worker productivity by about 50% and cut discoveries by nearly 100%... Jarrard continues. (3)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ensuring that you and your employees have some time to mess around with what ifs and why nots, without pressure to produce results, is a prerequisite for creating a culture that fosters innovation. So is making your work environment conducive to insight. For instance, are employees encouraged to use all of their vacation time and to take it without checking email? Do people take a break at lunchtime and eat away from their desks? Is your organization right-sized in terms of staffing, so that people have enough, but not too much to do?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Frenzied schedules fueled by adrenaline inhibit creativity,(4) and while the above suggestions are simple, they can have a profound affect on peoples ability to think outside the box. Here are some additional tips to keep the inventive ideas coming:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#9679; Keep your options open. Instead of choosing between two solutions, think about how you can have both. One trick is to use and instead of or, asking, for example, How can we lower marketing costs &lt;i&gt;and&lt;/i&gt; generate more leads for the sales team?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#9679; Save the analysis for another day. Limit your brainstorming meeting to just that  the rapid generation of good, bad, and &lt;a href=http://www.collinwood.info/Gourmet-Food/spice-guide.php&gt;Gourmet Spices&lt;/a&gt; ideas. Debating the merits of each one as its presented slows down the process, and may result in some inspired ideas never making it to the table.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#9679; Dont assume that silence means agreement. People may not feel confident expressing opposing viewpoints, particularly if they contradict those of a senior manager. Ask people what they like and dont like about an idea.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#9679; If it didnt work in the past, dont assume it wont work now. Remember that market conditions, technology, and customer appetites change, so dont be afraid to revisit ideas that may have been ahead of their time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1 Who Needs Nature? By Chris Leahy and Gerard A. Bertrand, Connections, A Newsletter for the Members of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Volume 4, No. 3, August  October 2006&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2, 3 Scientific Methods,  2001 Richard D. Jarrard, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University if Utah&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4 See the previous &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Charlton/SixMillionDollarMan/index.html&gt;Six Million Dollar Man&lt;/a&gt; Motion Coaching newsletters, &lt;a href=http://www.toys.pop-cult.com/barbie.html&gt;Barbie doll&lt;/a&gt; Effort, Fewer Results (January 2006), and Attention Deficit Trait (April 2005), in the archives section of my Web site, www.ForwardMotion.info.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Barbara Bissonnette is a certified executive coach and the principal of Forward Motion Coaching (www.ForwardMotion.infowww.ForwardMotion.info&lt;/a&gt;). She helps executives and business owners manage time, stress, and other people more effectively. Her guide, The Case for Business Coaching, How It Can Improve Your Performance, Productivity &amp; Profitability is available at no &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/DC/DCA-B/Batman/index.html&gt;Batman movie&lt;/a&gt; through her Web site.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1823970172045798701?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1823970172045798701/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1823970172045798701' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1823970172045798701'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1823970172045798701'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/creating-culture-of-innovation.html' title='Creating a Culture of Innovation'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-4156889347411464980</id><published>2008-05-09T05:07:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-09T05:07:54.505-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Creative Corporate Entertainment - Guide to Choosing the Right Event</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Corporate &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/holly-jolly-christmas.html&gt;Holly Jolly Christmas&lt;/a&gt; is of crucial importance in today's business world. It is used to woo potential clients, to celebrate a goal reached, to reward &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/mister-ed.html&gt;Mister Ed&lt;/a&gt; motivate staff &lt;a href=http://www.bubblegum-cards.com/Superman-the-Movie/index.html&gt;Superman The Movie&lt;/a&gt; even &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/secret-agent.html&gt;Secret Agent&lt;/a&gt; a subtle method of team building. But there is such a bewildering array of corporate entertainment events, what do you choose? Here are a few ideas of what is on offer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adventure Days&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Adventure themed corporate entertainment events have been around for quite a while now. They provide you with an exciting and entertaining day out and offer the chance to sample activities that most people would not normally experience. The original adventure days involved abseiling and climbing, plus possibly weekends out in the wilds, although the latter became the stereotype for management training and team building events. These are still very popular but could alienate some of your staff who prefer a dry and less physical environment. Also, there can be quite a lot of standing around watching others. The adventure days style of corporate entertainment has evolved into more sophisticated events, for example Spy themed events, in which teams compete in a variety of short tasks, motivated by (fake) money!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hospitality Days&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taking your clients or staff on a day at the races or to a football match is another popular corporate event. One benefit of these is that your staff or clients will remain dry! They will also be pampered as sporting clubs and venues compete for their slice of the huge sums spent on corporate entertainment. A downside is, as with the adventure days, some staff could be thoroughly bored by the sporting event so do your homework carefully.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Food and Evening Events&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are talking casino nights, wine tasting, chocolate tasting, gourmet meals and so on here. Even the most sour of your employees could not fail to have a great time, unless of course they are teetotal or on a diet! The casino night is popular with just about everybody - the point is to try and make money, but even losing huge sums can make for great entertainment. With the tastings, always make sure that they are a little bit special, either at a special venue or with a company who emphasises the 'fun' in 'corporate fun event'.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Themed Events&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The corporate entertainment events that prove hugely successful with staff and clients are themed days - It's a Knockout for example. An up and coming fun day idea is the Medieval themed event that have developed from the medieval banquet style of event. Participants dress up in medieval clothing for the &lt;a href=http://www.movies.pop-cult.com/enter-the-dragon.html&gt;Bruce Lee&lt;/a&gt; event, which is just the start of the fun. As the day progresses, they learn and practice an assortment of medieval skills like archery, building and firing a trebuchet (siege catapult), getting a reluctant boar to the kitchen and jousting. As the day develops, everyone is involved in an archery battle, where the battle of Agincourt is (sort of) re-enacted. The day is given a real sense of direction by the jousting finale. In the jousting, each team's best knight competes for the championship - on horses propelled by the other team members. Great fun indeed!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So to sum up, there are many different events out there; all have their merits and drawbacks so think carefully before choosing. Ring the changes, don't go for the same event each time, no matter how much fun it is, too much can be boring and demotivate staff. Some corporate entertainment also doubles as team building which is an added bonus to your organisation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is go-karting not up to speed? Has raft building &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/connecticut.html&gt;Connecticut Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; Make a bigger splash with a www.knightactive.co.ukCorporate Entertainment&lt;/a&gt; Medieval Theme Fun Day - Knightactive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-4156889347411464980?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/4156889347411464980/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=4156889347411464980' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4156889347411464980'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4156889347411464980'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/creative-corporate-entertainment-guide.html' title='Creative Corporate Entertainment - Guide to Choosing the Right Event'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1946648379670405164</id><published>2008-05-08T06:13:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-08T06:13:21.374-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Green Coffee Beans</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Coffee uses a stimulant to help you wake up in the morning. It is prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called 'beans', &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/King-Solomons-Mines.php&gt;King Solomon's mines&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Dell-GoldKey/TurokSonOfStone/index.html&gt;Turok&lt;/a&gt; plant. These green coffee beans are sent to places where they are processed to make coffee powder.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The exact taste experience of coffee is determined by a whole series of variables, of which variety, country of origin, post-harvest preparation &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/it-came-upon-a-midnight-clear.html&gt;It Came Upon a Midnight Clear&lt;/a&gt; roasting are perhaps the key elements. Coffee provides an income for tens of millions of people. It is produced in over 50 countries. A number of products are sold for the convenience of consumers who do not want to prepare their own coffee. Instant coffee is dried into soluble powder or &lt;a href=http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3007962-10376740&gt;Web Hosting - ASP, PHP, Perl, Frontpage, SSH&lt;/a&gt; dried into granules that can be quickly dissolved in hot water.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans are transformed into roasted coffee product in roasting process. Roasting is a process where heat triggers a series of physical and chemical changes to a green bean and is transformed into a headily aromatic and flavoursome delight. The coffee roasting process consists essentially of cleaning, roasting, cooling, grinding, and &lt;a href=http://www.movies.pop-cult.com/hedwig-and-the-angry-inch.html&gt;Hedwig and the Angry Inch&lt;/a&gt; operations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One main group of coffee is Robusta, which grows well in hotter and more humid conditions and is generally found at lower levels, below 800 metres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gourmet coffee is prepared by &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/&gt;generic Viagra&lt;/a&gt; compatible flavours that actually enrich its coffee aroma and taste. Gourmet coffee is the result of a complete and specialised process. Specialty gourmet coffee beans grown only in ideal coffee-producing climates and soil.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gourmet coffee is available in most grocery stores. You can buy it online as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target=_"new" href="www.greencoffeeltd.com/Green Coffee&lt;/a&gt; looks forward to providing you with &lt;a target=_"new" href="greencoffeeltd.com/asp/allaboutcoffee.aspGreen coffee beans&lt;/a&gt; which meet required qualities and which, after roasting at home in the i-Roast, will provide coffee that tastes good.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1946648379670405164?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1946648379670405164/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1946648379670405164' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1946648379670405164'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1946648379670405164'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/green-coffee-beans.html' title='Green Coffee Beans'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-6434082580720853355</id><published>2008-05-07T09:07:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-07T09:07:24.449-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Top Ten Most Intelligent Dog Breeds</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Border Collie&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Border Collies were originally bred in the borderlands between Scotland and England as herding dogs. They were selected to be able to work long days on rugged terrain, have excellent herding skills, instincts and intelligence. Over time, this led to the Border Collie's astounding energy, trainability and ability to Purpose. Border Collies are still used universally as herders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Poodle&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Though they are known more for their appearance, Poodles are actually some of the world's smartest dogs. The air of dignity and elegance with which Poodle's carry themselves accords with their highly above-average intelligence and trainability. Though Poodles are usually show dogs in the United States, they have &lt;a href=http://www.feelingretro.com/toys/Ride-On-Toys/green-machine.php&gt;Green Machine&lt;/a&gt; as &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/must-be-santa.html&gt;Must Be Santa&lt;/a&gt; dogs in other countries.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;German Shepherd&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;German Shepherds are noted for their versatility, stability, energy, strength and intelligence. Shepherds are known not only for their intrinsic smarts and trainability, but for the multitude of roles they can fill, &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/DC/DCSu-Z/WonderWoman/index.html&gt;Wonder Woman&lt;/a&gt; as family pet, police dog, herding dog and TV and movie actor.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Golden Retriever&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Golden Retrievers were originally bred by an upper-class Englishman who wanted a hunting dog that made a great companion. A mixture of the Irish Setter and several types of Spaniel, the Golden Retriever was bred to find and retrieve downed birds and be a good companion. Today's Golden Retrievers are just that -attentive, loving dogs that will chase down anything you throw them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Doberman Pinscher&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Doberman Pinscher originated as a police dog in 19th Century Germany. These dogs are top-notch watchdogs, guardians and protectors, as well as guide dogs and military dogs. Doberman's were bred for their loyalty and intelligence, and the modern version of the breed continues to show both those traits. Dobermans are working dogs and do best with a lot of structured exercise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shetland Sheepdog&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Shetland Sheepdog, or "Sheltie" was bred on the Shetland Islands of Scotland to herd sheep. These small, agile dogs resemble collies and are widely regarded as highly intelligent. Shelties are also renowned for their trainability, even temperament and loyalty. They are very active and do best with lots of exercise.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Labrador Retriever&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Labrador Retrievers come from unknown origins but are now the &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/twilight-zone.html&gt;Twilight Zone&lt;/a&gt; popular dog breed in the United States. The Labrador Retriever's are an active, affectionate and highly  www.barkbusters.ca/" &gt;trainable dog and very intelligent. Many Labrador owners comment about their dogs' seeming "humanity." Labrador Retrievers make great family pets, drug-sniffing dogs, hunting dogs and seeing-eye dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Papillon&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Papillon a small, long-haired dog breed considered by most to be a lap-dog or show dog. Despite this reputation, Papillons are athletic, active and very intelligent. They're known to be people-centered and enjoy social situations with lots of humans in attendance. Recently Papillons have emerged as agility champions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Australian Cattle Dog&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Australian Cattle Dog or &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelK-Mar/MarvelSuper-Heroes/index.html&gt;Marvel Super Heroes&lt;/a&gt; Heeler" is another intelligent, active herding dog. These medium sized dogs are noted for their spotted orange or bluish coats. Australian Cattle Dogs thrive when given a complicated task such as an obstacle course, tricks or other dog sports. Australian Cattle Dogs have excellent fine motor skills and will meticulously shred their toys.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bark Busters offers in-home dog and  www.barkbusters.ca/" &gt;puppy training solutions across Canada for all dog breeds and ages. Comes with a written lifetime guarantee.   www.barkbusters.ca/www.barkbusters.ca/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-6434082580720853355?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/6434082580720853355/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=6434082580720853355' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6434082580720853355'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6434082580720853355'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/top-ten-most-intelligent-dog-breeds.html' title='The Top Ten Most Intelligent Dog Breeds'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-6574986749984656857</id><published>2008-05-06T05:58:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-06T05:58:56.914-07:00</updated><title type='text'>How To Build A machine - 8 Steps To Build Your Own machine</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;There are several advantages &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/Springheel-Jack.php&gt;Springheel Jack&lt;/a&gt; building your own machine. Probably the most important is that you can customize your computer to fit your exact needs, rather than having to buy a pre-assembled computer and then make changes. Understanding how your machine is put together will help you if you need to make repairs or add new components at a later time. Building your own machine allows you to make the decisions on what type of components are used in putting the machine together to assure high quality materials are included.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are eight basic steps to build your own machine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 1 - Design&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Decide what specific needs you have for the machine and make a list of components. Research &lt;a href=http://www.saturdaymorning.pop-cult.com/funky-phantom.html&gt;Funky Phantom&lt;/a&gt; and software needed to provide for the determined needs. Decide if you are going to use reconditioned or used components or buy new. Test all used components. &lt;a href=http://www.toys.pop-cult.com/video/evel-knievel.html&gt;Evel Knievel toy&lt;/a&gt; parts over five years old are not worth using, as they may &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/erectile-dysfunction.php&gt;impotence pills&lt;/a&gt; incompatible with newer parts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 2 -Setting up a workspace&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Find a clean, dry, bright and dust free workspace. Avoid work areas that have carpet as this can lead to dilemmas with static. Collect the basic as wellls needed such as screwdrivers and pliers. At the very least use an antistatic wrist strap when building your own machine. It would be even better if an anti-static mat were placed on the floor of the work area.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 3 - Getting Started&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remove the cover from the machine case. Mount the feet, power supply and cooling fan using the screws provided. Prepare the motherboard for installation by attaching the standoffs to the removable plate on the cover. If the cover does not have a removable plate the rest of the components will need to be installed first. Screws should be tightened just &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Beta-blockers.php&gt;high blood pressure&lt;/a&gt; to be snug and keep the motherboard in place, but not overly tightened.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 4 - Start configuring&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Configure your motherboard using the product manual settings. Install the CPU, memory and heat sink or cooler. As with all components follow manufacturers recommendations for settings and installation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 5 - Power&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the motherboard in place begin by attaching the large power cable from the power supply to the motherboard. Attach the smaller power cords to the LED and other components. Attach the flat ribbon looking drive cables to the motherboard.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 6 - Installing the Drives&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Configure the hard drive, CD-ROM drive, DVD or floppy drive using manufactures specifications. Ensure the setting for "master" and "slave" is correct. Physically mount the drives to the front of the cover. Ensure power is hooked up correctly to the drives; attach drive cables to the devices.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 7 - Operating System&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Determine which operating system works best for your needs. Install the operating system Set up a security system for your machine.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Step 8 - Enjoy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Relax, sit back, and enjoy your new machine. Feel proud that you were able to build your own machine to meet your exact needs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On   www.build-machinez.com/http://www.build-machinez.com/&lt;/a&gt; you will find articles on   www.build-machinez.com/build your custom machine&lt;/a&gt;s and   www.build-machinez.com/Building_Your_Own_machine_Part_Seven.htmlmake your own machine&lt;/a&gt;s.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-6574986749984656857?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/6574986749984656857/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=6574986749984656857' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6574986749984656857'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/6574986749984656857'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-build-machine-8-steps-to-build.html' title='How To Build A machine - 8 Steps To Build Your Own machine'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-4657286529206682188</id><published>2008-05-05T06:08:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-05T06:08:19.938-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Why Is My machine Running So Slow?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why is my machine running so slow&lt;/b&gt;? If you are reading this, then you are experiencing what many other are also: a slow machine. You are probably waiting on plans to load, or &lt;a href=http://smokenmlcpiad.blogspot.com&gt;Smokenmlcpiad&lt;/a&gt; up, or waiting on &lt;a href=http://supertvshowszen.freewebspace.com/&gt;Supertvshowszen&lt;/a&gt; cursor to catch up with your typing. There is nothing more annoying than when you click on a button, or icon, and you must &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Articles/tree-selection-and-care.html&gt;How to select a Christmas Tree&lt;/a&gt; for the machine to actually perform the function you are asking it to do. If you ask some people what the dilemma might be, they &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/let-it-snow.html&gt;Let It Snow&lt;/a&gt; tell you to increase the size of your memory. While that may work, I would use that as a last result. I will give the first thing I would check, and fix, before you start upgrading your machine parts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The way your machine works is when you click on a button, the button sends the machine to the plan. The plan will read something called the registry keys to determine how best to run the plan. Now, registry keys are not talked about much in the world of machines. But they are the main culprit for slow running machines. So, the registry keys are electing how the machine should start up plans. Well, if the registry keys are bad, missing, corrupt, shared, missing short cuts, or many other things, your machine will run slow. It will not know hoe to start up the plan, or do certain functions of the plan. We need to fix these, and then your machine will run at full speed once more, just like when you first bought it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To fix the registry keys is simple. You let registry repair software   www.trussvillemops.com&lt;b&gt;perform a scan of your machine&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and tell you what mistakes you have. I guarantee you have mistakes on your machine. I run my registry repair once a week, and every week I have repairs which need to be made. It is just something that happens. When the registry repair software runs the scan, and finds the mistakes, just tell the software to fix them. The software will then fix all of your registry dilemmas and return the machine back to normal. Do not try to fix registry files yourself. Let the software do it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So if you machine is running slow, try a registry repair software fist. This will return everything back to its original state, and get your machine running normal once more. And all of this can take less than 10 minutes. And then run the registry repair software weekly, and this way you will never have to ask &lt;b&gt;why is my machine running so slow&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michael Baker is a machine Optimization Technician, and &lt;a href=http://riflebzbltdfob.blogspot.com&gt;Riflebzbltdfob&lt;/a&gt; getting a   www.trussvillemops.com&lt;b&gt;Free machine Scan&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to fix any dilemmas such as machines freezing, locking up, restarting for no Purpose, and getting the blue death screen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-4657286529206682188?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/4657286529206682188/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=4657286529206682188' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4657286529206682188'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/4657286529206682188'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-is-my-machine-running-so-slow.html' title='Why Is My machine Running So Slow?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-3173383256049480335</id><published>2008-05-04T04:59:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-04T04:59:30.298-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Cheesy Pick Up Lines That Are Great For Attracting Women</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;You're in a club and you've spotted a drop dead gorgeous girl on &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Meridia-Sibutramine.php&gt;Meridia&lt;/a&gt; other side of the room - what are you &lt;a href=http://gimmegimme.blog247.co.za/&gt;Gimmegimme&lt;/a&gt; to do about it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For many men, their honest answer would be "nothing". They spend the evening rooted to the spot, pint in hand, staring through the crowds in the hopes that willpower alone will &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelF-J/IronMan/index.html&gt;iron man movie&lt;/a&gt; that hot chick closer. I don't need to tell you that this approach is doomed to failure - if there's one way to guarantee that nothing will happen with a girl, it's to do absolutely nothing to attract her.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No, if you want a hot chick's name and number, the only way to get it is to go on over there and talk to her.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But what if you believe that that's easier said than done?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Approaching a woman unprepared can seem like a terrifying prospect. We know that we need to seem witty, smart and sexy if we're going to hold her attention, but we also know that our brains cannot be relied upon to present us in our best light. Faced with a gorgeous girl, addled with alcohol, and in the full knowledge that all our friends are watching us, we having a sneaking suspicion that we'll somehow find ourselves telling her about snails or the price of bin bags.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is where corny pick up lines come in. Armed with a great one liner, we can go over to that girl safe in the knowledge that the first &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/alaska.html&gt;Alaska Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; to come out of our mouth will be amusing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But do pick up lines really work? After all, girls seem to spend so much time complaining about the terrible lines which men have attempted to use on them, it's enough to give any guy doubts. Are our favorite one liners really so cocky, cliched or downright tacky that we haven't a hope of success?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not necessarily. Pick up lines can be a powerful as welll, but you have to learn to use them well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Start by avoiding any lines which have been around longer than you have. "If I told you you had a beautiful body, would you hold it once morest me?" might have worked in your grandfather's day, but modern chicks associate it with seventies sit-coms. Likewise, any line which involves angels or phoning her mother.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steer clear of saying anything which involves as well much staging or as well many props. It might seem witty to intentionally spill a drink, crush the ice cubes underfoot, then remark, "Now that the ice is broken, how about it?", but it's a waste of a good drink and it isn't going to reap you any rewards. If your pick up line is as well intricate or as well well rehearsed, the girl will assume that you try it with every chick in a short enough skirt, and will quickly shoot you down.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Finally, don't resort to lines which are crude or offensive. Even if all you're after is a one night wonder, jokes about genitals will put her right off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead, keep your pick up lines brief, flattering and convincingly original.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But do bear in mind that chicks these days know exactly what you're up &lt;a href=http://www.bubblegum-cards.com/Hogans-Heroes/index.html&gt;Hogan's Heroes&lt;/a&gt; A corny pick up line might get her laughing, but the real magic is in how you say it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Be self-deprecating. Try delivering your line, then grinning and laughing at yourself, telling her, "I'm sorry, I know that's really terrible - I just wanted an excuse to come and talk to you." This approach is funny, it's friendly and it's extremely flattering - it short, it ticks all her boxes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want to learn http://www.chickmagnet101.com/meet-women298.html"&gt;50 WAYS for approaching, attracting and seducing women&lt;/a&gt;? If so, take a look at Scott Patterson's http://www.chickmagnet101.com/meet-women298.html"&gt;Free eBook&lt;/a&gt; which provides 50 tips for instant dating success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-3173383256049480335?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/3173383256049480335/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=3173383256049480335' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3173383256049480335'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/3173383256049480335'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/cheesy-pick-up-lines-that-are-great-for.html' title='Cheesy Pick Up Lines That Are Great For Attracting Women'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1449008950510465963</id><published>2008-05-03T12:20:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-03T12:20:50.057-07:00</updated><title type='text'>What Is Motivation</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Motivation is the characteristic that is required in order to achieve anything in life; without it &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/good-king-wenceslas.html&gt;Good King Wenceslas&lt;/a&gt; will give up at the first sign of adversity. It means to inspire, instigate &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/virginia.html&gt;Virginia Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; encourage a person to do their best. Motivation will compel a person to think "If I can't, then I must" and will cause them to do whatever it takes to become successful. If you inspire motivation it can change &lt;a href=http://www.saturdaymorning.pop-cult.com/land-of-the-lost.html&gt;Land of the Lost&lt;/a&gt; life. You will be inspired to get what you want regardless of what people tell you that you can not do. I have personally seen people apply the motivation factors in life to get from poverty to a life filled with abundance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you think you possess the quality? &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/last-christmas.html&gt;Last Christmas&lt;/a&gt; you can answer this question. Take a honest look at yourself; do you find yourself pursuing your goals everyday? Are you &lt;a href=http://www.food.pop-cult.com/funny-face.html&gt;Funny Face&lt;/a&gt; something to work towards them regardless of what is going on in your life? If you are then you; then my friend you do possess this characteristic and you will reach all your goals. I wake up at 5:00 in the morning to get started on my goals. I am passionate about reaching all my goals. Do you find yourself doing this or are you making excuses of why you can not work on a goal?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It will give you the passion to begin exploring what it is you really want to do in life, and give you the courage to follow your dreams. If you do not like where you currently are and are living life everyday unhappy and frustrated; it probably is because you do not possess any motivation for what you are currently doing. It is up to you to find out what you would really like to be doing with your life. What kind of lifestyle do you want? What kind of career do you want? Do you actually know what it is that would make you happy and excited about getting up out of bed in the morning?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a strong quality for anyone to possess; and you can only possess it when you set a burning desire to be do have something in life. No one can give it to you. It can change a persons life in many ways. It can change the way you think, and when you become involved with personal development and become a much more positive individual motivation will get you out of your negative environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is the fuel that inspires us to reach our goals and achieve what we truly desire. It also allows us to keep getting up and moving forward when we get knocked down. Getting motivated and staying motivated gives us the energy we require to reach our goals in the shortest amount of time possible. It is required to meet our goals and do anything purposeful in life. Without it you will not want to get out of bed, clean the house, walk the dogs or do anything at all. Being successful in life and motivation go hand in hand. When you learn how to achieve motivation for something you truly desire; nothing can stop you from having it. So think about it; what truly motivates you then take action towards it and watch it become your reality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get all your free tips  www.personal-development-life.com/the-power-of-motivation.htmlon the importance to personal development and receive free techniques to utilize as meditation, visualization and lots of other wealth generating techniques&lt;/a&gt;. Plus sign up for the free Powerful Living Newsletter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1449008950510465963?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1449008950510465963/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1449008950510465963' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1449008950510465963'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1449008950510465963'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-is-motivation.html' title='What Is Motivation'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-356106013657277678</id><published>2008-05-03T09:38:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-03T09:38:01.072-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Future Of VOIP What Lies Ahead In 2008?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has changed the way people communicate, and most people who &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/viagra-who-can-use.php&gt;Who Can Use Viagra&lt;/a&gt; heard about it or used it would agree. VoIP has allowed for sending voice packets over the internet rather than communicating through Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). With all of its success and move &lt;a href=http://www.bubblegum-cards.com/Star-Wars-1/index.html&gt;Star Wars&lt;/a&gt; broadband, shift to switches, better sound quality, and connections, where does VoIP have left to go?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1.To begin with, look for VoIP to rapidly evolve in the mobile industry as it has already done so with land-line phones. Third Generation (3G) users are expected to reach over 230 million by the end of the year 2012. Look for interesting new headsets to also cause buzz such as Apple's 3G headset coming out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. Watch for VoIP to keep up its integration into web 2.0 interfaces such as Ebay (actually may be selling Skype), Facebook, and Myspace. VoIP will be continuing to look for new ways to improve similar websites if &lt;a href=http://www.comics.pop-cult.com/H-R/micronauts.html&gt;Micronauts&lt;/a&gt; are auction sites, social networking sites, or blogs. The ability to block unwanted calls and privacy is another factor that can lead to success for the integration of VoIP. People need to feel that they are in control and don't want disruptive calls.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3. The integration of VoIP into places that are more convenient for people to access it, such as in web browsers is another innovation to look for. Plugins, or a ad-on to browsers that allow for enhanced content, can enable people to connect to their VoIP phone where they most often use their machines for online activities. Macromedia has announced that a flash plugin will include a session initiation protocol client (SIP client), so that it will be even easier for websites to create SIP applications. People like web interface &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Prozac-Fluoxetine.php&gt;cheap Prozac&lt;/a&gt; to be convenient and useful, therefore VoIP plugins are the way to go.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;4. Mobile applications will make VoIP stand out in 2008 such as with Google's Android, which will have an open source mobile platform and the application Bonanza that Google is going to market. Google has encouraged developers to create applications for its operating system, and some betas have been created already.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;5. Most of the newer Nokia phones (the E and N series such as the E51) have built in SIP clients, and WIFI built into the phones as well. This means that anyone who buys one of these phones can use VoIP along-side their cellular service when they are in a WIFI hotspot.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;6. Look for VoIP in gaming as gamers continue to move online and interact with each other. Skype announced that it partnered with Sony on its PSP systems to enable VoIP calling with SkypeIn and SkypeOut.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With all of these new trends, applications, and developments to look out for, VoIP hasn't slowed down as some would say. It's still continuing to evolve and save investmentes, call centers, and consumer's money &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/king-of-the-hill.html&gt;King of the Hill DVD&lt;/a&gt; continuing to improve quality and features.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joe Fanning is a writer and researcher in the technology sector and telephony industry. Visit   www.grnvoip.com"&gt;a-z wholesale voip termination to learn more about Voice over IP. or visit   www.Solegy.com"&gt;Service Delivery Platform&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-356106013657277678?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/356106013657277678/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=356106013657277678' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/356106013657277678'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/356106013657277678'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/future-of-voip-what-lies-ahead-in-2008.html' title='The Future Of VOIP What Lies Ahead In 2008?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-796541755960638149</id><published>2008-05-02T08:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-02T08:32:00.898-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Three Secrets of Two-Minute Video</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Movies have been around sincewell, forever. When I was a kid, we saw new ones at &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/fall-guy.html&gt;The Fall Guy&lt;/a&gt; theater, and old ones on TV.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2006, movies appear everywhere. Theyre on the big screen, on network TV, on cable, and all over the internet. But now, theres another movie format thats taking the world by storm.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some folks call these videos compressed cinema. Others call them movie shorts. I call them micro videos.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;TV commercial &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Buproprion-Wellbutrin-Zyban.php&gt;Wellbutrin&lt;/a&gt; were &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/erectile-dysfunction.php&gt;male impotence&lt;/a&gt; the first to use 30-second or one-minute formats to sell products. Today we can build entire dramatic productions in two minutes. But why do it?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Sadly, statistics tell us that the human attention span has shrunk exponentially. Why? Probably because were exposed to so many messages, we compress anything NOT already in compressed form!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For very little money, you can build a two-minute video to teach students, publicize your investment, or enhance your professional reputation. Heres how:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. Focus on a SINGLE THEME. Two minutes goes by really fast. In fact, if you wrote a two-minute narration, it would run only about 250 words. (The average talking speed is 120 words a minute.)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. Think about how you can present your theme VISUALLY. I just wrote a script for a investment workshop presenter. The visual part will show still photos of him making a point, gesturing, and standing over a student recommending edits to a students paper. The dramatic photos will change &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/yeti.php&gt;Yeti&lt;/a&gt; emphasizing versatility and movement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3. Provide a SOLUTION. In two minutes, theres little time to build characters or present complicated dialog. Strive to point out a problem, then offer a way to solve it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Need to see examples of short videos? Just go to a search engine, and check out video links. A few of the short movies Ive seen are amateurish, unfocused, and downright silly. But even &lt;a href=http://www.toys.pop-cult.com/video/dark-shadows-game.html&gt;Dark Shadows game&lt;/a&gt; gave me great ideas for my clients!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Its never to late to become a movie producerespecially a micro-video producer!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;RIX QUINN writes the nationally syndicated humor column "Poor Rix's Almanac," and helps companies create short informational videos. He can be consultated directly by calling 817-920-7999. His book, "Words That Stick," is available at   www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS8/qid/www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS8/qid/&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-796541755960638149?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/796541755960638149/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=796541755960638149' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/796541755960638149'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/796541755960638149'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/three-secrets-of-two-minute-video.html' title='The Three Secrets of Two-Minute Video'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-8134074843651111948</id><published>2008-05-01T09:44:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-05-01T06:43:11.926-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The Reality is Perception is the Key to a Successful Training Program</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;TRAINING PRINCIPLE #3 Training PERCEPTION.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt; Part 3 of 3 of How to Put Your Training on Cruise-Control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Attaining top management support &lt;a href=http://minethajnugr.blogspot.com&gt;Minethajnugr&lt;/a&gt; like being issued an E-ZPass for tolls; you now have the green light to proceed and be welcomed, but not necessarily accepted. Acceptance is earned by the work you perform and the value you add to the organization. But, like anything else in life  perception is reality.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;If you want to be perceived as the person with the answers, then you need to have the answers.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When questions are asked about return on investment, or "Will we retain employees and reduce turnover?" - as trainers, we absolutely have to have the answers; we are expected to be resources for this information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is imperative that as a training administrator we continuously forecast and project the future training needs of our company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When we do this, we market the &lt;a href=http://www.viaggra.org/viagra-health-care-info.php&gt;Generic Viagra&lt;/a&gt; of delivering quality training and how it impacts our investment, our employees and our lives. And we market "OUR" importance as well.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Knowledge Is Not Power.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My goal has always been to translate response into results. Some trainers teach for others to learn. That's never been me. While I acknowledge it's importance, "learning" isn't the key to anything really. Knowledge isn't power. Applied knowledge is power. Some trainers teach for others to accomplish. That is me.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is our job to help others understand what must be done to organize and prepare our employees. &lt;b&gt;It is our job to know what tools are available that could have the right type of impact, when its needed.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As trainers, we invest our lives cultivating our people into a responsible, &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/mister-ed.html&gt;Mister Ed&lt;/a&gt; workforce. If we believe in the idea that human resources are the foundation of a sound investment system, then it is our responsibility to position, promote and fortify our training &lt;a href=http://www.bubblegum-cards.com/Mars-Attacks/index.html&gt;Mars Attacks&lt;/a&gt; every step of the way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Learn your companys investment objectives and initiatives; then create a program that aligns itself accordingly, improving the overall effectiveness or your organization and its employees - and theyll never doubt you......&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We've written a Special Report that outlines for you in great detail - how to systematically design a system that will revolutionize the way you deliver your training program. We'll also walk you through, a step by step executive plan on how to prove a measurable and justifiable ROI.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're not ready to step forward and make a claim - that's fine. The report will help you when you are.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get the report today even if you're not in the market for a training system. The report will prove to be useful to you either way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Call 1-877-791-4367 ext 805 for a Free Recorded Message.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;George Ritacco has had an 18 year career that spans training and sales &amp; marketing for the financial, mortgage banking and most recently technology and software &lt;a href=http://purchasemoviesrbccqnp.blogspot.com&gt;Purchasemoviesrbccqnp&lt;/a&gt; Currently, he is the Director of Client Services for Global Vision Technologies, Inc (GVT)., a premiere software developer specializing in providing cost-effective, easy-to-use Internet systems for training and development, e-learning, sales and marketing intelligence, pharmaceutical sales ops, client management, and case management. GVTs primary goal is to provide investment owners, trainers, sales &amp; marketing executives and child welfare organizations with tools for improving productivity, profitability, employee morale and turnover, by allowing organizations to automate many, "time-intensive" administrative functions of their working lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-8134074843651111948?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/8134074843651111948/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=8134074843651111948' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8134074843651111948'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8134074843651111948'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/05/reality-is-perception-is-key-to.html' title='The Reality is Perception is the Key to a Successful Training Program'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-8798548545457345582</id><published>2008-04-30T08:30:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-30T05:29:53.595-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Cubism - An Artistic Revolution</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Cubism was a twentieth century art movement that revolutionized painting &lt;a href=http://www.saturdaymorning.pop-cult.com/funky-phantom.html&gt;Funky Phantom&lt;/a&gt; sculpture by flattening and distorting space. Artists fully exploited the visual possibilities &lt;a href=http://fashion-design.pop-cult.com/t-shirts.html&gt;t-shirts&lt;/a&gt; this changing reality in a variety of ways. Not only did they create patterned images &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/i-saw-three-ships.html&gt;I Saw Three Ships&lt;/a&gt; than realistic illusions, but they usually chose machine-produced objects as their subjects rather than the naturalistic subjects of classical art and Impressionism.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some Cubists used modern materials rather than traditional paint on canvas. Newsprint, paper and fabric were common elements in these collages. The process of creating art had always been considered a closely guarded secret, but Cubists were open about their methods, which further demystified the artistic process. Modern technology, the Cubists &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/oklahoma.html&gt;Oklahoma Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; had produced a type of manufactured man, and the artists in turn created appropriately manufactured art.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the few artists to apply the Cubist technique to the human figure was the Spaniard Picasso. Picasso countered the insistent break-up of the pictorial space caused by the Cubist technique with the coherence established by repeated similar units. The internal structure of the composition was given supremacy over the external structure of the subject. In addition to this, Picasso's revelatory interpretations of the female nude were erotic and disturbing. The traditionally taboo topics of sexuality and unconscious urges were hidden no longer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps the greatest master of this new artistic &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/christmas-song-(chestnuts-roasting).html&gt;The Christmas Song&lt;/a&gt; was Paul Cezanne. Cezanne's subject was always the realism of the mind and not the eye. Like many other artists of his day, Cezanne's goal was depicting the a mood rather than creating an illusion of physical reality. Cezanne not only flattened space but succeeded in the elimination of hierarchy completely. His works contain no central focus upon which the viewer can fix, but an idealized democratization. Planes overlap, and the surface color establishes an equality between the matter depicted and the surrounding atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Wassily Kandinsky, one of Cezanne's foremost contemporary artists, noted in his influential book The Art of Spiritual Harmony, the animate and the inanimate in still life paintings are given equal attention in Cezanne's work: "Cezanne made a living thing out of a teacup, or rather in a teacup he realized the existence of something alive. He raised still life to such a point that it ceased to be inanimate."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this quest to discover the aliveness in objects as well as in people and landscapes was also a response to the modern environment of cities and mass-produced goods which were rapidly replacing the agrarian way of life. For many modern artists, the process of spiritualizing matter and the exploration of the fundamental energy of life was a major theme.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although Cubism is disturbing to many viewers, this unique approach to art and life is also fascinating and refreshing. The liberation of breaking the bonds of past tradition is combined with a sense of adventure and excitement about the infinite new possibilities in art.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kathleen Karlsen, MA is an artist, writer and web design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Kathleen is best known for her contemporary impressionism style and her colorful flower paintings, forest paintings and landscape art. Kathleen's original art and fine art gifts can be seen at   target="_new"  www.livingartsoriginals.com"&gt;www.livingartsoriginals.com  . For summaries of Kathleen's articles on art-related topics, see   target="_new"  www.livingartsoriginals.com/mainarticles.htm"&gt;www.livingartsoriginals.com/mainarticles.htm  . To see Kathleen's unique forest paintings, see   target="_new"  www.livingartsoriginals.com/originalforests.htm"&gt;www.livingartsoriginals.com/originalforests.htm  .&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-8798548545457345582?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/8798548545457345582/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=8798548545457345582' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8798548545457345582'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/8798548545457345582'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/cubism-artistic-revolution.html' title='Cubism - An Artistic Revolution'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-5547461097949953398</id><published>2008-04-29T08:55:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-29T05:54:14.488-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Is a Swift Trucking Job For You?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Beginning a career that allows you travel is a great way to see the country. Depending on the job, you can visit new cities, meet new &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/father-ted.html&gt;Father Ted&lt;/a&gt; and enjoy new landscapes. But traveling on investment &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/Sagawa-Issei.php&gt;Issei Sagawa&lt;/a&gt; the time can be stressful and tiring; dealing with airport security, constant airplane travel, and nothing &lt;a href=http://www.music.pop-cult.com/kenton-stan.html&gt;Stan Kenton&lt;/a&gt; hotel rooms and board meetings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some alternatives however, allow you to make your &lt;a href=http://www.toys.pop-cult.com/video/evel-knievel.html&gt;Evel Knievel toy&lt;/a&gt; hours while enjoying the open &lt;a href=http://www.tv.pop-cult.com/my-mother-the-car.html&gt;My Mother the Car&lt;/a&gt; For example, a truck driving job with a major carrier, such as Swift Transportation. Deadlines must still be met (delivering goods on time) but you have a much more flexible and are able to be your own boss. You take breaks when you want and are able to see places you have always wanted to see, all the while earning a substantial paychecks. Trucking companies are paying better than ever because &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Beta-blockers.php&gt;Beta Blockers&lt;/a&gt; the high economic demand for truck drivers. And since most Swift trucking jobs pay by the mile, you can drive as much as you want (within the hours of service regulations, of course).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite the poor reputation and negative stereotypes the trucking industry has long endured, truck drivers are a crucial and intricate part of this nations economy. Most Americans are not aware that, with relatively few exceptions, all merchandise has at one time or another been transported by truck. Given the forecasted shortage of drivers of the next few years and such heavy dependence, now is the perfect time to get a Swift trucking job and start a new career. Other perks include great benefits, signing bonuses, and other incentives. Some companies will even pay for training for new drivers to get their commercial drivers license (CDL).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Swift Transportation has one of the countrys largest truckload fleets. You can find a   swift.truckersdispatch.com/Swift trucking job&lt;/a&gt; near your at any of their regional offices located throughout the United States.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;  href="https://swift.truckersdispatch.com/featured/apply.cfm/Swift Trucking Jobs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-5547461097949953398?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/5547461097949953398/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=5547461097949953398' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5547461097949953398'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5547461097949953398'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-swift-trucking-job-for-you.html' title='Is a Swift Trucking Job For You?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-5885342317290866969</id><published>2008-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-28T05:54:35.239-07:00</updated><title type='text'>machine Repair Prices: A Complete Price</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;machine repair prices are fixed before you ever start a consulting job. Be sure to think about every aspect of &lt;a href=http://www.pharmacy.shop24-7-365.com/Gabapentin-Neurontin.php&gt;Neurontin&lt;/a&gt; work you will complete before setting machine repair prices, and that these prices include every expectation of your client.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Main Factor Of &lt;a href=http://comicbooks.blogsome.com/&gt;Comicbooks&lt;/a&gt; Complete Price&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There &lt;a href=http://www.movies.pop-cult.com/casino-royale-1967.html&gt;Casino Royale&lt;/a&gt; nothing more irritating than finding a machine or other technology item at the right price only to find out there is something you need that is not included. This is the definition of incomplete pricing, and as a machine repair &lt;a href=http://batzzqmrc.blogspot.com&gt;Batzzqmrc&lt;/a&gt; you want to avoid it. Incomplete pricing will anger your clients and make them feel cheated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide Extras&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you add something special to your machine repair prices as a bonus to your client, your client will feel good about the services you provide. Services like a free check-up visit post-repair will make the client feel he is getting a good deal. You should also make follow-up phone calls to add to your company's reputation and feed word of mouth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Provide Details&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Even before you do any repair work you should give your client a written estimate. The estimate must include machine repair prices and exactly what is included service-wise. Any changes you make need to be brought to the client before they are implemented in order to create a good relationship and encourage future investment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;machine Repair Prices And Reassessment&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You should keep reviewing machine repair prices frequently as your investment continues to grow. Make sure your fees include items such as travel costs or materials, or you create those as a separate item when appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You should also consider making changes in your pricing if you ever notice clients are regularly confused. You should address machine repair price issues even if only a few clients seem concerned. Every client is important, and all should feel they are getting a fair and honest deal. Good feedback brings good referrals, which equals future investment and your company's growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;trademark MMI-MMVII, machine Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live &lt;a href=http://freemovieseikcczfqay.blogspot.com&gt;Freemovieseikcczfqay&lt;/a&gt; in author resource box required for trademark compliance}&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of machine consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free   www.machineConsultantsSecrets.com/blog/machine Consultants Secrets&lt;/a&gt; audio training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-5885342317290866969?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/5885342317290866969/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=5885342317290866969' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5885342317290866969'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5885342317290866969'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/machine-repair-prices-complete-price.html' title='machine Repair Prices: A Complete Price'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1422691751476961642</id><published>2008-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-27T08:40:12.100-07:00</updated><title type='text'>The True Defining Spirit Of Entrepreneurialism </title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;So.....&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You want to be RICH do you?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes? No?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do you know what it takes to make it? Or do you simply THINK you know what it takes?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Becoming an entrepreneur, no doubt about it, is perhaps the toughest challenge you will ever face, because I can guarantee that you will start out life full of enthusiasm and you will face FAR MORE SETBACKS than you will successes - guaranteed.. period! ok?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Entrepreneurialism. It can hit anybody at any time. I remember hearing about a lady who was never very good at school and failed most of her exams. She started out one day being given a piece of old furniture by a family relative. She decided to restore this furniture item, and soon went on and sold it for a profit. Years later she became the boss of her own company which is one of the must successful furniture investmentes today which deals in restored items.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All it takes is an idea...... that spark... one day it just hits you... it's that defining moment when everything is going crazy inside your head, you are frantically talking to yourself, pacing up and down, eyes darting all over the place. You realise that the idea you just had has the potential to hit the big time. It just FEELS right for you. Everything about it says GO GO GO !!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From that day on, you will constantly work towards your dream. You will try many different things - many of which will fail.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One day... something works......&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Entrepreneurialism is something inside of you which cannot be taken away.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember Murphy's Law and PLEASE don't let your dreams be stolen. Murphy's law states that when you decide to become your own boss you will have to enter the jungle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The jungle is the hardest most inhospitable place known to man.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Murphy's Law will do all it can to get you out of the Jungle and return to the safe green fields with the cows and sheep.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When you enter the Jungle the sheep will bleat at you " It's dangerous in the &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/texas.html&gt;Texas Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; don't go in there!" The cows will bow their heads in disgust and shake their heads in disgrace because of how silly you have been.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As you proceed through the jungle, Murphy will start shooting arrows at you in the form of your friends and family telling you to get out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They will say "Come back to the lovely safe green fields where there are pensions and secure jobs" They want you to leave the jungle never to return.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many people do leave the jungle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Later on Murphy's law will send in swamps, alligators and snakes in the guise of creditors, repossessions, bosses, spouses etc all threatening awful things will happen if you don't return right away to the green fields.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of the people will have left the jungle by now, never to return. They've gone back to the "safe" green fields where all the sheep are stood round cheering them as they return. They shout "See! I told you it wasn't safe in the jungle... what DID I tell you!"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But you ignore them all and persevere on....&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weeks go by, and the jungle fires more arrows, tropical storms, swamps and alligators at you, determined to get you out of the jungle. Murphy is doing his best to have YOU ejected!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You are weak, almost ready to give &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/Magazines/Savage%20Sword%20of%20Conan/index.html&gt;Conan the Barbarian&lt;/a&gt; You have to drag yourself across a &lt;a href=http://www.saturdaymorning.pop-cult.com/fat-albert.html&gt;Fat Albert&lt;/a&gt; swamp, and through some trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However... Just on the other side of the trees is a clearing.... and an unbelievable sight... a huge black stretch limousine is waiting, with a chauffeur &lt;a href=http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/thunderbird.php&gt;Thunderbird&lt;/a&gt; you, beckoning you to come over.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You rub your eyes and walk over.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is for you he says as he hands you a glass of the finest champagne known to man.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You step inside the luxuriously leather-clad vehicle and your carriage drives off. Travelling down the road, through some fields you suddenly see all of the sheep and cows who had told you not to enter the jungle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/DC/DCH-P/HotWheels/index.html&gt;Hot Wheels&lt;/a&gt; on their face as you drive by and wave is one you will never ever forget. You even notice one of your old friends who entered the jungle before you but left a few months later.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You drive on, up a long hill, along a sweeping private roadway to the top of a hill where you enter the grounds of a multi-million dollar building. Pulling up outside the large pillar-bound doorway of this magnificent bright white building, a beautiful woman (or man) greets you with a hug and another glass of champane. This person is your ideal partner, stunning in every way imaginable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside, you gaze out of the wall-to-wall glass window over the valley below you where all the sheep and cows are. You know that YOU HAVE ARRIVED!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You check your bank balance which is well into the millions and you break out in a warm smile.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You have to believe it is possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It CAN be achieved... by ANYBODY..&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most of the wealthy people are not over-clever at anything in particular. Rather they are just ordinary men and women who one day had a spark inside them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Never give up.. your life can change beyond your wildest dreams if you have the courage to keep going when it seems like there is no way forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Good luck.... nobody said it would be easy, but it sure is worth it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shaun Baird is a prolific entrepreneur and has seen more than anybody's fair share of setbacks. Come and say hello to him at   www.someinfo4u.comwww.someinfo4u.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1422691751476961642?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1422691751476961642/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1422691751476961642' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1422691751476961642'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1422691751476961642'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/true-defining-spirit-of.html' title='The True Defining Spirit Of Entrepreneurialism '/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-2488418438924435090</id><published>2008-04-26T08:15:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-26T05:14:25.188-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Is a Reading Difficulty Hauling Your Kid Away in Handcuffs?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;"Only the educated are free."&lt;Br&gt; Epictetus 55 AD - 135 AD&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did you know that there are Justice Departments in North America that predict the future need of prison space based on grade three reading scores?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;EESH! If that was the case I should be sitting in Alcatraz by now! When I was in Grade 3, I was struggling &lt;a href=http://humorwjtyyb.blogspot.com&gt;Humorwjtyyb&lt;/a&gt; read the basic grade level books. I felt like I already WAS in prison &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelT-Z/Thor/index.html&gt;Thor&lt;/a&gt; Dick and Jane were the wardens!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is it about the ability to read that predicts either ultimate success or failure even in our current school systems?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reading effectively is no less a skill than crossing the road safely, but we have more individuals who can cross the road safely than can read effectively. This accounts for the large numbers of students standing on the wrong side of the &lt;a href=http://www.christmas-almanac.com/Christmas-Carols/i-wonder-as-i-wander.html&gt;I Wonder as I Wander&lt;/a&gt; highway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Don't Tighten the Hand Cuffs&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reading difficulties are becoming more commonplace than they use to be and in our fast paced world it is imperative that they be dealt with quickly because the longer you leave it, the worse it gets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- It has been estimated that information is doubling every five years. That is a tremendous pace to keep up with and if reading is a struggle, the learning gap widens and difficulties only get worse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- Gone are the days when the ability to read effectively was left to those who were very learned. It is a life skill, just like crossing the road safely, that everyone needs to master.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- Our educational system relies heavily on reading and if children struggle the natural tendency is to dummy down the material for them. This philosophy only tightens the handcuffs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Learning to Read Effectively Breaks the Ties That Bind Thirty years of scientific research says, the most effective way of teaching individuals to read is to use &lt;a href=http://therszxukbc.blogspot.com&gt;Therszxukbc&lt;/a&gt; sequential phonics. NOT phonics drill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- Most reading difficulties are caused by a fundamental gap in an individual's knowledge of the reading process and the basic sub-skills associated with it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- The time to deal with reading issues is the moment you think there is one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- The earlier a reading difficulty is dealt with the easier it is to correct. Once an individual learns to read effectively, navigating the educational system is so much easier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here's &lt;a href=http://bandszucmndoah.blogspot.com&gt;Bandszucmndoah&lt;/a&gt; Get Out of Jail Free Card&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One of the most difficult concepts in learning to read is that most of us know the alphabet and the names of the letters; however, the letter names have nothing to do with the sounds they make. Now that is enough to confuse the best of us!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW For Your Child:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. Parents can give their children a leg up by teaching all the letter sounds. Make sure you teach them the correct sounds. Example the letter 'c' actually makes the same sound as the letter "k" it does not make the sound 'cuh'.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2. There are lots of books on the market that will target initial sounds but avoid those that use the word ice cream for the letter 'i' and xylophone for the letter 'x' as they are the wrong sounds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;3. Here is a website that is full of helpful worksheets for working with students at home and it covers a variety of age and grade ranges. www.kidzone.ws&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Feeling overwhelmed by it all? Not to worry, you are certainly not alone. The time to deal with a reading difficulty is the minute you think there may be one. Don't let your child or other family members become another "handcuffed" statistic. Find out if there is a problem sooner than later and fix it before it hauls them off.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lani Donaldson, The Literacy Expert, owns an innovative company that improves a client's literacy rate by one grade level in only 20 hours of instruction.   www.literacycanada.comhttp://www.literacycanada.com&lt;/a&gt; Lani is determined to improve the literacy rates not only in Canada but also around the world! Sign up for her witty and hugely informative FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report - Nine Indicators of a Possible Reading Difficulty".   www.literacyexperts.comhttp://www.literacyexperts.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-2488418438924435090?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/2488418438924435090/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=2488418438924435090' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/2488418438924435090'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/2488418438924435090'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-reading-difficulty-hauling-your-kid.html' title='Is a Reading Difficulty Hauling Your Kid Away in Handcuffs?'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-5359948909061575671</id><published>2008-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-25T06:20:49.751-07:00</updated><title type='text'>machine Ergonomics Won't Fix Everything</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Changing the ergonomics for machine workstations &lt;a href=http://www.lemonlaws.shop24-7-365.com/nebraska.html&gt;Nebraska Lemon Laws&lt;/a&gt; certainly a &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/DC/DCR-St/SeaDevils/index.html&gt;Sea Devils&lt;/a&gt; step in helping people avoid the repetitive stress injuries so commonplace at one time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Carpal tunnel syndrome seemed to affect almost everyone before positive steps were taken to identify the culprit in this new epidemic. Many of my patients that work at machine workstations even have the "proper ergonomic workstation design" picture displayed prominently on the back side of their i.d. badges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yet these people are patients in my office for conditions and back problems that aren't being helped by ergonomics for machine workstations. It's still possible to slouch and slump in your workstation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just being seated for long periods of time creates shortened hamstrings and hip flexors. Slouching and &lt;a href=http://www.saturdaymorning.pop-cult.com/bugs-bunny-road-runner.html&gt;Bugs Bunny&lt;/a&gt; will continue to put stress and strain on your upper back and neck.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The one thing I've seen repeatedly that even the best ergonomics can't seem to help is bad posture. I keep seeing new and improved reminder systems that will help you remember to sit up straight, but less emphasis on really making a lasting change.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Alarms can be shut off or ignored. You can only get reminded or scolded so many times about your  www.improvemyposture.com/posture&lt;/a&gt; before you start to tune it out. If you engage in preventative &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelF-J/IncredibleHulk/index.html&gt;Incredible Hulk&lt;/a&gt; like stretching and strengthening activities to improve your posture, no one will need to remind you to sit up straight and your workstation ergonomics will be less of a factor in keeping your injury-free and out of pain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at   www.ImproveMyPosture.comhttp://www.ImproveMyPosture.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-5359948909061575671?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/5359948909061575671/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=5359948909061575671' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5359948909061575671'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/5359948909061575671'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/machine-ergonomics-wont-fix-everything.html' title='machine Ergonomics Won&apos;t Fix Everything'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3625966924069767331.post-1365026112281325230</id><published>2008-04-24T08:51:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-04-24T05:52:15.577-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Competency based interviews are intended to get the best from you, the candidate, whilst also fulfilling the needs of the organisation to get the very best person for the job. There are some easy steps to make the most of yourself and &lt;a href=http://movie-reviewstruwpdybg.blogspot.com&gt;Movie Reviewstruwpdybg&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=http://tshirtehxcmt.blogspot.com&gt;Tshirtehxcmt&lt;/a&gt; much better chance of success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Prepare well, but keep it sensible&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;As long as you know the job you are going for, ask for details of what you will be measured against. Ask for a set of &lt;b&gt;competencies&lt;/b&gt;. Ask for a &lt;b&gt;job description&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;a href=http://www.toys.pop-cult.com/little-miss-no-name.html&gt;Little Miss No Name&lt;/a&gt; sets you up to succeed, not just because you are better informed, but also because you have asked - which will impress the decision-makers, before you even get there!&lt;br&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get Creative&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Here is the time to use your own experiences to create 'stories' which you can use in the actual interview. These 'stories' are real scenarios that you have been a part of, which over a period of days and weeks beforehand, you write up. Maybe you will have 20+ initial ideas.&lt;br&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Leverage!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Take the very best scenarios and write them out, bullet points first. Then flesh them out, whilst referring carefully to the competencies you've been given. It is amazing how you can 'tune-in' your scenario to include many, if not all of the competencies. And if you can't fit them all in, there will be a use for them - later!&lt;br&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Practice&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;By reading through your scenarios (and by now you should not have more than six &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/Marvel/MarvelP-S/StarWars/index.html&gt;Star Wars&lt;/a&gt; seven) you will familiarise yourself with the contents, so well, that they will become second nature - even in the scary experience of an interview.&lt;br&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;In the Interview&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;There are some tactics in here too!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Using your scenarios make just three key points about what you've been asked. Make them relevant and the right 'weight'. Not too long or too short.&lt;li&gt;After that, leave space for them to ask more - that's what they are listening for.&lt;li&gt;Say 'I' a lot - they want to know what your personal involvement and experience was, not 'the team' or 'they'.&lt;li&gt;Have fun - whilst not contrived, smile and make some simple jokes, if you feel comfortable with that - they want to employ happy as well as capable people.&lt;li&gt;Can't answer? That's fine. Make sure that you reflect on your shortcomings by saying things like, 'It's one of the first things I want to develop in my next job - if you did your stuff on your scenarios and your competencies well enough, you will have covered 90% of the bases well and you'll be forgiven for not being 'perfect'. If you are really stumped - say so!&lt;li&gt;Ask questions - relevant, about their culture, focus on developing you, opportunities - the positive 'peopley' things (remember it's your chance to see if you want to work with them!).&lt;li&gt;Also ask about current issues they may be facing - you &lt;b&gt;did&lt;/b&gt; do your homework on them, didn't you?&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Strong Ending!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Keep the whole thing light, even as you leave &lt;a href=http://www.comic-covers.com/DC/DCA-B/Batman/index.html&gt;Batman&lt;/a&gt; the end. Have a conversation in general terms - about anything! &lt;b&gt;Do&lt;/b&gt; make sure that you ask them some things that are about &lt;b&gt;them&lt;/b&gt; - they will love it if you ask them some open (what, how, when, where, who) general questions about your new job! About something nice in the building or their clothes - take as it comes and do what feels comfortable!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Remember that competencies are there to help you and they provide a guide-map for your competency based interview success!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2005 How To Land Your Dream Job. You CAN have the job of your dreams. It takes application, attention and the information you need to get you there, young or old. There's all you need at Martin Haworth's website,   www.HowToLandYourDreamjob.comwww.HowToLandYourDreamjob.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3625966924069767331-1365026112281325230?l=captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/feeds/1365026112281325230/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3625966924069767331&amp;postID=1365026112281325230' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1365026112281325230'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3625966924069767331/posts/default/1365026112281325230'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://captkirkhbvgdoq.blogspot.com/2008/04/competency-based-interviews-6-steps-to.html' title='Competency Based Interviews - 6 Steps to Success!'/><author><name>jakeprywov</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/12423945034315152972</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
