Local Explorations - Hello from Lake Ontario&#39s Waterfront Trail

Local Explorations - Hello from Lake Ontario's Waterfront Trail

 by: Susanne Pacher

In our neck of the woods the summer has been absolutely gorgeous, a little on the hot and humid side occasionally, but I am unable to recall a summer that has been so warm and sunny as this summer of 2005.

The weekend before last I just felt like exploring the local area a little bit and since I was unable to pry my husband away from watching some of the season's first football games, I struck out on my own and laid out an itinery for a little local discovery. I've said it before - this website is about exploration and discovery, locally and abroad. The places right underneath our noses often have so many things to discover, we don't always need to get a plane ride away to uncover something new.

Since we spent so much time along Toronto's waterfront during my brother's visit, and since I am big suck for water in all shapes and forms, I thought let's stretch the envelope a little further east and see what Lake Ontario has to offer outside of Toronto's eastern city limits. More specifically, let's check out the shoreline and Lake Ontario's Waterfront Trail.

The Waterfront Trail extends for a total of 740 km and stretches all the way from Niagara-on-the-Lake in the southwest to Brockville in the east. Of course, 740 km in a day would be a bit much, so I focussed my explorations on the communities just east of Toronto: Pickering, Ajax and Whitby.

I started just on the west side of Toronto's city limits at the estuary of the Rouge River, which forms part of a protected nature preserve. The river flows out in a lagoon setting and joins the lake just outside a long extended finger of sand, right beside a beautiful sandy beach. A video production company was just shooting a soca music video and the footbridge over the Rouge River was actually blocked off by the film crew. That didn't deter a bunch of fishermen underneath the railway bridge from casting their lures in hopes of catching the big one.

My next stop was Pickering, the first community east of Toronto. I went down to the Liverpool Beachfront Park, which houses a brand new very attractive Cape Code style housing development, a marina and a restaurant surrounded by a marsh just inland from the shoreline. At the beachfront of Frenchman's Bay there are various recreation facilities and the boardwalk takes you right up to the fences of the Pickering Nuclear Power Station.

Back in the car I went and I scoped out the next city further east: Ajax, which has a beautiful waterfront. I parked my car at Rotary Park which has a nice pavillion with a food concession, put on my inline skates and rolled eastwards past the Ajax Waterfront Park and Harwood Gardens to the east end of the Waterfront Park. Virtually all of downtown Ajax' waterfront is parkland and near Lion's Point and Harwood Gardens the shoreline is elevated, with many benches to sit down and rest and gaze out onto the infinite horizons of Lake Ontario.

I made a brief stop in Whitby, but by that time my stomach was growling and the nagging feeling in my digestive system made me decide to explore this area in more detail another time. I figured I gotta leave some of the nice stuff for next time.

After almost 20 years in Canada I had never explored these parts of Lake Ontario's shoreline and I was amazed at how many beautiful spots I found. As fall approaches, I am planning to extend my discoveries and head out to discover some of Ontario's brilliant fall colours and get to know my local neck of the woods a little better.

About The Author Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys. Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River. "Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons". The story with photos is published at Travel and Transitions – Insights and Reflections (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/hello_waterfront_trail.htm).

How To Have Great Ideas

How To Have Great Ideas

 by: Steve Gillman

Want to have great ideas? You could try waiting to see if they pop into your head someday, and they honestly might. However, if you want a more systematic method you can use today, here it is in three simple steps:

1. Get knowledge in the area in which you want the ideas.

2. Use idea-generating techniques.

3. Choose the best ideas from the results.

Great Ideas Start With Knowledge

You wouldn't expect to come up with a new theory of relativity if you had no knowledge in physics or mathematics. You need some degree of knowledge in the area in which you want new ideas. For truly great ideas, it helps to have a great deal of knowledge.

To create a new transportation device, for example, you would want general knowledge in that field, as well as more specific knowledge. This might include knowing a little about all the current modes of transportation. You might add to that a list of things that have been tried and failed, and a list of all the things that people want in their transportation.

Great Ideas From Techniques

Ideas and inventions start in the mind, and the mind follows certain patterns and rules. This is why tools such as problem solving techniques and other idea generating techniques work so well. Consider the "concept combination" technique, for example. Tell your mind that you need a useful combination of a plane and a motorcycle, and it will search until it finds it. This mind took twenty seconds to imagine wings that expand out at high speed from a motorcycle, allowing it to glide right off the edge of a cliff.

The technique of redefining problems in many ways can open whole new areas to explore. Redefining "inexpensive homes" as "ways to help people afford homes" has lead to all sorts of new financing methods that have made it easier to buy a home even as prices have risen. If "better job" becomes "better way to make money" you open a whole range of possibilities. There are dozens of great idea generating techniques to choose from, each with it's own advantage.

Many Ideas To Choose From

The more ideas you come up with, the more likely you are to find good ones to work with. This is why you should learn the systematic ways to produce new concepts. Finally, if "great" means "important" to you, you need to work in important areas. There's nothing wrong with inventing a better clothes hanger, but if you want to change the world, start working on new ways to save the environment, ways to end hunger, new political processes that avert wars and other great ideas.

About The Author Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and to get a free course on How To Have New Ideas: http://www.999ideas.com.

Dear Affiliate Manager: Are You Hoarding Your Articles?

Dear Affiliate Manager: Are You Hoarding Your Articles?

 by: Nicole Dean

Question: My affiliates keep bugging me about my articles. Why do they want my articles and should I let them have them? What do I get out of it?

Dear Affiliate Manager,

You hit on my pet peeve. Stop hoarding your articles already! Do you want your affiliates to promote your program repeatedly to their lists and on their sites or don’t you? Isn’t the goal to get your website exposure all over the internet? The more sales your affiliates make – the more money you’ll BOTH make.

My favorite affiliate programs are the ones which provide me with articles or brandable ebooks. These marketers understand what it’s like to be an affiliate who wants to make money. Make it easy for me to promote your product repeatedly. Give me quality articles I can use on my websites, in my newsletter and in my blog with my affiliate link included. Don’t just shove a link at me and say “good luck”. It’s not exactly motivating me to go sell your product. Hey, if you don’t give me the tools I want, your competition will.

And, let me clarify something. Providing free affiliate articles with links to your other websites in it, bypassing your affiliates – that’s just wrong. Please don’t make the article leaky by adding several self-promoting links in the body of the article. As an affiliate, I don’t want to promote your other programs and send you leads out of sheer generosity. Although I am a nice person and I’m happy to promote good products, I’m not donating my time to promote your products. First, the products have to be good. Secondly, all things equal, I have to be able to feed my family in the process. Stealing commissions from your own affiliates is just wrong on many levels.

So, what can you do to start building a loyal army of affiliates today? Put yourself in their shoes. They’ve signed up for your program because they believe in your products and in your reputation. Show them that you view your affiliates as partners and you’ll have loyalty that you can’t buy at any price.

About The Author Nicole Dean is on a mission to find a few good affiliate programs. She’s found a handful of programs that don’t stink. Check them out at http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/free-affiliate-programs.htm and be sure to grab some Free Affiliate Articles while you're there.

How to Make Visitors Add You to Their Favorites

How to Make Visitors Add You to Their Favorites

 by: Peter Lopez

If you want your visitors to come back again and again, you've got to get them to add your website to their favorites (also known as bookmarks in some browsers). That's the menu where they can save websites that they want to use again, clicking them easily to get to them. Being added to a user's favorites is like getting an ad for your website right there in their browser's menu, for nothing. But how can you do it?

Make it Easy

The option to add a website to the favorites menu is quite hidden, and people don't often think about it. You'll get far more people adding you to their favorites if you offer them a quick and easy 'Add this Site to my Favorites' link somewhere towards the top of the page. Even if they don't actually use the link, it still draws attention to the browser's favorites function and makes the user think about it, increasing the likelihood of them adding the site to their favorites sooner or later.

Pay Attention to the Title

Once your site is in people's favorites, of course, it's not going to do you much good if they can't find it again later. You need to make sure that the name and purpose of your site is clearly stated in its title, as that's all they'll have to go on when they're looking through their favorites. Make it long enough to be specific, but not so long that it looks self-important or information gets lost off the end.

Tracking Who's Done It

It can be difficult to know who's coming in to your site using a favorite they saved. Usually, you would look at the referrer to see where they came from but if they type the web address or use a favorite the referrer will be blank. There's no way of telling which of those two things they did unless you send people who use your bookmark link to a special address for example www.example.com/bookmark. However, this method is not foolproof because not everyone who adds your site to their favorites will use your link to do it.

Promise Updates

If you want people to add your site to their favorites then you need to give them a reason to come back. The best way to do this is to make it clear exactly how often your website is updated. You might write at the top of your website 'updated weekly' or you might simply write the date when you last updated the website. The second way only works if you update your website often.

Could You Be Their Homepage?

Of course, if you want to go even further than just getting people to add your website to their favorites then you should consider trying to get people to make your website their homepage. That is, the website that loads automatically when they first open their web browser and that they get back to when they click on their home button. If you can get your website as someone's homepage even for a relatively short length of time then they are likely to see your website dozens of times in a day.

So how can you get people to set your website as their homepage? It's a little more difficult than just getting them to add your site to their favorites as it works differently in different web browsers. In Internet Explorer you can give people a link that makes your website their homepage automatically. For other web browsers, however, you will need to give the visitor a set of instructions. This will require some research on your part but will generally be instructions on how to open the web browsers options or preferences menu and use the section that allows the homepage to be set manually.

Before people will make you their homepage, though, you need to offer them the kinds of things that they might want on a homepage. You can't just expect your own content to be enough, you need to give them other things too, such as local weather or a box that they can type searches into to search the whole web using a popular search engine.

About The Author Peter Lopez is a full time webmaster for dozens of websites. He runs a hugely popular website called http://www.webmasteradvice.net aimed at helping webmasters from around the world.

Swedish Rubbish

Swedish Rubbish

 by: Gerry Coburn

This week I want to talk about cardboard. Ah I can see you turning the page already, but hold on for just a moment. Let me bring you on a journey. You had purchased a table and chairs from Argus. The boxes have now arrived two days later. You have said goodbye to the driver of the large white van with Argus stencilled on the side. (So much for passing your new furniture off as Habitat originals to the neighbours. You think to your self why they can’t deliver at 3am.) You close the door and eagerly get your Son in Law to move the boxes into the kitchen. You tear open the boxes. Reveal the beautiful new furniture and after two hours of post assembly you sit back and are unable to see them. You can’t see them because of the huge amounts of cardboard now littering your Italian tiled floor. What to do. Break them up; fold them over and over until they are the thickness of a small child. Picking them up you go into the back garden and try and squeeze them into your black bin. They won’t fit, you sigh and plonk them behind the bin and try to forget about them.

Well I am recently arrived in Sweden and as is the custom here I went to IKEA to purchase furniture. Apartments here come unfurnished. Well at least they do in the Dixon apartments – Dixon’s are one of four major trust fund properties owners in Gothenburg. My girlfriend is a Dixon babe and thus we have a Dixon apartment but more about that in another letter – surfice to say they don’t have rental agencies in Sweden. In IKEA we purchased an armchair, TV unit, curtains, a table and lots and lots of cushions for about 2000sk (220 euro).I drew the line at getting a couch, they come in boxes the size of a town house in Meath Street and to be honest I am unsure our relationship can take the strain of it’s complicated assembly. We get home and for the next three hours we assemble and drink coffee and assemble and we don’t argue. ( later I am told that if you build IKEA products and you don’t argue with your loved ones you are blessed with eternal love, however the big test is to build a couch (so I was right) , not arguing during that build actually means that you must get married straight away and the government pays for it. )

Anyway after the building has been completed we are left with, and I don’t wish to exaggerate here, about three tons of cardboard. I sit on the new armchair and sigh. AM doesn’t look perturbed, maybe I think to myself that she has not yet thought about the issue of disposal in so much as she is still high on the eternal love in the room. I don’t wish to bring her down to earth yet so I just kind of kick the card board with my foot and I sigh again. She looks at me. What’s wrong with you she asks? I point at the cardboard mountain and ask what will we do with the cardboard? I am about to add that if she thinks I am spending the new three hours bending and twisting it into disposable shapes she is very much mistaken. But she says “put it in the Sopprummet, when you bring the bins down”. Sopprummet means garbage room. I hadn’t been there yet. My recently arrival had allowed me a period of grace from the general daily household tasks. Apparently that period was now over. I mutter something about bins in Europe not big enough to take the cardboard, but she has disappeared into the kitchen to eat cereal with yoghurt, probably. I rise and pick up as much of the cardboard as possible. I tuck it under my arm and make my way down to the Sopprummet. I dump the cardboard at the door of this garage like structure that sits in the communal courtyard. I have a key to open the door and when I do so I am reflected in the glory of government controlled recycling. To visualise it, think when Honey Bunny opens the case in pulp fiction.

For all I know the contents of that brief case was an easy way to recycle cardboard. I stand with my mouth open. Inside this innoxious garage sits the Mecca of recycling. Along one wall sits huge bins. Each with helpful photographs illuminating which refuse it takes. Glass, paper, food, green glass, aluminium cans, tin cans, and an extra large bin for cardboard. I am surprised the picture on the front of the cardboard bin is not one of IKEA and a table. I set the door so it sits open and I lug the cardboard into the garage.

I open the bin for the cardboard and I plonk the offending packaging in to it. It fits, I am rid of it, and I didn’t even have to bend or manipulate it in any way. And I am doing the planet a service. Quickly I pop back upstairs and I grab anything and everything that needs to be thrown out. I run gleefully back to the Sopprummet and pass a fruitful 20 minutes putting things into the right bins. I know understand why , as a child, we spend so much time putting square pegs into square holes and round pegs into round holes. It was training for a recycling utopia. When I am finished I put the empty plastic bags in the plastic bag bins and I feel good. I actually feel happy. Why do I feel happy? Because it was so easy! It was just so easy. To do some good for the planet and to save myself from having to spend two hours sitting on various sizes of cardboard.

I lock the garage and almost skip back up the stairs to our second floor apartment. I am ready to volunteer myself as the person in the apartment in charge of rubbish. I mean in a more literal sense that the current title my friends have for me. AM is washing her cereal bowl and she stares at me. I grin at her and go sit on the armchair. “Maybe”, I tell her in the tone of one happy with the world, “we should buy a couch?”

About The Author Gerry Coburn is a 29 year old smoker who once felt Björk’s bottom in Thurles in Co. Tipperary. He once fell in love with a Swedish girl. Upon wakening he found himself living in Sweden. He now writes articles for his website www.gothenburg-city.com. He finds money annoying. Copyright © www.gothenburg-city.com.

Make Money In Your Underwear With Passive Income

Make Money In Your Underwear With Passive Income

 by: Kristie Tamsevicius

Every online dream begins with the vision of opening your email box and “like magic” the money comes rolling in. It’s true -- building a passive income is your key to earning more money without working harder. While it’s unlikely you’ll earn millions overnight, building a passive income is a smart way to supplement your existing income. Here are some ideas for how you can build an automatic income source for your online business.

AFFILIATE PRODUCT PROGRAMS

Affiliate programs allow you to earn income selling other people’s products. There are literally THOUSANDS of affiliate programs that you can sign up for in every category imaginable. Whether you are interested in selling ebooks, toys, magazines, or kitchen utensils, I guarantee there is a shop in that category with an affiliate program.

Here are some criteria to use when selecting an affiliate program. Choose a quality product that you personally believe in. You need to actually try and buy the product yourself. This allows you to personally buy into what’s great about the product so you can write a killer personal testimonial. Additionally, try to find products that offer higher than average commissions. Why work your buns off selling a 5% commission product, when you can sell one that offers 30, 40, or even 50% commissions?

If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You can investigate a company by Checking them out with the Better Business Bureau in the business’ native state. http://search.bbb.org/search.html

CREATING YOUR OWN INFOPRODUCTS

What is your secret to success? Success sells, and if you have your own personal method to getting there, others will pay to hear it. That’s why ebooks on how to succeed are topping the sales charts. Ask yourself, “What you know that is special, unique, and could help others?” The answer to that will make a successful infoproduct.

=> Do you know how to:

fix something, find something, save something, do something more quickly, do it better,

do it more efficiently, do a greater amount of it, do it with greater quality, do it less expensively, do it more easily, do it more often, be happier doing it, do it automatically, or more effectively, take existing knowledge and apply to a new situation

CREATING YOUR OWN SYSTEM OR SOFTWARE

Franklin Covey has created a whole income by showing others the secrets to his prioritization and organization. He packaged his methodology and sells the tools, classes, and equipment to help people achieve those same results. http://www.franklincovey.com. Do you have a unique form, software, or process that you use that makes your work easier? Document your process, find a developer to package your software, or package your process as an infoproduct, cd, teleclass, or ecourse.

RESELLER OF SERVICES

As a businessperson, your customers will often ask for recommendations for reputable service companies. This puts you in the perfect position to earn commissions reselling those goods and services. Make a list of all the services your customers use. For example, as a web developer my customers use hosting, merchant accounts, shopping carts, newsletter broadcasting services, and domain name vendors. Here is a list of the top 50 reseller programs to get you started. http://www.webaffiliateprograms.com/.

PARTNER COMMISSIONS

Do you recommend consultants services to others? Often my customers need assistance with proofreading, multi-browser compatibility testing, copywriting, virtual assistance, and animated graphics. I have sought out partnerships with companies in these key areas. When I refer a client to them, they pay me a referral fee and vice versa. Who do you know that you could create similar deals with?

ADVERTISING SALES

You may be sitting on valuable real estate and not even know it. If your web site gets lots of traffic or you have a popular ezine, you may be able to earn income through advertising sales. Some ideas for how to package your advertising packages can include banner ads, text ads, sponsorships, partnerships, paid classifieds or business directory listings. Another ideas is to create “co-branded” paid or free ebooks with advertising space.

REFERRAL NETWORK

Think about who your audience is, and then ask yourself, what other types of professionals have the SAME target audience. By creating your own referral network, you can charge businesses to become a member and agree to promote them to your audience. This is on the idea of how the 1-800-Dentist concept works. Dentists pay a fee to be part of the dentist network. When someone phones 1-800-Dentist asking for a dentist in their area, they look at their list of dentists and match you up with one bearing the qualifications you are seeking. Then 1-800 Dentist gets a small commission from the dentist for sending them a qualified customer.

For an idea of how this can work in a web application, you could create a preferred network of web developers. Web developing companies pay a small fee to be included in your referral network. Then offer an area on your site where people can search to find a web developer in their area. When a visitor signs up with one of the web developers in your network, you get a commission.

THE PAY PER INCLUSION CLUB

If you are an expert in your field, you can create a community where others can learn your secrets to success. By offering a free level of membership, you can allow visitors to poke around and see that you know your stuff. Then you can offer them a paid membership to your member’s only section. Internet Marketing Challenge is one such community built by Internet Marketers geared toward the aspiring entrepreneurial crowd. CoachVille by Thomas Leonard is another community built for the business/personal coaching audience.

SUMMARY

According to Think and Grow Rich, the wealthy of the world are people who have a brilliant idea that has changed the world. I believe that those who resell those brilliant ideas will become rich. Take advantage of the power of passive income and you too can be working less and earning more!

About The Author Kristie Tamsevicius, is the author of "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"! Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs have used her step-by-step home business system to earn money working from home. Get a free ecourse Home Business Success Secrets at http://www.webmomz.com/ilovemylife1.htm.

Put Muscle Behind Your Web Site With Web Analytics

Put Muscle Behind Your Web Site With Web Analytics

 by: Richard Radcliffe

Your business has a web site. You were careful in selecting a designer who understood how crucial your site is to your marketing strategy, and who had the skills to integrate and present your content in a way that fulfills that strategy. It's well designed and optimized. Now you can just sit back and wait for the profits to roll in right? Wrong!

A well designed web site is just the beginning. A good marketing strategy never stops improving, and your web site is a vital marketing tool. How do you improve its effectiveness in bringing in more and more leads and turning higher and higher percentages of those leads into conversions?

You do this by understanding everything you can about the people who visit your site. How did the visitor find your site? Did they find you from a link pointing to your site, a search engine? What keywords did they use for that search? How long did that visitor stay at your site? What did they look at? What didn't they look at? How far into a payment process did they get before they abandoned the purchase? What prevented them from becoming a customer?

Knowing the answers to questions like these is extremely important in order for you to refine your web site. You want to to use more of what is working for you and get rid of content that doesn't work for you. It will also keep your site up to date in an ever changing marketplace. Now how do you get this information?

The answer is 'web analytics'. Web analytics gathers information about what visitors do when they are at your web site, and then organizes that data into reports you can customize to suit your needs. Analytics can either be hosted online by a provider of the service or can be purchased as a program that you own and manage. There are many different venders of web analytic services.

Analytics packages can be hosted for as low as $30 per month and this price goes up as the amount of data tracking increases. Programs, on the other hand, will vary in cost from free trial versions with very few features, to costing thousands of dollars for complete, full spectrum tracking. Knowing what you need to know about your visitors, will help you decide the level of tracking features you need to get the most out of your web site.

It is important to look at the information gathered in these reports, at the very least, on a weekly basis, and to make changes to your web site based on this information. Trust the data, not your expectations of what your potential customers want. Web analytics is a powerful marketing weapon and sets apart those who are serious about having a web site that significantly enhances their business, from those who are not.

About The Author Richard Radcliffe is a Web Designer/Consultant, writer, and father of a 6 year old son. He is the owner of Renshaw Design which specializes in web design and web marketing consultation for small businesses, nonprofits, clubs, and professionals with a private practice. Visit his site at http://www.renshaw-design.com.

Christmas Loans – Taking Care Of Financial High Tide of Yuletide

Christmas Loans – Taking Care Of Financial High Tide of Yuletide

 by: Clarice Noelle

Can you feel the chill in the air? And there it begins to snow! Vast open spaces, roof tops, trees…. – all covered with layers of white pure snow. Sure sign that Christmas is not far. Everything changes during Christmas time. Psychologically it breeds happiness, fun frolic, everything good and worth looking forward to. Another thing that is inevitably related to Christmas is expenses.

With so many people neglecting Christmas when it comes to saving for, implies borrowing in one form or the other. When you are borrowing then the best way inarguably is Christmas loans. Many people think that credit card is a better way to pay for Christmas expenses. But if you are thinking of borrowing for longer time period than Christmas loans offer better value for money.

“Christmas loans” is specific name for personal loans for Christmas. There are huge advantages of taking Christmas loans over any other alternative form. The personal loans for Christmas have lower interest rates than credit cards or overdraft. This certainly implies that your monthly repayments will be smaller and also you will be able to pay back your loan faster. The interest rates for Christmas loans are usually fixed. This means you pay fixed monthly payments for the entire loans term. This helps the borrower to plan budget effectively when a set amount goes in the form of repayments. The loan term with Christmas loans is also fixed. So you know exactly when you are going to be free of debt.

Taking Christmas loans will enable you to make the purchase you want to make and not settle for a compromise. This freedom is indeed desirable. Make your budget and then apply for Christmas loans. Christmas loans can help sticking to that budget by assigning a limit to expenses. This limit might be missing in a credit card and prevent borrower from making unnecessary expenses.

There is no compulsion on how the borrower uses Christmas loans. He can spend a part of Christmas loans on shopping and other part he can save and use for any future use. Or he may not use it for shopping at all and pay for some other necessity with Christmas loans. Lenders have no say on how you use the money.

Time for taking Christmas loans should coincide with when you feel is right. Usually people apply for Christmas loans when Christmas is around the corner or when they start shopping. This is ideally the appropriate time to

Start looking for Christmas loans. Approval time would vary from lender to lender. However, faster approvals are now provided by lenders and you won’t be hanging around for approval. However, if you have missed the bus and failed to apply even after Christmas is over – you still can beat the overspending hangover. Christmas loans can help you pay for expensive credit card and overdrafts.

Christmas loans are available for amount £500-£50,000. Homeowners have the choice between secured and unsecured personal loans. Christmas loans cater to tenants also - both private and council tenants, as well as tenants of housing associations. And if you think Christmas loans outcast those with negative credit – you are wrong! Christmas loans are available for those with CCJs, defaults, arrears, late payments etc.

Before shopping for Christmas don’t forget to shop for Christmas loans. Consumers can save many pounds by carefully looking around for loans. If one is borrowing why not borrow what is financially good. This is possible by going around different sites and looking for what they have to offer. Christmas loans Lenders will offer attractive offers which may or may not be that attractive for you. Check the rates that are offered to you as an individual. Therefore don’t settle for the first Christmas loans you find suitable. Ask for quotes and compare various Christmas loans and then make your decision.

This year one in four people are ready to borrow money for Yuletide. While making shopping spree this Christmas, make sure the interest doesn’t extend to the time when you next see the snow. One sound financial decision will make sure the fun lasts. Christmas loans when used appropriately are an investment – an investment in something worthwhile, which lasts forever – family.

About The Author Clarice Noelle She can tell you how to look better, live better and breathe better by giving you tips to improve your finances. She writes on loans. Her ideas can help you rejuvenate your money. To Find Personal loan UK Homeowner personal loan secured personal loans visit http://www.ezpersonalloansuk.co.uk.

Logo Design and Branding – Points to Remember

Logo Design and Branding – Points to Remember

 by: Ray Smith

A good logo design is highly instrumental in establishing a business brand and creating a long lasting impression among its customers. It should be able to create a powerful impact on the viewers and successfully exude the nature and attitude of a business. Ideally, a company logo design should be able to communicate your company ethos, principles, mission and the nature of product/service offered, to the viewers.

A professional logo design would establish a professional image of your company and strengthen your brand. Actually, in most cases the consumer gets the first impression about the company through your logo. Your business logo should build a brand that is strong enough to give your consumer a visual imagery of your company. People should be able to identify your company on sight of your logo.

Trend shows, most of the good logos are simple and often text based. Think of the IBM, SONY or Microsoft logo, even if you view a part of it you will be able to recognize the company. It is extremely essential for a logo to be easy for people to remember.

This principle of simplicity applies n most cases, however, we often see exceptions in Government Organizations, Hotels and Luxury resorts etc because they want to put up a classical exclusive image. This again brings us to a very important point that should be considered for a good logo design -- the nature of business.

While simplicity can be the basic principle for any logo design, the designs might vary widely depending on the nature of business. For example, a financial institution might like to use a bold face font to express solidarity and stableness where as a courier service or transport company might prefer italicized fonts to express the speed and movement involved in their business.

In addition, while specifying the design requirements for your logo you should consider the fact that you will probably have to use your logo on your fax cover and other places where it will be in black and white. You should ensure that your logo looks equally good and attractive in black and white.

I would also suggest avoiding a very trendy look for your logo if you are planning for a long-term business because what we concern “modern” today might be backdated tomorrow. It is very important that your logo designer knows how to maintain this balance.

While any professional logo designer should be able to create a custom logo design once you have provided them with your specifications, you should be careful to select an experienced designing company and not land up with some single designer start up venture.

Last but not the least important factor is price. You are paying for your logo – something that is going to be used to establish your brand and represent your business for years, so you should be ready to pay a decent amount while it is also not necessary to pay some big amount like $350 for a logo. With the online logo design firms coming into business, now you have a wide choice of price for your logos and it should not be difficult to find a logo designer that fits your budget. Some logo design firms (www.customlogoart.com) would even allow you to quote your own price for your logo.

If you have still not got a logo for your business or are not happy with your existing logo, it’s time you get your new logo. Wish you lucked with your logo hunt.

About The Author Ray Smith is a marketing Expert with years of experience in different industries and specialized knowledge on branding and Internet marketing. http://www.customlogoart.com

Does Your Web Site Talk?

Does Your Web Site Talk?

 by: Michael Younger

If You Said No, You Could Be Losing A Small Fortune Everyday...

For sometime now I have been noticing more and more audio on web sites. Many have music, some I liked and some I didn't like. Guess we all have different tastes. I have seen some sites with audio tutorials that were both helpful and impressive. But the one that really hooked me was when I went to this site, opened the page and without any warning this guy started talking to me about his amazing product. It was like it came from out of nowhere. I really wasn't expecting any sound. But this guy had a pleasant voice and you could feel his genuine excitement about this product and you could feel his reassurance that you would do well by purchasing it. I even got a picture in my mind of what he might have looked like. It was so cool.

Unfortunately, it really was something I was not interested in. So I didn't buy it, but I still remember it. I couldn't get it out of my head. I just keep thinking how many different products could be marketed that way. I tried to find out how the guy did it, but was

unable to get in touch with him. Then it became a mission. Marketers, programmers, coders and eventually it all came

together. Web-Audio-Ads, it is so simple to put audio on your web site that you won't believe it. Now you can put audio on your web site in less that 5 minutes.

Here are a few tid bits I picked up along the way.

You may not believe this unless you try it, but you really don't need to be a tech to do this.

For some reason, most of the people I have talked to remember a lot more of what they heard than what they read on the Internet. I know it's true for me.

When you hear someones voice opposed to just reading text, it really does add credibility, a personal touch and if you're well rehearsed and energetic, people will get a vision of what you might look like and like you enough to remember you and buy your products.

The cost of audio is extremely reasonable and can increase the selling power of your web site many, many times.

So, If your going to go this route, remember, it doesn't need to be complex. The easier and simpler the program is, the better. Pick one that walks you through. Preferably in just 3 steps with a video tutorial for each step so you just can't go wrong.

Who would have thought it could be so easy.

About The Author Michael Younger Michael Younger is a successful business man offering you Web-Audio-Ads, the ability to add Quality Audio to your web site in less than 5 minutes, along with over $200 in bonuses. If you have time drop by his site http://www.web-audio-ads.com for a quick look at Web-Audio-Ads and download the Free Demo. Don't just hear about it, try it! This article is the property of the author and may only be reproduced in its original form along with the Author Bio. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Under those conditions, Please feel free to use this article anywhere you wish. support@web-audio-ads.com

Free Radicals - Should I Be Concerned About Them?

Free Radicals - Should I Be Concerned About Them?

 by: Paul Wallace

Free radicals are unstable molecules with extra "free" electrons looking for a connection. They can latch onto a cell membrane or blood vessel lining and create constant inflammation, leading to eventual damage, serious disease, and even to an early death.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that contain at least one unpaired electron that attack healthy cells. If an electron is unpaired, another atom or molecule can easily bond to it, causing a chemical reaction.

Damage caused by the "stress" of excessive numbers of free radicals in the body accumulates with age. Many scientists are convinced that early aging and chronic health problems (cancer, heart disease, thrombosis, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, etc.) are initiated by free radical damage. They then take years to develop.

Free radicals in the body have been proven to:

• Damage cholesterol-carrying particles,

• May increase the risk of atherosclerosis.

• Contribute to the formation of blood clots,

• May increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke,

• Damage a cell's genetic material (DNA),

• May lead to cancer,

• Trigger inflammation,

• Suppress the immune system,

• Impair cell function,

• Start, and extend, the aging process.

Other types of tissue breakdown attributed to free radicals can lead to inflammatory disease, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic nerve pain, neuropathy, colds, and other chronic illnesses. These now common diseases and virtually all cancers can be traced to free radicals.

Common sources of excess free radicals in the human body today are cigarette smoke, air pollution, pesticides, herbicides, overexposure to the sun, automobile exhaust, radiation, smog, stress, rancid foods, food contaminants, and a myriad of other factors that are part of our modem life.

Using antioxidants is one of the best ways to help protect your body against dangerous free radicals in the body, which can lead to health problems and disease.

Antioxidants are nutrients which donate extra hydrogen electrons to free radicals, thus neutralizing them and producing stable molecules.

Antioxidant molecules are able to give up extra electrons without turning into free radicals themselves, thus halting this harmful process.

The body is a "closed system". Its well-being depends solely on what is eaten. If you don't feed it what it needs you will have health problems, and most health problems start with free radicals.

Many advertisers today not only tell what the product is (e.g. orange juice) or what it contains (vitamin C) but they also stress that it provides antioxidants.

Antioxidants fight free radicals the cause of many diseases; vitamin C provides antioxidants as well as other important elements needed by the body; vitamin C comes from the orange juice. As the song lyrics go, "You can't have one without the other".

Drinking orange juice is certainly beneficial for health. However, it is only a part of the overall picture. To truly make an improvement in our health, nutritional supplements that provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, essential fatty acids, and fibers should be added to our diets.

Good health and long life can be achieved by everyone using a simple method . Sign up for a free 10 part course that will explain why Americans suffer so many diseases that are preventable.Free Course on Regaining Health

About The Author Paul Wallace suffered continuing pain long after an accident. Following regular treatment his doctor prescribed vitamins and minerals. He felt no relief even though he was taking 64 pills a day. This led to research which made him realize that the body needs more than individual vitamins and minerals to be healthy. He now takes one product a day and is much healthier and pain free, even though he is 72 years young. vitaminsimprovehealth.com paul@vitaminsimprovehealth.com

Diet Fads Come And Go.....

Diet Fads Come And Go.....

 by: Tracie Johanson

Cursed by dieters everywhere, and loved by children around the world, sugar is one those substances we 'love to hate' and 'hate to love'! It can make bland foods tasty and can make the dentist rich. Americans love sugar in all forms, from pure white granulated to liquid to fluffy cotton candy. As a nation, it's fair to say that we've developed a love affair with sugar!

But at what cost? Our ever-expanding waistlines are due, in part, to our sugar infatuation. Many of us try to eat healthier, only to be pushed into consuming even more sugar! Take for example the low-fat craze of the 1980's and '90's, pushed by the federal government's proclomation that FAT IS BAD. As soon as Americans started demanding low-fat products, the food manufacturers responded by flooding the market with low-fat, high-sugar foods.....and we loved it. Honestly, how many of us have chowed down an entire box of Hot Tamales candy and justified it because they're 'fat-free'? Cotton candy, that staple of the county fair, is also fat-free! Hard candy, jelly beans, licorice and oh so many more foods found their way into our mouths - all justified because of their fat-free status.

But at what cost? Common sense, reinforced by our expanding size, soon reminded us that it's EXCESS CALORIES THAT MAKE US FAT, and that SUGAR HAS CALORIES! It took us only a decade or so to figure out that just because a food is fat-free, doesn't mean that it's good for us!

Again, the food industry responded (and is still responding) by giving us loads and loads of sugar-free food. From ice cream to candy to soda, sugar-free is fast replacing fat-free as the new standard of 'healthy'.

Our scientists have created many different sugar substitutes for us to enjoy: DiabetiSweet, Splenda, Equal, Sucralose, Xylitol, Stevia, NutraSweet, aspartame, tagatose, saccharin, and many many more. Even the Pepsi Slushie, that icon from our youth, now has a sugar-free version!

But at what cost? Do we really know everything we need to know about the sugar replacements on the market today? Take saccharin for example. Saccharin has been used to sweeten foods and beverages without calories or carbohydrates for over a century. Its use was considerable during the sugar shortages of the two world wars, particularly in Europe.

Later, however, we find some experts debating the safety of saccharin: "In a joint letter, the scientists told the National Toxicology Program, a division of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, that declaring saccharin safe would 'result in greater exposure to this probable carcinogen in tens of millions of people, including children (indeed, fetuses). If saccharin is even a weak carcinogen, this unnecessary additive would pose an intolerable risk to the public.'". (Source: www.cspinet.org)

Now, citing new research, some scientists are claiming that sugar-free foods may not help us lose weight! As with many topics, the experts don't agree on this issue. What's important to note, however, is that some doctors believe that the sugar-free craze might be just a bad case of deja vu similar to the fat-free craze of decades past.

So, when the year 2030 rolls around, will we all be looking back in disbelief wondering how in the heck we ever believed in that sugar-free nonsense? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we need to realize that BALANCE IS THE KEY to everything. Balance a healthy diet (eating foods in moderation) with a regular exercise program. Let the experts debate all day long about what to eat and what not to eat.....while they're trying to figure out the 'magic formula' for the perfect diet, we'll be maintaining a healthy weight through exercise!!

About The Author Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, 30-Minute Workout For Women. Pick Up The Pace is a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. For more information please visit www.letspickupthepace.com or email us at info@letspickupthepace.com. * Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com. * The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Sticking to a Gift Budget at Christmastime

Sticking to a Gift Budget at Christmastime

 by: Stephanie Foster

The Christmas season is upon us, and with it one of the most difficult times to stick on a budget. It’s so easy to go overboard on gifts for those you love. There’s always some cute, cheap item that is just perfect, but when you find things like that over and over, they really add up.

It’s no fun being on a tight budget at this time of year. You wish you could give your kids the gifts they want the most, and give other family members just the right gift too.

There are several ways to give well thought out gifts at this time of year without overdoing it on credit cards or adding to your financial worries. All it takes is a little planning and creativity. Here are a few ideas.

Draw names.

You’ll still have to do the shopping for your kids, of course, but getting together with your siblings or other family members and drawing names can save a lot of money, as well as shopping time. This also allows a single, nicer gift to be given, as you can agree beforehand what should be spent on each person, and have it be a gift from all of you.

Give your time.

Make up coupons with favors you will do for the other person. This could be mowing the lawn for your parents or giving your husband a backrub. It could be babysitting a friend’s kids.

Share your talents.

If there’s something you do well that others have been expressing an interest in learning, give them a card saying you will teach them. This could be music lessons or it could be website design or organizing their home.

Note cards and stamped envelopes.

These are perfect for the person who loves to write. Find an attractive set and get some stamps, and you’re ready to go. You could even take this a step further and create your own design on plain cards.

Family calendar.

This one takes a fair bit of time, and you’ll need other family members to send you pictures, but makes a great gift. If they give you prints, you can make a collage, but if the photos are digital you can manipulate them for a wonderfully fun family calendar. Take the results to your local print shop and have them make them into calendars.

Make picture frames.

Get a cheap picture frame and decorate it with things that the recipient enjoys.

Bake!

Homemade treats are often welcome. If you have a great pie, cake or cookie recipe, you can be sure people will thank you even if they grumble something about calories.

Make Christmas ornaments.

There are all kinds of ideas for beautiful Christmas ornaments. You can buy the cheap clear glass balls and fill them or paint them. Another idea is to take a clear jar or vase, and put in some Christmas lights, then add potpourri. It looks beautiful when plugged in and smells great.

Make gift baskets or jars.

This doesn’t have to mean cheesy, handmade stuff that you really don’t do normally. You can make gift baskets with special items inside, such as bath salts and other items good for relaxation. You can print a card with a special recipe and include the ingredients in a jar.

The possibilities here are just about endless, both in terms of affordability and creativity. Think about the recipient’s hobbies and put something together that relates; garden gloves with a plant or seeds for a gardener, gourmet coffee with a cup for the coffee lover, and so forth.

You don’t have to go overboard with gifts to have a wonderful Christmas. A little planning goes a long way toward easing the financial strain that so many feel at this time of year. Getting creative with Christmas presents doesn’t only save money – it makes the gifts more meaningful!

About The Author Stephanie Foster is the owner of HomeWithTheKids.com, a resource for at-home parents. For more tips on living on a budget, please visit http://www.homewiththekids.com/moneymatters.htm and subscribe to the free newsletter.

Do You Have An Ebay Store?

Do You Have An Ebay Store?

 by: Vera Raposo

In this article we look at the benefits of having an eBay Store. Selling on eBay does not require you to have an eBay Store, but it sure does make things a lot easier.

There are 3 store subscriptions you can sign up for with eBay Basic (15.95/month), Featured (49.95/month), & Anchor (499.95/month).

Now most people starting out will of course go for the Basic store and not the Anchor. You would need to make huge profits to go for the Anchor store. We’ll talk more about the Basic, and Featured Stores here.

If you have a Basic Store you may want to consider upgrading to a Featured Store. Things have been changing with eBay stores and some of things I’m most thrilled with is the $30/month allotment of eBay Keywords.

Free Keywords

Yes, that’s $30/month each and every month worth of free eBay Keywords. With eBay Keywords you will drive more traffic to your listings by putting your ad at the top of the page for the keywords you choose. This also separates your store from other listings. This can significantly increase your store sales.

More Pages

With a Featured Store you get double the web pages! Which only increases your presence on eBay. You can also reduce the size of the eBay header on your pages giving you a page that’s more focused on your business. This helps build your own brand on eBay, and you can match it to your website.

Advanced Reports

With a Featured Store you get advanced monthly reports and traffic stats you can access anytime. I just love looking through my reports to see all the in-depth info that the reports give me. The Path Analysis allows you to see how visitors move around in your store. This is so important as you develop your business.

Owning an eBay store will not only bring you more sales, but it’ll cost you less by using it in the long run. These are just some of the many advantages of owning an eBay store. Once you own one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t go for it sooner.

About The Author Vera Raposo has been making a living with online auctions since 1997. With thousands of completed auctions under her belt, Vera is now sharing some of her best auction strategies in a free 90-minute interview at http://www.auctionstrategists.com/special.

Samurai Sword Basics, A Brief History

Samurai Sword Basics, A Brief History

 by: Nick Johnson

Capturing the spirit of old Japan and recognised by its deadly curvature, the samurai sword is widely recognised throughout the world as the most deadly of all Japanese weaponry. Although gaining modern fame and notoriety in modern epic cinema in such films as The Last Samurai and the Kill Bill series by Quentin Tarantino, samurai swords have long being an iconic symbol of Japan and its history.

The most famous samurai sword, the Katana, is curved and bladed only on one side – if you have seen Kill Bill, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. The Katana was developed in the 10th century to enable Japanese calvery to carry out surprise attacks on their enemy and was worn hung from the belt with the cutting edge faced upwards.

The craft of forging katana samurai swords peaked during 1190 – 1337 – many of the swords from this area we’re assigned national treasures. Thousands of swords are still circulated and collected from more recent times; the most popular ‘collection’ era’s being WW1 and WW2. eBay is a great place to find both old and new samurai swords, but beware of what you’re buying – a lot of swords sold today are machine replicas and only fit for display purposes.

There were however many types of samurai swords and the other often mentioned includes shorter swords, one being the wakizashi (shoto) and the tanto knife. Only the samurai were allowed to carry these as a pair.

About The Author Nick Johnson http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

The Viability of Blogging to a Niche Market

The Viability of Blogging to a Niche Market

 by: Mal Keenan

Niche marketing is an old and very successful marketing strategy whereby a company focuses on marketing and selling to a clearly defined segment of potential consumers. The company earns by supplying a unique product or service to this narrowly defined market which other companies have not met or provided.

Are there potential buyers online? According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s latest figures, there are over 185.55 million internet users in the United States alone, of these around 139.52 million active users. The Computer Industry Almanac which compiles statistics on global internet users, records a staggering 934 million users for 2004 and this market continues to grow.

Do these users buy online? Statistics gathered on internet users, show they do and their numbers are increasing. For instance, in December 2004, online sales rose by 53%, from $795 million of the same month 2003, to $1.22 billion 2004, (gathered by CMP Media a service provider of information and marketing services to the technology and healthcare industries). For each unique marketing hook, product and service, your business blog can tap in, that’s how many niche markets you can serve.

The next question then to answer: Can your blog be the perfect vehicle for reaching and marketing to your niche?

You should realize that successful blogs go a step further in providing excellent content, as well as regular updates or new content. Most websites provide these services. Rather it is the ability of these blogs to provide the author and the readers’ a venue for one-on-one conversations, in an impersonal medium. By sharing commentaries, thoughts and opinions, the author positions himself or herself as being an authority in his or her field of work. If you write content that is relevant to their needs, they’ll remember and keep returning to your blog.

But that’s not all; you need to have an abiding passion for the subject matter or product you’ll sell. Without this, your blog won’t stand out and carve itself a niche apart from the other blogs.

In essence, a well researched and crafted business blog is a potential revenue center. It has the authors’ personal touch and speaks to the need of this particular consumer. As every marketing analyst knows, when a seller understands his or her consumers well, this seller gets their business.

Copyright 2005 Mal Keenan

About The Author Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of the Home Business Tips Blog: http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com/blog/ Visit his Internet Marketing Plug In Training site for great strategies and step by step processes in running a successful online business: http://www.pluginprofitstraining.com/