No longer defined by their illness more people with schizophrenia look toward recovery

There are many ways to describe Joe of Salt Lake City, Utah-he is 42 years old, a brother, a son, a friend, a student at the University of Utah and a person with schizophrenia.

Joe attributes his improved ability to function to better compliance with his treatment. Now able to manage his symptoms, he is working towards accomplishing goals he and his treatment team have set. He feels he has also reached the point where he no longer defines himself by his illness. In other words, Joe is not a "schizophrenic"-he is a person who lives with schizophrenia.

Joe and other people who are successfully living with schizophrenia exemplify the need for greater understanding about the mental illness that affects 2 million people in America-more than the combined populations of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming-and yet still remains widely misunderstood by the general public. Schizophrenia Awareness Week (May 21-27) is an ideal time to start this understanding.

As stated by NARSAD, The Mental Health Research Association, "schizophrenia is a severe, chronic and generally disabling brain disease. While the term schizophrenia literally means 'split mind,' it should not be confused with a 'split,' or multiple, personality. It is more accurately described as a psychosis-a type of illness that causes severe mental disturbances that disrupt normal thoughts, speech and behavior. Schizophrenia is believed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors."

The severity of schizophrenia is different in each person, and symptoms may vary over time. These symptoms may include delusions (false beliefs, such as insisting the government is spying on you), hallucinations (such as voices that command you to do something), disorganized thinking or speech (such as speaking without making sense or inventing words), agitation and decreased emotional expression.

A number of very effective medications called antipsychotics have been developed to treat these symptoms of schizophrenia. However, because people with schizophrenia often don't believe they are sick-a condition known as poor insight-they resist taking medications. According to Dr. Robert Conley, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, having an option that takes the daily focus off the need to take medication can help move patients toward recovery. "For example, we are seeing significant success with long-acting injectable medications that allow patients to think less about taking their medication and more about how they define themselves outside their illness and the goals they have for returning to their families, their jobs and their communities," says Conley.

According to NARSAD, with appropriate treatment, symptoms can usually be controlled, and most people with schizophrenia can lead productive and fulfilling lives. Treatment is believed to be most effective when begun early in the course of the illness.

Air compressors - helpful attachments for air compressors

Let’s say you finally go to the store and invest in an air compressor. You’ve heard how great air compressors are and how helpful for home improvement they are, and you have decided that, with all the home repairs on your “To Do” list, a compressor will come in handy. Once you bring it home, however, do you know what to do with it? How exactly do you plan to utilize your tank of pressurized air? Perhaps one of a variety of handy attachments will be just what you need to begin your home repairs.

First, invest in quick connect couplers and an inflation kit. Any tools you buy will require the couplers in order to be connected to the air hose, and if your kid’s bicycle tire goes flat or he’s dying to have his brand new pool toy inflated, you’ll be glad you bought the inflation kits.

Have you ever struggled to scrub away stubborn dirt from the wheel well of your car, or laboriously tried to wipe away all the dust and cobwebs from a piece of stored furniture? If so, a blo-gun is what you need to invest in. You’ll be surprised with all the uses you find for your blo-gun. Just be sure never to point it at exposed flesh.

A nail gun is another attachment never to point at exposed flesh; however, if you’re tired of wasting energy banging away with a hammer, let your air compressor do the work for you and invest in a nail gun. You could also use an air hammer or an air drill to do jobs around the house faster and easier.

An air stapler is an energy saving attachment much like the nail gun, and you’ll be surprised at what you can find to staple. Perhaps your roof needs re-shingling? A heavy duty air stapler may be the time-saving convenience that you’re looking for.

If you like to work on cars, an air ratchet wrench or impact wrench can make your job a whole lot easier.

Even if you don’t do body work on automobiles, an air sander and a sandblaster are attachments that can come in handy. Rather than laboriously scraping away old paint chips when you repaint your house, you could save time and the strength in your arm with an air sander or a sandblaster.

Once you start to actually paint your house, a paint gun may be just what you need to cut your labor time in half and improve the quality of your workmanship.

As you can tell by the aforementioned examples, air compressors start to look a lot less daunting and a lot more promising when you realize the time and energy they can save you if you invest in a few handy attachments.

There are adhesive dispensers that are perfect for scrap booking. These adhesive dispensers dispense adhesive squares, lines or dots. You can find an adhesive dispenser for any type of scrapbook need.

Vellum is a type of paper that is rather tricky when it comes to adhesives. Because vellum can be seen through you need to be careful when you glue it to something. If you do not use the proper adhesive you will be able to see the adhesive through the vellum and this is not attractive. Look for an adhesive made just for use with vellum and you will be able to use this specialty paper with ease and the final product will look lovely, too.

If you want to add dimension to a page you can use pop-dots or tape. This adhesive comes in various sizes and shapes and is thicker than regular adhesives. When you use pop-dots you can add buttons or other embellishments and they will stand out on your page. This is a great way to add interest to your scrapbooks.

There are also liquid adhesives and pastes that work for specific scrapbooks needs. When you are gluing paper to paper you will want a different adhesive than when you are adhering metal to paper.

At times you may need a hot glue type of adhesive. This kind of adhesive is usually in stick form and fits into a glue gun. Hot glue is good when you want to add ribbon or other fibers to your scrapbook.

As you can see there are many adhesives that you may need when you are interested in scrap booking.

Mental training - a how to guide

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Mental training isn't necessarily like physical training. "No pain - no gain" isn't the way it works. Look, you could practice running faster, or just use a car, and if all you want is to get from here to there, the latter makes more sense. Similarly, brain "exercises" will strengthen the functioning of your brain, or you can just use better tools. That's what this brain training is about - making a habit of using simple tools and techniques.

Mental Training In Simple Rules

Simple rules, used habitually, can enhance your brainpower. For example, if you're considering investments, you can apply the "rule of 72." It's a formula for determining how long it takes to double your money. Divide the rate of return you expect into 72, and the result is the number of years it takes to double your money. If an account pays 6% interest, you divide 72 by 6 and you know that it will take about 12 years to double your money. The rule is based on the compounding of interest, and assumes that you reinvest all interest or investment income.

Real estate investors use simple rules such as "Don't pay more than 100 times monthly rent for an income property." This isn't a replacement for real analysis, but when you train your mind to use such a rule, it speeds up the process. You can eliminate properties selling for 150 times monthly rent, even while an investor with a better brain for numbers is still analyzing them.

Mental Training In Simple Questions

It's not all about mathematical formulas. Simple questions can also help you more quickly reach the result you want. For example, comedians use such questions unconsciously, and write jokes even more efficiently if they consciously use them.

Suppose a friend mentions that having children gives him a sense of immortality. The comedian's question, "What's wrong with this picture?" makes you realize it means dying, so you reply, "I don't want immortality through my children. I want to immortality by not dying!"

"Mental algorithms" for a comedian might include asking questions like, "What if I take this to the extreme?" "How would this look to a dog?" "Which words in this have double meanings that I can play with?" or "What is the stupidest part of this situation?"

Mental Training In Simple Techniques

Use problem solving techniques enough, and they become a habitual part of your thinking process. For example, try the powerful problem solving technique of challenging assumptions. It's an especially effective way to bring more effective brainpower to personal issues, where there are so many hidden assumptions.

Suppose your kids are fighting over the television, and you're tired of it. Perhaps you are assuming the following: 1. You need to have a TV; 2. Fighting over the TV is the problem; 3. The fighting needs to stop; 4. It's your problem.

The process of challenging these assumptions may suggest the following solutions: 1. Get rid of the TV, or limit it's use; 2. Deal with the general issue of the kids' behavior; 3. Leave the room, close the door and let them fight; 4. Tell the kids it's their problem, and they have a week to come up with a solution, or the TV goes.

Each human activity has it's own most useful rules and guidelines that you can train your brain to use. Then there are general "life rules" that can help you make better decisions. For example, you might train yourself to ask, "How does this advance me towards my important goals?" and "Is there a better alternative?"

We all have patterns and mental habits in our subconscious minds, but they are not necessarily the best ones, are they? Why not consciously train yourself to use the questions, rules, and patterns of behavior that are most useful? This can start with simple mental training.

Want to be an entrepreneur start a home based business

You may have dreamt of starting your own business someday – who doesn’t? Most people give up on their dream once they start a regular 9-5 job or have a family. However, now you can hold on to that dream by starting a home based business.

The easiest way to make money

If you always wanted to get a share of the money making opportunities around today, well there’s some good news! Have you ever heard of franchising? Well, it is the best home based business you could ever find. It allows you to spend more quality time with your family, earn more profits and establish a brand identity of your own. This is a power-packed money making opportunity you mustn’t miss.

What is franchising?

Franchising is a home based business which relies on a very simple concept. Basically you are asked to promote a particular company’s (franchisor) products. They provide you (franchisee) with all the training, support and assistance you need to sell their products. You get to operate under their brand name. Besides, the franchisors in this home based business provide you with all the money you need for advertising and marketing campaigns.

Why is it great?

There are several reasons many people have taken to franchising – a leading home based business. Here are some of the top reasons why it can be good for you too:

a. There is hardly any investment needed to start a franchise

b. You get all support and training, which means you can start this home based business without any hassle

c. You operate under the brand name of an established and reputed company. This means you don’t have to work extra hard at publicizing your products.

d. The time required to realize ROI in a franchise home based business is much lesser compared to other businesses.

e. In this home based business you don’t have to spend money on advertising and marketing. The franchisor pays it all for you.

f. You can work as per your convenience at the hours you like. That’s why this home based business is so flexible and convenient.

Who is franchising good for?

Franchising is especially good for those mothers who have had to give up on their careers because of motherhood. However with this lucrative home based business they can now focus on pursuing an alternate career – without the undue strain and tension of a 9-5 job. Franchising allows young mothers to spend more time with their children and family while also being a contributing and earning member of the household. This home based business is also great for those who want an extra source of income apart from the regular income streams. It is great if someone wants to earn a quick buck. It’s time you opted for franchising and experienced the difference!

Vitiligo beware of white patches on your skin

Vitiligo (often called as leucoderma) is a disorder where the skin loses its color in patches of irregular shapes and sizes. This is a pigmentation disorder which means that melanocytes (the pigment-producing cells) in the skin get destroyed. This results in the development of white patches on the skin. The hairs which are growing in that area may lose their color and turn grey.

The causes:

The cause for vitiligo is not very clear, but doctors and researchers are beginning to believe that vitiligo resembles an autoimmune disorder. Which means that the pigment (the matter that gives colour to our skin) producing cells of the skin are destroyed by the body’s own antibodies (defense cells).

In some cases, it has been observed that the onset of vitiligo is related to a psychologically stressful event in the patient’s life. People with a family history of vitiligo are more prone to developing these white patches. Ninety-five per cent of all those who develop vitiligo start developing symptoms before the 40th year of their life.

The symptoms:

People with vitiligo develop white patches on their skin of irregular shapes and sizes. Vitiligo is more common on the exposed areas, for example, hands, face, neck and arms. It also occurs on covered areas too like genitals, breast and legs. In some patients, the hair may also turn grey early and in the inside of the mouth, white discoloration may occur.

The spread of vitiligo cannot be determined. It may stop completely after the first patch, but often these patches do spread. For some patients, further development may take years and for others the large areas can be covered in months. In some patients, mental stress has been seen to increase the growth of these white patches.

According to homoeopathic philosophy, vitiligo is not a disease in itself but an expression of an inner disturbed state of the body. Thus, the cure should occur at a level where things have gone wrong. In order to achieve this, the problem is analyzed keeping in view various aspects of mental, physical and familial attributes, and also a complete study is done on the psychological environment of the patient. The prescription is then based at the deepest level of understanding of the patient’s disturbed inner force.

Although many homoeopathic medicines like Arsenic Sulph Falvus, Arsenic Album, Baryta Mur and Baryta Carb are known to give good results in vitiligo, the fact is that the real cure of vitiligo occurs when the prescription is made according to the true principles of homoeopathic philosophy - treating that “deep causative factor” behind this inner disturbance. Also remember that vitiligo is a chronic disorder and can take considerable time, even with the best of the homoeopathic treatment, to be completely cured.

Feasts and festivals celebrating as a community

Feasts or festivals showcase a community’s unique aspects and beliefs. Historically, religions hold a set of celebrations to give honor to their god or gods.

The term ‘feast’ in secular parlance means a large or elaborate meal. In connection to festival, it usually refers to a religious festival other that a film or art festival.

Festivals: Origins

The term festival has been derived from the Middle English ‘fest’ and ‘festivus’ from Middle French. It has also been rooted to the word ‘festivus’ in Latin. In 1589, it was used as a noun other than the fourteenth century adjective that means to celebrate a church holiday. The term feast has origins quite similar to festival. It has been derived from the Middle English ‘feste’ and ‘festa’ from Latin.

Festivals: Purpose

The purpose of festival in many types is to meet communities’ specific social needs and duties. Apart from the entertainment that they bring, these community affairs provide a sense of belonging to members of religions, social or geographical groups. Historically, a feast provided a means of developing unity among families and opportunities to find a partner or mate. Festivals were times where the community elders would share stories and pass knowledge to the younger crowd. Modern cultural and ethnic festivals now focus on dissemination of information about traditions among members.

Kinds of Festivals

Festivals have many religious origins. Others have some seasonal relevance or cultural significance. Around the world, communities including some institutions, celebrate several festivals or fests. It is usually celebrated annually to mark some significant occasion in their history.

Seasonal Festivals

These kinds of festivals are determined by the cycle of the seasons and by the solar and lunar calendars which inadvertently affects the food supply. Seasonal festivals are like the ancient Egyptians’ inundation which was caused by the Nile River and the irrigation it provided to make the land fertile for crops. Almabtrieb is a seasonal festival in the Alps which celebrates the return of the cattle from mountain pastures to the stables in autumn. Festivals determined by the lunar calendar are Winter Festival and the Chinese New Year which is celebrated from the day of the new moon after the winter solstice.

Institutions celebrating ‘fests’

Special events are commemorated by educational institutes like colleges and Senior Secondary, Secondary or High Schools every year to signify a certain special event in their history. These festivals are usually called ‘Fests’. Examples are Mecca of Hindu College, Delhi; Rendezvous of IIT Delhi and many more.

Ancient Egyptian Festivals

Ancient Egyptians celebrated festivals based on their religious beliefs. One festival established by Ramesses III, however, was to celebrate his victory over the Libyans . Feasts are determined by lunar cycles or Egyptian calendar.

Modern Types of Festivals

Modern times have expanded the types of festivals that communities celebrate. Here are some common festivals that are predominant today:

Arts Festival

Beer Festival

Comedy Festival

Film Festival

Food Festival

Halloween Festival

Literary Festival

Mela Festival

Join in a celebration near you and share in the foods, fun and traditions.

Immigration fuels canada s multi-cultural growth as a nation

Immigration, the entrance of people into a country for the purpose of settling there, has always played a central role in Canada's history. In comparison to many other nations, immigration into Canada has generally been viewed as being much easier than in other countries. Canada as whole seems to be a favorable place for immigrants to gain naturalization. Since Canada is a relatively new country, the goal of Canadian officials for some time was to infuse the land with many different cultures and peoples, and its lenient immigration process played a key role in this.

Thus far, this system has worked as Canada has a very diverse group of ethnicities, including 200 ethnic groups total, of which 34 ethnic groups boast at least one hundred thousand members each. Of those 34 groups, 10 have over 1,000,000 people, or 13.4% of the population. According to the 2001 census, the breakdown was Chinese (3.5% of the population), South Asian (3.1%), Black (2.2%), and Filipino (1.0%).

As one can see, Canada is a truly multicultural nation that cannot truly trace their heritage to just one cultural background, race. Each current crop of Canadians can trace their heritage to someone that wasn’t a true Canadian national. The whole country is built upon immigrants. Thanks to centuries of immigration, Canadians are a very multicultural and diverse group of people. Although the progress was positive for many years, attitudes toward immigration are changing, and restrictions are beginning to be placed on who may enter the country.

Mostly, immigrants also have higher levels of educational attainment than people born in Canada. Yet, in virtually every urban region, a far higher proportion of recent immigrants were employed in jobs with lower skill requirements, than the jobs held by Canadian-born citizens. The level of equality has yet to permeate into everyday society.

Although most immigrants are pleased to be in Canada, most still have difficulties finding adequate jobs, and dealing with the language barrier. The majority of people immigrating into Canada remain positive about their decision to come into Canada, in light of the better standard of living. They are extremely pleased with an increased quality of life, overall peace and happiness, and the opportunity to offer their families a brighter future with more hope for success.

According to Wikipedia, in 2001, there were 250,640 immigrants into Canada. These elevated numbers are the reason that Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world. At no time has immigration played a greater role in Canadian history than during the twentieth century. In fact, without the immigrants who have settled in all areas of the country since the turn of the century, Canada would not be the culturally rich, prosperous, and progressive nation that it is today.

So much so is the lure to gain entry into Canada that people sometimes take extreme measures, even if those measures are against the law. Illegal immigration into Canada is one problem that is deeply affecting this country. So big is the problem that recently, police discovered Chinese immigrants being illegally smuggled into Canada inside shipping crates at a Vancouver, British Columbia port. Such incidents go to highlight the measures and risks that some immigrants are willing to take to get into Canada. There is a growing business of trying to smuggle immigrants into the country, many of which are hoping to gain political asylum. Unfortunately, the fate of most of these illegal immigrants is usually deportation. For most of the illegal immigrants, their only option is to prove to Canadian officials that they should be protected under refugee status, and most illegal immigrants often apply to be granted refugee status when they are captured.

In fact, an estimated 18 million Chinese look to immigrate out of the China, and they will take any risk to achieve this goal. A majority of these illegal immigrants come from China's eastern coastal province of Fujian and most flock toward Canada and the United States. Once in Canada, many of the illegal Chinese immigrants can disappear into a massive underground network, where they must work to pay off their indentured servitude to the smugglers. This Chinese smuggling system is a $10 billion business.

Each year, approximately 600 illegal Chinese immigrants arrive on Canada's west coast seeking refugee status through legal channels, after having promised smugglers $60,000 per person to get them into the country.

For illegal immigrants migrating to Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia is a popular destination. Vancouver’s metro area is home to more than two million residents, and the high population makes it very easy for illegal immigrants to blend into the environment unseen and unnoticed.

For legal immigrants, Vancouver is also a popular destination, because several major publications consistently rate Vancouver as one of the three most livable cities in the world.

The huge waves of immigrants that have entered Canada over the last couple centuries have helped the country develop a much more multi-ethnic outlook and a much richer and more vibrant culture. Going forward, it is expected that immigrants will continue to play a vital part in influencing Canada's social, economic, and political culture.

Improve you credit scores the easy way

Credit score is the criteria followed by the credit bureaus to decide whether you are eligible of getting the sum from them or not. In case you were unable to pay your previous bills, you won’t be provided with another loan. Bad credit score will follow you for your life. But in case you were not able to pay out your previous bills and you want to improve your credit score, it’s not impossible. Bankruptcy or a poor credit score are problems but one can come out of them. Some companies do provide special loans to such people with bad credit scores. In emergency you can take such an offer from the company and then gradually try and improve your score to make your credibility higher for future.

Guidelines for improvement:

The first step is to identify the problem you are in. For this you can hire some specific agencies which will point out the exact causes and ways to improve your credit score. One can easily blend the expenditures and incomes and thus get a better offer in future.

Checking out the credit report clearly and regularly is one of the most necessary things to be done by every individual. According to a report about 10 percent of the data with credit bureaus is bad. So in order to avoid any further confusion, one must go through the credit report and not ignore any of the flaws noticed. Each and every thing mention in it should be inquired about and reported in case some error is found.

The best way to maintain your credit score and avoid arbitrations with the agencies is to pay your bills very regularly. If you are good at paying back your loans in time, you turn out to be the lenders favorite for future. You might come into trouble again and want money desperately in future. At that time your previous regular payments will help you out and you can easily get large sums of money from reliable credit companies. The balance of your account must always be well maintained. For more info see creditscorereportguide. org/Credit_Repair on bad credit repair.

Some of the major credit companies in US are Equifax, Experian and Transunion. They provide the best of credit limits, easy EMI’s, and very reasonable annual fees. All the above things must be taken special care of. With regular payments one can get k yourthe secured credit card upgraded to an unsecured one in a year’s time. You must go with planning even if you are in bad credit situation.

When fungi takes the fun away

Everybody loves the outdoors. Swimming, hiking in the woods, or simply being out in the sun can be so much fun. However, exposure to the environment also poses some risks especially on vulnerable skin exposed to damp and wet surfaces. Our skin is prone to illnesses and infections since this is the most external part of our whole body, always open for free roaming bacteria and viruses. It is very important for each person to take care of his own skin, since it would not look pleasant if there's something wrong with it. One thing a person must remember when taking care of his skin is to fight certain fungal infections that may arise due to exposure to damp environments.

Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are closely structured like animals but are often associated with plant life. Yeast, mushroom, and molds are examples of fungi. Often harmless, the escalation of growth of certain fungi that has become problematic is often termed as fungal infection. This kind of infection does not need any major medical treatment because there are actually a number of anti-fungal preparations available over the counter. Some fungi actually lives in our body but rarely spreads below the skin and, for that reason, minor infections are usually easy to treat. These fungal infections can be found on different parts of our body, including our skin, nails, and hair. This particular infection is caused by certain “dermatophytes” --- a parasitic fungi affecting a person's skin, hair, and nails. There are three classifications of dermatophytes, namely: the Trichophyton (affecting our skin, hair and nails), Microsporum (causes ringworm epidemics in children), and Epidermophyton (fungi that grows on the outermost layer of the skin, causing tinea). These fungal infections often occue at the onset of puberty, except for tinea capitis, a fungal infection that is often seen on the hair of children.

Several types of fungal infections are commonly seen in different parts of our bodies. Tinea is a type of fungal infection that affects the hair, skin, or nails. If it is found in the skin, this usually begins as a small read area the size of a pea. As it grows, it eventually spreads out in a circle or ring. This infection affects different parts of the body including the scalp, arms, legs, and chest. Another type of fungal infection is commonly called the Athlete's Foot. This usually appears between the toes but can also affect the toenails and the bottom or the sides of the feet. Another infection called Jock Itch affects the groin and the upper thighs. One misconception about Jock Itch is that only men and boys get the infection when in truth, even women and girls can get this very irritating skin problem.

Even our nails are not exempt from “fungal invasion.” Candida is a yeast infection that affects the skin around the nails but other candida variants actually cause diaper rash and thrush-white patches found on babies' mouth. This type of infections is very similar to the yeast infection developed by women around their vagina.

Cure for fungal infections come in different shapes, forms, and sizes. There are different anti-fungal medications that can relieve the itchiness, redness, and slight pain caused by these fungal attacks. It depends on what particular infection a person might have, and from there they can know what kind of anti-fungal medication to get. Most of these medications are topical, meaning it can come in the form or creams or ointments. These medications are readily available at drugstores but it is always advisable to consult a doctor to know determine the best and most appropriate anti-fungal medication once should use.

No fax payday loans get convenient finance at affordable rate

Since unexpected expenses can appear without any prior notice, dealing with such unexpected situations can be a troublesome task. However, there are n numbers of financial schemes and services available in the financial market that can help the borrower in finding better solutions to meet his or her emergency financial requirements. In fact, these available loan schemes are enabling people to arrange finance for solving their problems; as a result, all lenders and financial institutions are acquiring a larger consumer section everyday. In addition, lenders and financial institutions that offer such financial services are also launching new schemes and services, so that their consumers may get each and every financial solution under one roof. Be it a personal loan or any other financial service, now every borrower can get the suitable solution without rushing here and there, as they can find every solution with a single financial institution. In fact, it is a good way to get reliable services at ease, as all banks and lender prefer existing and old consumers. No fax payday loans are one of those highly beneficial schemes that are specially designed to help existing consumers in arranging instant credit. These loans are free from the hassle of faxing documents and other income and personal details therefore with these loans the borrower can get the most hassle free credit.

No fax payday loans are one of the most convenient financial services; therefore, if you are worried due to any unexpected financial problem and do not have sufficient money to solve it, then no fax payday loans can help you out. Since these loans do not demand any document or unnecessary detail, you can avail these loans even if you are on a vacation. For availing these loans, just fill an online form with some of you personal and financial details and get the loan amount transferred in you account. In fact, no fax payday loans can arrange the suitable money to settle any of your emergency financial requirements.

Basically, these loans are short term loans that cover your emergency spending needs and are secured against your future paycheck. In fact these loans have become very popular among all consumer groups and they are using it as the main tool to get out of the unexpected situation. If you are quite impressed with no fax payday loans but the security of your confidential information is hampering you, then stop worrying, as loan providers keep you information private.

In the past years, interest rates of such loans were exceptionally high but since government bodies have started interfering in such loan programs to control the interest rate, borrowers can avail these loans at a lower and affordable interest rate. If you want to get affordable No fax payday loans, then always make sure whether the selected loan scheme is government sponsored or not. With government sponsored loan scheme, you can expect the desired interest rate along with easy repayment term. In fact, these loans can solve your financial hassles without bothering you for faxing your documents and other details.

Whether atkins diet plan is suitable for effective weight loss

What is Atkins diet plan?

It is nothing but a weigh loss meal plan offering high fat, low carbohydrate, but at the same time Atkins diet plan gives the energy normally the body requires.

Atkins Diet plan may not be suitable for vegetarians, because this diet plan recommends for eating meats and cheeses rather than breads, fruits and vegetables.

Atkins diet changes the body metabolism. As per Atkins diet plan carbohydrate intake is reduced.

Normally human body is capable of burning fat and carbohydrates to produce energy for body’s function. Glucose is the first fuel for producing energy to body function. This Glucose comes from Carbohydrate.

As per Atkins diet plan when the intake of Carbohydrates is reduced, fat is compensated as fuel for producing energy to body function. When fat is used as fuel for producing energy to body, weight loss is occurring.

It is the general tendency, that low fat and high carbohydrate diets alone is the solution for weight loss.

But as per Atkins diet plan reverses this fact to those who want weight loss. The Atkins diet plan recommends eating meats and cheeses rather than breads, fruits and vegetables, fat and protein rich foods.

When the intake of carbohydrates are reduced which is essential for producing energy in the form of sugar to the body, the body naturally compensates the fate as fuel for producing energy to the body.

The process of burning fat as fuel may be called as ketosis. Ketones are released through breath and urine during the process of burning fat as fuel, which naturally enables for weight loss. The process of burning fat as fuel also restricts the production of insulin, so additional fat formation in the body is also restricted.

Atkins diet plan recommends for taking three meals per day and does not recommends for skipping any meals or go for walking without eating.

The plan recommends for eating fat and protein rich foods like fish, eggs meat, butter, olive oil, sunflower and other vegetable oils.

So if properly followed the Atkins diet plan may be an effective solution to those who want to reduce weight.

ckriswa

author

Billiard gloves - how to buy

As with all games, we have quite a number of billiard accessories to help players maximize their influence in the pool game. Billiard gloves, also known as pool gloves or cue gloves, are considered important accessories to pool player.

Billiard gloves help reduce friction when playing and make your stroke more consistent. We have the 3-fingered glove that make the cue shaft slide better on your bridge hands making your shots more accurate. The reduction in friction makes your strokes to be better, consistent and accurate.

Like with all sports, billiard gloves can also be personalized to a player’s personal taste & preference. You have the option of left-handed & right-handed gloves. Personalized gloves are made using different materials each claiming to offer better control and smoother action over the others.

We have different prices starting as low as five dollars a pair. A good pair will cost you between ten to fifteen dollars.

Pool gloves are easily recognizable. They have the same look as ordinary gloves and they cover only three fingers; the thumb, index & middle fingers. The fabric is made of silky material that is frictionless. When you buy the gloves you will find that they have leather or leatherette patch at the palm section to help reinforce your grip over the table cloth.

The good thing with pool gloves is that they are a one-size-fits-all because of their elasticity. The more costly ones are made to be reversible in order to accommodate both left-handed and right-handed pool players. Velcro straps allow you to hold the glove more firmly to your wrist.

Spandex and Lycra are the most commonly used materials to make the gloves. These materials allow for a strong comfortable grip while at the same time allowing better traction for the cue stick. When made using these material, you won't find the one-size-fits-all type of glove but are made with different sizes.

Over time pool players can develop a liking for one type of glove material or brand over another. We don't have rigid rules to determine which are the best pool gloves in terms of design or material. Pricing points to the durability and built quality of the gloves.

As with most things where the personal subjective preference takes first choice, a billiard player will obviously have a liking on pool gloves no matter the pricing.

Some pros prefer not to use billiard gloves, opting to develop their skill in developing an intimate feel with the pool cue & plus the table. Pros prefer skill over assistance in devoping their game.

Here s the real reason why dieting won t help you to lose body fat

You may not like what I’m about to say, but dieting alone will not help you to lose weight. Watching your diet alone is not going to yield results unless it is coupled with proper exercise. You have to make a conscious effort for this. And the solution for this is a workout routine. Yes there are people that lose weight just from cutting down on their fat intake, carbohydrate intake, protein intake, or calories in general; but have you seen the results under their clothes? It is not a pretty sight! Without exercise (weight training in particular) your body has no way of toning up, and you could be left with near sagging skin with a non attractive shape. Also, losing weight from diets is mostly water weight loss and not fat loss. Do you want to lose water from your body and become dehydrated? Or do you want to lose Fat? The absolute only way to burn a high percentage of body fat is through exercise. The only reason why anyone should choose a diet plan is to see which one can help complement their workout program. The diet plan you choose should be one that you can stick to for the rest of your life, and it should be healthy for your body. Diet is such a short term word, so think of dieting as changing your eating habits for the long term. Your eating habits should provide you with enough protein for your muscles and enough carbohydrates for energy as well as other vital nutrients.

Stay away from diets that focus on losing weight quickly...

Not only are they unhealthy, but most of the weight you lose is water weight. Once again, do you want to lose water or fat? If you want to lose fat, you most definitely will not be losing it quickly unless you know how to burn fat. Being that you are losing mostly water on these quick weight loss diets, you will soon find out that you will gain the weight back just as quick as you lost it (if not faster).

You must eat! If your body thinks you are starving, it will feed on your muscle tissue for energy. It is not enough to just take in enough calories each day for energy, but it is how often you feed your body the calories. In order for your metabolism to function correctly, you must eat at least 5-6 meals per day. The total calories of the 5-6 meals should equal the amount of your daily calorie intake. Eating throughout the day, gives your metabolism fuel to keep burning your stored body fat. That said, you should still cut down on your calorie intake to lose weight, but you also must know how many calories per day is right for your body.

Stay away from diets that say you must eat protein and carbohydrates separately...

Protein and carbohydrates work together within your body; they are team players, not individuals.

Think of it like this:

Mr. Protein needs to take a taxi to get to the muscles cells to help build and condition them. Mr. Insulin is the taxi and Mr. Protein is not capable of calling a taxi, so Mr. Carbohydrate will always call Mr. Insulin to transport Mr. Protein to the muscles. The muscles cells love Mr. Protein, but they also must have Mr. Carbohydrate for energy. Mr. Carbohydrate is very outgoing and there is a lot of him to go around, but too much of him is bad. On the other hand, not enough of him is also bad.

Muscle cells only need enough carbohydrates to fill the glycogen stores. If more carbohydrates are present, it will get stored as fat. Eating protein and carbohydrates will slow down the absorption of carbohydrates which means that your body will have time to burn off the extra carbohydrates before they are stored as fat. So why not just significantly lower your carbohydrate consumption? Because too much protein and very low carbohydrates will cause you to overburden your liver and kidneys; could cause dehydration (most people do not realize that metabolizing protein requires you to drink more water); and your body will not get the right amount of its preferred source of energy-carbohydrates.

So you see, eating these two nutrients together allows your body to function like it should. The key is to know how much carbohydrates and protein is the right amount to satisfy your body’s needs.

Bottom Line when it comes to dieting and weight loss: Losing weight is easy. Losing weight by losing fat the healthy way is more of a challenge. Don't get caught up into just losing weight. Understand that you need to stay healthy at the same time that you are losing weight by losing fat.

What is voip technology doing in the boardroom and in the airport

Is there a call you want to make without the extra cost? With your computer in tow and an Internet connection, you can make calls over the Internet in the middle of everywhere, even in busy airports. What is VoIP technology? That’s what this is all about.

Calls On the Go

Say goodbye to costly telephone bills. You can make a call from your computer when there are pressing business reports to make, even in a crowded airport or a cafe. Times have really changed and you have to know what is VoIP, or voice over Internet protocol, and how it gives you calling convenience.

If you’re a frequent traveler, business or otherwise, you’ve spent the best part of your life waiting in airports, from small domestic airports to massive international ones. A call here and there is inevitable, especially if you have to give those last minute and often urgent instructions that seem to come out of nowhere.

Isn’t it time that you should know what is VoIP technology and what’s it all about? Of course, you’ll need a chic Bluetooth headset and an IP server to get you going. Life spent in airports can be less of a headache if you can just connect to home and the office when there are pressing needs just before your flight is called.

In the boardroom, the VoIP is taking teleconferencing to another level. The big chief can call his minions and talk to them at the same time without racking up costly long distance calls. The meeting goes on with perfect attendance, even if two or three guys are away on official business or on vacation!

What You’ll Need for VoIP

The VoIP process packages your voice into a digital signal which travels over the Internet superhighway. If you call the standard landline phone number, the signal is converted to the regular signal even before the phone rings.

You can make your calls from your computer using a VoIP phone or the traditional handset which you will have to connect to a specialized adapter. With this adapter, you can make calls anywhere, as long as Internet connection is available in the area.

Before you can fire away with a VoIP, you’ll need to get a VoIP server. You have the option to avail of free teleconferencing quotes online. When requesting for a quote, you’ll be required to answer a few questions, such as when and where you will be hosting your teleconference, the number of teleconferences a month you will be hosting, and the number of participants in the teleconferences.

You are also given the option to choose from "reservationless" and pre-scheduled conference types. For the pre-scheduled type, an operator will assist you and handle all the salient details. You can also request for additional services, like transcription and call recording. Knowing all these details will give you an idea exactly what is VoIP teleconferencing about. Furthermore, you’ll also need Bluetooth headsets for your workforce on the go to get extreme coverage from your VoIP system.

So What is VoIP Doing in the Boardroom and Airport?

Your VoIP is working hard to ensure that you’ve got all your business calls and voice emails covered with less expense. You’ll have the latest reports and updates without that extra painful cost.

Laser resurfacing

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Laser resurfacing or “laser peels” is generally used to minimize the appearance of fine lines, mainly in the areas around the mouth and the eyes.

It is also an effective solution for treating facial scars or areas of uneven pigmentation.

Laser resurfacing is performed both on the whole face as well as in specific regions.

The procedure is frequent done in conjunction with another cosmetic operation, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery.

The benefits of laser resurfacing of skins are ahead of those offered by another skin rejuvenation option. It is the best treatment to ensure overall improvement of chronically photo damaged skin.

Skin damage caused by photo aging is presented in various forms like rhytides and actinic keratoses, scarring from severe acne, surgery, or trauma. These are all cosmetic disfigurements posing psychological problems to the patients. Most of these problems can be effectively cured by laser scar resurfacing.

The laser resurfacing procedure uses a light beam from a CO2 laser. The idea is to vaporize the upper layers of damaged skin at specific and controlled levels of penetration.

A significantly positive side of laser resurfacing is that it produces less bleeding, bruising and post-operative discomfort than is typically seen with other resurfacing methods.

Eligibility for laser resurfacing

Before you proceed for laser resurfacing, you need to consult a doctor to check your eligibility.

The consultation will include a careful assessment of the problematic area.

Your skin condition will also play a crucial role in this regard. For example, dark skin types are more likely to complications from skin pigmentation after laser treatment.

Skin conditions helpful for laser resurfacing

A full-face laser resurfacing is likely to produce dramatic result mainly in aged, sun-damaged skin where actinic and seborrheic keratosis, lentigines, and telangiectasias are common. Besides, CO2 laser surgery seemingly gives good results for all scar types.

However, laser scar resurfacing is a better option for saucer-shaped distensible areas, rather than pitted scars for which dermabrasion is a better option.

Laser scar resurfacing is also a suitable option for problems like atrophic facial scars, hypertrophic scars and traumatic scars, which can also be ablated with considerable improvement of their appearance.

Laser scar resurfacing is of great help in blending the scar with the texture and color of the patient's skin.

Skin conditions not suitable for laser resurfacing

However, laser resurfacing has certain limitations as well. For example, the procedure is not that effective in treating the nasolabial folds.

Risks and uncertainties in laser resurfacing

Handling of laser resurfacing by a qualified and experienced surgeon reduces the chances and level of complications. However, the outcome of the surgery is not completely predictable.

The risks you should be prepared for in this surgery include –

• burns or other injuries caused by the heat of the laser energy

• scarring

• obvious lightening or darkening of the skin area that has been treated

Sometimes the healing seems abnormal or delayed. Besides, sometimes there is evidence of abnormal pigmentation or scarring. In such cases additional coercive measures and treatment may be required.

The risks can be reduced to a great extent by choosing a plastic surgeon specially trained in laser surgery.

Protect your home or apartment when you go on vacation

Going on a vacation is wonderful and you deserve it. Coming home to find that your home has been broken into will make all those good times be forgotten in an instant.

One of the times your home is most vulnerable is when it is left empty for an extended period of time such as when the occupants are on vacation or on extended business trips. Darkened windows, unretrieved mail or newspapers and closed windows in hotter weather all tell of your absence to a potential burglar.

The best protection for your house or apartment during your absence is to have a house sitter.

A friend you trust staying at your house can take care of your pets and/or plants in addition to making sure the house is occupied. Of course this scenario is not always an option. Here are some precautions that should be taken by the owner or inhabitants to take before leaving on their trip away from home.

• Have a neighbor check on your apartment or house while you’re away – turning on lights, radios or TVs and opening and closing curtains will give your apartment or house the appearance of someone home.

• If you don’t have a friend or neighbor to house sit or check your apartment while you’re away – perhaps even if you do – you should keep not only lights on but also a TV or radio on at all times unless you have a timer which is recommended. If you’re like many others you have your TV on almost all the time you’re home, not for viewing but just as background noise. It is the absence of the sound and that blueish light in the windows that announces you’re not there. Using readily available timers you could also have lights, radios, and TV’s going on and off at different times adding to the illusion to a potential thief that someone is home.

• Make sure whoever is checking your apartment or house while you’re away knows how to work any alarm system and who to call in case of a problem.

• Unless you have a house sitter, stop your mail by notifying the post office and any newspapers or other items that are delivered to your home on a regular basis. Nothing broadcasts an empty apartment or house better than a stack of newspapers or an overflowing mailbox. Ask a nearby neighbor if they could pick up any packages that happens to be delivered any way while you’re gone.

• If you have a garden or plants on your balcony, make sure someone is watering the plants regularly or put the plants where they can’t be seen. Plants slowly dying due to lack of water may announce your absence to the would be thief.

• If you rent check your lease. Many landlords require that you notify them if your apartment is going to be left empty for any period of time so they can enter in case of emergency even if they can’t reach you. Naturally if you’ve got a house sitter this isn’t necessary.

• If you are away from home in winter make arrangements to have your place shoveled and plowed. If you are away during the warmer months make arrangements for someone to mow your lawn if it looks like it needs some attention.

Of course, many of these recommendations are just common sense. With a little planning ahead and thinking on your part you can make sure there are no nasty surprises when you return from you vacation or business trip.

Buy a home gym

Television advertisers are forever taunting us with newer, easier and more effective ways to work out. Buxom and brawny models make the equipment look as though it's doing he work for them. But like all things, if workout equipment looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Before you buy a home gym, there are many sources of information to consult. Pick up a fitness magazine, research on the Internet, or ask for advice at an exercise equipment store or fitness center. The simple fact is that you are the only one that can really decide just what kind of home gym you'd like to use. Shop around to find the best equipment available to help you achieve the body you'll want to see in the mirror every day.

Setting personal goals is important, but make them realistic goals. Don't buy a home gym in hopes of working away the pounds until you reach the perfect size four. Many size fours are not all that healthy. See your doctor for a complete physical, and have him or her conduct a body fat analysis to determine your ideal weight. If you have health concerns, your doctor might suggest that you workout in a supervised facility where your progress and activity are monitored. Only after you have set realistic, achievable goals should you set out to buy equipment.

When you're ready to buy a home gym, make sure it's one that will grow with you. Avoid buying an expensive all-in-one unit that you'll outgrow in a few months. It's a good idea to start with the basics. If you're new to exercising, buy an exercise bike or treadmill to start getting in to shape. An inexpensive total home gym is another option. These are available in most department and fitness stores. Check your local newspaper, as you can often find home gyms listed in the classified section.

Finally, your lifestyle needs to factor in to your buying decision. If your life is already hectic, don't kid yourself into believing you'll have time to workout on a huge system. You might be better off with a bicycle for commuting to work, and a set of personal barbells to keep by your desk at the office.

Don't be fooled by exercise equipment that looks too good to be true. Achieving personal fitness goals takes time, dedication and hard work, and no fitness gizmo will do the job for you. Shop around before you buy a home gym. You'll be a stronger person for it.

Popular search engine optimization misconceptions

There is nothing more frustrating for a web designer or a website owner than spending an excessive amount of time ‘tweaking’ his website to optimize its page ranking – and then realizing that search engines are bypassing it, for reasons unknown. The problem is that many people are operating off flawed misconceptions about search engine optimization (SEO) techniques – rather than ‘optimizing’ their web pages, they may actually be harming it.

If you believe that you are in this situation, take a deep breath and calmly review your techniques and approaches – and consider whether you have fallen into any of the following SEO fallacies and myths.

--- ‘Invisible’ Text and Meta-Tags ---

As a standard practice, web masters include their site’s key words or phrases in their meta tags, – and stop there, believing that this is all that needs to be done. It isn’t.

If you wish to increase your pages’ relevance to search engine queries, the keywords must be incorporated into your site’s contents as well. Admittedly, search engines can see these hidden words and codes – and do factor these in when ranking your page. Bear in mind, however, that search engines consider keywords within page contents to be more important than meta tags.

As a compromise, many web administrators and designers use ‘invisible’ keywords – using text colors similar to the page background, which make them undetectable to human eyes but readable by search engines – thus increasing keyword relevance.

What administrators and designers don’t realize is that these keywords, if visible, could be used as anchor texts, or as links to other pages on the site which would increase overall site relevance. Worse, invisible text is considered a borderline SEO technique – some search engines may view this as ‘bad hat’ SEO and actually ban your site from their search results!

--- Offsite Page Design Techniques ---

Many web administrators are overly-focused on web design to the exclusion of other SEO techniques that would have boosted search engine relevance. It is true that websites should have keywords integrated into their page contents so as to increase the page’s relevance to a search engine looking for that specific keyword. However, webmasters should not limit themselves to page contents. Using relevant keywords in page titles and headers help improve search relevance, and increase the page’s rankings.

Having highly relevant and informative content complete with keyword-intensive titles, headers and pages is not the end of it all. Search engines are now giving more weight to link popularity and relevance. In other words, it is not enough for a webmaster or designer to provide appropriate content and high keyword counts – he should start working towards increasing his site’s inbound links, especially from well-known or popular websites that have relevant content.

--- SEO Return on Investment ---

The biggest problem of many web administrators is impatience, especially when it comes to their estimates on when their hard work will pay off in terms of improved page ranking. In a way, this is the major misconception accompanying search engine optimization strategies: that implementing these techniques will result in a quick and easy return.

The truth is that SEO measures do not give immediate results; oftentimes, they’ll take weeks or even months before an improvement in page rankings can be appreciated. The bottom line, however, is that page rankings will improve once appropriate and properly implemented SEO measures are implemented.

The lesson to be learned here, perhaps, is that search engine optimization is not a single undertaking that, put into practice, is finished. Effective SEO implies a constant, continuing process aimed at striving for improvements in design, performance, and technique even as you wait for previous efforts to bear fruit.

Americans fear crime

Are you afraid of crime? Do you think about becoming the victim of crime often? According to the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, many Americans fear becoming the victim of crime often. As I will show in this article, the fear crosses all lines—sex, race, education, age and profession. Subjects were asked if they were afraid to walk alone around their neighborhood or any area within one mile from it at night. The results may surprise you. They will clearly show that fear of walking alone at night is one of the most common fears among Americans.

According to the most recent data available, only 19% of all men surveyed said they felt safe walking at night alone around their neighborhood. In stark contrast, 47% of all women surveyed said they felt perfectly fine walking alone. Looking back at the earliest numbers available, which would be from 1973, illustrates that this response is normal. In 1973, only 20% of men surveyed felt safe walking alone at night verses an astounding 59% for women.

Among white individuals, an average of 30% feel safe walking at night in their neighborhoods. Contrast that to the 41% of black individuals that felt safe. Even though there is a slight disparity among races, the numbers still show that the majority of people don’t feel safe at night. Historically, the numbers for white individuals who feel safe at night has always been 10-22% lower. The numbers only go back to 1973. One would think that the numbers might be different if the study was conducted in the 1950s and 1960s.

Education and age factors are similar. No matter what the education or age difference, the fear level is about the same. For instance, regardless of the education level obtained, roughly 68% of those with some schooling were afraid to walk at night around their neighborhood. Those individuals that were 21-49 showed the most fear. 71% of those surveyed in this group were afraid. The least afraid group was 18-20 year-old individuals. However, 59% of this group was still afraid of walking at night.

As far as professions go, those in the Clerical/Support field were less likely to be afraid at night. Just over half, 54%, stated that they were afraid to walk alone at night in around their neighborhood. Those in the Manual/Service field were most likely to be afraid—74%. As you can see, fear of walking alone at night in one’s own proverbial backyard is a frightening event for most Americans. There’s little doubt that the media and their constant barrage of criminal sensationalism has something to do with this. However, historical data proves that it’s a condition that has existed for some time and shows no sign of vanishing anytime soon.

For newsletter publishing success keep your focus on what matters

The other day, I was having an email conversation with a friend about business goals.

She mentioned that she’d started a book only to realize she didn’t want to write one *right now* after all.

She had mixed feelings about the decision, though. After all, *everyone* says a good consultant *must* write a book. And she was feeling the pressure.

In a reply email, I offered her a piece of advice that, as soon as I’d typed it, I knew was really advice for *me* and not her.

Have you ever had that happen? You’re talking with someone and you hear yourself making a suggestion that you realize (on the spot or later on) is exactly what *you* needed to hear?

This final newsletter ingredient continues to be the hardest for me–I grapple with it in nearly every issue. See, persistence, and staying the course with your newsletter, is all about keeping your focus on the things that matter. Not letting yourself get distracted by all those *other* great ideas. The sections you *could* add to your newsletter. The design changes you *could* make. The requests and reviews and … that *might* be good to include.

I find myself going around in circles some weeks–not wanting to start the newsletter, and yet being on a deadline and *needing* to start the newsletter. And, each time I get caught in this circle, the solution is consistently the same. Yet, it often takes me several hours to *realize* that I know how to resolve my procrastination.

For me, what works most often is to STOP what I’m doing (surfing the Internet for ideas, reading someone else’s book or newsletter, asking someone else what they think I should write about, reviewing back issues) and to simply SIT for a few minutes.

I know that’s the solution. And I know it works 9 times out of 10. And yet, I still find myself unwilling to apply it at the first sign of distress.

Then again, I’m the same way about taking medicine . I have to get really, really, really sick before I even think of taking something.

So often, we think of persistence as working harder, as pushing through it, as forcing ourselves to buckle down and “get it done.” And there’s value to that.

But, in this case, I’m speaking of persistence as more of a willingness to repeat those actions you already *know* work for you. So, if you know that a plain text newsletter format works best for you, don’t let yourself wonder if you should publish in HTML every few months. If you know your readers respond best when you talk about your dog, don’t listen to that consultant who tells you to be more buttoned up.

By persistence, I’m asking you to commit to blazing your own trail–doing things your own way. Persist in that. And don’t worry about what everyone says, or what works for everyone else.

Start bird watching from your backyard

Whenever you go outside what is the one type of wildlife you are most likely to see? Birds. No matter where you go in this world, apart from areas permanently covered in ice, you will see birds. Anytime of the day in any weather, in the city or in the countryside, there will be birds nearby, even if you can't see them, you'll probably hear them,.

In North America alone there are 835 species of birds that will spend at least part of the year there. Birding is reported to be one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities all around the world, and it is your choice to where you go and watch them. Right now more than 70 million Americans enjoy feeding and watching birds from there backyard.

The easiest way to get started in Bird Watching is to bring the birds to your back yard, this allows you to see them up close. Some ways you can attract birds into your garden include:

Proper bird feeding all year round.

Growing specialized plants in your backyard to attract them.

Provide nesting sites or a birdhouses.

Provide them with water either through a bird bath or providing water specially in extreme weathers.

Once you have attracted the birds you could get involved sketching them ot trying to catch that perfect picture, or you could just sit back and enjoy bird songs.

Some of the basic tips for bird watching are:

Try to observe the birds so they don't know you are there. Move slowly, make as little noise as possible, and keep your distance.

Going too close to a nest or repeatedly scaring a bird off its nest can cause the parents to abandon their nest leaving the eggs vulnerable to predators. On no account try to touch the eggs or the young birds as this can also cause the parents to abandon the eggs or chicks.

If you follow these simple tips birds will be attracted to your backyard and will keep coming back year after year.

How to select a coffee bean grinder

If you’re currently wondering how to select a coffee bean grinder to suit you and your kitchen then you probably already know that there are various options open to you. In simple terms most coffee grinders will be spilt into two camps – blade grinders and burr grinders. So how do you choose between the two?

First, it’s worth noting that you can buy both types of grinder as both electric and manual options if you wish. It’s becoming more popular for people to buy electric machines on the whole as there is a big added convenience here so, for the purposes of this guide, we’ll be focusing on electrical options rather than manual ones.

In simple terms the final decision you make when it comes to working out how to select a coffee bean grinder will, in most cases, come down to budget and to how seriously you think about coffee so this is worth bearing in mind as you read through this article.

So, let’s take a look some of the pros and cons of the two types of grinder. If you want, you can learn more about coffee gridners here: coffee-n-beans. com/grinders. html

Blade Grinders

Blade grinders – as the name suggests – use a blade to chop up your coffee beans until they are ground. Most of these machines work on a simple principle – the longer the machine grinds, the finer the grind will be.

Pros

- Generally cheaper than burr grinders.

- Do an effective job of grinding your coffee beans.

Cons

-Can’t give a completely consistent or even grind (this can have an adverse effect on the taste and quality of the coffee you drink).

-The blades on some models may overheat – especially if they are left on longer for a finer grind – which can again alter the actual taste of your coffee.

Burr Grinders

A burr grinder – often also referred to in some circles as a mill – works on a different principle to a blade grinder. Here the beans are crushed between the machine’s moving wheel and its static surface. You decide on the level of grind by using pre-specified settings on the burr. Models vary between doser and doserless for coffee bean storage in the actual grinder.

Pros

- A burr grinder will give you a consistently even grind with no problems.

- These grinders and their grinding pres-sets are easy to use.

Cons

- A burr grinder will generally cost you more than a blade grinder.

- Some models clog easily and can be harder to clean.

So, when you’re deciding how to select a coffee grinder – as you can see – you need to consider how important the quality of your grind and the resulting taste of your coffee is to you as an individual to a certain extent. This is what will dictate whether you opt for a blade grinder or a burr grinder at the end of the day.

Most blade grinders users will simply like a regular cup of coffee that has been ground at home for optimum freshness. If you simply like grinding your own beans for basic coffee drinking use then there’s no real reason why you should waste money on a burr grinder when a blade grinder will suit your needs just as well.

It’s very important to remember here that a blade grinder may give a more uneven grind but it still does an effective job. But you may not get the best grind – and therefore the best tasting cup of coffee – from the beans you buy in this case. One good tip that many blade grinder fans give is to give the grinding machine a little gentle shake every now and then as this will help distribute the bits of cut beans more evenly which may help your grind’s consistency.

If, however, your cup of coffee is real important to you and you want consistent brewing results each and every time you grind your beans, then you will probably be better off looking at buying some sort of burr grinder to meet your needs. These grinders are adored by coffee aficionados simply because they treat your coffee beans and the grinding process consistently and will therefore bring out the best taste for every cup by making sure that each grind is even across every single coffee bean.

It’s real simple to source and buy each kind of grinder – both in stores or over the Internet. Major coffee maker manufacturers such as Braun, Capresso, Alpina, Mr. Coffee, DeLonghi, Russell Hobbs, KitchenAid, Krups and Solis will all have a grinder line of some sort to choose from.

You may find – if you shop around a little – that you may be able to afford to buy a more expensive grinder for your budget as there are often great bargains and discounts to be had all year round. For this reason it’s certainly worth while not rushing out and buying the first grinder you see but doing some price comparisons first to see what savings can be made.

It’s equally important to read reviews to find out how specific models have worked for other people in the past. The Internet is a great source for these kinds of user reviews so once you’ve identified a few models you can log on and see how these machines have worked for others in their homes rather than just relying on manufacturer’s ‘blurb’. This will give you a real useful idea of how well a model/models may actually work in your own home rather than having to wait to find out once you’ve purchased a grinder.

There are certain things to look out for in these kinds of user reviews. For example, you should be looking to discover if other grinder users have found that their grinder:

- Gets clogged or blocked easily.

- Gets beans stuck in its mechanism.

- Overheats and leaves a bitter taste on the coffee.

- Is easy to clean and maintain.

- Gives a really even grind consistently.

- Is excessively noisy.

- Has a problem with static electricity.

- Gives you an easy way to pour out your ground coffee.

- Is well made and won’t fall apart after a couple of uses.

If you can get the right kinds of answers to these questions then the chances are you’ll find the kind of grinder – either burr or blade – that’s right for you.

Profitable knowledge adding info products to your offerings

Surprisingly, one of the most profitable products you can add to your eBiz line-up is information. There are multiple kinds of information products, from hard-copy CDs and printed materials, to database products and web site memberships.

According to well-known author and serial entrepreneur Tim Knox, the highest-margin information products are those that are both digital and downloadable, such as e-books and audio or video files. Explains Knox, “With no manufacturing process, minimal overhead, and no shipping costs, they’re inexpensive both to create and market—their margins are often upwards of seventy-five percent.”

The Information Advantage

Beyond low costs, selling information products offers eBiz owners numerous other advantages:

• No ongoing customer service or labor-intensive updating, as with database products

• No storage considerations, as with hard goods

• No product or package design process

• Ease of delivery

• Simple to market

Sourcing Information Products

So how do you locate these Amazing Products? Actually, you have two options: first, you can resell someone else’s products as an affiliate. Google and ClickBank are good sources to find information goods on your chosen topic. The original seller processes and delivers the order, and you receive a commission for the sale.

Your second option is to create the merchandise yourself. If you don’t feel qualified to put something together on your own, you can contract someone from a site like Elance, RentACoder, or CraigsList to ghost-write something, or to turn your idea into an audio or video file.

Selling Information Products

If you sell hard goods, information merchandise provides a great counterpart to your current offerings—you want to choose a topic that will be of interest to your target audience. Besides your own website, you can also use eBay as a sales channel—they now have an entire category devoted to information goods.

You’re not limited to selling info products in the traditional sense. You can also use them as loss leaders to gain backend sales—that is, you can give them away to bring people to your web site to see the hard goods you sell there. Or you might offer to send a free product to everyone who opts-in to your newsletter, and let those backlinks drive sales to your store.

Delivering the Goods

The key to creating successful information products is to over-deliver in terms of what your customers expect. These simple guidelines can get you moving in the right direction:

• Don’t short people on content—lots of rich content justifies the price.

• The more specific the subject matter, the better—people are searching for long-tail information.

• Your product should look and feel professional. If it looks sloppy or amateurish, you’ll have a high refund rate and quickly earn a bad rap.

• Avoid filling your product with advertisements, even if you’re giving it away. It’s acceptable, even advisable, to include backlinks to your website; but your product shouldn’t be merely a sales pitch.

Whether it’s barbequing the best ribs, marketing to baby boomers, traveling with children, or repairing golf clubs, there’s a market for almost any subject you decide to cover. You don’t need a revolutionary new topic—just a new spin on a topic that makes it your own. Once you choose the subject, crafting the product is easy. Says Knox, “No matter what you sell, you should be able to create an information product to complement that item. Anybody, regardless of technical ability, can create a sellable information product—you’re only limited by your imagination.”

What every mortgage holder should know about pmi

Insurance - we need it for our life, our car, our house, our health and yes, in some cases, even for our mortgage. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is the mortgage industry term used to describe insurance that protects the lender of your mortgage against any type of default. It's primarily used when you put down less than 20% of the purchase price of your home.

Each month you will be required to submit a premium payment that is calculated based on how much your down payment is and the total size of your loan. Typically the payment amounts to around one-half of one percent of the total loan value. These payments are usually added to your mortgage payment to make it easier to keep track of and keep paid.

The good news about PMI is that for those who are required to obtain it, they won't need to keep it through the life of the loan. Typically when you reach the point where you have paid down 20% of the loan amount most mortgage lenders will automatically discontinue the PMI insurance premiums. They are required by law to discontinue it when you your total remaining balance on the loan reach 78% of your original loan amount. For most homeowners, this will amount to roughly a $37 - $50 reduction in monthly payments.

You should be aware that if your loan is classified as a "high risk" then by law lenders can require you to maintain PMI insurance until you have 50% equity built up. Typically such loans are made to those who took out loans in which they didn't produce adequate documentation of income, and those with spotty credit histories. It is always best to talk directly with your mortgage provider about the length of time you will be required to carry PMI. When you sign the paperwork for your mortgage they should include information about when you will no longer be required to carry PMI.

Of course, the best financial move you can make is to not have to pay PMI at all. Some ways to avoid having to pay this include taking on a higher interest rate (typically from .75 to 1 full point) or taking out two mortgages to purchase a home, with one covering 90% of the purchase price and the other covering 10%. Both of these options require you to carefully go over the numbers to see if they provide financial benefit over the life of the loan. A full percentage point increase in interest can amount to a massive amount of additional interest charges over the life of the loan that may far exceed what you would pay in PMI insurance.

Of course, if you really want to come out ahead in the whole mortgage game your best bet is to have 20% down for your down payment and make sure your credit report is as clean as you can get it. It takes time to achieve both of these, but a few years of savings and working on your credit can reap great rewards in your dream of buying a house.

Take care when buying mortgage insurance

In 2005 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) began investigating the payment protection insurance sector and subsequently handed out fines to several well known firms on the high street for mis-selling payment protection products. Recommendations were made for selling the cover and some changes for the better have been seen, however recently the FSA handed out a fine not only to a firm, but also the Chief Executive for failing to follow the proper procedures when it came to selling mortgage insurance.

The company was found to have sold 2,000 policies to consumers remortgaging while putting them at a high risk of being mis-sold their policy and were the first firm to receive not only a company fine but also where the Chief Executive had to put their hands in his own pocket.

However, the negative publicity that mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) has attracted does not do the product justice. Mortgage insurance, when taken out correctly and understood after being given the key facts and exclusions, can be an excellent safety net on which you can fall if you should lose your income. If you were to be out of work after suffering from an accident, sickness or through such as unemployment then you could be left struggling to find the money to repay your mortgage. If you cannot keep up with your mortgage repayments then you risk having your home repossessed as the State cannot be relied upon to give you the money needed.

A mortgage insurance policy could begin to give you a tax free income which would start once you had been out of work for a set period of time which can be anywhere between 31 and 90 days of being continually out of work. Once the cover had commenced payout then it would continue to do so for between 12 and 24 months depending on the provider. However the cover is not suitable for all circumstances and you have to make sure that is suitable for yours before taking out the cover.

Exclusions which are common to all policies include if you are retired, self-employed, if you suffer from an ongoing medical condition or you only work part time. Providers can add additional exclusions so when looking for your cover take these into consideration along with looking for the cheapest quotes for the cover.

In the past mortgage insurance has been known to be an expensive addition to an already over stretched budget and it can when taken out alongside the mortgage. Buying cover from an independent specialist provider can save you a lot of money. Along with this as they are more ethical you can be sure that they will provide the key facts of the policy and make sure the consumer understands the exclusions before buying and so can make an informed decision regarding the policy. A policy can work in the way it is intended to do but you have to know what you are buying and stick with a specialist provider if you want to be sure you have a quality product which is backed by experience in selling payment protection.

Fireplace buying tips

When you begin the search to find the right fireplace for your home you may want to start by researching what the energy efficiency rating is on the fireplaces you are interested in. To assist in finding the fireplaces with higher energy efficiency ratings look for the EnerGuide Fireplace Efficiency ratings on those fireplaces you are considering.

Questions to ask yourself when you start shopping:

-What price range can you afford?

-What style of fireplace will match your homes decor?

-How large is the room it will be installed in?

-How often will the fireplace get used?

-Must have features on your fireplace?

-Features you would like but not critical?

Common features of fireplaces that have higher energy efficiency ratings:

-Direct vent fireplace.

-Ceramic glass.

-Intermittent or automatic electronic ignition system.

-Secondary heat exchanger.

-Insulated outer casing.

-A quiet squirrel cage-type circulating fan.

-Automatic or variable setting control to adjust temperature.

Other things to consider:

-Have a certified professional install your fireplace.

-Shop and review the various models on the market, take your time.

-Carefully review the warranty to clearly see what is and is not covered.

Once installed, plan to have your fireplace serviced at least once a year by a certified professional.

Interactive web based training - a case study

With the constantly changing economy, it’s hard to judge from day to day how much or even if you should invest in training. Even through you know that training improves productivity, morale and retention of the key employees.

Training is expensive and it is an investment in your most precious resource, your employees. Training can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year per employee. How you may ask? Well consider these associated costs. Besides the actual cost of training itself, you have the normal travel, meals, lodging and phone expenses, which in itself can become quite expensive and is often a reason not to send someone to training. But you also have what are called lost opportunity cost, the cost of not being able to do business as normal when a key employee is away for training. Putting projects on hold or not accepting any new projects, overtime, additional temporary manpower that needs training so they can cover while the employee is away for training and overtime when the employee comes back so that he or she can catch up on everything that was missed while they were gone. Now add the cost of high turn over due to lack of advancement, poor job satisfaction, poor morale, money, and very little training, that training you did manage to get into the budget, leaves when the employee leaves. Some company’s try to manage this with contracts and other requirements but you still lose out with reduced productivity, travel and lost opportunity cost.

What is the result of all of this? Less money spent on training, less productivity, higher payroll, lower morale and even higher turnover which results in more money spent on recruiting. Not to mention reducing the incoming business so that you can handle the current jobs with the workforce you have. So what are you suppose to do? Budgets and personnel shortages won’t allow you to train everyone. Timing issues related to training itself can take months, even if you have the budget, to arrange and get the people trained. You still need to service your customers and look for new business. The answer lies in finding training that is inexpensive, requires no travel, can be scheduled around your needs and uses a method that everyone can learn from. I know this may sound like Web Based Training and in fact it is close, it is called Interactive Web Based Training (IWBT).

Training can be broken down into interactive and non-interactive. Non-interactive are things like books, CBT, WBT, audio and video tape course. The employee has to be very highly motivated to complete these and the emphasis is on the employee to research answer to things they don’t understand. It is cheaper, and meets the requirements of no travel and scheduling, but not everyone is motivate nor can they learn from this method. Many people do not learn well without interaction with a group or at least the instructor. Interactive learning requires someone to teach others. Things like classroom training, on the job training and mentoring are good examples of interactive learning. Interactive learning is expensive. It requires time and resources of multiple people, possible travel, scheduling and a high chance of lost opportunity cost. However, everyone learns better this way and they do not need to be as motivated to learn as with non-interactive learning. Training usually occurs at a preset place and time with someone ‘feeding’ them the information. Interactive training also involves more of the senses such as sound, sight, touch and smell, so people retain more of the information than if they just read a book or complete a CBT/WBT course.

How is IWBT the answer? IWBT is instructor led training (interactive learning) conducted in a virtual classroom (VC) instead of a physical classroom. Using a VC we can perform most of the functions that are used in the classroom, including whiteboards, presentations, videos, demonstrations, questions and answers, and group interaction. In addition, VC usually have a better support structure to aid in retaining and learning after the class is over. These may include, email, recorded sessions, bulletin boards and chat rooms, all designed to help the students retain and continue the learning process after class. I think the recorded session are of the greatest value. These sessions are a streaming video capture of what went on in the VC during the class. All voice, text, presentations and video are captured and stored on a server so that the student can review the class at anytime. Making it a great way to review just prior to having to use a new feature or function that was taught but not implemented right away at work or for a client. These recorded sessions can also be used to teach others that may not have been able to attend the class and to reinforce other non-interactive learning methods. From the instructor stand point VC also offer a greater range of questioning technique which allow me to see how all students are doing not just those that like to answer questions. For example, in a classroom, once a question has been answered correctly, I have no way of checking to see if everyone really knew the answer. In a VC, each student answers via a response box that only I can see who answered what. That way each student answer is recorded and the instructor knows whether they can move on or really need to cover the subject in more detail before moving on. This is also a great tool.

IWBT also is usually cheaper, easier to schedule, has neither associated travel cost nor does it have the associated lost opportunity cost that standard interactive learning does. Part of the savings in cost also comes from the fact that IWBT does not require a physical classroom or student equipment to maintain. IWBT also allows for better utilization of the instructors time. Technical experts are expensive, easily costing thousands of dollars a day. And they are limited by the physical size of the classroom and their ability to control the number of students they can teach at one time. This cost is part of why instructor led training is so expensive. IWBT has no real limit on the number of students, no physical limits on the classroom size, no travel cost for the instructor and no equipment overhead to pay for. Students in an IWBT course can come from anywhere. I have had students from Austria, Japan, India, France, Russia, Brazil and Canada in my classes.

As you can see IWBT can offer some valid benefits for your organization, less expensive, no lost opportunity cost, better morale, no travel, better learning environment, better retention and learning capabilities, easier scheduling, and follow-on support not found in most interactive learning situations.

I have been teaching IWBT classes for several years now. I have taught courses on computer hardware installation and troubleshooting, programming, operations, administration, networking, security, and business management. Currently I am working with Compass Technologies, Inc of Exton, PA. Compass Technologies is an access control manufacturer who markets a product that incorporates both hardware and software. They market the Compass 5E and SafeAxis products through business partners around the country. This is an ideal case study for IWBT. Compass has a large number of widely dispersed business partners that have a high turnover of employees, using a fairly technical set of hardware and software that integrates with computer networks. Traditional interactive training is very expensive and not being utilized to it fullest extent because of the cost involved for the business partners, even though Compass keeps the cost of the courses low. Compass wants to increase the training effectiveness, reduce cost and get more people trained which will reduce the amount of support required and improve customer satisfaction for the business partners. To accomplish this they are implementing a IWBT solution from EDT Learning called iLinc. Once iLinc is fully operational, it will allow their business partners to choose training via instructor led classroom training, instructor led web based training, web based training and via a set streaming videos. Courses being offered via IWBT include the standard classroom courses in installation and operations of both the SafeAxis and Compass 5E products, Using the Windows Operating System, Using the Linux Operating System, and an Advance System Design and Troubleshooting course for the security architect at the business partners.

The iLinc product also offers a virtual meeting room capabilities that Compass and it’s business partners can use to announce the rollout of new products or meet with the executives to discuss business issues. Compass can also use these meeting rooms to meet with the national sales representatives, saving thousands of dollars in travel and lost sales time. Support will also benefit from the IWBT. iLinc provides Compass with the ability to take control (with the users permission) the computer that the student is using or to allow the student to take control of the supports machine to assist in troubleshooting a problem. This means that Compass Technical Support will be able to watch the steps, and messages that appear on the clients PC greatly reducing the amount of time required to identify and correct a problem, providing of course that the client has Internet connectivity at that time.

Compass is also using IWBT to help train the business partner’s clients. They will have streaming video segments of different features and how to use them for the Compass products. These video segments will be downloadable by the clients so that they can better understand the features of the Compass products. Reducing the support and training requirements for the business partners and increasing the value of selecting Compass products for the customers.

When everything is up and operational, Compass hopes to improve business partner and customer satisfaction, improve awareness of the products and capabilities, reduce the cost of supporting both business partners and clients and improve the effectiveness of the over all training program and it’s utilization. I think you can too.

IWBT is a great way to improve your training regardless of the size of the organization.

Why do i need a tax attorney

It is unfortunate but true, that many people do not even consider consulting a tax attorney until they open their mailboxes one day and there is that dreaded letter from the IRS. A tax attorney is a lawyer that specializes in all areas of taxes. The tax attorney is required to attend law school for one to three more years, after regular law school, to receive their Masters in taxation.

The IRS has its own group of experienced tax attorneys, so if there is ever a time when you need to face the IRS for any reason, it is imperative that you have your own tax attorney with you. A tax attorney has all the tools and means necessary to handle any tax matters that come up during any tax disputes or issues.

If you have been contacted by the IRS and are looking to retain the services of a tax attorney, there are certain things to keep in mind when looking for the right one.

First, you need to choose a tax attorney that has extensive knowledge and experience in all areas of taxation. This means your chosen tax attorney should be up to date on all tax regulations, laws, recent and past tax court cases, recent and past tax rulings, appeal procedures, audit procedures, tax litigation and collection.

You should also look for business knowledge when considering a tax attorney. Your tax attorney should have a good deal of knowledge when it comes to business accounting. He or she should have the experience and training in financial areas in order to understand your case fully. Your tax attorney should also have a working knowledge of many other legal areas, such as bankruptcy, agency law and contract law. Your tax attorney should have a good deal of legal knowledge in order to recognize any issues that could be deemed criminal in nature.

Finally, you need a tax attorney that has skills in negotiation and litigation as well. If you need to take on the IRS, you will need a tax attorney that can negotiate settlements and be at your side if you do need to go to Tax Court, if the IRS accuses you of a of tax crime. Dealing with the IRS can be a long, hard and demeaning process. It is imperative that you have a reputable, knowledgeable tax attorney at your side during the ordeal.

Your tax attorney will have full working knowledge about all aspects of the tax laws and what the IRS legally can and cannot do during the process. He or she can advise you on your rights if the IRS happens to break the law during any part of your dealings with that agency.

Disclaimer: The information presented here should not be interpreted as legal or tax advice. If you need legal or tax advice, please seek professional advice from a qualified tax attorney for your best options.