Great places to snowboard in colorado

The life of a snowboarder can be hard. While boarding is becoming much more popular in the US, boarders still don’t get a lot of love from skiers. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the best places to snowboard. If you know the best places, you’ll not only be able to find the best slopes and terrain parks for boarding, you’ll also be able to find a place great atmosphere where you’re not the only one who enjoys snowboarding. There are many places where you can have a great time boarding, but two of the best are in Colorado. They boast not only great runs, but great atmosphere as well.

If you’re looking for a great place to snowboard, the first place you want to check out is Breckenridge. They’ve got 146 runs with a good mix of beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert levels. If you’re less about going down the mountain and more about doing tricks, they also have three terrain parks. One of the terrain parks, Freeway Superpark, hosts several competitions every year and is widely considered the best terrain park in Colorado and even North America. If you’re not quite ready for that kind of park yet, they also have a terrain park built specifically for beginners to learn their moves. And if you get bored of the mountains at Breckenridge, you can catch a free shuttle over to neighboring Keystone for some night skiing and snowboarding (and the tickets are interchangeable). If this isn’t enough for you, the town has a great atmosphere as well. The resort area is the largest historic district in the state of Colorado. It boasts tons of shops, a variety of great restaurants, oxygen bars, and you can take free shuttles from town to each peak. If you’re into the night-life, Breckenridge has several clubs and bars to suit all the late-night partiers. If you’re with people who are into something besides going down the mountain, there is also snowmobiling, ice skating, dog sled tours, hiking trails, and a whole lot more. If you’re looking for a great all-around resort, Breckenridge is the place to go.

If you’re just learning to snowboard, Vail is a great resort to check out. Besides the fact that Vail is widely considered to be the best ski resort in the US (and the biggest), it’s also got great accommodations for those who are just starting out; including a school with over 800 instructors (including those fluent in different languages) and tons of beginner runs. This way you won’t get by doing the same thing over and over while you’re learning. They also boast one of the largest terrain parks for those looking to work on their tricks. Vail is also not a bad place to go for those of you who are a little more experienced on the slopes. They have so many different runs of all levels; snowboards of all levels of experience are bound to keep busy the whole time they’re there. And when you’re taking a break from boarding, you can take one of the free shuttles into town where you can fine over 250 shops and 100 restaurants and bars. In a resort like Vail, you’re sure to never get bored.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your board and head off to one of these great resorts!

Interesting old dog tricks for dog owners looking for fun laughter

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The teaching and training of dog tricks while not a necessary part of a dog’s education, is an achievement that offer dog owners and his friends a great deal of amusement and adds materially to the value of a dog.

Training your dog tricks can be difficult and frustrating if you cannot achieve the results you want. However, unlike house and potty training which are vital education for any dog, I feel that the end-results is not the most significant element in trick training, to me the most important part is that both of you enjoy the training process and have fun along the way.

Listed in this article are 3 interesting dog tricks that you can teach your dog:

Dead Dog
Place a dog on his back or side or in any position you may select, threaten him with your forefinger and say “dead” or any word that you may select to associate with this trick, use both hands to help him stay in that position when you first begin training. Praise him and offer treats if he can stay in position.

With regular practice, he should be able to stay in the position in which you have placed him, it is only a question of practice when you can call to him and say “dead,” and he will lie down and stretch out in the position that you have accustomed him to taking.

Sneezing
With careful and patient training, most dogs can be taught to sneeze. This is accomplished by tickling the nose - with a feather. At first he will snap at it, and under normal circumstances, most dogs will start to sneeze; he will not like the feather very well and in course of time his imagination will foreshadow its effects and he will begin to sneeze as soon as it is pointed in close proximity to his nose. When he sneezes, use a command like “Sneeze”, to associate with this trick. As usual, praise and treat when he gets it right.

By repeating this operation at odd times the dog can be taught to sneeze very creditably when you point your finger at his nose and give him the word “Sneeze,” and finally will do so simply at command.

This trick can be fun and entertaining but not easily achievable especially with dominant dogs. If your dog get irritated and turn aggressive toward you when you tickle his nose, you should stop training immediately.

Bringing His Tail
During play, dogs frequently grasp their tails in their mouths. If you haven’t notice, if you take hold of your dog tail while playing with him, he will probably seize your hand, but if you skillfully slip his tail in his mouth he will grab it – Interesting!

These facts suggested the trick of “Bringing his tail.” It is a rather difficult feat to accomplish, but it is possible for any amateur to teach it to his dog providing the dog has a long enough tail and the trainer sufficient patience - Sorry to dog owners with short tails!

Anyway, this trick is very amusing, for when the dog has his tail in his mouth he can only advance crab-fashion or sideways, with a tendency to go around in a circle without making much advance.

The first step in teaching this trick is to praise the dog when he first gets his tail in his mouth, and after he has held it for a few moments bid him to let go and reward him.

Should he give up his hold before you order him to do so, speak sharply to him and begin all over again. When he learns to hold his tail until ordered to relinquish it the first part of the trick has been taught, and you can begin to teach him to bring it to you. To do this, step back a few feet from the dog in the direction he can most easily advance, and call him.

If he releases his hold of his tail to come to you, ignore him and replace the tail in his mouth again, but when he comes without letting go he should be rewarded gradually increase the distance you require him to carry his tail, but this task is so difficult that he should not be asked to go more than ten or twelve feet.

In beginning the trick, when you place his tail in his mouth say “Bring me your tail,” so as to accustom him to the command. In time you will not have to place his tail in his mouth, but merely hold it for him to grasp, and after still further practice he will seize it at the word without your assisting him.

Enjoy training your dog new tricks, and most importantly enjoy the process and have a great deal of fun and laughter!

Children s birthday parties - a timeline for a great event

Having the best children's birthday party shouldn't be a stressful thing. Follow the timeline below and your child and you will be the hit of the neighborhood.

About a month before your party you'll want to:

Talk with your child and choose a party theme and/or decide what your “entertainment” will be for the party. This will help you determine your party budget as well.

Create the guest list. Don't forget to include friends from school, the neighborhood as well as relatives and more distant friends.

Choose a party date and time. Most children's birthday parties are generally one to two hours long.

Order the general party supplies: tablecloth, tableware, decorations, etc.

Think about games. Keep the ages and personalities of the children as you plan your activities. And sometimes shorter and simpler parties with one fun activity are best and least stressful.

Two weeks prior to the party make sure you:

Decide on your menu. Are you just having cake and ice cream? Is the party at a mealtime and do you need to order pizzas or are you cooking yourself, etc.?

Mail the invitations. You will probably need to call everyone that doesn’t RSVP. People will forget and will appreciate the reminder call

Ask for help. If you think you might need some help for party day, ask a couple of the moms of the kids who are invited to stay and help. Most people would love to, you just need to ask.

One week before party day you should:

Bake your cake and freeze it. Knowing the cake is done will be such a stress reliever on the big day!

Prepare and freeze any other foods that can be made in advance.

Get an exact guest count. Call any guests who have not responded.

Two days before the party don't forget to:

Get any last minute food items and don't forget candles, matches and FILM!

Check your batteries in your camera and video recorder.

Purchase a small helium tank from your local party or craft store. It's a great thing to keep your children busy the morning of the party too!

Make up a party timeline for the party day so you don't forget anything.

One day before the party remember to:

Take out food and cake from the freezer.

Do any decorating that you can do in advance

Finish any food preparation that can be done ahead of time.

On the morning of the party day make sure to:

Fill your balloons with helium.

Prepare any foods and beverages that could not be made ahead of time.

Write out your timeline for the day so you don’t forget anything.

You don't want to miss out on the memories you'll have with the pictures, so ask a relative or trusted friend to be responsible for the picture taking.

Relax and enjoy this great day. And then get ready for next year!

Private label bottled water and school fund raising

Like most organizations, schools in the United States are subject to constant budget stress. Important athletic and scholastic programs are subject to budget cuts as demographics change and taxpayers become increasingly budget aware.

As a result, schools include fund raising resources in their planning for programs.

Education should rank high on the list of tax payer funding. With exception of defense, it is hard to imagine a governmental effort that is more important to our country than good education.

Education and schools focus on our future leaders and it is in the schools where lessons in character are coupled with the development of skills required for success in a modern society.

Fund Raising and Healthy Products

Schools, both public and private, have turned to fund raising to help fund sporting and educational events. Where large number of people have gathered, schools, through sports teams, booster clubs and scholastic societies have raised funds by selling products for a profit at events or by using team members to sell products to friends and family..

Historically a number of products were sold that generated revenue and these were mainly food products like carbonated soft drinks, cookies, pizza and candy. As a group these products were not considered healthy by many.

Recently, for example, an agreement was finalized to discontinue the sale of carbonated soft drinks in schools and this is a landmark effort to help reduce obesity and create a healthy lifestyle for students.

Many schools are now exploring fund raising with healthier products. As a result private label water is becoming increasingly popular as a healthy alternative method to raise funds.

Private Label Drinking Water

Private label drinking water is an effective and healthy way to raise funds for a number of reasons:

• If the water is purified, it represents a wholesome addition to a healthy lifestyle.

• Creation of a private label is an effective form of advertising that adds value to the water and the event. This additional value is reflected in a higher price, greater revenue and more profit.

• Private label water is consumable advertising that is often carried from the event and serves as a reminder to participants and others.

• The label design offers flexibility that allows schedules and scores to be listed and updated.

• Private label water is ideal for outdoor events and is very cost effective. The cost decreases as volume increases.

• Private label water can easily establish a brand identity for the school or team.

• The design of one label can be used for many school events.

Two Avenues of Fund Raising

Private label water is a versatile tool for fund raising. It can be sold directly at school events and players and participants can resell private label water to friends and family to raise revenue. Either avenue is an effective fund raising device.

Both avenues are available to schools most of the calendar year and provide consistent fund raising opportunities.

Student Participation

Students are both the beneficiaries and the key assets of fundraising. They can control the quality of their own athletic and scholastic programs by actively participating in the event and friends and family fund raising activities. Gaining a student “buy in” for programs will guarantee success.

What to Look for in a Private Label Water Supplier

There are a number of private label water suppliers but they vary widely in the quality of their product offerings. There are three areas to investigate when choosing a supplier:

Quality of Water

Events with a large number of participants require proper hydration with water of the highest quality. High quality water in terms of health and taste is also critical for the acceptance of the theme and event message. If the water is low quality or tastes bad then the message will fail.

The best quality water on the market today is purified using a distillation/ filtration/ oxygenation process that removes all impurities, including all bacteria, and creates a light, refreshing taste.

Quality of Label Design and Production

The label is the message part of the product and poor-quality labels send a poor-quality message. Production of a poor-quality label is a waste of money and adversely affects the message and theme.

It is very important to know that the vast majority (almost all) of the private label opportunities in this country come from water resellers (not bottlers) with desktop-model “thermal” (or “thermal wax”) printing devices with a quality level that cannot compare well to even consumer-grade inkjet printing devices widely available for less than $200 at your local electronics store.

These label printers are very cheap in both quality and cost, typically ranging from $10-20k depending on configuration, and are widely used throughout the private label water industry because of their low cost.

In sharp contrast, a quality label, i. e., one that looks like a top-shelf brand that you might find in your local gourmet grocery store, needs to be produced with professional-quality equipment using professional-grade printing equipment. There are three types of printing equipment that can produce a high-quality label.

1. Rotary offset lithography;

2. Flexography; and

3. High-quality digital presses.

For most smaller runs (under about 10,000 units), digital equipment offered by Heidelberg or HP is the most cost effective solution, but instead of $10-20k, the minimum equipment costs for these professional solutions range from $750k to $1.25M per station.

These facts are very important to understand when choosing a private label bottler — because those who sell low-quality labels would have you believe that nothing better is available because of the short runs required by private label customers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to succeed, your label must be professionally designed and produced with high-quality materials using a printing process that renders a high-quality result. Waterproof lamination is also required for long lasting labels. This is easily achieved for an affordable unit cost using the right equipment for the job.

Quality of Customer Service

The design and production of private labeled drinking water is complex and requires intense interaction between the customer and supplier. Communication and a culture of customer service excellence is a prerequisite to the creation of an effective theme message and a successful event. Without a significant commitment to customer service on the part of the supplier, the impact of the theme message will fail.

A supplier with a fully interactive e-commerce site is an ideal way to create a high quality label, modify the label to reflect event changes and to order more water as demand changes.

A supplier that is experienced in fund raising and is willing to commit management resources to support a school fund raising program is a definite asset to individual schools.

Choose a quality supplier to help develop and communicate your message and to create success for the school fundraising event.

The causes of obesity

With daily focus in America on weight, health and obesity, there is one question that gets ignored: what causes obesity?

There is no simple answer.

Basically, a person becomes obese when more calories are consumed than he or she can burn. This is called “calorie imbalance.” Beyond this simple definition, the factors that cause obesity are varied and many.

Calorie imbalance has many things that affect it. What causes this imbalance varies from one person to another. We also know obesity is more than just over-eating. Genetic, environmental, psychological, and other factors seem to play big roles in causing obesity.

Here are some factors that have been attributed to obesity:

1. Weight Gain During Certain Periods

A person commonly gains more weight during the following periods of life: between 12 and 18 months of age, between 12 and 16 years of age, adulthood when a person gains in excess of 60% of their ideal body weight and women, during pregnancy.

2. Genetic Factors

Heredity is linked to obesity. Studies of adopted children show that adopted children tend to have weights closer to their biological parents than to their adoptive parents.

3. Environmental Factors

Environment also strongly influences obesity. This includes lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and level of physical activity. The tendency to eat high-fat foods, to use labor saving devices coupled with a sedentary lifestyle are causes behind obesity.

4. Psychological Factors

Many people eat when they are stressed, bored or angry. Over time, the association between an emotion and food can become firmly fixed.

Depression and stress can also lead to obesity and are leading causes of eating disorders. Studies show most overweight people have no more psychological problems than people of average weight.

Most eating disorders can also be traced to behavioral or psychological difficulties. Up to 10 percent of people who are mildly obese and who try to lose weight on their own or through commercial weight loss programs have binge eating disorder. This disorder is even more common in people who are severely obese.

5. Age

Metabolism slows down with advancing age. As you get older you do not require as many calories to maintain your weight as you did when you were younger.

If you know about these factors you are in a better position to cope with the life cycles and manage your weight without getting into the problems of obesity.

All the best loans for you

Life is like one big roller coaster ride, with its highs and lows, leaving the human kind exhausted and definitely not looking for bumpy ups and downs. The main force driving the workforce and the economy is money, and there are no two minds about it. At any given point of time, every person, no matter where he is, is thinking about how to earn or make that extra, to meet his demand, and that of his families. Demand is equal to supply only in theoretical terms. The demand and supply of funds is never equal in anybody’s life. To fulfill this deficiency, loans are used or taken. A loan can be defined as the transfer of funds or monetary assets from the borrower to the lender. The opportunity cost of the lender for parting with the resource is termed as the interest. A loan can also be defined as a contract between two people, in which the borrower promises to repay the money taken form the lender along with the interest. Best loan has no fixed and regular definition. It can be explained in layman’s terms, as a loan in which both the parties to the loan contract are happy with the terms of the deal and have a feeling of security. Therefore, what may seem to be a best loan for a borrower “x” may not be a best loan for borrower “y”. Thus best loan varies form person to person and their needs.

Best loan can however be distinguished based of the following factors:

Rate of interest: the arte of interest should not be very high. There is a particular cut off rate of interest given by the apex governing body of the country and no lender is supposed to charge rates higher or lower then it. Hence rates are between the two boundary lines. A best loan will have a rate of interest which is closer to the lower boundary line. A borrower should shop for rate of interest thoroughly and get the best marginal rate that is easy on his pocket.

Processing time:

A best loan should take less time to get processed. Loans which have tons of formalities and consume a month’s time just to get processed are tiring. Once the documents are furnished by the borrower, the lending authorities should investigate, verify and process the loan fast, so that the borrower gets the money in time.

Terms of repayment:

A best loan should have terms of repayment which is easy on the borrower. If the amount to be repaid in every installment is hefty, the borrower will be stressed, and at some point of time or the other he will have to borrow more to settle of the repayment. Thus, when a borrower is judging a loan he should keep in mind the repayment amount, and compare it with his incoming money sources.

These are the basic points which the borrower should keep in mind, so that the loan he chooses gets him the best. Best loan can be shopped for easily, only that it requires a little bit of homework. It is best to compare the deals of many lenders and also read various schemes and programs offered by them. A lot of information can be got form the internet and it is extremely helpful. One can also find lenders on the net who give attractive loan offers. The borrower must know what he wants and place his priorities right. Lenders too offer a lot so that the borrower is satisfied with the loan.

Home insurance rate what to look for when shopping

Homeowner insurance premiums are on the rise. There was a time when the home policy was the best and least expensive of all the property and casualty insurances. The homeowner policy is under attack. There are many more exposures than ever before. Toxic mold has caused some real problems in some areas of the country and caused the premiums to rise dramatically. Some states exclude coverage for toxic mold entirely. Natural disasters have had an affect on rates. The recent barrage of hurricanes has caused supply shortages and these shortages increase the demand and the price for repairs. These expenses are passed on to the policyholders eventually.

The rates are calculated by insurance company fiduciaries. They look at the cost of claims and the cost of doing business and compare it to the company revenue to come up with your rate. You have no control over how the companies derive their rates. They have to get approval from their state insurance departments before setting rates or increases. They cannot arbitrarily come up with a figure.

What Can You Do?

1.Understand Your Policy – Make sure that you know what kind of policy that you have right now. If you are making your first purchase then you need to research the kind of policy that you want. Replacement cost or Actual Cash value are your two major choices. Replacement Cost policies replace your structure or contents with material of like kind or quality with no depreciation. The actual cash value policy settles your loss by taking the replacement cost and subtracting depreciation because of age or use.

2.Self Insure – The best way to purchase insurance is to self-insure by using the highest deductible that you can afford. Homeowner policies have a much lower frequency of claims as compared to auto insurance. Low deductibles no longer justify the higher premium.

Use your declarations page when you comparison shop and make sure that you receive all the discounts. Multi-policy, protective device discounts, and retirement discounts are available on almost all homeowner policies. Check our recommended insurers for rates.

The common goal of seo and paid search advertising

The goals of both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Paid Search Advertising are geared towards the same direction. Their services aim to help convert a quiet traffic stream into a busy information highway. This means new clients on a daily basis due to increased traffic and visibility.

Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) definitely refers to both advertising and optimization methods. Internet advertising to most marketers is primarily about having control over position, keywords, listing copy and visitors’ landing pages. Optimization, on the other hand is about coming up with a website design that can easily be crawled, indexed and well-ranked by major search engines.

There are several types of SEM services including search engine advertising, paid submission for directories, search engine optimization marketing and aggregators marketing. Search engine advertising includes the Paid-For - Placement (PFP) or the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) program as well as contextual advertising. A placement on the result pages of the search site and within its distribution network is guaranteed upon payment. The key factors of this type of advertising are keyword research and selection, bid price, effective ad copy and traffic landing pages.

Paid submission actually applies to directories. In this type of marketing program, the website owner pays for a human based review of its site although inclusion is not always guaranteed. The site is usually included from 7 to 14 days depending on the directory. The success of paid inclusion is largely determined by the selection of the category as well as the title and description of the business.

Search engine optimization aims to produce organic and natural results through the design and creation of spider-friendly websites. It is basically a science of keywords placement, content enhancement, site structure and link popularity campaign that is expected to maximize the probability of attaining top ranking. It is considered the heart of all SEM campaign notwithstanding the fact that more and more business developers tend to forget its importance. Although it is not impossible to achieve very swift results, an optimization process usually takes a few months to have its goal realized.

The aggregators or price engines have made it a lot easier for online shoppers to get the information they need about required products and their associated price. They are able to offer a broad range of pricing and features. Chances of success are maximized through pricing strategy, product availability, product description and shipping rates.

Online businesses are facing tough decisions on setting a budget for online marketing specifically for organic search engine optimization. Paid advertising is very much in demand which accounts for quickly eaten up budget. More often than not, depleted advertising budgets are readily remedied by providing a new budget. The same cannot be said for SEO budgets as campaigns tend to end as budgets are exhausted. SEO is apparently not getting the respect it deserves since the success of organic optimization is a lot more difficult to measure. The real value of the keywords that make the rank will be better seen as more improved and cheaper analytical tools become available.

Statistics would show that there are at least two offline sales generated for every online sale that occurs. Research reports reveal that a large percentage of searchers complete their purchases in offline retail stores. This is considered a direct result of their search activity.

Telemarketing and other forms of leads generation have been sending signals of a saturated market. This has prompted many companies especially the manufacturers to turn to the web to get new leads. Finding a prospect usually starts with a paid search strategy which eventually evolve into SEO. Maximum results are obtained from the combined strategies only if companies commit to make SEO a part of their long term marketing strategy. The ultimate measure of success of Search Engine Marketing is generating leads and closing sales.

The Search Environment Under SEM Strategies

Majority of the marketing budgets from small businesses are dominated by paid search. The smaller a company is, the higher its reliance on paid search and the higher the percentage of total spending. SEO is quickly overtaking spending on banner ads for manufacturers as focus is shifted to training existing web team staff and education on the creation of content that is optimized for search engines.

The first half of 2006 can be considered a period of expansion, growth and significant change in search marketing. Never have there been as many online options available to advertisers and their agents like now. Search has become a part of the mainstream marketing consciousness, but there remains much room for innovation and invention. This development has presented a dilemma for the traditional search marketing sector.

There are at least three major search related marketing venues existing: the traditional organic search results, the paid search advertising market and the social networking sphere. Each of these venues use some form of search as a distinctive guide towards finding information while a tremendous amount of integration and interaction exists between them.

The SEO sector is being overshadowed by the PPC market and at the same time being challenged by social networking. Major search engines constantly strive to improve and innovate on methods that would correctly rank web documents. This is the very reason for the fundamental changes seen in organic search engine optimization.

SEO focuses on a myriad of on-site and off-site issues such as hosting, link acquisition and competitive research. An increasing number of applications are being added for organic search results. The dozens of on-page elements which SEO works on makes it more complicated due to the time involved. However, fresh and focused content remains the single most reliable element of a successful website.

Paid search advertising has been experiencing a rapid growth as a sub-sector of the industry, propelling Google and Yahoo! to the front of the pack. It continues to undergo several forms of expansion to allow more and newer options for advertisers. The distribution of paid ads to third party web properties is a very interesting aspect of paid search advertising. Click fraud detection and advocacy is closely associated with this particular venue.

The social networking atmosphere is touted to be the most fluid search marketing venue. It is expected to be a preparatory step towards transition in web-interactive development. It is currently taking place in an environment that is tagged as Web2.

Faroy candles find out how this company got started

Faroy candles were first made in 1950. Two college friends named Preston Frazier and Addison McElfroy decided to make their own Christmas presents that year because they had no money to buy them. They chose to make candles, but had no intention of starting a business. Friends and family liked the creations and asked for more. A buyer for a fashion store in Houston saw the candles and suggested they take their Faroy candles to a trade show in New York. At that time, the candles didn’t have a name, but the two creators came up with Faroy candles as a combination of the two surnames.

Although Faroy candles are very popular today, they are not manufactured in the same manner as they first were. Each Faroy candle was poured and carved by hand. To do this today would raise the price of the candles significantly because of the labor costs involved. Even if you purchased the Faroy candles wholesale, they would still be expensive. Candles under the name Faroy are relatively inexpensive and offer a much wider choice in colors and scents that other brand names.

When the creators of Faroy candles expanded into a business, they expanded the palette of colors offered for the candles. The first Faroy candle was available only in Christmas colors, but as more and more companies wanted to sell Faroy candles wholesale, candles became available for all occasions. Companies that sold candleholders carried the Faroy brand as did florists, which really helped to build the business.

Enjoy votive, tapered and pillar candles when you decide to purchase a Faroy candle. You won’t be disappointed in your choice and with the wide array of colors and scente, you can have Faroy candles for every room of the home. Ordering from an online retailer is the best way to buy Faroy candles wholesale. Then you have the quantities of candles that you want for the whole year at a low price. When you do buy candles by Faroy in bulk at wholesale prices, just make sure that you store them in a cool dry place so that they will retain their shape.

Faroy candles are available in many locations. This is not a franchise company and is why you can buy them from many different retailers. When you order Faroy candles online, you can save money because you get them at a wholesale price. Some of the retailers do not charge shipping on the candles, so this is something that you should check out when you search online for sites where you can buy the perfect Faroy candle for your needs.

Poker online - part i

Poker, in its many variations, is undoubtedly the world’s most popular card game. Face to face poker room games are as popular today as they were when played in turn of the century saloons and riverboats plying the Old Mississippi. World championship poker tournaments and the more recent celebrity poker tournaments are followed internationally and have helped to popularize the game even more.

Online poker is no exception and is played by more gamblers around the world than any other games of chance. Poker online is closer to face to face table games than video poker which is an equally popular game played at land-based casinos. The difference between the two is that in casino video poker, you are playing against the machine’s internal computer which is a so-called “random numbers generator” that, as the name suggests, picks a poker hand randomly.

In online poker, you are playing against opponents around the world. Although you cannot see them, with experience you will learn to recognize other player’s strategies. In fact, many highly-regarded poker players and world poker championship winners, have honed their skills playing poker at online casinos.

Almost everyone knows what an online casino is but how they came into being and what fueled their growth is not general knowledge.

In the United States, as in the rest of the world, literally billions upon billions of dollars are spent on gambling, legally and illegally. You can find legalized gambling of one form or another in almost every state in the US. Land-based casinos, particularly Indian gaming, have proliferated nearly everywhere in recent years as have riverboat gambling casinos. And of course there are the gambling cities of Reno and the inimitable Las Vegas.

But what about the man or woman in Hopscotch, Minnesota who wants to play a few hands of poker but does not have a casino nearby? Even if there was a conveniently-located casino, not everyone enjoys the noise and smoke of a casino poker room. The answer to all of that is the online casino.

Even the people who enjoy the excitement of a live casino, the free drinks and entertainment, know that the convenience of having the availability of an online casino in your living room or bedroom cannot be matched by a brick and mortar establishment.

If you feel like a few hands of poker and want to play online, you do not have to shave, you can play in your pajamas or bathrobe, you can take a break whenever you please and your favorite seat will be waiting for you, you do not have to gas up the car and maybe drive across town. Bad weather? No problem. Turn up the heat or the air conditioning and log on to your favorite online casino.

The confidence and sports car feel that the jaguar xjr exudes

After the production of the Jaguar XJS was halted, the spot and niche that it previously held was not left vacant. However, this was not for a long period of time because soon enough, Jaguar Cars introduced the Jaguar XKR to the public and the automobile manufacturer placed this new vehicle on the spot that the Jaguar XJS used to occupy. In fact, the Jaguar XKR was introduced to the public as a production vehicle in 1997. Up until the present, this vehicle is still continually being produced. It is classified as a GT car and it has been made available in two body styles which are the coupe that holds two doors and the convertible which holds two doors as well.

The Jaguar XKR is actually a part of the Jaguar XK series. This series comes manufactured in a couple of body styles which comprise of the Grand Touring style and the convertible style. Just like any Jaguar vehicle manufactured or simply shown to the public, the Jaguar XJR does not fail to stimulate emotions. After all, it is one vehicle that captures people’s attention because of its style and capacity to provide a superb performance.

This vehicle actually has gone though many upgrades and changes through time. Of course, these changes would have to be done so as to further improve not only the looks and style of the Jaguar XJR but also its performance and delivery as well. Although one could not see any significant changes done to its interior and exterior features, most of the changes done are underneath all the metal. In fact, the most notable modifications and upgrades were actually those that were done to the vehicle’s powertrain.

The Jaguar XJR is the kind of vehicle that would give the person looking at it, driving it, or plain riding in it the feeling that it is one of those sports cars that could and would change your driving preferences for it exudes an aura of confidence, exquisite performance, and perfect handling. Although it could be said that it would be quite impractical to buy this kind of vehicle if you need a vehicle that could and would do more things than just drive around and show off its features.

Carefully selected from outstanding Jaguar car parts, Jaguar Parts and Jaguar Auto Parts’ products are guaranteed to be of the highest quality. Interested parties, Jaguar owners and Jaguar followers can simply visit the online store for a huge selection of Jaguar parts for all models like the Jaguar XKR, the MK10, the X type, the XJ 12, the XJR, and the XK 140 among many others. Jaguar Parts and Jaguar Auto Parts also stocks thousands of Jaguar XJR parts and Jaguar accessories for all enthusiasts.

Find OEM Jaguar auto parts, remanufactured parts, new aftermarket parts, used parts, Jaguar performance parts, and more. The collection of Jaguar parts includes Jaguar XKR accessories, air intake system parts, brakes, climate control parts, cooling system parts, drive belts, fuel injection parts, fuel system parts, service tools, steering system parts, suspension system parts, and transmission parts among many others. These parts are guaranteed to be durable and functional so as to assist in repairing and maintaining your Jaguar vehicle.

Can t find your one true path

So you're trying to figure out what you're going to be when you grow up. The problem is you're 38, have two grown children and a husband, not to mention two cats and a dog named Sirius Black Dixon. Oh, wait, sorry, I guess I got distracted and thought we were talking about me.

Back to you. You're physically "grown," but you haven't found your "one true path." You don’t know yet what you’re going to do with your life, and you’re feeling lost, confused, and worried.

Okay, let's start with the brutal truth here. If you have spent a lot of time, effort and creative energy looking for your one true path, I have bad news.

You probably don't have one.

You see, people who have one true paths know they do and they know what they are. This is not always true. Nothing is always true. But in general, people who “home in” on one career do it early and stick with it, or if they change careers, they do it in a reasoned, considered way.

People like us, who stumble and bumble and jumble from one thing to another to another to another, we don't have one true path. We have something. It’s just not one true path.

That's the good news. Because what we have, boy is it better.

We have multiple paths. They fit our multiple passions and our multiple talents and our multitasking personalities.

You and I? We can be whatever we want. For as long as we want. And then go do something else. We can be writers, and while we’re being writers, or when we’re done being writers, we can be teachers, or driving instructors. Now, admittedly, we’re not going to be astrophysicists or CEOs of major companies. But most of us don’t want that. What we can be is just about anything we want to be – and just about everything.

Don't you feel liberated?

Nicotine in cigarettes addictive or not

The debate continues between medical experts and rehabilitation specialists as to whether or not nicotine in cigarettes is actually an addictive substance.

Many people are unaware of the hotly debated topic of nicotine as a n addictive substance. Some experts claim the substance is ‘only’ a psychological addiction, while other specialists claim it is in fact a physiological affliction.

I was once contacted by a professional hypnotist who rebuked me for my assertion that I had overcome a nicotine addiction. He proudly touted the “fact” that nicotine is not a bodily addiction and that my commentary on the issue was unethical.

This notion is hilarious really.

I admit a little research will turn up mixed opinions on the issue.

For instance in 1996 top executives of leading tobacco companies made public claims downplaying the idea of nicotine as a physically addictive chemical. And numerous independent scientific studies have suggested that nicotine is either not the only addictive substance in cigarettes, or that this chemical only causes psychological dependency and no real physical addiction.

On the other hand, In February 2000 the Royal College of Physicians published a report on nicotine addiction which concluded that “Cigarettes are highly efficient nicotine delivery devices and are as addictive as drugs such as heroin or cocaine.”

I’d actually like to take this article away from the flawed debate of “physical vs. psychological” and make a more relevant point. It makes no difference what scientists are able to prove in a lab at this stage, we all know smoking is a habit that becomes an obsession, and this obsession has killed millions of people.

More importantly for the purposes of this article, numerous surveys have concluded that 80% (or more) of all smokers express a desire to quit, but say they have tried without success on multiple occasions. If that’s not an addiction I frankly don’t know what is.

All this talk about mental addiction, bodily addiction, etc. is totally moot. Quantum physics has done a fabulous job of proving the role of mind in actually creating the physical circumstances in an individual’s life.

With this in mind, the whole debate presented by tobacco company executives and hypnosis marketers loses all footing as far as I’m concerned.

However you wish to slice it, smoking is an addiction. It’s extremely difficult to break this deadly habit, and only those individuals with serious intention, a rock solid plan, and a great support network are likely to achieve the ultimate goal of smoking cessation.

How do i sell an expensive house

You’ve lived in your house for years and taken pride in with numerous improvements. Now it is overvalued and you’re wondering, "How do I sell an expensive house?"

How Do I Sell An Expensive House?

When discussing how to sell an expensive house, there are two scenarios in which the issue comes up. The first is you have a home in an expensive neighborhood, but one which you’re asking for a price comparable to similar homes around you. In such a situation, you should be able to sell your expensive house through traditional means, either as a FSBO listing or through a realtor. The home should be cleaned up and listed with a multiple listing service. Open houses should be undertaken as well as online advertising with photographs. In this current market, you should be able to move the home fairly quickly.

The second expensive house scenario is a bit more complicated. In this scenario, you have improved your home beyond a value supported by surrounding structures. This can often occur if you live in a home for a substantial period of time and make additions to the home such as new rooms, floors, renovated kitchens and so on. The homes in your neighborhood all appraise for roughly $300,000, but your additions should make the house worth upwards of $450,000. You have a problem because nobody is going to buy the most expensive home on the block.

What To Do?

You’re first choice is to hold onto the home and hope the neighbors get around to improving their homes. This strategy is rife with problems and should probably be avoided.

A better choice is to target market your home to a specific demographic. If you’ve added rooms to your home, you should create advertisements directed at families with multiple children matching the number of bedrooms you have. If you’ve gone nuts with improvements in the kitchens and fixtures, you should market the home as “luxury without the price.” The point is to turn your problem into a unique selling position for the house. Trust me, there is a buyer out there looking for a solution to their problem.

Appraisal Problems

If you house is over-improved, every potential sale will fall through because the appraised price will make it difficult for the buyer to get a loan. The best way for dealing with this is to “carry a second” mortgage on the home. In essence, you agree to take a certain percentage of the price in payments over a certain time period. This allows the buyer to get into the house and you to get out. If you go this direction, make absolutely sure you use a lawyer to make sure everything is legal.

Trying to sell an expensive house can be a challenge. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

How to store the car of your dreams correctly

At last you have the car of your dreams and you spent large amounts of both time and money on restoring it and you now want to keep it in the same pristine condition. Unfortunately winter is coming and you do not want to drive it in now the weather is turning bad. So you have decided that you want to put your car into storage for the winter months and as cheaply as possible? Yet you also want to be able to get it back onto the road as soon as the weather is good again and find it in the same condition as

when it went into storage?

Well hopefully the information contained within this article will help you to make an informed decision on the type of car storage you will use.

Indoor Storage

Of course this is the best way for any one to go when looking for storage for their prized car and is the best option especially if you will be away for any extended period of time. But because you don’t have a garage you are now looking for an alternative. Luckily there are many indoor storage facilities around which will gladly rent storage space that is big enough for a vehicle. If you can try and find a facility where they will run the engine on your car for you every month or two. However, you may find that they will charge you extra for this facility, but it will save you money in the long term as the vehicle will be ready for you to drive after a long lay over period.

When preparing your car for storage it is important that it is clean. Wait until you have a warm dry day and then completely wash and wax the car. Also make sure that you clean the underbody and around the wheel areas as well as any dirt left on the car holds moisture and when combined with air will result in result being allowed to grow.

Also thoroughly clean the car inside. Use either a shop/garage vacuum or a household one in order to get into all the nooks and crannies in your car (it is important to get rid of any dirt or crumbs etc., from the car prior to storage). Leaving such items in the car will only make it a place that small creatures (mice, rats) will be drawn to and make their home inside it.

If you can get the carpets thoroughly cleaned and do this before you do any thing else so that it gives them time to dry out before you put the car into storage.

Next take out the spark plugs and put some oil into the cylinders as this will prevent the cylinder walls, pistons and valves from rusting. You can use regular motor oil but a can of fogging oil from a marine supply store is a good alternative. Now you need to turn the engine by hand half a dozen times to make sure that the oil coats everything. Before you reinstall the spark plugs apply a little anti-seize to them. Also make sure that the petrol (gas) tank is full as this will reduce the risk of how much water is available to be absorbed by the petrol (gas).

Now we come to the electrical system of your car. Remove the battery cables (negative cable first) and then lift out the battery from the engine. Next you need to wipe the batter down with a battery cleaner (this removes any moisture holding dirt or grease from it). Now you place the battery on a clean dry surface. Attach the battery to a trickle charger which will help preserve the battery’s charge. Also inspect the battery for any rust or corrosion.

You will then need to lubricate the hood latches, hinges and door hinges if you are able to check the brake fluid (flush it out and replace if necessary). Now you will need to check the coolant level (make sure there is enough to protect the cooling system from winter temperatures).

If you want to keep rodents and other small animals from chewing the ignition wires and other wiring in your car (place clean rags into the engine air intake, fresh air intake (under the windshield) and the exhaust. A good idea is to get a big box of mothballs and spread them around and under the car (this seems to keep undesirable elements away from the car).

As for the tyres they will after extended periods of time when not moving they will develop flat spots and the best way to prevent this is to put the car up on jacks.

Now remove the wiper blades as this will prevent them from becoming glued to the windshield.

Now you carried out all the necessary things about there is nothing left for you to do but to put it in to storage and lock up knowing you can enjoy it in the future?

Going on holiday three rules to ensure you are properly covered

If you are going on holiday – or even having a mini break somewhere - travel insurance is a must. Many people don’t even bother taking out travel insurance, thinking they won’t need to claim on it. However, if something goes wrong when you are away from home and you need medical treatment, you could spend out literally thousands of pounds in overseas hospital costs and repatriation. So, rule number one is - get travel insurance! That in itself could save you thousands of pounds!

The second rule is to shop around for it. Many people buy their travel insurance as part of their holiday package, not realising that they can probably get a cheaper policy – with the same or even better level of cover – elsewhere.

You are not obliged to buy travel insurance from your travel company – there are many online specialist sites (such as protection-insurance. com or uk-travel-insurance-online. co. uk) that have quick and easy access to online quotes and can save you up to 50% on premiums!

Holidaymakers should also be aware that you are not fully protected by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) when buying standalone travel insurance cover from High Street travel agents such as Thomas Cook and Thomson. Therefore, using one of the many FSA registered online facilities will give you peace of mind that the policy is valid.

The third and final rule of buying travel insurance is to understand different levels of travel cover that are available – for example, gold, silver and bronze. When comparing the cost of travel insurance, it is imperative you compare like with like to ensure you get the right level of cover at the right price.

….And if you are still not sure of the importance of travel insurance .. then read on…

Bernie P (40), an avid skier from London never really valued the importance of travel insurance, seeing it as a ‘formality’ when arranging holidays. However, a near fatal skiing accident in March last year brought it home to him, with hospital and repatriation bills totalling over Ј45,000.

His travel insurance policy covered all the medical and transportation costs both in Austria (which included being airlifted off the Alps, two weeks spent in a coma in hospital and treatment for 10 broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung and a smashed hip joint). The policy also continued paying for further operations once he was back in the UK, including a hip re-build operation.

Over a year on, Bernie is 99% fit and has just returned from a skiing holiday. He says: "Without the travel insurance policy, I wouldn’t be as fit and well as I am today. I got the best in medical treatment without the worry of paying the bills”.

Polar Loans is a marketing and a trading style of Speedie Consultants Limited. In conjunction with our partners, we have created a Loans broking service which not only provides you with great rates and exceptional customer service but also gives back to the environment.

Deep sea fishing - it s all in the weight

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Whether you fancy deep sea fishing in Orlando or anywhere else in the world, knowing a little about which weights and baits to use can make a huge difference when looking for that big catch.

Certain fish feed at different times of the day, if there is a particular fish that you are hoping to catch, then it is worth finding out what time of the day these fish are most active and timing your deep sea fishing trip to go out at that time of day.

As well as the right time, it is important that you use the right weights to meet the weather conditions.

You can’t always tell what is happening with your line once you have cast it out into sea, but you can tell by the surface what kind of current you might expect underneath.

The way your bait moves underwater can also determine whether or not you are likely to get a bite, so using the right weights are important.

There are a number of different weights you can use, and here are just a few to give you an idea what to look out for.

Pear Shaped
Pear shaped weights are the more commonly used weights. These weights are great for normal weather conditions. They allow the bait to move around to help things look more normal to the passer by fish that are looking for a feed. However, these will not be much use in stronger currents.

Grip Leads
Grip leads are great for stronger tides when a Pear shaped weight just isn’t strong enough.

Watch Leads
Watch leads are like flat rounded weights which are similar to Pear shaped weights but they won’t roll around so hold the bottom of the sea bed better.

Ball Weights
Ball weights are not like the other leads. Ball weights slide onto the rod rather than being tied. As well as being used as normal weights, people also use them to give more weight to the rod.

When choosing the right weight for weather conditions you should also take into account how those weights will act underwater. It is always better to have a weight that is too heavy than a weight that is too light.

Weights that are too light will make the tackle move towards the river bank. This looks un-natural and will likely give you fewer bites than a heavier weight.

If you are on a deep sea fishing trip and you have cast out and you are not getting many bites, it is always worth experimenting with different weights as well as different bait.

You could cast out 2 rods and leave one static and experiment with the other. If you are not getting a catch in a long period of time, then it is definitely worth experimenting.

Using fresh fish as bait is always better and likely to get more bites. Bigger fish are attracted to fresh bait, so if it means you have to spend a little more on your bait, the reward that will come from it will be worth it.

If you are the kind of person who enjoys night fishing, then using a luminous bead with a torch will enable you to see where you have cast out for at least 20 seconds.

As well as this, using a head torch will ensure your hands are free when a big fish comes along.

It may sound a lot to take in for the new deep sea fisherman, but well worth taking note of to give you a better experience on your fishing trip.

Athalon padded single ski bag at 18 off

The new Athalon Padded Single Ski Bag is now available. And a great deal is on offering with it. This ski-bag is made of reinforced, water-resistant "Athatuff" polyester and matt chrome hardware. And it is ideal for carrying skis of lengths upto 84 inches(190 cms). The bag is parabolic in shape to provide comfortable placing of your skis. It is completely padded from inside to protect the skis from any shocks or bangs. The compression straps help in easy placement of skis and prevent them from falling over. It also has a self-healing zipper and a lock and key arrangement. The top handle of the bag is also padded to facilitate easy carry. Black is the color of the bag with a blue patch in the middle. The dimensions of the bag are 25 X 16 X 13 inches. And it weights a mere 18 pounds. And it is of Chinese origin. The list price of the product is $54.99. But from Dicks Sporting Goods, you can get it for $44.99. That means a discount of $10 or 18%. Shipping price is $10.39. Once booked, your order leaves the warehouse in 3 to 4 business days.

What affiliate marketing trainers to conform and why

Affiliate marketing is among the most favorite tools used by many online entrepreneurs this day. It is a great selection for those who want to put up an online marketing speedily and cheaply. However, there is still a large number of the online money maker who

knows a little or even nothing about it. And most of the people who have just discovered this business usually presume that they can easily make big bucks out of it. Well, they’re definitely wrong.

To be wealthy in affiliate marketing business is not an easy task and it will never happen quickly. It’s just like an ongoing job where you need to find out and try diverse advertising strategies and tactics. This may even wish you to sign-up with numerous affiliate

programs just to define which merchants performs well.

Another delusion that affiliates have ‘bout this kind of business is that they expect to earn more if they place just about 10 affiliated banners on just one niche. Well it will not actually work the way you think it would because once your site is flooded with too

many banners that look like a link farm therefore visitors won’t be interested and won’t even bother clicking on any of those. So if you certainly want to promote several affiliate programs in your website, make sure that they tease with the theme and topic of

the rest of the content on your niche. Bear in mind that 3 or 4 affiliated links in your site are enough, depending on the size of the your web page.

There are also someone who suppose that if they add affiliate materials to their website, they can receive sales right away. Possibly they just don’t know that affiliate marketing is all about advertising. If there’s no traffic coming to your website, how can you

expect to benefit any sales? Keep in mind that the more you advertise your affiliate link or the website where the affiliate links are placed, the more clickthru’s these links are likely to receive.

If you want to be involved or you have already joined an affiliate program, but you have the above delusions regarding affiliate marketing, therefore, you might need a trainer to aid you figure out where to begin and what to do in order to achieve.

In the dictionary, the word trainer is defined as a wise and trusted instructor or counsellor. Customarily, these persons are experts in the field they are into. They can deliver expert advice and instruction as well as supervision to another person. So when we

say affiliate marketing trainers, they are experienced counsellors that have made affiliate marketing their specialty. Affiliate marketing trainers can be those persons that have already been triumphant in affiliate marketing and are always willing to share their

experienced-based knowledge from the viewpoint of both the affiliates and the web merchants. And that’s the cause why we come up with this page. It is aimed to give you the stuffs that affiliate trainers should possess and conform and why do they require

these things.

Of course, it is satisfying for an affiliate marketing trainer to know and apply some theories and generalities regarding your online marketing but there’s nothing more helpful and efficient than telling the trainee what works this day and what are the things that

could probably work in the future and if the trend changes. As a trainer, you should be one of the sources of knowledge for your custome and the first one to instruct them on how to create more affiliate earnings. You too, need to be clever and equipped with

the keys to success for affiliate marketers as well as for merchants. And you should guide your trainees as they try to do the things that can help boost their profit because once they do well in that business, it can be counted as one of your great

accomplishments. This also makes you a successful trainer.

There are some articles on affiliate marketing that says, in order to be victorious in affiliate marketing business, you need to encompass and improve these traits: persistence, patience and thirst for knowledge. And as a trainer, it is your job to help your

costomers take in these traits within themselves. Once they’ve already developed the abovementioned character, it willl be very easy for you to explain to them that attaining achievement in affiliate marketing requires sweat, blood and of course, hefty time

commitment. These traits will also instruct them not to give up.

In addition, before you train your trainee to be proficient in email marketing, newsletter marketing, search engine optimization, link exchanges, reciprocal exchanges and advertising in forums, you should first become skillful on these fields. They will surely find

it hard to learn these things alone and without guidance from the one who knows best. So make sure that you are knowledgeable on these things before you accept any invitation to be a trainer. Yes, being a trainer is way harder than succeeding in affiliate

marketing but this task is very rewarding particularly if your trainee become triumphant. The failure of your trainee is your failure too so you must do your very best to be able to bring your trainee on the road to success. Once more, it is never an easy task

and there is nothing you can do about it. After all, that is what affiliate marketing trainers are for.

Tips and tricks for using ebay search

If you know what you’re doing, you can quickly find what you’re looking for on eBay. Here are a few golden rules.

Be specific: If you’re searching for the first edition of the original Harry Potter book, you’ll get further searching for ‘harry potter rowling philosopher’s stone first edition’ than you will searching for ‘harry potter’. You’ll get fewer results, but the ones you do get will be far more relevant.

Spell wrongly: It’s a sad fact that many of the sellers on eBay just can’t spell. Whatever you’re looking for, try thinking of a few common misspellings – the chances are that fewer people will find these items, and so they will be cheaper.

Get a thesaurus: You should try to search for all the different words that someone might use to describe your item, for example searching for both ‘TV’ and ‘television’, or for ‘phone’, ‘mobile’ and ‘cellphone’. Where you can, though, leave off the type of item altogether and search by things like brand and model.

Use the categories: Whenever you search, you’ll notice a list of categories at the side of your search results. If you just searched for the name of a CD because you want to buy that CD, you should click the ‘CDs’ category to just look at results in that category. Why bother looking through a load of results that you don’t care about?

Don’t be afraid to browse: Once you’ve found the category that items you like seem to be in, why not click ‘Browse’ and take a look through the whole category? You might be surprised by what you find.

Few people realise just how powerful eBay’s search engine is – a few symbols here and there and it’ll work wonders for you.

Wildcard searches: You can put an asterisk (*) into a search phrase when you want to say ‘anything can go here’. For example, if you wanted to search for a 1950s car, you could search for ‘car 195*’. 195* will show results from any year in the 1950s.

In this order: If you put words in quotes ("") then the only results shown will be ones that have all of the words between the quote marks. For example, searching for “Lord of the Rings” won’t give you any results that say, for example “Lord Robert Rings”.

Exclude words: Put a minus, and then put any words in brackets that you don’t want to appear in your search results. For example: “Pulp Fiction” –(poster, photo) will find items related to Pulp Fiction but not posters or photos.

Either/or: If you want to search for lots of words at once, just put them in brackets: the TV example from earlier could become ‘(TV, television)’, which would find items with either word.

So once you’ve found your bargain item, bid for it and won it, what if it all goes wrong? Don’t worry – eBay has a thorough dispute resolution procedure, and we’ll cover it in some depth in the next article, so you’ll be prepared if the worst happens.

Finding the best hotel deals

When it comes to hotels, things boil down to a tradeoff between low cost and convenient location. In many cases, especially when traveling to major cities and popular attractions, the closer the hotel to the city or attraction the more you can expect to pay. The best way to save money, particularly in large cities, is often to stay in the suburbs.

Of course, this means that you will spend more time getting to the places you want to visit, and this will mean spending additional money on gasoline, etc. It is important to compute all these costs to make sure that you will really be spending less on a less convenient hotel room.

There are of course a number of ways to save money on hotels and motels without compromising quality. For one thing, a membership in AAA or a similar auto club also entitles you to discounts on hotel rooms, as does military service and senior citizen status. When inquiring about a hotel room, always inquire about discounts that may be available.

In addition, shopping early for a hotel room can often yield the best deals. That is because hotels often reserve a block of low cost rooms, and when they are gone they are gone. Thus, the last room at a hotel may be much more costly than the first. Getting the best hotel room deal is often a matter of timing.

Of course getting a great deal on a hotel will mean nothing if the place is a dump. Shopping for a budget hotel should not mean settling for a hotel that is dirty, poorly run or in an unsafe location.

Fortunately, finding a good budget hotel has been made much easier with the help of the internet. What used to take weeks or even months to research can now be done in a matter of hours or even minutes. Many hotels, even budget properties, feature pictures of the property and the surrounding area, so be sure to research the property you are considering if you have never stayed there before.

It is important to research the area in which the hotel is located as well. Be sure to check out things like restaurants and attractions within walking distance of the hotel. Doing research on the area will help ensure you do not end up staying in a dangerous neighborhood just to save a couple of bucks.

The internet also provides a number of review sites where those who have stayed in various hotels share their experiences and their impressions of the hotel properties. These review sites can be very useful for travelers, particularly those traveling to a new location for the first time.

In addition, the internet hosts a number of comparison web sites where travelers can easily find and compare hotel properties for their individual dates of stay and destinations. These web sites offer a number of ways to search, including distance from a particular tourist attraction, price, star level and more. The only caveat to consider when using such a web site is its independence. Some comparison web sites feature only properties that pay an advertising fee, so using a comparison site does not necessarily guarantee the best price. It is best to use a number of such web sites to get a true picture of the lowest prices available.

Creating an online business

There are many diverse ways to earn a living online, however this guide focuses on one particular idea, namely, building and creating an online business, the very best business you can build.

There are many ways to build a huge income online and there is also the potential to get bogged down in the process, especially with the variety of so-called tried and true systems that are available.

Let’s look at a system that is the foundation for more new wealth than any other single system. The process that we will spotlight is focused on building a website for your won tiny but profitable niche.

What all selling comes down to is developing and managing a strong base of customers that are groomed into repeat purchasers. Regardless of your business segment this is the route to top earnings.

Your surest path to making top dollar is to attract a robust foundation of customers and expand your base. A solid customer base is just like owning the US Mint.

The starting place in creating an online business is to identify the niche for your chosen business focus. You’ll want your business niche to have a series of unique qualities and at least 2 distinct methods to start the ball rolling.

1. You will want the theme to be one that bonds easily to your personality and interest. This will make it easier to focus fully on building qualities that will encourage customers to visit more than once. Your theme must be one that provides relevant and timely information. That’s the main reason millions surf the Internet each day. You’ll need to do your home work here to build a strong informational presentation.

2. I always recommend Googling a selection of search phrases to capture as many options as you can. Start the process by typing niche into the search box. This will return literally thousands of ideas and areas while providing lots of rarely used informational and product sites for your consideration.

Build It Right And They Will Come

Build your website around the keywords you select that produce the best numbers. This will generate searches that can move your site into the first page of search results. Moving in this direction will trigger a flood of traffic to your website.

Additionally, begin writing articles to help you develop a following through the increased credibility you’ll create. This will also go a long way toward attracting even more repeat traffic to your site.

What About Products?

For product development and creation, the best option is a good affiliate program. In addition to saving on creation and development time and money, you’ll benefit by starting with a product or service with a proven and measurable track record.

At Clickbank. com and PayDot. Com you’re provided a huge cache of products that can easily match your chosen niche. The profit ranges are strong and it’s a turn-key and nearly effortless way to begin creating your online business.

Two more ideas can boost your online business into the top rankings in record time.

• Newsletters are great traffic builders and complement a variety of businesses. You can promote your products in a format that makes you marketing look like an endorsement. This is a really cool way to blast your website into the mainstream.

• Mini-courses are another way to attract traffic to your sites while building a loyal following of customers. Literally thousands of new business start-up occur daily and the entrepreneurs are hungry for information that will help them ramp up their online earnings.

By providing an informational course, consisting of 4-5 sessions you give away for signups, you’ll be banking profits in record time.

Hesitation is your enemy. Don’t wait until you are 100% ready to go. Start today, where ever you are, and do something to get your websites some traffic.

Creating an online business is exciting and fun and challenging in one package. Keep at it and learn along the way. The rewards will make the work seem almost like play.

Penny slot machines

Playing slot machines with only one penny seems awfully cheap. Actually, it is cheap but it is exactly what the casinos want you to think.

Gone are the days of the simple 3 reel slot machine, today’s machines are gigantic multiline slot machines who have been developed to include any money making trick known in the book. In the comfort department, today’s slot machines have improved to accept dollar bills instead of only coins and can give prizes in the form of redeemable tickets, all in order to make the player as comfortable as possible.

The biggest change in modern slot machines is the addition of many more pay lines (a modern slot machine will have at least 20 pay lines and some reach a lot higher) which of course requires many more coins in order to activate all of them. With machine that costs 50c per spin but offers 20 pay lines, the cost per spin can easily reach 10$, and suddenly the old “pay less win more” slot machine has become a financial burden on the average gambler. For those who say “play only the minimum lines”, we will remind that in order to win the biggest prizes (and the jackpot, of course if available) you must play the maximum number of lines or your profits will be very slim.

In order to make the players less aware of the cost of playing these slot machines the casinos have come up with 1 penny slot machines. That’s right, 1c per spin. This has become the hottest trend in the casino’s slot machine floor and the low denomination has attracted numerous gamblers who now think that playing slot machines has become much cheaper. The focus though has turned into the multiple pay lines which require multiple points in order to maximize profits. Machines exist which will require more than 1500 coin per spin! This makes the average spin cost almost the same as the regular 50c machine.

Are Penny slot machines a sucker’s bet? Not necessarily. These machines are perfect for a player who came to the casino with the intention of spending a few hours of fun without committing too much money to the casino. On the other hand, those who like to suck every ounce of edge out of the machine and will never settle for anything than less the maximum payout will find better options elsewhere.

By the way you might have noticed some famous jackpots being offered in the penny slot machines, be assure that all in all playing the jackpot in a 1 penny machine and 1 dollar machine has no difference as the total amount required to gamble to be eligible for the jackpot is the same.

A refreshing way to avoid diabetes

It appears that decaffeinated coffee has been linked to lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a report in a recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA/Archives journal. It appears one of the benefits happens to be lower risk, good news for all you double shot latte fans out there. However, doctors are still not sure what the cause and effect really is.

But I hope you are thirsty, iIn the study, the respondents that where least likely to develop diabetes consumed more than five cups of coffee a day over a twelve year period. Good news for those of you already Dueto card at Starbucks, but those of you how don’t drink this much coffee have no fear, there is still hope.

Overall caffeine intake did not appear to be the culprit, further suggesting that some other ingredient in coffee is responsible. Coffee is high in Magnesium, which might explain some of the inverse relation between coffee intake and the risk of diabetes through known helpful effects on the carbohydrate metabolism. However, the study found no relation between Magnesium and diabetes risk. Other minerals and nutrients found in the coffee bean including compounds known as polyphenols, which have also been shown to help the body process carbohydrates and antioxidants, which might protect cells in the insulin producing pancreas can contribute to its beneficial effects and needs to be examined in future studies.

While much of the study does not specifically identify coffee as a true source for fighting diabetes, it sure tastes better than insulin. Drink Up!

Jewellery trends for spring and summer - 2008

Jewelery Trends for 2008: Classic costume jewellery will be the hot fashion for spring and summer of 2008. The color that would be in demand will be blue. Blue topaz and aquamarine jewellery will be the most sought after ones. Followed by blue, will be the hue of purple lending popularity to amethyst, with green adding more value to peridot gemstones. Jewellery items with blue jade, blue opals, moonstones, sapphires, lapis lazuli, and handmade lamp work beads in blue will be the charm of the season. Counterpoint color for purple will be gemstones like citrine, yellow topaz, amber, and canary diamond jewellery. Sterling silver with paramount cubic zirconia will be considered as an alluring substitute for diamonds. Cubic zirconia is the worlds premium diamond alternative. Combined with sterling silver, it has a warm look of white gold or platinum and possesses a rich look of a diamond. Diamonds will always have its importance and demand, but the prices are real budget busters, and may not always suit the consumers resources. The same jewellery, done in cubic zirconia and sterling silver will have an elegant look, and can be purchased at a fraction of the price. Cubic zirconia will be inevitable in every jewellery collection.

Fall trends for 2008 also include Greek and Latin black. Black onyx, simulated black diamonds, and classic black pearls will be the perfect accessories that never go out of style, and the upcoming season will see this classic color creating ripples in the world of jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings in layers is in trend this season, combined with unusual smaller shapes on top of larger pieces of silver, copper, or gold. Antique look is always popular during the fall and winter months. Teardrop stones in all sizes and color will be in craze. Gold and silver earrings with an inlay of turquoise or mother of pearl and silver hoop earrings with cultured freshwater pearls hanging in the center will find its way into the fashion world.

Bridal Jewellery: Tungsten rings and jewellery has become the hottest and fastest growing trend in jewelry segment because of it unique and intriguing appearance, durability and cost. Titanium rings and titanium jewelry are also quite durable, yet extremely lightweight and comes in traditional titanium color or the popular black titanium. It is also is hypoallergenic and hence is ideal for people with sensitive skin. Bride Grooms Ornaments: Tungsten Carbide Watches along with tungsten rings, platinum, or titanium rings will create a bold and classy look as carbide works with any style of jewellery.

Brides Jewellery: Traditional heart pendant with the new vibe of titanium fashion and diamond heart necklaces will be in vogue. Titanium is creating waves both in quality and price topped with a stunning look. Despite the fact that metal colors are always a popular fashion for brides, cool tones of titanium and tungsten jewellery would also make a charming appearance. The global market for gems and jewellery today is US$ 85 billion with key markets having an average compounded annual growth rate of 5-10 per cent in the last decade. Some jewelry trends will move on to become classics, while most others will be passing fads that may be out of style a year from now. The trick is to pick classic designs that will stand the test of time.

Scuba diving a florida adventure

Many people consider Florida a divers dream come true. This is because Florida is composed of over 1,700 islands and the Keys that stretch over 150 miles there are many different places to go diving. The waters are calm, clear, and full with beautiful and unique sea life and colorful coral. You can visit some of the over 5,000 ship wrecks in these waters, or the only barrier reef in the continent. In addition to sea diving, Florida also offers some of the finest spring diving sites you will encounter.

One of the places that should be on the top of your list to dive is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the nation's first underwater preserve. Located near Key Largo, the visibility here is almost perfect, making it a favorite dive destination for beginner and advanced divers alike. Another place that comes highly recommended is Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This sanctuary starts in Key Largo and then stretches the entire length of the islands, offering some of the most sought after diving in the world.

Statue of Christ of the Abyss is an eerily magnificent site to dive. Located 25 feet beneath the surface, the statue is prominent and distinct. Divers also love this site because it features canyons and trenches to be explored, and a large variety of eagle rays and sea turtles.

Then there is the Pillar Patch, an enchanted place where you will find beautifully colored coral rising up from the floor, almost like cactus on the desert floor. For shipwrecks, we suggest you make time to visit the Elbow, also in the Upper Keys area. The penetration is outstanding and the overall experience unbelievable. All of these areas offer wonderful visibility, which makes the diving experience unrivaled.

Located in the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary is 5.3 nautical miles of sculpted reef, the Stargazer. Just five miles off Key West, this reef includes a series of replicated star constellations once used for sea navigation. If it is diving in waters with colorful marine life and coral, then this is the place to be.

Last, in the central region of the Pan Handle you can find over 1,000 diving springs. Some are located on private land, while others are located in National or State parks and reserves. Many divers visit Blue Springs because of an incredible once in a life time experience: the migration of the manatees. Other favorite diving sites in Florida include Turtle Reef with a depth of 25 feet, Carysfort Reef that has a diving range up to 70 feet, Carysfort South with a diving depth of 20 feet, the Elbow, as mentioned, which is up to 35 feet deep, and the Dry Rocks in Key Largo, with a depth of 25 feet. For more advanced divers who like to dive in deeper waters, you should visit Adolphus Busch, which has water depths up to 110ft, or Outside Reefs and Western Dry Rocks up to 210 feet depths.

Leadership development - how can your business grow by having good leaders

The largest collection of matter on leadership.

leadership is a word we come across quite regularly on radios, television and newspaper. We have now also made it accessible in article markets.

If you are planning to build a wonderful career, maybe you should first go through some preliminary training. Nowadays, there are very successful leadership programs being developed. Leadership programs will help you to acquire some very necessary skills. Leadership programs will give you the needed power to achieve the best both in your career as well as in your personal life. Leadership programs will be the management-training program you are looking for. As well as good professional training, they will help you gain self-confidence and self-respect, things that are very helpful in your private life. These programs are undoubtedly a very effective way to gain the assurances that you will need to be ready for a prosperous career and life.

Writing an article on leadership was our foremost priority while thinking of a topic to write on. This is because leadership are interesting parts of our lives, and are needed by us.

We have included some fresh and interesting information on leadership. In this way, you are updated on the developments of leadership.

I know from experience that a leadership program can easily improve and perfect a person because I have been teaching leadership courses for years. If you go to a leadership program with the right attitude, confident that you desire success, you will become a perfectly changed person. Naturally, there are people who challenge the necessity of the leadership programs. The success of the leadership programs depends usually on the way they are taught. As people who teach leadership programs are different, as different are the profits you can take from leadership programs. From young people to older, all of them make the best use of any type of leadership programs. You can choose between practically different leadership programs, although almost all of them have some fundamental elements in common.

As the information we produce in our writing on leadership may be utilized by the reader for informative purposes, it is very important that the information we provide be true. We have indeed maintained this.

One of the key components of all leadership programs is that they are aiming to build up abilities to work in a team. Some leadership programs even acquire this building of team-working abilities as the center of the whole leadership program. As an example, I will tell you that I have heard about leadership programs which center on the fulfilling of physical tasks as lifting every member of the group over a wall.

Of course, the point of this is not to gain muscle mass but to learn how to work as a team. This part of the leadership programs will teach you how to seek each member’s strengths and weaknesses. Leadership programs will teach you how to leave behind the egotism you have and to put all your strengths into the group work. This is probably the most important lesson that the future leader will learn from the leadership program.

We do not mean to show some implication that leadership have to rule the world or something like that. We only mean to let you know the actual meaning of leadership!

The second fundamental component of leadership programs is that leadership programs usually tend to emphasize on self-confidence and self-esteem. A leader should be first of all self-confident. A leadership program has to teach you how to be convinced that everything you say is important. The leaders have not become leaders because they are more capable, or more intelligent than other people are. Surprisingly, it may turn out exactly the opposite thing. The leaders have become leaders because they more confidence than the other people to contend that what they say is important.

We hope that with this article, we have covered more than just a fragment of the available information of leadership. The world of leadership is too vast to be covered in a single article.

Internet business opportunities may be knocking on your door

Do not be afraid to open the door when an opportunity knocks. Peepholes are so popular because they make you able to see what’s on the other side of the door. Too many times opportunities are available but they cannot be seen without peephole.

Numerous internet business opportunities present themselves every day. When you can’t see the chance to become part of something special, this special opportunity may already have passed you. With every opportunity that arises, there is someone willing to take a chance. If you’re not willing to take a chance, you’ll never find the right opportunity coming your way.

Many business people will tell you that success is an attitude and other will say that success is a choice. By having the right, positive attitude you can choose to make your business opportunity grow or you can choose to allow it to fail. However, the first choice you have to make is in taking advantage of the opportunity.

Not all opportunities are readily identifiable. A fleeting thought may be a fledgling idea. If nurtured and thought completely through it will emerge into opportunity for growth and success. Some online businesses offer people the chance to create their own business following their model and business plan. This could be considered an opportunity. A lot of folks are reluctant to take them up on the opportunity to own their own business based on their unwillingness to follow someone else’s direction.

However a franchise is based on a proven method of doing business and a successful business model, some folks shy away from it because they will not have complete control over their business. Without the need to reinvent the wheel with franchise, you can have a business up and running in short order. Going against the grain you can attempt to start over from the beginning.

When you see something that may be an opportunity, than study it and do proper research to insure it is not one of the many scams available online. Having made the determination that the opportunity is genuine and having decided you’re willing to exert your energy and put in the time, it is time that you take advantage of the chance to see success.

Where would we be today if the people from Microsoft, Apple or Dell Computers had missed their opportunity. What if they had failed to take the risk in starting their respective companies. Not only they had a different life based on their actions, but so had the lives of everyone with a computer.

E-banks that accept us casino players

Recently, the US Federal government banned online casinos from operating in America by making it illegal to transfer money to them through any US bank or payment system. As a result of this law, most of the popular online casino networks such as Party Gaming and PlayTech left the United States. Overnight, online casino players found themselves being chased by the Federal government.

But, after a fortnight, the online casino industry came up with a solution and new online casinos started taking root. These began to operate under a different business umbrella, and by doing that, rendered the transfer of money to and from them legal. A major part of this was enlisting electronic banking systems that would accept this new clarification and start doing business with me. Listed in this article are the electronic banking systems that accept players from the United States that wish to play in online casinos.

The Payment Systems You Can Use:

1, 2) MasterCard and Visa:

The most popular credit cards in the world, you can use these for depositing money into your casino account. But, please note that the casinos do not deposit your winning through your credit card. They use one of the other electronic payment systems. This is also the biggest reason why you should refrain from using your personal credit cards today for gambling.

3, 4) Visa Delta, Visa Electron:

These are debit cards that one can use to deposit cash into their casino account. By debit card, it means that the money you pay through the card, is immediately withdrawn from your bank account. This is a comfortable option, but here too, you cannot receive money into it.

5) Neteller:

Based in the UK and traded on the London AIM Stock Exchange, this e-bank company is one of the major independent electronic banking entities in the world, and it allows players to transfer money to and from an online casino.

6) Neteller Instacash

This is Neteller's version of the Debit Card, and, in fact, it is just like any other debit card with one difference. To use, InstaCash, you have to pay a small amount. But, most casinos will offer to pay this for you, so read their regulations.

7) EcoCard

Based in the European Union, EcoCard offers a wider range of electronic banking solutions than the other e-banks. Other than the regular card and debit system, you can decide beforehand how to create a flexible financial account. Because they use a wide network of banks in Europe, transactions made through EcoCard are quick and efficient.

8) FirePay

This e-banking system is solely web-based and carries out its transactions just like a debit card. You place cash into your FirePay account, and then, you can use that money to pay or deposit into your casino account. While it will not cost you a dime to open an account, you will be charged a minimal amount each time you transfer money from your bank account to FirePay.

9) Moneybookers

All you need to open an account is an email address! This e-banking system uses transactions from your credit or debit card or your bank account to whichever company you wish to move your money to. Regulated in the UK and run by Gatcombe Park Ventures Limited, this is one of the relatively new e-finance companies that allow transferring money to online casinos.

10) eWalletXpress:

Owned and run by Navaho Networks Inc, eWalletXpress is a new electronic payment system that has been created to answer the need for US players to transfer funds to online casinos.

11) 900Pay:

This is a completely different e-banking system. Instead of charging your bank account or your credit card, 900Pay charges your telephone bill for all your financial transactions. This is one of the fastest methods of electronic payment because you do not have to go through a long and detailed sign up process. And, if you were wondering, this does work to fund your casino account.