Choosing Our Parents. Good Places to Meet Excellent Men.

There's a Native American belief that before we are born, we choose our parents. It actually ties in pretty nicely with the reincarnation idea that we prearrange certain circumstances before each life so as to learn different lessons. Either way, our parents teach us so much more than they ever mean to. Through their choices, circumstances, faults, talents and ability to show their love and support, they mold us. If life is a rat race, then our folks determine what we come out of the starting blocks with.

The gifts they give us are so much more than biological.

Facts to achieve natural weight loss, attain fitness, and live a healthier life through proper nutri...

Yeah, there's the basics of whether or not you go through life as pretty, ugly, or just sort of plain looking. I don't have to tell you that physical looks, athletic abilities, and general health definitely effect how we go through life. Our parents can decide whether or not we're deformed or mentally challenged by deciding to create alcohol syndrome or drug addicted babies. And they genetically predispose us to various future challenges, like breast cancer or heart disease. Other than by taking care of our bodies with proper rest and nutrition while growing up, there isn't a whole lot that they can do about most of the physical characteristics they pass along to us.

Most of us are average, that's what average means. So most of us inherit average bodies with average talents and average health. So what does it matter who we choose as our parents?

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For proof, just look at the people who were raised by adopted parents or those who were raised in blended step-families. Their biology isn't really what comes to mind when we look at the gifts and challenges they received from their 'folks.'

Our parents - whether biological, adopted, or stepparents - determined what our environment would be while growing up. They chose our financial health, spiritual health, educational health, social health, and mental health. They may have consciously sat down and made the decisions and acted on them, or they may have paid no attention whatsoever to how those things would turn out. Many parents are themselves uneducated or unhealthy in some of these areas and don't even know that there were other choices to be made. It's not always intentional, what they chose. Either way, they made choices that determined all of those things for us.

It's really easy if we had blessed childhoods to give thanks to our parents for making wonderful choices on our behalf. If we believe in that theory that we choose our parents before birth, then we can nod and say, "Yep, I certainly did pick some winners! Sure am glad I picked those two as my parents. They supported me in everything I ever wanted to do and paid for my music lessons and never stopped loving me no matter what!"

But what if you were one of those kids whose childhood sucked? Was your dad an alcoholic? Was your mom the queen of guilt trips? Was your dad the overachiever who pressured you to carry on his legacy? Was your mother a gold digger hopping from one wealthy man to the next, never really paying attention to you? Were your folks ignorant and uneducated, not having a clue that you were a bored genius with nobody to talk to? Did they make choices constantly based on themselves instead of their children? Were they artists who got so carried away in the creative process that they'd forget you existed at times? Whatever the story, you get the idea. You may or may not love your folks, but you know that if you had it to do over again you certainly wouldn't have picked those two people to be in charge of your early years. The last thing you want to hear is that you might have chosen that upbringing for yourself.

Shift gears with me here, for just a minute. Look into yourself and tell me what you are most proud of. Is it your tenacity? Your ability to pick yourself up and carry on no matter what? Your moxie? Your incredible ability to read other people and know just how to reach out and help them? Your artistic ability to create music that sings to the soul of the lonely and uplift them for just a minute? Your incredible work ethic? Your own ability to really be present and in the moment with your own kids? Sit for a moment and look at the incredible strength and amazing traits that you created for yourself despite your parents.

If I had been the spoiled pampered princess I wanted to be, I would never be able to write for you today. It's because I come from a broken home that I know how important true loving connection is regardless of whether the original two parents are the ones raising you or not. It's because I was under the impression that I was abandoned that I found out how to be strong and independent and no longer clingy and needy. I wouldn't have the pride and self assurance that I can overcome anything life throws at me if I had always had the safety net of family to fall back on. Look into your own life. Would you be the amazing person you are today if you had been raised with a silver spoon and ideal parents?

Initially when we begin our healing process, we can identify what particular flavor of 'screwed up' we are and who's fault it is that we turned out that way. Continuing on the path of healing, we get to a place where we can forgive those who helped create the mess that we became. Finally, we come to realize what a blessing it was that we got to go through that particular journey and to learn those particular lessons and to gain those particular tools and gifts as a result. Then we can be grateful that we chose the parents we did.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

About The Author

Skye Thomas began writing books and articles with an everyday

Affirmations goal setting software - motivation & personal growth

practical approach to life in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, and parenting. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. Go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net to read more of her articles and to get a free preview of one of her books.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net

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Chihuahua Care Handbook - The Ultimate Chihuahua Guide

So, you're convinced that you have zero opportunities to meet men.

Are you stuck in an office all day with the same stiffs day in and day out? Have you tried singles' dances, only to leave feeling worse than when you went in? Did the last loser your aunt set you up with squash your Chihuahua when he screeched up the driveway?

Well, don't fret. I have some ideas for you. While advice columnists steer single women into churches to meet honest, loyal, and successful men, I wouldn't dream of it. Church is great for communing with God, but it never struck me as the best place to meet a man. People, including me, are on our best behavior at church. If you'd rather meet a man where he's more likely to be himself, here are my top three recommendations:

1. A bar, specifically during Monday Night Football. Football season is a great time to meet men who flock to taverns to watch the NFL. When I was single, I loved going to Monday Night Football (even though I didn't really understand the game) because the bar was filled with mostly single men, there was a free buffet, and the atmosphere was merry.

"Tired of boredom, routine, frustrations and quarrels invading your relationship? Marriage Prob...

Advice columnists usually tell women to stay out of bars if they want to meet suitable men, but I disagree. It's important to see how a man drinks, and how he behaves under the influence of alcohol. Does he get wasted and drive home? Or, does he have a couple of beers and switch to water before he leaves? Does he smack the bartender in the head when his team loses, or does he remain amiable? There are things you can learn in a bar about a man that you never will in church. Bring a friend with you and make having fun, not hooking up, your first priority. You may have to show up three weeks in a row before anybody shows interest in you (or, then again, maybe not). Keep in mind that different bars attract different types of people. If you don't like the crowd in one bar, try another place next time.

2. A class. I know, I know. You've heard this one before, but have you ever tried it? Let me tell you a story: My friend Brian's longtime girlfriend dropped him for another guy. After grieving for a while, he dusted himself off and signed up for a cooking class. See, Brian loves to cook, but he put off pursuing formal training while he was with What's-Her-Name. Once she was out of the picture, though, he decided to register for a course, figuring he'd meet many likeminded women there. Sure enough, he did. I advise you to write down a list of hobbies you'd like to explore and figure out which of them would also appeal to men. Then sign up for a class or join a club. See what happens.

3. Throw a party. While Brian did meet lots of women at the cooking class, he didn't fall in love with any of them. So he threw a party where he could show off his new skills. He wasn't picky about who he invited and told everybody to bring a friend or two. The result? A woman he'd never met showed up. They fell in love and have been married now for two years. But even if Brian hadn't met his future wife that night, hosting that party netted him plenty of invitations to others, providing opportunities to meet many more people. A caveat: When you plan your party, don't exclude married friends from the guest list. You don't want your big night to feel like a singles' mixer. Instead, invite couples and encourage them to bring a friend.

Remember, the trick to meeting new men is to break up your routine. Step one: Put down the remote. I assure you that the world is full of great single men like Brian who want to meet someone special, and for one of those men, that person is you. Seek and create new social situations. Act naturally. Smile. Whatever you do, don't keep twisting your neck like you're casing the place for a live one. Maintain eye contact with whomever you're talking to, whether it's a man or a woman. Having fun is key. When you're having fun, you'll attract men like a magnet.

About The Author

(c)Terry Hernon MacDonald. The author of the ebook "How to Attract and Marry the Man of Your Dreams," Terry Hernon MacDonald writes frequently about dating and relationships. After bumping her way through a series of disastrous dates and relationships, she learned how to attract a man who makes her happiness his first priority. They have been married for 12 years. Visit Terry's website at http://www.marrysmart.com

terry@marrysmart.com

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Urinary Incontinence: Overcoming an Often Overlooked Side-Effect of Childbirth or Menopause. The Importance Of Following And Maintaining A Diabetic Diet.

Childbirth and menopause are two phenomena that many women will face in their lives. Unfortunately, having children or going through menopause can create temporary or long-term issues with urinary incontinence. If you'

The Pelvic Pain Solution: A Whole New Approach To Pelvic Pain

ve had a baby, you've no doubt been told to do Kegel exercises, which strengthen the pubococcygeus muscles that form the pelvic floor between the legs. Toning these muscles helps to prevent the onset of incontinence; yet many women skip these exercises altogether or do them incorrectly.

Women going through menopause can experience urinary incontinence due to a lack of estrogen. Once a woman stops menstruating, her body ceases to make estrogen. Estrogen is, in part, responsible for keeping the lining of the bladder and urethra plump and healthy. A lack of estrogen can be responsible for a weakening of the bladder control muscles.

Pressure from coughing, sneezing, or lifting can push urine past the grips of a weakened muscle. Leakage of this type is known as stress incontinence. It is one of the most common types of bladder control problems experienced by older women. If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, you should not self-diagnose your problem. It is important to see a doctor first.

Your obstetrician-gynecologist or medical doctor should first perform a physical exam. Your doctor should be certain that your bladder empties properly, that you don't have a urinary tract infection (UTI) and that you know how to properly contract your pelvic floor or Kegel muscles.

After your doctor has determined that there is no physical deformity, complication or infection, you must next determine which course of action to take. There are three common ways to treat urinary incontinence:

-- learning behavioral techniques -- how to control the muscles of the bladder and the sphincter to prevent leakage.

-- taking medication to replace hormones, stop abnormal bladder muscle contractions or tighten sphincter muscles.

-- performing Kegel exercises to work the pelvic muscles.

In most cases, the most effective and beneficial course of action is to work the Kegel muscles back in to shape. But how is one to do that?

Over 50 years ago, Dr. Arnold Kegel discovered that by clenching and relaxing the muscles used to stop the flow of urine, the pelvic floor (or Kegel) muscles could be strengthened and rehabilitated. Because of this discovery, most people have heard of "Kegel exercises," but what most people do not know is that Dr. Kegel incorporated a device known as the "Kegel Perineometer" that was inserted into the vaginal cavity to measure the contractions and provide feedback to the patient. In this way, the patient was able to monitor the quality of the exercises and be certain that they were being done correctly.

Most women who just "do" kegels have minimal results due to the lack of feedback. There is nothing to tell them if they are doing the exercise properly. The most common problem associated with doing Kegel exercises without feedback is the accidental contraction of the abdominal muscles at the same time as the pelvic floor muscles. When this occurs the abdominal muscles (which are bigger and stronger) push down on the pelvic floor and can actually make the problem worse.

Since it's not likely that the typical family has a Kegel Perineometer lying around, what's a woman to do? Fortunately there is a safe, affordable solution that has been used successfully by over 100,000 women to strengthen their Kegel muscles in the privacy of their own homes.

This device is known as The Kegelmaster. The Kegelmaster is a small, hinged device that is gently slipped three inches into the vagina. Once done, a safety knob is loosened allowing the small spring (or springs) inside to open the hinged device a few degrees. The woman will then squeeze her kegel muscles causing the device to close. The Kegelmaster's two, flat internal surfaces close tightly against one another providing feedback to the user that the exercise has been done correctly and completely.

The Kegelmaster has four positions in which springs can be installed or moved. This allows the user to slowly increase the amount of resistance experienced during each exercise. Exercises can be completed in only a few minutes and results can be seen within a few days and improvement can continue over a few short months. No one should suffer needlessly from this embarrassing problem when a simple, affordable solution is so readily available.

Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (ccwebgroup.com/tips) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com, an

Michael Green's How To Corp - The Home Of Great Toolkits On The Net

online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), r+ alpha lipoic acid (R+ ALA), and Green Tea Extract.

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A diabetic diet is a specially designed eating plan that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. People with diabetes don't need to go out and purchase special foods to maintain a diabetic diet, they can eat the same foods as the whole family.

"Access Diabetes, the Vitamin and Mineral Connection, Diabetes type 2, sugar diabetes, diab...

A healthy diet based on the diabetes food pyramid is beneficial to diabetics and non-diabetics alike.

Making healthy food choices is not so hard. All it takes is a little bit of planning to include all your favorite foods. But first, you need to understand the basics of a diabetic diet.

A diabetes diet or meal plan should be based on the specially designed diabetic food pyramid. The diabetes food pyramid groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content and not on how they classify as a food. Foods are divided into six groups, with fats, oils and sweets on the very top (so eat less of these) and bread, cereals, pasta and rice on the bottom (so eat more of these).

Breads, cereals and the like are foods that are high in carbohydrates. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggests 6-11 servings per day. Sample servings are: 1 slice of bread; �½ cup dry cereal or 1/3 cup of rice or pasta.

Vegetables should also be eaten in plenty as they are naturally low in fat and a high in fibre, not to mention vitamins and minerals. The ADA suggests eating 3-5 servings per day. A sample serving is 1 cup of vegetables (raw) or �½ cup (cooked). Fruits are also recommended, so add about 2-4 servings, which translates to about 1 small fresh fruit or �½ cup canned fruit. Eat a little less of meat and beware of foods like potato chips, candy, cookies, which have high levels of sugar and fat.

Your fat and sugar intake should be limited. The ADA suggests keeping servings very small (sample serving size is �½ cup of ice cream or 2 small cookies) and to keep them for a special treat.

A quick Internet search for "Diabetes diet" or "Cooking for people with diabetes" brings up numerous dietary suggestions in the form of recipe books to buy and have at home or online diet recipes which you can print out and use. The ADA has a "Recipe of the Day" section with lots of great ideas targeted at those living with diabetes or friends of diabetics. As for books, the ADA recommends "Mr.

Easy Cooking Recipes

Food's Quick and Easy Diabetic Cooking" and Nancy S. Hughes's " Quick & Easy Low-Carb Cooking for People with Diabetes".

The right plan will help diabetics improve blood glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol and keep weight balanced. To complement your diet, add regular exercise to your lifestyle to help your body use glucose.

Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.diabetes-diet-resources.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

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Why I Started My Ezine. Multiple Income Streams: Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket.

Heart Attack Survivor: a field Guide

Why I started this E- Zine

Sit back, and travel with me.

I discovered my need to write and gather inspiring stories about baseball as I drove on route 80 in Northern New Jersey in February 2004. I started thinking about the movies I have seen and the stories I have read that I loved. Why did I like these stories? What was "My" definition of a great story? I was fixed on finding an answer. I started thinking about the movie "Field of Dreams", one of my all time favorites. Why did I like this corny movie so much? Was Field of Dreams a metaphor for living your field of dreams? Was creating a clearing done to allow the dreams to show up? In the movie they cleared away a crop of corn to build a baseball field. Do we need to clear away some of our own corn fields to see the dreams that capture our hearts and then create a path to reach those dreams? This movie has been an inspiration for me to pursue my baseball dreams.

Following my heart is what I love best about what I am doing.

Field of Dreams is the only movie I have seen in my adult life ( that's if you consider me an adult)that I have been to the movie theater more than once to see.

So I invite you to follow your passion. Whether you are "The Rookie" or "The Natural" what are your "Field of Dreams?" Where can your passion reverberate for you?

I feel so thankful that I have been able to capture my dream at this time. I hope you do as well.

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 40 years.

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You can enjoy his heartwarming stories, inspiring quotes and unusual statistics by joining his no cost ezine. http://www.baseballsprideandjoy.com/index.php?tag=start

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Multiple Income Streams:

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Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Imagine a small stream flowing in your direction, bringing to you some money. All you have to do is reach out and grab the money as it floats by. Imagine a number of these streams flowing together into a river, to bring you even more money. Now imagine a number of these rivers merging and opening the floodgates, unleashing all the financial wealth you have ever dreamed of possessing. That's the essence of multiple income streams.

How big can you compound your thinking?

Apply Multiple Income Streams to Your Life

There is a dilemma, a conundrum that is raised by this concept that everyone needs to resolve. What works for one person may be too challenging for another. The question remains: "Is it better to focus on only one activity and get to be an 'expert,' or should we spread ourselves in several directions?" No one answer is right for everyone.

Consider that "No one person, or investment, or activity, should ever make you or break you." If "all your eggs are in one basket," aren't you are at the mercy of the success of that venture or relationship?

Scattered focus seems to offer a possible solution.

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Two wealth-building concepts are clearly in opposition to each other: focus (The 80-20 rule / Pareto's Principle) and the power of momentum. Common sense suggests that your core business, your expertise, should be your primary focus most of the time. There will be lag times in your business, however, when things are seasonally slow, and perhaps your time will be better spent in another endeavor.

Understanding how "cycles" affect your business is one of the most important things you need to study. It defines cash flow, payroll, inventory, and a host of other factors. Become an expert on your business. Get it running smoothly, and put it on auto-pilot (stream number one). Then focus on beginning another business that can be built and run in the "off season" of your primary business (this is stream two). Once stream two is started, you are utilizing the concept of multiple streams of income. Continue as your talents, time and expertise will allow.

Like a good sports team, each income stream has their own role to play for the benefit of all.

Remember that one of these businesses should be a reliable income producer, essential for your financial survival. Other businesses you build, however, should have the potential to make you rich if that is your goal.

A word of caution: always keep your eye on your primary business; survival comes first unless you are an extreme risk taker!

Multiple Streams of Income is one of over 100 wealth-building strategies discussed on wizardzofwealth.com in our exclusive Wealth Notes format.

Building Your Wealth Consistently in Minutes a Day

If you like the idea of learning proven wealth-building strategies in less than 5 minutes per concept, start building wealth today!

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Online Business Success - Give It To Me Short And Sweet

Online Business Success - Give It To Me Short And Sweet

When an EMT is bringing a dying patient into the Emergency Room, the doctor that meets him might say "Give me the bullet". A euphemism for "we don't have time for small talk or a lot of questions, tell me everything I need to know and be quick about it". This article has to be short, so here comes the bullet.

My website will show you a very smart way to take some area of knowledge or interest you have and create a website that carefully targets the specific nuances of that subject that offer the greatest potential for profit. Further, it includes a means to very quickly and easily dump your knowledge into what I like to call an "online business creation tool" that cranks out a high traffic website with the absolute minimum of time and effort.

The method involves being very smart about how people use search engines, very smart about search engine optimization (designing a website to rank highly with search engines to increase traffic), very smart about other traffic strategies, and very smart about turning the resulting traffic into money in your bank account.

It also involves being very smart about gathering everything that goes into creating this kind of a business into one place, and hiding it's power and all of the technology needed to put it there from the end user -- you. So, all you have to know is your subject (it can be absolutely anything that people search for on the internet), and you need to know precisely zero about the huge pile of technology that is needed to make a business on the Net succeed.

I'm a retired Software Engineer. I know internet technology inside and out, and like a welder who stands before a remarkable skyscraper and truly appreciates the steel that makes it stand there, I am awed by how this method simplifies the process of building a website, tweaking it to within an inch of it's life to get the most out of the search engines, doing all the right things to get it noticed and ranking high in the search engines, and setting up the necessary "monetization" strategies to pull in money with that traffic.

Before I came accross this method, I started three different online ventures, and all of them failed. Not for any technical reason, but simply because I didn't do the right things from a business standpoint to rake in the money. I had fancy pages that used CGI scripts and php and server side includes and the whole works...and none of it brought in any money.

Now though, I use this fabulous gadget called SiteSell to create my web businesses, and sit back and marvel at all the great stuff that I know is going on behind the curtain. Does it bother me not to be writing HTML code and hooking it to an SQL database and on and on...nope, I have another non-profit website for that sort of fun. Will it bother you not to be wallowing around down in the depths of the internet technology that you are controlling from the easy chair...I doubt it, especially after the checks start coming.

Jeff Pritchard is a successful online entrepreneur with several successful websites. His most recent site shows you how to benefit from all of his online mistakes: Home Based Business Success

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Child Molesters; Edward, An All To Common Name. Acoustic Transducers and Fish Farming.

Child Molesters; Edward,

Protecting Church & Child: The Complete Child Abuse Prevention System

An All To Common Name

In the news lately have been horrific stories of Child Molesters who have stolen the innocence from children and in many cases killed them in cold blood. After doing some research on this, I noticed that one of the most common names for child molester criminals was Ed or Edward. Each time a child is abducted the night-time news follows the story, occasionally it is a happy ending, but all too often ends in tragedy. Can it be possible that some first names carry with them baggage from the childhood sand box? Psychological issues which lead to depression, sexual frustration and later impotency?

We know that certain names do affect one's personality and can even influence their career choices. Could it be possible it could lead a man to molest our children? Is it possible that this could be true? I did not believe it at first, yet as I began to study the name Ed or Edward with the vast numbers of child molesters, I was shocked indeed. What kind of a sick mind and weak individual would do that to a child. I cannot think of a worse example of a human being.

Here are a few examples of Child Molesters named Edward, really there are just too many to list. Even many who have middle names of Edward were found in the search. For instance; A homosexual child molester was arrested in New Mexico in December, 2001 for sexually abusing a 7-year-old boy. They also found child pornography in his home. His name; James "Edward" Sanders. We remember recently in CT where Edward Cardinal Egan got out of taking the witness stand about the catholic priests in the former Connecticut diocese. Actually one of the suits against the diocese included Edward Egan as a defendant. Some Child molesters work around children and find jobs, which allow them to be in close proximity to young children. Things like Mall Santa Clauses, photographers, music teachers, home improvement handy men or teachers.

Joseph "Edward" Latteri a school teacher, was found guilty of molesting his stepdaughter for over ten years. A Church Elder who taught classes; Edward Villegas, who was convicted for child abuse and molestation and later died in a California prison. Bishops Edward P. Cullen was named in another child molestation suit. Edward Stokes another convicted child molester serving a life sentence until he was freed and then guess what he did? Eric Edward Boice was convicted of child molestation and aggravated charges. Edward Fisher from South Carolina is also a convicted pedophile. Edward Lyle Knowles, Sr, was convicted of child molestation. Edward Lyle Knowles, Jr. was arrested and charged with rape and molestation. Donald Edward Cobern is a home improvement carpet cleaner and had three prior convictions involving sexual assaults against female children and uses his inside home cleaning and home improvement business to gain access to homes. This is typical of some of the hit and run tactics they use. Others as mentioned are in professions such a instructors of music, teachers, photographer and when their homes are searched after such incidents generally hundreds if not thousands of naked child porn is found.

Many times convicted child molesters will carefully disguise or find ways to keep from revealing their identities and create a low profile, while continuing their molesting and hunting of young children to molest. Those who have the name Edward; often alter between the name Ed or Edward and are careful to conceal themselves; it becomes so natural that often they will forget and do it within the same conversation. Why is it that names such as Edward and Ed seem to be so common amongst the most disgraceful and despicable examples of our species? One has to ask, there has to be something to this? Think about it.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Researchers

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are now studying acoustic transducers in fish farming. Think of this of an array of electric energy waves or a virtual electrified fence. In one study in the EU the researches attempted to corral salmon using a barrier made up of an infrasonic field with an electrical field. The younger salmon responded to the electric fence almost exclusively. Most of the two-winter salmon did as well. A few of the older salmon did go thru the barrier eventually but quite reluctantly.

The research has many

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uses for instance preventing sea life from going thru intakes of power station cooling waters, protecting beach goers from shark attack and of course corralling fish in a virtual net or fish farming. Using this technology underwater unmanned vehicles could go out in packs and turn on the barriers and bring fish into shore without taking risks as fishermen often do. Additionally we can fine-tune the waves to prevent Dolphins and non-desired fish to escape without getting caught in real nets. It appears that by varying the amount of energy in the acoustic transducers we can in fact even use this to catch a certain size fish. For instance pull the fish in with acoustic transducers to a net of a certain size, the smaller fish swim thru and the larger fish are caught. Meanwhile the largest of all fish or other species you did not intend to catch swim thru the electrified barrier with only a little irritation. Virtual fish net systems are currently under study, but the applications

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are so great that they will soon be in use to protect endangered species, prevent wrongful catching of non-desired or protected sea life and more efficient fishing methods including fish farming in virtual grids.

Perhaps such systems can be used on land as well to protect borders, prevent hitting deer on the highway and keeping bears from our National Park picnic tables? Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

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Have you ever felt paralyzed or crippled by fear? As a businesswoman, producer, and model through my various business ventures, I've felt fearful from time to time. And I'm sure that, like me, you've found that you can accomplish little when you're afraid -- and almost nothing if you let fear of what might happen seize you. Fear freezes the mind, erases possibilities and clouds opportunities; and it makes most matters we're fearful about seem disproportionately greater than our ability to deal with them.

However, I've learned that you and I have the ability to put fear in its rightful place -- a place where we don't have to stay. Yet sometimes situations we're frightened about have to get worse before things can get better. Sometimes not until something or someone hurts us and/or wounds us badly or deeply enough do we realize that we have to go beyond fear to make a change.

I remember vividly some of the most unpleasant challenges I've had to face to earn respect and defeat fear. In 1987, I moved from my homeland, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Vancouver, Canada, to continue high school for post-secondary education. I found myself a stranger there -- a funny looking "foreign" girl with a bad haircut and poor English skills. And soon, I became the prime target for the supposedly "cool" high school kids around me to antagonize. And believe me, they did their best to make my life miserable. I couldn't hide from them; they seemed to be everywhere, taunting me. They'd throw objects at me from behind my back; they'd push and trip me when I wasn't looking. They'd sabotage my every chance to be part of any extra school activity I wanted to pursue; they'd point at me and laugh, call me names, and torment me in countless other ways, too.

But because I was extremely unfamiliar with Canadian culture and lifestyles, and for fear that I might say or do something wrong, I decided I'd just tolerate the situation. Though I was already a competitive martial arts fighter in the process of earning my second black belt in Karate, (a sport I've been involved in since I was eight years old), I didn't feel that I should utilize those skills. Again, I feared I might provoke my tormentors further and possibly even incite them to extend harm to my family.

So during most of those high school years I allowed emotions like fear, loneliness, anxiety, anger and sadness to consume me. Yet eventually even those feelings, however negative, forced me to find courage to turn my situation in positive directions, and as a result I can now help others in similar circumstances to do the same.

I decided that every time my tormentors tried to start a fight with me, I would look each of them in the eyes and just calmly walk away. What worse could happen than that they'd push me, laugh and call me names? However, one afternoon, things did turn worse.

That afternoon I felt a couple of small objects hit the back of my head. As usual, bursts of laughter behind my back followed, and I continued on my way, refusing to even acknowledge this petty behavior. But this time I made no effort to keep my eyes on my tormentors as I walked away. Suddenly one of them decided to run up and strike me in the left eye. In an instant, I realized that she had crossed a boundary and endangered a vital organ of my body, and this I simply couldn't ignore. Before she could blink, with a crowd of students as my witnesses, I unleashed a kick that dropped her to the ground. Quickly, two of her friends leaped at me to defend her. Soon they, too, were picking themselves up, and then all three made a run for it, leaving me standing there. Now I began to feel the throbbing pain in my left eye -- and discovered that it was bleeding.

For many years, I'd tried to avoid confrontations with my tormentors. But that afternoon they'd made confrontation inevitable, and I had put fear aside and finally let them know who I truly was. Now I wondered what the consequences of my retaliation would be.

Shortly after the fight I was called into the principal's office. There I was told that the three girls who started the fight had been suspended from school. The other students who'd witnessed the encounter had reported the story of the attack and my self-defense. Luckily for me, they all supported my actions. I was free to return to class unpunished.

After that day, things took a clear turn for the better. My "tormentors" stopped harassing me; from then on they only looked away whenever I passed by them. When a new school year began, some of them left to attend different schools, though some of them remained at my school. Some of them even stopped being each other's friends -- and others decided to start greeting me with smiles. That year -- my last -- in high school, I finally was

Softball, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, and Golf Statistics

able to make some good friends, direct numerous extracurricular activities, coach the basketball and volleyball teams and even serve as captain of the cheerleading squad.

As my life has unfolded since then, throughout my varied career I've had many fortunate opportunities to assist diverse groups of women through some of their own challenging moments in life. Of course, through these experiences, I've broadened my own knowledge about career, socializing, love, relationships, family and much more. Along the way I've been able, in turn, to assist, inspire and empower a great number of women along their journeys in life, for which they've pointedly thanked me in one way or another. And whether they know it or not, their exercise of courage that made their lives better, plus their trust in me, have been all the thanks I've ever needed. They've truly inspired me to constantly grow, transform and become a better person.

A few years ago, while I was out of town, Lidiya, an assistant in one of the companies I founded, hired two new recruits to join our team. She formally introduced me to them when I returned from my trip. One recruit happened to be a chief "tormentor" of mine from high school.

She didn't recognize me until Lidiya introduced me by my first and last names. Then, my former tormentor's jaw dropped and her face froze. But I reached out and shook her hand and welcomed her to our team. Later, she approached me abashedly and tried to apologize for what had happened in the past. I told her not to worry; it was quite all right with me. To help her feel comfortable, I then took her out for lunch. When we got back to the office, I jokingly told her, "Get back to work now!" and we laughed together. Since then, she's become one of my most cherished workers.

Can you see how learning to make the best of every situation, including that painful one at school, has led me to discover something great -- that courage begins with character? Courage not only means being able to do something new, it also means being able to be someone new. The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy. I've come to learn that growing into a good, solid character requires rising to levels of self-esteem that so many of us doubt we have.

One way by which you can enhance your own self-esteem is to do as I did, and make it really clear to those around you who you truly are. When you know who you truly are, and act based on who you truly are, you'll realize, as I did back then in high school, that no one can harm you unless you choose to keep them around and allow them to trouble you.

Copyright © 2005 Penny Phang Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

Penny Phang is one of Canada's nominated Top 40 Under 40 business leaders, recognized for her commitment to provide strategic business services with inspiring enthusiasm, creativity, and elegance. She is also well known as the Producer for Playboy Special Editions for Western Canada. In addition, she remains involved in full-service business communications with her founded Simplex Communications Group, and continues to write for her monthly inspirational lifestyle column, Moments of Inspiration with Penny. Miss Phang's experiences are not limited to the business world. She holds two black belts in Karate and was a member of the West Coast Warriors National Karate Team. She's also a former Top 20 Special Editions Celebrity Model whose inspiring personality has been transformed into "Penny" the 3-D animated character for Electronic Arts' Def Jam Vendetta video game.

For more information go to: http://www.phangenterprises.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

! Broadcast Blaster - IP Sender, IP Advertising, IP Messenger, ip multicast, Broadcast, Windows Mes...

What's the point in spending hours preparing a newsletter, message or report if it's automatically filtered into the junk folder before the recipient even sees it?

Spam threatens to choke the communication channels promising global freedom of expression.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs), corporate server administrators and end users are increasingly using new anti-spam technology to try to stem the relentless tide of junk email flooding the Net.

The problem is: how can we prevent the dolphins from being caught along with the sharks?

The origin of &spam'

SPAM is a pink canned luncheon meat immortalised in Monty Python's spam-loving Vikings sketch.

In an Internet context, lowercase spam refers to unsolicited commercial or bulk email (such as get-rich-quick schemes, miracle cures, weight loss, Viagra, lotteries, loans, pornography and Nigerian sob stories) and allegedly originated in a MUD/MUSH community.

Of more practical use is the origin of the actual spam mail itself.

Where does all the junk come from?

In the mid-90s, Usenet newsgroups (also called "discussion groups" or "bulletin boards") were the number one source of email addresses for spammers.

Today, the most common origin is web pages, especially if they're listed in a search engine or directory.

Some people have tried foiling address-seeking spambots by inserting the word "UNSPAM" in capitals in the middle of all email addresses on their sites. This stops auto spammers working but enables human beings to work out what to do.

Spammers also harvest addresses from headers of messages you send to friends who forward them to their friends (a good reason for using BCC -- blind carbon copy rather than simple CC which displays all recipients - although some people filter out mail sent using BCC as many spammers also use it).

Other sources include open e-mail discussion lists and web pages that invite you to "insert your address here to be on a 'do not mail' list".

Spammers can simply guess addresses by generating lists of popular names and random words attached to common domains (bob@aol.com, john@hotmail.com).

Once on a spam list, the only way to get off is to change addresses.

If you reply or respond to instructions to "remove", your message will simply confirm your address is valid and you'll get even more junk.

Depending on your email client, you can try tracing junk back to its owner by contacting the server listed in the full message header information (the From address is generally fake - check your Help files to find out how to "reveal full headers").

How to stop spam

Despite legislation against unsolicited commercial email, the volume of junk is increasing alarmingly.

The simplistic oft-cited fix -- "just hit delete" -- is only a bandaid solution and fails to discourage the junk merchants.

Self-regulation and industry codes are difficult to enforce. ISPs face problems if they disconnect service to spammers under some countries' telecommunications laws.

Technical solutions have centred on filtering technology.

Types of filters

Many corporations and ISPs filter incoming mail on or after delivery.

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Server-side filtering software typically looks at the headers, subject line and/or contents of the message.

Some filters -- and their users -- are smarter than others.

SpamAssassin is an open-source, collaborative, community anti-spam effort based on filtering rules to analyse email content.

The software gives each message a score based on how many rules it breaks.

Any programmer can suggest rules for new releases of the software which spots, not blocks, spam.

ISPs and server administrators then decide whether to send suspect mail to junk folders, automatically delete mail tagged as spam, or bounce it back to sender.

Unfortunately for email publishers, some of the filter rules are too broad or the threshold is set too low.

Many innocent messages are being lumped in with the guilty.

One of my newsletter readers notified me that his ISP had tagged a recent issue as spam -

SPAM: -------------------- Start SpamAssassin results ----------------------
SPAM: This mail is probably spam. The original message has been altered
SPAM: so you can recognise or block similar unwanted mail in future.
SPAM: See http://spamassassin.org/tag/ for more details.
SPAM:
SPAM: Content analysis details: (13.2 hits, 6 required)
SPAM: Hit! (1.5 points) BODY: Asks you to click below
SPAM: Hit! (0.2 points) BODY: No such thing as a free lunch (1)
SPAM: Hit! (2.6 points) BODY: Instant Access button
SPAM: Hit! (3.5 points) URI: URL of page called "unsubscribe"
SPAM: Hit! (4.1 points) URI: 'remove' URL contains an email address
SPAM: Hit! (2.1 points) BODY: FONT Size +2 and up or 3 and up
SPAM: Hit! (0.0 points) BODY: Includes a URL link to send an email
SPAM: Hit! (-0.8 points) BODY: Image tag with an ID code to identify you
SPAM:
SPAM: -------------------- End of SpamAssassin results ---------------------

Even if you can identify the problems that raised your score, you can do little about it.

E-Newsletters That Work

Best practice in e-newsletter publishing -- and now law in many countries -- is to enable your readers to unsubscribe easily yet the word "unsubscribe" or similar would lead to your newsletter being blocked by filters such as SpamAssassin.

Just look at the seemingly innocuous words on the constantly changing list of tests SpamAssassin performs on mail messages to determine whether they're spam.

A growing number of email users also filter their own inboxes by setting up rules to delete messages containing certain keywords or punctuation (for instance, the phrase, "This is not spam", which is among the most commonly used phrase in junk email).

Some desktop applications, such as MailShield and MailWasher, pre-set the rules and tag or delete mail without the user having to do anything.

Some client-side filters prioritise mail into different folders.

To ensure they receive wanted mail, email users can add favourite mailing lists to a "white" or "green" list so the mail ends up in a specific folder.

The problem with email filtering

Arbitrary

Spam Bully - Email spam filter for Outlook and Outlook Express.

and unpredictable email filtering, as with web content filtering, can backfire and cost time, money and frustration -- the very things filters were designed to save.

Tracking down problems and dealing with aggravated users or administrators wastes resources that could be spent creating content, marketing and improving customer service.

Many filters can be imposed only after you have received unsolicited email from each source, meaning you have to respond manually to every single spammer.

Spammers regularly change their email addresses to bypass filters.

"Qualitative" filters can try to detect junk mail from unknown sources but legitimate mail can be inadvertently trashed in the process ("false positives") while some junk mail still gets through ("false negatives").

Filters are becoming a serious problem with many legitimate opt-in publishers being mistaken for spammers and blacklisted.

Once on a black list, the only way to be unblocked is to contact the ISP and ask to be placed on a white list.

While some e-newsletter publishing tools let you monitor how many messages are opened or bounced, you might never know which readers are being filtered unless you know which email program they're using.

Even then, the recipient might just be busy, uninterested, on leave or not receiving your message.

Some filter programs don't even notify you that your message was blocked while others bounce back mail with "sensitive" content without specifying the rejected words.

On another occasion my own free weekly e-newsletter was blocked on its way to at least two subscribers thanks to Trend SMEX Content Filter detecting "sensitive content" yet the "naughtiest" word I could find was "teenage".

Pity the poor medical publishers who often use "controversial" words such as "breast" or "penis" in their newsletters.

You might be able to track down the reason you were blocked by examining the full header information (ask your subscribers to forward the entire copy of your junked message).

The header should list filter rules that the message violated, if the ISP uses software such as SpamAssassin.

If not filtering, then what?

Some online publishers advocate web services where you submit your newsletters for screening of content or technical problems that might trigger spam filters before mailing.

Of course, spammers could also abuse such a service to get their own mail past the filters.

Others back the idea of an Internet-wide white list along the lines of web site privacy site TRUSTe.

Simple letters, direct mail, mail order, offline marketing

Spam-busting campaigners believe the only effective method of addressing the problem is through simple, direct legislation to:

• Ban the practice of transmitting unsolicited bulk email
• Ban the sale and marketing of spamming tools
• Provide a right of action and damages to the recipient
• Express damages in terms of penalty units
• Provide for damages to be trebled for wanton violations
• Cover offshore spamming by local interests, and
• Attach to the outgoing revenue stream of foreign interests, which spam locals for the benefit of the spammers' revenue stream.

Meanwhile, ashile the world waits for more countries to introduce tough anti-spam legislation, online publishers must continue to be vigilant.

How to avoid the junk folder

Choose the subject line and words in your emails carefully if you don't want to end up in the junk file.

More people are setting up their email programs to filter incoming mail automatically for classic junk mail keywords and symbols (eg "advertisement", "free", "rich", "porn", "lover,", "opt-in," "e-mail", "money-back guarantee", "teen", "sex", ! # or $, removal instructions, all capitals).

Drop all hype and advertising-speak from your subject lines and messages.

Apart from saving you from the filters, honest concise text is preferred by the impatient, overloaded online reader.

Online publishers wishing to avoid being trashed should send a welcome message to new subscribers or correspondents telling them how your messages will appear (eg "the newsletter will appear from yvette@brizcomm.com.au") and suggesting they add the address to the white or green list of their email program.

Set up test accounts with popular email providers such as AOL, Yahoo and HotMail to see if your messages are getting through.

Beware Microsoft Outlook's "junk e-mail filters" which, when turned on, colour or delete messages considered spam based on a filters.txt file.

I searched for the filters.txt file on my PC to see which words were no-gos and was surprised to see so many seemingly harmless words.

Use a professional list hosting service unless you can afford an experienced in-house support staff.

E-newsletter publishing is becoming a highly specialised and complex field - don't risk your reputation to amateurs.

Ensure your list host monitors other clients to ensure they're publishing to only opt-in recipients -- if opt-out mailers, rental lists and spammers are blacklisted, you might be guilty by association.

Insist on detailed bounce reports for every issue you send out.

You should be able to see which names bounced and the exact reasons (eg "mailbox full", "address does not exist" or the frustrating "unknown").

Just because your bounce report says your mail was delivered, doesn't mean it did.

Many filters stop email after the "not-bounced" signal has been sent.

Monitor your open and clickthrough reports for unusual patterns.

Read all reader feedback, particularly if readers are having trouble subscribing or getting your mail.

Chances are they might have to ask (or scream at) their ISP or techies to add you to a white list.

(Of course, you need to publish quality content if you want your readers to jump up and down when they don't get it.)

Many permission-based publishers include their newsletter or trademark in square brackets in the subject line to avoid being filtered.

Other ethical publishers, including me, have resorted to disguising known filter trigger words by inserting unusual characters or deliberate typos -- for instance, using f^ee instead of free or sp*m instead of spam.

It's just a matter of time before the spammers work around these "tricks".

Bastardising or censoring our language to suit new communications technology would seem an extreme solution -- not to mention bitterly ironic -- but what's the alternative?

Useful links

Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email
http://www.cauce.org/

The Net Abuse FAQ
http://www.cybernothing.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq.html#2.1

How to show full header details for your email program -
http://www.uia.net/emailabuse.htm

Put junk mail in its place (tips on using Outlook) -
http://www.microsoft.com/Office/using/column01.asp

Tips on writing hype-free online content
http://www.brizcomm.com.au/

Yvette Nielsen speaks from hands-on experience as an online content creator, publisher, coach, consultant, trainer, and award-winning writer and sub-editor.

Yvette pioneered web writing training in Australia in 1998 and has inspired thousands of people through her workshops and presentations from London to LA, Sydney to Seoul.

She has reviewed web sites professionally for print, online and radio for since 1997. Her own e-newsletter and site - www.brizcomm.com.au - won the Smart Communities category in the 2002 Asia Pacific ICT Awards.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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Vary Your Writing Style and Win Readers. What Is VoIP and How Does It Work.

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First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs calls the first draft the 'dirty draft'. Jenny Crusie calls it the 'don't-look-down draft'. The most important thing is to get it written.

Then comes editing and polishing. Some writers love this stage: they can roll up their sleeves and start whipping that book into shape. Others are not so keen. They'd rather have a tooth extracted than sit down and write another word. Unfortunately, a 'dirty draft' is the equivalent of a tooth with a cavity - it needs fixing or it will cause a lot of pain!

There are any number of things you should be looking for when you're editing. If we tried to cover them all here, this would be a book and not a tipsheet. So we'll limit ourselves to four, all of which come under the heading of "Variety".

Vary Your Sentence Beginnings

This is particularly important when you are using the first person. More than one writer has written a desperate note on work sent in for me to critique, saying something like "I seem to be saying I, I, I all the time... but how can I avoid it when I'm writing in the first person?"

Yes, it can be a challenge. But once you learn the strategies for getting around this problem, you'll find yourself automatically making the necessary changes as you write.

An Example

I staggered into the bathroom, cursing the person who invented daylight saving. I needed sleep. Lots more sleep. I was aware, of course, that an hour wouldn't make much difference; not when I'd been up half the night. But what was the use of having an hour chopped off the morning? I wondered whether anybody actually did anything with that hour when it turned up again in the afternoon.

We have four sentences starting with "I" in the above example, and one "I'd". This might not look like a lot in this short sample - but if the frequency of the personal pronoun 'I' continued at this level, the reader would probably find it a bit tiresome.

It's easy to change. Look for (a) opportunities to simply drop the word "I" and (b) ways to restructure the sentence so it's not necessary. We'll rewrite the above:

I staggered into the bathroom, cursing the person who invented daylight saving. Oh, for more sleep. Lots more sleep. Okay, one hour wouldn't make much difference: not when I'd been up half the night. But what was the use of having an hour chopped off the morning? Did anybody actually do anything with that hour when it turned up again in the afternoon?

Easy. With a few simple changes, we've cut out three instances of the word "I". Much more acceptable! And by tapping directly into the viewpoint character's thoughts instead of saying "I wondered" and "I was aware", we're moving deeper into viewpoint, and therefore achieving more reader involvement.

Check carefully for your use of the personal pronoun in all your work. It's all too easy to start sentence after sentence with "She", "He", "I" or "They".

Vary Sentence Structure

Check your sentences to make sure they're not all following the same structure. You saw in the above example how easy it is to change things around so sentences don't all begin with the same word. It's just as simple to make sure they don't all have the same rhythm.

Example

"I don't want you to think I'm not sympathetic," he said, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Of course not," she replied, crashing the pan down in the sink.

"I do understand what you're saying," he went on, adopting that conciliatory tone she hated so much. "But I have needs too."

"Yes, I know that, Tim," she said through gritted teeth, blasting hot water into the dirty pan.

This is all getting a bit dull. There's a lot going on, but we're almost in a state of torpor because of the predictable rhythm. Throughout this passage, we have:

[direct speech] + [speech tag] + action or clarification.

Let's try a variation:

"I don't want you to think I'm not sympathetic." Tim leaned on the kitchen counter, idly clicking a pen.

Alana crashed the pan down into the sink. "Of course not."

"I do understand what you're saying. But I have needs too."

His voice had that conciliatory tone that made her want to slap him. "Yes, I know that, Tim." She wrenched on the tap and sent hot water blasting into the dirty pan.

We have (a) changed the placement of the dialogue; (b) eliminated several unnecessary speech tags and (c) relocated her reaction to his tone of voice to the paragraph containing her words, not his words. Small changes - but a big effect.

Vary Sentence Length

This sounds easy - but judging by the thousands of scenes I've critiqued, it's not as simple as it looks. The worst offenders are writers who like to construct long, flowing sentences with lots of commas, dashes, semi-colons and colons. These might have been de rigeur in Jane Austen's day, but most modern readers would doze off. Worse, they'd get lost. You risk the meaning being obscured by long, unnecessarily complex sentences. It's quite likely those long sentences would also be grammatically incorrect.

Example

Allow me to reconstruct the previous paragraph into one sentence to show you what I mean:

This sounds easy - but judging by the thousands of scenes I've critiqued, it's not as simple as it looks: the worst offenders being writers who like to construct long, flowing sentences with lots of commas, dashes, semi-colons, and colons... these might have been de rigeur in Jane Austen's day, but most modern readers would doze off - worse, they'd get lost: you risk the meaning being obscured by long, unnecessarily complex sentences (which are also likely to be grammatically incorrect).

Phew. I feel the need to take a long gulp of air after just typing that one.

Just as annoying are writers who like to write a succession of sentence fragments. Like this. One after the other. Like machine-gun fire. It drives readers nuts.

Sentence fragments, used sparingly, can be very effective. They do a good job of reflecting the fragmented nature of most people's thoughts. Overused, they arouse homicidal instincts in the reader. Be warned!

Bottom line: vary your sentence length. Avoid long, wordy sentences and use sentence fragments wisely. Most of the time, write grammatically correct sentences that are appropriate for the style and tone of your chosen genre.

Vary The "Voice" Of Your Characters

Here's a good writing exercise for you.

1. Jot down the names of four people you know with very different personalities.
2. Imagine each has had a bad experience with a sales assistant or a tradesman.
3. Now write a page in which each recounts their experience. Try to get the dialogue to reflect that person's personality without torturing words to reflect dropped aitches or dialect etc.
4. Read your work aloud. Does each person (character) sound like an individual?

In summary: when you edit your work, make sure that your characters don't use the same sentence patterns, the same slang or the same pet phrases.

(c) copyright Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Inspired2Write - Gateway

Introduction

The way we make phone calls is changing. In fact in many circumstances things have already changed. Take long distance calls for instance, many service providers are already using a technology called Voice Over IP or VOIP for short. If you have never heard of VOIP before, then the following article will change the way you think about how long distance phone calls are being made now, and about how all phone calls will be made in the future. Voice Over IP (VOIP) is a method for turning analogue audio signals into digital data that can be transferred over the internet.

You may be asking yourself how this is useful. Well think about it for a few seconds. If it is possible to turn analogue signals into digital data, then VOIP can turn a standard internet connection into a method for placing phone calls anywhere in the world virtually free, except for your internet service fee, enabling you to bypass the phone companies entirely.

Voice Over IP (VOIP) has the potential to completely revolutionise the way the worlds phone systems operate. There are many VOIP service providers that have been around for a while, and are growing steadily. Now the worlds leading telecommunications operators are waking up to the endless possibilities of this new technology, setting up VOIP calling centres around the world and promoting the sales of Voice Over IP phone systems.

Making a call

With VOIP phone systems it is possible to make a call in one of three ways:

ATA (gateway) - The simplest way to make a VOIP phone call is through the use of ATA's (analogue telephone adaptor) sometimes called gateways. These devices enable you to make use of your existing standard analogue phones. You simply plug your standard handset into the ATA (gateway) then connect the ATA to your computer or your internet connection, enabling you to make VOIP calls. An ATA takes the analogue signal from your standard phone and turns it into a digital signal that ready for transmission over the internet. Some ATA's (gateways) come with additional software that is loaded onto a host computer, enabling you to configure it for VOIP accurately.

IP Phones - These handsets look just like normal standard handsets. They have an RJ 45 Ethernet connector instead of the standard RJ 11 connectors. These phones have all the necessary software and hardware to handle VOIP calls already built in them. They connect directly to your router, providing a very fast and cost effective entry into the world of Voice Over IP.

Computer to computer - This is the easiest way to make use of the VOIP technology. There are many companies offering cost effective software that you can use for this type of VOIP. Usually the only charge you pay is the monthly one from your internet service provider, even for long distance calls. All you need is a microphone, speakers, a suitable sound card and a fast internet connection.

Chances are that you have already made a VOIP call without even realising it. The major phone companies already use VOIP to route thousands of long distance calls through a circuit switch and into an IP gateway. This is then received by a gateway at the other end and then routed to another local circuit switch. More and more companies are installing VOIP phone systems, and the technology will grow and grow until it finds its way into every business and household across the globe.

VoIP Features

Because with VOIP you can make calls from anywhere you have access to a broadband connection, users can take their IP phones or ATA's with them on trips and still have access to what is essentially their home phone.

Some people use a softphone to access their VOIP service. A softphone is a specially developed software application that loads the VOIP service onto your desktop computer or laptop. Some even have an interface on the screen that looks like a traditional phone. These softphone applications allow you to place VOIP calls from your laptop; anywhere in the world you have access to a broadband connection.

Most traditional phone companies charge you for extra features that are added to your account. With VOIP service providers these usually come as standard. Features such as:

1. Caller ID

2. Call Waiting

3. Call Transfer

4. Repeat Dialling

5. Return Call

6. Three-Way Dialling

Some VOIP service providers also offer advanced call filtering features. These additional features allow you to decide how calls to a specific number are handled by using caller ID information. They allow you to:

1. Forward the call to a particular number

2. Send the call directly to voicemail

3. Give the caller a busy signal

4. Play a "not-in-service" message

Many VOIP services also allow you to check your voicemail over the internet or attach messages to an e-mail that is sent to your computer or PDA. It's best to check with VOIP phone system suppliers and service operators exactly what features they offer as package and service prices vary greatly.

There are many other cost saving benefits that arise from a streamlined VOIP phone system network. For the network administrators, a VOIP phone system means they only have one network to maintain instead of two. The portability of the phone system is also greatly simplified. This is because most VOIP phone systems can be configured using a web interface, which can be managed by the network administrator. The MAC (move, add, change) process is made much easier, and you will not have to call your system/service provider for every MAC you carry out. All this means lower ongoing costs for your company.

Another cost saving for companies who implement a VOIP system is, because multiple offices, no matter where they are in the world are seamlessly connected, they can share many of the features VOIP can offer, such as:

1. One single receptionist

2. Auto attendant facilities

3. Voice mail system

Choosing a VOIP phone system

If you have decided that a VOIP phone system is the right step for your company, next you need to determine which of your existing telephone equipment you are able to keep. The potential cost savings that can be made through using any existing digital equipment are huge. Many digital phone systems can be IP enabled using minor hardware additions and software upgrades.

When shopping around for potential systems you need to be certain of the features they provide as standard and which are optional cost extras. You also need to be certain of exactly what is included with the system. Many suppliers claim to include everything you need, but standard components can vary from one company to the other. So you need to sure you are comparing equivalent systems when approaching potential suppliers.

You will also need to enquire about the compatibility of existing equipment. The technology used in many VOIP systems may affect the implementation of any existing telephone hardware.

You will also need to ensure that any devices such as fax machines, credit card processors, and security systems etc can be integrated into your new VOIP phone system. You should make any potential vendor aware of such devices so they can provide you with a suitable phone system for your requirements.

Finally, do not try to save money by buying used VOIP phone systems. Remember VOIP is a new technology, so even last years equipment is outdated. Also the installation cost will still apply whether the system is new or second hand, and the service costs may even be higher due to reliability issues. To put it simply it just isn't worth the hassle, the higher secondary costs will wipe out any potential saving.

Thanks for reading,

Jason

*********************************************************************************
Jason Morris is co-author of Business Phone Systems Direct. An established communications company, offering advice and implementation of high quality business phone systems.
*********************************************************************************

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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Oil Change Guys History; Part III. Write Possibilities.

Workplace Lunch Delivery Service

Studying the history of franchise companies is interesting is watching all the ways they grew and all the partnerships, vendors and mergers along the way. It is a myriad of deals and team building, which makes it all possible. Continuing Part III of the saga:

Mr. Winslow offered to buy an Oil Change Company out of Tampa Florida, a franchise system, with only three franchisees, one of which was in a market we also serviced with our Car Wash Guys Franchise in Jacksonville, FL. The Jacksonville franchisee of the Mister Mobile On-site Oil Change Company was not doing so hot and we knew we could fix that, since we had tons of contacts there and were already kicking the crap out of our competition FleetWash in Gainesville, Tallahassee and Jacksonville. We figured we could buy the company, hire back the founder in Tampa for training and fix the customer base issue in Jacksonville.

Unfortunately the founder of that company Mister Mobile On-site Oil Company, Dave Hendelson, did not want to work anymore and wanted to retire and coming to terms on the price of the franchise system was another issue. Meanwhile we learned that the Owner of the Tampa Franchise On-Site Oil Change was a former franchisee who never paid royalties and the former Franchisor who went out of business was suing him for stealing the proprietary rights of the system. So defending that lawsuit would have to be figured into the price as well as taking over many leased vehicles which were financed by sleazy leasing companies and had left the owner upside down in payment to value ratios. A prefect scenario ruined by litigation and bad fiscal policy. Mr. Winslow was getting a little upset at this point as many of the current franchisees of Car Wash Guys, www.carwashguys.com were asking to add on these services.

Lance was determined not to give up knowing the market potential and also studying the needs of future Hydrogen Cell and Electric Hybrid Cars, which would be needing other services such as special filters, capacitors and carbon tipped injector nozzles, which are wearable parts too. Knowing this Lance contacted Oil Butler for a possible acquisition only to find out that they knew what their company was worth and would only be interested in the case of a large sum proposal. They were right not to want to sell as they were doing quite well in that market indeed.

In fact as he learned more, Mr. Winslow became more excited at the potential and lack of organized competition. Many of the original Oil Butler Franchisees had gone out of business. Which was typical of low cost franchises were the buyers did not take the businesses as seriously due to the small investment. Such issues were prevalent during the high-flying 90's with other companies such as Decorating Den. But Oil Butler had an extremely good program. Oil Butler had a good deal for a franchisee who wanted to save a little money and get into their own business, with dedication it works. Oil Butler is such a low cost franchise it is a very low risk opportunity for many people and we actually recommend it for those who cannot afford our franchise.

Lance then contacted Location Lube who offered to customize their units to Oil Change Guys Corporate Yellow and put on our insignia. Also with this deal they would guarantee financing and training all for about 30% mark-up. However Mr. Winslow was concerned because Location Lube had their own brand and any innovations such as patented oil additives, customization or marketing techniques would be given to all the Location Lube "Biz Op" customers and thus fall into competitors hands. Lance was also worried that the Location Lube website had earnings claims on it that could not be substantiated and therefore for a franchise company it might be considered a violation of FTC laws, and by that time Mr. Winslow had, had just about enough BS from that agency. Location Lube did not have to follow franchise law as they were a Business Opportunity and under a different set of laws entirely.

Lettings-landlords.co.uk - the perfect partner for landlords looking to let their property safely an...

Still looking for the perfect partner and determined to either find them or build his own franchise system to co-brand with Mr. Winslow's current one, he scheduled a meeting near the Dallas Airport in Irving Texas with George of Mobile Pitstop. Mobile Pitstop seemed to have everything Lance needed to fulfill his vision and help the synergies of the market by bundling all the mobile auto and fleet services into one giant and un beatable team. Unfortunately when George came to meet Lance, George's first comment offended Lance's wife. Mr. Winslow was willing to over look the comment provided George could deliver. During the meeting Lance got the feeling that the oil additive "Oil Extreme" was not only over priced but was typically sold the same way Rockefeller's dad sold his snake oil and during the entire meeting Lance could not get out of his head the comment George made as it was demeaning to all women. Lance kept thinking back to the Rockefeller Biography and Rockefeller's dad who kept two wives. To top it all off George refused to discuss the possibilities of The Oil Change Guys using anything but Oil Extreme, which costs nearly triple the price of any oil on the market and in many case five times the amount. Understanding the consumer, Mr. Winslow realized that his franchisees would have little or no profit margin left if they only used Oil Extreme only, as some customers buy on price because oil changes are a necessity and not an impulse buy like his auto detailing franchise; The Detail Guys www.detailguys.com .

George, at the all you can eat rib place, during lunch, flipped through a picture book as if he was trying to sign Lance up as an Amway Distributor. Lance was getting quite upset with the situation having driven 1600 miles from the East Coast to meet George half way in Texas with only three hours of sleep before the meeting. Mr. Winslow had driven the trip non-stop and got a ticket in one of those notorious Texas Speed Traps. Two-thirds the way through lunch George said that the service vans had to have the checker board design with large logos of Oil Extreme and could not be yellow. Lance was so upset he swore at George pounded on the table and announced the negotiations over, took back all of his information, including a gift of an out of print 1945 book "The Golden Age" By J. Paul Getty and told George, I will see you in the market place. Mr. Winslow wants to crush his competition. Most franchisors have competitiveness amongst their biggest traits. To be continued. . .

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We dictate actions. We control destinies.

We can make two completely opposite people fall in love with each other, and we can create family feuds that can last for centuries.

We can make our heroine travel back in time to rescue her soulmate, and we can give the most villainous person the punishment she deserves.

We can take our characters to the most exotic places and give them their own adventures.

Simply put, we writers can create our own possibilities. In our world, nothing is impossible.

Try creating your own possibilities using the given prompts below.

There are 4 givens: theme, setting, character and key object. Randomly pick 1 from each and use these to start off your piece.

Themes: deception, irony, love lost, infidelity, rejection

Characters: chemist, divorced woman, doctor, teacher, singer

Key object: yellow bag, pen, knife, shoe, fuse box

Settings: space colony, gym, park, lab, retirement home

Here are a few examples using the above prompts:

• Write a story about love lost, with a doctor as the main character and a shoe as the key object. Set your story in a park.
• 
  
  The 4 Keys To Financial Freedom by David Pierpoint
  Write a story about infidelity, with a chemist as the main character and a pen as the key object. Set your story in a gym.
• Write a story about deception, with a singer as the main character and a yellow bag as the key object. Set your story in a space colony.
• Write a story about rejection, with a divorced woman as the main character, and a knife as the key object. Set your story in a retirement home.
• Write a story about irony, with a teacher as the main character and a fuse box as the key object.
  
  
  Florida Retirement Communities, Homes, Villages, and Condos
  Set your story in a lab.

Mix and match the themes, characters, key objects and settings. You can come up with more than 30 possibilities just using the ones already given.

Write stories... write your possibilities!

About The Author

Copyright © 2003-2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Shery is the creator of WriteSparks! - a software that generates over *10 million* Story Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for free - http://writesparks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

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