Thursday, December 31, 2009

Screen Printing And Its Impact On Corporate Gift Giving

By Stephen Sung

Screen printing is a technique in which the ink is directly applied to the surface that is to be printed and this surface is called substrate. The image that is to be printed is transferred photographically to the screen in such a way that the areas not be printed is blocked and the fabric is used as a stencil. A roller moves across the screen stencil, pumping ink over the threads of the woven net in the open areas.

A stencil method of printmaking that imposes a design on the screen of silk surface, the ink is forced onto the printing surface through the mesh and the blank areas are covered with an impermeable substance is called silk-screen printing or serigraphs.

The screen printing first appeared in China during the rule of Song dynasty. The Asian countries started using the screen printing process in thirteenth century and advanced it further by combining the screen painting with block printing and paints. In late 1700s, the Europe started using the screen printing process but it gained wider acceptance much later as the silk was not available in the Europe at that time.

The rotary machine was patented by Michael Vasilantone in'60 in the United States to print logos and team information on the bowling garments. It was licensed by different manufacturers to produce screen- prints on the garments like t-shirts, and hats. The screen printing on the garments has become so popular that it accounts for almost half of the screen printing activity going on in the country.

The printing on the canvas with the help of the screen-printing also became popular with the artists. Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and many other artists have made use of screen-printing on the canvas. The commercial as well as the fine arts industry is using this screen printing industry to increase their profits and they use it to make prints on the CD and DVD covers, t-shirts, hats and also on the metals and many more things.

The first industrial screen printing process was patented in'07 and many years later, John Pilsworth of San Francisco introduced the multi-color printing using the same screen. In this, the different screen areas were blocked for different color inks and a multi-colored image was produced. This technique is popular in printing signs and posters.

Large and small corporate give gifts to their employees and clients in appreciation of their work and also to motivate the employees to perform better. The Corporate gifts are usually screen printed with the company logo and some motivational sentiments. The corporate gifts are given at the time of holidays like Christmas and New Year. There are many different types of corporate gifts like t-shirts, bags, glasses and like. The screen printed t-shirts are also given to the employees during the annual events of the corporate.

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Intellectual Property (IP) Identification Tips

By Alexander Garcia

If you look at the books of large businesses these days you will discover that their intellectual property (IP) adds a huge amount to the balance sheet. In fact most companies fixed assets are tiny in comparison to the brand and IP value. This tells us something very interesting - yes - how much more would your business be worth if you invested more in intellectual property identification and registration?

When a business strategically identifies, maintains and secures its intellectual property (IP) rights then this can obviously have a major affect on the business in terms of its overall operation, including its ability to attract investors, enter into specific business partnership, and in the end increase its value when it comes to sale or company merger.

Large businesses who have mega-brands like Google and Coca Cola are often cited when it comes to their brand value as out-valuing their fixed assets hundreds of times, yet it is easy to forget how these businesses also became so enormous.

We live in an information world now. Information companies like Google can be valued at a few billion dollars a few years after creation only because information is now so valuable. Information is a tradable asset only when it is protected by intellectual property (IP) laws and other laws. Every company, big or small should consider IP seriously. It is one of the best investments literally you can make with a company if the intellectual property (IP) value is capitalized within the company and added to the balance sheet.

It is highly recommended for companies of all sizes to be aware of intellectual property topics and produce direct strategies that will proactively ensure that their IP will at all times be properly legally protected.

Here are a few areas to help you start concentrating on by first identifying the areas that you are creating intellectual property in:

1. Trademarks - these protect parts of your overall brand such as slogans, pictures, names.

2. Copyrights - these cover the protection of expressive items such as documents, books, images, video recordings, sound recordings etc.

3. Trade secrets - these protect proprietary information, internal know-how, systems and operations that are deemed to give you a business competitive edge

4. Patents and industrial designs which protect specific types of ideas and inventions and processes

Considering the above items the first step that you need to do is identifying existing IP within your company. You may be amazed by how much you may have. Once all sources of a company's intellectual property (IP) have been identified, processes should be put in place that enable the company to easily keep track of all existing intellectual property and all new intellectual property . Then someone needs to be given the responsibility to manage the intellectual property (IP).

Once the key intellectual property (IP) has been identified then the next step is to look at what should be registered to protect it legally. This is where a great patent lawyer comes in to play. Good IP attorneys don't come cheap but considering the value that is created then it pays off to invest for all your major IP.

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How To Determine The Best Wedding Venue For Bridal Photography

By Joshua Stevens

The first thought that comes to mind while discussing a marriage is its venue. The venue, whether old fashioned or modern, always sets the mood for the marriage, which in turn is reflected in the photographs.

The couple's expectations must specifically be conveyed to the wedding photographers, whose task forms a very important part of the marriage ceremony. The wedding photographers must have the skill to capture the beauty of the venue, while ensuring that the real concentration is always on the bride. A fine balance between the bridal photography and venue photography can only be struck by a seasoned photographer.

Every venue offers its own unique features and backdrop for bridal photography. Some people prefer a traditional ritualistic marriage in the church or other places of worship, while others may want to go for something much more modern. The religious venues are generally very rich in architectural beauty, which gives a good chance to wedding photographers to take impressive pictures.

However, it is difficult to use the interiors of most venues for bridal photography. A good idea would be to check if there is some scenic outdoor space near the venue that can be made use of for the purpose. Experienced bridal and wedding photographers, by virtue of their extensive experience can guide you well in your search for the right venue.

Besides selecting the ideal venue, there are many other things you should consider to make sure that you get the best wedding and bridal photographs on your big day. Every venue has its unique flavour which if captured right can yield great photographs; but, much rests on the wedding photographers to capture it well. Thus it all boils down to the talent of the photographer who can deliver precisely what you expect from him.

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The Significance Of Rites In A Buddhists Funeral

By Marian Wong

The fundamental teachings of Lord Buddha form the core of the Buddhist religion which is the main religion in several parts of the world today. Buddhism involves search for the Ultimate Truth as well as a sense of compassion and true love for every creature.

Buddhist funeral rites also rely on these fundamental tenets of the religion. When someone dies in a Buddhist family, there are some main rites which are followed with the objective of ensuring that the soul of the departed can ascend to an elevated level. Prayers are offered invoking the goodness of the deceased person and wishes are made for a peaceful life after death for the departed.

The first stage in funeral rites is that of giving the body a traditional wash. The next stage involves presence of monks, who read out religious scriptures and thereby help the deceased in finding liberation. The teachings of the Buddha, which speak of the value of practising virtue and compassion in life, are recited aloud. The body is meanwhile prepared for the final rites. The relatives normally place some money in the casket of the deceased. This is for enabling the dead person to pay and wade across the River of Three Hells.

Then the friends and relatives come and pay their last respects to the dead person as the casket is put at the altar. While friends and relatives offer condolences, attendees are expected to offer prayers for the deceased. Monks who carry out the rituals continue to recite the appropriate sutras. After the completion of recitals, people attending the ceremony bow at the altar. As the visitors start leaving, the family members give a gift to each other to display gratitude for partaking in their sorrow.

Once these rituals are completed, the family members can decide to cremate or bury the deceased based on their family customs. In all, the rites try to bring a sense of peace and acceptance to the bereaved family while praying to promote the departed to a higher state of knowledge and enlightenment.

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

FAQs on COBRA subsidy extension: how long, what if you've dropped coverage already, etc.

eHealthInsurance.com has put out a useful Q&A re: the recent extension of the federal COBRA subsidy. Take a look.

Insurance news: CA workers-comp deal falters, unusual auto sting in PA, and couple allegedly fakes husband's death in life-insurance scam

In California, the state's bid to sell off part of its workers compensation fund has collapsed amid a legal tug-of-war, the LA Times reports.

The New York Times editorializes on "the case for reform" of health care.

An unusual auto-insurance sting took place in Pennsylvania, where 24 people were arrested for alleged fraud. Most of them were allegedly New Yorkers who were saving an estimated $1k to $4k a year on auto insurance by claiming that they lived in Pennsylvania. Insurance Journal has the story.

National Underwriter reports that insurers are sweating proposals to cut crop insurance.

Korea Times reports on the case of a couple who allegedly faked the husband's death -- including videotaping his fake cremation -- in an alleged life-insurance scam. He's been arrested.

Locally here in WA, the Tri-City Herald and (Tacoma) News-Tribune reported on rising numbers of people with no health insurance, as did the Vancouver Columbian.

Wood Cabinets: Time To Refinish

By Benedict Perez

Want new cabinets in your kitchen and bathroom? If yes then I have an answer for you. Here are some of the ideas using which you can use to refinish your cabinets. Replacement of cabinets is not important until unless there is a lot to work on it because of rotting of wood. You can refinish your cabinets. There is also a less cost involved in it and you can give a totally new look. Refinishing experts can help you in this.

Before starting this job, you need to get information about all the cabinets and different types of wood used to make these cabinets. Also check the type of services available for restoring. Here is the description of some of the wood cabinets.

Cherry furniture has a uniform pattern and is closed grain. You can call it the best for hardwood cabinets. It s default color is pinkish brown but also comes in other colors like shades in white, yellow, green, pink and gray. You can identify it as mineral streaks, spots of gum and bits of pinholes. Due to artificial light and sunlight, the color of the wood becomes more and more dark.

If you need excess hardwood cabinets then you can choose maple wood. It is famous for bowling alleys and places where first priority is hard wood. This wood comes in natural white color and other shades in white, Colors from light red brown heartwood to white colored sap wood.

Hickory wood is famous for its hardness and is shock resistant. The finished condition and streaks give it a beautiful look. You can find all the colors between white to chocolate brown.

Oak wood is widely used for manufacture of cabinets. Mostly people prefer oak wood for their furniture. It is hard and shock and stain resistant. You will find various colors ranging from salmon pink to dirty white.

Best wood used for kitchen cabinets is birch. It is strong, hard and is shock and stain resistant. It can face any type of abrasion. If you like the texture of fine grain and white or yellowish color then birch wood is the best option for you. Its best identification is small pin knots or shiny blur wood. You will find a sparkling mixture of textures, paints, stains or polishes. It was mainly used in old days but so beautiful and durable that it is still preferred.

It is recommended that when you are going to refinish a cabinet, be sure to keep a check on each and every type of things that are used. Have a good knowledge about each and every wood and finishing component. You can also opt for wood of one type and design and finishing of other type. For this consult your refinishing expert and he is the one who will give you the best knowledge about all the combinations that you can make.

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Need Investment Capital? You Need To Call A Corporate Turnaround Consultant

By James Scott

Most companies who are on the venture capital trail are not set up properly to attract investors. When an investor looks at your business plan and private placement memorandum they are looking for certain things. Of course funding sources look for the obvious, a solid business model, positive cash flow, industry genre with solid future growth, recession proof business (if there even is such a thing) and minimal debt.

Countless companies are turned down for funding because they lack the basics such as: an advisory board, board of directors, solid executive staff with a well groomed pedigree, reasonable share price, business plan and PPM that spell out the risks for the investor and an original marketing strategy that covers all the angles. These are just a few of the most common mistakes that companies make out of naivety and by not taking the time to hire an expert to properly structure them to make the entity appeal to investors.

Seasoned expansion and turn-around consultants can step into a company and immediately zone in on the issues that will hinder a client's investment magnetism. Often times it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to completely reorganize a company to make it stand out like a beacon in the turbulent finance industry. If you are seriously considering the idea of raising capital with a private placement memorandum, traditional institutional loans, venture capital or a public offering don't be penny wise and dollar foolish.

Spend some money and hire a consultant who is completely submerged in the finance industry to take control of the elements of your corporation that are seen as 'black eyes' to investors so that you can achieve the capital you're seeking.

The reality is, raising capital for your company is easy and straight forward if you've taken the time to examine your business objectively and sought out the expert analysis of an industry expert consultant who will run your company through a formula and make the necessary changes to increase your ability to raise capital.

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Learn To Be A Dynamic Student

By Dr Jay Polmar

BE DYNAMIC THROUGH SPEED READING is an amazing course that you teach to yourself. It comes with audios, software, and course manuals to teach you to build reading speed, comprehension, concentration and focus. And also stimulate long-term memory.

Another factor is photographic or tape-recorder memories. You have the potential to remember everything you have ever seen or heard, even if you weren't paying attention to what was said. Your brain/mind, like a computer, stores all memories.

Learn the various methods used in the BE DYNAMIC THROUGH SPEED READING, and you'll notice some intentional redundancy, repetition! It is techniques repeated over and over, with visualization and various other added methods that will help you achieve the results you desire and be the best you can possibly be.

This will make you a better student, employee, communicator, and decision maker in your life. Only one of your benefits will be that you will cut reading time on reports, memos, correspondence, newspapers, novels, non-fiction, magazine, etc. You will save time, and really ..."time is money".

If you didn't know this, let me clue you in to the reality that writers get paid by the word in articles and by % of gross sales (royalties) in book publishing; usually the thicker the book the higher the price and the higher the royalty. Writers are unnecessary verbose. What this means is there are many words within sentences that are just there as fillers; what you have to learn to do, through the Be Dynamic Through Speed Reading program, is only read the words that are essential.

Dr. Jay Polmar and his team wrote the "Be Dynamic Through Speed Reading" program to share these valuable tools with students to help them get the most out of their reading experience. In the past two years he has worked with other educators to bring students the Perfect Learning System (www.perfectlearningsystems.com) which includes Be Dynamic, mind mapping comprehension and memory supports, plus special speed reading software developed to match the Perfect Learning System.

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Finding and Choosing a Small Business Health Insurance Plan

Do you own a small business? If so, are you interested in obtaining health insurance coverage for you and your small business employees? If you are, you will have to find a small business plan health insurance to buy. In the U.S., is also common to hear a small business plan health insurance referred to as a group insurance plan.

When it comes to small businesses buy health insurance for you and your employees, you may want to focus first on the insurance companies. In the United States, a number of different health insurance companies that you could do business. Many of these companies offer various insurance plans of health coverage, including plans that include medical coverage only or plans that include medical coverage, prescription drug coverage and dental coverage. Many companies have health insurance health insurance plans that are designed for small business owners like you. As mentioned earlier, these plans are often referred to as group plans or small business plans for health insurance.

If you do not already know a number of health insurance, you can easily find and become familiar with a number of health insurance companies perform a standard internet search. Your standard internet search will likely lead to online websites of numerous health insurance companies. You want to take the time to carefully read through and analyze each company's website. When examining the online site of a health insurance company should be able to determine, often immediately, if not to provide insurance or small business group health insurance. If they do, you may want to ask for more information.

We do not want to do, to find small business health insurance for you and your employees, is to buy the first group or small business plan health insurance that you come across. Different health insurance companies offer insurance plans and different prices. To prevent yourself from spending your money and money from their employees want to make sure you carefully choose what group or small business plan health insurance you purchase. You will want to buy one that is affordable, but also wants to ensure that a plan that you and your employees can benefit. In fact, if you have less than thirty employees may consider allowing their workers to have a say in the type of insurance purchased, especially since probably end up helping pay for it.

Once you've decided to buy a small business plan health insurance for you and your employees will be given additional information, such as payments on your insurance premium should be. There are some health insurance companies that require that their payments are made in advance, as at the beginning of each year, while others do not mind receiving monthly payments. Whichever approach you take, it is important that payments are made on time. His small business employees and their families can trust their health insurance and do not want to let them finish bottom.

As you can see, if mentioned above, find and buy health insurance for you and your small business employees is actually a relatively easy process. In most cases, you can find, research and buy health insurance online without having to speak with a representative of the company. However, if you have questions or concerns, it may be worthwhile to contact a representative of the health insurance company for more information.

How To Find a Consultant To Take Your Company Public

By James Scott

So many companies dream of going public to raise massive amounts of capital, as set up for an exit strategy, to make acquisitions with stock and for many other reasons. While your intentions may be pure and with genuine motives, you're entering shark infested waters of boiler rooms, crooked attorneys and underbelly consultants who have made careers off of taking well intentioned executives just like you for a 24 month rollercoaster ride while they take every penny you have as your company shrivels up like week old road kill.

Just and honest consultants in the 'public offering' industry are as rare as the illusive white elephant. This industry exists in a cesspool surrounded by rose gardens; from afar it looks amazing and an image of a dreamland but get up and close and the sludge and odor are enough to make you run and hide. So what do you look for in a consultant? The best consulting firms are the 'boutique firms' with minimal overhead that keep a low profile and are made up of 3 or 4 'partner' consultants.

These firms typically have the experience of working with the large consulting groups but for one reason or another have decided to leave and go out on their own. The great thing is, these small groups typically have massive contacts and process your entire public offering in-house. Offering a complete turn-key solution that is managed in-house offers a huge advantage because there is accountability and you can actually build a relationship with the people that are making your dream of a public offering come true.

These 'boutique' consultants will usually stay onboard as growth consultants for the life of the company in exchange for modest fees and a pre-IPO or pre-OTCBB equity position. The large firms will hack you out at the knees and gouge you with fees while they take massive amounts of equity in your company which takes away your bartering chip when you need to offer more stock to the public to raise capital.

The small firms will also work one on one with you to show you how to use your stock to grow through acquisition and other nifty ways to use stock to grow. Seek out the boutique consulting firm and save the attorney for spot audits. Hold on to your cash. Why pay outrageous fees to lawyers when you can pay 60% less with a small consulting firm that will add all the bells and whistles for free and actually get your stock trading, usually in half the time?

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

"Reputational risk" insurance follow-up: Researchers put a price tag on the Tiger Woods scandal

Two weeks ago, we mentioned that idea of "reputational risk" insurance being floated in the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal.

But how to measure the damage? This is not like, say, a fire, where an insurer can simply tally up structural damage and replacement cost of contents.

Well, yesterday two professors from the University of California, Davis attempted to put a price tag on the damage, and the number's pretty astounding.

Professors Christopher Knittel and Victor Stango estimate that shareholders in the companies that Woods endorsed lost a total of $5 billion to $12 billion in value in the time between his much-publicized SUV crash and his announcement that he was leaving golf indefinitely. And those calculations don't include losses to Wood's current- or future endorsement income.

Interestingly, the researchers concluded that Woods' sports-related endorsees suffered substantially more economic damage than non-sports companies, like business consultant Accenture.

Insurance news: Green River levees, a deeper look at health-reform bills, and a good 2009 for catastrophes...

In local news, the Seattle Times writes about the potential flood risk of decades-old, poorly-maintained levees in the Green River Valley.

Time details some of the high-visibility things that would kick in immediately under health reform, versus the 2013 start date for much of the legislation.

The Seattle Times covers Congress' moves to close Medicare's infamous "doughnut hole."

A good year: Reinsurer Munich Re AG says that catastrophe costs were down in '09.

The AP reports on a provision in health-reform legislation that would "nudge" people into getting long-term care insurance, at a projected cost of $160-$240 per month deducted from their paychecks.

Future Book Betting Traps And How To Avoid Them

By Ross Everett

Betting on sports 'futures' is an enjoyable and potentially profitable way to wager, but there are several potential risks that can lead to losses. Here's a rundown of things to avoid:

You gotta shop around: More specifically, you have to 'shop points' just as you would with a straight bet. This is crucial in all forms of sports betting but particularly key with futures wagers. There are often greater variances in the prices from book to book on future plays than any other type of wagering proposition. The reason for this is simple--most books are less concern with what the 'other guys' are doing as they are with keeping their own position 'in balance'. All in all, the sports betting marketplace just doesn't react as quickly to changing futures prices as it does to individual game lines.

In a competitive field, don't obsess with picking the winner: This may sound like a strange concept, but once you understand the theory behind it it makes perfect sense. In a large field--the NCAA basketball tournament is a perfect example--the top few favorites are invariably priced at odds that are less than the 'true odds' of them winning. On the other hand, there are always teams that fly 'under the radar' available at higher prices that present a betting overlay.

To put this in more theoretical terms, the "true odds" of Duke winning the NCAA Championship are almost certainly higher than the price we're getting. Obviously, determining the "true odds", or actual probability of a future event is an inexact science but think of it this way: if the NCAA tournament was played 100 times would Duke wind up winning 50 of those? Given the number of other good teams and the propensity for upsets along the way, its doubtful. For the sake of argument, lets say that Duke has a 33% chance to win the tournament. That means that I wouldn't consider a bet on Duke to be a good value unless I was getting a price that a) accurately reflected the true probability of their winning and b) gave me some compensation for assuming the "risk of the unknown" inherent in taking the position so far in advance. At +500 I might be interested, but at +200 the value just isn't there.

In a less competitive field, there can be instances where even a big favorite is a good value. For example, lets say a book was to take action on a bikini contest between a Victoria's Secret supermodel and three members of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The model would essentially be a 100% probability to win the contest, meaning that even a high chalk price would be a good value. Risking a lot of money to win a little is a tough thing to justify, however, even if the math makes sense.

Don't get seduced by big underdogs: Sports betting is not a place to make the "big killing". It may happen occasionally, but more often it doesn't. While a sports book might offer a huge price on a cellar dwelling team to win the World Series, the big payback does not mean its a good value. On a practical level, there's probably nothing wrong with throwing a few bucks on a wager like this with a huge payback if the impossible occurs. My only problem with this is that making too many bets like this just perpetuates bad sports betting habits. If you're strictly a recreational player, no big deal. If you aspire to bet professionally, or at least want to pursue it with some degree of seriousness I've always maintained that you need to develop discipline that's not situational. In other words, if you want to be a serious sports bettor you need to approach it with a consistent level of seriousness at all times. If you want to chase a huge, life altering jackpot go to Las Vegas and play the Megabucks slots or buy a Powerball ticket.

On a more theoretical level, a big price alone is no way to justify a wager. The concept of value works the same at the bottom of the barrel as it does at the top: make sure the price you're getting on an underdog accurately reflects their "true odds" of winning.

Don't bet one-sided futures or propositions: Though many of these are not futures per se, a lot of sportsbooks offer silly propositions on nonsport events as a way to get publicity, or just to be funny. Its important to make a distinction between this type of silly bet and more realistic nonsport propositions which frequently present good wagering value. Im talking the really outlandish stuff here. Not too long ago, a sportsbook posted a line on Martians landing on earth and painting the White House red by the end of the year. The "YES" was +2500 or thereabouts, which is far from reflective of the "true odds" of this unlikely event. Even if you're the type that collects classic Art Bell shows on tape and believes in UFOs you wouldn't place the probability of this happening at more than a fraction of a percent. The book only offered the "YES" side of the proposition, meaning that you couldn't lay even a huge price on the more likely outcome. Another book had a futures offering for what would happen first with Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. All of the options were very unlikely--Ashton and Bruce fighting on PPV and my favorite--and the longest odds--Ashton, Bruce and Demi hopping in bed together and releasing a porno video documenting the event. You'd receive a sizable payback if any of the events ever transpired, but I'm not exactly sure how to compute the "true odds" on "when pigs fly.

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2008 SEC Championship: Gators Top Tide

By Ross Everett

The Florida Gators rampage through the SEC reached its culmination with a 31-20 victory over #1 ranked Alabama in the conference championship game. This victory set the stage for the Gators' appearance in the National Championship Game.

The Gators struck first, taking a 7-0 lead on a three yard Tim Tebow TD pass to Carl Moore. The Crimson Tide quickly counterpunched, tying the score on an eighteen yard run by Glen Coffee and taking their first lead of the game at 10-7 several minutes later on a 30 yard FG by Leigh Tiffin. Florida responded in the second quarter, tying the game on a Jonathan Phillips' yard FG and taking a 17-10 lead into the halftime break on another Tebow TD pass, this one to David Nelson from five yards out. Alabama regained the momentum in the third quarter, tying the score on a 2 yard Mark Ingram touchdown run and then regaining the lead at 20-17 in the final seconds of the period on another Tiffin field goal. Florida put them down for the count in the fourth, however, on a 1 yard Jeffrey Demps TD run followed by Tebows third touchdown strike of the day.

Junior quarterback Tim Tebow was the big star for the Gators. The junior QB had 216 yards passing with 3 TDs and no interceptions plus fifty seven yards on the ground. Florida head coach Urban Meyer praised Tebow effusively in his post game comments:

"I've had some great players, and I've got some great players on this team. But I've never had one like this. Tim's got something special inside him. I'm not talking about throwing. I'm not talking about running. I'm talking about making everyone around him better. That fourth quarter was vintage Tim Tebow.

Alabama coach Nick Saban concurred:

"He's a great competitor. He takes his teammates on his shoulders a lot. They have a lot of confidence he's going to make plays, and they play that way. They scored two touchdowns where we had them covered about as well as we could cover them."

The conventional wisdom is that the Gators are a speed and finesse team, but according to cornerback Joe Haden the world has underestimated their toughness:

"Our team is a tough team. The only reason they look past our toughness is our speed. They said we were a speed team and they were a tough team. We're just as tough. We can still be pretty and fast and tough at the same time."

Even in defeat, it was impossible to overlook the remarkable resurgance of Alabama football. In only two years at the helm, Nick Saban has amassed a'-7 record at Alabama with no signs of slowing down.

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Sitting In Traffic? Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Drum Up More Business!

By Buck Thompson

When you're rushing through the day and the light turns red, what is the first thing you do? Most of society looks around and checks out things like license plates, bumper stickers, and the landmarks around them. Seriously, how many times have you gone home and said, "I saw this bumper sticker today and it said..." This happens all the time and we're influenced by the little things more than we realize. If you're a business owner, it's time to use this to your advantage.

One of the biggest inexpensive advertising marks today is custom bumper stickers. You can put anything on them, but most people strive for a name, web address, and a clever slogan or saying to go with it. They're basically providing you with a conversation piece later in the evening. Just think about it for a minute. You see a bumper sticker like this while sitting at a stop light. When you're at home eating dinner you tell your spouse or kids. The following day they tell a few people and before you know it, the word of mouth is spreading like wildfire. Eventually though it comes across someone (if not you) that becomes a new customer.

First you need to capture their attention. You need your specific bumper sticker to grab their eyes. Here are some tips on how to make yours stand out from the crowd:

*Color- Obviously you don't want to go crazy here, but it definitely needs to stand out.

* Brand It - Be sure to incorporate your logo or other branding on your bumper sticker. You want people to immediately associate the sticker with your specific business. Instant recognition is your goal.

* Positioning - Position the bumper sticker where it is easily visible to other drivers. You want it to be easy to see. Also, don't mix it in with other bumper stickers where it will lose its impact.

* Easy To Read - Make your bumper sticker easy to read. Use a simple large font. Be sure you can see it and read it from a car length away.

*Easy to Remember- Just like the big websites today have "one-word" names (Yahoo, Google, MySpace, etc.), you should keep yours short and clever as well. Doing this will allow people to remember it easier, which in turn will be easy to pass along to others.

Even in a municipality with approximately 200,000 residents, consider how many people would see your bumper sticker even if you just stopped at four stoplights. Every time you're sitting still-and sometimes even when you're moving-people will be reading your message. While they may not consciously choose to remember it, chances are it will be there in their subconscious awaiting later recollection.

Sometimes it will be something else that triggers the memory. Perhaps someone else will say something about your business or they will see an advertisement in the newspaper. Or they may just be doing an everyday chore and all of a sudden they think of your bumper sticker. With every exposure to every new person, your business will become more familiar with current and prospective customers.

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5 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring - The Weight of Love

By Alice Sy

Eternity is something long to commit. And the assurance of it will take you forever to express which you might forget sometime in your life as you live it with your special someone.

And so to remind the eternity that you want to offer to your loved one, and to know that the promise will definitely won't break, a priceless gesture of giving her the expensive diamond engagement ring will give her the idea that the eternity you offer is something that you really value, and she should too.

The 5 carat diamond engagement ring might be an expensive idea for a band but it will make a great impact to the one whom you will give it to. Diamonds of this kind are big and you should have the band around it as simple as possible to give emphasis to the stone.

Since the one that you are looking for is very hard to look for and risky as well, it is recommended that you look for your ideal 5 carat diamond engagement ring online so you can see it closely plus it has description to give you an idea of which design you will choose.

And they can also be availed on an installment basis so that is quite a nice deal for those who want to be practical with elegance.

One best buy and is usually the choice of celebrities is the Zirconia diamond engagement ring. Its blackish- colored band will be an object of everyones attention and the woman who wears it will make her feel so special. It is because of the uniqueness of the ring and it is something that you really dont see anywhere everyday.

Among the celebrities who made 5 carat diamond engagement ring such a popular choice was Tom Cruise, who gave an oval shaped diamond with pave setting to Katie Holmes. Kate Hudson also had hers from her rock star husband which was an asscher cut. Madonna also had one from Guy Ritchie. So thats one way to make your fianc feel like a celebrity as well.

In spite of the expensive value of a 5 carat diamond engagement ring, this ring is one ideal and the most elegant idea that you give to your special someone to let her feel how much you are willing to spend and to go to for her. Winning her affection can be done with something glittering, not because of materialism, but the thought that it measures, the weigh of love.

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Monday, December 28, 2009

In Washington, state rate reviews have shaved $300 million from auto, homeowners premiums

Rate reviews by the Washington state insurance commissioner’s office have shaved more than $300 million from Washingtonians’ auto and homeowners insurance bills over the past decade.
“Few people know about this process, but it’s a crucial part of our consumer-protection role,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “By carefully vetting requested rate increases, we save people substantial money on their premiums.”
In order to change rates, some insurers in Washington must get approval from the state insurance commissioner’s office. The companies produce data and calculations showing their justification for the requested rate. The state’s actuaries then review the request.
Each request is viewed on a case-by-case basis. Some are approved as requested. But many of the approved rates end up lower than what the companies originally requested. The changes can save policyholders millions of dollars a year.
For example, from 2000 through Nov. 30, 2009, rate reviews by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner trimmed more than $55 million from proposed homeowners’ insurance rates.
For personal auto insurance, rate reviews saved consumers nearly $246 million. Here’s a breakdown, by year:
Year Change by OIC Savings to consumers

2000 -.1 percent $1.9 million

2001 -1.1 percent $22 million

2002 -.8 percent $16.9 million

2003 -2.8 percent $60.7 million

2004 -1.4 percent $32.2 million

2005 -.3 percent $7.5 million

2006 -.5 percent $12.8 million

2007 -.7 percent $18.2 million

2008 -1.7 percent $44.5 million

2009 -1.1 percent $28.8 million

Accident forgiveness: how it works

Some insurance companies are offering "accident forgiveness" as an option or to keep a valued customer.

Here, courtesy of the National Assocation of Insurance Commissioners, are some explanations and tips:

What is accident forgiveness?


Accidents can mean expensive repair and liability costs, and lead to higher premiums. Accident forgiveness means that an insurer agrees not to increase a customer ’s premium after the driver is involved in an at-fault accident. It is an enticing perk that many insurance companies offer either as part of a standard policy to loyal customers or as an additional endorsement that drivers with a safe driving record can purchase. Some companies also use it as an incentive to new customers for switching from another insurer. Insurers will often even extend the option to parents of teenage drivers.

While accident forgiveness can seem like a “free pass,” it’s important for consumers to understand the conditions and limitations associated with this option:

1. Is there a cost involved?

In some cases, accident forgiveness is included as part of a standard car insurance policy; however, you will typically pay a higher premium for a policy that includes this added protection. More often, accident forgiveness is offered as an additional endorsement – or coverage option – for a fee. Costs vary by insurer, so check with your current insurer as well as a few others if you’re looking for the best deal.

2. Who is eligible?

As with cost, eligibility may vary by insurer. Typically, qualification for accident forgiveness protection is based on two factors:

Customer loyalty: Many insurers only offer accident forgiveness to customers who have been insured with the company for a certain number of years.

Driving record: To qualify for the benefit, many insurers require that drivers have a clean driving record for several years. Not only will insurers look at your accident history, but some consider driving violations as well. That means that one speeding ticket could impact your eligibility.

3. Are all accident forgiveness policies created equal?

In a word, no. Policy conditions can vary greatly. Some policies require you to maintain a clean driving record for up to five years before you become eligible for accident forgiveness. With other policies, the coverage kicks in immediately. Similarly, some policies offer forgiveness for one accident while others forgive multiple accidents.

4. Does accident forgiveness make sense for you?

After an accident, insurers can raise your premiums by as much as 40 percent. If you are a safe driver who pays standard rates, then depending on the cost, accident forgiveness might not make sense for you. But if you have a history of violations and accidents and already pay higher rates, then opting for the benefit might help you save money in the long run. Talk with your insurance company or agent to learn more about how your rates might be affected by an accident.

Do Not Neglect Flyers As Promotional Tools

By Norman Bach

With paucity of funds, smaller businesses are having a tougher time than ever before in these bad months of economic recession. It has become imperative for them to make judicious use of their limited resources so that they can reap maximum benefit out of a small investment. Adopting marketing options that are within the means and yet competitive is a good solution for such businesses, and herein lies the utility of flyer printing.

You would spend your nights tossing in your bed if you have to pump in your hard-earned money on costly marketing plans, when all you want to promote is a small business like a restaurant or a garment store. Moreover, huge promotional schemes are anyway unpractical for a local business.

Flyer printing is a cost-effective advertising option, and a proper use of this method can work miracles for the success of your organization. The sheer appeal of flyers makes them ideal for promoting products and services, and aids in fast brand recall among the audience it intends to persuade.

Several factors should be taken into consideration before deciding to go for flyer printing. The paper chosen should be neither too thin nor too thick. The final layout and contents of the flyer should be examined with care before it goes for printing to avoid slips and inaccuracy of any kind. An inaccurately printed flyer falls flat before the viewers and generates a bad impression about your organization. Colours and tones should be complimentary in a flyer and should neither be too bleak nor too flashy. The graphics printed on the flyer should be selected with care and should have high resolution to come out well in the print.

It is very important for small organizations to explore the option of flyer printing. It is a good marketing strategy. It is cost effective and lesser effort intensive, and the savings on this account will come to good use in steering your company through these hard times.

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The Amazing 11 Minute Speed Reading Program

By Dr. Jay Polmar

Many people can't believe that they can become a speed reader in 11 minutes. Dr. Jay Polmars 11 minute speed reading course (from www.11minutespeedreading.com) will teach you how to be a speed reader in 11 minutes flat. No Bull! He's taught over 100,000 people around the world the techniques and you also can learn them in 11 minutes.

How can this course do it? Simply, you'll learn how it was developed and why. Then, you'll learn the fastest reading techniques ever developed and you'll start to use the methods immediately. By the end of the 11 minutes - you'll be a speed reader.

You'll also learn the right way to read a book. And, you'll discover how to get your reading task organized, what to look for, and how to remember what you read.

Plus, you'll learn the secrets of how to write a term paper, report, or any type of paper in 10 days including the research, organization, writing, review, and formal presentation.

A little practice, after studying the methods for 11 minutes, you read 50% to 75% faster and daily practice for a month-you'll double your reading speed.

Dr. Polmar is famous for speed reading and accelerated learning courses since 1977. He is the only speed reading teacher and author who has incorporated several different techniques of speed reading along with visualization and relaxation techniques to help people, from every country, to read faster and have a better and more productive life.

Written by Dr. Jay Polmar, (www.speedread.org's founder), an amazing man who has written over 100 success oriented books in his career. His specialty speed reading course, 11minutespeedreading.com is based on 16 years of teaching at colleges and universities.

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Gifts Are Great - Market Your Business The Easy Way

By Don Wong

While individual gift-giving to those close to you is an age old practice, few people are aware of the tradition of giving corporate gifts. Corporate gifts are very distinct from individual gifts as they are a token of thankfulness given to employees or customers.

Corporate gifts are most of the times valuable products, and they are often gifted without any mark of the organization on the gift, as they are not for promotional purposes. However, businesses often do promotion through distribution of small items like key chains, mouse pads, dongles, and other gifts to the workforce and potential customers.

Similar to any other gifts, the selection of a corporate gift should be according to the liking of the individual to whom the item is to be presented. Companies usually like to present personalised and expensive gifts to their clients, but to their workforce they normally give out a moderately expensive, but useful gift.

The effect of the corporate gift on the rapport with a customer or a team member depends on how valuable the person believes the gift to be. Prior to giving a corporate gift, you should enquire with your legal department about any constraints that may have been enforced by law on this practice.

Before purchasing corporate gifts you should prepare a budget, find out the number of gifts to be presented, and look for good deals for a mass purchase from the wholesalers. This is obviously more useful in case of gifts to employees, especially if yours is a big business. You should procure the right number of gifts so that no employee whom you plan to thank is left out.

Giving away corporate gifts to employees and clients helps in strengthening the professional relationships, and it is a healthy business practice to adopt. But don't forget to keep the law and expense related aspects in mind.

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A Few Helpful Points In Brochure Printing

By Kennedy Banks

Companies of all sizes and budgets make use of brochures as an essential promotion tool. They integrate vital info about a company like its products & their superiority over the competition, its key features, its contact information, and so on, therefore imparting dependability to it in the market. Shoddy work on a brochure can do a lot of harm to the reputation of the company and therefore it is very crucial to exercise care while developing it. This article will give you some key points on brochure printing and design.

The brochure should be developed to look professional, attractive and educative at the same time. It should use text and graphics in the right combination, while the colours should also be used aesthetically. Text, borders, and graphics are vital components of brochure design and they should support each other well. The brochure should not have a disorderly feel, instead it should be clean and savvy, and at the same time simple and coherent.

While developing the brochure, issues related to brochure printing should also be carefully considered. It is usually a good idea to take a sample print out to see how the final brochure is going to look before you send it for bulk printing.

Budgetary considerations for brochure printing should not be ignored at the time of brochure designing. Gray scale printing is cheaper than color, hence if you are on a small budget you may wish to go for the former. If you are not restricted financially and are looking for attractive, colorful brochures, then you should remember that such brochures go well on thick, glossy papers. A compact brochure which requires printing on either side of the paper will need an adequately thick paper for printing.

Since brochure printing is done in large volume, always look for rebates from the printing company. However, never sacrifice quality, as you do not want to create a poor impression of your organization on potential customers.

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

Steelers Send Vikings To First Defeat Of Season

By Ross Everett

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated no more. The Pittsburgh Steelers' used a couple of big plays from their defense in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and defeat the Vikings by a final score of 27-17. Favre put up decent yardage in the loss, throwing for 334 yards but had no touchdowns and an interception. The defending Superbowl Champion Steelers improved to 5-2, while the Vikings are now 6-1.

NFL pointspread players who backed the Steelers as -6 home favorites were rewarded with the cover. Pittsburgh had only covered one of their first six games heading into the contest, and the win improved their record against the number to 2-5. Minnesota dropped to 4-3 against the spread with the setback. The 44 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 46'. It was only the Vikings' second UNDER of the season against five OVERS, while the Steelers have gone OVER in four of their seven games.

The Steelers largely shut down Minnesota's rushing game, holding Adrian Peterson to 69 yards. Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark underscored his team's dominance against the run:

"That's the biggest point of the game. You have the best running back in the world and you don't give it to him. They're saying they can't beat us running, and that's a major statement when you have the guy they have back there."

Favre gave a mealy mouthed justification for the loss in his postgame interview:

"There were a lot of what ifs, a lot of reasons we didn't win. The red zone was one of them. They're physical, and they were as good as we thought they'd be. ... When I came here and looked at our schedule and saw the Steelers game, I went, 'Oh-h-h.' "

Favre has only thrown three interceptions in a Vikings' uniform, but #3 was a costly one as it was returned by Steelers' Keyaron Fox for a touchdown to put the game out of reach as Minnesota was driving for a potential game tying field goal. Afterwards, Fox recalled the play:

"Brett tried to force it in there and the running back bobbled it and slipped out of his hands and it fell into my lap. I had just run across the field after Peterson and I was winded, so it felt like it was 100-plus yards."

The Vikings now face another big game next week as they head to Favre's old stomping grounds in Green Bay for a battle with the Packers. It'll be Favre's first appearance at his old home in an enemy uniform. The Vikings are a +3 road underdog with the total set at 48. The Vikings will then have a bye weekend before hosting the lowly Detroit Lions on November 15. Pittsburgh will enjoy a bye week this week before returning to action on Monday, November 9th facing the Denver Broncos on the road.

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Cincinnati Rips Chicago

By Ross Everett

Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson got revenge on the team that let him go in the best possible way. Benson amassed 189 yards rushing and led his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to a 45-10 rout over the visiting Bears on Sunday. Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the blowout victory. Cincinnati improved to 5-2 with the win while Chicago dropped to 3-3 on the NFL season.

The Bengals also made short work of the NFL pointspread, easily covering as +1' home underdogs. Cincinnati improved to 4-3 against the number while Chicago evened their ATS mark at 3-3. The 55 combined points sailed OVER the posted total of 42'. The Bengals have gone OVER in four of seven games this year while the Bears evened their NFL totals mark at 3-3.

A smug Benson described his feelings after the win:

"Everybody knew it was going to be an emotional day. Everybody knew. What a wonderful day and a wonderful thing, to go out there and strut your stuff."

Despite the evidence to the contrary, Benson downplayed the motive of revenge:

"I continue to be as graceful as I can be. I'm not shoving anything in anybody's face. Like I say, it wasn't a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities."

He said his biggest problem was trying to keep his emotions in check and play under control:

"There were a few times where I may have gotten a little too hyped up, a little too antsy. A couple of drives, I found myself having to calm myself down and gather my emotions to stay poised. Once I got past that, we were good to go. Keep it rolling."

Bengals' receiver Chad Ochocinco had 10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He shared his thoughts postgame:

"I don't understand why it went this way today and why it didn't go that way last week or the week before that. The offensive line played unbelievable. For Ced to run the way he did today and for us to be able to throw, we could have done what we wanted to do."

Chicago gave up more points than in any game all season, a fact that left defensive end Alex Brown looking for answers:

"That was pretty embarrassing. It's embarrassing to come out and play like that. I tip my hat to their whole team. Cedric ran the ball like crazy. They did whatever they wanted to do."

The Bengals will enjoy a bye week before hosting the Baltimore Ravens on November 8. They'll then play two games on the road at Pittsburgh and Oakland. Chicago will try to get back on track this Sunday as they host the Cleveland Browns. They'll host the Arizona Cardinals the following Sunday before heading west for a Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers on November 12.

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Helio Gracie: Father Of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

By Ross Everett

Helio Gracie--patriarch of the legendary Gracie MMA family--died earlier this year in Rio De Janeiro at age 95. His influence on martial arts, and even more so the sport that is known known as mixed martial arts, is staggering. The Gracie family name will forever be synonymous with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA and the UFC due to the accomplishments of Helio Gracie and his progeny.

Helio Gracie began training in judo early in life, and by the age of 16 had already begun to teach others in his native Brazil. He was bothered by judo's reliance on 'brute strength', however, and along with his brother Carlos began to adapt many of its forms to a new fighting system more reliant on leverage than strength. This prompted the creation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), frequently called Gracie Jiu Jitsu in his honor.

Gracie also had a professional fighting career of his own, taking on champions from other fighting disciplines in an early version of modern MMA. These bouts were grueling, unregulated affairs with rules that were often made up as they went along and time limits that seem barbaric by todays standards. By his own recollection, he had 15 fights against the top fighters of his day. These included pro wrestlers, boxers and other martial arts specialists.

His most famous battle was against Japanese judo legend Masahiko Kimura, resulting in a rare loss for Gracie. Despite the setback, he fought bravely and may have actually enhanced his legend after refusing to submit to a reverse arm bar (the same modern MMA submission that now bears Kimuras name). Only after his arm was broken did his brother Carlos throw in the towel.

Gracies influence on the Brazilian sports scene, and later the nascent sport of mixed martial arts, would continue through his family. Married twice, he had seven sons (Rickson, Royler, Rolker, Royce, Relson, Robin and Rorion) and two daughters (Rerika and Ricci), many of whom went on to make their own mark on the fight sport world. Royce Gracie is well known as the first UFC superstar, while sons Rickson Royler, Renzo have also achieved considerable fame in professional MMA. At the time of his death, Helio Gracie was a 6th Dan Judo black belt and the only living 10th degree master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The cause of Gracies death was officially given as natural causes. He had been having stomach problems for several days prior to his passing, and was admitted to a Rio hospital for this reason. His seriously epic last words will go down as a fitting envoi to a man who gave so much of himself to fighting:

"I created a flag from the sports dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection and nerves of blood.

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Investor Mind Control: Is It For Real?

By James Scott

Discovering the 'thumbscrews' of investors is crucial to getting them to take action. In over a decade of dealing with global investors there are several elements that I've discovered to be universal truths about the mind of the private investor (angel investor, accredited investor).

When talking to an investor for the first time, it's more important to listen than to speak. It's more important to ask questions than answer them. It's more important to discover their needs and wants than to exclaim your own. Your first conversation with an investor should be all about piercing the armor and finding the trigger points that prompt a reaction that gets to the center of their 'childlike' state.

What I mean by this is, investors, just like anyone else, has insecurities that are rooted in their childhood and what they are outwardly today, is typically a polar opposite of what they are on the inside. For example, an arrogant, chest beater seems proud and obnoxious on the outside but the reality is that they are over compensating for an insecurity that is rooted in an individual or collection of childhood incidents.

Maybe they were made fun of as a child, maybe they're father was verbally abusive, maybe their teachers would single them out in class opening them up to playground mockery. When talking to these individuals it's important to listen to their voice and intonation when the conversation topic changes. Take notes on their psychological adjustments to the conversation. After you feel you have discovered the triggers that induce the 'pleasurable' responses, end the call, and set your second phone appointment with them.

On that second call, you want to have your conversation ready to go using the triggers you found in the first conversation. Play off of those insecurities that you found, become their best friend without being chummy but it is your mission on this call to be the "guy that understand me" to the investor. You want the overall tone of this conversation to have the response from your target along the theme of, "wow, this guy gets me" , "I can see investing in this company".

By using this method and not coming across as 'fake', you have become an investment opportunity and a shrink all rolled into one. You want to be the one person that this investor can lower his guard to because everything he says, you seem to be the one person who understands him at his deepest level. You seem to naturally be tuned into his insecurities, emotions, needs and wants. Sound strange? Try this out on the next investor you talk to, I guaranty you will be shocked with the results.

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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Speed Reading For The Family

By Dr. Jay Polmar

The world is dominated by life-long learners: the people who take the time to learn everything they can about their chosen field and everything they can about corresponding subjects. The 400 most successful businesspeople "the Forbes 400" attribute most of their success to reading at least one non-fiction book a month. But when you have a family and work wants to dominate your time, carving out the time to read all those books can be difficult. New books on every subject are being published every day. How is one supposed to keep up at work or school, spend time with family and find time to read ten to fifteen extra books a year?

You can't add hours to your day, but you can reduce the time it takes to read those books. Learning to speed read is the answer. Cutting your reading time in half or even more would give you the ability to simply devour the books you always wanted to read, the books you know you should read, and the ones you need to read to get ahead.

You may have looked into 1-day or multiple day speed reading seminars or home courses before, only to be turned off by the price. A single one-day live speed reading seminar can set you back anywhere from $200 to $700 "per person" and the results are far from guaranteed. SpeedRead America offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee for anyone with a third grade or higher reading level.

With Speedread Americas course for the family, you can double your reading speed starting with our best-selling Speed Read in Only One Hour, which offers methods to help you break poor habits learned when you were first learning to read. With our supplements for business professionals "Business Speed Reading Success, which focuses on Business and MBA professionals, and How To Get Things Accomplished In Less Time, which teaches smart time management" you will learn not only how to fly over the pages of corporate reports, you will also learn new techniques for note taking, concentration, recall and, with our Think Right course, you will also learn positive thinking exercises and stress relief to increase your reading speed even more.

The corporate edition of the Speed Read Complete course also includes add-ons useful for generating sales, and includes one of the first-ever courses written on the Law of Attraction. Our proven audio courses teach the busy professional how to sit back and relax.

Aimed at adults, corporate and business employees and MBA professionals, Speed Read Complete Corporate Edition offers not only the ability to speed read. Included in the Corporate Edition is also a time management course and a course to help you achieve your life goals by using the material from our Online Download Library of speed reading and self power improving publications.

The best part is that not only will you be able to double your reading speed after the first one-hour lesson, but we have also had mid-level managers that receive promotions as little as three weeks after starting our course!

Written by Dr. Jay Polmar, an expert in the fields of self-improvement, continuing education and self-growth, Speed Read Complete boasts a success rate unheard of in its industry and offers a full money back guarantee that you will be reading significantly faster in only hours - we guarantee it.

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Add Twitter Followers

By Marlon Rex Bustillo

Twitter has probably done a marvelous job that is why its enjoying the fame that sits on now. You can't argue with me when I say that it has infiltrated Internet more specifically the social networking world.

Twitter has grown and created its own name in the world w8ide web called the "SMS" of the Internet. This is due to its various features, which are very useful of different subscribers.

In spite of its grandeur that is being looked upon, Twitter still reaches out to gather more users. With its update, it has its eyes laid on more and more follower and allow them to succumb all its features.

As a user, there are many ways on how you can add Twitter's followers. But first, you have to master all the knowledge you need to know before jumping into one. Know Twitter's history, its maker and the chronological order of its journey until it reached and bathed on success.

With sufficient knowledge, you are and will be ready to put all the ideas together and spread it every where. You can make interesting and fun facts about Twitter or benefits and even disadvantages but do make sure you are quite biased because you are promoting Twitter.

After that you can make an email about it then send it to all your contacts in your account. In addition, you may want to tell them to do the same. That's one easy way to spread the news.

If you also are subscribed to RSS, you can search for the latest updates, post it and add your own versions for twitter promotion. The many targets you shoot upon, the more chances there will be in hitting them that is registering also in twitter.

So basically, it's all about word mouth. You can do it by email or by just texting or talking to your friends about it. You can add more sugar to its already famous name to increase the number of its followers. In a sense, Twitter will be very thankful for your efforts.

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Business Web Hosting Must Be Reliable And Secure

By Catherine Smith

An important aspect to business web site hosting is that the hosting provider should offer reliable as well as secure and affordable web hosting that is able to deliver more for the small business as compared to the traditional shared hosting solutions. One should not need to forego quality as well as other important features when managing the budget and opting for cheaper web hosting, email and domain hosting services.

A good provider should be like a "one-stop-shop" that provides a solution to small business web hosting, email, ecommerce, domain name hosting and other related services.

Clustered Hosting Technology

One can get perfect small business web hosting solutions with providers through clustered hosting technology that is more reliable as compared with traditional shared hosting and, provides better security as well as more flexibility when compared with low end dedicated solutions. One can get basic, professional and enterprise plans that will meet individual requirements and, which give the user many benefits in a cost effective manner.

Netfirms, Inc. is a leading small business web hosting provider that has a huge database of satisfied customers that have used their solutions. A firm that began operations in 1998, Netfirms enjoys a good reputation for its quality products as well as great customer services. With small business web hosting solutions, small businesses are able to establish an online presence instantaneously. In fact, Netfirms can boast of propelling over 1.2 million websites to online success each day and also lay claim to being trustworthy, quality conscious as well as reliable.

Different small business web hosting solutions are available and one can expect to get 20GB disk space, 750GB monthly transfers and, a hundred email accounts included in their plan. The small business will get enough bandwidth to host media as well as video and, for advanced users, there are provisions for PHP/MySQL as well as phpMy Admin that allows users to take advantage of these programming languages to customize their business needs.

The small business web hosting solution will also include the ability to organize the company's communication needs through company e-mail accounts that allows them to check messages using any popular e-mail software. One should also be able to install useful software on the website without much difficulty. In addition, one can also put one's finger on the pulse of the website and get statistics pertaining to website visitors and, know the number of visitors to the website and, also be informed of when the site is busiest. To top it all, one can also get Google Adwords to kick-start traffic to the website through online advertising.

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Coming Soon... Math Comic Strips Flagship Item: "The Innovative Dr. Knowledge"

By Matthew Smith

Our web site of math comic strips was developed for one primary reason...to offer a way to help teach math to our nation's children. In this fast-paced world of television, video games and other distractions, we knew that this would prove to be a formidable challenge. Math is complicated and boring to too many children, and well, too much like "work". We realized that we would need a way to make learning math exciting and fun.

We chose the vehicle of a comic book for a number of reasons. For starters, comic books have stood the test of time. Long before the digital age of the 24 hour cartoon network, children would be huddled under their blankets, with comic book and flashlight in hand. A very visual learning tool, it is also portable, requiring no electricity or attachments or even, strange as it may sound these days, an internet connection.

We are happy to announce that we will soon be releasing our flagship item, an educational math comic called "The Innovative Dr. Knowledge". While Dr. Knowledge is not a "Super Hero" in the classic sense of the word (he has not been bitten by an insect or arrived from another planet), he does possess some incredible math skills. He was able to acquire these skills by doing his math homework and studying other subjects as well. He is able to utilize these abilities to solve some incredible crimes and problems. Our hope is that children will become enchanted with his adventures and have their own desire to study math.

Bobby lost his mother at a young age, and had a rather difficult childhood in many respects. To make a long story short, his father decided to take him on a trip to help encourage and motivate his son. As fate would have it, he ended up on an island, and it was here that he embraced his love of math. Math helped him to solve many problems that the island presented him with, and through these adventures he was able to see the practical applications of math.

Years later Bobby found himself back in the "civilized world". It was here that he pursued his love of math, and eventually acquired a PhD in math at a prestigious university. His math skills helped him to acquire great wealth. He also used these skills and abilities to solve some incredible crimes and fantastic problems. Overall, he's been making the world a better place to live in.

Our sincere desire is that you will enjoy reading our comic, "The Innovative Dr. Knowledge". Please join us in helping to promote math education to our nation's children. They are going to need math skills in order to compete for the jobs of the future. Math comic strips may never be the same again...

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Jay's En-Lightening Experience

By Bobbi Landfried

I met Jay in June 1977 when he came to our home to meet my husband, a well known certified hypnotherapist. Jay was hoping to be able to study under him. As an astrologer, I asked him for his date, time and place of birth so I could do his chart. After about a minute I made a startling discovery and returned to tell him what I had found. I think Jay found this a little strange but I said to him, Something special is going to happen to you soon. You will be guided there and this experience will change your life and someone you know will be there to observe.

Eventually, Jay met my husband and they worked together for some time. Jay had some blood pressure and stress issues so they did three hypnosis sessions together to sort the problem. Afterwards, they started to study together and Lee gave Jay perhaps seven to ten books per week to read; ever expanding Jays mind on cultures and beliefs, mind sciences and cult influences, and much more. He also recommended classes; the Loving Relationship Training by Sondra Lee and a series by Theta Seminars on Metaphysics.

Jay started to attend a class called Spiritual Psychology taught by a husband and wife team from Missouri. They had been into natural healing, natural childbirth with doctors and absolutely unique concepts for a period in time.

Most of Jays friends thought he was crazy to be attending classes like that on weekends when he could have been water skiing, boating, enjoying life, playing with women at bars, or just getting drunk like some of his clients. But, Jay was happy with studying Metaphysics and Healing.

It was at the second Theta Seminar that the special event occurred. It was August 1977 and Jay was in the classroom which was in a loft on 22nd Street in New York City. In the class, they talked about the cycles of birth and death and their influence on the soul. They did some breathing, meditation and thinking about their own birth.

Jay remembered that his was traumatic, as his mother had gone into a coma and he was born two months premature. Then, he suddenly realized that he was meant to be born early; his weight was already 8 lbs. 15 ounces and his mother was very tiny at 411 to handle the Big Guy coming into the world.

He was able to forgive himself for wearing out his mother at birth with his size and weight. He forgave his mother for falling unconscious at his birth and missing his first two weeks of life on Earth. What an experience it was for him. Feeling the forgive-ness made Jay feel lighter.

The next part of the class was the chanting and rocking session. Jay, still feeling that lightness as the group of six in his team began elevating and rocking him to music and chants. One at a time, the team was lifting each person up and then rocking the fully elevated person before slowly returning them to the ground.

Back then Jay weighed 280 pounds and there they were, trying to get him up in the air. He felt as light as a feather, totally relaxed as he was rocked back and forth. During the session the window was open and suddenly a strange cool-damp breeze came through into the room, exactly where they were rocking Jay. A bolt of what appeared to be lightning hit Jay at the top of his head. The group pulled their hands away and he floated down to the ground.

Jay slowly opened his eyes and touched the top of his head. It felt warm. As he sat up, he was surprised to see me standing over him, looking at him. He remembered what I had said to him when we first met, And someone you know will be there to observe. Jay closed his eyes and his head was filled with ideas and formulas and concepts and the words just know that you know.

Then since that moment, he knew the past, present and the future. He foresaw floods, tornados, the economic crisis of 2007- on ... he was frightened, but understood. He knew about others just by looking at their faces, their eyes or from their handwriting. And there is so much more that he knew he would come know.

The question for Jay in all of this is, if there is so much that he knows, then how can he use it to help others throughout the rest of his life?

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What it Consists of and How to Use It - Green Screen Hollywood Technology

By Phillip Guye

Hollywood manages to transport moviegoers to different places be it real or normal. With today's sophisticated film making technologies, anyone can take a look at ancient Rome's grand coliseums, walk on the surface of Jupiter, and visit dimensions that was once restricted to only our imaginations. Also, creatures like monsters, angels, and beasts are brought to life with the help of green screen Hollywood technology. But what exactly is green screen or "Chroma Key" technology? How does it work?

Green screen technology is the mixing of 2 pictures together. A solid background color is utilised so that another image can be transposed in front of the main picture. More frequently than not, green is the color used for this reason although blue is also generally used. Green is more favored among filmmakers because image sensors in cameras are sensitive to it. Green camera channels have less noise and can make the most clean masks. Also, the color green is commonly used as it doesn't have to be illuminated much, in comparison to other colors. This makes the green screen the ideal background of different productions from weather reports to giant budget Hollywood films.

However , there are some things to remember when using green screen Hollywood technology. Good production equipment like lights and quality cameras should be used when using Chroma Key technology screens. Bad lighting can cause unsightly shadows and wrong shades on the screen. Therefore , it is critical to have all of the right gear when filming something that requires the Chroma Key technique.

Green screen Hollywood technology is also used to solve lots of filmmakers and photographers' issues. One vital use of the chroma key screen is that it permits the user to dump the need to find a real background. Green screens allow filmmakers and photographers to be flexible. With green chroma key screen technology, any image can be added and used as the final background. This is how many Hollywood personalities end up in far flung regions of the universe or in ancient cities that don't exist anymore in this era.

Green screen Hollywood technology is principally used by pros. Except for being a typical tool employed in movies, it is also used for mag shoots, TV adverts, and studio photography. This is how shocking photographs and visual spectacles are made available to anyone who would desire something special for movies and photographs. When used the best way, green screens can help produce great pictures only the imagination can cook up. This is precisely why the green screen is one of the most trustworthy and helpful film making and photography tool there is.

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Spanish And Mexican Food On Long Island

By L.J. James

Like I have said before, I am no Gourmet Chef or expert on fine Cruise. I do how ever know what I like. Recently Me and a Buddy of mine stopped at the Meson Ole Dinner in Southampton on Long Island in NY, A Mexican and Spanish Restaurant.

Some of you may know I am a Biker, As any Biker knows some times the greetings we get when we walk into a place can be a look of "Oh No" and a half hearted "can I help you?", Is it right? Well of course not, but that's a different article. The Greeting We got at Meson Ole was a very warm friendly one and we felt welcomed in.

The Decor of the place was great and you could almost believe you where some where down in Mexico. We where promptly brought over some Nachos and Salsa and some fresh hot Bread and Butter. We ordered a Pitcher of Sangria, A drink I do not believe I have ever had before but I enjoyed none the less!

We ordered a Bunch of food and the Service was pretty fast. Now even the best service means nothing if the food is not good, Well the food was incredible. We ordered a set up where you made your own Pepper Steak Burritos and also a plate of Ham and Cheese Burritos. It was all made to perfection, The Pepper Steak was served in a separate pan and it was still sizzling when it was placed safely on the table ! I could not have been happier with the taste and preparation of the food! While we where enjoying the meal the waiter made sure we where happy at all times. When the Bread was finished more was served to us. We ate so much ran out of Burrito wraps, That is not a complaint because as soon as it was notice more where quickly brought to the Table.

I eat at many places as I really love to eat, But some times I come across a place like the Meson Ole Dinner where I feel I must share the experience with others! I was happy to find out that the Meson Ole has 8 locations across Long Island NY and two in Naples Florida (That's a bit of a big jump in the Chains Locations) Good food can sometimes be hard to find, Both Great Food and Great service at one place can be almost imposable to find these days! So If you are a fan of Mexican and Spanish Cuisine check out the Meson Ole Dinners in the Long Island NY area or when you are near Naples, Florida and let me know what you think of them.

Your Bro L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com

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