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Bowling shoes come in left-handed and right-handed styles. This may seem slightly confusing to someone new to the sport - after all, don't bowling shoes go on your feet? Why should it matter whether you are right or left-handed?

Yes, bowling shoes do, quite obviously belong the feet of bowlers. Nonetheless, it really is important whether or not the bowler is left or right-handed. You see, one bowling shoe is a sliding shoe, and one needs to be more of a braking shoe, a shoe with traction. A right-handed person will have a right-foot shoe with traction and a left-foot shoe that slides.

One reason why this information may be new to you is that the bowling shoes that you rent at bowling alleys are not made specifically for right-handed players or left-handed players. Rather, both bowling shoes have soles similar to the sliding shoe of a good pair.

It can be well worth buying your own pair of bowling shoes, ones specifically designed for a right or left-handed person. With the rental or loaned pair, you are liable to slip around on your approach. This is bad, because it does not allow you to get complete the power step, that next-to-last step, the step that drives you forward and into the slide, the step that requires some traction.

There are many people who would suggest buying a pair of bowling shoes before you even make the commitment to buying a bowling ball! They really are that important. Besides, do you really want to put your feet into bowling shoes that have been drenched with other people's foot sweat and stench?

When choosing your bowling shoes, you are going to need to make the choice between performance bowling shoes and athletic bowling shoes. Athletic bowling shoes are going to look and feel like your other athletic shoes. Most athletic bowling shoes have sliding soles on both the left and right shoe.

If, however, you plan on bowling once a week or more, you are going to want to step it up and buy a performance bowling shoe. You are not going to be able to reach your full bowling potential if you stick with athletic bowling shoes. If, on the other hand, you get a pair of performance bowling shoes, with one traction sole and one sliding sole, you are going to achieve higher performance.

If you see competitive bowling in your future, it can be well-worth buying a pair of bowling shoes with interchangeable soles. With interchangeable bowling shoe soles, you are going to be able to make your feet and your bowling slide match your bowling style as well as the surface you are bowling on.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on bowling, please visit Best Bowling.

Any great Chef, worthy of his reputation, will tell you that Gourmet cooking is an art form. To prepare a truly genuine gourmet meal you must be willing to cook from scratch using the best of everything that is required for your recipe and, of course, this will mean being very selective in your choice of meat, fish or produce. Food items should be chosen for their freshness and quality and appearance.

Those who possess the ability to achieve the highest standards in creating gourmet cooking are usually very successful in this field. As well as being able to command a high salary for their services they can achieve a high status in this profitable, yet meticulous, industry. For those talented professionals endless opportunities are open to them whether it be opening and running a catering establishment, designing cookery books or guesting in cookery programmes on television. The better they master their craft the more in demand they will be.

Being a successful gourmet cook is not only reliant on a certain amount of artistic flair but an element of science is required. Gourmet cooking does require study and dedication, but, above all, will only succeed if the gourmet cook is brave enough to experiment with ingredients that he or she knows will combine well together. A good gourmet good will possess an exceptional palate. So, with the courage of their convictions they can create a sublime taste experience.

The choice of menu for a gourmet cook is in some way reliant upon what ingredients are at their best for that time of year. A good gourmet cook would make a sacrifice on the quality of their meat or produce. Knowing how to flavour your dish correctly is quite a talent. You need to be able to distinguish subtle flavours of herbs and spices in your dishes, as well as whatever else you have included in your creation. Your ingredients should complement each other, not one overpowering the other.

We take our enjoyment in gourmet food from many of our senses. Of course, the flavour and texture must be perfect, but your dish must be visibly appealing. Garnishing is an important element to gourmet cooking and will enhance the appearance of your dish. We also rely on our sense of smell to increase our pleasure in food and the inclusion of ingredients that have a wonderful bouquet all add to the experience All your dishes should be presented with care and creativity, and skillfully arranged.

Attention should always be taken when displaying your meal, regardless how simple or complicated it may be. With a little artistic license even an ordinary meal can be transformed. Gourmet cooking is a subject that is limitless. New recipes or ingredients from other parts of the world are constantly being experimented with. Gourmet cooking is exciting and challenging but certainly not for the unadventurous or those who wish to stick to tried and tested philosophy.

For those who wish to push the boundaries of their knowledge are willing to learn more about gourmet cooking there is a wealth of support, advice and hands-on training programmes.

Great gourmet food is ever changing and evolving. This is largely due to those enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about achieving the highest standard in gourmet cooking and are unafraid to try new and interesting combinations by experimenting with previously untried ingredients. Gourmet cooks never compromise in their quest for excellence and our always accepting of new and interesting ideas from whatever part of the globe they come from. Like any other subject in life the more effort that is put in the greater the rewards. But the key to success is to enjoy being creative and take the greatest of pleasure in what you are doing! If you possess these qualities you may be on the road to a wonderful career in gourmet cooking.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Page Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Offering online marketing services is certainly an opportunity to

consider if you are interested in starting an internet business

that will enable you to work from home. Internet business is

booming, no doubt, and there are many people venturing into

e-business who haven't a clue how to go about marketing on the

internet. Online marketing services are not exclusive to

e-business; they can also be beneficial to brick-and-mortar type

retail or wholesale companies. Thus, there are many different

target audiences to choose from when offering online marketing

services. This enables you to identify and pursue a niche market.

There are a few things to do before launching an online marketing

services company:

1. Familiarize yourself with online marketing services

2. Conduct market research to identify a niche market

3. Decide which online marketing services you will offer

4. Become an expert

The next phase of launching your online marketing services

company involves:

1. Preparing your business plan and marketing plan

2. Developing your policies and service procedures

3. Marketing your online marketing services

4. Providing exceptional customer service

5. Building a base of repeat customers and referrals

for your online marketing services

With the internet, it is easy to review online marketing services

and to find out about your competition. A competitive analysis is

essential to differentiating and positioning your online

marketing services company. In your review of online marketing

services, you will get some great ideas about what services you

can offer and how to professionally present them.

Market research is the key to identifying a niche market to

target for your online marketing services company. For instance,

you may market your services only to attorneys, only to wholesale

grocers, only to work-from-home moms, etc. With an online

marketing services company, truly the world is your playground.

However, by narrowing the scope of your target market by finding

a niche to market to, you're advertising will have a stronger

impact as you can become known as an expert in online marketing

services for whatever field or niche you choose to market to.

Once you have reviewed other online marketing services, analyzed

your competition, and identified your target market, you are

ready to decide which online marketing services you wish to

offer. This is another opportunity to define a niche. For

instance, you may offer only pay-per-click management services

and you can position yourself as an expert in that area which can

be credible if that is the only service you offer. You can also

offer a whole menu of online marketing services with various

mixes in package deals which can be appealing to clients.

Whichever online marketing services you choose to offer, if you

are presenting yourself as an expert, make absolutely sure that

you are one before you take on your first customer. The

reputation of your online marketing services is at stake. If you

present yourself as an expert in search engine optimization for

instance, and you cannot achieve good ranking for your clients,

your credibility will be lost and this can frequently result in

your reputation being ruined via discussions about your company

through online marketing and business forums.

Preparing your business plan and marketing plan should be a

first-step before you launch your online marketing services

business. Writing a business plan just makes sense because it

helps you to put your ideas down on paper, to set your goals, to

think through issues and to define your budget. Your marketing

plan is equally important as it will serve to keep you focused on

the important aspects of your online marketing services business.

For suggestions about what should be included in a business plan

and marketing plan, visit the website for the Small Business

Administration . There you will find excellent guidance for

business planning.

Policies and service procedures are important for two reasons.

One, to protect your business; and two, to ensure that you

provide excellent service to your customers and that they

understand up front what your services entail. When marketing

your online marketing services business online, you should at a

minimum have a terms-of-use policy and a privacy policy. Through

your terms of use, it is a good idea to disclose your policy

regarding refund requests or your service guarantees as well as

any limitations to your service.

Taking customer service a step further, your service policies

will govern how you do business. Your systems will enable you to

provide the services. Starting out, you don't necessarily need

anything fancy, but as your company grows, automating some of

your sales and service features is a good idea. An example of an

automated customer service tool is an autoresponder that confirms

you have received an order. Repeat customers will come to you if

you offer excellent online marketing services.

It is easier to retain a customer than to get a new one, so

always keep that in mind when working with your customers. Happy

customers are also extremely valuable to an online marketing

services company because they will refer you to their friends and

associates. To encourage referrals, you may offer your customers

some type of incentive (like a 10% discount) if they refer a new,

buying client to you.

Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you're getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com

When preparing food for the grill, the greatest challenge for home cooks is that grilling is an intense form of direct heat cooking, and controlling the heat can be tricky. Although most people see it as easy, grilling is actually one of the most challenging of the basic cooking methods. If cooking is like driving a car, grilling is like being strapped to a rocket ship! Now more than ever, creative home cooks are looking for the best cooking tips for gas grills. As the weather starts to get nicer and the great outdoors beckons, attention starts to turn to outdoor cooking - and gas barbeque grills can't be beat for simplicity and convenience. But grilling only becomes EASY when you know these important cooking tips for gas grills that are guaranteed to improve your results. Grilling, like any basic cooking method, can be mastered. These cooking tips for gas grills will get you started on the road to expert grilling any time of year.

Preparing Recipes for the Grill

Cooking all recipes for the grill starts with understanding how the grilling method acts differently on different types of foods. Because grilling is an intense heat form of cooking, careful product selection is extremely important. The grill will not tenderize meats so you must start with a tender product if you want to end with a tender product. Marinating meats when making recipes for the grill is the best way to apply some tenderizing properties before cooking. The product itself is also an important consideration because you want to make sure it will be able to withstand this form of direct high-heat cooking. Different products will handle this differently and some are just not the best choice for standard grilling. A very delicate fish, such as tilapia, will not perform very well on the grill because the high heat may burn the outside of the fish before the inside cooks at all. Another consideration is when grilling combinations of different foods, as in skewering vegetables. A mushroom will cook faster than a carrot or potato, for example. You will achieve far better results by par-cooking the "harder" items prior to skewering so that all vegetables are the correct done-ness at the same time. Once you have considered the differences in the types of foods you will be grilling and preparing them accordingly, the basic procedure for creating recipes for the grill is:

1. Heat the grill on HIGH with the lid closed to heat up the coals and grates to as hot a temperature as possible.
2. Brush the food item with the oil of your choice and place it on the hot grates - presentation side ("pretty side") down.
3. For GRILLING, leave the grill cover OPEN.
4. After a few minutes inspect the item. You are looking for the item to start to brown around the edges and to see pink (almost clear) moisture bubbling up to the top. This will be your signal that the item is 75% cooked on one side and that is the time to flip it.
5. Do not use a fork to flip the item and do not puncture it in any way - because that will allow precious juices to escape.
6. Using an instant-read thermometer - because this is the only real way to know when something is done - remove the item 5-10 degrees BEFORE the desired final internal temperature.

A Gas Grill Cooking Twist

Although GRILLING is always done with the lid cover open, gas grill cooking can incorporate additional cooking methods that make it preferable to cook with the grill cover closed. With the grill lid closed, the grill changes from a CONDUCTIVE cooking vehicle to a CONVECTIVE cooking one - more like your oven. Of course you could just use your oven for using these cooking methods, but outdoor cooking does have some advantages over indoor cooking - particularly in warmer weather. So how do you turn your dry heat, direct source cooking vehicle (the grill) into one that can utilize a moist convective cooking process? It's actually a pretty cool technique for gas grill cooking. This is a trick I use most often with delicate fish, such as tilapia. First, I turn the heat OFF on the side of the grill that my tilapia will cook. Then, I add a pan of water to the bottom of the other side of the grill - right on top of the heat elements. Keep in mind that this "water" can be any kind of liquid you like. I use shrimp stock sometimes with fish, but you can season it with chicken broth, wine - anything that is liquid and imparts nice, complimentary flavors to the product you are cooking. Then, the fish is placed either directly on the grill (if you have a flat grate option) or you can put it in a cast iron pan and put it on the grill grates. The rest of the procedure for this type of gas grill cooking follows the normal grilling process - cook with your eyes and observations, flip after 75% done, use a thermometer to determine final temperature and remove a bit "early" to allow for the carry-over cooking that occurs. And that's it, now you can consider gas grill COOKING in addition to standard GRILLING for great outdoor cooking results.

Gas Barbeque Grills vs Charcoal Grills

You will hear from many self-proclaimed GRILLMASTERS that the traditional charcoal grill is far superior to the gas barbeque grill, but the gas grill has many advantages that make it a great choice for any outdoor cooking situation. I will admit that the charcoal grill provides opportunity for a deep, smoky flavor that is not fully achievable with the gas barbeque grill, but after that all of the "pros" go into the gas grill's column. For starters, the gas grill is much easier and safer to start because it uses propane as fuel and starts at the press of a button. Charcoal grills can be easily started with lighter fluid, but this can be dangerous, and can impart an undesirable taste into the food. Plus, the gas grill turns OFF as easily as it turned on! No waiting for coals to cool so that you can empty and clean the grill and no messy coals to dispose of. The other nice thing about gas barbeque grills is that they allow for consistent heat throughout the cooking process. With the charcoal variety, the cook has to really control the heat by actually moving products closer and further and this takes some practice and experience.

These cooking tips for gas grills seem simple but they truly are the difference between great grilling results and disappointing meals. The next time you get ready to grill, remember that careful product selection and a basic understanding of cooking methods is all you need to master the barbeque grill, creating outdoor meals and memories for life.

Chef Todd Mohr is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur, cooking educator and founder of WebCookingClasses. You CAN learn to cook without written recipes by taking his FREE cooking class that will change the way you think about cooking forever!

Having basic auto repair tools can really be nice when your car starts to have car troubles. Having some repair tools can save you from having to run to your local Utah auto repair garage. You don't want to have to run to a Utah auto shop for every single mechanical problem that goes on with your car.

Be sure to carry auto repair tools in your car with you whenever you drive. As discussed in a previous article, major car repairs may be saved by keeping up with the general maintenance of your car. Yet, even doing that does not guarantee that your car will never break down.

It is inevitable that your car will need some minor repairs every so often. Even when they are cared after very well, cars will need some mechanical work done. However, keeping good care of your car and bringing it in to your local Utah auto shops to replace oil and other maintenance checks will make it more plausible that you can save money when your car does have smaller issues because you will be able to do the repairs on your own.

You can usually find a good set of auto tools at most Utah auto stores. Stores that deal with car accessories are always a good place to look for auto repair tools. A lot of supermarkets are also selling auto repair tools.

Basic tool kits will allow you to do basic mechanical repairs yourself. Before trying to repair anything on your car yourself, you need to make sure you have a basic knowledge of car repairs. Local classes, online tutorials, and basic videos are a good place to start when studying how to do repairs on your car.

Some procedures should never be tried by a novice. For example, you would never want to try to replace a broken clutch by yourself. The type of repairs that novice car owners can easily do are things such as replacements on spark plugs or fuel filters.

When you buy a basic auto repair tool kit it should have some form of tutorial included with it. Tutorials will help you understand the tools and their uses. The more detailed the tutorial, the better.

You can ask your Utah auto repair technicians what tools are the best to have for basic maintenance work. Most will tell you the need for jumper cables, screwdrivers, set of wrenches, thick gloves, and breaker bars. When you go in to talk to your technician, compare the pricing between their basic auto repair tool kits and others you can find online or at the supermarkets.

Master Muffler is Utah's leading muffler, brake and auto repair shop, and has 13 locations from Brigham City to Provo. Visit or call one of their locations for a free quote on how to improve your miles per gallon up to 30% for your car, truck or van. Visit their website at http://www.mastermuffler.net.

When you're getting ready to buy a pair of hiking boots, there's a lot to consider in order to make sure the shoe has the features you need to get you where you want to go safely and comfortably.  Different styles of hiking boots are necessary depending on the type of excursions you're planning.

First, What Are Your Options? Currently, the 3 basic styles of hiking boots are:

1. Low Cut Hiking Shoes: Resembling a beefy sneaker, a low cut hiking shoe is great for many types of moderate hiking excursions. They can also be the perfect water hybrid shoe when made of quick drying materials and they'll also provide descent traction.
2. Mid Cut Hiking Shoes: This style of hiking shoe falls right about mid ankle, providing more support than low cut hiking shoes, but allow for more ankle movement than hiking boots. They can be safely worn for some backpacking and most hiking trips.
3. Hiking Boots: Full height hiking boots are essential if you're backpacking for any extended length of time or with a heavy load because of the support they provide for the ankle. A good quality hiking boot usually lasts a long time and provides excellent traction on most any terrain.

Now you know the basics about the different styles available, but, how do you know what style of hiking boot or shoe is right for you? Ask yourself the following questions about the ways in which you will typically use your hiking shoes, then, you'll be able to choose the right style and qualities to create the perfect hiking footwear for your journey.

What Are You Planning to Carry?

If you're planning to carry anything more than a day pack on the majority of your hikes, consider the weight of what you'll have in your pack before choosing a pair of hiking boots or shoes.

If you have a really heavy load, say 40 - 50 lbs or more, ankle support is essential. Some hikers find ankle support essential no matter what amount of weight they carry, but others feel that you can still have a safe and comfortable hike in mid cut hiking shoes when you're carrying around a 45 lb load or less. If you're carrying less than 25 lbs, then you can also safely explore the available options in low cut hiking shoes.

Do You Want Your Hiking Shoes to be Waterproof or Quick Drying?

For many, the automatic response is "of course I want them to be waterproof", but, if you get waterproof boots (usually made of Leather or Gore-Tex) wet above the ankle line, or the waterproof membrane becomes damaged your feet are usually soaked for awhile because these materials are heavy and take time to dry.

The alternative to a heavier waterproof hiking shoe or boot is a pair of hiking shoes made out of quick drying material. If you're going to be faced with higher water (above the ankle) on a regular basis, your feet are going to be getting wet regardless, and a quick dry material may be of a greater advantage to you than a waterproof boot

However, if you're just puddle hopping or crossing low level streams for the most part, the water proof boot or shoe will get wet much less often than a quick drying one; which will get wet no matter the height of the stream, the dew, the mud, etc.

What Type of Terrain Will You Be Hiking On?

Do you normally hike semi maintained trails in the town forest, or are you on a quest to climb all the 14ers in Colorado? The terrain is a very important aspect of picking the right hiking boot. You will obviously need more ankle support as the intensity of the terrain you're hiking increases, but traction matters also.

If you encounter mud a lot in your area (or where you're going) you'll want to look for tread that is soft and releases mud easily. An awesome hiking shoe with not so awesome treads quickly becomes a lead brick when hiking through mud.

Also, if you end up hiking on terrain (like desert canyons or high mountain peaks) that is notoriously gravelly or filled with loose rocks, a step can easily become a slide and quality traction as well as ankle support is essential to help prevent this and keep your hike safe.

Within these main questions, you'll also have to ask yourself what type of material you prefer for both the outside and inside of your boots, as well as color, and style. But, if you answer these basic questions before you purchase anything, you'll be able to easily select the best hiking shoe or boot for your style of hiking. This way your hikes can be safe and enjoyable to both you and your feet!

When you're in the market for new shoes, make sure you always get the best deals possible by using a shoes.com coupon [http://www.discountspies.com/shoes-coupons/]. These discount codes will help you save a lot of money and make it possible to get all the hiking boots, dress shoes, running shoes, etc you need without putting a strain on your wallet.

You don't have to stop at shoes though. To find coupon codes and promotional offers for most anything you're buying online, just visit DiscountSpies.com [http://www.discountspies.com].

Watching movies is a very common hobby that I too have. I love watching movies and I usually watch nearly 5 to 6 movies per week. Earlier, I have tried many monthly DVD rental services promising to deliver unlimited DVD's to your home. But later I find a catch in those services. In all DVD rental services, you have to first choose the movie that you like, return your previous DVD, and then after a delay of 3-4 days movie comes to your address. By this time you will surely loose your interest from the movie you liked that day.

In place of subscribing for such DVD rental services again, I would rather prefer some service where I should be able to download and watch movies of my choice instantaneously. I have now unsubscribed from my monthly DVD rental service provider and have joined one of the best unlimited movie downloads service on the internet.

There are lot of other such unlimited movie providers on the internet who provides similar services for just one time fee. In this article, I am sharing my experience with the best three websites which provides great unlimited movie downloads service.

Before we begin with rating these top websites, below is the criteria that I have chosen to rate them:

1. Unlimited Movie Downloads Collection:

A better site would be the one where we can find any movie that we want in just a few clicks. This is our first criteria where we would be rating these movie websites.

2. Download Speed:

Movie should be downloadable in a few minutes and we should also be able to start watching them while download is still in progress. Slow download speed is very annoying.

3. Pricing:

The movie downloads site should give flexible pricing options and let subscriber to choose the one which fits his/her budget.

4. User Interface:

The site should provide easy interface for managing our movie library and also provide an interface to schedule the movie downloads and parallel downloads.

5. Money back Guarantee:

If you do not like the service, they should return back your money without asking any question.

6. Customer Support:

They should provide 24/7 customer support and any customer queries should be responded quickly.

Based on the above tips, following are the top 3 unlimited movie downloads website that we have identified.

Net Movie Downloads:

They provide access to over 100 million DVD quality movies, TV shows, games, music videos & more. Downloading of movies can be carried out safely without the risk of attack by harmful adware or spyware. Net Movie Downloads also provide you with the software to burn each movie to CD or DVD. Lifetime membership is also available. We love this site for its vast and constantly updating database of movies, games, music videos, etc. You can almost find any movie you are looking for here. The movie downloads are fast and safe. The whole process of searching for a movie title, downloading and burning the movie file is easy and guided. Another plus point is the free unlimited ring tones they provide. This bonus alone is worth the price you pay for your membership.

Shared Movies:

This is one of the oldest, established and most popular site for downloading unlimited movies. We have rated it at the second position because the collection of movies at this site is 80 million in contrast to 100 million movies provided by Net Movie Downloads. The downloading is secured and protected from adware and spyware. The picture and sound quality of movies at this site is awesome. Picture quality is their best part. Their interface is also very easy to operate.

Movie Advanced:

This unlimited movie downloads site offers a large selection of DVD quality movies, full episodes of TV shows and music videos. It offers comprehensive tutorials on how to get started in finding, downloading and playing the media files on your TV, PC, or home theater system. You can download and print out the relevant CD and DVD covers as well. We liked this site because we were able to find almost any movie that we searched for. Their registration is very quick and just takes about 2 to 3 minutes. You should prefer this site if you want instant access to unlimited movie downloads.

Article Source: Top Unlimited Movie Download Sites - A Review [http://movies.nitinblog.com/online-movie-download-watch-top-unlimited-movie-download-sites]

See Also:

Experience Online Movie Viewing - Vongo Review [http://movies.nitinblog.com/vongo-review]

I remember my mother telling me about the times when she was pregnant. She was wearing nothing more than my father's jeans and his working shirts throughout her pregnancy. No maternity clothes for her because she was too poor to buy them at that time. Remember, in her time, which was about 30 years back, maternity clothes used to cost a bomb.

And yet, if you walk along any shopping center these days, you'll notice at least three or four maternity clothes fashion houses catering to the specifically 'large' needs of a pregnant mother. And since the web and the Internet is such a magnanimous thing these days, what about online maternity stores? I'd safely say there are just about half a million legitimate maternity stores right now flailing around the Internet wires for business.

And the amazing thing is that...YES, they make money! And why, I was wondering.

Because of one simple thing....even though my mother (like your mother) and my grandmother (and your grandmother) didn't need maternity clothes when they were pregnant, the modern generation of pregnant women really, truly DO need maternity clothes. We're living in an era that is completely different from their time and we cannot compare our pregnancy needs with their needs. The same rules no longer apply.

If you're pregnant right now and am sitting around here wondering if you should get yourself a whole new wardrobe of maternity clothes, you're in luck. I have some tips about buying maternity clothes for you.

Buy good-looking maternity clothes that can last at least 3 pregnancies

Like I said, maternity clothes are not cheap these days and maternity clothes are only wearable for the nine months that you're pregnant and maybe another month or two after that. And when you get back in shape, you're going to have to shelve those expensive maternity clothes or put the maternity clothes in sad boxes with the edges stuck together with cellophane tape.

So, buy only maternity clothes that are classy and of exceptional quality. You wear maternity clothes only when you plan to go out. For casual outings and at home, stick to your extra large clothes or perhaps, you can buy some large sweaters, t-shirts, overalls, or raglan to wear when you're not required to look all-that-presentable. It works!

You won't need CASUAL maternity clothes. In my books, that's an oxymoron.

Maternity clothes that can double up as breastfeeding clothes later on would be good too

If you intend to breastfeed your baby after the whole pregnancy is over, you would have to think about buying MORE clothes...breastfeeding/nursing clothes. Now, as with maternity clothes, nursing clothes don't come cheap either. And do we NEED nursing clothes as much as we need maternity clothes? Yes, sometimes we do. I have quite a few fashionable looking nursing clothes that I wear whenever I go out shopping or meeting up with friends. Other times, I wear my t-shirts with holes cut out for easy access to the breast! Yeah, it's funny, but at home, who's going to care?

And if you can get your hands on some good maternity clothes that can double up as nursing clothes later on, GO FOR IT! You will get your money's worth that way.

Style of maternity clothes

Many maternity clothes designers are asleep when they're designing maternity clothes - the selection is bad. Most of them are nothing but flower after flower, spiral after spiral, safety pins or perhaps some form of teddy bear or another. Forget about them! If you were to buy maternity clothes, invest one that makes you look good. If the maternity clothes are plain, that's fine, it's better than making you look like Bozo - most of them do, by the way.

The point is that you want to look CLASSY and DIGNIFIED even though you're sort of....BIG. and wearing maternity clothes with large orange and yellow flower prints is NOT going to help you do that!

That's just my opinion, of course, and you're entitled to have your own opinion about maternity clothes that looks good.

Good luck!

Reprint Notice

Copyright 2005 Marsha Maung

Please feel free to reprint this article in your newsletter, website, magazine or other forms of publication freely. The only requirement is that the following biodata is included and the links remains intact. Apart from editorial or grammatical editing, other form of editing that may impair, change, or alter the context of the article is NOT permitted. If so, please contact the writer for written consent.

Marsha Maung is a freelance writer and designer. She designs apparel, household and premium items for http://www.allmomstuff.com Marsha MaungÂ’s personal website is http://www.marshamaung.com

Many sales problems can be solved by improved marketing. Selling harder is often not the solution. More . . . or just better . . . marketing may be what's needed. Marketing presents a special problem for any company that has not yet developed a professionally staffed marketing department. This article looks at the various marketing functions. It describes some successful approaches to determining when to add "more" marketing to your company.

In The Beginning

Most successful companies grow from a small enterprise based on the founder's idea or vision. In the early stages, the founder usually plays many roles. It's common to see a founder handling engineering and/or sales roles. As the company succeeds and grows, many of these tasks are delegated to others.

The one area most often key to the long term success of the company is the function of marketing. This article covers:

• The marketing functions
• The problems they can prevent or solve
• The contributions you can expect from marketing

Marketing: The Difference Between Buying And Selling

The definition of marketing has been attempted by many authors. It is commonly referred to as the process of relating the potential customers' needs and wants to the company, and then addressing the company's solutions to meet those needs and wants back to the marketplace.

We have described marketing as the process of focusing on Who the customer really is, and What the customer is actually buying from you . . . rather than what you're selling. What customers can buy from your firm . . . that they cannot buy from another . . . is the real reason they do business with you.

The marketing functions within your company that support this work can be divided into product marketing and marketing services to support demand creation and sales. Both functions are necessary to have an effective marketing effort. However, they are distinct. How much of each you need . . . and who should perform these duties . . . are important issues.

What Is Product Marketing?

The classic definition of product marketing includes the issues of product, price, promotion, and sales channel (place). The concept of product marketing holds true whether your company is a "product" or a "service" company. In the case of a service company, your "product" is the service provided.

To succeed, these product marketing issues (product, price, promotion, and place) must be handled so they are effective from the customer's point of view. In the beginning, these issues are usually a key part of the founder's vision. When the company succeeds, they often become too complex . . . and too important . . . to be handled part-time, by the chief executive.

Product marketing works over two different frameworks, each important, and fundamentally very different. These two areas are strategic and tactical.

Strategic Marketing

Strategic product marketing is the future component of the marketing problem. Strategic issues include:

• What business is your company in?
• What business should you be in?
• What products or services should be designed and offered?
• What technical capabilities need to be developed within the company or acquired from outside the company?

Other related strategic issues include:

• Marketing channel strategies (How do you reach your customers, then sell and deliver the goods?)
• Competitive positioning (What sets your company apart in the minds of your customers?)
• A complete understanding of, and ability to communicate to customers, What they can buy from your company that they cannot buy from any other company.

The strategic role requires a person who is a generalist, with a broad view of the market, the industry, and the company. This is the role most usually maintained by the founder/CEO. Portions of this strategic function may be provided by a senior marketing manager or by outside consultants.

Tactical Marketing

Tactical product marketing deals with issues that relate to the success of current products or services. These include:

• New products or services introductions
• Promotion of existing products
• Development of marketing programs and literature that are effective in reaching the customer
• Communicating the unique position that separates your company from your competitors
• Ensuring that the sales channels are being used effectively to reach customers

The development of tactical plans is a product marketing function. The execution of some of these tactical items may be accomplished by marketing services, as described next.

The tactical role requires a person with the desire and skills to "get it done." Both tactical and strategic roles require great communications skills, and the ability to deal successfully with a wide range of peo-ple, both inside and outside your company.

What Are Marketing Services?

Marketing Services executes tactical marketing programs. This may include sales contests, public relations, advertising, trade shows, dealer programs, direct mail campaigns, etc. This function manages or provides the creative, and produces items such as brochures, advertisements, press releases, trade shows, etc.

There is obviously an overlap between tactical marketing and marketing services in the area of defining and planning these programs. A senior, experienced, marketing services professional may be able to perform some of the functions of tactical marketing. Unfortunately, many times we place an excellent marketing services person in a position which really is tactical marketing . . . and the results are not satisfactory.

Marketing Services' function is to create and manage the tools, support materials, and collateral that tactical marketing has determined necessary to effectively implement the programs designed to achieve the strategy.

Skilled marketing services professionals have excellent input regarding these tools and materials to assure effective results. Asking them to perform the tactical product marketing function is quite another thing!

What Do Marketing Problems Look Like?

Sometimes it's easy to see a marketing problem. One example of this is a stalled product.

You've spent many months developing a new product and feel sure of its merits in the marketplace. You've introduced the product, but it seems to be going nowhere. What do you need to do to take advantage of your investment and ensure the success of the new product (and perhaps your company)?

• Should you lower the price?
• Should you raise the price?
• Do you need to spend money on advertising?
• Do you need to kick off a public relations campaign?
• Do you need new sales channels, or do you need a program to "kick start" your existing channels?

Obviously some of these issues are tactical product marketing. Some may involve marketing services, or the problem may be fundamentally strategic.

Possibly, you have an unneeded or unwanted product or service. Maybe you have not fully determined what the differences are your product or service provides which are valuable to potential customers.

Another example of a potential marketing challenge is an important new product introduction.

• How do you ensure that you get the best press coverage?
• Should you introduce the product at a trade show? Or with a press conference? Or with a press tour?
• What literature and sales tools will you need?
• Does this new product (or service) fit your existing sales channel?
• What is the competitive environment in which this product will be introduced?
• How should the product be priced and positioned to take maximum advantage of the competitive situation
• What do your prospective customers think of the new product?

Again, some of these problems are tactical and some are Marketing Services. Executing an effective new product launch by relegating the planning and execution to Marketing Services, or worse, to your advertising agency, is a mistake. Given that 90% of new product introductions fail to achieve their sales goals, perhaps it's time to consider that the execution may not be the problem. Perhaps there was never a viable plan.

Sometimes it's more difficult to recognize the problem as belonging to marketing. It can still clearly be rooted there however. An example of this is the conflict between sales and the factory. Often the conflict looks like this:

The salespeople are frustrated. They see opportunity they can't turn into business, and they blame the factory for not listening to them, and for being unresponsive.

The sales person says, "Why don't they hear what I am telling them?" The factory staff in this case is often frustrated with field sales. "Why can't they just sell what we have?", is a common question from the factory.

Are the salespeople just complaining, so you should disregard them? Are the factory people being too "hardheaded?" Or is it possible that a marketing job, clearly defining the position of the product and communication of this to sales, has not been done?

If sales does not know the positioning, you will be getting inconsistent results and information from them. Has this happened to you?

Some marketing problems are easier to identify. You have an idea for a wonderful new product. But,

• What features should it have?
• What is the importance to your customers of each feature?
• Is there something else even more important about which you are unaware?
• How do you tell the story of the product so that you can get your sales people excited, and your customers to buy?

To answer these questions, what do you do? Do you conduct a focus group? Or a user survey? By phone, or letter, or face-to-face interviews? Or just design it, release it, and hope you were right?

The bottomline is that all of the above scenarios describe marketing problems which can be solved with the right marketing talent. Whether that expertise is full-time or a part-time, on-staff or from outside services are trade-offs you make to get the best solution your budget can afford.

Final Thoughts

The key to marketing is to see your company as you are seen by your customers. If you're satisfied with your company's results and feel that the future of your company is secure, then you may have all the marketing you need.

If you feel better results are needed, that you should be selling more, or your profits should be higher, or you should be doing a better job of satisfying your customers . . . then you should seriously consider adding marketing talent to your team.

(c) 1991, 2002 Customer Manufacturing Group

About The Author

Mitchell Goozé is the president and founder of Customer Manufacturing Group. For a free subscription to Customer Manufacturing Updates, e-mail us at info@customermfg.com, call (800) 947-0140 or visit the company website at http://www.customermanufacturing.com.

How to evaluate hiking boots and footwear for comfort, protection, and durability.

Choosing hiking boots and footwear is one of the most important decisions you as a hiker or camper will make. They'll either make your trip memorable or miserable. To find what's best for you, ask yourself "What type of hiking do I do?"

Day Hiking (Light-weight)- Do you usually go for short hikes for one to several hours during the week or weekend without a backpack? Then you'll want to consider these. They're lighter, flexible, and breathe better because they're usually made of fabric and split-grain leather. They're comfortable for day outings but you'll become fatigued and your feet will begin to bother you if you try to hike with a pack or for an extended trip because they aren't designed to support you like the hiking boots below.

Backpacking/Hiking (Mid-weight)- Stiffer mid-weight hiking boots provide more support and protection for shorter 2-3 day trips or even day hikes with or without a light to moderate load. If you hike for a few hours and want more support and/or up to three days on or off-trail on easy to moderate trails get a mid-weight leather backpacking boot.

Extended Backpacking (Mountaineering)- The best level of support, protection, and durability for heavier loads and longer trips, but they're also usually heavier. Supports heavy loads of approximately 40+ pounds (could vary with hiking boot). If you hike for more than three days on or off-trail with a moderate to heavy pack on demanding terrain get an extended (heavy weight) backpacking boot. If you need to attach crampons for glaciers check to make sure the boots are compatible before you buy. For cold-weather hiking it's critical to get waterproof insulated boots that breathe to keep you dry.

Full-grain leather and Nubuck suede take water repellant products well but keep in mind that they won't waterproof a hiking boot NOT designed to be waterproof in the first place. The repellant will help shed water but if you're walking through streams or deep puddles you're going to get wet.

Waterproofing

You may or may not need waterproof hiking boots. Consider the environment you usually hike in and how long your trips are. If you do a lot of short desert hiking trips you probably don't need waterproof boots. Actually in a dry environment they'll only make it harder for your feet to breathe (more numerous or heavy layers mean less breathability). Nylon mesh fabric breathes better than leather, but remember you're making tradeoffs for durability, support, and protection.

If you would like to learn more about selecting your next pair of

hiking boots and what's important regarding fit and construction click here. Or take a look at this related article to help say goodbye to blisters caused by poor quality hiking socks.

Marc learned about quality gear just after his pup tent flooded forcing him to sleep in his tiny 2-seat Honda CRX. His hiking equipment & camping gear guides & reviews save you time & money. Subscribe to his camping & hiking newsletter & get the most usable info. FREE! © 2005. Reprint permission if author, copyright, links & this notice are intact.

Beside all the organized sports our children are attending throughout the year, summer time provides great opportunities for kids to attend a summer camp and learn new skills or make new friends. In fact, it's been proven so many times that by keeping kids active and interested in sports or arts, they will stay out of trouble and away from bad influences.

But with all the choices out there it can be difficult to find the right kids summer camps. This article will concentrate on providing some guidelines on the numerous factors to consider when choosing the best camp for your child.

WHOSE DECISION IS IT?

If you want your child to attend the worst summer camp, send him or her to a camp without involving them in the decision. Otherwise, make sure to sit down together and talk about what really interests him, what does he love about a particular activity and what does he want to gain from the camp experience. Regardless of the age of your child remember to include him in the decision. Looking through brochures and sharing some favourite summer camp stories with your child is a great way to build his excitement.

WHAT PROGRAM

Once you have determined your child interests decide if it's best that he attends a traditional or a specialized camp. Traditional Summer Camps are more appropriate for children who love to do many different types of activities such as outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, individual and team activities, and more. Specialized Summer Camps focus on one activity and are more appropriate for children that are motivated towards one specific activity. The most common kids camps and activities are:

Adventure Camps: hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, rope courses, rafting, outdoor cooking, and fishing.

Watersports Camps: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, waterskiing, windsurfing, volleyball.

Individual or Team Sports Camps: soccer, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, horseback riding, gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, fishing, golf.

Arts Camps: acting, directing, writing, photography, choreography, dance, music, circus, paining.

Science Camps: nature, geology, astronomy, biology, archaeology, physics.

Religious Camps: Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian.

Computer Camps: web design, graphic design, video game design, 3D-modeling and animation.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMP?

After taking into consideration your work schedule, child's age and the experience you and your child are expecting to gain from the summer camp, consider the type of camp that makes the most sense for your child. Depending on the type of camp, you can choose between overnight camps, day camps, all boys or all girls' camps, or brother and sister camps. Also take into consideration the age groups represented and the percentage.

WHERE IS THIS CAMP?

If it's the first time your child is attending a summer camp look for something closer in order to lessen some of the anxiety he or she might be feeling. Consider the proximity to your home or work especially if your child will be attending a day camp. Keep in mind the camp environment, security, and medical facility and remember to choose the camp based on your child's interests rather then how close the camp is.

WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES LIKE?

Most camps will schedule a tour for parents to visit the facility and meet the directors or you can talk to the camp administration on the phone about your concerns if visiting the camp is not an option. Talk to them about your child's needs and interests and how you can ensure that your child will have a successful summer camp experience. Enquire about the sleeping arrangements and what toilet and shower facilities exist. It is also important to find out what medical facilities are available and where is the nearest hospital.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

As a rule of thumb, non-profit camps are less expensive then the private camps. Most of these kids' camps are tax deductible under the Income Tax Act, falling under the general rubric of the "childcare expense" deduction. Talk to your accountant to see if you qualify. Beside the actual price of the camp you will also have to take into consideration the extra expenses such as the spending money needed by your child, transportation or camp uniform. Be sure to check the cancellation and refund policy!

HOW MANY CHILDREN WILL ATTEND THE CAMP?

The number of campers will vary depending on the size of the facility. Large camps are often organized into smaller segment groups in order for campers to receive the same attention as they would in a smaller camp.

WHAT ABOUT THE STAFF?

It's important to enquire about the staff before you and your child commit to a certain camp. Ask questions regarding the camper-to-counsellor ratio, the experience of the staff and directors, background, and what kind of staff training is provided. Don't forget to ask who prepares the food and what medical staff is on campus. Although most kids' summer camps are required to undergo detailed staff checks for anyone working with children, you have the right to ask for references of families who have previously enrolled their children in the camp.

Last but not least, visit the Canadian Camping Association's website for a list of accredited camps and information regarding provincial standards. Make sure your family is comfortable with the program you have chosen and remember that at the end of the day it's important for your child to have fun, fun, and some more fun.

Kids Activities Castle is an online Canadian community of like-minded parents who are looking to make other parents lives easier by offering information and ideas regarding children activities, afterschool classes and family friendly attractions.

Do you sometimes find that as soon as you take that leap and decide to make a positive career change, you're met with criticism and resistance from those around you? They tell you why it's a bad idea and try to persuade you not to follow your dream.

Luckily, it only seems that way. One of the biggest challenges that many people in career transition face is trying to convince their families, friends, coworkers and the people who know them best, that change is a good thing. At a time when everything is in flux, it's tough for us to reassure people we are headed on the path to success despite any obstacles which may surface along the way. We may even be uncertain ourselves! And because we frequently experience the most resistance to our ideas from the people who mean the most to us, it can FEEL like our core support system is caving in. But don't worry, I assure you it's not!

As a certified career coach who has helped many people overcome obstacles and who has paved the way for my own career, I make sure my clients know where to find the best type of career support, at the time when they need it most. Here are five sources where you can seek out guidance, education--even commiseration!--during your career transition period.

1. Career networking - both online and in person.

There are tons of career-focused networks and resources on the internet and in your local area. To locate them online, do a Google search. Check out your home town paper to find out where the best career focused communities are hiding. Go out and mingle with like-minded professionals who are seeking a change in their own careers or who are currently in the career you want to pursue. Participate in workshops, contact your college alumni office or attend a networking event. The information is there for the taking, all you have to do is seek and you shall find.

2. Individual career coaching.

On my site I offer what is known as Co-Active Coaching - a style of coaching that empowers the career seeker to find the right answers on their own and navigate their career course in a way that feels right for them alone. A good coach will never just hand you instructions, but is there instead to offer expert advice, an objective viewpoint, positive encouragement and suggestions to help manage your goals effectively, in a manner that works for you.

3. A career seeking buddy.

Sometimes it isn't easy being that "horse of a different color" in your group of friends. If everyone you know is consumed with their corporate job but you have a strong urge to strike out on your own, you may get some resistance from those who can't relate or are fearful you might be making a mistake. The solution is not to try to persuade the naysayers, but instead seek like-minded people or a supportive friend to commiserate with, share experiences with, and bounce ideas off of. It's so important to feel like you have someone who understands what you're going through during the sometimes unpredictable yet exhilarating career transition time. You can find a career seeking buddy by following up with some of the other points in this article--for example, visiting online and in-person networks where career seekers converge, taking a career education course or career teleclass and reaching out to classmates, or even asking your career coach to introduce you to others in her circle of contacts.

4. A mentor or someone who has "been there."

Is there someone in your life who you admire because they didn't follow the status quo, created their own path or just seem to be living out an amazingly full and satisfying life and career? Maybe you have a friend, relative, or acquaintance who started their own business or managed to interweave creativity and flexibility into their professional life in a way that stands out from the crowd. Now is a perfect time to ask for advice and guidance from that person, listen to their story, learn from their mistakes, and apply this knowledge to the changes that you're going through in your own career. Most people are more than happy to share what they have learned. The experience is sure to be enlightening and you will be making a friend and professional contact in the process.

5. Career education courses.

Newspapers, career publications, public libraries, online career resources and even my career website, http://www.HallieCrawford.com, are all great places to discover reasonably-priced career education and transition courses. Become armed with the knowledge needed to begin your journey on the path to a more fulfilling career. I myself offer a terrific and inspiring Career Seekers Teleclass that's held several times per year. It's a fantastic support program for those who are interested in coaching but either aren't ready to invest in individual coaching just yet, or really like the idea of participating in a group where others are going through the same thing you are. For more information, visit my website at the bottom of this article.

When you're striving for a positive change in your life, the goal is to seek out experiences and people that help you pursue that goal, enhance your knowledge, and offer positive feedback. It's understandable that our human support group won't always exist in the places where we're used to having it... but help is out there. I have confidence that you will receive the guidance and understanding you need to move forward with your dream of the ultimate career for you. Good luck!

Copyright 2006 Hallie Crawford, Authentically Speaking. All rights reserved.

About the Author:

Discover the Essential Components to a Satisfying Career Today
Want free tips, tools and expert advice on finding a career you're passionate about? Visit Certified Career Coach Hallie Crawford at http://www.halliecrawford.com. Sign up for Hallie's monthly e-newsletter, Creating Your Own Path, right now: http://www.halliecrawford.com/newsletter.html

First, let's talk about what it means for someone to be "spoiled." Too Many people do not understand the meaning. Many people make the mistake of thinking that by being loving and positive with a child, they are spoiling the child. That is not true. Being loving and positive with children is the most important and most healthy parenting skill. The classic definition of the term "spoiling" the child is about using an overly permissive and materialistic parenting style. When a parent is overly permissive, they do not make or expect a child to follow rules. They do not shape their child to be responsible members of society. Many rules involve giving a child structure which helps them learn how to become active, productive members of society. When children have no rules, limits or boundaries, they are being raised to become a burden on society. When children are given everything they want, when they want it, they begin to expect that this will occur all their lives. They are then set up to have unrealistic expectations and will be badly disappointed, perhaps even angry, when they are inevitably let down. When children are raised to expect that they will receive whatever they want, whenever they want it, they are being spoiled and raised to be a burden on society.

Using positive discipline with children as they grow up leads to their developing self discipline. Positive discipline involves using a strong firm tone of voice. It does not involve screaming at children. Nor does it involve just letting children do whatever they want. Being firm with children needs to be done from a place within the parent, where she feels secure in her ideas about what is or is not okay for her children to do. This involves foresight; reading, thinking and making decisions about what she believes is important. It involves discussions with all the adults involved in raising the child. For instance, most parents would agree that it is not okay for siblings (or friends) to fight one another to the point of someone getting hurt. Yes, siblings will fight, and, with their parents help children can learn how to have constructive conflicts. If a parent can guide the children, without giving in to either child, or suggesting that one child is always right, the children can learn how to resolve their conflicts constructively. When children fight, if a parent simply walks away, she is not helping children learn constructive conflict resolution skills. When a parent gets overly involved and begins to solve the problem for the children, they don't learn anything. Teaching children how to resolve conflicts needs to begin during their formative years. It begins by teaching children to respect all life and to be kind to everyone.

One way to do that is to teach children to be kind is by using creatures that are less intelligent and powerful than they are. For instance, most toddlers love to chase birds. That is actually an opportunity to teach the child to be kind to birds. After all, birds are smaller, weaker and less intelligent than the child is. When children learn that it's not very nice to scare birds and are taught to be interested in and kind to birds, they are learning how to be kind to all life forms. This is one advantage of having pets for your children. Taking care of their own pet is a wonderful way for children to learn how to be kind to, and responsible for another living creature. If parents are consistent in their insistence that the children take care of the pet, the children will do so, eventually. We often have to remind children to do something repeatedly. Sometimes we have to remind them 3 times, other times we have to remind them 103 times. We have to remind children to do something until they get it and begin to do it by themselves. That is healthy discipline. If a parent gives in and starts to do the job herself, the child learns that somebody else will do it eventually.

A big part of discipline is simply learning how to outlast the child. Children can decide that they are going to do what they want to do, when they want to do it, and they can be very persistent. It is amazing how persistent children can be. Parents have to be more so. Parents cannot give in and do things for the children. If parents give in and do things the child should do, they are teaching the child that he does not really have to do anything, and someone else will eventually do it for him. Parents must be more persistent and more patient than children. If parents can outlast a child, they will be increasing their own skills in persistence and patience.

One of the most basic realities of life is work. Everyone has to work. Good work is gratifying and fulfilling. Taking part in the production of something positive is a valuable part of positive self-esteem. When children do not have to do any work in the house, they do not learn how to cope with work in the world and they are not learning what they can do to feel good about themselves. A job well done is very gratifying. The same is true of school homework. Homework and housework are part of our everyday lives. When children are taught, during their toddler year to pick up after themselves, to put a toy away when they are finished with it, they are learning how to be responsible for their belongings and space, they are learning self care. If children are taught this basic skill early in life they will not have a problem later on, when they are teenagers. Many parents are not persistent and consistent in teaching their children to pick up after themselves when they are toddlers and then they wonder why the adolescent is messy. Not teaching your children how to take care of her belongings or space is part of spoiling a child. Spoiling a child in this manner will also undermine her self esteem. Having good work to feel proud of is part of building healthy self-esteem.

Manners are another area of importance. No, I am not talking about learning to use the right fork at a fancy dinner, nor any of the superfluous overdeveloped manners that one might expect in high society. I am talking about very basic manners such as using the word "please" when asking for something and using the words "thank-you" after receiving what you want. When children are raised to use these two words from a very early age on, they learn to respect what is being done for them. When my oldest child was about a year old, the first word he learned to say was "cookie," it came out sounding like, "gooky". I realized if he could say cookie well enough that I could understand it, he could also say, "Please". The next time he said, "gooky, gooky, gooky," I held onto the cookie and said, "Cookie, please". It did not take him long to add the word, "please" to his repertoire. It sounded like, "gooky, pease!" It was charming and became a game until he absorbed the word, "Please." I used a similar method to help him learn how to say, "thank you". I put the cookie in his hand, but kept my hand on the cookie until he repeated, "thank you." Again, it was a game that he enjoyed learning. As he experienced more situations in which those two words were appropriate, he began to understand that those two words had little to do with what was being given to him and more to do with a way of interacting pleasantly and respectfully with other people. My approach was pleasant and firm. I had to use a polite approach, because how can you teach a child to be polite if you don't use a teaching manner that is polite?

The most important technique for the parent/teacher to use is being polite him or herself. Many of us remember the experience of having a parent or teacher scream, rudely, at us "you're being rude to me!" Unfortunately, quite often, they did not realize how rude they were being. So, using a polite teaching manner with our children is vital when we are trying to teach them manners. In order to teach my children the value of holding a door open for another person, I held doors open for them. I taught by example and that has paid off. Now they hold doors open for me, not because they feel they have to, but because I did it for them for so long. Another technique I used is to praise them a great deal when they hold doors for other people. Positive feedback is the best kind of feedback there is.

It's a very sad condition when healthy children are so spoiled by parents that they become more of a burden on society. In a world where there are so many who are poverty-stricken, we need more children to grow up to be adults with a value system that includes helping those who have less than they have. Giving children everything they want, when they want it results in their not appreciating what they do have. When they don't appreciate what they do have, they want more. As long as they are focused on wanting more, they will be unable to see the many people in the world who have so much less than they have.

There is no need for anyone in our world to starve to death or die from a lack of water. Our world is filled with plentiful resources for everyone. What is needed is for everyone to recognize that and to begin to find ways to share those resources with everyone else. Children, who are raised with that knowledge and the ability to care for others, will help to resolve many of these issues.

Anne is a Board Certified Registered art therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor. Anne has been studying human development and relationships for over 45 years. She has been successfully working with families, in various capacities, for over 20 years. Her private practice is in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia PA. She specializes in helping people recover from various types of trauma, difficult changes and loss. Anne has an unusual ability to connect with children and adolescents, along with their parents. Parenting is the most important job we ever do, yet no one shows us how to do it or gives us the support we need. Anne has successfully coached many parents through a variety of critical stages in their children's lives. Annes greatest joy is helping people understand themselves and each other.

http://www.annescreativetherapy.com

In the winter of 2010 I decided to pursue a private study of bowl turning. I read every book I could find and watched YouTube videos over and over before I purchased my Nova DVR XP lathe, a 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch Crown bowl gouge, a parting tool, a large scraper, a Makita right angle drill, belt sander, orbital sander, grinding wheel, Sthil chainsaw, buffing wheel, sanding discs, sand paper, CA glue, walnut oil, lacquer, beeswax, rags, wood to build a heavy duty mounting surface for the lathe and sand bags to stabilize the table. I never took woodshop nor did I have any previous experience turning bowls. I had built a 2 story log cabin in Canada and always nurtured a love for wood and trees.

I ordered most of my turning equipment from the wood turners catalogue and have been amazed ever since on how the tools and equipment lived up to my expectations and arrived lightning fast.

At the same time that I built my lathe table (per Nova DVR specifications downloaded from the internet), I set out to find sources for logs. I placed free ads on craigslist asking for large logs which resulted in my acquiring some very large Dutch Elm logs and some medium size Cypress logs. I also called various firewood suppliers, most of whom did not have whole logs available or wood that was favorable to wood turning. However, one tree cutter did contact me and he expressed a true love of wood and interest in helping me to find good wood. I drove out to his storage yard where I found large diameter logs of cedar, oak, pecan and massive slabs of black walnut that his father had saved and protected.

On another occasion I stopped by a firewood yard in the foothills and looked out upon an endless supply of huge rounds of ash, oak, and species unknown. I soon had a good stockpile of logs which I stacked in the shade of an avocado tree in my backyard and loosely covered with a plastic tarp. I kept the logs off the ground with pieces of firewood and timber I had lying around. On average, excluding the black walnut which was expensive, I could fill my Ford Explorer with large chunks of wood for $40 to $60. In comparison, upon visiting stores that supply bowl blanks, I found that most resale blanks were both small and expensive. One blank could cost as much as a truckload of un-split firewood.

Not having a garage to house my equipment, I built a small shed using plywood and a tarp to protect my work area. I use a small BBQ cover to protect my lathe within the shed. My tools are readily available from a shelf below the lathe bench.

I purposely avoided purchasing costly equipment like a band saw or unnecessary tools like grinding guides, etc. My intention was to create natural looking rustic bowls using the least amount of equipment as possible.

There are so many opinions on what equipment and tools are needed, how to manipulate your tools, how to sharpen your tools, what is the right wood to use, and what constitutes an acceptable bowl...I decided to just plow through it, do my own thing, and learn as I go. The chain saw, lathe, bowl gouge, sander and grinder are at the heart of everything I do.

I began looking at other artist's bowls in artist shops and online. I saw the most beautifully finished hollow forms sitting behind glass on shelves...only $800.00! I also found web sites with really nice bowls for sale for such a low price that I can't imagine how the artist could pay for their turning supplies. These observations left me perplexed and, again, I just decided to do my own thing and see what happens.

My lack of experience and utilitarian interest in bowl turning caused me to think that my work would be sneered at by seasoned professionals. And so it was to my amazement that several of my bowls, sold privately or through silent auctions, were pieces that had visible sealed cracks, surface irregularities or warped sides. That's when I realized that I don't need to please other artists; there are people who find imperfections most interesting and I must admit that when fruit or a salad mix is placed in a bowl with various imperfections, the overall look is very appealing. I've had friends remind me not to move too far away from the rustic appeal of my first pieces and I have taken their suggestion to heart.

The Lathe

I love my Nova DVR XP. I looked at many other models including ones that I could not afford and inexpensive ones that required moving the belt across pulleys to change the turning speed. Now that I'm actually turning bowls I can't imagine using anything but a constant variable speed direct drive lathe that allows you to change speeds with the touch of a finger on a digital pad. This doesn't mean that the DVR XP is absolutely perfect...large out-of-round blanks can cause my heavy work bench to jump around at higher speeds, the safety mechanism that stops the machine during a significant "catch" can kick in too easily with large blanks turning at lower speeds, and there have been minor issues like a nut coming loose inside the housing. I've learned to correct or work around these issues with great satisfaction. I have NOT tried the add-on support for turning bowls over 16 inches in diameter but would imagine there will be some taxing of the lathe and my work station. The DVR was under $2200.00 and was my only large ticket purchase. It was delivered by freight to my driveway and the delivery man helped me lift it onto my work station.

Why is it so important to be able to change speed quickly? You'll know the answer to that question when you make your first bowl. Initial gouging, finish gouging, scraping, sanding, applying a finish, buffing...you'll use a wide range of speeds to perform all these tasks.

Breaking the Rules

There's nothing wrong with being a strict disciplinarian. There's nothing wrong with proper training and education. It's in my nature to go-it-alone and a big part of the fun is learning as you go and experimenting with your own ideas. As an example; Everything I've read and watched on video about turning bowls showed mounting the bowl to shape the outside of the bowl, then remounting the bowl to shape the inside of the bowl. This involves using a faceplate and then using a chuck for the remainder of turning. I was amazed to learn that I could cut both the outside and inside without ever removing the faceplate and still NOT have screw holes in the bottom of my bowl. Why didn't anyone mention this?

Using firewood rather than expensive exotics, I am at liberty to increase the depth of my bowl blank by the length of screws used to secure the faceplate. I shape the outside of the bowl, including 75% of the bottom, leaving only that section of wood at the faceplate un-tooled, avoiding cutting too close to the plate. I then, without dismounting the blank, shape the rim and inside of the bowl and follow shaping with sanding and polishing. I then use a parting tool and finally a hand saw to separate the extra wood at the faceplate from the bottom of the bowl. A belt sander will level out the bottom.

Another rule breaker involves turning green or wet wood. I've found that the results depend on the wood, the amount of moisture and your willingness to deal with warping issues. Available data shows that you can turn a rough version of the bowl with even wall thickness and set the bowl aside for a few months in a cool area. I've read that you can put the bowl in paper bags until moisture is no longer evident on the bag. I am, at this point, too impatient to wait a few months and the only time I tried the paper bag trick, the bowl was covered in mold when I brought it out.

When I turn a damp or wet wood, one of three things occurs. 1) The bowl warps. One of my most treasured pieces was a deep warped Dutch Elm bowl. 2) Cracks develop. That's what CA glue is for. It works fantastic and the more you learn to use it the better the results. You can hand rub fine sawdust into the CA glue-soaked crack, apply additional thin CA glue then a dusting of more fine sawdust with a light rub to even things out. You will be able to sand the filler in less than an hour. I CA glue and/or fill all visible cracks immediately during and after turning and as needed during the drying process. OK, if you want to turn precision pieces free of any defects then this is not going to work. 3) The finishing process must be delayed. Lacquer finishes will dull from the moisture. Hardening oils will lock in the moisture. Set the bowl aside until finishing can take place. Depending on the amount of moisture and type of wood this may only take a few days or a few weeks. However, I have been applying a coat of walnut oil on all my green bowls immediately after turning and sanding. I have been sanding the green bowls with 80 thru 400 grit, wiping on a coat of walnut oil, re-sanding with 220 thru 400 grit to take down any raised grain and then setting the bowl aside. The longer the bowl is set aside the more chance that the bowl will warp and, thus, you will not be able to remount the bowl on the lathe for additional gouging or lathe sanding. 4) Nothing bad happens. I'm stupefied but it's the truth...it's happened many times. I turn a damp bowl, finish sand it, buff it out, wipe it down with walnut oil, leave it in a cool area of the house, turning it on top of paper bags and the bowl comes out fine. I've even applied coats of spray lacquer shortly thereafter. Ok, the lacquer may dimple or dull if water is evident and further finishing or buffing will be required. I had two bowls develop dark dotted lines under the lacquer finish and I'm having a hard time removing them. I'm now leaning towards letting the bowls dry after sanding, with a single coat of walnut oil rubbed into the wood.

The bottom line: other than some issues with cracks, which I repaired as needed with CA glue (fine, medium or thick), and some warping which I kept or re-tooled to remove, I've turned many really cool looking green bowls without any problem. I turned 3 bowls that were damp or wet in the past week. One has gone oblong, one has rim edge bumps, two are in fine condition. The two that have minor disfiguration were so wet that my face plate was opaque during turning. The two that came out normal, except that I re-turned the rim, were damp but not saturated.

Finishing

I've experimented with walnut oil, which I'm told will not go bad, various hand rub finishes, polyurethane, lacquer, bees wax, carnauba wax, buffing compounds, etc. Lacquer (3-4 coats) gives a hard glossy finish and if you wait a few weeks it will buff out like glass. I use spray cans purchased at 10$ a pop from Rocklers. It took a while to get the technique down, don't be discouraged.

I was buffing the lacquer finish, walnut oil finish, and/or carnauba wax finish out as early as possible but nothing can beat applying the finish and allowing it to harden or set up before buffing. I just received a Beal buffing system that I'm trying out on the lathe. It's unbelievable! There are 3 large thick buffing wheels, a large bar of tripoli compound for taking out fine scratches, a large bar of white diamond for polishing and a thin bar of carnauba wax for finishing. I tried it on a lacquer finished bowl which had previously been buffed using a small wheel, tripoli compound and then carnauba wax. The difference between using separate wheels for each compound and the tripoli, white diamond, carnauba combination was amazing to behold. The bowl has a true glass finish.

Most recently I have been watching Elmer Adams (now deceased) videos on YouTube. The way he finished his large bowls is to soak the bowl in a 4 part Deft clear Danish oil and 1 part Defthane solution in a tub for 12 hours, completely saturating the bowl. He drains off the oil and then applies 5 coats of the same mixture by hand, buffing out each coat with Tripoli compound; using white diamond compound and Renaissance wax on the final coat. No spray, no lacquer...People have told me that a bowl saturated in oils take forever to dry. I am going to try a more conventional approach, applying pure tung oil cut 4/1 with a thinner to promote penetration, followed by 2/1 thinned tung oil applications with 24 hour drying and sanding in between coats.

Spending Money vs. Making Money

My motivation for making bowls is NOT making money. However, I don't want this hobby to be a hole that all my extra cash disappears in. I DO want to sell the bowls I make. When you first start out it seems that you're experimenting with equipment, tools and supplies that keep piling up the charges on your credit card bill. By avoiding purchasing fancy equipment I can do without and refining the turning and finishing processes, the amount of time and effort I put into a bowl is diminishing. Once I know how to select and sharpen my tools for a particular task, how to most effectively shape and hollow out the bowl, and understand the most direct method of developing a nice finish I will have a systematic approach to creating a bowl that others will find pleasing. At this point the cost per bowl will stabilize and I should see the returns grow accordingly. OK, this isn't a one year turn around but I'm in this for the long haul and I love doing it. I told my wife, when I retire, every bowl I sell represents a dinner for two or a night out on the town. I also intend for the returns to pay for supplies including raw wood for turning.

Research is paramount to any fine dining experience that you may be looking out for. The economy still holds a lot of budgeted dining experiences, despite the crisis, that it is simply impossible to pass on them. Fine dining will require a peaceful ambiance where a couple can enjoy a splendid evening. For some comfort is high up on the priority list. The aesthetics should be just right; they all play quite an important role when deciding where to dine out. People work very hard for the money they earn and they wouldn't want to spend it somewhere where it won't pay off.

When deciding on the restaurant people might be choosy about things such as whether there will be someone who'll greet them warmly and pull out a chair for them to get seated? Will the staff be cordial and welcoming? Do the servers know their job? Do they always guide their customers when they're lost? Customers pay close attention to such things; the more they feel welcomed and wanted the more desired will be your establishment.

The research also includes the health and hygiene aspects. If the customers doubt your restaurant to be inhabited by pests or being located at a very unhygienic location then they will most certainly pass on your eatery. They will check with the Food Ministry whether the visit to the premises will be life threatening or not. Bathrooms are often ignored and customers dislike the ignorance. Make sure that the whole of your premises is absolutely clean and does not disgust your customer. The music you play in the restaurant should be in accordance with the theme and ambiance and make sure it is played at a moderate level; high levels can turn them away.

Food taste differs per individual, so customers make sure that they have researched well on their choice. Often, available reviews of previous customers can help strengthen your choice. These reviews also reveal the prices. All this is available online for customer convenience. So, now customers can be fully prepared before they head out to hit your establishment. There will be no shockers or surprises for them; they'll plan what they would eat and carry as much money, as well. The only thing that you can pleasantly surprise them with is by focusing on the ambiance of your restaurant. If you've presented your establishment as something gorgeous and sparkling clean over the Web, make sure you live up to it or you'll turn them away for good. Always try to outdo yourself!

Chris has been enjoying writing articles for nearly 4 years. Come and visit his latest website over at [http://restaurantlondonsite.com/], which helps people find the best information about Restaurant reviews in London [http://restaurantlondonsite.com/] and reviews they need when looking for a special restaurant in London.

Searching the internet for a "summer camp" can yield an overwhelming number of results. Unfortunately, the best camp for you may not be anywhere near the top of Google's picks; your perfect camp might be hidden on page ten. Right at the top of the search results will be camp directories. Directories appear here as they put the most money into their sites, into their web-ranking. A directory won't know which camp is best for you.

In the search results there will be web links that relate to one specific camp. You may chose to look at some of these as well as the directories but going camp page to camp page will take too long, limiting your exposure to the camps available. As long as you are aware that the directories are a resource and not an authority, they are the most easy-to-use resource to be found. To understand why they are a resource and not an authority, one should understand how they exist. Directories charge the camps you find on their website for the services they provide. Most have a free listing but these are little one liners with limited information and often in black and white. To be noticed, directories charge camps for top placement, for color, for logos, for video, for ads on the side of the page and ones at the top. Quotes to camps run into the thousands of dollars per year for a listing.

Since your time is valuable, here are some benefits of the directories: you can find camps broken down by religion, by activity, by geography, by residency or day camp. Once you have a general idea of what you are looking for, use the internet to research specifics. For example, if you have decided you want to go whitewater rafting, but you also want to visit a different part of the country, you should hop onto a search engine and type in "whitewater rafting camp in California" (or whatever area you want to visit). Look at each of the sites that come up and make contact with those camps. Find out if they offer shuttle service to and from the local airport (this is something our camp offers). By doing so, you might get to have your proverbial cake and eat it too! This article would be no good if we didn't have some recommendations to get your questions flowing, so here are some to consider:

1. Is a resident summer camp (one where you stay overnight) for you? If you haven't spent much time away from home, this can be a scary thought. Feeling nervous is normal. It helps to know that no one is a "pro" at being a summer camp resident - everyone else is nervous, too! So, if this is something that's exciting, I encourage you to give it a try; you'll probably love it! If not, if this is simply something you cannot get into, then you should look for a day camp. Day camps can run multiple days but you're picked up and dropped off each day.

2. Is a church-focused camp a main factor? If yes, then you must make sure you're searching with the specific church focus in your query. Even the most devout of campers can enjoy a non-church focused camp. Directors and counselors alike have great respect for people of all backgrounds, so don't allow this factor to keep you away if the camp is perfect in all other respects.

3. Does the camp need to be an all-boys (or all-girls) camp? If so, then make sure you are searching for all-boys camps. If coed is preferred make sure you keep an eye out for this as well. We cannot say which, if either, is better, as we have had experiences with both types of scenarios.

4. This is your summer vacation, so if there is something you want to explore, then look for that in a camp. If you want underwater basket weaving, then you should not enroll in a sea kayaking camp. With this in mind, it is important to look at the activities different camps offer, especially as you begin to narrow your search. Similar camps can still pose great differences. For example, here, in Northern California, there are two water-based camps that are not far apart. One camp is on a lake, the other on a river. They are both priced nearly the same. The river-based camp does nearly all that the lake-based camp does, but the river-based camp also rafts, has off-site excursions such as water parks, pro sporting events and local attractions, at no extra charge! Be sure to really take a look at the camps and compare. And as we always encourage, contact the camps and ask them questions. You can tell quite a bit about the camp by how they respond to you. Always choose the one that makes you the most comfortable.

5. Most importantly, don't assume that you cannot do something. If you find something that peaks your interest but you are unsure of whether it is a good fit for you, then ask the camp! Most camps were designed with your joy in mind; therefore, the activities they offer are ones they are pretty sure you would enjoy. So, if you think a rafting adventure camp sound exciting and somewhere you would like to be, but you are not confident in your ability to participate, then contact the camp. Ask them what is required, tell them your concerns, and dialogue with them. If you are getting the feeling that they would rather not talk with you, then that is a place you do not want to be. If, however, you find they are engaging and care about your concerns, it is probably a good fit.

6. Email the camp, call the camp and dialogue with the camp! I cannot stress this enough. Anyone can write about how great their camp is, and everyone WILL write about how great their camp is, but the decision as to which camp fits you is yours and yours alone. The only way you are going to answer questions and get comfortable with your decision is to make contact. Camps should welcome your email and/or call. You are important, and so is your summer vacation. The right camp will recognize this and help you to find the best fit. The tips above are a good starting point toward finding that camp that is going to help you make BFFs and provide you with memories for years to come. As you see, there is a tremendous variety in summer camping from adventure overnight camps to day camps focused on arts and crafts. This is your time to live it up, take the time to research, be bold, and take a risk on something new. Reach out via email, and go with the camp that responds in a way that speaks to you.

Christopher Pyle is the owner/director of adventure summer camp and whitewater rafting company in Northern California. His entire company philosophy focuses on creating the safest and most encouraging environments for campers and rafters alike. We focus on TEAM, we focus on KINDNESS, we focus on SAFETY, we focus on personal EMPOWERMENT, we focus on COMMUNITY, we focus on SUPPORT. We're family run, family oriented and wanting to share our place with you.

In this article you will find information about lawn tractors. Knowing the prices, various uses, and how to use this tool safely can help you make the knowledgeable decision about which lawn tractor is best for you and your uses.

Lawn Tractors = Small Tractors

If you need a tractor for different kinds of farmwork for less than 2 acres, then a farm tractor is the best choice for you. You can greatly reduce your manual labor, due to the many attachments that are available for lawn tractors. You will find that this can help you keep your garden in tip-top condition in much less time. In most cases, a lawn tractor up to a maximum of 7-10 HP will also have a ZTR (zero turning radius) feature to help you when working in a smaller field.

The Versatility of Lawn Tractors

Versatility is a major benefit of lawn tractors. Some of the jobs that can be completed by lawn tractors include hole digging, lawn rolling, tilling, mowing, and many other jobs. The power take off spindle makes these jobs easily possible. That is why lawn tractors are a gardener's best friend.

Purchasing A Lawn Tractor

Choosing and purchasing a lawn tractor is much like buying an automobile. The optional accessories increase the prices of both a car and a lawn tractor. That is why you want to choose your lawn tractor and accessories wisely to ensure that you will use the ones that you are purchasing. You also want to ensure that you can try the lawn tractor in the showroom to ensure that you can attach and remove the accessories with very little effort. Test-drive the lawn tractor to make sure you can get in and out of it easily as well.

Price of Lawn Tractors

There is a large price range in lawn tractors. A smaller lawn tractor can start at $900 and go up to $6000. The Bolen 762F76 is a basic model and it is available for just under $900, while the John Deer Spin-Steer SST-16 is approximately $3300. A Poulan Pro PK1845H42ST is about $1400. These costs are for the tractor without any accessories. Accessories can make the cost greatly increase. A canopy starts at $110 and a collection bag for grass is around $300. A cart can run you anywhere from $110 to $220, depending upon the size. Now you see how the costs can quickly add up. If you are planning to use the lawn tractor for mowing 1/2 to 1 acre, then you may want to choose a stand behind lawnmower for around $350, instead of a lawn tractor.

Safely Using A Lawn Tractor

Lawn tractors are designed with a low center of gravity and that is why there is very little possibility of the lawn tractors tipping over. It is important to use the following safety precautions, regardless of the little possibility of them turning over.

o It is important that you watch your speed, especially when you are on an incline. A small rock can cause your lawn tractor to have problems and possibly injure you.

o While getting off of the lawn tractor, ensure that it is turned off and all attachments touch the ground, if at all possible.

Andrew Caxton is a journalist who has written more articles and newsletters on the subject for [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com] . A free online magazine that carries articles on lawn tractors, and a guide on lawn care here lawn tractors [http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/lawn-tractors.html]

A recent survey indicated that clean Taxi Cabs Fleets have higher tip rates and repeat customers. How do you wash a taxicab? You do them four at a time and you go up and over and up and over when you are drying them. If they have a little taxi cab sign, dry that last. But you do the rest of the car the way you do a regular car. The only difference is you are going to spray three, four, five, sometimes six cars at a time. Then another crewmember is going to follow behind you and do all the windows really well. You do a quick vacuum with a taxicab. Seriously, you do not want to be in that taxicab for more then a minute or a minute and a half. Now most taxicabs are usually scratched and they look like crap. This is something you are going to have to deal with. This is just the way they are going to look which is good for you because they are not expecting a perfect job. They just want them to look clean because they have their logo on them. Taxi companies are very low budget operations and low cost will get you the account. Some taxicabs are owned by independent contractors. You will need to charge more since the volume is not there. Staging areas at big airports are a good place to find lots of taxicabs.

Rent-A-Cars

Rent-a-cars these days are mostly small, tiny cars that get really good gas mileage. They are Toyota Tercels, Ford Contours and Dodge Neons and things like that. You can wash a Dodge Neon in your sleep in about three minutes. Really easy to clean, really, really easy and that is important. You want some accounts that are easy. Three dollars is fair for exteriors, five dollars for in and out is fine. It is important to have efficiency when washing rent-a-cars. No more than two minutes for vacuuming. You only want to clean the windows that are dirty. You do not want to clean all of the windows on a rent-a-car, just where you see fingerprints. You want to wipe off the dash really quick, wipe around the center console and use cleaner on the sticky stuff. Hit the inside windows that are dirty, wash the outside. You want to do them five, six at a time and you want to dry them off real fast, make sure the windows are clean and go to the next car. Rent-a-cars are really good money. You want to charge an extra two dollars for taking out carpet stains. Use some Folex cleaner or advanced carpet stain remover, some kind of a little carpet brush and a towel to wipe up whatever you precipitate at the top of the carpet after you have got it wet. The carpet remover should come off on the towel. There will always be trash in rent-a-cars, a lot of trash. You should have a bucket ready that you just put trash in and move it from car to car. Dump it before you leave. Usually rent-a-cars will have a Dempsey Dumpster around the back where you can dump all of your trash.

Rent-a-car companies are very careful and exacting as to what times of day they want their cars washed. They may have a whole bunch of vehicles in on Monday mornings and want you to do cars on Monday mornings. You are going to have to do the cars at that time. They are probably going to want them done before eight o'clock in the morning. So if you are doing the cars before eight o'clock in the morning and there are twenty or thirty rent-a-cars, it is quite serious that you get them all done in time. The rent-a-car company is paying you so they do not have to drive them to the car wash. It is rather important that you get them done on time. It is really easy to get them all done if you work efficiently. You are doing them six at a time. If you have twenty cars to do, you need to have them done by eight thirty to nine o'clock and you are doing them six at a time, you should have twenty-four cars done in an hour if you are really flying through them and you have the right crew. So pay attention to this. You can afford to do the cars for five dollars each because the job comes out to about one hundred dollars an hour. Think about this for a second. Think about the time and efficiency and how fast can you do them. This attitude is what will help you pick up the rent-a-car company accounts. If you can do them very, very quickly and you can do them not perfectly but good enough to make them happy, there is a lot of money in rent-a-car washing. Our crews in other towns already wash for: Budget, Avis, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise and generally can afford to wash them and retain a profit at only $5.00 per vehicle.

Police Cars

It is time to talk about police cars. We just saw a police car go the other way with his lights on. In any case, police cars, how do you wash a police car? Well first of all, you wash it like you would wash any normal car but you want to make sure you clean the light bar really well. You do not want to spray water inside the light bar, you will screw up the electronics. You also do not want to, but some of our guys love to do it, spray water inside the PA speaker on the front of the police car that is mounted by the bumper. The reason they like to do that is because it burns them outs and gives them a short. So, you should not do that. Now under the seats of a police car you find all kinds of cool stuff. Best to hand it over to the authorities and not smoke it yourself. You will find crazy stuff under the seats of a police car where you are going to have to clean. Depending on how you feel you can either vacuum the stuff up or put it into a little bag and give it to the watch commander. You need to dust the radios inside of the police car, but you have to be careful not to turn any knobs. There are always bugs on the light bars, but you cannot blast off the bugs as much as you would like to. You really need to soap them off and not blast them off. Sometimes the light bars get real brittle on the older police cars. You can actually blast right through them. I have done it before.

For some reason police like to go 4 X 4' ing when they are going through center dividers in order to catch a terrible criminal such as a speeder. They will go off road and do whatever; maybe they are just having fun. So you have to make sure that you clean all the mud off the police cars, they are a little bit muddier then most cars. The bottoms of the police cars are always muddy and they are going to need hand soaping. Police cars are often black and white. Usually the white part is where the door is so the policeman knows where to get in. The rest of the car is black. Now the part of the car that is black, remember it is black. If you are doing police cars in the sun and you are trying to do them three at a time, you may have a little problem getting to all of them. Some cities have police cars that are all white cars or all green cars or a mixture and that makes it a little bit easier.

There are certain additional things you have to watch for when cleaning police cars. Do not have a bunch of stuff out of your truck when you are washing a line of police cars. Someone may run out of the building and want to take their car. If you cannot move the truck in time you will really frustrate that officer. He wants to look official and squeal the tires out of the parking lot so you may as well just let him do whatever he wants to do.

Driving School Cars

Driving school cars are basically just like rent-a-car companies. The only difference is you want to spend a little more time on the dash board and a lot of time on the windows. You probably need to get five or six dollars each. This is giving them a deal because normally you charge ten dollars for in and out.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Public speaking presents such a challenge for many people. In the Book of Lists, public speaking anxiety and making a presentation constitute the number one fear; the fear of dying is number two. Like the old saying goes, “People would rather be in the grave than make a presentation.” You see people sweat, shake, and quiver while they are speaking. Sometimes, employees bypass promotions, and business owners bypass business opportunities rather than give a presentation. I saw a manager who was on the corporate fast track quickly become derailed because she couldn’t complete her presentation in front of senior management.

So what do great speakers do to prepare themselves to be great presenters? They prepare their minds to give a great presentation. That’s right; it all starts in your mind. How can you develop a great speaker’s mindset and start giving outstanding presentations? The following are five secrets for powerful public speaking:

1. Believe It So That You Can Achieve It

I am approached by people who say, “I can’t speak in public,” “I am a bad speaker,” or “I could never speak in public.” Without hearing them speak, I say, “You’re right.” Because once you make those negative statements, they become self-fulfilling prophesies. When you say, “I am a bad speaker,” your subconscious mind is thinking, “Well, he or she said it, so it must be true; so I will act like a bad speaker.” Positive speaking attitude (PSA) is one of the first things I work on during my presentation coachings. Replace the negative speaking attitude with a PSA to master your self talk and improve your presentation skills. Instead of saying, “I am a bad speaker,” say the following:

* “I am improving my public speaking abilities everyday in everyway.”

* “Every opportunity to make a presentation is an opportunity for success.”

* “I am a good public speaker today; and, with continued practice, I will be a better public speaker tomorrow.”

* “I am mastering my presentation skills everyday!”

When you make these positive affirmations, your subconscious mind hears it and says, “Yeah, I am improving,” or “Let me speak because it is an opportunity for success,” or “I am mastering my speaking skills.”

Manage your self talk for a PSA. You will feel a new confident attitude concerning public speaking.

2. Think About What You Want to Accomplish

I will ask the question, “What do you want to accomplish with your presentation?” Many times I will be on the receiving end of a blank stare or the student might say, “I just want them to listen to me.”

Take time to think about what you want to accomplish by giving your presentation. Is it that you want to entertain the audience, do you want to persuade them on an important issue, or maybe you want the audience to take action after hearing your presentation. Going into your presentation knowing what you want to accomplish creates focus and is a big confidence builder.

3. Visualize Success

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at an association conference with over five thousand people in the audience. Joy, my wife, was sitting in the audience with our friend Jim who came to hear me speak for the first time. As I was about to speak, Jim leaned over and asked Joy if I was nervous speaking in front of such a large group of people. Without blinking an eye, Joy said, “He was born for this day. He saw this day coming when he first started speaking.”

I visualized that day long before it happened. Whenever I give a presentation, I take time to visualize a successful presentation and positive outcome. The more details I include in my visualizations, the more vivid and real it becomes for me. The night before the presentation I will find a quiet place at home or, if I am on the road, a hotel room, and meditate to start the visualization process. I will visualize my drive to the event, greeting the host and audience, and how my powerful presentation will sound and look on that day. I will also visualize the audience’s positive response to the presentation.

Take time to visualize the details of giving a great presentation. Like the old saying goes, “Fake it ‘til you make it.” If you visualize you are a great speaker, you will take the steps and create opportunities for yourself to become a great speaker.

Visualize that the audience wants to hear your message and they want you to do well. Remember, it’s their time also and they want to receive value out of your speech.

4. Own the Room

Whenever I speak, I “own the room.” I mentally tell myself that for the next thirty minutes, hour, etc., I own the room. The corporation, association, or government may own the building or venue I am speaking in, but during the time I am speaking, I am the owner of the room and the audience will be my guests, my friends. That way I am always in control to give an outstanding presentation.

Think of your speaking area as your house, your home, your castle. When you invite friends into your home, aren’t you in control and want to provide a safe, entertaining environment for your guests? The same is true for your speaking audience; you want to provide a safe, entertaining, and enriching experience for them.

I always say, “Giving presentations is not about me, it’s about you (the audience).” What I mean is that if I am constantly thinking about how I sound, look, and feel while I speak, I am not thinking about what I can share with my audience. Concentrate on the value you will give to your audience members and you will never go wrong.

5. Eat the Elephant

Many times I hear the following:

“I could never speak in front of a group of people, but one-on-one I am fine.”

Well, I ask, “How do you eat the elephant?” Break the elephant into smaller pieces. It is the same when you “digest” the audience. Don’t think of the audience as a whole, think of the audience as individuals ready to hear your message. Concentrate on thinking of your audience as individuals, and your message will come across that way to the individual audience members.

Follow these five secrets for creating a positive mindset for confident public speaking. Overcoming your public speaking anxiety will improve your presentation skills and create new opportunities for you through public speaking.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and coach in the areas of presentation skills, leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."

I am a self described old school car guy but perhaps my definition of that well earned title has a different meaning than many of my contemporaries have assigned to it. My definition of a car guy is an entrepreneurial business man that is driven to win, who values relationships as a team builder and who prides themselves as being a community leader. The people skills needed to accomplish most goals in the car business are built on an understanding of human nature which has survived in the virtual world of today's Internet Super Highway. However, the technologies and online processes needed to communicate to customers have changed dramatically and us car guys need to stay ahead of the curve to stay competitive.

Similarly, automotive advertising agencies serve the retail auto industry in much the same way that they have for decades. However, since the one constant in the auto industry is change -- and human nature is also a constant -- then change in the automotive advertising industry must be limited to the technologies that have developed to serve the newest media of choice; the Internet. Agencies are still striving to improve the reach, frequency, cost per impression and the basic R.O.I. of their automotive advertising campaigns delivered to a qualified and targeted audience, however in my considered opinion there has been a paradigm shift in automotive advertising as a result of the empowerment that the Internet has extended to the online car shopper.

Conventional wisdom supports the position that selling processes on the virtual showrooms being built on the Internet Super Highway must replicate and integrate with those used in the brick and mortar showrooms on local car rows, however that is reflective of the needs of the auto dealers, not the customers. Structured selling systems require repetitive processes that eliminate redundancy of data input and accommodate follow up and management monitoring which has little value to consumers who just want to know if the auto dealer has the vehicle that they want and how much will they have to pay for it.

Old school wisdom suggest that the goal for the dealer after an initial contact by phone, email or by an online visitor to their website is to make an appointment to get the customer into the showroom since, after all, you can't sell them a car on the phone or on the Internet -- or can you? New technology based solutions like AutoTransaXion introduced by Argistics provide an online transaction tool with a two way video customer interaction application that links to the auto dealer's DMS, CRM and ILM in a comprehensive push/pull manner that replicates the real world selling process. The enhanced transparency and relevancy provided by this online communication tool satisfies the needs of the online car shopper while providing a seamless transition that allows the auto dealer and the consumer to complete an online transaction.

Most Automotive advertising agencies recognize the need to provide transparency and relevancy to attract online car shoppers but few are aware of solutions such as AutoTransaXion to convert these new opportunities on the World Wide Web to sales. Budget challenged auto dealers are demanding that their automotive advertising agencies deliver more for less and staying in touch with new technology is one way to deliver.

Another opportunity to leverage online resources for automotive advertising agencies in the know can be found in new online inventory based marketing platforms like ronsmap.com that utilizes its game changing technology to integrate social networking media with their platform. The extended reach and frequency of message provided by their vBack Ask-a-Friend / Tell-a-Friend application increases S.E.O. for the auto dealer by integrating their social networking engine with every vehicle posted on ronsmap, the auto dealers' website and third party sites that the auto dealer posts their inventory on. As a result, leads and sales are increased exponentially as they tie into the viral messages powered by their C2C marketing methods vs. more commonly utilized B2C methods offered by banner ads and other attempts to market into social networking communities from the outside in vs. the ability for vBack to market from the inside out.

In addition, the Intelli-Leads gathered by ronsmap and their vBack application are enhanced by the market intelligence gathered by their SellersVantage application which provides real time information on the online consumer beyond the typical name, IP address, contact information and questions regarding the vehicle they selected. SellersVantage provides the auto dealer with the comparable vehicles that the customer may have considered through ronsmap as well competitive information on similar vehicles currently being offered on the Internet. As a result, conversion rates are increased for the auto dealer and the transparency and relevancy for the car shopper is enhanced. Of course none of this is possible if the automotive advertising agency doesn't know about ronsmap and similar leveraged online marketing platforms to recommend to their auto dealer clients.

Understanding and applying the rules established by the search engines to maximize the S.E.O. for their auto dealer clients is another challenge for automotive advertising agencies that requires them to listen and learn about new Internet applications before they can presume to serve their clients' needs. Social media has earned a weighted position on Google that is only matched by their similar respect for video to reflect consumer preferences. A generation of T.V. watchers has matured into video-centric consumers that prefer to watch an online video of a vehicle vs. a typical display ad listing features and benefits or even a set of pictures. SiSTeR Technologies has a video production platform, Video CarLot, that hosts applications like their vShock and VidBrid that produce professional quality videos from still pictures extrapolated from an auto dealer's website using human voice, existing video footage and multi-schema layers with interactive information for the consumer to increase the transparency and relevancy of the experience.

In addition, SiSTeR is able to increase the vSEO of the dealer by distributing each produced video directly onto the search engines through their dedicated API with You Tube with their own URL, file name and associated search words and meta tags. Couple that with the linked micro-site offered by their vShock application that follows custom business rules established by the auto dealer to display the selected vehicle video with other similar vehicles chosen from their online inventory and you can see the added value of an automotive advertising agency that knows to suggest this video platform to their clients.

Other new vendor solutions offered by companies like CityTwist.Com who offers a do it yourself email platform with over one hundred and twenty five million double opt-in email addresses to facilitate conquest sales for auto dealers and Bull Dog Marketing Technologies who provides an internal data based marketing platform capable of delivering direct mail or email messages with personal URLs and custom vehicle selection and price quotes in monitored monthly campaigns for sales and service will also provide enough of an R.O.I. to support the fees that they paid to the automotive advertising agency that suggested them. Simply put, today's automotive advertising agencies must lead, follow or get out of the way of those forward thinking agencies that accept their new areas of responsibility that include listening and learning about new Internet based technologies to recommend to their clients.

Philip Zelinger is a former auto dealer principal with an earned reputation as a nationally recognized automotive advertising expert specializing in the technology sector. His philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats motivates him to listen and learn so he can presume to teach. To that end, Philip shares best practices on the respected automotive advertising resource networking portal http://AdAgencyOnline.Net as well as the blog talk radio station featured on the site WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time http://blogtalkradio.com/adagencyonline. For a complimentary consultation on your automotive advertising needs, or to share your wisdom and insights with the online automotive advertising community hosted by Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. visit the portal and contact Philip Zelinger directly. To quote Philip, "Help is only a click away because -- after all, what are friends for!"