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Car insurance rates are prohibitive nowadays. Many families really struggle to pay the car insurance bill each month. And car insurance rates vary all the time. So if car insurance cost is an issue for you, what can you do about it?

The car insurance industry is a massive industry. It is also a highly competitive one, and car insurance rates vary over time as car insurance companies compete for business. Car insurance rates are often highly fluid.

It is entirely possible to lower the cost of your auto insurance rates by altering your behaviour, and you can do this by having a better understanding of how the rates are assessed.

Car insurance rates are based on an assessment of risk. Whilst insurance companies vary their rates to compete with other insurance companies, they also vary their rates based on their assessment of the risk posed by a particular driver driving a particular car. They do this because there is no point in buying business with low car insurance rates and then insuring high risk drivers at these rates. This is a recipe for losing money.

So, if you lower your risk, you lower your car insurance. How do you

lower your risk? Well there’s a number of ways that your own driving and car behaviour can affect your car insurance rates.

Have a look at the car you drive. Is it suitable for your current needs? If not then would it be worthwhile to consider a change?

Different cars attract different auto insurance rates. Sports cars, high powered cars and cars at greater risk of theft attract higher rates. How long have you had your car and would it be wise to think about another one that would be cheaper to insure and more useful to you?

Are you a safe driver? Do you stick to the speed limit? Are you at risk of other driving offences? Many people do not think about some of the consequences of speeding tickets and driving offences until after they have seen their subsequent car insurance bill.

Your risk profile is a direct result of your driving record. A clean driving record and you will be rewarded by cheaper rates. A poor driving record and you will be penalised, usually for quite a while.

Are you willing to attend driver training courses? Many car insurance companies offer specific discounts for drivers who have attended a course. Why? Lower risk.

Are you willing to drive less? Could you car pool or use public transport to get to work? Car insurance companies look at the amount of driving their clients do when assessing their car insurance rates. Why? Lower risk. Less miles driven equals less risk. And you’ll save on other car costs too.

So if auto insurance costs are an issue for you and your family there are things you can do. These are just a few of those things, there are many more. Car insurance rates are not set in stone.

About this Author

For a website totally devoted to Car Insurance visit Peter’s Website Car Insurance Answers and find out about Car Insurance as well as Cheap Car Insurance and more, including Online Car Insurance Quotes, UK Car Insurance, Car Insurance Rates and Car Insurance Quotes.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Crump

Overnight summer camp is also known as a sleepaway camp when campers spend their nights at the camp; some camps do allow both daytime and overnight campers. Beyond the traditional sports – baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, football, and more – there are camps for outdoor enthusiasts that can offer horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and even rappelling. There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy’s camps, girl’s camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities.

Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country. There are camps with activities as traditional as model rocketry and riflery, to those nontraditional as aviation, computers, language studies, golf, martial arts or community service. Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others.

Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it. An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest.

Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great overnight summer camp experience. Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor. Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in?

Do you think, if you have more than one child, they would they benefit from attending the same summer camp together? The reputation of an overnight summer camp can also be determined by asking what percentage of counselors returned from the previous year. There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests.

Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. The best overnight summer sports camps do much more than just improve a camper’s soccer, tennis, lacrosse, or wrestling skills – they help each child become a more skillful athlete, a more gracious competitor, a more committed team player, and a more confident person. College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience; usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty.

Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer. Specialty overnight camps can range from $500 to $1000 per week depending on the program. Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break.

Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper. Think about what you and your child hope they’ll get from going to camp. Look over and evaluate the brochures and promotional materials; read the fine print. If you spend the time needed to research your options and include your child in all the decisions, he or she will most likely have a memorable experience that provides opportunities to grow while having a lot of fun and making new friends.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp online and offline go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, facts, free tuition resources, including information on overnight summer camp reviews

Designing Fantasy Sports Jerseys

Are you designing your own fantasy sports team jersey on a tight budget… But you don’t know where to start, right? Well, there are a few things to think about when you want to show your team spirit, especially if you are the champion of your fantasy sports league! You might win a custom championship jersey from your league, if you ended up top in your standings, but even if you are in last place, you can still find places to design your own jersey. I know of a place that will help you design and print your own jersey on the Internet, but they were charging $150 to set it up and print it!

There has got to be a cheaper way, right? Well, once I did a little checking, there are a number of ways you can design and print your own jerseys or t-shirts, but there are some people that think it is worth the $150 to not have to go through the hassle. They do have some pretty good quality jerseys in all colors and t-shirts are cheaper, but if you already have photos, artwork and publishing software to print your own, it is pretty easy to do!

For one thing, there are so many different options to consider, when you want to design and print your own jerseys or t-shirts. Actually, there are some local shirt shops that will probably do it for a lot less than that, even if you are only getting one customized fantasy sports team jersey! You can buy iron-on transfer paper for your printer and use publishing or photo editing workshop software to get creative and make your own jerseys or t-shirts for much less. In fact, I think you can find the iron-on transfer paper at the office supply store and there are many free software choices on the Internet.

That just leaves you searching for the design for your custom fantasy sports team jersey, but that shouldn’t be that difficult and you probably already have something in mind. It depends on what fantasy sport you are playing and whether you want to personalize your team or if you might already have a name. When you are designing your logo, be sure to think of fun animals or cartoon caricatures to include and you might be better off spending a little extra money to have this created for you by a budding and aspiring caricature artist!

If you have a little talent and one of those neat little digital tablets, you can draw about anything and print it out, but make your design personalized and interesting or you might as well not waste the money! You can get ideas from the Internet or look at some of the uniforms that the college teams wear because they always have interesting color combination and logos. If you are into fantasy sports like I am, you probably already have the perfect logo in mind and a print shop or graphic artist might be able to handle the entire job for you, but you can find places on the Internet that are more affordable and let you get by without a minimum order.

I love fantasy sports, designing my own custom fantasy sports jerseys and collecting sports memorabilia. If you do too, you can find out more information and come to chat or visit at http://thesportsbreak.com.

Public speaking skill is just like any other skill in that the more success that you have, the more self-confidence in public speaking that you develop. The more failures, or perceived failures, that you experience, the more public speaking fear that you are going to experience. The nervousness or anxiety that you feel when you present is normal, but experiencing that public speaking fear for the rest of your life definitely isn’t.

Where does Public Speaking Fear Come From?

Think about any skill that you have developed in your life. For instance, you didn’t come out of the womb knowing how to ride a bike, drive a car, play a musical instrument, or work your iPhone. The first time that you tried any of these activities, you probably experienced some type of discomfort or nervousness. The key to gaining self-confidence in these, or any skill, is to have some type of success where you grow. If the early stages of the skill development are wrought with failures, though, the self-confidence will diminish. For instance, if someone who had never driven a car before gets behind the wheel of a car all by himself or herself (no teacher or coach), then there is a good chance that this first experience is not going to go very well. If the first attempt to drive is on a freeway, then that fear, just like public speaking fear, is going to be huge. At the end of the drive, the person might say something like, “I never, ever, want to experience that again!” If a boss forces the person to attempt the skill years later, that fear is going to grow.

Public Speaking Skill is Developed through Success

A better way to learn a skill is to start with something less risky. In the car example above, most people start in a parking lot with a parent or a coach. Once the confidence increases a little, then the new driver might move to making right-hand turns around a neighborhood. Then move to left-turns. Then maybe get into a higher traffic area. The freeway is last. If you are trying to develop public speaking skills and eliminate public speaking fear, you’ll want to take a similar approach.

Start with something less risky like speaking up at the staff meeting. Most managers or executives want input on ideas or problems during staff meetings. Develop a habit of speaking up at least once during these discussions. Next, volunteer to give a report on a project at a staff meeting. Once you get more comfortable with these types of public speaking opportunities, try something more risky. Maybe ask questions as an audience member in a bigger presentation. Remember that just as when you tried more complicated things in learning to drive, at every stage you experienced more nervousness, when you got to the freeway, the parking lot felt really safe. The same thing will happen with public speaking fear. As you start to experience more complicated presentations, the easier presentations become second nature.

A Public Speaking Coach can Speed Up Your Confidence Growth

Just like the parent or coach who taught you step-by-step how to drive a car, a good public speaking coach can shave a lot of time off your learning curve. For instance, if you went in the parking lot for your first driving experience, it might take you a while to learn how to park correctly. The hardest part would be that you would have very little frame of reference to compare your skill with, so you may not know when you are doing a good job. That questioning that you would have in the back of your mind would cause nervousness. One of the most important parts of coaching is having someone tell you when you did the skill correctly. By the way, you don’t have to go out and find a professional business coach or public speaking coach. Just look for someone who you think presents very well in front of a group and ask the person to watch you and give you feedback. A lot of toasting clubs use this type of coaching.

If your time is short, though, you might want to hire a professional coach. A good public speaking coach can help you develop public speaking skills in a day or two that would take most people years to develop and keep you from developing bad habits. For instance, when I was in my twenties, I wanted to learn how to play golf. I was broke, so I bought some cheap second-hand clubs and went down to the municipal golf course. After a few months, I got pretty good, but I had a terrible slice which hurt my range quite a bit. When I played with friends, I was always two or three strokes behind the group. Eventually, I just figured that golf wasn’t my game, and I stopped playing. Years later, I tried taking it back up and went to a golf-pro near my house. I asked him how long it would take me to become competitive. He said, “Well, if you had come to me in the beginning, maybe a few months, but now, it’s going to be much harder.” When I asked him why, he explained to me that because of my slice, I had developed a habit of turning my body differently to correct the symptom. I knew my ball was going to drift, so, over the years, I just changed my aiming point. My body had become used to that swing, that I had to unlearn that habit before I could re-learn a more proper swing.

If I had just practiced early on with feedback from someone who could already do what I wanted to do, I could have saved myself some time and frustration. In public speaking skills, you can too. Look for a mentor who has already eliminated his/her fear and let that person coach you. Your coach will help you eliminate your public speaking fear much faster.

Doug Staneart is author of the book Fearless Presentations and founder of the Fearless Presentations 2-Day Public Speaking Seminar that is offered in 50 major cities around the world. He has written hundreds of free public speaking tip articles that are all available on his Public Speaking Skills blog.

Let there be no doubt about it…you need to be very careful when selecting a professional resume-writer. These days, anyone can say, “I’m a resume-writer,” and technically never have even finished high school…much less have any idea how to write a professional resume that will get you interviews.

 

Also, with the popularity of the Internet, I have heard that some companies have actually tried to fool the public by ranking themselves as #1 in fake Top 10 Resume Writing Service lists! And let’s not forget those resume-writing services that actually send your personal information overseas and outsource the writing to someone who has no idea about the person you are.

 

Can you believe it?

 

When people are considering the purchase of professional resume-writing services, I advise them to “shop around.” So here are the five factors you should consider when choosing who to trust writing your professional resume and cover letter…

 

1. Are You Purchasing Services From A Resume-Writer Or A “Resume Factory?”

 

The easiest way to tell if the resume-writing service is a “resume factory” is their very low prices. No one can make any money in this industry charging less than $100 for a resume – unless, they have a production line setup. Or they create low-quality resumes or have poor service.

 

If you choose one of these “resume factories” that claim to have written thousands and thousands of resumes, you should know that although they say they never use “cookie-cutter” templates, they probably do.

 

And as a result, your resume will be just like everyone else’s and will sabotage your chances of getting calls for an interview.

 

2. What Kind Of “Process” Does The Resume-Writer Use?

A great resume can’t be written from a questionnaire alone, no matter how good the resume-writer is! Unfortunately, many of the resume-writing services make this very claim that they can create a winning resume with just a 20 question questionnaire filled out online.

 

Now seriously, how much could a complete stranger know about you in 20 measly questions without talking to you or meeting you?

 

You will find that the best professional resume-writers will be willing to meet with you in person (if possible), or do phone and/or email consultations with you as they write your resume and cover letter in addition to providing you with a questionnaire and compiling information from your previous resumes.

 

Additionally, when it comes to “turnaround time,” those resume-writers who promise to have your resume complete in 48 hours or less are either part of a “resume factory,” are using “cookie-cutter” templates and merely plugging in your work information, or they get a very low volume of business (something that should concern you).

 

So be sure to do your research about a resume-writer’s or company’s writing process before purchasing any of their services!

 

3. Does The Resume-Writer Have Any Proven Sales Or Marketing Experience?

 

Now this may sound like an odd factor to consider, but if you never learned this, you should know that your resume is a direct marketing sales-letter! Let’s face it – you have no doubt heard of best-selling authors. Have you ever heard of best-writing authors? Of course not! Those best-selling authors are able to sell and market the message of their books.

 

My point is this, just about anyone with spell check and grammar check on their computer can write a resume. But, it takes a very special person with a background in sales and/or marketing to bring that resume to life and “sell the reader” on why they should call you for an interview!

 

4. Does The Resume-Writer Offer A Guarantee For Their Services?

 

Any great resume-writer will stand by their work and offer to re-write your resume at no additional cost if it is not getting you any interviews within a certain number of days (usually 60-90). This is their professional pledge to you.

 

However, you as a job-seeker must also do your part in sending out more than just a few resumes, and most importantly – follow up with the employers you sent your resume and cover letter to. It’s amazing how few people actually do this!

 

Remember, your resume is a direct marketing sales-letter. Your “customers” are prospective employers. Any good salesman or saleswoman knows the rewards are in the follow-up!

 

5. How Much Does The Resume-Writer Charge For Their Professional Services?

 

I am sure that you have figured out (hopefully not the hard way) that in life, you definitely get what you pay for! Of course the price is important, but it is not nearly as important as having a winning resume that gets employers to call you for an interview today!

 

It all goes back to “cost versus value.” What do you get in terms of benefits for the price you pay? What do you get in the package deals? What kind of guarantee do they offer? Have they had other satisfied customers share their stories in believable testimonials?

 

You might want to look at it this way…

 

If I offered you a piece of paper with some scribbles and drawings on it for $1,000 – would you buy it? Probably not. However, if that paper with scribbles and drawings was a map that led to a buried treasure worth $100,000 or more – would you buy it?

 

Let’s hope so! That would definitely be the investment of the century! A hundred-fold return on your investment. (If only Wall St. could create those kinds of returns…legally!) I like to look at investing in a resume-writer the same way. If a resume-writer charges $200 for a professional resume, and that resume leads to a job that pays a yearly salary of $40,000 – you just made a two hundred-fold return on your investment! Now that’s really smart investing…

 

Additionally, if a professional resume-writer is guaranteeing his or her work and is willing to re-write your documents for 60-90 days at no extra cost to you, then you don’t have anything to lose. The risk is all on the resume-writer! So when you are considering investing in a professional resume-writer, take all of these five factors into consideration and make a wise career decision!

Known for writing winning resumes and cover letters that have led to job interviews for over 90% of his clients, Kristopher Marek provides professional resume writing services for job seekers looking for a better paying and more personally-satisfying career. If you are interested in learning more about his services, you can contact him via email at winningresumewriter [at] yahoo.com

Choosing the best health insurance plan involves the following:

1. Finding the health insurance plan with the lowest cost (but only with respect to the other two criteria)
2. Finding the health insurance plan with a network that meets your needs
3. Finding the health insurance plan with coverage that meets your needs

Choosing the right health insurance policy involves finding the lowest price amongst the policies that meet your needs as to network and coverage. Choosing the lowest price is of course very easy. Determining whether the health insurance plan’s network of doctors meets your needs is only a little more difficult. Choosing a health insurance policy that covers you well can be complex. Most of this article focuses on this area. I’ve been a health insurance agent since 1985 and have helped many families find affordable health insurance. You can find out more about me by visiting 1800insuranceCT.com. These are the strategies that I use when helping a family find good medical coverage in my home state of Connecticut. To help find out what health insurance plans are available and approved in your area, I’ve put together a list of Insurance Departments for each state.

Choosing the Health Insurance Plan with the Right Network

Most companies have websites that will list the doctors and hospitals that participate in their plan. All that I’m aware of will have a printed list that they can mail to you. The right plan will have your doctor on their list or at least doctors who serve your home area. If you travel it is important to find a plan that covers you well in other geographic areas as well.

Choosing the Health Insurance Plan with the best coverage

Health insurance contracts may be the most complex of the insurance policies purchased by the average family. Understanding how your health insurance policy will pay for your medical bills can be difficult. Fortunately most of the brochures and outlines of coverage that you may receive from a health insurance provider will have a similar structure.

They will have sections similar to the following: What is Covered? Health Plan Exclusions and Limitations What is Covered?

This section will detail what medical procedures your health insurance policy will cover. The policy should have a phrase like “reasonable and customary” or “usual, reasonable and customary” or something similar when describing how much they will cover.

Watch out for health insurance policies with:

Dollar amount limits for each procedure

A long list of procedures that the health insurance policy will cover Better health insurance policies will not list dollar amounts for each procedure. They will pay using a formula that is based on what other doctors or medical providers will charge you in the same geographic area. A phrase like “usual and customary” indicates that they use such a formula. The cost of medical care rises so quickly that a dollar amount that seems impressive today may not fully reimburse you even a year from now.

Solid health Insurance policies will not have a long list of procedures that they will cover listed on the policy. The long list seems impressive because the list takes up a lot of space. Look at the statements below. It should be easy to choose between one and two.

1. “Our health insurance policy will cover you for everything except for expenses caused by self-inflicted injuries and substance abuse.” (“I’ve been to every state in the union except Alaska.”)
2. “Our health insurance policy will cover your nose, your ears, your toes, your hands, your right lung, your calf and your knee” (“I’ve been to New York, Connecticut, Nebraska, Washington DC and Vermont”)

Health Plan Exclusions and Limitations This section will tell you what is excluded. Typically elective surgery will not be covered. Also experimental procedures and expenses caused by self-inflicted injuries will not be covered. You should understand each of these exclusions and limitations before you commit to a policy. Most policies will not include maternity insurance, so if you want to get pregnant, make sure that you know how your policy will cover maternity expenses. Unfortunately, maternity insurance is not available in many states except as part of a group insurance plan. To summarize:

* Determine what health insurance plans will cover you in your area

* Determine which health insurance plans offer adequate coverage

*Choose the plans that offers the best value based on price and coverage

This article was originally published on http://www.1800insurancect.com/articles/tips_for_finding_coverage.htm

Alston J. Balkcom has been a Connecticut insurance agent since 1985. His practice primarly involves helping Connecticut residents find health insurance. His focus is on those who do not qualify for health insurance through their employers. Most of his clients reach him after visiting his Connecticut health insurance focused web-site . He has taken several advanced courses over the years to increase his knowledge of health and other types of insurance. His resume includes time with Metropolitan Life, and Mutual of Omaha.

Fashion designers help create the billions of clothing articles, shoes, and accessories purchased every year by consumers. Fashion designers working for apparel wholesalers or manufacturers create designs for the mass market. Fashion designers are the people who create the elegant, whimsical, fun, silly, and often expensive clothes we see parading down runways twice a year. Fashion designers design and create clothing and accessories for men, women and children. Some high-fashion designers are self-employed and design for individual clients. Other high-fashion designers cater to specialty stores or high-fashion department stores.

Fashion

Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time. Fashion designers have brought about a storm in this glamour world with their commendably fabulous variety. Fashion industry has always welcomed new talent giving rise to the budding stars of tomorrow. While all articles of clothing from any time period are studied by academics as costume design, only clothing created after 1858 could be considered as fashion design.

Before the former draper set up his maison couture (fashion house) in Paris, clothing design and creation was handled by largely anonymous seamstresses, and high fashion descended from that worn at royal courts. Throughout the early 20th century, practically all high fashion originated in Paris, and to a lesser extent London. At this time in fashion history the division between haute couture and ready-to-wear was not sharply defined.

Designers

Designers know they have this power, and will continue to use it to influence global fashions throughout the eras. These designers create original garments, as well as those that follow established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions for the mass market. Designer brands which have a ‘name’ as their brand such as Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren are likely to be designed by a team of individual designers under the direction of a designer director. Thus, the tradition of designers sketching out garment designs instead of presenting completed garments on models to customers began as an economy.

Popular Western styles were adopted all over the world, and many designers from outside of the West had a profound impact on fashion. Currently, modern fashion has seen a reference to technology such as designers Hussein Chalayan and Miuccia Prada who have introduced industrial textiles and modern technology into their fall collections. Mass market designers generally adapt the trends set by the famous names in fashion. Increasingly, many modern high-end designers are now beginning to turn to mass market retailers to produce lower-priced merchandise, and to broaden their customer base. Perhaps most importantly, designers use their imaginations to come up with new ideas.

There are a number of well known fashion design schools worldwide. Most fashion design courses last for three years. As well as teaching students about the artistic and technical side of the subject, some courses include a year working in the fashion industry, to give students a taste of commercial fashion design. Others offer the chance to visit fashion houses abroad.

Trishia Lopez is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TheFashionGurus.com. She provides more information about Fashion and fashion issues that you can research in your pajamas on her website.

The Invention of Cable Television & Alternatives to Cable TV

There are many claims to the first CATV system, but only one thing is for certain; it originated in the United States and, according to one famous recollection, cable television had its beginning in 1948 in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. Community antenna television, as it was then called, was invented by John and Margaret Walson out of a necessity to bring television to their customers. They owned The Service Electric Company, a company designed to sell, install, and repair appliances. When they started selling television sets in 1947 their Mahanoy City customers were reluctant to buy because of reception issues. This particular region of Pennsylvania had difficulties picking up the stations in nearby Philadelphia due to the mountains that surrounded them.

To solve this problem, Walson installed an antenna on a utility pole that he placed on a local mountain top. It allowed him to demonstrate that the televisions could pick up good broadcasts coming from some of the Philadelphia stations using modified signal boosters and cable to connect the antenna to his store. So, in 1948, he charged a small fee and connected the antenna to several of his customers’ homes as well, marking the beginning of the cable television business.

The early 1950s saw further development of the cable system. By then, the FCC had released its hold on a three year long freezing of new television station construction and had “assigned a nationwide television broadcasting plan”, leading to the fairly rapid development of new television stations. Department stores began to encourage television viewing by displaying several different models for sale. Of course, this meant that television antennas had to also be sold. At the time, each home or apartment required its own antenna, creating a somewhat unsightly “forest of antennas” on the roofs of some apartment buildings.

This prompted Milton Jerrold Shapp to create a system that used only one master antenna for an entire building. He did so using coaxial cable and signal boosters, enabling the cable to carry several signals at once. Not too long after that, another appliance store owner experiencing the same problem as that of the Walsons read about Mr Shapp’s system. Figuring that, if it could work for apartments and department stores, it could work for an entire town as well and he set up the first cable television system similar to how we know it today.

Because of Mr Shapp’s innovative new system, television spread like wild fire throughout the country, enabling remote and rural areas to receive a signal and “by 1952, 70 ‘cable’ systems served 14,000 subscribers nationwide”. But, of course, people would not remain content with allowing the cable system simply to be used as a means of providing better signal strength to rural areas.

Toward the end of the decade, cable operators began using technologies to pick up signals from stations hundreds of miles away, irreversibly changing the way the cable and television industry operated. This new found ability to import more signals from distant stations also allowed for more programming choices. Now, the cable systems that only allowed for three channels (one for each network) soon changed, allowing room for seven or more channels due to the fact that they could pick up programs from distant independent stations (2). This created more interest in cable as a provider for city television as well because of the variety in choices it allowed.

By the early 1960s there were nearly 800 cable network systems in business. Many of these cable network companies started expanding into multiple cities, causing the beginning of the multiple system operator (MSO). Yet, the local broadcasters were afraid of the competition that cable companies were creating so they asked the government to stop the importation of signals by cable companies. The freeze that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) placed on the importation of cable signals lasted until 1972.

In 1972 the service channels that people pay an extra premium for were started when Service Electric began to bill for Home Box Office (HBO). It had a minimal beginning with about a few hundred viewers the first night. However, it has become one of the largest pay cable services around. It is because of its success that so many others have followed.

In addition, the craving for more channels led the FCC to issue a rule in 1969 that required “all CATV systems with over 3500 subscribers to have facilities for local origination of programming by April 1, 1971″. Furthermore, in 1976, the FCC decided to require that new systems must have more than 20 channels to choose from and that cable providers that had more than 3500 must provide public channels for education as well as government access.

Thus, cable television has been divided into two different services: basic service and premium services. Basic cable generally includes the local television networks and a few other common channels that are not transmitted with any type of encryption method while premium channels scramble their signals. They include channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz and are generally paid for in various extra packages in addition to the basic service.

The fees for service, whether basic or premium, did not defer customers and by the 1980s the major three television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) had all but lost their monopoly on viewers. “The era of network television” was coming to an end. Even other news networks began to emerge. “By 1985, 68% of all American households (60 million) had cable television service” . Cable News Network (CNN) first appeared on the scene in 1980.

With the emergence of all the new cable networks, cable television revolutionized the way Americans viewed television, and inspired many more changes yet to come. The invention of the VCR and, still later, the DVR would follow suit, yet again changing how American’s use their televisions.

In recent years technology has begun to produce alternatives to cable television. As internet content grows to out weigh what cable TV services can offer. Many people have begun to migrate from cable television to Internet television. (24% in the US, 40% either use Internet TV alone, or a combination of Cable and Internet TV together) Internet TV provides the user with an opportunity to view all their favorite programming, most commercial free, in High Definition and directly to the users television. Internet TV. Internet TV has the potential to replace cable television as the preferred method of home entertainment delivery.

Savings and selection are mentioned as the primary reasons to switch to a Cable TV alternative. The average monthly cable bill in the US is between one-hundred fifty and two-hundred dollars per month. Internet TV in comparison has a one time fee for the home component and no additional monthly viewing fees. Users who wish to use services like Netflix and Blockbuster online may now watch movies directly on their HD television. Internet TV does not bypass legal means of content delivery, you must still pay the fees associated licensing fee for movie rental sites like Netflix and Blockbuster.

Free Internet TV content currently licensed for viewing online in high definition. (Short list) All programming from the major television networks; ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, most cable networks (CNN, E!, etc) also broadcast their programming online for free. Some advance the broadcasts online before airing on their cable networks. Hulu, Fancast and Spreety are among a few providers available who collect all the legal content in one place for easy viewing by the user.

Join the Internet TV Revolution.
What is WhiteHatt?

If you find yourself searching the internet for How To Find Your Dream Career more often than you’d like to admit then this article could be the very answer you’ve been longing for and assist you in finally figuring out what you want to do with your life.

It is very likely that there are various reasons why you are still searching for How To Find Your Dream Career and not actually pursuing your perfect path yet, however, by the end of this page that may no longer pose as a problem for you.

I want you to ask yourself something and answer as honestly as you possibly can.

Do you REALLY want to know how to find your dream career or do you silently wish you could be in business for yourself or work from the comforts of your own home?

There is no wrong answer to this question and whether or not you answered yes or no, the solution will still be available throughout this article.

I have discovered that most people I talk to are dissatisfied with working for somebody else at a set salary and constantly keep searching for that ideal career when what they want deep down is to be in their own business. On the other hand, I have talked to hundreds of people that have no idea what they want to do with their lives and others who know exactly what they want but don’t know how to go about making it happen.

Which one of these three predicaments do you find yourself in?

1. I want to be blank but I don’t have the money for college.

2. I want to work from home but don’t know how to begin.

3. I honestly have no idea what I want to do.

Let’s go over each one of the above individually and see if we can’t come up with the ultimate answer you were hoping to uncover while searching specifically for How To Find Your Dream Career!

A1. My best friend Anica has know since she was 6 years old that when she was all grown up she would strive to be a Veterinarian. Immediately after graduating High School she attended a low cost college and completed her Vet Tech Program. A Vet Tech is half way to becoming a Veterinarian so Anica knew she would still need to attend 4 more years of College and come up with $100,000.00 to cover her tuition. She had to work while attending college to cover her daily living expenses such as food and rent which made it hard for her to devote a decent amount of time to achieve the great grades that the Veterinary Schools require. Anica applied to all 28 of the Colleges around the world at $100.00 an application and was heart broken when she did not received one acceptance letter. For almost 5 years Anica completely abandoned her dream career of being a Veterinarian until we put our heads together and worked out the perfect plan to get this girl accepted into the Vet School of her choice. Anica already spent $2,800.00 in application fees to apply for these schools, still owed $28,000.00 in existing loans and feared that it would not only be a waste of money to try and apply again with her grades but that there was no way she would come up with the money for tuition even if she did get accepted.

Have you picked up on how Anica prevented her own dream career from happening even though she knew exactly what she wanted which was to be a Veterinarian? The answer will shock you like it did us and once we figured it out and you’ll be happy to hear that Anica has finally achieved her life long dream career!

As much as Anica said she wanted to be a Veterinarian, she was silently hoping to herself that she would not get accepted into any of the schools she applied for because she feared there was no way she could pay to attend anyway!

We had to laugh to ourselves when we discovered that she was wishing away what she wanted with her fears but we were able to figure out a successful solution once we realized what the root of the problem really was.

Just like Anica, millions of people allow money to be the driving factor in determining their dream career. Rule # 1 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to never let money keep you from living the life you love! I know that last line probably had you thinking like it did Anica, “Well where the hell am I going to get the money that will make it possible for me to peruse my passions”? You have every right to ask this question and because you have read this far you I am going to reveal the answer the answer to you now!

First thing we did was wrote down every single dollar Anica would need to pay off all of her current debt, determine exactly how much the tuition would cost to attend the college of her choice and factor in a figure that would cover her living expenses while away at school for the next 4 years. We came up with the exact amount of money should would need and then participated in a program that made it all possible.

There is a proven program that I personally use along with Anica and over 48,329 other ordinary, everyday people who have experienced extraordinary financial gains from over a very short period of time. With this system that most people have never even heard about before, I was able to make more money in 1 year then most people make in a lifetime and enabled Anica to pay off all of her existing debt plus pre-pay for her tuition which made it impossible for Vet Schools to deny her application. “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” I always say and you can learn all about this incredible system at [http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com]. The safe, stable and secure system that will be revealed to you at this website can be implemented by anyone, anywhere in the world! The only thing that is required is reliable internet access and at least 30 minutes a day to monitor your account. Everybody is entitled to the wealth that makes living life to the fullest possible and now nothing need stand in the way of funding your dream career!

A2. I spent several years searching online and local libraries for How To Find Your Dream Career but always felt deep disappointment because in the back of my mind I truly desired to be my own boss. I heard the expression before I turned 20 that J.O.B. stood for Just Over Broke and dreaded locking into a life-long career that could only lead me to a desperate destination. Besides, the though of being able to write my own paycheck excited me more then anything else in the world!!! Don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of exciting careers that pay exceptionally well which we will be going over in the next section of this article but I had it in my heart that being my own boss would be the perfect path for me. The very moment that I decided to work for myself and work from home, rather than seek out a career with a corporate company, all of the pieces came together that allowed me to accomplish just that.

I didn’t just desire to make money from home for the sake of not working for someone else but I asked myself a specific question and agreed to set my current financial circumstances aside while making my selection to assure that the answer I came up with would also give me a great sense of personal satisfaction. In a moment I am going to ask you to ask yourself the very same question I asked myself five years ago that led me to doing what I love for a living. This one simple question could very well lead you to discovering your dream career but it may take some deep contemplation on your part and will require that you cast your current income out of your mind while asking yourself for the appropriate answer.

Once you have eliminated your current income from the equation and committed to coming up with an answer, ask yourself:

“What One Activity Would I Love To Get Paid To Do Everyday”?

Do not dismay if the answer doesn’t instantly reveal itself and do not down play the answer when it does arrive with self sabotaging thoughts like “I could never make enough money to support myself doing this” because if it excited you at a cellular level then it is exactly what you came here to do and the appropriate pieces will come together for you as well when you decide that you are going to act on that answer!

The answer I instantaneously came up with was writing. I could barely sit still when I thought about getting paid well to write about things I was already passionate about and knew that getting the chance to do this every day would make me a very happy person. Even though I never excelled at English in high school and had no formal writing experience whatsoever, I did not let that stop me from writing 3 exclusive e-books that sell very well 7 days a week, publishing dozens of optimized articles for the World Wide Web like the one you are reading right now or approaching a popular Publisher about signing me to a distribution deal. I am almost finished with the final details of the book that I expect to be on the Best Sellers List around the world with the help of this popular publisher by March of 2007.

The only reason why I am living the life that I love today is because of Rule # 2 for How To Find Your Dream Career which is never talk yourself out of being in business for yourself if that is what you really want and always believe that “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” regardless of what anyone else chooses to believe about themselves. YOU can accomplish so much more than you could ever hope for by agreeing with the answer that arrives and resolving to see that answer through by taking inspired action immediately!

If you are interested in seeing one of my e-books in action or determined to make money online yourself, feel free to go to http://www.lazy-weight-loss-diet.com and click on the Work From Home button for step-by-step instructions about earning Six-Figures from the seat you are sitting in at this very moment.

A3. If you honestly have no idea what you want to do as far as finding a career with a corporate company goes then there are several online resources you can turn to for free assistance. I located an awesome website that contains hundreds of exciting careers and lists then in alphabetical order from A – Z. You can look through this interesting list by going to [http://www.texasmentor.org] and clicking on the Career Center section. I am confident that Texas Mentor’s list covers every career you could think of and hundreds more you may have never even heard about before. Due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career List” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Another technique that can help you hone in on How To Find Your Dream Career is to ask your friends and family what they think your strengths and talents are. When I asked my friends and family what they thought almost everyone said writing because I always took the time to write something special in my cards to them. They couldn’t have picked a better career for me and I haven’t regretted this career path for a single second! My sister use to say that she knew me better than I knew myself and that was why I turned to her for my dream career advice. You’ll be surprised at how helpful friends and family can be when it comes to identifying a great career and it will make them feel fantastic that you asked for their advice. Give it a try and see what comes up frequently from your friends and family members.

You may find taking a free career test and personality profile very helpful. Just for fun I took one of these free career tests at http://similarminds.com/career.html and answered 58 quick questions in less than 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised with the career outcomes this free service site returned because I have considered almost all of them before deciding to be in business for myself. In addition to writing, I also love Bookkeeping and Money Management which were two of the twenty potential careers that came up after answering all the questions. Again, due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career Test” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Rule # 3 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to put the time and attention it takes to define what you love to do in life and passionately peruse that path because you were born to be great at something specific! Confucius has been quoted as saying, “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” When you take the time to find out what excites you and turn that joy into a job then work will always feel like play which is the key to succeeding at anything.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime at theprovenpath@optonline.net if you think that I can further assist you on How To Find Your Dream Career.

May all your career dreams come true from this point forward!

Jamie Briggs

Jamie Briggs has been helping people define their dream careers since 2000 and has written several best selling online e-books. You can contact the author of this article at theprovenpath@optonline.net or visit her website [http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com] for additional assistance.

My old farm tractor is the best toy I ever bought. I’m a simple man, I used to enjoy working on my car, changing the plugs, tuning the carburetor, just plain ‘ole tinkering; that changed (along with the rest of the world) when computers entered the picture. And while they have revolutionized the way we live and work, they made tinkering a thing of the past. I refused to let that happen when I bought my first old farm tractor. I’m not a farmer by trade, but I love the land and enjoy dragging my bush hog, it keeps me in touch with the land. And tinkering? Well that keeps my old farm tractor running smooth and gives me some time away from the keyboard.

I learned a lot when I started looking for my first old farm tractor. Old is just a term if the older tractor runs good and does the job intended, but be certain to check thoroughly when shopping. In my case, I brought a neighbor of mine along who just happened to be a John Deere rep, feeling certain he’d give my potential old farm tractor purchase, a good “once over”.

Of course what’s a good older tractor for me, might not be your bailiwick at all, different strokes for different folks. So ask yourself (like you didn’t already know) are you buying the old farm tractor for work or play (restoration)? Are you looking to save money with an older tractor, or are you waxing nostalgic and looking to create a pristine show tractor?

Another thing to consider is the kind of service you’ll expect; will you be working the field, tinkering like I do, or only bringing the old farm tractor out for county fairs. In any of these cases, when you’re looking an older tractor, you’ll want to make certain she’s mechanically sound. If you’re actually a collector (or tinkerer) chances are you’ll know a local mechanic to bring along, they are worth their weight, believe me and could help you find a gem, or avoid a lemon.

First thing my John Deere rep did was climb on the old workhorse to see if she started up easy, telling me if she did, that’s a good indicator that the battery, compression, ignition and fuel lines are in working order. Now if it doesn’t start, don’t head for the hills, just make sure the price is right, since it will need a bit of work.

The farmer who owned the old farm tractor told us to go ahead and… “Take ‘er for a spin”, he smiled then walked away to do some chores. While all sellers might not be so friendly, it’s very important to test the tractor engine when it’s warmed up; are then any leaks, how does the engine sound? Then, shut her down, and see if the old farm tractor starts again.

While you’re warming the old farm tractor up, and assuming you have the go ahead to actually take her out of the barn, check the brakes, if there okay, great, another mark for the plus column, if they’re mushy and might need work, ask how difficult a brake job is, some older tractors have brakes that are very difficult to work on; this is where that farm tractor mechanic friend will come in.

Check to see if the exhaust is, a little blue or black smoke might just indicate a needed tune-up, blue smoke may say ring job. If so, plan accordingly, or find another old gem to buy.

Listen closely to how the old farm tractor engine sounds any unusual deep throated clunking sounds? Let’s hope not, but if do, time to thank the owner for his time, and head for the next prospective choice.

Years ago, back when they had “full service” gas stations, I remember the attendant saying… “Check the oil sir”? And that is definitely something you should do with your older (antique) tractor. Oil in a tractor is the lifeblood, does it look clear (indicating a recent change); or is there foam or water present. If you see drops of water that might be the head gasket and serious problems might exist. Water in the oil is NEVER a good sign; again, time for a “thank you and goodbye”.

Anytime you purchase a piece of machinery with the “new” worn off, take the time to be certain your purchase has aged gracefully. None of us want to see an old antique tractor rusting in a field, but neither do we want to buy a “pig in a poke”. Ask, look, examine, test; and if you’re satisfied, whip out the checkbook, put a smile on a farmer’s face, then take the old farm tractor home and get some work done.

Tangopang is the author and editor of more lawn tractors resources published at [http://www.economytractorsupplystore.com] Find more publications about lawn tractors [http://www.economytractorsupplystore.com] at his website.

Singing Tibetan Bowls are believed to be originated from Tibet around 4 thousands years ago.Tibetan monks are known to be the secret users of the singing bowls.Even before the presence of the Buddhist, there were shamans who actually practiced the use of the bowls.

It has been proven that our mind and body is intensely affected by the sound and vibration of singing Tibetan bowls. The sound of the bowls relaxes and eases our mind and body so that one can concentrate deeper within himself. This is particularly achieved by massaging our body through the sound and vibration of healing bowls.

Singing Tibetan bowls are made in Nepal and India. They are usually made of 3 metals and five metals. However, some of the bowls are even made of seven metals. This is particularly high quality ones. As each one of them are handmade individually, none of the healing bowls is exactly same.

So, How to buy singing bowls? A person has to be very careful when you buy singing bowls. It is very important to know basic facts on choosing the right ones. Here are the things you should follow to buy singing Tibetan bowls.

1. Give yourself a plenty of time to analyze the bowls and find a good one that you like. Singing Tibetan bowls are often called healing bowls which can be used to actually heal your mind and body. It is also used to aid in meditation.

2. If you are in a brick and mortar store, test the sound by striking the bowl with a stick. Singing Tibetan bowls are played with a thick wooden stick covered soft leather on one end. You can either strike a bowl or rub the edge with the striker to produce ringing, resonant tones making the bowl vibrate for a long time. When struck, the sound should resonate and last for few minutes with several layers of tones. The note should be rich and heavy. When you select, the sound of the bowl should really touch your heart and impress you.

The sound and vibration thus produced helps a person to concentrate and relax from within which ultimately assist in healing your mind and body. The vibration is used to actually heal the ailing body parts. The vibrating frequency of the sound puts your mind at ease.

3. If you are buying online check whether the site has audio clips of the bowls on sale. All the good stores should have such audio clips. One of the best stores also provide you with samples to check quality.

4. The smaller the bowl higher will be the pitch of the sound and bigger the bowls lower and heavier the pitch. You should really find the right ones depending on the pitch of the sound you desire.

5. Another, factor you have to consider while buying the Tibetan bowl is the materials that are used to make it. General ones are made of mixture of 2 metals or 5 metals but really special one is the one that is made of 7 metals mixed. You can just literally tell the difference in the richness of vibration and sound.

6. Look and feel the different designs carved on the healing bowls. They hold significant meanings. Just choose the ones that are most suitable to you.

7. Final important factor you should not miss to check is whether the bowl is machine made or handmade. You have to go for handmade ones. This is the beauty and specialty of the singing bowls because each handmade ones are special and unique. Machine made singing bowls are just the duplicate of one to another. Quality of sound and vibration is also low compared to handhammered singing Tibetan bowls.

Now you can get more information and Grab!! this excellent opportunity to get a free singing bowl giveaway as a sample to test the quality and see it for yourself what the high quality bowl is all about.

Contact vendor below and ask for the free sample with this reference. You will not be disappointed

Get Singing Bowl for free

Amogh Shakya
Managing Director
Shakya Handicraft

Wow, check out Ron Paul’s Internet Marketing campaign!

Without doubt, Ron Paul’s success on the Internet is nothing short of amazing. His team’s approach has been ground breaking in the way they’ve applied Internet Marketing techniques, not only to reach potential supporters, but to attract a significant number of contributors.

Although not currently one of the frontrunners, Ron Paul is now being called an “Internet Phenomenon” by many political strategists.

While the Internet Marketing strategies being used by Ron Paul’s team are not necessarily unique, the dedication his team has shown in reaching potential supporters online has been outstanding. By deploying a very aggressive Internet Marketing campaign, Ron Paul’s team has attracted a flood of contributors and a huge number of avid supporters.

In a very short period of time, Ron Paul’s team has developed an enormous Internet presence. In fact, anyone who’s been online in the past six months has certainly seen multiple references to Ron Paul on the news or social media sites.

If you consider the raw numbers, Ron Paul’s Internet Marketing strategy leaves his competition in the dust – and it’s a big reason he’s still in the race:

Consider the facts …

· Last month, Ron Paul’s site had well over a MILLION visitors, more than all other Republican candidates combined!

· In one day, Ron Paul’s team raised over $6 Million dollars on the internet.

· They raised approximately $20 Million Dollars in the 4th quarter of 2007 alone.

· On YouTube, there are 109,000 videos currently available about him.

· And in the past month there have been over 89,000 blog posts about him, according to Google.

The bottom line … Ron Paul’s focus on Internet Marketing is changing the face of political campaign strategies.

Ron Paul is not the only candidate making use of the Internet … on the other side of the aisle, Barack Obama’s team has deployed a very well designed Internet Marketing strategy – over 728,00 visitors last month – and has been very effective in reaching potential supporters and contributors in his own right.

An Objective View

My analysis of Ron Paul’s internet success is purely driven by curiosity; I have no political affiliation or opinion of Ron Paul’s political platform.

What intrigues me about Ron Paul’s Internet strategy is not only the response he’s received (over a Million visitors last month), it’s the number of contributors he’s attracted and the dedicated constituency he’s built on the Internet. With a major part of his communications being conveyed via the Internet, Ron Paul’s campaign team has demonstrated beyond any doubt that Internet Marketing is a formidable tool in building a successful political campaign strategy.

Perhaps the Ron Paul campaign chose to focus more on Internet strategies and less on other media simply due to budget constraints. Whatever the reason, their decision to use the Internet as an integral part of their campaign strategy is undoubtedly a big reason he’s still in the race.

This is not the first time we’ve seen a candidate deploy an Internet Marketing strategy as a part of a political campaign strategy – but it may be the first major campaign that has used the Internet as a primary part of their campaign strategy.

So, what does this say about future political campaigns and the tactics that will be developed to exploit the enormous potential of the Internet?

Political campaign teams can be very creative in developing marketing methods and I have no doubt we will learn a great deal concerning Internet Marketing by watching the successful political campaigns.

If ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, then the Internet Marketing strategies being developed by political campaign teams like Ron Paul’s will no doubt be leveraged by other organizations to help build their own visibility and success.

Ron Paul’s Internet Strategy

So, what does Ron Paul’s team do differently?

The short answer lies not in what his team does, as much as it does with how his team ‘works’ their strategy.

First, the Internet Marketing strategy Ron Paul’s team has implemented focuses on some very basic Search Engine Marketing tactics:

· Website optimization,

· Compelling content,

· Intuitive site navigation,

· Social Media,

· Press Releases,

· Videos,

· Blogging,

· RSS feeds

· Email Marketing, Newsletters, & Breaking News

Pretty straight forward, right? No real surprises here with the exception that Ron Paul’s team does not really use of PPC strategies to any great extent.

The real difference lies is the way Ron Paul’s team implements their tactics, especially when compared to other Presidential contenders’ strategies.

The body of the site contains very compelling content that is easy to find and leads you to endless amounts of interesting information concerning Ron Paul.

Maybe the most obvious difference is Ron Paul’s site is constantly being updated and changed; the team adds new information daily and continually works to improve their Search Engine visibility using well attended blogs, Press Releases, and Social Media.

Web Site Optimization

Overall, the Ron Paul team has deployed a very solid website in a short period of time. Not that every part of the site is perfect, but the good points far outweigh the bad. In fact, with just a few slight changes, the Ron Paul website could serve as a great model for other political candidates.

One somewhat insignificant difference, but one that I personally like about Ron Paul’s website, is that his team does not use an annoying Splash page as many other candidates do.

I know splash pages look good to the website owner, but they’re almost always a waste of time since most people just want to get to what they came to the site to see – in this case, information about Ron Paul!

The ‘home’ page Ron Paul’s team has designed is very intuitive and easy to navigate. They’ve placed breaking news, volunteer sign up, Blog access, and an excellent menu of choices that covers everything from Ron Paul’s position on the major issues to videos and recordings of his major appearances.

Looking at the foundation of the website, Meta Title tags are the same for all pages. Concerning the Meta Descriptions, they’re also identical across all the pages of the website, so the Search Engines choose their own descriptions to display with the Ron Paul listing. Not recommended, but it probably causes no real harm in this case.

Looking deeper, the site could use some fine tuning, adding Alt tag descriptions that contain more keywords would help; as well as adding unique Meta Descriptions for each page.

Links into the page are almost non-existent and I would recommend adding a number of related, quality inbound links to the site. It couldn’t hurt and would probably drive even more traffic to the website and/or Blog.

The site could also use some additional keyword research to help Ron Paul key in on the potential voters who are not familiar with him, and to present his message to more of them.

The Ron Paul interactive videos on top of the ‘Issues’ page are a great addition. It seems to me if more detail were added concerning Ron Paul’s stance on the issues, it would be a more valuable contribution to the site.

Although there are some obvious opportunities for improvement; given the website’s presentation, the information available, and ease of use, I give Ron Paul’s team very good marks in the SEO category.

Social Media Strategies

Ron Paul’s team’s approach to social media marketing has made him a Republican powerhouse. His campaign team understands social media and knows how to use it.

From photos and videos to networking, Ron Paul can be found across the Internet.

Most candidates’ teams have begun to use social media sites but most of them don’t seem to be very active on them. Ron Paul’s team excels

here because they are very active – they make continuous updates on his social media profiles all hours of the day.

Increasingly, as new generations enter the voting ranks, social media is becoming an indispensable part of successful political campaigns. The current generation of younger voters has grown up using the Internet as their primary means of communication. It’s second nature for them to use the Internet to gain and share information.

Currently on MySpace, Ron Paul shows over 273,000 friends, Facebook shows over 205,000, and YouTube has over 109,000 videos under his name.

On the Ron Paul Blog, links to submit posts to Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious and others are available. Also helpful, is the RSS feed button that’s displayed in the upper part of the left column. Having an RSS feed signup on the blog helps to promote the blog even further in the social media outlets.

When you look at the popularity of Ron Paul on the social media sites and compare the other candidates to him, he is definitely using the social networks more than other candidates to promote his grassroots efforts.

Blogging Strategies

Ron Paul has a very active Blog [http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates]. His team consistently posts new information and breaking news all hours of the day. The Ron Paul team knows they have a very active and captive audience on the blog and they actively cater to them.

There’s an RSS button to easily subscribe to blog updates and links to YouTube and other social media are scattered throughout the page to promote Blog entries.

Overall, Ron Paul’s campaign team has done an outstanding job developing and deploying a very effective Internet Marketing strategy.

Summary

Internet Marketing is quickly becoming an integral part of nearly every political campaign.

Increasingly, the Internet is becoming a news and recruiting source that is irreplaceable in major political campaigns.

Pressed for campaign funds, both Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul have used the Internet as a very cost effective way to get their message across to potential contributors and voters.

Without their efforts on the Internet, it could be argued that very few people would have ever heard of either candidate. While both candidates are underdogs, they probably would not even still be in the race without their well orchestrated Internet Marketing campaigns.

How much of Ron Paul’s or Mike Huckabee’s success is due to their Internet Marketing efforts? There’s no doubt Internet viewers looking for information concerning these candidates have had no problem finding it on the Internet.

The real question is how many potential voters will actually be affected by the Internet Marketing they come into contact with? Judging from over a Million visitors to Ron Paul’s website and the amount of contributors he’s been able to inspire, there can be no doubt many potential voters have been directly affected by the Internet Marketing strategy his team has deployed.

It’s now clear Political Internet Marketing is a very effective campaign tool and will continue to be an increasingly important part of successful political campaigns well into the future.

By Scott Porter

MarketBuilders

2008 All Rights Reserved

Ron Paul Page [http://www.ronpaul2008.com/]

About The Author

Scott Porter is President of MarketBuilders [http://www.search-engine-marketing-company.net/], a full service Internet Marketing firm. MarketBuilders uses targeted Internet advertising, top search results, sponsored advertising, Email marketing, Blogs, social media, Press Releases, copy writing, link building and optimized website design to provide businesses a significant competitive advantage on the Internet.

Scott Porter has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Marketing & Information Systems, and has over twenty years experience working with Fortune 100 firms to develop and promote marketing and information systems strategies.

by Scott Porter

Managing Partner

MarketBuilders

1. A Difficult Process

Finding good tennis instructors and tennis coaches is difficult. The vast majority are former college or high school players who look reasonably good hitting a ball, but have little actual teaching experience.

Indeed, they’ve seldom studied basic principles of education, read books about proper technique, taken courses in the basic principles of teaching progressions and tennis coaching, or attained certification by either the PTR (Pro Tennis Registry) or USPTA (US Pro Tennis Association).

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors their NTRP rating, if they are nationally certified (which association and level: low, medium, or high), whether they have ever been ranked highly in the USTA, the number of years they have been teaching professionally, the ages and levels of the students they have taught, the types of locations at which they have taught (year-round indoor centers vs. part-time outdoor summer camps), and which notable authors they have read.

And, while you’re talking to your potential Tennis Coaches, try to gain an understanding of their level of professionalism, dedication, level of maturity, type of personality (personable; gregarious), and their ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

2. Expect RAPID Results

You’re paying good money to take tennis lessons, and you’ve got a right to expect good results soon. If you have difficulty understanding your Tennis Teachers during your tennis lessons and have been progressing slowly, stop crossing your fingers hoping you’ll one day have a magical epiphany and suddenly improve.

Instead, demand results NOW while you’re on-court, and not at some later time. If your Tennis Teachers are truly worth their grain of salt, you’ll start improving with your very first tennis lesson, and will continue to improve with each successive tennis lesson.

A good Tennis Teacher is absolutely worth the price. A poor Tennis Teacher simply waists your time and money.

3. National Certification

While certification does not guarantee a GREAT Tennis Coach, it certainly guarantees a reasonable minimum level of expertise. It’s unfortunate, but the vast majority of Tennis Coaches are unable to measure up to this requirement.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors and Tennis Coaches if they are nationally certified, and to which level.

The PTR and the USPTA are the only two well-respected, USTA-sanctioned, certifying bodies in the USA, and both have been certifying Tennis Coaches for almost 35 years. They certify Tennis Instructors to essentially three ascending tennis coaching levels (low; medium; high).

Good Tennis Coaches always work and study hard to periodically retest and elevate their certification to the highest level.

4. NTRP Level

It’s simply impossible for a Tennis Teacher to teach you to do something he/she can not already do him/herself, regardless of what he/she might think or claim.

So, if a Tennis Teacher only has an NTRP of 4.0, he/she can not teach you to play at NTRP 4.5 or higher. If you happen to improve beyond your Tennis Teachers NTRP level, it is solely due to your own abilities, not your Tennis Teacher’s.

Always ask your potential Tennis Teachers their NTRP level. It is ill-advised to settle for a lower NTRP level for the sake of a lower price. You will only get what you paid for, with little or no lasting improvement. Instead, demand a high NTRP level to better assure yourself of more rapid improvement.

5. Ranking in the USTA

While a higher USTA (United States Tennis Association) player ranking is no guarantee of getting good tennis lessons, it certainly does help. Tennis Instructors who have never been ranked, or have never even competed for a USTA ranking, should be avoided.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors about their current and/or past rankings: The higher, the better.

6. Years and Kind of Experience

There’s no substitute for experience. But, tennis teaching experience can be gained in a variety of settings. These include year-round indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as outdoor summer-only institutions such as adult and junior camps, recreation department programs, and country clubs. The tennis teaching experience a Tennis Instructor gains at a summer kids’ camp is greatly inferior to that gained at a year-round club. This impacts directly on the quality of your tennis lessons.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors exactly where they have gained their experience.

7. Experience Teaching Different

Ages, Levels, and Groups: Different ages and levels require different approaches and techniques when it comes to tennis instruction.

If your potential Tennis Instructor has spent the bulk of his/her time teaching children, he/she will be hard-pressed to provide proper tennis instruction to you as an adult. The skills required to teach privately to a single person are very different and more demanding than teaching a group.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors how much time they have spent teaching people of your own age and level, as well as whether they have taught group and private lessons.

8. Expert Knowledge of Proper Technique

Knowledge is critical, and a great Tennis Instructor gains it only from the great effort he/she has made to educate himself/herself. He/she needs to have read a large quantity and variety of tennis instruction books, viewed a sufficient number of instructional videos, and attended many salient courses and workshops on proper stroke technique. There are no short-cuts.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructor how he/she has gained his/her knowledge.

9. Communication Ability

Regardless of the depth of your Tennis Coach’s knowledge of proper technique, this information is useless if he/she is unable to communicate it to you clearly and concisely.

When you speak with your potential Tennis Instructor, always listen to the manner in which he/she expresses him/herself. If you are unable to clearly understand him/her during your initial discovery process, chances are you will be just as bewildered while on court.

10. Personality

Although Personality is presented here last, it is by no means less important than the other considerations. Indeed, a personable, gregarious, punctual, reliable, mature professional who is also upbeat, encouraging, enthusiastic, and animated makes for a fun time on the court.

When you have your initial conversation to discuss tennis lessons, always remember to look for these inviting traits.

For more information, visit the Tennis Lessons Boston website at http://tennislessonsboston.tripod.com

Creative sensational from different parts of the world taking style, beauty and definition of fashion to its edge, promotional linchpin of a multibillion-dollar industry, I am talking about nothing else but Fashion Weeks. Fashion weeks are hallmarks of fashion industry to rollout the new season feel in fashion. They generally last up to a week allowing fashion designers, artists and fashion houses to display their latest collection. It hallmarks next seasons in things, that’s why it is very important for buyers, media, celebrities and entertainment industry who take that fashion among the general public.

The most famous fashion weeks are held at Fashion Mecca Paris, Milan, London and New York. Since the new millennium fashion weeks are held in different parts of the world to put the local fashion on the world map and making a packed fashion calendar throughout the year. A refreshing sense of national identity and pride has emerged from the achievements of fashion sector – something that was otherwise traditionally been restricted to feats of sporting prowess, adding that its benefits go well beyond the fashion world (Emling 2006).

Fashion weeks are held several months in advance giving chance to designers, media and buyers to preview the trend for the next season. Fashion weeks are bi-annual events; the fashion weeks conducted between January and March are called “fall fashion weeks” whereas the one conducted in September through November are called “Spring Fashion Weeks”. Some fashion weeks can be genre-specific, such as a Miami Fashion Week (Swimwear), Prêt-a-Porter (ready-to-wear) Fashion Week, Couture (one-of-a-kind designer original) Fashion Week, Palm Springs Fashion Week (Resort Collections) and Bridal Fashion Week.

History

Omission of fashion week history would be curious at this point of time. Let me throw some light on that. Edna Woodman Chase–former editor of Vogue organized “Fashion Fete,” in 1914 to benefit the war-relief effort which is often apocryphally called the first fashion show ever. By the 1920s, the fashion show had gone mainstream. Early shows were often more theatrical than those of today.

More

Fibre2Fashion.com – Leading B2B Portal and Marketplace of Global Textile, Apparel Fashion & Retail Industry Provides Fashion Jobs, Fashion Shows [http://www.fibre2fashion.com/tradefairs/fashion-show-fair.asp], Fashion Articles, News, Software Solutions, Market Watch, Used Machinery and much more

Are you pregnant and your regular clothes no longer seem to be a comfortable fit? Well, it is time to shop for affordable maternity clothes. It is a fact that most of us tuck away our maternity clothes post-delivery so it would be prudent to look for cheap maternity clothes.

Getting Affordable Maternity Clothes

Many pregnant women have resorted to using their partners shirts or borrow pregnancy clothes from friends and relatives. This may seem like a cost effective way of securing your clothes but perhaps you will be compromising on comfort as these clothes may not be the right size for you.

Clothes for pregnant women are designed for comfort and are stretchable, so it may not be a good idea to opt for plus-sized clothes too. Many talented women design and stitch their own clothes. Not all of us have the time or the talent to be like them. Women who have healthy pregnancy may perhaps enjoy shopping for clothes in the local malls and discount stores or at sales. If you look hard, you may find amazing clothes of good quality at affordable prices in a few select local stores.

The best place to look for affordable maternity clothes is online. Shopping online may be extremely convenient as you have so much variety in sizes, quality, colors and design. There are affordable maternity clothes designed for petite baby dolls to the amazing amazons! There are some lovely collections for working moms-to-be, trendy maternity clothes that make them look fashionable and attractive at affordable prices.

There are many online stores that offer maternity wear at a discount. Most of the stores claim that their collections can be worn after delivery too and that you need not put your maternity wear away. While selecting your maternity collection make sure that you get the right size as well as the kind of clothes that are easy to wash and maintain.

There are affordable maternity clothes such as stretch jeans for about $16, sun dresses for about $25, maternity and nursing top at under $8 etc. The clothes are durable and of good quality and it is recommended that you buy a few clothes at a time to ensure that they fit right. There are funny maternity clothes that are extremely easy on the pocket too for the more humorous amongst us. For those on a really tight budget, stretch jeans and a few tops, t-shirts and trendy shirts may be a great solution. Add a comfortable pair of maternity pajamas and perhaps a night gown and you are set for a comfy and enjoyable pregnancy. Do not hide your growing belly but flaunt it shamelessly! Shop for affordable maternity clothes and make your pregnancy even more enjoyable!

Online maternity clothing stores and even many offline stores have a wide range of affordable maternity clothes. With maternity clothes and more so cheap maternity clothes easily available, there is no need for you to wear makeshift pregnancy clothes during your pregnancy period. Rather enjoy your most beautiful period with funny maternity clothes and trendy maternity clothes. Your free online resource Pregnancy Clothes provides more information not just about options for maternity clothing but also answers all your questions related to pregnancy, breastfeeding and motherhood.

If you see fewer auto repair shops in your area then you are witnessing a trend that is spreading throughout the auto repair industry. The small independent auto repair shop is getting squeezed by both the dealers and the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of business.

The global problem is the auto repair and service market has been shrinking in the last ten or fifteen years. Technology has made cars much more reliable with fewer breakdowns, repairs and scheduled maintenances.

Many manufacturers offer some sort of 100,000 mile warranty meaning that the independent will get little chance to work on that car for the first 5-10 years it is owned.

As new car sales margins have gone down, VW, Chevrolet, Toyota and other manufacturers are looking to their service departments to make up the difference.

Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab have been adding other value added benefits such as a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are now being forced to give courtesy rides to customers in an effort to keep up with the dealers since customers now expect this service.

Furthermore dealers such as Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices comparable to independent repair shop prices.

But it’s not just competitive pricing that is worrying the independents.

The battle for skilled labor is also being won by the dealers: the dealers have always competed for skilled labor and now have become even more aggressive. With fewer young people entering the auto repair profession and opting instead for careers such as health and technology, the total talent pool of the top skilled auto technicians is shrinking.

Increasingly it is becoming harder for independents to hire and retain these highly skilled employees. As an automotive technician, would you rather work for Audi or Joe’s Garage?

The dealers are picking up the best ‘mechanics’ or as they are known today, ‘technicians.’ A top end dealer technician can make $100,000 a year with benefits while an independent shop owner would have to gross over a $1,000,000 a year to make that and still have to pay for their own benefits and social security.

Because of these economic realities many independent owners are now closing their shops and going to work for GM, Nissan and other dealers.

This puts the independent auto repair shop at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related problems.

Additionally, if a diagnosis is made and a part needs replacing the dealer will have it in stock, not only verifying the diagnosis but greatly speeding up the repair time and increasing customer satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Mercedes.

But it’s not just a skilled employee war. Techs cannot fix cars without information and there has been a long and ongoing dispute between the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic tools.

The manufacturers claim that their technical information is proprietary while the independents claim the information should be available to anyone that owns or fixes that make of car.

If the dealers wanted to they could stop all outside repairs on their vehicles but the problem is there are not enough dealerships to service all geographic areas, especially smaller towns and less populated areas. So the manufacturer/dealer gives out some information but not all, often charging the independent repair shops for this information.

Not only does the independent have to buy some parts from the dealer, but also some of the technical information as well. Big advantage Honda and Dodge.

Some independent owners simply watch their business steadily decline over the years as they go out of business. Younger independent owners are willing to work harder and for less financial reward hoping industry conditions will eventually improve.

In essence the independent auto repair industry has matured and is now in a decline. Some consolidation is going on but much of the repair work has either disappeared or is now being done by the dealers, auto repair chains or one person ‘backyard’ shops.

The opportunities are there for those that want to work hard but those opportunities are increasingly limited. In a declining market, only those independents that can develop new competitive strategies will survive and thrive.

As with all mature and declining markets there will be new opportunities for those owners that can adapt and make the changes. Those independent auto repair shop owners that don’t modernize, strategize and compete will go the way of the Edsel and Model T.

Jack Deal has worked in the auto industry for many years and is the owner of JD Deal Business Consulting, Monterey and Santa Cruz, CA. Related articles [http://www.jddeal.com] may be found at [http://www.jddeal.com/blog/strategy]

http://www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com

New product development and innovation is much more difficult and time consuming than most other business activities. Automotive rapid prototyping greatly enhances learning speed and reduces the risk of new automotive parts development.

Historically, the automotive industry has been using rapid prototyping as an important tool in the automotive parts design process. The extremely fast-paced automotive design cycles require an extremely fast prototyping system which can produce car parts fast and inexpensively.

The main objective of automotive prototyping is to learn quickly: how a new automotive product behaves in its natural working environment, before transferring the prototype to the production line. Many times, mistakes are learned only after a new automotive part is launched. This is the main explanation for poor automotive parts design, from product mismatch, poor engineering and function or finish, and overpriced production. In order to accelerate the learning curve, before these costly automotive prototyping mistakes are made, one must accelerate and facilitate feedback loops from tests in the lab and market trials.

Automotive Manufacturing Technologies

Working with an assortment of rapid prototyping equipment, automotive prototyping engineers utilize the most advanced 3D printers, in their quest for perfect form, function and utility. Working in advanced manufacturing centers, the automotive engineers use the technology to verify what they are doing, and, equally important, to save tremendous amounts of time, and money.

Automotive Rapid Prototyping Compresses Development Time

The advantages of 3D rapid prototyping model creation versus viewing a cad/cam model on a computer screen is palpable. Automotive parts engineers get together discuss the pros and cons of a rapidly produced automotive parts model and discuss the pros and cons of the design, as they pass it around, twisting and viewing the prototype, and decide if that is what they had in mind. This way, problems get solved up front, before going to the assembly line! Once determined that the automotive prototype design is a go, the model can then be sent to a die maker.

Automotive Prototyping and the Die Maker Process

The die maker cannot use model to make the die, but because they have it in their hand and can look at it and feel it, they can determine where the parting lines will be and exactly how much steel they will need to produce it. The timing of the die process is greatly compressed.

Examples of Automotive Rapid Prototyping Parts

· Engine castings and parts

· Car Engine parts

· Auto Mechanical parts

· Car Dashboards

· Car Handles and Knobs

· Auto Body Components

· Car Trim parts

Fail first Paradox in Automotive Rapid Prototyping

The automotive rapid prototyping paradox is to fail earlier rather than later. By failing earlier, the design engineers surprisingly succeed in accelerating the project; this greatly reduces development cost risk. By considering all automotive prototype failures as learning experiments, the engineer has much less stress, knowing that they are practicing the old adage, that success comes from ninety-nine percent failure and introspection.

Dan Flower is a writer for Objet Geometries Ltd, an automotive prototyping 3D printer manufacturer.

If you dream about having a different career, but don’t act on that dream, you may be operating under the assumption of a career myth. In this article, I expose 10 myths, sayings you’ve heard before that simply are not true. Let’s explore them.

Career Myth #1: You can’t make a living doing something you really, truly love

This is the grand-daddy of career myths, the belief that you can’t have a “practical” career doing something that you were passionate about. It has to be one or the other.

This myth is rooted in fear. Fear that we have to sacrifice our happiness to make a living. Don’t buy the myth that you can’t earn a living by doing what you love.

When I first started coaching, I heard from plenty of people that it would be very difficult to make a living doing this work. I just decided to find coaches who were successful, and to learn from them (simple, eh?).

If you find yourself buying into this myth, consider this question – As you look back on your life, what will you regret more? Following your passion or following your fears?

Career Myth #2: It’s a tough job market/economy

Even when the newspapers and other news sources say that unemployment numbers remain steady, that job growth is at a standstill, or that we’re experiencing slow economic recovery, not to mention downsizing and outsourcing, don’t believe it.

It’s a myth because it doesn’t reflect the whole story, the fact that that it’s a different job market today. It’s a changing economy. How we transition from job-to-job is different. Hiring practices have shifted. So the job market has changed, but that doesn’t necessarily make it tougher. What makes it tougher is that we’ve been slower to change. We’ve held on to old practices and old behaviors. That’s not to say that old ways still don’t work, but they’re just not as effective.

So I challenge you to just believe that it’s a perfect job market for you to find work. I’ve had my college students try this, just for a week, and, more times than not, several of them find job leads or make important connections during the week.

Career Myth #3: Changing careers is risky

What’s riskier than leaving what you know to pursue the unknown? Changing careers means leaving behind a piece of your identity – your “I’m a lawyer” response to the “what-do-you-do?” question. It might mean admitting to yourself that you made a mistake with an initial career choice. Or it might mean acknowledging that you’re unsure of what’s next. And smart people always know what’s next, right?

Nope. Successful career changers often don’t have a plan. In Working Identity: How Successful Career Changers Turn Fantasy into Reality by Herminia Ibarra, she provided evidence that waiting until you have a plan is actually riskier than just doing and experimenting.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, is riskier than not changing careers if you’re longing to do so. Here’s why: The longing won’t go away. It will always be there, under the surface, waiting for you to do something about it.

Career Myth #4: Always have a back-up plan

Sometimes having a back-up plan is the smart and prudent course of action. Back-up plans are so grown-up and responsible. But what happens when you’re standing with one foot in and one foot out? In my experience, we usually close the door and retreat. We are reluctant to commit to ourselves, and we end up denying ourselves the satisfaction of playing full-out, getting dirty and sweaty. We end up with feelings of regret and the nagging “What if?” question.

Back-up plans diffuse our energy. Diffused energy equals diffused results. Give all that you’ve got to your dream/passion/risk and you’ve got a better chance of being successful.

Career Myth #5: There’s a perfect job out there for everyone

How long have you been searching for yours? You just know, deep inside, that there’s an ideal job that’s perfect for you out there. It matches your personality, skills, and interests to a tee. And it pays well. If only you could figure it out. If only you knew what it was.

Is there a perfect job out there for you? No. And here’s the good news – there are more jobs than you can imagine that would be “perfect” for you. Chances are you’ve even come very, very close to a few of those perfect jobs already. So what happened? And how do you recognize one of these so-called “perfect jobs”?

Ever see the perfect gift for someone, but it was months till his or her birthday? Then when you go to find the item later, you can’t. Another lost opportunity and you, once again, berate yourself for not buying it when you first saw it.

So maybe you’ve run into a perfect job in the past, but because of the timing, you passed by the opportunity. Or maybe you were so focused on something else, that you missed an obvious clue. Instead of dwelling on the past, which you can’t change, vow to keep your eyes open and to look beyond the obvious.

Career Myth #6: Asking “What’s the best thing for me to do?” is the right question

This is one of the most common questions asked when considering a career change or a career move. It seems like a logical analysis – weigh the pros and cons and evaluate the balance.

Do not ask yourself this question!! It rarely leads you to the answers you’re seeking. It will lead you to feeling overwhelmed with options (sound familiar?), or feeling like you have to choose what’s practical over what seems to be impractical.

The question that will lead you to answers is simple (but not easy!!) It is “What do I really want to do?” This is a very different question than “what’s best?”

Career Myth #7: If you don’t like your job, you’re probably in the wrong career

Cause and effect, right? One way to tell if you’re in the right career is whether or not you like your job. If you’re dissatisfied with your job, it’s probably a sign that you need to re-examine your whole career choice. This is frequently what I hear from new clients who have decided to work with a career coach. They know something isn’t right because they don’t like their jobs. Their natural assumption is that their dissatisfaction is a symptom of a larger underlying issue – their career choice.

This is an example of false logic. Not liking your job might be telling you you’re in the wrong job. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the wrong career. It doesn’t even mean you’re in the wrong job. You could just be working for the wrong person or the wrong company. It takes a skillful approach to discern the source of discontent, and I think it’s very hard to do it on your own (shameless plug for career coaches here!)

Career Myth #8: Everyone needs a mission statement

Do you know what your mission is? Mission statements are supposed to guide us, keep us on track, and help us move forward. But what if you don’t have one? Does that mean you’re destined to never fulfill your potential career-wise?

A client who was a successful professional contacted me because she was at a career crossroads. She felt that if only she could find her mission in life, she would know which career path to take.

She had a clear goal for coaching – find her mission! Instead, the most amazing thing happened. She decided that she didn’t need a mission. She chose to trust that she was already fulfilling her mission statement, even though she didn’t know what it was. After the client shifted her focus from finding her mission to living her life, an amazing opportunity came her way and she pursued it.

Here’s a little tip: If your mission statement is elusive, stop chasing it. Be still and let it find you. And in the meantime, keep living your life and see what happens.

Career Myth #9: Expect a career epiphany

When you see a link to “Find Your Dream Job,” do you immediately click on it to see what’s there? Do you look at every “Top Ten Career” list out there to see if anything catches your interest? Do you know your MBTI type? If you do, you might be falling prey to the career epiphany myth.

I’d love, love, love it if most of my clients had a career epiphany that indicated to them, in crystal-clear terms, their next step. Instead, I see career “unfoldings” or a journey of discovery much more regularly. That is, being willing to not ignore the obvious, the pokes, the prods, and listen carefully to the whisper within. Yep, forget harp music and angels, for most of us, the career epiphany is a quiet whisper.

Career Myth #10: Ignoring your career dissatisfaction will make it go away

Oh, if only this worked in the long run!! Granted, it does work at first. When you find yourself beginning to question your career, you’ll find it’s rather easy to push the thoughts aside and pretend they aren’t there. You know what I’m talking about: the “what ifs” and the list of regrets.

Over time, the random thoughts become nagging thoughts. You spend more and more time daydreaming about options. You build your list of reasons to ignore your growing career dissatisfaction:

• You’re too old.
• You don’t want to take a pay cut.
• You don’t want to go back to school.
• You missed your opportunity 5, 10, 15 years ago.

With clients in this situation, we work on identifying and challenging these fears. Sometimes the fear of change remains, but there becomes a greater commitment to living than to feeling the fear.

Challenge

So now that you know that one or all of these myths have been holding you back, what are you waiting for?

Stacey Lane, MS, CPCC, loves the challenges of working with bright and talented professionals who are struggling with their career direction and reaching their potential. Using an innovative four step process, Stacey specializes in helping clients develop smart career strategies. For more information, check out: http://www.staceylane.net

Better tennis technique and strokes can make the difference between being an average player and a great player. The keys to improve your tennis technique begin with understanding the fundamentals of world class tennis strokes.

There is not much difference between a 4.0 player than a 4.5 player, other than the 4.5 player usually has better tennis technique. Tennis technique can be described as the way a person swings or uses their body to hit the shot. The way to improve tennis technique is by having a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the technique. This will allow a player to add the proper technique into his or her repertoire.

Roger Federer’s Forehand is an example of a great shot. And when you watch Federer’s Forehand on TV, it’s astounding how he is able to create winner after winner with his forehand. This is due to none other than having proper and efficient tennis technique. So what do average players have to do to improve tennis technique?

First, watch the technique of the pros, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. Watch some slow motion videos of them playing tennis. Watch how Nadal’s forehand shapes into the powerful bomb at contact. Watch Maria Sharapova’s forehand and backhand and see how explosive and smooth it is.

Tennis Technique is one of the most important areas for any player wanting to improve. Note that all great players have proper technique and its no longer a mystery why they can produce the excellent shots they hit. So if you want to play better tennis, focus on developing tennis strokes that do not break down under pressure. Proficient tennis technique means having a stroke that is biomechanically efficient, adaptable to various conditions and explosive.

Proper forehand and backhand tennis strokes is a commonality shared by all high level players. At the pro level, most pros have flawless technique, and this allows them to hit great shots time and time again. For the recreational tennis player, they will need to spend time working on developing proper tennis technique. This may mean working on the fundamentals first and then solidifying them. With quality practice and hard work, a tennis player can be on the path to improving tennis strokes.

There are 3 areas of tennis technique and tactics to use that will allow a player to improve their tennis game:

First, positioning and preparation is vital. This is true for every stroke in tennis. On the groundstrokes, the forehand and backhand are the main areas to focus on. The forehand for example, should be initiated with a full body turn, rather than a backswing. On the backhand, the same principles apply. A backhand is not just a stroke but a dance routine in which you need to do the Twist. The backhand requires trunk mobility and if executed correctly, the ball comes off your tennis racket properly with the right pace.

The tennis technique on the forehand and backhand doesnt require great strength, just proper tennis technique that will provide the good results on every shot. Mastering the key elements of preparation on the groundstrokes will allow you to hit much better shots on a consistent basis which will make your opponent in trouble.

The second part of tennis technique is critical to reach a higher level of play. It’s important to utilize your whole body to hit every shot rather than just the arm. In order to develop a true weapon, learning to incorporate the entire body into every shot will maximize the power of every hit. Tennis is unlike the sports of squash or badminton. The entire body must be incorporated into the tennis stroke, and any excessive wrist flick will lose you the game.

Position and balance together with the correct tennis technique is key, as you learn the techniques of the game you can introduce new tactics. I like to follow a key rule, the start of the rule is important. This is to “return the ball in the court” and focus on making fewer unforced errors and then that’s your opponents problem. Eventually you can become smarter with more advanced technique and tactics.

The third area of tennis technique involves the tennis tactics. Tennis tactics are a essential part of the game of tennis. I like to think about tennis strategy as if I were a chess player. A good tennis tactic is to constantly make your opponent guessing and off balance, so he won’t know your next shot. This will keep your opponent off balance. Tennis tactics involve how will you play the next shot. Tactics such as where do you want your next shot to be in relation to where your opponent is on the court, are examples of what it will take to win the tennis match.

Watch Nadal or Roger Federer, they do not run across the court chasing each ball without a set purpose and without a sound understanding of tennis tactics. Their technique is flawless because they run the shot selection. This is also because they do the basics excellently which is something that players at all levels should strive to do.

With lots of purposeful practice on these areas of your game, attaining the proper strokes are about quality practice and repetition. Only perfect practice makes perfect, so be certain to practice with one hundred percent intensity on each and every session. By doing so, you will be practicing the correct methods and eventually removing your old habits on the court.

So get started on the right path to play from day one. Always make sure to practice with full intensity permitting you to obtain the correct techniques sooner and rid yourself of the incorrect methods. This applies to all aspects of the game.

Learning the right technique from a certified coach will be beneficial for your tennis game, as you will improve quicker and much easier without the same trial and error.

Coach Ed is a former nationally ranked player and coach. More instruction and tips are available at Optimum Tennis

Click here to learn how to improve your Tennis Technique

Decorating a childs room can be quite a stressful time and trying to keep to a budget can also be quite hard. You may also be slightly over whelmed by the massive choice of childrens furniture available online and from furniture stores.

The main tip to remember is to keep things simple. Some childrens furniture sets, childrens wardrobes, childrens beds can cost from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds for a childrens room set. The key thing to remember is to shop around and make sure you find a great deal and stick to a budget.

A childrens wardrobe is probably the most versatile piece of furniture you can buy. If you can find a decent sized childrens wardrobe at a good price they will last a long time, and will provide a good storage space as your child grows. The only real decision you would have to make is whether a single or double childrens wardrobe is best for your childs room. Obviously if you do not have the room space to have a double childrens wardrobe a single wardrobe is perfect. A single wardrobe usually consists of either a hanging rail, a top shelf and a storage draw at the bottom of the wardrobe. Or can be up to three shelves all the way up the height of the wardrobe, with a single draw at the bottom.

Trying to find a good childs bed is probably the hardest piece of furniture to get right. If you have a young child a cot bed is probably your best bet. A lot of childrens cot beds can be easily converted into a junior bed which when your child reaches that certain age, not only is this a good money saver but when you think about you are getting two beds for the price of one.

There are also many different types of beds available for slightly older children. There are animated beds such as car shaped beds brightly decorated to appeal to toddlers. Bunk beds are a great idea for children sharing a bedroom and it also saves tremendously on space. Another great feature of a childrens bunk bed is you choose a single bunk bed they come with a desk underneath which not only saves of space but some come with extra storage as well helping to keep you childs room tidy.

Another piece of childrens furniture to consider is a desk. As your child gets older whether they like it or not they will get home work so having a desk or a childrens table and chair set is a great idea for a childs bedroom. Enabling them to go somewhere quite to colour, play or do homework.

For younger children and one of the main pieces of childrens furniture in a room sets is a chest of draws with a baby changing facility located at the top, which is a removable top part of the chest of draws doubling up as a baby changer.

There are many different online stores that supply childrens bedroom furniture at some great prices. It can take time to plan and stick to a budget to find the best prices for that perfect piece of childrens furniture for your kids room.

We hope you have found this childrens furniture article useful. There are many different styles of childrens wardobes available, so we hope this has helped you to make a decision.