Growing transportation requirements combined with declining domestic oil production have led to burgeoning oil imports. Rising oil prices are having an adverse impact on the U.S. economy as evident from recent economic data and stock market performance. We need a responsible energy plan which will balance our transportation requirements with the necessity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Rising Oil Prices.

Oil prices have been on a roll this year. As of August 10, crude oil prices have climbed over 45% since the start of 2004. A barrel of West Texas Intermediate recently recorded its all time high of $45.04 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. And this has happened despite the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries increasing its oil output.

Earlier in the year, the run up in oil prices was attributed to surging demand for petroleum products due to a strong global economy. Then it was the unrest in Venezuela and Nigeria.

Concerns on security of oil supplies have heightened more recently. Added to the pipeline disruptions in Iraq are kidnappings of foreign workers in the Middle East.

Yukos, the Russian oil company’s tax evasion dispute has taken center stage currently. With a production rate of 1.7 million barrels a day (mmbd), Yukos is Russia’s largest oil producer.

While the underlying factors behind the dramatic increase in the price of oil this year are a combination of all the above, the impact is hardly comforting.

Weakening Economy.

Higher oil prices that work like an added tax have the effect of holding down hiring, consumer spending, and corporate profits.

The July jobs report that was released by the Labor Department on August 6 was a disappointment. The U.S. economy added a mere 32,000 to the non-farm payrolls, the lowest monthly addition this year. The rate of employment growth is slowing as business confidence appears to be undermined by rising oil prices. High oil prices are also taking the bite out of consumer spending.

By some economists’ estimates, every $10 rise in the price of oil knocks 0.5% off of GDP growth and adds about the same amount to inflation. The equity markets have been fixated with the trend in oil prices and have relentlessly spiraled lower since late June. On August 6, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9,815.33, its lowest level since Nov. 28 after losing more than 300 points over the last two sessions. The technology heavy Nasdaq Composite Index is down over 11% since the start of the year.

The Root Cause: Transportation Relies on Foreign Oil.

A combination of declining domestic oil production and increasing oil consumption has left the U.S. increasingly dependent on foreign oil.

The U. S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration states that domestic oil production in 2002 was 5.8 mmbd, about 36% lower than the 9.0 mmbd produced in 1985. The total use of petroleum products on the other hand has grown from 15.2 mmbd in 1985 to 19.3 mmbd in 2002.

The lion’s share of oil consumption stems from transportation needs. In 2002, the transportation sector accounted for about 68% of total petroleum use with gasoline accounting for two-thirds of the petroleum consumed in the transportation sector.

U.S. net oil imports have grown from 4.3 mmbd in 1985 to 10.4 mmbd in 2002. Net oil imports as a percent of U. S. petroleum product use has risen from 28% in 1985 to 54% in 2002.

Based on Sandia National Laboratories and U. S. DOE/EIA forecast, an additional 7.5 mmbd of oil and petroleum products will have to be imported by 2020 to bridge the gap between growing consumption and falling domestic oil production. In 2020, U.S. oil production will supply less than 30% of U.S. oil needs.

The Energy Bill: Long-Term Plan for Energy Security.

The picture the current events paint as a preview of the future is cause for concern.

On August 6, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry outlined a $30-billion, 10-year plan to veer the U. S. towards energy independence. The plan includes tax breaks and incentives for carmakers and buyers, coal producers and alternative fuels research. President Bush responded saying Kerry’s proposals mimic much of what Bush had already proposed but is stalled in Congress.

It will not be adequate if President Bush and Senator Kerry just reignite the energy debate. To bring clarity to energy security, we need a comprehensive long-term national energy plan that will reduce our reliance on foreign oil while meeting the nation’s growing transportation needs.

Both supply and demand sides of the transportation issue will have to be addressed to make a meaningful impact in reducing the dependence on foreign oil. Steps to increase the supply of domestic transportation fuels including alternatives to oil will likely be required. So too will efforts to reduce per capita transportation fuel consumption.

Based on what has been outlined to date, neither the Bush proposal nor the Kerry plan appears to fully address the critical transportation issue. The House-Senate conferees have an opportunity to deliver a responsible energy bill to the President’s desk for his signature. If the dependence on foreign oil is not reduced, the course of the U. S. economy and the stock market may well be shaped more by decisions made in Moscow, Riyadh, and Vienna rather than being determined by the decisions made at home.

Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. Past performance is neither an indication of nor a guarantee for future results. No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without written permission of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright c 2004 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved.
bio = After working for the nation’s leading oil and auto companies, Sam Subramanian, PhD, MBA is currently Managing Principal of AlphaProfit InvestmentsT, LLC, an investment research firm based in Houston, TX. Sam edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ NewsletterT. For the 5 year period ending June 30, 2004, AlphaProfit model portfolios increased by up to 252%, a compound annual return rate of 28.6%. To learn more about AlphaProfit and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter, visit http://www.alphaprofit.com

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The idea of picking up a horse’s hooves can intimidate some owners since a well-placed horse kick would really hurt! Such caution is good, but in reality if you pick up a horse’s hoof properly you provide him with no leverage or ability to kick you. This is a situation where a person’s worst fears can cause him to imagine an incident that is highly unlikely to occur with careful handling.

Here’s how to safely pick up a horse’s hoof:

Starting with the front hoof, approach your horse diagonally from his front so that he clearly knows you are there – you don’t want to surprise him. Place yourself even with his shoulder and make sure to face his rear; you will both be facing opposite directions during the hoof picking process.

Making sure that your feet aren’t too close to the horse’s hoof, start running the hand parallel to him down his shoulder and along the length of his leg, finally stopping just above his ankle. Gently grasp the ankle portion and click (or otherwise verbally cue him) to ask him to raise his leg. If he’s well trained, that small cue will be more than enough and he’ll do just what you requested. You’re now free to begin picking his hoof.

If your horse is being a bit stubborn or hasn’t learned how to pick up his legs yet try leaning into his shoulder as you run your hand down the back of his cannon bone. You can also gently squeeze/pinch the tendons to further cue him to what you would like. As you perform these physical cues make sure you provide a verbal one also (I make a clicking sound) so the horse later associates your sound with the requested response. Increase the weight you push against his shoulder until he finally lifts his leg as requested.

When picking a horse’s hoof you want to remove all debris from the hoof clefts as well as the rim and frog. Be careful around the frog because it can sometimes be a bit sensitive, particularly if the horse has thrush.

Once you have finished cleaning the front hoof carefully guide it back to the floor; you don’t want to allow the horse to slam it, potentially hitting your foot in the process. Praise your horse and pat him on the front shoulder a bit so he understands that you are pleased with his cooperation, then run your hand along his back to his rear leg. Place yourself in the same position as you did with his front leg and do the process over again.

There is a slight difference between lifting a rear foot and front foot, even though your basic positioning and actions are nearly identical. When you lift your horse’s rear foot he will probably give a little jerk that you might misinterpret as a kick. This is a common reflex reaction among horses and nothing for you to worry about.

Secondly, when you raise your horse’s rear leg you’ll want to step into him a bit so that your hip is underneath his leg. Rest his leg on your thigh, grab his hoof and gently flex it upwards. By doing this you lend him some support and more importantly the position of his leg and his flexed hoof will prevent him from being able to kick you.

Clean the hoof, lower it cautiously as you did the first and praise him. Congratulations – you’re halfway done! The opposite side will be done exactly the same way, but try to return to his front and start the opposite side rather than move around his rear. It’s bad practice to approach or circle all but the most trusted horses via the rear in such close quarters since a horse would be within range to strike.

When lifting any hoof try to make sure your horse is properly squared (balanced evenly on all four legs) so that when you lift one hoof he can easily balance on his remaining three. At no time should the horse actually lean his weight on you! Even when you rest his rear leg on your thigh you’re not allowing him to use you as a crutch.

Once you have picked your horse’s hooves a few times it will probably become very simple and take less than 5 minutes to clear all hooves. Most trained horses will raise their hoof for you the moment they feel your leg run down their leg.

It is a very good idea to control your horse’s head while you are picking his hooves. This can be done by attaching his halter to crossties or asking a partner hold your horse’s head. By controlling his head you ensure your horse can’t move away from you while you’re trying to pick his hooves, or worse. turn around and take a bite at your rear!
bio = Jeffrey Rolo, owner of AlphaHorse and an experienced horse trainer and breeder, is the author of the above article. You will find many other informational articles dealing with horse training and care as well as games and other horse fun on his website: http://www.alphahorse.com

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You may use this article for reprint, as long as it remains unaltered and the resource box and author information are included. – Isaiah Hull

Increase Traffic to Your Website for Free

One common misconception about Internet marketing
is that you have to pay an exorbitant amount of money just to get traffic to your website and a steady stream of customers buying your products. This isn’t true. Pay-per-click search engines have their merits and e-commerce marketing companies can sometimes be effective, but they can also be very expensive, often driving you too far into debt to recover before you see any profits. This is precisely why less than 3% of people who begin Internet businesses actually ever see a return on their investment. In this article, I will explain why this isn’t necessary–and how you can skip this learning phase and begin using inexpensive and free tools to begin putting money in your pocket immediately.

While there are many free and inexpensive methods to effectively market your business and put money into your pocket, I am going to focus on the absolute best, fastest, most profitable, and most recommended method among “gurus” and Internet millionaires: creating your own ezine.

You can begin today by signing up with an
autoresponding email address, where you can send
opt-in subscribers to be added to your mailing list. I would suggest using http://www.getresponse.com
because it can handle the biggest loads. You can open an account for free, but I would suggest eventually upgrading to a PRO membership. This autoresponder is by far the most effective Internet marketing tool and after you see how it works, you will want to reap its full potential.

After you take some time to explore and understand
your getresponse account, you can begin writing the first article of your ezine. Take some time to review your site and your products. Make sure your ezine article properly reflects what you’re marketing–and make sure you have at least one link to every product you talk about in the issue. Give some general advice, but use persuasive sales language. Entice your potential customers, but do not stretch the truth too much; you want to gain as many TARGETED subscribers as possible. Remember: these people are opting-in to your mailing list because they WANT TO BUY YOUR PRODUCTS. When you have finished your first
article, load it into your getresponse account.

Now you are ready to begin marketing your ezine.
The best and fastest method of gaining subscribers
in my opinion is starting a campaign at
http://www.leadfactory.com . Leadfactory will work
with you on a pay-per-subscriber basis to help you
create a mailing list of PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY YOUR PRODUCTS. If you work with Leadfactory, make absolute certain that the ad for your ezine and product is 100% accurate. Remember: you’re paying for subscribers, so you want ones that want to buy your products. I personally would suggest buying subscribers from Leadfactory to begin with, but if you want to go the completely free route, you can begin by signing up for the free trial version of Push Button Leads at http://www.pushbuttonleads.com/index.php .
You can use this product for free for two weeks
and then decide whether or not the amount of
subscribers you get is worth the $20/mo. fee.

You are now ready to begin increasing the your
ezine’s exposure. This requires MASSIVE ACTION and a lot of patience. You can begin by creating a
boilerplate ad for your ezine that includes
information about your products. Make the ad only a paragraph long and use some persuasive sales language. You will then need to submit your ezine to ezine directories and ezine announcement lists. You can begin by going to google and typing in “ezine directories.” Begin submitting your subscription information (whateveryournameis@getresponse.com) along
with your ad and any other information the site asks for. Do this to as many ezine directories as you can find. I would suggest submitting to a minimum of 50. This will seriously increase your exposure by putting your ad on all of the top ezine directories on google.

Next, go to Yahoo.com and sign up for an account if you don’t have one already. Use Yahoo to find ezine announcement lists and promotion groups. Yahoo has about 100 of these groups on their website and some of them have a significant amount of subscribers. To sign up for these groups, send a blank email to the group email list or the group admin. You should immediately receive an email back, asking you to subscribe. Subscribe to them – and do this to as many promotional lists and groups as you can find. Once you’re in the group, post your ad along with the address of your ezine
whateveryournameis@getresponse.com and the address of your site (if they allow it). This technique can win you between 50-500 subscribers each week. Make sure you use it to your advantage by signing up for as many group as possible.

At this point, you have gone further than most internet business owners ever get. Take some time off, relax, and watch your mailing list fill up with subscribers.

Make sure you continue to send out new ezine issues every week or every other week to let your customers know you’ve got new deals on your website.

bio = Isaiah Hull publishes Work At Home Right Now, a fresh and informative newsletter about making money on the internet and using proven methods to increase your site’s traffic and profitability. If you’re looking for time-saving and money-saving tools, as well as honest business advice, come by and subscribe at http://www.workathomerightnow.net

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You may use this article for reprint, as long as it remains unaltered and the resource box and author information are included. – Isaiah Hull

Grassroots Internet Marketing Campaign

Many people, in a rush to spike sales through the
roof, think too big and end up completely missing
out on one of the best free marketing opportunities on the net: discussion forums. Instead of focusing on individual sales, they go immediately for ads that promise thousands of visitors, pay-per-click search engines that could potentially expose them to thousands, and even sloppily-produced and sometimes fraudulent spam submission programs.

Even though it is essential to increase your rating with search engines, to purchase pay-per-clicks, and to participate in link exchanges and banner exchanges, discussion forums can often provide an extra, non-conventional sales medium to your campaign that allows you to quickly pull in customers with personal contact and conversational presentations of your product.

You can find these boards by searching for the
specific product you sell and then adding the word “messageboard” or “forum” or “discussion forum” after it in quotations. For instance, I sell marketing tools and online business-builders on one of my websites, so when I look for forums to market my products in, I go to google or overture and type in “business messageboard” or “marketing forum.” Find as many of these highly-trafficked forums as you can and sign-up. Some of them will require you to confirm it through your email address.

Before you begin actually posting on the boards, you need to lay down some general rules of approach. I would suggest the following methods, but you can decide for yourself what you think is appropriate for your business and situation.

These are my rules:

When I market on discussion forums, I always try to provide more for the board than I take away from it in potential sales. Not only is it ethical, but it’s also good business. When people ask questions, I use the expertise I’ve gained from Internet business-building and marketing to legitimately answer their questions. If I signed up for every board I could find, and then slapped a boilerplate marketing pitch on every site, I’d just get ignored or banned.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to
legitimately get involved with the forum community. It is definitely a goldmine for highly-targeted customers and it is possibly the fastest marketing medium on the Internet, but it is also very important to respect that it doesn’t primarily serve as an ad host. If you stay low-key and helpful, people will respect your opinion more and will want to see what you have to offer. This is where your signature comes in…

When you create your account for most boards, they
will give you the option of creating a signature,
which they will attach to the bottom of every post
you make. This is the best way to pull customers
from messageboards–by alluring them with your
signature. Write something catchy or intriguing and then slap a link to your site or email address on it. Remember: the more helpful you are (the more times you post advice/hints), the more times your signature appears… and the more potential hits you’ll get to your site.

Next, you’ll want to decide when it’s appropriate to market outside of your signature. I personally only market in three situations outside of my signature in forum discussions. If a person asks a question about a specific product or service I market, then I’ll respond because I’m qualified to do so and because I truly believe they should use my products to achieve the best possible results. If there’s a discussion thread where everyone is marketing products and it is generally accepted, I will market my product if a) it is related and b) I have already posted several times on the messageboard. Also, I will market my product
whenever there is a forum solely dedicated to marketing your products.

Last, you’ll want to decide how much original content you want to post and how much you want to be boilerplate. You’ll want to find a healthy combination of the two to avoid being called a spammer or wasting too much time marketing on forums. I personally have several boilerplate ads that I have saved for signature files, ad-only forums, and personal product marketing discussions. I keep them all saved on a word
file and I pull them up to copy-and-paste when I’m
spending a night of advertising on messageboards.

Discussion forums can drive buying customers to your site faster than any other marketing medium. Do not abuse them, establish a reputation in your forums, streamline the process. . . and your work will come back to you quickly in profit.

bio = Isaiah Hull publishes Work At Home Right Now, a fresh and informative newsletter about making money on the internet and using proven methods to increase your site’s traffic and profitability. If you’re looking for time-saving and money-saving tools, as well as honest business advice, come by and subscribe at http://www.workathomerightnow.net

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You open your computer, the flashing button says, “We have a new update for your software program. Do you wish to update now or later?” You choose the Update Now button and immediately your computer begins to download a new version of the software program.
What is the program updating? It’s fixing broken parts of the software program; it’s adding new features. It does this quickly and easily. Right before your eyes you see the update taking place. You click a button and you have the newest software update.
Computer software and hardware companies have learned that “updating” is a necessary tool in today’s computer world. Without updates, users would drift towards other vendors who have the latest features and best programs.
What about your own business? When was the last time you updated your business operations? In our fast paced, every changing business climate, your either update or customers will drift to your competitors.
Your business needs are no different than computer software companies. You need to make fixes to your business operations. You need to add new features and benefits of your business and market these new features to your customers.
Here is a short and exercise you can use to “update” your business operations. Look at these four areas in your business.

1. Your Market
Over the course of doing business, has your market message remained the same? Does it still reflect the heart of your business? How would you change it to reflect more precisely what is really happening in your business? Are there parts of your marketing efforts that need to be dropped because they are no longer useful? If your message has changed, should you be looking at different advertising mediums for your business?
I watched a floor covering business change its marketing message over a number of years. At first it offered itself as the company with the cheapest prices. As the business evolved, they realized that creating a great customer shopping experiences was more important than being the lowest price.
Once they realized their market had shifted, they made changes in their advertising. They made changes in their vendors. They made changes in their staffing. By asking a series of simple questions, they were able to update their business operations.

2. Your Customers
This business aspect is closely related to your marketing issues. Over a period of time, you can begin working with different customers. At first, the change happens gradually. Then one day, you realize your customers are different from your original business.
How do the new customers compare to your original customers? What customers need to be dropped so you can concentrate on new customers? Where is the best place to reach and contact these new customers? What other effects does this new customer population have on your business?

3. Your Buyer’s Shopping Experience
If your customers and market have changed, how do these changes affect your customer’s buying experience? Customers today have many buying options. Does the presence of chain stores affect your operations? Do internet buying options affect your business operations?
Customers today are looking for specific types of shopping experiences. Some want to buy simple and fast. Others want to make purchases slow and leisurely. What changes could you make in your customer’s shopping experience that would set you apart form your competitors?
Think of the difference in getting your oil changed at a Jiffy Lube business with plastic chairs and left over coffee. Compare this to getting the same oil changed at a Lexus dealer with a plush waiting room and high speed internet access.

4. Your Customer Follow Up Activities
Having customers buy more from you and buying more often is triggered by the relationships you establish with them and your follow up efforts. Once upon a time, sending postcards was enough. Today, the option of email notices, electronic newsletters and other fast, quick and inexpensive communication options change customer follow up’s.
Have you looked at your follow up activities to see if you can update these functions to make them faster, easier and more efficient for both you and the customer? Today’s customers expect you to use contemporary forms of communications. Are you taking advantage of these forms?

Conclusion
These are several key areas you can use to update your business operations. Just as your software is updated on a regular basis, you need to make the fixes and enhancements to your business on a regular basis. The next time you see the question on your computer, “Do you want to update now?” remind yourself to update your business operations.

If you want to learn more about how you can use niche building strategies to increase your profits, email me at al@hanzal.com. For more articles on small business issues click www.innovativesellingskillsforsmallbusiness.com.

bio = Al Hanzal helps small business owners make more profits by using simple and easy exercises to improve their business performance.

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Q. My company publishes a monthly employee newsletter. My boss asked me to write a funny quiz. I’m not exactly a stand-up comic. Help!

A. Ah, the funny quiz. Lucky you! It’s not often that a company has an official sense of humor that they are willing to display for all to read. This is going to be a great assignment for you!

A funny quiz is typically one where the questions and answers have no real purpose other than to make the quiz taker laugh. Although almost anything goes, there are some taboo subjects. Off hand I’d say that anything that pokes fun at a specific person, or groups of people, as well as anything that’s anti-semitic, racial, sexual, political, or religious should be off limits. Remember, what one person thinks is funny can offend someone else. Even seemingly innocuous subjects like “hillbilly” or “redneck” jokes might not be funny to someone who lives in the mountains or the deep South (like I do).

You can think of a funny quiz as a series of one-liners with multiple-choice punch lines. Because you are writing for a company publication you have a built-in “affinity group” as there is bound to be some common subjects that are company related and could be made into something funny.

For example, if you work for a software development company then you might have a question that asks:

What’s longer: A CEO’s week or a programmer’s week?

If you’re not laughing then you have never had a programmer tell you that the project will be ready in a week.

You need to walk a fine line even when using subjects like this in your funny quiz. Say that your company just posted a 4th quarter loss because a new software product missed its launch date by a “programmer’s week”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that you are about to tick off a lot of people if you add that question to your funny quiz.

Try to avoid wornout jokes or cliches. A funny quiz should be funny, not lame. For example, still on the software train of thought, a question like…

Q. How many programmers does it take to change a lightbulb? A. None. They don’t do hardware.

…is older than the mystery meat in that Tupperware container in the back of the lunchroom refrigerator. No one is going to laugh at that one. No laughing = not a funny quiz!

The best thing to do is to keep an eye out for humorous, safe things to poke fun at and then write a funny quiz question. My advice is to start right now and don’t wait until one hour before deadline. The only thing that’s less funny than a lame funny quiz is no funny quiz at all!
bio = Brian Fong run the popular quiz site http://www.QuizFaq.com
Quiz Faq – Your solutions for the quiz.

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Q. I took a friend quiz in a magazine and it says that I don’t make a very good friend. Can that really be true?

A. First, let me say congratulations! If the quiz said that you don’t make a very good friend then you must have answered the quiz honestly, at least from the friend quiz author’s point of view.

Now let’s delve into the content of the quiz. The bad thing about a friend quiz is that it is automatically biased by the author’s opinion of what makes a good friend.

For example: There might be a question that asks:

Your friend wants you to cover for her by telling her mother that she is sleeping at your house when she is really going to an all night party with her boyfriend. Do you say:

A. “No problem.” B. “I’ll do it but I’d rather not.” C. “No way, you’re on your own girlfriend.”

What’s the right answer? Well, the morally right answer is obviously “C”. Would that make you a better friend that either “A” or “B”? Yes, actually, it would. There is a very good chance that something bad is going to come out of the all night party. Your friend could get drunk and become a victim of date rape, get injured or killed in a car accident, or get arrested if the police raid the party. As a good friend, you should care more about your friend’s safety and security than her having a good time doing something that she has to lie about.

However, if the friend quiz rates you a snitch because you answered “C”, then, according to the author, you’re not a good friend.

Look. You don’t need a friend quiz to know if you’re a good friend, or if someone else if a good friend to you. Take the quiz for the fun of it, but don’t take it seriously. Your heart knows if you are a good friend and what it means to have a good friend. Trust your instincts and not some stranger’s value system. A person’s friendship is far to valuable a gift to trust the results to a friend quiz.
bio = Brian Fong run the popular quiz site http://www.QuizFaq.com
Quiz Faq – Your solutions for the quiz.

Popularity: 2% [?]

So you have a website and your feeling pretty good. You may even have a mental picture of the oceanside home you’ll have just as soon as the world realizes what a magnificent product or service that you are offering.

Not so FAST … As you shake your head you hear the words from an old song “If I could meet em I could get em, As yet I haven’t met em … that’s why I’m in the shape I’m in.

Suddenly you realize that building the site was the easy part. Getting qualified traffic that is still breathing and has an interest in your product or services is probably the hardest (but the most rewarding) thing that you can/will do for your Online business.

There are many ways for you to find qualified website visitors or better yet to help them find you. My goal in this article is to encourage you to “think outside the box” and begin to see ways of promoting your business that will catapult you ahead of your competition and move you closer to financial freedom in your Internet business.

For instance …

You may have heard of link building but did you know that you could build your own link network? That’s right for just $10 a year each (less depending on which registrar that you choose) you can own a myraid of domain names that you can develop and host or simply redirect to your current site. Now I ask you if you were looking for hundreds of customers daily how many doors would you like for them to have to enter into your store?

To create your link farm just make sure that each site contains a link to all other sites in your network.

And

How about fresh content? Did you know that Google owns a blog company now? What does that tell you about their fascination with news and information content that changes daily? Did you know that you can get free news feeds about your industry? You can, you just have to look and ask and daily fresh content on your site is a done deal.

And

How about your name? Is it a good name that aptly describes what you do or your products or services? Is it a 2 word name? If so do you have the many variations of the name registered including the hyphenated version? This will provide you more chance that people will type in your name and it will protect you from your customers infringing on names that are similar to yours in effect stealing your brand recognition.

I could go on and on about ways to increase your traffic and protect your hard work and brand recognition and take advantage of the customer goodwill that you get as your business grows and word of mouth about your business increases.

The bottom line is that I want to encourage each of you who read this to be pioneers and not followers. What works for your competitors and or even for me may not necessarily work for you. I believe that it was either Edison or Einstein who said “There is a way – Find it”.

Here’s to experimentation and finding your way to Internet business success.

bio = Scott Alliy owns over 325 websites including JVDeals.com a joint venture marketing exchange, Findaseminar.com the worlds largest training and seminar search engine, AddPR.com a free press release website, ExpressSeek.com a PPC search engine and SeriousNetProfits.com an Internet marketing news and information portal.

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A man and his wife were retiring at the same time. The man had been a barber for 40 straight years. His wife used to work as a beautician for almost the same amount of years too. Now they both thought it was time to retire and enjoy their old age.

But they hadn’t counted on the boredom that set in after the first few months of retirement. They couldn’t cope up with so much free time on their hands. So they decided to convert their spare bedroom into a home saloon. They decided that they would just work 3 evenings a week and take the rest of the week off.

And because both were specialist in different but complimentary activities, the customers won. The customers received attention from both of them. They could now access such services like massage, shave, sculptured hair-cut, shampoo, skin care and various other beauty remedies from under one roof itself!

Because of the convenience they could give to their customers by combining complimentary services, they could charge them 3 to 5 times more than those services would usually cost else-where! They made a killing conducting the same services they had done in the last 40 years. They started earning even more than they used to before their retirement! They earned more even though they worked less. They added 2 to a 2 and made it into a 5. All by adding value for their customers!

Action summary:

* Don’t bundle up. Add value.

* Look out for peoples’ convenience. And they will pay you more.

bio = Ankesh Kothari publishes the Marketing Hotsheet 24 times a year, twice every month. Each hotsheet reveals 6 ***tried and tested*** profit making marketing tactics that you can use to build your business. http://www.MarketingHotsheet.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

Years ago, some one in the car industry had a stroke of genius. They came up with an idea of engraving their name on each and every car that comes out of their factories. This small idea has generated free publicity worth millions of dollars for these car companies over the years.

M.K. tried to adapt the car company’s’ idea for his business. M.K. was a general contractor. He used to go to houses and fix them up. He could handle everything from fixing tables to installing electrical lines to plumbing work. M.K. thought why should he advertise General Motors instead of his own company? So he bought a customized magnetic sign for $45.95 and stuck it on his truck.

Whenever he went to a house to work on it, he made it a point to park the car on the street instead of the highway. Many cars passing by would slow down and people would jot down M.K.’s number from the magnetic sign. The 46-dollar sign generated so much business for M.K. that he stopped buying ads in yellow pages and local newspapers saving him hundreds of dollars a year.

M.K. started asking people how they found out about him to track the results his advertising dollars generated and he found out that 70% of people had read his truck!

Action summary:

* Why promote a car company when you can promote your own company instead? Customized stickers and decals can be bought for as low as 15 dollars. Why not invest in them?

* Go one step ahead. Instead of promoting nike, wear shirts and caps that bear your company logo on them. This alone will run up more business for your company. Buy shirts for your employees too. When big companies like Comcast can do it, why can’t you?

bio = Ankesh Kothari publishes the Marketing Hotsheet that reveals 6 ***tried and tested*** profit making marketing tactics twice a month. http://www.MarketingHotsheet.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

Feeding and Training a Racing Greyhound.

The following is a guide to feeding and training a racing greyhound. It should be used as a basis, or starting point if you like, to feeding and training your racing greyhound.

Morning routine:

Exercise … a ½ to 1 mile walk followed by a free gallop in a paddock or large yard.

Many trainers now use parallel galloping runs about 110 yards long and 6 to 8 yards wide. Large training establishments have 10 or more such runs alongside each other. The dogs go into the yards one to each yard, and work against each other for about 10 minutes each morning.

After their exercise they go back to the kennels for a quick rubdown, a drink of electrolytes, with maybe some glucose and a touch of milk added, Vitamin C, E with selenium and a 4×2 dog biscuit.

Later in the morning any known injuries are treated with Ultrasound, Magnetic Field, or Laser as needed.

At about Midday they are let out for an empty.

Any trips to the Vet are done in the Afternoon, with an evening walk of about ½ a mile at 3 to 4 pm, followed by feeding the main meal of the day.

Evening Feed.

For protein you should feed raw beef… 1¼lb to 1¾lb depending on the size of the dog, with kibble or wholemeal bread for carbohydrates. The beef should have about 5-10% fat. If you are feeding lean beef, you’ll need to add some lard to the meal. Add some fine grated carrot, celery and parsley and maybe some garlic. Vegetables are needed for Vitamins, minerals and to add fibre and roughage to the diet. If feeding veggies raw, they need to be fine minced, I use a kitchen whiz for this… a handful of minced vegetables to each dog.

Racing Greyhounds need a vitamin and mineral supplement added to their diet to ensure they are getting what their body needs to cope with the stress of a racing.

Cook up a stew once a week for variety… use beef, roo, mutton, chicken or whatever is local and cheap. Add carrots, cabbage greens, celery, parsnips, swedes, a little parsley, and some garlic.

Take your dog out to relieve himself late in the evening, before settling down for the night.
If the climate is cold, you should rug your Greyhound, especially at night, as they have a fine coat, and little to no body fat to keep them warm.

© Copyright 2004 Russell Savige. All Rights Reserved.
http://training-dog-breeds.com
bio = About the author:

Russell Savige has been successfully breeding, rearing and training greyhound’s in Australia for 18 years.

http://training-dog-breeds.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

Greyhounds are one of the oldest dog breeds known to man, with records tracing back over 8,000 years, in the form of cave drawings. The pyramids of Egypt contain numerous artifacts and wall drawings of greyhounds, in fact they were often buried alongside their masters, in the same tomb.

Nobody can say for sure how they came to be named ‘greyhounds’, but the suggestion that they used to be mainly gray in color is a lot of phooey in my opinion. I say this due to the fact that gray (or blue) is a shade, and not a true color. When mating blue dogs with other colors, the blue tends to breed out… in other words it is not a dominant color.

Another suggestion is that the name greyhounds comes from the old English words ‘grei’ meaning ‘dog’ and ‘nundr’ meaning ‘hunter’. Regardless of the origins of the name, the greyhound of today doesn’t look to be a lot different to the drawings of the dog many thousands of years ago.

Greyhounds have always been bred to hunt, and like as not, the origins of the breed lie in the fact that early man needed a means of catching small prey for food. I think the logical extension of this is that these dogs we call greyhounds, were bred by natural selection by early man to catch his food, with the breed later being refined by the Egyptians about 4,000 years ago, also for hunting. Then the nobility and landed gentry of Europe and England further refined them to give us what we know as coursing dogs.

In the last 80 years we have further refined the breed to suit circular track racing, to the point where the racing greyhound of today, is probably about 10% faster over a ¼ mile than it was in the early 1900′s.

There can be no doubting that this has been at the cost of the breed losing the stamina of our early coursing hounds. The fastest breed of dog, they can cover a ¼ mile in under 24 seconds, reaching speeds of over 40 miles an hour. They are a graceful, agile, gentle natured dog, the males standing about 28 to 30 inches tall and weighing 65 to 85 lbs, with the bitches being about 2 inches shorter and 10 lbs lighter.

The greyhound is built for speed, with a streamlined, muscular body. The neck is long and arched, the head is fine and long. They have characteristic rose ears, usually folded flat against the neck when the dog is relaxed. They will prick forward and may stand almost erect when the greyhound is interested in something. The chest is deep, the loin arched and the waist narrow, giving the dog a very distinctive appearance.

They have a fine short-haired coat, which can be any color from white through fawns, brindles to black, including party colors.

They have a gentle disposition, even though they are a hunting dog. They make an ideal pet if their size is not an issue. They don’t take a lot of looking after… a ½ mile walk in the evening is adequate exercise if they are not overfed. Whilst they are easily trained to chase, they are not so easily trained to obey ‘normal’ dog commands, unless their training starts at an early age.

Care must be taken to keep greyhounds on a lead in public, as they tend to lose their footing on manmade surfaces when running, due in main part to their speed. But let them loose in a field or enclosed paddock, and their speed and gracefulness will leave you speechless.

This is what you should do if you are a novice greyhound trainer:
- buy all the book’s on Greyhound Training that you can find.
- read all the topics you can find on this web site, on training and feeding racing greyhounds
- befriend the best greyhound trainers you can find in your local area, and offer to help them with trialing, race night handling, feeding, looking after their pups etc.
- and most importantly, “Listen with your ears, not your mouth”. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. If you want to learn, you should only use your mouth for eating, laughing and asking questions.

Copyright 2004 Russell Savige. All rights reserved.
http://Training-dog-breeds.com
bio = Russell Savige has been successfully breeding, rearing and training greyhounds in Australia since 1986.
http://training-dog-breeds.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

I steered my Mercedes with my knee as I dipped the Chicken McNugget into the hot mustard sauce. It was a quiet night on the highway and I had just made a quick stop for some fast grub. I had another 2 hours of driving ahead of me and a little Mickie Dee’s would hit the spot.

I still find it incredible that I can order fast food at midnight. I guess that’s part of the obesity problem in North America…but that’s a topic for another article. What was astouding was that there were only 4 kids running the whole restaurant, and I doubt any of them were old enough to buy beer.

How can a pack of 17 year olds run a multi-million dollar business?

And how can you apply this secret to building your MLM downlines?

I call the secret “INSTITUTIONALIZING” your business.

At a McDonald’s the deep fryer is always in the same place. And they teach the staff not to put their hands in it.

Question: when someone joins your downline, how do you teach them to make a list?

If you want to get your MLM business growing faster with rapid duplication, then you must break all the components of building a business into small pieces and train on each piece.

Do you have a training system on how to make a list of contacts? Do you have a script book to contact the prospects? Do you have a duplicatable presentation? Do you have a follow-up system? Do you have a basic training process for the new rep? How about a retailing system? What about personal development?

Re-read the last paragraph. Now ask yourself this. Do you have a system so everyone in your downline can learn at their own pace 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world?

In a recent issue of my private newsletter The Razor’s Edge I went deep, deep into Institutionalizing MLM Training. If you’re not a member, you can at http://www.bigmoneyfreetime.com

A critical point to keep in mind is that you must keep it SIMPLE. While this may sound counter-intuitive, the training on each step of the process must be at the Grade 8 level. Why? The average North American reads, learns and studies at a far lower level than you might imagine.

The simpler it is to learn the process of building the business, the faster it will duplicate. The training will above all else create a feeling of confidence in the rookie. Confidence creates an environment condusive to ATTMEPTING. And we all know that mlm is a numbers game.

I appreciate you!

David Ledoux
author: The Ultimate MLM Blueprint For
Massive Success
http://www.ilovemlm.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Can cats and dogs live together without constantly being at war? It seems that they very often can.

We often hear people claim to be a “cat person” or a “dog person”, but browsing through the various pet forums it appears that there are many of us that equally like both cats and dogs.

My son has a beautiful Border Collie who was the only pet of the house until she was five years old. Then three part Burmese kittens were brought into the family. Mollie the Collie and the kittens were introduced to each other slowly, and Mollie was taught that the kittens were not to be harassed. Naturally she was given extra doses of attention and affection, just to show her that the kittens were an addition to the family, and not a replacement for her.

As the kittens grew they soon learned to dominate the dog, after all they are felines and a canine must know its place, besides there are three of them. Often when Mollie is snoozing, or just reclining chilling out, one of the cats will just walk right over her, forgoing the niceties of walking around the dog. Mollie gives the impression that this behavior does not bother her, but sometimes a little sigh of exasperation is heard. Rarely do the cats take any interest in what is in the dog bowl, Mollie on the other hand, will quite often take a sniff of the cats lunch, and if one of the cats is close by it will give a warning hiss.

I don’t think that it can be said that the cats and Mollie are great friends, they never appear to play together. They live together in a state of tolerance, rather than friendship, but the relationship works OK, my son’s house is free of cat and dog fights.

But from reading the posts on the pet forums, many people report that their cat and dog are the best of buddies.

A lady writes that her Boxer and tabby curl up together on the sofa. Another post from an elderly gentleman reports that his Persian often hitches a ride on the back of his Labrador cross. There are many posts about cats and dogs being taken for walks together, stories of felines and canines being absolutely inseparable, even accounts of dogs pining for cats that have passed away.

All this does not imply that any old cat and dog can be thrown together and get on like a house on fire. Some dog breeds are unlikely to put up with sharing their home with a cat. Hounds and hunting dogs, for example may not be a wise choice. Also not all breeds of cat are sociable enough to live with another species of animal.

When introducing cats and dogs to each other do it slowly and make sure that you are in control. Never leave your pets without supervision while they are learning to get along with each other. Feeding your cat and dog in separate places, and at separate times is probably best until they are used to one another.

Remember that two or more dogs are likely to have a pack instinct, and could see a new kitten as prey. If yours is a multi-dog household and you are adding a cat to your pet family, make the introduction one dog at a time. Remember also that it is not only dogs that can hurt cats, frightened cats can inflict nasty scratches to inquisitive puppies and dogs, and a scratch on the puppy’s eyes could be serious.

So can cats and dogs live together as friends? Yes, they can, it may take patience and perseverance on your part, but the result will be worth it.

bio = If you have a pet related web site and you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this resource box and live link to http://www.best-cat-art.com Cat art posters, art prints, cat calendars and cat collectibles. Great cat gifts for yourself or your cat loving friends.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Nervous cats hide from people, they do not readily present themselves for petting, and may seem downright scared of you.

Probably, this was not exactly what you had in mind when you decided to get yourself a pet. So, is it at all possible for nervous cats to overcome their timidity and learn to trust you? The answer is yes, but you will need patience, patience, and patience.

It is usual for a kitten to be cautious and timid for the first week or so in its new home, but some kitties remain nervous of you no matter how loving and caring you are to them. Kittens that spent the first weeks of their life in the company of humans and other pets, along with the associated sounds and smells, are far less likely to be nervous cats. They will accept sharing their living space with humans more readily, and be more likely to accept petting. Your cat may have had a nasty experience before coming to your home, and is naturally apprehensive of a reoccurrence.

One way to gradually get a nervous cat used to petting is to gently wrap your pet in a thick towel, to prevent it from scratching you, and gently stroking its head. Talk to your cat softly as you do so, and only use a light grip never hold your cat extremely tight. Set aside a time each day to perform this bonding ritual and your shy cat may grow to trust you enough to stroke it without the towel, remember patience pays.

Great results have been obtained by owners of nervous cats by using a pet crate. Cover the sides of the crate with card or a blanket so that your cat can see through the front but still feels protected. Put the litter tray in the crate and perhaps your cats favorite toy. Start by using the crate in a room that humans are not using, but from where your cat can hear the sounds of the house. Then, move to a place where the humans of the house can be seen carrying on their normal activity, talk to your pet soothingly. Gradually your cat may learn that there is no threat to it from you, and you may achieve enjoying your cat’s company outside the crate without any sign of nervousness.

Bribery can often work wonders with nervous cats. Try a offering a tempting healthy treat, if your cat is hungry enough to overcome its fear and stay still to eat its treat, stroke it gently, don’t make sudden movements! You may have to persevere, but often your pet will eventually accept and enjoy your petting.

Never lose patience, and remember that your nervous cat is not rejecting you, it is just an in built protective reaction to something that has given kitty cause to be wary of humans. Love and perseverance will often win the day, and you will be rewarded by your cat’s affection.

copyright 2004 www.best-cat-art.com

bio = If you have a pet related web site and you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this resource box and live link to:

http://www.best-cat-art.com

Cat art posters, art prints, cat calendars and cat collectibles. Great cat gifts for yourself or your cat loving friends.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Breaking up.

The End. The journey is over. You feel rejected. Hopeless. You don’t want to go back in the jungle again. You may even have that dread feeling of failure.

Suddenly, all the love songs at the radio seemed to have been written for you. You want to stay in bed. Shut all the doors and the windows. Bring the kids to your relatives for a while. You don’t feel like talking to anybody now. You swear to yourself that you will never get involved with someone again, half believing it.

Life is much more exciting than that. Besides, you are not the last and only person experiencing a separation. And, it might not be your last breakup either. With the proper mental tools, break ups could be less painful.

Breaking up, I prefer to call it an opportunity for a change of habits. It’s like having an addiction and you need to cut yourself from it. It’s painful but necessary. The good news about it is that it doesn’t need to be Hell on Earth. There are effective ways to go through this process with smooth sailing.

First, you absolutely need to stop thinking of the great moments that you had together. Chances are that those moments happened a long time ago, not to mention, not that often either. Keep in mind the reasons of your break up, until your mind is in sync with your heart. And don’t keep in touch with that person for now, if you can. Or reduce the frequency of contacts at its bare minimum.

Write a letter

You need to let the emotions out. Write everything that frustrates you, made you angry, sad, etc… You don’t necessarily need to send it to your previous partner but at least, this is a proven healing process for you to calm the storm inside. You can choose to keep it somewhere to read for yourself later, when the healing process will be over. You might discover some strength that you are not aware about you.

Make new friends.

You need to socialize more the ever. How do you do that? Go to fairs, reading clubs, sports clubs, art clubs, etc… ask questions, make conversations, and exchange phone numbers with people to do activities and keep in touch. Offer to help with something. Friends come fast like that. Don’t jump into another relationship to avoid facing your feelings of emptiness. Chances are that there will be other disappointments. You need to finish the process of unblocking all of your emotions to freely open your heart again to someone else, and increase the chances of success.

Pamper yourself. Treat yourself.

Take naps in the Sun. Get a pedicure. A great massage. Read the bible. Read inspiring texts that will give you strength ( Like the book “Chicken soup for Soul”).
Go jogging. Do someYoga. Listen to Jazz music. Eat well. Go pick apples with the kids. You know what I mean; do all the activities that help put your soul to calm.

Stay away from unsupportive people

Neutralized your mind and heart from some comments of your family and friends. I am sure that they really want your good. But they maybe are a little bit …. “clumsy” in the way they express their caring for you “ When are you going the get married? You can’t go from people to people like that! You are getting old, you know?” or “ There are other people you know; 1 lost, 10 found!” (I hate that one). Hang out with people who are taking your mind off things, who understands and gives you the support that you need. I remember reading this about hardships that “ It is not only time that heals the heart, but also all the warmth and love around us.”

Get a Pet

When I broke up with my last boyfriend, I got a cat. He was so tiny and requested so much of my attention that it fulfilled my need to feel wanted. A pet doesn’t replace the love and attention that a boyfriend or girlfriend can give, but, it’s all part of the process of having a full life. So get a dog, a cat, a turtle, whatever provides that added value in your life.

Find at least 3 Passions

You will need to get all the strength that you can possibly have to open your heart to fun. Fill your life to the fullest with different passions. Take cooking lessons, take a gold lesson, try other sports, and try painting, other arts, and hobbies of some kind. Learning a new thing will keep your mind busy, you will have a new skill and will feel good about yourself and, you will be more interesting for a future mate.

One of my friends was single for at least 2 years. She decided to join a badminton club. The first semester, nobody was really interesting for her. In the second semester, there was still no new blood coming. But she still subscribed because she enjoyed the activity so much. The third semester, this dark handsome policeman join the league and it didn’t take long before they hooked up. And today, they share, among other things, this passion. It’s an opportunity to have fun together and to be together.

Date Again.

Yes! You read right! Date again! Jump right back on the Horse again! You need to rebuild your self-esteem and being in situations where people from the opposite sex find you interesting will prevent that you go down into that whole. You don’t need to get deeply emotionally involved. Date to have fun. Keep the relationships light and simple. Where do you find those people? Go on dating sites, classifieds, friends, and acquaintances. Since you are not out to find a husband and wife yet, you won’t be threatening.

Get to the stage of feeling great being single

Take the time to Truly feel fulfilled in a single life. This is a powerful way to find true love because if you are having a great life alone, you will be willing give up your exciting single lifestyle for the person that is really worth it.

Be and Feel Successful

And if you are out for revenge the greatest revenge of all is Success. Take this opportunity to develop your personality even more. Your children, if you have, will be proud of you and people around you will admire your strength and more opportunities will occur.

If you were to consider coming back with your partner, start considering it not before 6 months to a year after the break up. This has given time to you and your partner to reflect on your mutual faults and strengths, and to heal.

Experiencing loss is a difficult moment of our life to pass. But you can take this opportunity to prove to yourself, once again, how much of a winner you are; take this opportunity to transform yourself even more. If you transform your life while you are not in a relationship, with a partner, you will collect the fruits of these initiatives.

The most important thing: laugh, laugh, and laugh. Laugh at every opportunity that life gives you. Feel good and be happy.

Wishing you great success in finding happiness again.

bio = Who is Caroline? She is a growing expert on love, relationship,
romance because she is reading a lot on the subject. She is
presently in a fulfilling relationship and she is gladly sharing
her knowledge and experience. To continue receiving tips on how
to get the love life that you want, you can subscribe free to
her newsletter at http://www.everydaybetterliving.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

This is a common concern in our society for single people of any age; how to make contact with someone that we like on a soft matter without being forward. The truth of the matter is that we have the opportunity to meet that special person everyday; at the bus station, at the grocery store, at church, at a class, at the gym, at the coffe shop, at the library.

1. Eye contact.

There has to be a little game of eye contact. He looks at you. You look at him. You look away. You look again. He looks at you again. You smile. He smiles back. And so on…

And Men, you keep your eyes on her until she looks back…. and maybe, smiles. Then, approach her and introduce conversation. The easiest way is to say :” Hi! My name is _______. What is yours?” And say something nice about her. Something about her hair, something about the color that she is wearing, or the make up. Whatever you find nice and femine about her appearance.

Later on, VERY IMPORTANT, say something nice about HER personality. Not on a physical level, but on a mental level. Is she intelligent? Did you notice that she is sweet? Did you notice that she how strong her values are? Do like that? Well then, go ahead and say it. The impact is worth the effort.

2. Smile. It’s the most simple way to have eye contact softly.

Not many people do this and this transforms that way we are perceived. I saw once on t.v. a report on some kind of monkey in the african jungle; two males were fighting to get a female and to stop the fight, one had to show his teeth to the other one. For us human, smiling can have an emotional impact that could lead to dramatic effects on our lives.

Exercice: Smile to at least 5 strangers everyday, even if the person is not attractive to you. Be careful not to look as if you were “simple of mind”. Just like a glance, a brief smile by looking in the eye and let go.

Try to get the habit, you will be surprise of the impact that you will have on other. Smiling is inviting and soon enough, it will become a reflex that could let you go far. I know one co-worker got a promotion because the upper management tought he was a candidate with the skills to do the job but also because he seemed like someone with whom it is easy to get along with.

2. Introduce conversation. The easiest way to introduce a conversation is to ask a question. Then, follow it with a short amusing story about the situation. For example, if you are at the grocery store and you see that cute girl near the peas section, excuse yourself and ask her what she would recommend. After she has answered, follow by a joke you have seen on TV or something that happenned to you about peas when you were younger. Laughing or make a person laugh is a quality that you have to develop.

One important thing; don’t think of the rejection; it will paralyze you. If they decline, say to yourself that there must be a good reason – they are already in a relationship or not ready to get involved yet, etc..- Move on to the next one. Very important. Don’t let one or two declines prevent you from meeting that special person. If you don’t take charge of your love life, who will?

3. Then you can pass on to the next step: You give your phone number or ask for it. Simply.

That is the lowest pressure invitation because it leaves the decision to the other person to call you. Or not. That way, no one is getting hurt. You can meet tons of people that way and be a “hot commodity”. The more you will have dates, chances are that you will feel better about yourself and you will become more attractive to the eyes of the others.

Say something like ” You seem like a fun person and I would like to see you again for coffee. I don’t have much time right now so I am leaving you my phone number and call me next week and we will arrange for meeting. It was nice meeting you”

You can invite that person early in the conversation and let that person decide if they will call you. No pressure for anyone. Imagine if you do that to 3 people per week, chances are that you will have a busy dating life. You will make all of your unhappy married friends envious.

Those are just basic instructions to meet people. However, be creative. Try new method. At worst, somebody will say “no”. At best, you may meet the person of your dreams…

Isn’t it worth the effort?
bio = Who is Caroline? She is a growing expert on love, relationship,
romance because she is reading a lot on the subject. She is
presently in a fulfilling relationship and she is gladly sharing
her knowledge and experience. To continue receiving tips on how
to get the love life that you want, you can subscribe free to
her newsletter at http://www.everydaybetterliving.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

With a multicultural background that consists of Chinese, Malay, Indian and minority ethnic groups from both East and West Malaysia, borrowing and adapting from each other’s cooking techniques and ingredients that spice up the kitchen, it is hardly surprisingly that Malaysian cuisine is often considered as one of the most well known in the region and has increasingly became popular throughout the world.

Many of the dishes are moderately spicy and rich in flavors from a mixture of ingredients including coconut, coriander, cumin, ginger, mint, nutmeg, pepper, tamarind, turmeric and many others.

Amongst the various spices mentioned, we’ll be looking at one particular ingredient that has been widely used by the locals and one that has earned international recognition over the years and is now synonymous with quality in the spice trade – “The Sarawak Pepper”.

Pepper, the “King of Spices”, originated from the south-western part of India and was first introduced to Sarawak by Spencer St John in 1856. The tropical climate of Sarawak is ideal for pepper cultivation, and is often available in white and black, ground or whole.

Over the past 100 years, Sarawak pepper has been exported throughout the world and has earned numerous awards and recognition and often featured in their culinary creations by top gourmet chefs all over the world due to its distinctive aroma and flavour.

This absolutely delicious dish is very easy to prepare and your family, friends and guests will, without a doubt, find it most palatable.

Ingredients:

500 g of fish fillet ( eg. cod )
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dressing:
2 tablespoons of crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of sugar
4 tablespoons of good quality oyster sauce
3 tablespoons of sweet cooking wine (or sherry)

Preparation:

Pour the tablespoonful of olive oil into the frying pan and gently heat up the oil.
Now place the fish fillet into the frying pan and fry the fillet on both sides until cooked. Remove the cooked fillet onto the serving dish, leaving the excess oil in the frying pan.
Add the crushed black peppercorns into the remaining oil in the frying pan and turn up the heat slightly and stir fry until you smell the distinctively and spicy aroma rise from the pan.
Add the oyster sauce into the frying pan and continue to stir. Add a little water if the sauce appears too thick. It should be slightly runny.
Add the sugar to give it that little taste of sweetness to tame the pepper.
Lastly, add the cooking wine / sherry to give it the final sweet peppery flavour.

You are now ready to pour the hot mixture over the cooked fillet and serve.

Enjoy !

Copyright © 2004, MillionEbooks.com. All rights reserved. http://www.MillionEbooks.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Permission is hereby granted for this article to be freely published and distributed in e-zines, included in ebook compilations, sold or given away as a bonus provided the article is not modified in any way and the copyright and web links are included as it appears.

bio = Jane Ha is a renowned cook of ASEAN cuisine.

Popularity: 2% [?]

You may think that writing your book has been the ultimate challenge, until you want to get it published when the real nightmare begins.

Getting published with one of the big names is indeed a daunting task; there’s the submission process, followed by the prohibitively long waiting time, and last but not least, the uncertainty of the outcome.

Meanwhile, you, the author, have bills to pay and mouths to feed. You then start looking at alternatives including POD (print-on-demand) services and you think all your problems are over since you can now become a published author without having to wait for one of the big publishing houses to make a decision or even consider your manuscript.

Not so fast! Many authors out there do not have a spare $1,000 or more to spend on POD services to get their book in print. For those who can afford that, there are further obstacles and additional marketing expenses to consider before they can start generating sales and deriving an income from their book. If the book sells, you probably still have to wait several weeks before the publisher pays you!

However, if the book does not sell, let’s hope that the money you poured into getting your book printed and on marketing activities was not the rent and food money for the month. This is the reality faced by many authors trying to make it.

This article will look at a viable alternative for the vast majority who not only want to get published, but also want faster results because they need to survive. We will specifically focus on utilizing the Internet and show how anyone can get their book published as quickly as possible and on a very low budget.

• With your manuscript finalized, the 1st step is to convert it into an appropriate digital format that can be delivered instantly over the Internet to anyone in any part of the world. One of the most common formats is Adobe’s PDF format where a free reader is available for download. Having your ebook in this format will ensure that almost everyone can easily buy and read your ebook hassle-free.

• You need to buy yourself an appropriate domain name for a website dedicated to marketing and selling your ebook. You should be able to shop around and get one for approximately US$10. Once you have your domain name, shop around for a good web hosting company where you can pay a low monthly cost. You want a professional image, so avoid using those free web hosts because they will usually insist on placing banner ads on your site. You want to advertise YOUR ebook and not somebody else’s website. A reasonable cost for hosting should be approximately US$10 a month.

• To sell on the Internet you need to have a way to collect payments from your customers. You must implement an easy way to accept credit card payments for online orders and the process must be totally automated i.e your customer places the order, makes the payment, and then download your ebook – SALE COMPLETED! And you are probably asleep while all that was happening! You need this capability immediately, not in 2 or 3 weeks time. A reliable payment processor is the way to go. They will process the order and payment and in 2 weeks you will get paid. Click here for more information.

• The next step is to get your website designed and also an attractive ebook cover. You may have heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, but unfortunately, the majority of people do! An attractive cover is essential to draw your audience in, so do not under-estimate the importance of your book cover. You can get your ebook cover designed for just US$30. Click here for more information.

• To keep your website design cost low, and yet have a professional look and feel, you might want to consider one of the ebook mini-sites available with various themes and colour schemes that may be suitable for marketing your ebook. Click here for more information.

All the above will set you back between US$250 to US$300 but you will be able to go LIVE within days! Once your site is up and running and your payment processing activated, you just need to focus on driving traffic to your site. Marketing online and offline will take up the rest of your time and the more activity you have, the more traffic you will generate and hopefully these will convert into sales. We will look at marketing in another issue.

Read about How to Create Wealth with eBook Mini-sites. Good luck.

Copyright © 2004, MillionEbooks.com. All rights reserved. http://www.MillionEbooks.com
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Permission is hereby granted for this article to be freely published and distributed in e-zines, included in ebook compilations, sold or given away as a bonus provided the article is not modified in any way and the copyright and web links are included as it appears.

bio = Dan Richie ( Publishing Consultant at BRL Global Group s/b )

Popularity: 1% [?]

What are millions of people doing on the Internet everyday ? Have you ever thought about what YOU are doing on the Internet ?

The answer is: you, like most people, are on the Internet because you are looking for information. Like most people, you are also probably hoping to get this information for FREE for that has been the culture since the Internet came into popular existence.

How is it then possible to make any money on the Internet if everyone’s mindset is “FREE”, “FREE”, “FREE” ?

The answer is: “Knowledge” – sell YOUR special knowledge—something you know which they don’t know, and something which they are looking for.

Most people are searching for information to gain some knowledge about something which they have an interest in or are passionate about. If this “something” happens to be what you have, you already own the rights to a potential goldmine. All you need to do is to set yourself up to start mining it.

People who are looking for freebies CAN be converted to paying customers if you can convince them that your knowledge or any information that you might have about their hobby, interest or favourite subject CANNOT be found anywhere else for free. This is the PRIMARY KEY to online success.

The knowledge market is an unlimited one. Each and every one of us have certain unique knowledge but only some of us have figured out what that is and have capitalized on it.

Ever heard of the old saying -”Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” ? In a way, each of our unique knowledge can be perceived in this manner; yours may well be of no value to me, but that does not mean that it is of no value to everyone else. It is highly likely that there is a small group of people out there who ARE craving for this bit of knowledge which you hold. Your job is to identify this niche and then market directly to them.

To begin tapping into your goldmine, you will need the following:

• Your special knowledge in the form of an ebook i.e in a digital format that can be downloaded immediately from the Internet. It should also have an appropriate title with an attractive and professionally designed ebook cover.

• A professional looking website (not just another mile long scrolling web page used by every other online marketer) with good copy about the subject matter and leading your readers onto the order page.

• An order page where you can easily accept orders and payments online and in real-time by credit cards. If you do not have this in place you WILL LOSE out on many potential sales, many of which would have been impulse buyers.

If you have knowledge for sale and you want to get started, check out the wide selection of low cost eBook Mini-sites from MillionEbooks.com that will kick-start your dreams of online wealth.

Copyright © 2004, MillionEbooks.com. All rights reserved. http://www.MillionEbooks.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Permission is hereby granted for this article to be freely published and distributed in e-zines, included in ebook compilations, sold or given away as a bonus provided the article is not modified in any way and the copyright and web links are included as it appears.

bio = Dr. Paul Richards ( Chief Marketing Officer for BRL Global Group s/b )

Popularity: 1% [?]

In this article I will cover the basics of setting up a business and also offer some useful tips for first timers who are considering taking the plunge.

To B.Y.O.B is easier said than done. Nevertheless, millions of people do it year after year, and if you are currently dissatisfied with your job, you can either look for a better position in another firm, or you can put your thinking cap on and start thinking about how to B.Y.O.B.

Whatever business it is you intend to start, you will need to have a complete understanding of it in terms of the following points:

• What are the critical success factors of the business ? Does it require specialized knowledge or certain professional qualifications ?

• What are the “things” you need to run this business ? Does it need special equipment, hardware or software ? Can you get them ?

• What about human resources ? Do you have them ? Can you get the people you need easily and cost effectively ?

• What will be the anticipated “burn-rate” of your new business ? Have you considered all possible expenses that might be incurred ?

• How will your business generate revenues ? How fast can you collect these revenues ?

• Are you aware of the pitfalls in this business ? What steps can you take to avoid them in order to ensure success ?

Every business needs a business plan where you project your expenses and your income. You will also need to create your cash-flow plan and keep a close eye on it to monitor your progress and to make any necessary adjustments to keep steering it towards success and profitability. Poor planning and monitoring will ultimately lead to failure.

Once you have done your homework and got your finances in place, take positive action! Take the plunge! Good luck.

Copyright © 2004, MillionEbooks.com. All rights reserved. http://www.MillionEbooks.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Permission is hereby granted for this article to be freely published and distributed in e-zines, included in ebook compilations, sold or given away as a bonus provided the article is not modified in any way and the copyright and web links are included as it appears.

bio = Merlin Banks ( Business & I.T. Consultant for BRL Global Group s/b )

Popularity: 2% [?]

It is estimated that citizens in the U.S. alone are
losing as much as $1,000,000 DAILY to Nigerian scammers!
As someone doing your business on the Internet, this
article will show you how to stay protected online from
the newer variations and twists of the scams that can
defraud even the most scam-conscious individuals…

As an Internet user, have you received a letter, fax or
e-mail asking you to help a Nigerian {or any other citizen
who you previously don’t know} with a bank transaction –
and offering you a chance to share millions of dollars?

This is a typical Nigerian Scam which has been around for
decades, but now it seems to have reached epidemic
proportions with the use of the Internet.

While some people recognize that this scheme, also known as
the -419 Advanced Fee Scam,- sounds too good to be true,
unfortunately thousands of other people, daily, keep being
victimized by this fraud.

It is not really their fault because daily these scammers
keep coming up with newer twists and variations to the
scams to defraud even the most scam conscious individuals.

Many people engaged in doing business on the Internet are
increasingly becoming victims of this notorious scam despite
all the warnings about scams in general.

********************How The Scam Works********************
In the Nigerian scam, scam artists entice their victims
into believing they have been singled out from the masses
to share in multi-million dollar windfall profits.

Typically, a company or individual receives an unsolicited
letter, fax or email from a Nigerian claiming to be a
senior civil servant.

In the email, the Nigerian informs the recipient that he
is seeking a reputable foreign company or individual into
whose account he can deposit funds ranging from $10 to $60
million, which the Nigerian government supposedly overpaid
on a procurement contract.

In return, the recipient gets to keep a share of the
millions.

There are dozens of different variations of this email
originating from several countries, all involving a plea
for help and a promise to share the riches.

But NOTE this clearly-

It doesn’t matter what the story is…

It doesn’t matter what country is mentioned…

It doesn’t matter how true it looks….

So far as you don’t know the person before and he or she
is offering you such an ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ of
gaining millions of dollars within a short time for doing
absolutely nothing…

Forget it…

… every single one is just a scam!

Laws passed in Nigeria outlaw the notorious Nigerian
advanced-fee fraud letters. Victims of these scams have
also included Nigerians… to show that not all Nigerians
are involved in the scams.

In short, these scams started in Nigeria and has led to
thousands of Nigerians losing their entire fortunes to
these scammers. Many have been known to commit suicide
for losing all they own.

Yes, even Nigerians themselves are victims!

The scams are perpertuated by just a few bad eggs from
among the millions of honest Nigerians worldwide.

Such honest Nigerians have suffered in 2 ways from their
few bad eggs in their midst.

One- by losing millions to the scammers themselves,
Two- by being blacklisted by other people worldwide.

It is therefore important not to look at ‘Nigerians’ as
the problem, but to look at the ‘scammers’ as the problem.

**********The use of the Internet for the scams**********
Since April 1998, U.S. Postal Inspectors have seized and
destroyed over 4 million Nigerian advance-fee fraud mails,
resulting in an 80 percent decrease in the number of
related complaints received by the Postal Service, law
enforcement agencies, and consumer groups.

But with the Internet, these scam artists are now using
emails to trap unsuspecting people, especially those with
email addresses and websites…

… People doing their businesses on the Internet are more
at danger of falling for these scams.

These con artists do not target a single company or
individual, but rather send out mass mailings, e-mails or
faxes to as many people as possible.

Even Nigerians receive dozens of such emails on a daily
basis… many still fall for the tricks.

The goal of the scammer is to delude the target into
thinking he or she is being included in a very lucrative,
although questionable, arrangement.

************Some Characteristics of the Scam**************
. An urgent email from an alleged Nigerian government
official offers to transfer millions of dollars in “over-
invoiced contract funds” into the victim’s bank account.
. The victim is asked to provide blank company letterhead,
bank account information, and telephone and fax numbers.
. The confidentiality of the transactions is emphasized.
. Numerous documents with official looking stamps, seals,
and logos appear to suggest the authenticity of the proposal.
. Up-front or advance fees are requested for various taxes,
attorney fees, transaction fees, or bribes.
. Travel to overseas locations is encouraged to complete the
transaction.
. Imposters posing as real occupants or officials may use
offices in legitimate government buildings in Nigeria to meet
with the potential victims.
. A problem with the transaction is staged, and the victim
is urged to provide a large sum of money to save the venture.

It is easy to fall victim to this scam. Sometimes, it is
impossible to tell a legitimate deal from an outright scam,
especially if you do not seek outside help.

****************How to protect yourself*****************
. Learn how to avoid the bad deals by educating yourself
and following some basic, common sense principles as
outlined in ebooks like http://www.nigerianscambuster.com

. Always keep your private information private. Do not give
your financial account numbers to strangers or companies
with which you are not familiar. A scam artist can use this
information to steal money from you just as easily as
mugging you at gunpoint or in a darkened alley.

. Avoid being the next victim – if you receive an offer in
the mail or via fax that sounds too good to be true – throw
it away!

If you get an email offer – delete it …

DO NOT RESPOND!

. Don’t be of the opinion that the name ‘Nigeria’ must be
mentioned before you are convinced it is a Nigerian Scam.
These days, the sophisticated ones no longer mention the
name- Nigeria. Also, other local criminals from other
countries are now using the same tactics to dupe their own
people.

. Learn all you can about the scam so as to avoid falling
for the newer variations and twists of the scams.

Better still, visit http://www.nigerianscambuster.com so
that you will be entitled to the bi-monthly newsletter
which will keep you continually updated on the latest moves
and tricks of these Nigerian scammers in particular and
other Internet related scams in general.

Remember, it is a wild wild west out there… scammers are
having a field day at YOUR expense.

Don’t let them!
bio = *******************About The Author***********************
Josey Teby is an expert on the Nigerian scams in paritcular
and other Internet scams in general. To learn more about the
Nigerian scam and other Internet scams, download his ebook
and 7 bonuses in his website: www.nigerianscambuster.com
The ebook also shows ordinary Internet users as well as
webmasters how to avoid credit card fraud and chargebacks.
***********************************************************

Popularity: 2% [?]

Hemorrhoid or Piles in layman’s term is the most common
problem afflicting the anal canal.

It is estimated that one in four adults is affected by it. If
you’ve experienced painless anal bleeding and itching, painful
swelling or lump near the anus, burning sensation or pain
during or after bowel movements – then you probably have
hemorrhoids or piles. However, not many people know much
about the disease.

Piles come about when the hemorrhoidal tissues enlarge as a
result of excessive straining or pressure while passing stool.
These could develop from the type of lifestyle and dietary
habits of the individual. Occupations that involve prolonged
sitting (example truck drivers) or standing could develop piles.
Other factors like obesity, pregnancy during childbirth,
heredity or even certain habits like reading in the toilet
can cause hemorrhoids too.

There are basically two types of piles: internal and external.
Internal hemorrhoid cause painless bleeding. Occasionally,
straining can push an internal pile through the anal opening,
giving rise to prolapsed hemorrhoids.

External hemorrhoids are lumps outside the anus. It can swell or
become thrombosis causing pain and bleeding. Usually with bright
red colored blood.

When it comes to treatment, we have to consider the degree of
the hemorrhoids. And there are basically four degrees.

The first degree – internal hemorrhoids that bleed with
defecation but not prolapsed. The treatment of medication such
as cream or ointment is often sufficient.

The second degree – internal hemorrhoids protrude on defecation
but returns spontaneously thereafter. Here, the use of rubber
band ligation could be used. The procedure consist of tying the
base of an internal hemorrhoid to cut off its circulation. About
ten days later, the hemorrhoids painlessly fall off.

The third degree piles are protrusion seen outside the anus.
Fourth degree piles are those irreducible and remain
persistently prolapsed. For both of these types of piles,
surgery is needed. You can expect a lot of pain and discomfort
at the lower part of the anal canal as here the skin is richly
innervated with nerve fibers.

Now, there’s an alternative to painful surgery with a procedure
called ‘Stapled Hemorrhoidectomy’. Here a cuff of rectal mucous
membrane and hemorrhoidal tissue is excised above the sensitive
part of the anal canal, using a stapling instrument. It does not
leave a large or raw wound, hence less painful.

This procedure is more expensive but has become popular over the
last three years. However, it cannot be performed on all cases
of hemorrhoids such as external hemorrhoid and those with
excessive skin tags.

Piles are preventable and symptoms can be controlled if managed
at an early stage without resorting to medication or surgery. A
diet high in fiber can prevent constipation and excessive
straining associated with it. My advice is to start now, unless
you want to accumulate “a pile of misery” any time soon!.

bio = T.H. Quah is the webmaster of 1st-Hemorrhoids-
Treatment.com. Your Guide to the best Hemorrhoids Info, Pictures,
Prevention and Treatments. Our Solution provides total
hemorrhoids elimination everytime. For more details go to
http://www.1st-Hemorrhoids-Treatment.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Strategies for Creating a Niche Business
The customer told me, “My immediate goal is to get more customers into my business. My second agenda is to move slowly towards becoming more specialized as a business.” Here are the six steps we used with this business owner to make his transition to a niche business.
Marketing
We completed an exercise that evaluated his current marketing efforts. (Yellow page ads, brochures, networking, professional referrals and other forms) What was working? What was not working? We dropped the losers. As part of the marketing analysis, we implemented 2 new marketing approaches. The result of these efforts identified his best marketing strategies.

Customer Analysis
We completed an exercise that identifies his current customers. Who are they? How do they buy? How many are there? What do they buy? Where do they come from? Why do they buy from him? The result of these efforts was an understanding of his current customer base and the foundation for his new business niche.

Customer Referral Program
We worked with the business owner to develop a customer referral program. Th customer referral program added another tool to increase the current customer base. The result of these efforts was in increase in his current customers.

Unique Marketing Message
We developed with the business owner a unique marketing message. Why and how did he differ from his competitors? Why should customers buy from him and not his competitors? What benefits do customers receive from his services and products? The result of these efforts was a marketing message that was unique and special. This will be used as a foundation for future marketing efforts.

Customized Selling Model
We completed an analysis of the current one on one selling model he was using with customers in their home. What materials did he use? What was the sales presentation? What were the words used? How can this sales model be made more effective? What materials will help to distinguish his business from other bidders? The result of these efforts customized a sales model that made him more effective in his current selling situations.

Management System
We create a simple management reporting process. This involved record keeping, goal setting and testing the different strategies being used by the business owner. The result of these efforts will be ongoing data on what is working and what is not working for his business.

By using these six steps over a 3 month period of time, the business was able to increase the number of customers and create the foundations for building a business niche.

If you want to learn more about how you can use niche building strategies to increase your profits, email me at al@hanzal.com. For more articles on small business issues click www.innovativesellingskillsforsmallbusiness.com.

Copyright Al Hanzal, 2004. All Rights Reserved

Hanzal Enterprises, Inc.
4191 Granite Court
Eagan, Minnesota 55123
651-495-3340

bio = Al Hanzal has been helping small business owners transform their ordinary businesses into profit making niche businesses. For more articles, www.innovativesellingskillsforsmallbusiness.com

Popularity: 2% [?]

No one becomes successful by accident. Success requires making
a plan and sticking to it. It is simple, but does require
commitment; it is not hard to do, but does require hard work.
The good news is that once you begin, the results start coming
almost instantly. The miracle of successful living is that the
smallest step towards success attracts more success!
Here is a very brief outline of the key points that will
help you achieve the highest levels of success.

(1) LOOK INTO THE NEAREST MIRROR – the person staring back at you
is the only person responsible for your success. Smile!
No one else is the cause of your success or to blame for your
short-comings.
Successful people take full responsibility for their actions.

(2) SMILE BACK AT YOUR REFLECTION. Successful people are cheerful,
optimistic, and forward thinking. If you think you don’t have
anything to smile about, smile anyway. Positive thoughts drive out
negative thoughts.
It’s hard to have a negative thought while you are smiling!

(3) POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS. Feel good
about yourself and your abilities, achievements and potential.
Don’t dwell on your mistakes. Remind and praise yourself on your
past accomplishments. Congratulate yourself for taking positive
steps toward a more successful future.

(4) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You are here for a purpose.
God doesn’t make extras just to fill in the scenery.
Find your mission and begin working to fulfill it.

(5) DESIRE TO BE A SUCCESS.
Decide right now that you will be successful.
Commit to being successful.

(6) ASSOCIATE WITH SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. Do what they do. When faced
with choices, make the choice a successful person would make.
Blow your bonus check on a gambling trip or invest it?

(7) AVOID UNSUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. Do not under any circumstances
associate with negative people. Negative people are toxic; they
destroy, they do not build. They are vampires that can live only by
draining the life from others. The odds are greater that they will
pull you down faster than you can lift them up. You can choose
to stay away from all the negative people in your life.
Avoid all the whiners, complainers, blamers and thumbsuckers.

(9) WRITE DOWN A VISION of how you want to live your life. Be specific.
Where you want to live, what kind of carpet, who your friends are,
the pony’s name, what the new church rec hall you donated looks like,
etc. Make a Future Scrapbook; paste in pictures, drawings, essays,
clippings. Make up news headlines about your achievements.
Every day visualize yourself as you would like to be –
and then act that way!

(10) WRITE DOWN YOUR BIGGEST GOAL, the one you most want to fulfill.
Write it in the present tense, “I am…”, “I have…”,
“I contribute…”. Success is the result of a personal decision,
so start your goal with “I”. Read your goal aloud every morning
and night. Tell people your goal.
Make a plan to achieve your goal and stick to it.

(11) STUDY THE SCIENCE OF SUCCESS. Read books, listen to tapes,
watch videos and positive TV programming. Talk to successful people
and ask them how they became successful. Fill your mind with
positive thoughts and give yourself positive self-affirmations.

(12) EVERY DAY DO SOMETHING that brings you closer to your goal.
Never give up. You can only fail if you quit trying.
Keep on keeping on and you will succeed. Achieving success
requires following a system.
Begin today by putting these 12 points into daily practice.

Everybody experiences fear of failure, uncertainty, insecurity,
low self-esteem, indecision, depression, nervousness and embarrassment.
Successful people master these temporary conditions by taking positive
action, by sticking to their plan, by maintaining their vision of the
future, by learning from setbacks and by rededicating themselves to
the pursuit of their mission. By following these simple steps you will
become successful and achieve all that you desire.

bio = (c) Copyright Stephan Iscoe. If you like Stephan’s message, discover “Breakthrough Living” at http://MoneyTipsNews.com/ Stephan Iscoe is a successful consultant and trainer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Stephan welcomes your feedback at 734-327-1207. Visit http://LinktoSuccess.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

‘Sector funds are too risky.’ ‘I doubled my money with Fidelity Select Technology in 12 months!’ ‘Avoid sector funds.’ If all of this sounds confusing, you are not alone. Sector funds are among the more misused and misunderstood investments. So, how should you use sector funds?

Before looking at one of the uses of sector funds in detail, let’s review what sector funds really are: Sector funds confine their investments to a particular sector of the economy. Fidelity Select Healthcare (NDQ: FSPHX) is an example of a sector fund. By focusing on stocks of companies in the healthcare sector, the price moves of this fund are more dependent on factors that impact the healthcare sector rather than the economy as a whole. Demographic change, such as increasing age of the population, is an example of a factor that particularly drives investments in healthcare. By diversifying its assets across over 60 companies within the healthcare sector, Fidelity Select Healthcare provides investors with the opportunity to benefit from secular trends driving the demand for healthcare while mitigating company-specific risks such as failure of clinical trials conducted by a particular company.

Let’s now look at a high-potential approach of using sector funds.

Using sector funds to create a diversified mutual fund portfolio
By allocating assets across a group of sector funds, investors can effectively create a diversified mutual fund portfolio using sector funds. This approach gives the investor flexibility to over-weight or under-weight certain sectors versus broadly diversified indexes such as the S&P 500®.

To implement this active approach to money management, it helps to have a diverse group of sector funds to choose from. Fidelity Investments manages 41 sector funds under the Fidelity Select Portfolios® umbrella which makes this family of sector funds well-suited for this purpose. By dividing assets across, say, 8 sector funds in the Fidelity Select Portfolios, e.g., Fidelity Select Biotechnology (NDQ: FBIOX), Fidelity Select Computers (NDQ: FDCPX), Fidelity Select Energy Service (NDQ: FSESX), Fidelity Select Home Finance (NDQ: FSVLX), Fidelity Select Medical Delivery (NDQ: FSHCX), Fidelity Select Multimedia (NDQ: FBMPX), Fidelity Select Retailing (NDQ: FSRPX), and Fidelity Select Wireless (NDQ: FWRLX), one can build a customized diversified portfolio. With each of the sector fund managers actively scouting for the best investment ideas within their sectors, this cluster of Fidelity Select Portfolios packs a lot of power into your diversified portfolio.

Other mutual fund families that provide a relatively wide choice of sector funds include ProFunds and Rydex Funds. Exchange traded sector funds such as Select Sector SPDRs, iShares, and Sector HOLDRS, that trade on the American Stock Exchange, can also be used to construct diversified sector fund portfolios.

The wide selection of sector funds available provides you with the ability to take advantage of changing market conditions and continually optimize the risk-reward characteristics of your diversified portfolio. To employ this approach effectively, you need to understand and follow the dynamics of the individual sectors. You must also be able to make informed decisions on sectors to select and sectors to avoid. At the end of the day, you should be right more often than wrong with the sectors you select.

AlphaProfit.com’s research suggests that by constructing diversified mutual fund portfolios using sector funds, investors have the potential to outperform the market averages on the basis of relative returns as well as risk-adjusted returns. The track-record of AlphaProfit’s model portfolios indicates the potential of this approach.

A Caveat

Diversification is one of the cornerstone principles of mutual fund investing. Sector funds that focus on high-growth sectors or narrow niches of the economy tend to be volatile. It is generally not advisable to commit a substantial portion of your total assets to a single sector fund. Maintaining adequate diversification across sectors in your overall mutual fund portfolio is good investing practice.

Key Points to Remember

1. Sector funds are investment vehicles that focus their investments on a particular sector or industry group. Sector funds provide investors with an opportunity to profit from trends impacting a particular sector or industry while reducing company-specific risks.
2. High-potential diversified portfolios can be constructed by dividing assets among a group of sector funds. This active investment approach requires investors to make informed decisions on sector selection. The power-packed cluster of sector funds may offer investors the potential to outperform the market averages.
3. Diversifying mutual fund portfolios across sectors is good investing practice.

Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing within this report are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Past performance is neither an indication of nor a guarantee for future results. No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without written permission of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2004 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved.

bio = Sam Subramanian, PhD, MBA is Managing Principal of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Sam developed the ValuMâ„¢ Investment Process for managing investments. He edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletterâ„¢. For the 5 year period ending December 31, 2003, AlphaProfit model portfolios increased by up to 288%, a compound annual return rate of 31%. To learn more about AlphaProfit and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter, visit: http://www.alphaprofit.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

You have a chore to do around the house and your
kids want to help out somehow. You know that it might
be nice for them to help but you’re feeling a bit impatient.
And you know that it might turn into a two hour project and
there might be a big mess to clean up. A mess that could
be avoided if you did it yourself.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

It can be so much easier to do the household chores and
projects without the assistance from your little friends. After
all, who’s got the time in today’s world to make a project longer
than it needs to be?

You do.

Why is it important to include your kids in household tasks?

Once in a while there is some research that unveils something
that’s so important and relevant that it screams for parents to
hear it.

Researcher Marty Rossman at the University of Minnesota studied
a group of young adults from the time they were young children.
The startling results of the study were that the young adults who
had participated in household chores when they were age 3 and 4
were more successful as adults than those who didn’t.

Specifically, these young adults were more likely to complete their
education, get a good start on a career, develop adult relationships,
and avoid the use of drugs. The early participation in household
chores was deemed more important in their success than any other
factor, including IQ.

On the other hand, if children did not begin participating in household
chores until they were teenagers, the experience seemed to backfire
and had a negative effect on their success as young adults, using those
same measures.

What does this really mean?

When your young kids feel as though their dad (or mom) believes they’re
capable of handling simple chores around the house, it is an incredibly
powerful message to them.

Dad believes I can do it!

If your kids believe that’s how you feel about them as they go through life,
you’re a genius. You’ll also be the father of confident, responsible, happy kids.
That’s what is created when you choose to see your kids as capable and
you believe in them.

But it’s not as easy as just seeing them as capable. You also have to show
patience with them when they tackle these chores. You can’t take over for
them when they struggle or “correct” what they did.

This will only serve to undermine their confidence and discourage them.

Imagine the difference you can make with your kids by allowing their
participation in the family chores. Imagine the difference in your kids
esteem level that results from encouraging them rather than criticizing them.

You do have time to include your kids in chores and projects at home. Tell
every other father and mother you know that they have time, too.

It’s too important not to.

bio = Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC, coaches men to be better fathers
and husbands. He is the author of “25 Secrets of Emotionally
Intelligent Fathers” http://www.markbrandenburg.com/father.htm
For more great tips and action steps for fathers, sign up for his FREE
bi-weekly newsletter, “Dads, Don’t Fix Your Kids,” at
http://www.markbrandenburg.com

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Last week we talked about stepping out of the WAHM zone and reaching beyond mothers in business to find a more target market of shoppers. This can be done in 3 easy steps:

Step one: Knowing your Customer

To find your ideal customer, you first have to know them. Other than the fact your future customer wants your products, what else do you know about them? Ask yourself some of the following questions:

1. What hobbies do your customers have?
2. Do they have children?
3. Do they prefer buying online or offline?
4. What are their fears/concerns?
5. What makes them happy?

Step two: Finding Your Ideal Customer

The next step is a piece of cake! Once you discover what your ideal customer’s interests hobbies, and lifestyle is, finding them is the easy part. There are TONS of message boards, groups, newsletters, and websites dedicated to specific groups of people. You can do some research to find these places on Yahoo Groups, Ezine Directories, or just by searching.

Step three: Discover Your Own Interests

Take a minute to realize your own hobbies and interests. Do you like to read and sell coffee or candles? Join a message board that talks about books and get to know others there. Make sure to put your business in your signature line! Use a creative ad such as “Relax with a cup of (your company’s name) coffee and a good book”, or “Relax with a (company name) scented candle and a good book”. Try and get as creative as possible so your signature line really stands out and makes other want to click.

Also be sure to ask yourself why you joined this particular business to begin with (aside from the money!). Sometimes this will give you ideas of where your customers could be. For example, if you joined a bath and body company because of your concern for the use of store brand soaps on your children, you may consider seeking out a group or message board of other mothers that share your same concern. Again, be sure to use signature lines targeted to those who your products are targeted to!

Of course this is just the beginning. While you may choose to pay for simple advertising on some websites and newsletters (and this is fine!), if you are involved in the community be respectful to the current members. Don’t just place ads and leave, but instead get to know those in the community. Follow the rules as you should within any community – don’t post with the assumption everyone will automatically buy from you. Build relationships, be helpful, and the sales will follow!

As always, if you know a mother in direct sales that could benefit from our newsletter, please be sure to pass it on! Subscription information can be found at: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com/newsletter.html

bio = About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

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