Secrets of Paddlewheel Cruises

There is probably no cruise vacation that is more American than traveling by paddleboat along one of American's most majestic rivers. Paddlewheels or steamboats offer unique cruise vacations that take you to some of America's best loved and most scenic cities and sees them as they were meant to be seen--from the water. From the waterways of Alaska to a steamboat down the MIssissippi, the steamboat cruise is the all-American vacation.

The paddlewheeler may sound as American as apple pie and it certainly conjures up thoughts of Mississippi gamblers, dance hall girls, and the American frontier. However, paddlewheel ships actually originated in China and can be found all over the world. Americans in the 19th century took the ancient concept of using a paddlewheel and made two improvements: they moved the wheel to the stern or back of the ship (ancient Chinese vessels had the wheel in the front) and they powered these new vessels with the steam engine.

You can book a paddlewheel cruise from a few different lines. Some of them also feature old-fashioned furnishings and a staff in period costumes. You may also be treated to some themed events during your cruise.

Paddleboats cruised the Mississippi in the 19th century, but most of these ships were working vessels. They carried merchandise as well as passengers up and down the river. Some of the best known ports on the route include St. Louis and Memphis, but the Mississippi runs as far north as Minneapolis and as far south as New Orleans, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

Accommodations on these modern versions of paddlewheel cruises tend to go back to the style of the day when travel was more leisurely but also a bit grander. Expect stately touches on the ship and modern amenities along with antique furnishings. One does not grab a bite on a steamboat; it's more typical to dine. While paddlewheelers today do accommodate our modern preference for the casual lifestyle, this is about as far from the "barefoot" cruise as you can get.

In their day, the American steamboats frequently offered gambling, entertainment that for its day was considered racy, and music from a calliope. A calliope is a very loud, steam-operated instrument most frequently associated with the circus. You'll find them on some steamboat cruises today, along with lots of music in the evenings (the type depends a lot on the cruise you take).

Before the Civil War, many Southern plantations along the Mississippi were deliberately built on the river so that they could send their crops more easily to market. Cruising by paddlewheeler allows you to see some of these antebellum mansions the way they were meant to be viewed by a party approaching on the river.

Even many Southern cities on the Mississippi were built to be visited not by land but by waterway. The grand dame of all river cities in the United States remains New Orleans. Katrina notwithstanding, New Orleans is back. You can visit the French Quarter (which abuts the Mississippi River) and at least one major cruise line is using New Orleans again as a port.

Probably the best known line for this type of cruise vacation is Majestic America, which offers Mississippi River and other paddlewheel cruises (http://www.majesticamericaline.com).

Paddlewheels also are frequently used on shorter day trips. Brunch cruises, short sightseeing cruises, or even day-long cruises can be found all over the country (including in Orlando, a landlocked city). While this can be a great way to sample the experience of a steamboat trip without committing to a cruise, it's not going to be as true a steamboat experience as a multi-day journey on the river.

While the steamboat may seem old-fashioned or even clumsy, their small size and design actually makes them far more maneuverable than larger vessels. Captains typically have a bit more latitude in setting their course and itinerary, meaning that depending on the time of year and the river conditions, the captain may be able to travel to slightly different areas to get the best views of wildlife or other sites of interest.

Don't expect to find lots of passengers; a steamboat cruise will take only a few dozen to possibly a few hundred passengers on any one trip. This means that passengers on a steamboat cruise will get to know each other, interact with each other, and actually rediscover the pastime of conversation. While you won't find as many activities on a steamboat as on a large cruise ship (there won't be a miniature golf course, ice-skating rink, or rock wall), you will find more opportunities to get to know other people.

Since steamboats have always been known for their music, you can usually expect lots of rollicking evening entertainment, from jazz cruises on the Mississippi to other dance bands in the North. Steamboats may be nostalgic and stately but they aren't quiet, especially at night.

And while the Mississippi River cruise has to be the quintessential steamboat experience, you'll also find river cruises that go as far north as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington state and even Alaska. The Alaskan cruises, in particular, boast that they can access ports and areas that are off-limits to the larger cruise ships.

Whether you're looking for a red-white-and-blue cruise experience or just as slightly different spin on the traditional cruise vacation, a paddlewheel cruise in the U.S.A. offers a wonderful vacation experience.

Mandy Karlik is a freelance travel writer and loves to cruise. To learn more about paddlewheel cruises and other cruise options, check out some of her other articles on http://www.thecruise-shopper.com .Amara Blog25866
Carol Blog65990

How to Overcome the Nightmare of Article Marketing

Yes we know writing articles is a great website marketing strategy that can ramp up any online business. Look at all the positives: more web site traffic, better visibility for your business, increased link popularity, repeat visitors, free advertising and a gaggle of other good stuff. All of this is true. However, if the thought of sitting down at your computer and cranking out content on a regular basis makes you break out in hives, than article marketing is a nightmare.

The reality is that doing business online requires web content. You have probably seen a few sites that contained nothing but an advertising banner. These sites do not last long. Why? Because people want useful information not a sales page and search engines want content. It's tough to build a customer base and get referrals if people have nothing to go on. The key to online success is to give both groups exactly what they want.

However none of this changes the fact that you would rather watch television test patterns that write articles. So what can you do?

1. Hire Someone.
There are many writers who for a certain fee will crank out articles for you. There are also a number of article writing companies online. You tell them the topic you are interested in, agree on the price and they will write a set number of articles for you. Many of these places are of top quality but you should understand one thing: No matter how much you discuss it with the writer, there is only one person that can give you exactly what you want one hundred percent of the time and that's you. Still, hiring someone to write remains a viable option.

2. Free articles
If you can think of a topic, the odds are someone has already written about it. Start perusing some the major article directories. Most of these sites will indicate that it is okay to use the articles on you website as long as you follow their guidelines. This usually means ensuring you give the author credit, not modifying the article in any way and including the author's resource box or byline at the end of the article.

All of this should go without saying. Plagiarizing or not giving the author credit only leads to negative (and totally unnecessary) ramifications for you and your business. You are trying to build credibility. Once you throwaway trust it's hard to get it back so do the right thing. Also as a courtesy if the link in their resource box does not work do some investigating and activate it. Who knows? Someone may do the same for you down the line.

3. Other webmasters

Find site owners in your niche who write their own content and invite them to post on your blog web site. It's not only a good way to get instant web site content but you can also establish potential link and joint venture partners. Getting free articles from other webmasters has great advantages. Unfortunately, the downside is the article links are pointing toward their website.

That's just another reason to write your own articles. The more websites that link back to you without requiring a reciprocal link, the better search engines will rank your site. By all means if your budget allows it hire a proven writer or article company to provide web content. Outsourcing (the good kind) is an important component to growing your business. You should also use the free articles that are available online to build your website.

But start writing. Providing original information gives search engines and visitors something unique that only you can provide. Seeing your business grow by leaps and bounds will overcome any lingering nightmare about article marketing.

Daryl Campbell is your internet marketing guide for more tips, tools, resources, free video coaching and up to the minute information. Make the business of growing your business easy and fun at http://winthemarket.com/internet-marketing-guideAilina Blog12546
Alison Blog32463

Internet Marketing Newbie? Tailor Your Website

You have decided to zero in on product creation? You have reached the point were you know your goals inside out. You have even written your goals down.

They are tacked onto your refrigerator and taped over your computer. You also have your goals written in your pocket-size ideas booklet. It appears you are ready to rumble! Lets get it on!

You finally decide that the theme for your website is going to be Mens Shoes Of The 50s. From here on in, everything on the website should dovetail nicely into the theme.

Dont bring in mens trousers. For now, during the early going, stick with this specific shoe.

Put your shotgun away, at this point, you need your rifle. People are savvy. They know what it is they want. Theyre smart enough to know not to type in mens shoes. They zero in on a specific shoe, mens shoes of the 50s.

Its coming early, but here is a priceless golden nugget.

You now know the way people search online. Try to marry your selling strategies to the way people search. When you can accomplish that, you will be looking your target customer dead in the eye.

Lets dig into this a bit more. People who go online to buy a mens shoe of the 50s are interested in just that, a mens shoe of the 50s. Thats it!

The trousers that you thought they might buy when they come to your 50s shoe website are what you want. Not what they want.

Crucial error!

Learn a lesson here because most of the money spent on promoting 50s shoes and trousers is unfocused and wasted. That money could have gone to increase your variety of 50s shoe on display on your website.

Or better yet, it could have boosted your marketing budget thereby bringing more targeted traffic to your website. You also now have to redo your divided website.

Picture this!

Your website is perfectly themed. Content is intricately woven throughout your website and is spot on. You have done your website homework. Your articles and reports are singularly focused with great content on the mens shoe of the 50s.

The search engines have sent the spiders to comb your website and they love it. Your google ads are specific and focused.

Deep into the country, in a small unknown town, daddys birthday is approaching.

Mother is secretively asked, what does daddy want for his birthday?

She shoots back with a smile, (the children have remembered) get him a pair of two-tone shoes from the 50s.

Perplexed, the children respond, they dont sell those shoes in town, where can we get them?

Mother smiles again, try the internet.

Oh why didnt we think of that, replied the children.

They go to the computer, fire it up, and guess what they type in? Youre correct, mens shoes of the 50s. And guess which website is staring them in the face?

This scenario is played out over and over and your internet cash register is ringing steadily. Stay focused, set up one singular site, but set it up well. Then watch that one website turn over again and again. Sort of like money in the bank.

Wycliffe Williams has wasted time and money learning this. Sometimes some lessons are brutal. They dont have to be for you. Remain focused. Run a tight ship. Remember, keep your ears close to the ground. Listen to the internet beat. Take positive action going forward. Looking for a dynamic money earner? This http://www.wyclefinnovations.com/amb.html is awesome!Celie Blog6066
Carolynn Blog29230

All Things a Poison - Sometimes a Little Poison is Just What the Doctor Should Order!

If you are recommending trace minerals to your patients, chances are you are recommending toxic substances. The strange paradox is, many of these toxic minerals are also essential for life! With the recent popularity of coral calcium, colloidal mineral cocktails, and other supplements containing 70 or more trace minerals, the question of how toxic elements such as arsenic, cadmium, antimony, and vanadium can be safe needs to be addressed. Truth is, each of these minerals is deemed an essential mineral by the National Research Council that is, essential for human or animal life and only available to the body by ingestion of foods.

Take arsenic for example. This well known deadly poison is also required for life (NRC 1989). The average human being has 20 mg of arsenic distributed throughout the body1. Studies on rats have shown a deficiency of arsenic is associated with retarded growth1. Similar information is available on all 25 essential minerals each is necessary, yet they will all have severe adverse effects in large quantities. The famous Swiss Physician, Paracelcus summarized this phenomenon in the 1400s when he said All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy. Even oxygen and water taken in extreme amounts can prove toxic.

But which minerals are considered essential? 100 years ago, only 14 elements were thought to be essential. In 1950, copper, manganese, zinc and cobalt were added. Late in the 1950s selenium was included. 1975 saw the inclusion of fluorine and silicon. A few years later boron was added. Today, 25 are classified as essential! The rest are not considered essential or ruled as non-essential. It should be noted that 60 trace minerals are found in human milk including aluminum, bromine, vanadium and nickel, which were previously considered unimportant, so we may eventually learn that up to 60 are essential or important minerals.

It is interesting that we know of at least 25 essential minerals and yet our soil is only replenished with the big three: Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK). Many trace minerals have become entirely absent in the land growing feed for their cattle so farmers have begun supplementing their beef and dairy herds because it makes economic sense it is more profitable to buy trace mineral supplements and feed it to their cows than to suffer losses from trace mineral deficiency diseases. Heifers on trace mineral programs produced 3.7 pounds per day more milk compared to non-supplemented groups, conception rates improved significantly, weaning weights in calves were higher and overall herd health improved2.

Not only cattle benefit from adding trace minerals to their diets. A two year study raising meat chickens using Brazilian Coral Minerals compared to birds on growth hormone was conducted at University of Vila Velha, Brazil. The result showed similar growth rates, but the chickens on coral were more energetic and hence produced a leaner, higher protein, lower fat bird3.

Think about that. Farmers find it cost effective to buy trace minerals and add it to animals foods because the animals are not getting these elements from the produce of the fields. Humans eat from those same depleted fields and yet many of us do not think about supplementing ourselves. Perhaps it is time to reassess our fears of toxic trace minerals. Trace minerals can be toxic in large quantities, but equally damaging to health, and more prevalent, is their absence.

You can see this article and more at http://www.algaecal.com/

1. Halstead B, Fossil Stony Coral Minerals p. 64

2. Feedlot, Volume 8, number 2, March 2000

3. University of Vila Velha Study on Chickens

Dr Mark Percival wrote this article for http://www.algaecal.com - A Plant Sourced Calcium SupplementBess Blog98201
Andra Blog57167

8 Tips For College Students Wanting To Apply For A Credit Card

High school life is over. Youve moved away from home and youre starting a brand new chapter in your life with college. Independence feels great, but its sure to feel greater if youve got your own credit card, dont you think?

8 Tips for College Students Wanting to Apply for a Credit Card

Heres what you can do to make the credit card application process as hassle-free as possible.

Tip #1 Prepare proof of identification. Have your photos ready as well as all your valid IDs. Credit card companies will always have to verify that you are indeed who you say you are before you can proceed any further. IDs where your age is stated are also preferred because you have to prove youre at least 18 years old as well. If you have any bills under your name, take them with you as well because they can serve as proof of residence.

Tip #2 Prepare proof of schooling. Credit card companies generally prefer to issue credit cards to students who belong to accredited colleges and universities. If you belong to such a school then youre in luck. If not, you can compensate it by showing your previous records if theyre excellent, that is. Just like when youre applying for a drivers license, credit card issuers also take academic and extra-curricular excellence as a sign of maturity and trustworthiness in your part.

Tip #3 Prepare proof of financial assets. Student credit cards tend to charge higher rates than usual, but you might be qualified for lower rates if youre already working or you have money and a bank account in your name. Either way, make sure you can submit documentary proof of your work or assets.

Tip #4 Speaking of interest rates, the first thing you should look for in a credit card is the lowest possible interest rates. This might mean not being able to enjoy a reward-based credit card, but at your age, you might not yet afford the higher rates charged by credit cards offering reward points. If you see a 0% APR credit card, make sure to check how long the offer would last and what the standard APR is afterwards.

Tip #5 A number of credit cards allows you to apply even without a cosigner, but some of them tend to have stricter application requirements. If you dont want to go through the trouble of submitting additional requirements, simply ask your parent or legal guardian to act as your guarantor when you apply for a credit card.

Tip #6 Always look for a credit card that allows you to manage your account online. This will allow you to check your account balance regularly and know when and how much you have to pay for your credit card every month.

Tip #7 There are a few additional perks that you might deem necessary. If you are fond of shopping online, look for a credit card that offers you fraud liability guarantee at no extra cost. Other credit cards offer you thank you points for being a prompt payer.

Tip #8 Now that you know what you need from a credit card, find one that matches your preferences and then submit your application. Remember to be courteous and answer all their questions honestly. Youre sure to have your application approved in no time. Have fun with responsible swiping!

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.i-want-a-credit-card.com and http://www.creditcardcorridor.info.Ashleigh Blog32405
Cassi Blog95519

Safety in the Workplace: Be Rigorous, Not Ruthless

You may have read the book Good to Great, by Jim Collins. In his book he explains how many companies thought being good is well, good enough. In these times of constant change and global competition, it is important to always look for improvement --especially when it comes to safety.

Who wants to settle for good enough safety? In most cases, good means the company is willing to settle for an injury. Good enough safety means setting safety goals based on lagging indicators. (An example is to reduce lost time injuries by 10%.) Great safety means setting a rigorous goal of zero injuries. According to Collins, you want to be rigorous and not ruthless when growing your company. This same concept should also apply to safety in the workplace.

Is Your Safety Process Rigorous or Just Plain Ruthless?

Ruthless safety could be characterized as a company that tends to punish employees by verbally beating them over the head with the safety manual for getting hurt on the job. Dont read this wrongevery company must have a disciplinary policy to get the attention of employees who dont understand the consequences of unsafe behavior. But to truly change behavior frontline leaders must always clearly identify the behavior required to prevent injuries. After all, the goal is Nobody Gets Hurt.

Rigorous safety could be characterized as clearly defined behaviors that workers are held accountable for that prevent known hazards from injuring them. If a worker continually proves that he or she has no intention of behaving safely, then disciplinary action must be taken. Rigorous safety means that leadership has the best interest of the employee at heart.

5 Factors for Rigorous Safety Leadership

Leading employees to behave safely on the job is not an easy task. During our 15 years of experience of consulting with top executives on workplace safety, we have had many leaders tell us that if they had known leading employees to behave safely on the job was so hard to do, they might have turned down the position of supervisor, foreman or lead. Yet, there is hope.

Leaders from the frontline can be effective by learning about dealing with these five human factors:

1. Expectations:

Unspoken, unrecognized expectations in the workplace can lead to job frustration, substandard safety performance, decreased job safety commitment and even high turnover. Understand that most employees expect to have a workplace free of hazards. Workers have varying expectations when it comes to factors such as autonomy, work/life balance, career opportunities, stability, structure, and teamwork. The key is to learn what expectations the individuals in your organization have and then work with them to meet or, in some cases, adjust those expectations.

2. Communication:

Being a superb safety communicator is difficult to accomplish. Think about the people to whom you communicate safety requirements on a daily basis. You will notice some are strong in certain communication skills, but weak in other skills. Learn everything you can about your communications style and how it affects others what impact do you have? If you dont usually get a positive reaction from those around you, take a course in interpersonal skills.

3. Innovation:

Change, whether anticipated or unanticipated, can be difficult. To innovate, grow and improve a safety culture requires individuals who are able to see the big picture. Accept that change is a part of life and learn let go of the past and embrace and apply new techniques, technologies, and tools when appropriate.

4. Organization:

Safety innovation cannot be done without teams of people dedicated to hitting the goal: A Zero-Injury Workplace. Leaders must be able to organize a team and motivate it towards the goal. Imagine everyone leading each other to the goal of a zero-injury workplace.

5. Appreciation:

Great leaders accomplish great things. Great leaders appreciate the people who make things happen. Understanding how one reacts to certain situations as a leader is vital to being a successful leader.

Get Rigorous for a Bright Future

Becoming rigorous about safety is hard work, but it is rewarding. When a company and its leaders commit to improving their effectiveness with rigorous safety programs, employees are more motivated to behave safely so they can home to their families every day without injury. After all, no matter what level you are in the company, the goal is Nobody Gets Hurt. Thats a goal everyone can live with.

Carl Potter, CSP, CMC and Deb Potter, PhD, CMC helps top executives target a zero-injury workplace so everyone can go home to their families every day without injury. As advocates of a zero-injury workplace, they can help your organization raise its safety performance and cut its workers compensation insurance expenses in half. For more info about their Simply Seamless Safety Leadership Development Process go to http://www.SimplySeamlessSafety.com.Ariana Blog67968
Celia Blog26522

Do Away with Financial Emergencies- Avail Payday Advance Loan

Life is never smooth. You can face a financial emergency anytime anywhere. To cope up with these unexpected situations, you should have a solution beforehand. But if you do not have a solution just ask for payday advance loans which will provide you with quick and fast money to deal with urgent cash need.

Payday advance loans are basically short term loans which offer you loans to meet your unexpected financial emergency. With these loans you can easily pay unexpected medical bills, electricity bills, or any other expense for which you cannot wait.

Payday advance loans are called so because they are offered against a post dated check paid in advance to the lender. This check has the amount which you will be paying when the loan term ends. The check also serves as collateral against the loan amount. When the repayment date comes, the lender automatically gets the required amount by depositing this check in the bank.

With a payday advance loan you can get a loan amount ranging from 200-1,500. The repayment term is usually between 1 week and a month. Interest rates usually depend on the amount you take and on the repayment term.

A payday advance loan is offered mainly through online lending as such a speed cannot be offered by regular offline lenders. All you need to first of all select a suitable lender according to your requirements. Once you find the appropriate lender, the rest of the work becomes quite easy. The next step will be to fill an online application form which will require some details about your employment, income, identity, residential proof etc. After you submit the form, the loan will be quickly transferred into your bank account.

In order to get a payday advance loan, you need to fulfill certain conditions. They are:

-You should be a UK citizen with above 18 years of age.
-You should be a regular employee of a company
-Your minimum salary should be 1,000 per month.
-You should have a UK bank account

If you feel you fulfill all these conditions you can easily apply and avail payday advance loans.

You need not worry at all if you have a bad credit history. You can avail payday advance loans even if you have a credit record of arrears, defaults, bankruptcy, CCJ, late payments etc. Since these loans are made available in such a short time that there is no scope to run a credit check. Hence these loans are available to all types of credit holders.

So the next time to face an emergency, go straight to payday advance loan and get a quick and convenient solution.

Tim Kelly is an expert in finance having completed her LLM in Finance (Master of Laws in Finance) from Institute for Law and Finance at Frankfurt University. She is currently working with BestPaydayLoans as a financial advisor. To find payday loans, cash advance payday loan, quick payday loan, no fax payday loan, online payday loans, payday advance loans in UK that best site's you need visit http://www.bestpaydayloans.co.uk.Carlyn Blog71758
Barbie Blog33577

Here's a Good Sign

The most important purpose of a sign is delivering a message. It takes a whole lot more than throwing a bunch of letters on a panel and hoping folks will see it. A completed sign is really a composition. Whether its any good or not depends on four critical factors: Balance, Rhythm, Oneness, and Harmony.

For balance a good sign must be pleasing to the eye. It is the weight distribution that is considered first. Its not necessarily done symmetrically; rather, a well-balanced sign composition is optically effective and has a stability of sorts in the arrangement of the copy in relation to each of the other elements. There is a lot which is involved in this judgment for the competent sign writer the amount of copy, any illustrations or supporting images, letter styles, and certainly what the sign is supposed to do; advertise, sell, welcome, etc. Also, how far will it the sign be viewed from and how fast will the viewer be traveling, if at all. When the customer brings the sign writer copy that looks like a newspaper ad and doesnt allow any freedom for the professional to edit believing every word is essential there is often no hope for achieving a balance in the signs layout.

Rhythm is what many signs lack due the sign writers judgment in selecting too many letter styles in the same work. Aesthetically speaking, most signs look best when only one or two letter fonts are incorporated. Often modest variations of a font can be introduced to reduce rhythm interference when bringing impact and interest; however, too many styles of lettering on one sign visually distressing.

Oneness is when signs that have several groups of copy or messages and the viewers eye smoothly follows the flow of the message from the primary message on to the secondary and finally onto the most subordinate. It can be achieved, or at least enhanced, by dividing the three messages and creating emphasis using reverse panels, bolding and other emphasis techniques.

Harmony is nothing more that incorporating the first three elements with discipline balance, rhythm and oneness. Without being sensitive to copy grouping, letter styles and things like coloring no layout will be achieved that has harmony. A prefect example of this is in the use of borders. Often borders on signs are completely unnecessary and only serve to distract the eye instead of supporting a certain style of letter. This is especially true when the border is excessively strong or of strong color. In the case of borderless signs, it is the flow of the graphics, shapes and lettering styles which provide the design and unity, balanced with uninterrupted harmony.

Often in my work with customers at Cedar Sign Company, a retailer of personalized welcome signs carved from red cedar, folks will deliver copy and design expectations which are a far cry from the proof we render for their approval. Its been my experience that when folks let us exercise our sign writing expertise by interpreting balance, rhythm, unity and harmony with professionalism and style their welcome signs and family name plaques deliver attractive and effective composition.

Thom InmanBev Blog59782
Alejandra Blog85920

Need To Buy A Baby Gift Find Out How

You do not have to go through the trouble of walking from one baby gift shop to another just to find that perfect baby gift. A wide variety of baby gifts is within your reach from the comfort of your own home. A great way to get a baby gift is to have a child to choose the gift. Baby Gifts are a lot of fun to not only give but to receive when you are expecting. Personalized baby gifts are unique keepsakes to commemorate your baby's birth. All he or she really needs at that point are food, love, warmth, and shelter. Remember, cool baby gifts are not just for the baby.

Friends, family and colleagues usually throw baby showers; this is to honor the couple that is expecting a new born baby into the world. The purpose of the shower is to bestow gifts upon the parents-to-be so that is generally items that are necessary for babies. It doesn't matter if your baby shower is in an elegant restaurant, or a banquet hall or a warm cozy home.

When having a new baby come into the world the parents will need the obvious supplies, diapers, soap, lotions, powder and many other products will be a necessity for the baby. There are so many different gifts to purchase that most gifts will fit any type of budget. You can purchase inexpensive items and have them personalized and this will make an exceptionally great gift. Of course the greatest gift you could give is the baby furniture, this will help the parents out with a tight budget. Personalizing these items can be arranged. Clothing and related items are always welcome gifts, and if these are personalized, are valued that much more.

Think outside the box quite literally. Pretty baskets are great to hold an assortment of gifts and many craft stores put them on clearance quite often. The gift that you give is for the mother and the baby, but the baby does not know what it wants or needs so you must make the gift suitable for both. Upscale baby gift baskets are a great choice for the uncertain shower attendee. No matter what theme you choose baby gift baskets will make a lasting impression. Everyone loves chocolate so including chocolates in the basket is a great gift. Baskets are usually divided into girl themes, and boy themes. Gift baskets can be used for many different occasions, births, baptisms, baby showers and first birthdays and even many different holidays.

New parents can never have enough. Choose one of these baby shower gifts and you will have given a gift that will become a favorite. These baby shower gifts are choices that parents will love. When getting gifts for parents make sure you get something they can use now and not have to store away, they will have enough to stock up on. You can include many different items in a gift basket; you could include chocolate, cookies, baby food and candies to name a few. As everyone knows new parents love to take pictures so adding picture frames and photo albums is a great idea and is something that can be used.

Melissa Fishman and David Marc Fishman are the owner of http://Mailordermommy.com. Mailordermommy sells personalized party favors. Get kid party favors for your birthday partyCelina Blog98354
Cacilie Blog70070

Protect Your System With Rollback Rx

Whether you are a home user or IT professional, Rollback Rx provides you with an essential system restore utility, giving you the flexibility to do a PC restore in the event of a system crash or any other serious program error. You can rollback to the point you want, choosing from the numerous snapshots of your entire system. The flexibility of Rollback Rx must be experienced to appreciate it.

Rollback Rx system restore software has powerful capabilities with which fixing computer problems becomes a tension-free process with the least downtime imaginable and without depending on expensive technical support.

Configure According To Convenience

You can configure Rollback Rx to take a new snapshot before you set up a new program. By scheduling it to take an event-based snapshot, defining executables, you can have Rollback Rx take a new snapshot before the defined new program is launched. Defrag your drives before you install Rollback Rx in your system. Rollback Rx has a snapshot defragmenter built into it that you can use to defrag your system too. It works very fast. Though, when you want to defrag your drives with a third party tool, remove Rollback Rx from your system, defrag your drives and then re-install Rollback Rx for optimum performance.

Rollback Rx is a very useful tool to use in patch management, making the process effective. You can take a pre-patch snapshot of your system and if the patch happens to fail, you can always rollback the system to the pre-patch snapshot instantly, allowing you to quickly fix computer problems.

Is Rollback Rx Similar To Windows System Restore?

As far as restoring system configuration to an earlier point in time is concerned, Rollback Rx and Windows System restore are similar. But Windows system restore stops at protecting system files. It does not protect data, programs and user settings. Rollback Rx protection is complete which means it protects everything on your hard drive including each and every file you were working on right up to the moment your computer problem occurred. If Windows does not start up, system restore cannot work.

But with Rollback Rx, even if Windows fails to start, you need not worry. Your computer settings can be restored and within a reboot cycle, you can have your system operational, because Rollback Rx installs below the Windows operating system, so that it can fix computer problems even when there is a complete crash. Also, Windows system restore occupies 5-15% space on your hard disk for every snapshot it takes. Rollback Rx only uses 0.07% space for a snapshot. It also does not run in the background, conserving free space, which you can use for other things.

Jacob Henderson is the technical head of Horizon Data Systems and leading software development firm in the business of Desktop Security and PC performance enhancement software. During his more than 10 years of software development experience in various positions, Jacob Henderson has developed a large number of state of the art software and written numerous articles and reports. Jacob Henderson was one of the core team leaders, that is responsible for the development of user integration features of the flagship product of the Company-Rollback Rx Software.Bianka Blog45223
Alexa Blog76209

Vitamin D Eight Important Reasons To Ensure Sufficient Intake

Until most recently, the general consensus among health researchers and practitioners held that the primary function of vitamin D was in helping the body to maintain a healthy level of calcium in the blood, primarily for proper bone health throughout an individual's lifetime. But, more and more, research is showing that this important vitamin is playing a much larger role in the overall health of the body. The following issues are eight of the top reasons to ensure adequate bodily concentrations.

1. Increase bone density - It defends against osteoporosis by triggering the absorption of calcium into bone cells.

2. Lower risk of all forms of cancer - A large number of studies have shown positive results indicating that with adequate vitamin D, risks for most forms of cancer can be reduced. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that vitamin D supplements may lower risk by 77 percent. In fact, in many of the clinical studies, indications are that the disease may be prevented entirely. Benefits have been especially promising in clinical studies on cancers related to: Breast, Colon/Rectal, Pancreas, Prostate, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and the Lungs.

3. Preserves Muscle strength - A common symptom of severe vitamin D deficiency is leg weakness. Senior citizens typically suffer from an inexorable muscle wasting that begins by age 40. In recent group studies Vitamin D blood levels were measured in elderly men and women and found that individuals who had higher readings also had greater thigh strength, concluding that blood concentration of vitamin D directly correlated with leg strength and function in these people. Another important result of the study showed that with a daily vitamin D intake of 800 units or more, falls were reduced to half of their pre-study level.

4. Energy metabolism - One of the newest identified functions of the hormonal form of vitamin D, known as 1,25-D, is its role in determining how the body manages energy. In other words, it means that without sufficient intake of vitamin D and calcium, cells burn fewer calories and store more of them as fat. And, it turns out that dairy products are more effective than plain calcium at inhibiting fat synthesis and actually augmenting fat breakdown.

5. Strengthen Immune System - Vitamin D appears to send a signal the cells triggering production of specific proteins needed to fight off disease and other conditions in which the immune system attacks the body's own healthy tissue.

6. Reduced risk of MS Incidences of Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases tend to be rare near the equator, where ultraviolet light from the sun is intense and people produce an abundance vitamin D. In a recent study, women getting at least 400 IU of vitamin D per day showed only a 60 percent risk of developing MS compared to women getting less of the vitamin.

7. Tooth and gum health - Low blood concentrations of vitamin D were linked to gum disease in a study involving both men and women taking part in the federally sponsored National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The rate of loss in tooth-gum attachment was 25 percent higher among those participants with the least vitamin D.

8. Prevention of Diabetes - University of Pittsburgh researchers reported that a vitamin D deficiency affects the pancreas's release of insulin and found the risk of diabetes to be one-third lower in people with the highest concentrations of the vitamin.

So, how much of the vitamin do we really need?

The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies in Washington, D.C., currently recommends that people from infancy through age 50 get 200 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day, that those ages 51 through 70 receive 400 IU daily, and that anyone over 70 get a net of 600 IU. Sources include exposure to the sun, foods, especially dairy products and the meat of oily fish, such as tuna, salmon and mackerel, as well as, a variety of supplements.

But, no matter what the source, we now understand the importance of maintaining sufficient concentrations of vitamin D, as it contributes to the overall health and quality of life for each of us.

For additional information and important resources, please visit http://www.newdaynutrients.com/

Copyright 2007 Harry Monell. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share the entire contents of this article with your friends or post it on your site as long as it is left intact with all links unchanged, including this notice.

Harry Monell is writing articles encouraging consumer awareness about a wide range of health and nutritional topics. For additional information and important resources, please copy into your web browser http://www.newdaynutrients.comAnni Blog40475
Berri Blog75189

Using Niche Marketing To Find A Niche

Niche markets provide a product or service for a specific group of customers who have very specific needs. One of the biggest mistakes that new online business owners make is ignoring the concept of niche marketing and focusing on big markets that appear to be big moneymakers.

While this can be quite tempting, there is simply too much competition in the big markets. Those who are new to the online business world don't stand a chance of competing against companies who have already cornered the market.

With niche marketing, it is a different story. Entrepreneurs can significantly increase their chances of success by focusing on specific niche markets. You determine a need and develop products and services that will satisfy that need.

Niche marketing also provides you with an opportunity to market to a very specific audience. By targeting your audience, you can easily tailor advertising and promotional campaigns that are almost guaranteed to work.

By now, you're probably wondering how to go about finding niche markets. Fortunately, it's much easier than one would think. The key is to find a group large enough to produce a reasonable volume of business, but small enough to be looked over by your competition.

The following steps will teach you the ins and outs of finding a niche market.

Step One

The first step involves research and may take some time on your part. If you need to, break these research sessions up over a span of a few days. This will ensure that you have ample time to properly research potential niche markets.

To start, open two Internet windows. Set one at www.google.com and set the other at http://inventory.overture.com.

Step Two

To find niche marketing opportunities, start doing a few searches in these search engines. Try basic products that you may be interested in selling, such as digital cameras, computer software, or Siamese cat toys.

y entering products into these two search engines, you can find out the number of searches the products have per month and determine how much competition exists in the market. Google and similar search engines will tell you how many results pages are out there for a specific search term, allowing you to gauge the extent of your competition, and http://inventory.overture.com will help you determine what sort of customer base you have be telling you how many people entered a specific search term in a given month.

Step Three

Analyze your findings. The level of competition that can be found in the market determines the best niche markets to get into. Though some competition is good, too much competition is bad. Niche marketing only works if there is demand and a market for the product or service that is being sold.

Though opinion varies when it comes to the numbers, in general, a word that has between 10,000 and 2,000,000 searches per month is considered an opportunity for niche marketing. Let's see some examples:

Example 1

Digital Camera

The term yielded 1,312,659 searches and 239,000,000 results pages. This is a big market with plenty of competition.

Example 2

Computer Software

The term yielded 101,294 searches and 1,550,000,000 results pages. This is a big market with HUGE levels of competition.

Example 3

Siamese Cat

The term yielded 16,314 searches and 1,800,000 results pages. Niche marketing could work here! This has high search volume relative to competition.

Step Four

Choose your niche. Now that you have some niche markets to choose from, you can find the one that is the best fit for you. Afterwards, all that is left to do is enjoy your niche marketing experience.

Cliff Posey, owner of CRP Marketing, owns and operates http://webbusinesstoolsonline.com. Cliff Posey has also operated several other successful web businesses including Love Song Cards and Radio Career Consultants. The content in this article was developed from his experience in these businesses.Annmarie Blog32444
Brynne Blog68187

Foundation Protectors

This is an asset protection scenario for those that may be in serious risk from potential financial enemies. It is a very secure strategy so it is only indicated where the assets and the risk are substantial.

This strategy involves using an anonymous Panama Bearer Share Corporation that is owned by a Panama Foundation. Some of you may someday find yourself in a position of financial distress. This can be as a result of divorce, civil judgments, bankruptcy, or you might even find yourself as a victim of a kidnapping, blackmail, extortion or whatever. You could find yourself being sued (illegally) in some court that is a dictatorship, or very corrupt country you do business or reside in. You may reside or do business in a jurisdiction that does not recognize Panama Foundation assets as separate form your own and the courts in these jurisdictions may try to get the Foundation assets placed in their own country where they can confiscate them, lawfully or maybe not so lawfully depending on the country. This is often done through an order to repatriate funds to the jurisdiction you live or work in. If you fail to comply with the order to repatriate funds you could be held in contempt of court. You must have plausible deniability to avoid complying with such an order. So what is done is done BEFORE any such event occurs, timing is a most important point. Foundation instructions are written to prevent repatriation or forced transfers of funds. One way to prevent this is through the use of a Foundation Protector. The protector can be anyone you appoint. This person must approve any withdraws of funds from the Foundation bank account. This Protector is not a beneficiary owner of the Foundation or Bank account and this person is not a signatory on the bank account. The Protector is thus not capable of withdrawing any funds from the bank account on their own so you do not have a fraud risk. The signatory on the bank account is capable of withdrawing funds BUT before the withdraw goes through the Protector must approve of the transaction. Now if the Protector, through the Foundation is given standing instructions to not approve any transfers if you are in distress such as you are being sued, in divorce, in bankruptcy, have been kidnapped, are being blackmailed, are a victim of extortion, etc then you can not comply with any repatriation orders no matter what you do. If the Protector lives and works outside of the jurisdiction ordering the repatriation or transfer of funds then they can not be ordered to comply by the court attempting to accomplish the repatriation. As an alternative the Foundation can have instructions that call for your removal as signatory on the Foundation bank account in the event you are in certain categories of distress all clearly spelled out including notification procedures for the Protector and then you would need to provide an alternative signatory and beneficial owner of the account. Other preventative measure could be to prevent wire transfers going to certain countries if you are in distress, or money could only be transferred to a list of certain bank accounts in case you are in distress.

Another way to twist and turn things is to have the financial institution act as the Trustee and thus be the signatory on the account. You would then be the protector. You not being the signatory can not withdraw any funds initiate any wire transfers. There needs to be an arrangement for someone to give instructions to the trustee to initiate payments out of the account. Since you are the protector no money can leave the account without your consent in writing with a password by fax or through an online banking password for the protector. You would need to sign a private banking document with the financial institution stating that you are the beneficial owner of the account since it is not lawful for them to be the beneficial owner. This is a private banking document covered by bank secrecy laws in Panama. In any event you would not be a signatory on the account.

Different measure can be built into the Foundation to suit your needs.

Feel free to consult with us for a suitable strategy to protect your assets.

Ronald Edwards is a researcher, with years of experience in finances and real estate.Caitrin Blog51822
Arabela Blog69345

Computer Consulting Business Tools for Getting Good Customers

If you want to be financially stable and have a successful and legitimate computer consulting business you have to work on honing your intuition skills and focusing on a specialty. You also need to be good at uncovering the best small business clients.

Small Businesses

There are almost countless small businesses in the United States and globally, and you can almost be guaranteed that just in your geographical area there are thousands or even tens of thousands of small businesses. Unfortunately, if you choose to work with the wrong small companies in the computer consulting business you could be headed for disaster.

Optimal Accounts

The secret to a successful computer consulting business is finding the very best accounts and knowing how and when it is appropriate to simply say no to people.

To find optimal accounts you need to know where to look for them and how to be certain that the small businesses you find will be worth the time and effort for your computer consulting business. Career satisfaction is a key element in this industry and the hope of achieving it was probably why you chose to open your own computer consulting business instead of sticking to a corporate IT position.

Thinking About Finances

Your computer consulting business needs to be financially successful. Having a profitable business that is a steady source of revenue will make your life that much easier and help you prepare for the future. Because all small businesses are not the same, you have to be sure you are choosing to work with the ones that will help you meet your financial goals.

The computer consulting business is about people, and that being said, you have to be empathetic to clients and do the best job possible for them. Still, you have to keep your own best interests in mind and be sure you can cultivate long-term relationships.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too with free proven computer consulting secrets at http://www.ComputerConsulting101.comCelina Blog22967
Alys Blog70130

Debt Consolidation May Be an Important Resource for Home Business Owners

One of the main reasons that viable and otherwise sound businesses fail is that owners lack financial resources to weather the first difficult months and even years. Starting a freelance or other home-based enterprise can be a lucrative venture, but it is highly unlikely the rewards will roll in early in the game.

Most business advisors recommend that a new business owner sock away enough money to support himself for a year or more before embarking on a business.

This does not mean that the business will not take in money, even early on. The usual course of small business is that business starts slowly at first and builds, often in fits and spurts. However, small businesses will have a disproportionate amount of expenses in these first months and years.

You'll be surprised by the expenditures you'll have in the first year; you have to buy all of your equipment, supplies, permits, software, and so on. These seemingly minor items can end up costing you thousands of dollars. Covering those expenses can be tough. Even when a new business starts to earn money, it is not unusual for it to post losses in the early months because necessary expenditures simply outpace earnings.

Besides saving money for the day you start your business, you should also work very hard to reduce your personal expenditures. Anything that can be paid off before you start your business should be paid off. Besides, it will be good practice for the new business owner to practice living more frugally! Most new businesses will take a lot of financial flexibility and learning how to live on less is a great skill that just about every business owner will tell you is important.

If you have debt (and who doesn't?) you may want to consider something known as debt consolidation. Before you get riled up, debt consolidation is not bankruptcy or debt settlement. It's a perfectly legal, ethical way to roll your many small debts together in one package and then negotiate a better loan on the large amount. The idea behind debt consolidation is that you may be able to restructure (consolidate) your debt in such a way that you will have to pay less interest to pay it off.

Debt consolidation won't hurt your credit report. In fact, it could actually improve it! That's because debt consolidation means you get a big loan to pay off your smaller debts. Paying off a debt usually improves your credit. And if you manage the larger debt consolidation loan well, that will help your credit, too.

By the way, a good credit score is essential for a new business owner!

But how does it work? In theory, you gather your debts. Let's say you owe $5,000 on a department store credit card that charges 22% a year interest. That may sound exorbitant, but it is not all that unusual. The interest on a loan like that is $1,100 a year!

Let's say you have some other loans. For the purpose of illustration, let's say you have one credit card maxed out to $10,000 at 16% ($1,600 interest a year) and another credit card that charges 14% where you've charged $3,200 ($448 a year in interest).

Put these three amounts together and add them up. You'll end up with $18,200 in debt. Now let's just say for theory's sake that you can find a new loan for $18,200 that charges just 12% interest. You get that new loan, use it to promptly pay off your three charge cards, and now you pay off the one new loan. By the way, 12% of $18,200 is $2,184 in interest a year.

Consolidating that debt saves you $964 a year in interest. You have to pay $80 a month less. If you are really savvy, you'll take that $80 and apply it toward the principal. You spend the same exact amount of money, but you will get out of debt significantly faster.

That's a small picture of debt consolidation. You can also roll in car notes, student loans, medical bills, and other debts.

Of course, debt consolidation can be tricky. First, it may not work for you-you may owe money but at rates that are already as low as you can get. Second, you might want to get a lower-interest-rate loan but cannot qualify. It helps if you own your own home, but even if you do not, there are other ways to consolidate your debt.

If you can consolidate and pay off your debt, you'll have a tremendous business edge, one that is hard to appreciate until you've been in business for a while. The lower you can reduce your expenses and the more adjustable you are to living modestly during the early years of your business, the more freedom you'll have and the more time you'll have to give your business the start it deserves!

Jo Ann LeQuang has owned and operated her own business for five years in Texas. Find out what she does at http://www.LeQMedical.com and, if you're a writer interested in a home-based business, check out http://www.WorkingTexasWriter.com .Cam Blog46974
Ardenia Blog3318

What is Credit Card Debt Consolidation and What Do You Need to Do?

There is a plethora of credit card companies out there offering a variety of credit cards. They bombard you with a number of tempting offers that ultimately gets you into a vicious circle of debt, right up to your gills. Getting out of credit card debt is not very easy, and you need to tackle it head on. The only sure shot way to remain out of a credit card debt trap is not to use your credit card at all! As this is not going to happen, go for credit card debt consolidation.

Eliminating Credit Card Debt

It is imperative that you eliminate your credit card debts at the earliest possible time. You probably do not realize it, but you have been paying a very high percentage of your income to service the credit card debts. Credit card debt consolidation is one way to help eliminate your credit card debts.

Over the years, you may have collected a number of credit cards with varying annual fees, interest rates on balances, penalties for delayed payments, etc which means you have signed on for the cards without reading the fine print and are now paying for it.

An average American has eight credit cards, with an average debt of $9,400! Credit card debt consolidation will help you consolidate all your debts on your various credit cards, into a single credit card. This saves you the hassle of first, keeping track of the bills from these various companies, and then paying to these different credit card companies. Credit card debt consolidation relieves you of this burden as you now deal with only one credit card company.

One advantage of your credit card debt consolidation is that the average interest may be considerably lower than what you may be paying on your various credit cards. This is quite a significant reduction. Ensure that you control your expenditure, and pay off your debts on the consolidated credit card regularly.

Gibran Selman takes care of http://debtconsolidationcenter.net a website dedicated to gather information, on and off the internet, about debt consolidation and other related subjects.Aliza Blog30325
Camel Blog43657

A Buyers Guide to Film Scanners

Film scanners are made for the sole and express purpose of scanning film directly into your computer. Unlike their flatbed counterparts, which may be able to handle media of various sizes and thicknesses and can even scan film if a transparency adapter is installed, film scanners scan only one thing: film. But because the image to be scanned is taken directly from the original material - from the film, and not from a print - film scanners allow more direct control over image elements such as cropping and aspect ratio. In addition, film has more detail and dynamic range compared to prints - which invariably lose tonal range and color data during the printmaking process. These are real concerns to photographers and graphic artists, who rely on original slides and film - and film scanners - to ensure the integrity of scanned images in professional and commercial applications. So, if your work relies on scanning negatives, slides, and other types of film, a film scanner is the right choice for you. This buying guide tackles some of the more important things that you need to know when looking for a film scanner.

Style and Type Some flatbed scanners include either an external or built-in transparency adapter that is used to scan film. Other flatbeds are of a dual-bed design; i.e., with one bed - the glass flatbed part of the scanner -for scanning prints; and another bed - a transparency bay that looks like a pull-out drawer - for scanning film. If you intend to scan only the occasional slide or stray piece of film, and don't mind the lower resolution as well, a flatbed scanner that can accommodate film may well serve your purpose. Be aware, however, that the resulting film scans will not be suitable for commercial or professional use. To obtain the best results, nothing less than a dedicated film scanner will do.

Bit Depth

A scanner's bit depth determines the number of bits captured per pixel, which is related to the number of possible colors. The higher the bit depth is, the greater the number of colors that can be shown. Bit depth for film scanners on the market today can be 30-bits, 36-bits, 42-bits, or 48-bits. Always aim for higher bit depth when possible, as this allows the scanner to work with and retain a greater amount of color information. A 48-bit scanner, for instance, produces 65,536 levels or shades of color per R,G,B (red, green, blue) channel, resulting in a mind-blowing possible combination of about 250 trillion colors. In contrast, a 36-bit scanner produces 4,096 levels of information, or a paltry 68.7 billion colors.

Resolution

For scanners, the optical, or "true", resolution is what matters, as this is the actual number of pixels being read by the scanner's optics. Film scanners have much higher resolution figures compared to flatbeds, with optical resolution in film scanners ranging from 2700 dpi to 5400 dpi, and 4000 dpi being the most common. The high resolution in film scanners allows you to enlarge small images, creating enough pixels in the process to print in full-page size.

For instance, a full-frame 35mm color negative scanned at 2400 dpi will result in a size of about 3400 x 2200 pixels. If this 2400-dpi image is printed at 300 dpi, the resulting printed image will be 8 times larger than the original film size (2400/300=8). In actual terms, this means that your original 1.4 x 0.9-inch film (36 x 24 mm) can be increased by 8 times to 11.2 x 7.2 inches when printed at 300 dpi - without any loss of image clarity or detail. A word of caution: Because film scanners can scan in such high resolutions, file sizes can be big. Scanning the 35mm negative at 2400 dpi in the example just cited will result in a file size of 22 megabytes.

Film Formats

Most film scanners work with 35mm film. Some can scan APS film, but an optional APS adapter is needed to batch scan the full APS roll. Other film scanners, such as the Microtek ArtixScan 120tf, can scan medium format film as well, ranging from 6x6cm to 6x17cm panoramic. Check to see what types of film holders are provided with the film scanner; most models will include a 35mm slide holder as well as a 35mm filmstrip holder. A few models offer optional autofeeders that accommodate 50 mounted slides to allow efficient batch scanning of film.

Interface

The hardware interface of your film scanner will determine how long it takes to transfer digital data to a computer for processing. Together with the actual operational speed of the scanner, the hardware interface plays an important part in determining scan speed. Most older film scanners have SCSI ports; the newer film scanners feature FireWire or USB (Hi-Speed or USB 1.1) interfaces. Models with either USB or FireWire interface are hot swappable - which means the scanners can be plugged or unplugged from other devices to which they are connected without having to turn the scanners off and on.

Dynamic Range

The dynamic range of a scanner measures how well it can capture the tonal range of an image, ranging from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows. Dynamic range is a more important spec in film scanners than it is for flatbeds, because film and other transparent media have a broader range of tones compared to photos or prints - something that film scanners are perfectly equipped to capture and show. Dynamic range is measured on a scale from 0.0 (perfect white) to 4.0 (perfect black), and the single number associated with a scanner indicates how much of that range it can tell apart. The minimum and maximum density values that can be captured by a scanner are called Dmin and Dmax, respectively. If a scanner's Dmin was 0.2 and its Dmax was 4.2, then its dynamic range would be 4.0. The dynamic range of film scanners are usually advertised by their manufacturers as falling somewhere between 4.0 and 4.6, but these are intrinsically difficult figures to prove or validate, and a model claiming a higher number may not necessarily have better results to show, mainly because of variances in testing and determining the figure. A more practical way of assessing would be to visually check how shadows and highlights are reproduced by the scanner and then compare the results to the original image or to how other scanners reproduce those same tonal colors.

Dust-and-Scratch Removal, Film Repair

Software provided with film scanners can be specialized and varied. Like flatbeds, film scanners will include their own driver or scanning software, as well as bundle an image-editing program - such as Adobe Photoshop - into which scanned images are delivered and placed. In addition, higher-end film scanners may include a color calibration and ICC profiler program, which ensures consistent color by creating a color profile specific to the film scanner. With the ICC profiler program, an image - known as an IT8 target and containing industry-standard color values - is scanned, and then compared to values that the scanner actually recorded. The differences are then translated into a compensation scheme to even out color variations, so that accurate color results can be produced in the future.

Dust and scratches on film can present a big challenge for film scanners, as imperfections can take on gigantic proportions when the film is scanned at the scanner's very high resolution. Film can also be damaged through improper handling, and what appears to the naked eye as a tiny scratch may render the image on a film practically useless. For this reason, a number of film-repair technologies have been developed to remove imperfections, allowing an image to be reconstructed and printed flawlessly, as though it came from a pristine original. These film-repair technologies may be implemented either through software alone, such as the dust-and-scratch removal feature from the SilverFast program by LaserSoft Imaging; or through a combination of hardware and software, as is the case with the DIGITAL ICE technology built-into some models.

Other technologies

Depending on the model, film scanners may incorporate proprietary technologies unique and exclusive to their manufacturer. Such technologies may include an auto-focus mechanism to ensure perfect image capture, a patented feeder mechanism, or specially designed holders for making film stay flat. These features may make a real difference in improving the quality of your scanning or streamlining your workflow.

Microtek Lab Inc. is a consumer electronics company focused on scanners, plasma and lcd televisions, digital projectors, lcd monitors, digital cameras, home theatre equipment, and accessories. You can view their online store at http://www.store.microtek.com Use of this article is permitted provided that the article is used in its entirety.Ashien Blog34998
Alfi Blog22923

Halloween Witch Cauldron How to Make Your Own on a Budget

Mom had talked about how having a witch's cauldron prop for Halloween this year would really put her into the spirit of things. So naturally, when I saw one in a store at the mall with color-changing fog rising up from within the large black cauldron all covered in cobwebs, it got my attention. Examining this enchanting Halloween prop further, I discovered it had a most bewitching price too$80 plus tax! Costing a bit more than I had budgeted for mom's creepy cauldron, I immediately began conjuring up ideas on how I might make one just as spooky for half the price or even less.

First, I knew I needed that fogging device with the colored lights. That was the secret ingredient to my brew, the "eye of newt" if you will. I began hunting around online and finally found a similar fogging device with color-changing lights was available for $25.

Next, I needed the cauldron kettle itself. A quick browse through the Halloween section of the local department store netted me a large, black plastic cauldron for about $4 that I knew would look just as great at night, especially once the attention was drawn into the colorful cauldron fog brewing within it.

While there, I bought a small jug of the highly-touted "fog juice" only to later read in the fogger's instructions that distilled water can be used just as well so long as you clean the device properly after each use. So, I experimented using both the fog juice and the distilled water and guess what I discovered? The distilled water indeed worked just as well, if not better, than the expensive fog juice! So, now I knew the fog juice was one pricey element I could eliminate from my secret brew. Onto the finishing touch

Of course, to make it truly an authentic cauldron that any self-respecting witch would be proud of, it just had to have cobwebs wrapped around it! No problem as, once again, packs of cobwebbing (both standard white and yellow glow in the dark) were found for a buck or less in the Halloween section of the same store.

Placing a couple bricks in the bottom of the cauldron supports a small dark colored pan near the top for the distilled water in which sits the fogger. Voila, my pretty! For less than half the price of the witch's cauldron that initially captured my interest in the mall, mom is enchanted with her authentically large Halloween witch's cauldron and now whips up a fresh batch of brew at every opportunity. ;-) A video clip of the witch's cauldron in action can be seen at

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. Copyright Dan Wright & Scared-Out-of-Your-Wits.com, September 2006.

Dan Wright has been a Halloween enthusiast ever since he got scared out of his wits at a haunted house at age six. His website, http://Scared-Out-of-Your-Wits.com/ provides 999 frightfully fun ideas for Halloween and any time of year. He also has a haunted house directory in the works at http://Ultimate-Haunted-Houses.com/ Brietta Blog59492
Ashli Blog48834

Identify The Root Cause Of Your Back Pain Before Fixing It!

If you feel that back pain is completely overwhelming your life, you are not alone. So many people live with debilitating, even crippling back pain everyday seemingly with no end in sight.

It is a daily ritual for them to reach into the medicine cabinet and pop a pill of their favorite over-the-counter pain reliever or doctor prescribed medication.

Despite the publicized health risks for taking these drugs on a continuous basis, back pain sufferers continue to swallow pills even if the relief only lasts temporarily and is miniscule at best. A cycle of doctor visits, pick-ups at the local pharmacy and popping pills becomes a way of life.

But does it have to be this way? Are we truly limited to just a bottle of medication with potential side effects and the one-sided advice from a doctor?

ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVELY NO WAY!!!

AND YES...YOU AND YOU ALONE CAN DEFEAT YOUR OWN BACK PAIN!

First, you must understand that everyone for the most part has access to a huge arsenal of tools for combating, eliminating and managing back pain. But not everyone has the same degree and cause of back pain.

It is so important to find and effectively use the right set of tools for your own particular situation.

For example, too much rest or relaxation (a tool for getting rid of back pain) has the potential to be detrimental to your health if weak and underdeveloped muscles are the underlying cause of your back pain.

On the other hand, if you suffer a herniated disk from playing a sport, rest and relaxation may play a larger role in a quick recovery.

So essentially, effectively treating your back pain first depends on identifying the primary cause(s) or origin(s) of your back pain.

The better you are at identifying the cause of back pain for your own particular situation, the more specific and exact your arsenal of tools will become to effectively eliminate your back pain for good.

So after all that, you must identify the cause(s) of your back pain. Let's look at some common causes of back pain.

Common Causes Of Back Pain

-Poor Posture
-Injury (Sports, Car Accident, Fall, etc.)
-Poor Genetics Or Congenital Disorder (Scoliosis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disk, etc.)
-Using Improper Lifting Techniques
-Obesity
-Frail Bone Structure/Osteoporosis/Osteoarthritis
-Muscle Weakness/Imbalances
-Lack Of Exercise/Sedentary Lifestyle
-Poor Nutrition
-Stress/Anxiety
-Poor Sleep
-Performing A Repetitive Motion That Puts Strain On Your Back

Take a good long look at the list above. Just about everyone who suffers with back pain can relate to one or several if not all of these common causes of back pain. I, personally, can relate to every single one.

And it's ok to have several causes or identifiers of your back pain. The more you can discover, the more weapons you will have to effectively combat and eliminate your back pain for good.

Back pain is similar to a weed. You can't just mow over the top of it and hope you never see it again. You have to find the root of the weed or the root of the problem in order to effectively treat it.

How do you do this?

Well, you need to examine your own lifestyle. I would like you to ask yourself these questions to help determine your cause(s) of back pain:

Questions To Determine Cause Of Back Pain/Circle All 'Yes' Answers

1. Do I suffer from a congenital condition or was I born with a spinal condition?
2. Do I not pay attention to my posture either sitting or standing?
3. Do I not practice good posture either sitting or standing?
4. Have I suffered from a recent car accident or fall and subsequently experienced back pain not long after?
5. Do I do a lot of heavy lifting or bending over in my job or at home?
6. Do I perform an unnatural repetitive motion at work or at home?
7. Do I not practice safe lifting techniques?
8. Am I 20 pounds or more overweight?
9. Do I not eat enough fruits and vegetables?
10. Do I not drink enough water? 8-12 glasses per day?
11. Do I eat too many sweets and foods containing sugar?
12. Have I been diagnosed with osteoporosis or arthritis?
13. Do I lead a sedentary lifestyle? Am I a couch potato?
14. Am I under a lot of stress? Do I suffer with anxiety?
15. Do I have trouble sleeping?

Of course, these are just a handful of questions you could ask yourself to discover the root cause(s) of your back pain. Please circle the questions that have a 'Yes' next to them if you have not already.

Take a good look at the questions you circled. This method is not foolproof but it is a great way to see all the potential causes or root origins of your back pain. You should see the things you need to improve in order to help you live free of back pain.

Once you know or at least have some idea of the cause(s) of your back pain, then you can delve deeper into the plethora of ways to combat and eliminate it once and for all.

Mike Saros is a former back pain sufferer and author of The No More Back Pain newsletter found at http://www.BackReliefElite.com . He will instruct you how to end your own lower back pain at http://www.SecretsToAPainFreeBack.com/Secrets_Discount.htm.Cacilia Blog91052
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The Benefits Of Distance Learning

Distance Learning or Home Study has come a long way since Isaac Pitman taught shorthand via correspondence courses in the 1840s. However the huge benefits of studying from home, or from the workplace, remain the same.

First of all, with a Distance Learning course you enjoy the freedom of being able to study in your own time and at your own pace. Thats because Distance Learning courses are carefully designed to fit in with your life.

Whether you wish to improve your life, increase your job prospects or simply study a hobby that you are interested in, more and more people are choosing to study from home as it fits in comfortably with their lifestyle.

There are many fully-accredited Distance Learning providers in the UK today (type distance learning home study or distance education into Google.co.uk and youll find most of them), offering a huge range of interesting, educational courses available for study.

Distance Education courses available for home study can include anything from Airline Training to Art Studies, Book-keeping to Business & Management, Counseling to Child Care and Writing to Web Design. You will find courses on things like Wedding Planning and Event Management, Nail Technician, Animal Care and Behavioureven courses such as Diet & Exercise, Forensic Science and How to Start Your Own Business. On some vocational courses you may even qualify for a career Development Loan from the government.

But you are not alone when you study from home. Distance Learning providers (or Home Learning agencies as they are sometimes called) employ professional student advisors and fully qualified tutors to mark and help you with your coursework. Most Home Study courses provide learners with an accredited diploma which helps them increase their job prospects, change their lifestyle or even start their own business.

Many Distance Learning providers offer interest free credit schemes to help students spread the cost over a period they can afford. Also look out for special discount offers.

Looking for a better job, a better future, a better life? Then take up a Distance Learning course today and change your life forever!

Course Author

Shaun L Bird
http://www.uk-open-learning.com/

Shaun L BirdAdelind Blog41889
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Personal Loans UK: A Loan In An Easy Way For All

The stable income and inflation has created challenges for people to execute their personal loans. With all such points and challenges it seems quite hard but not impossible to fulfil the demands as loans are introduced to provide financial assistance. Thus, the financial lending institutions of UK are well aware of this fact and formatted personal loans UK, so that, persons seeking for external finance can easily obtain the money and carry out their need.

Personal loans UK can be easily obtained in any form secured and unsecured, and are meant for persons who can or cannot pledge property as collateral. But placing of collateral facilitates borrowers to derive more benefits as for example, large amount of loan, low rate of interest, easy repayments and less monthly installments. But it does not imply that persons who do not pledge collateral are derived from all the benefits. They are provided the same proposals and advantages of personal loans UK but against a slightly high rate of interest. In the market, a person will come across numerous lenders who are ready to advance personal loans UK at marginal rates of interest and having a reliable credit might favor him to get the loan at low rate of interest.

In the society of UK both good and bad creditors exist and the personal loans UK envelop both category persons to provide financial assistance. If you are one among the many bad credit holding persons, then you can easily rebuild your hampered credit profile and also execute demands. In a single amount of loan many ends can be summarized like, buying a car, renovation of house, going for holidays, weddings, higher education and so on.

Personal loans UK can be approached in both ways conventional and online, but the later is over lapping the former rapidly with its unfailing services. You can derive instant results from the lenders and collect information regarding loan with online provisions. You can even approve personal loans UK from your house or office with the help of online application form with personal and credit details.

Rusty Ryan is an author who can certainly identify your kind of loan. He is proficient in the credit market because of a degree in finance from the esteemed University of Oxford. To find Personal loans, bad credit pesonal signature loans, personal loans, personal loan usa, bad credit personal loans usa, bad credit personal loan visit http://www.findpersonalloansuk.co.uk Berte Blog7179
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Keep It Simple and Effective with Promotional Nickels

When it comes to promotional products, sometimes simple is best. Flashing, light-up whirly-gigs can actually take away from your message. You dont want potential customers to get so caught up in the promo product itself that they totally overlook your logo.

Thats why promotional nickels are an excellent choice, especially for trade shows. The focus is completely on your logo and company name. Promotional nickels are incredibly affordable. At a trade show, the last thing you want is to run out of promo products before the day is over. Youve got to be prepared to give away hundreds of items. The classic Wooden Nickel can be purchased for just pennies. Theyre more than an inch in diameter, so you can be sure that your whole logo will fit neatly on the token.

The low cost of promotional nickels (http://www.bestpromotions.com/products/browsecategory/170/) is important. You want to be generous when handing out your promotional products. If you paid an arm and a leg for the item, youll be guarded in giving them away. Visitors to your booth will pick up on the perceived stinginess, and it will be a big turn-off.

For something more colorful, a product like Plastic Round Nickel / Token is the right choice. These tokens come in 10 different colors, perfect for helping you establish brand identity. You can pick the shade that matches your companys signature color.

Ceramic tokens are also available. They cost a bit more than plastic and wooden nickels, but ceramic tokens are an investment because theyre washable and reusable. When a customer cashes the token in, you can wash it and hand it out again. You might think a ceramic token would be too fragile to make it through multiple customers. Not true! A product like the Ceramic Unbreakable Four Color Process Chips is just that unbreakable. It will stand up to whatever your customers can dish out.

Last but certainly not least, you can break from tradition and buy an Octagonal Plastic Token. Octagonal plastic tokens are even available in glow-in-the-dark colors. They make for a fun little novelty that everyone will enjoy. You might even find visitors to your both taking a couple of extra for their friends!

So, youve got the promotional nickels. Now what do you do with them? Promotional nickels function very well as coupons. Theres more than one way to present coupons. For example, the customer can present the nickel for a free item, or they can present it for a discount on their purchase.

Promotional nickels are also a good way to keep your hands busy. Kinesthetic learners learn by touching and doing. These are the folks you see doodling while theyre listening or reading. Your promotional nickel is perfect for twiddling in front of the computer screen. All their coworkers will see your logo. And who knows? It might just be one of those items that go through several owners in their lifetime.

Remember, good things come in small packages. These little nickels can yield big results!

Brian Cerra is a recognized industry expert on promotional marketing with promotional products, and is Vice President of Sales for Best Promotions http://www.bestpromotions.com. Get the best deals on promotional products by calling Brian directly at 1-866-881-2378Beth Blog35141
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Audio Choices for HDTV

HDTV essentially provides a far superior sound quality just because the audio of HDTV is transmitted through digital signals. The distinction in sound between an HDTV television and a regular analog television is rather perceptible. The difference is more like the one you get between an audio CD and an audio cassette.

The difference in audio quality offered by HDTV televisions is however more than that. Most HDTV programs are transmitted in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. So to maximize the advantage of this technology, you need to have the proper equipment.

What is Dolby?

Dolby technology was created by Dolby Laboratories, Inc. The most renowned provider of digital audio technology in addition to Dolby Laboratories known reliability and superior products has made Dolby Digital Surround the standard for HDTV. Many television companies replace their own surround sound systems, but they can hardly match the performance of Dolby. Therefore, it is imperative to check the specifications on an HDTV television before you buy so that you can ensure that it uses Dolby Digital Surround.

The options you haveWhile using Dolby Digital Surround Sound, you have three options for set up. The first option is buy a television which features high quality center channel speakers, woofers, tweeters, and the television comes installed with Dolby technology. In this case, it is not required of you to purchase additional equipment for the Dolby Digital Surround Sound.

The second option you have is to attach an external set of surround speakers to your HDTV. Here, the surround sound set up would include two front speakers, a pair of surround speakers, a center channel, and a subwoofer. Sometimes, the front speakers include subwoofers. The position of these speakers is vital for the quality of the sound you get. The Center Channel Speaker should be just at the center either above or below the television. The Front Left and Right Speakers should be positioned in the form of an arc in line with the Center Channel Speaker. Again the two Surround Left and Right Speakers should be placed to the left and right sides behind the position from where you are listening. You can wall mount these speakers.

The third and final option you have to get the quality Dolby Digital Surround System is to use an external set of front speakers with your HDTV television. This set up is especially useful if you do not have enough room for the external surround sound system. It won't give you the best quality of surround sound, but it does provide an alternative to those who can't avail of the previous two options.

The other entertainment equipments

You can connect the audio and video outputs of the DVD or VCR to the AV receiver's video outputs. If you need to connect a separate DVD and VCR, one can be attached to the VCR1 connection and the other can be attached to the VCR2 connection. Then the audio and video inputs of the DVD and VCR should be connected to the AV receiver's VCR video and audio outputs. This will allow the DVD and/or VCR to record video signals that come through the AV receiver and you can also view the VHS tapes and DVD's on the HDTV.

To take maximum advantage of the Dolby Digital Surround Sound technology, one of the video outputs of the DVD player and VCR needs to be joined to the AV receiver. The digital coaxial audio or digital optical connection should also be connected to the AV receiver.

Connect to your CD player

You can connect your CD player to an AV receiver. The CD player's digital audio outputs is to be connected to the AV receiver. You can even connect a CD-Recorder to the AV receiver. Now, the CD-Recorder will work like a regular audiocassette deck.

Mike McAlister is a contributing editor at http://hdtv.tipable.comBlinnie Blog16412
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Update That Room!

Hows your decorating budget? Not that good? Not to worry, there are plenty of ways to update any room in your house without breaking the budget.

The first thing to do is try just rearranging the furniture. Its a simple change that might amaze you with its effectiveness. Try taking some of the furniture away from the walls perhaps. You dont have to limit yourself to the basic lines of the walls. Setting the room up at an angle to the walls can sometimes make the room look bigger.

Paint is very affordable, and anther way to freshen up a room. Are your walls still a basic off-white? Try a little color. Many of the medium to lighter shades of brown will go with just about any decor. Alternatively, if you want a brighter color, try painting just one wall for a focus point. Place some nice art on that wall or perhaps family photos, and maybe some of your furniture, and you have something that really stands out.

Hows the carpet? Getting old but you cant afford a replacement? Maybe youre just bored with it but its still in good condition? Bring in an area rug. You can find one that complements what is already in the room. These are most often placed to emphasize the conversation area.

How do your sofa and chairs look? If theyre a little plain, a throw pillow can help. Pillows are also a nice way to bring in a new, complementary color to the room.

What about the lighting? Is the room too dark? How do the lamps themselves look?

Bring a little life to the room with real or silk plants. A little nature in the room almost never hurts.

Rearrange the pictures on the wall and maybe update with new ones. Whether you like to show off family photos or love art, moving things around on the walls can make a real difference. While youre at it, consider adding a good mirror if the room doesnt have one already. Mirrors can help make the room look bigger and brighter.

Finally, although perhaps this should be first, declutter the room. Clutter can make even the best decorated room look bad. Find more appropriate places for all the stuff and decide what you want to keep, then get rid of the rest.

Stephanie Foster runs http://www.exceptionalhomedecor.com/ and always wishes for more of a budget to decorate her home. She offers more home decorating tips at http://www.exceptionalhomedecor.com/tips.php.Bertina Blog31746
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The Tenant's Tenets: Residential Lease Agreements

In this world, everybody must abide by certain rules and regulations. These could be official rules which are penned by persons of authority and are expected to be followed by one and all; or these could be unofficial rules which are dictated upon people by other people or by society. Of these two, official rules are those which are considered as more formal and shall apply to everyone from small (offices, classes, organizations) to large (townships, cities, countries) groups of people.

As with everything in this world, real estate transactions are also governed by rules and this extends through the entire gamut of individuals who are, in one way or another, involved in the process. There are federal and state property laws which real estate agents and lawyers must be aware of. Within the real estate office, there are specific rules that need to be followed as well. The professional relationship of a broker and a client are also governed by rules. However, in real estate, no one is more exposed to a list of dos and donts than a tenant of leased property.

Tenants of rented units are bound by a contract called a lease agreement. All the details pertaining to the lease are itemized in this document, and these include the names and addresses of the parties involved; the rented property, duration of lease, agreed upon rental fee, payment terms, and so on and so forth. Apart from these, lease agreements also include specific tenets or rules which, upon signing of the document, the tenant promises to abide by. And like anything that come in pairs these conditions come with concomitant penalties and corrective actions. Lease agreements are very important documents and the preparation of such should not be taken lightly.

Lease agreements are usually prepared by real estate agents and/or lawyers and this forms part of the whole service package offered to consumers. These days, however, you no longer need to consult with professionals for this. Many of these real estate related websites can give you tips on how to prepare a legally binding lease agreement. There are sites where a sample is presented to you on the screen, and there are also websites where you are able to purchase and download these contracts. The forms, such as the residential lease agreement, though found on real estate websites were created by professional real estate agents, thus you can be assured that the format and contents are valid. These can be opened using any word processing program and you can easily modify the contents to plug in the rules and conditions for you expect your tenants to follow.

If you want to secure a copy from the internet, all you need to do is pay for the contract by using your credit card, paypal or the issuance of electronic cheques, and once the payment approved, you can immediately download the residential lease agreement and alter the contents as you see fit. So pen those tenets now and include these in the lease agreement so your tenant will live by your rules.

This is article is brought to you by Gloria Smith at http://LegalHomeForms.com. Created by a former, licensed Real Estate Agent, LegalHomeForms.com was designed to offer instant access to the most sought after type of real estate forms. For the cost of what others charge for one real estate contract, you can have instant access to over 60 downloadable real estate forms. You can find the Residential Lease Agreement form at: http://www.legalhomeforms.com/residential-lease-agreement.htmAllix Blog37209
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