Online stock swing or stay the day

Perhaps one the best perks to being an online trader is the convenience of being able to buy or sell with just the click of a mouse. The more the traders get educated they can decide if the want to swing trade or day trade. It seems that the main issue they are up against is timeframe. They need to decide if they like the longer term investing or the rapid fire trades. The day traders are groomed to do the instant desperation or the instant gratification which depends on the outcome of the transaction. The day trader can move around and watch different stocks in the same industry so he can take advantage of sudden swings in the market for profits. By using the technique you eliminate your exposure from holds. This can be a tiring task as you have to sit in front of your computer for hours on end. If you do frequent trading you run the risk of stacking up large bills for your trading fees. So it goes without says that for day traders, trading fast also means to trade smart. When a day trader has to leave the comfort of his or her computer you can be sure that they are still connected via cell phone or some other mobile device as they can get updates wired directly to them. Day traders are much like hunters in a sense much like the thrill of the hunt. They are driven by the rush of the excitement just as much as the profits from beating the other traders out on a winning score. The swing trader has it a bit different. They look for cycles and they always hope that they are in the right one to get the most profits. The swing traders use technical analysis when making their trading decisions. They may even use such things as options and the future. They increase their risks when they wait for the right moment. Part of their strategy is to wait out the fluctuations rather then move on the trends. They also do not have to pay as much in fees as they trade less often. There is also the long term swing strategy. This type of trader depends on the information that they get from the indexes coupled with the fundamental and technical analysis to make their trading decisions. The longer the time span is of weeks or even months can help the long term swing trader in giving him or her some protection against the quirks or blips in the market day which usually are not real trends. There are just some stocks that need time to level out, which the day traders may miss. The thing that the swing traders miss out on is the fast break day trading style. This can be recovered with some patience and perseverance. When the long term swing traders wins it is usually a big win which make it all worth while. When you go from the day trading to the swing trading it can be like cutting teeth. It moves slowly at first but it gives the trader time to learn the ropes and they can become an expert in one or more industries. The new long term swing traders can take the slower pace which is preferred as they have a chance to make good profits from the online trading.

Graceful chaos

: I was recently stuck on a curb in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (everyone there still calls it Saigon). My objective, a restaurant where my husband and my lunch awaited me, stood on the opposite side of the street. I could see the food, smell it and, if you know me, you'll realize I had built up quite an appetite.Stranded in the ChaosThe only barrier between me and my lunch was crossing the street. Now, this sounds like a simple task, but at noon in Saigon my objective might as well have been the far side of the moon. The road was crammed with motor scooters (called "motos"), bicycles, motorcycles, cyclos (pedaled rickshaws), cars, trucks and buses. The fewer wheels a contraption had, the more passengers it seemed to carry. I saw a family of 5 riding a Honda scooter — sans helmets, of course.Even the center lines contributed to the confusion.

Rather than dividing the traffic into two lanes, each moving in opposite directions, in Saigon the yellow markers apparently serve only to indicate that you are on a paved road. People passed, stopped, turned around and crisscrossed the center lines with utter abandon.Traffic flowed both ways in the same lane, more traffic merged from the side streets, and people pushed their motos off the curbs into the flow at odd angles. At any given moment traffic bore down on me from as many as 6-8 directions, front, back, sides and all angles — everywhere, it seemed, except from above.

To me it was a scene of incredible chaos with no order.The traffic lights compounded my problem. In Saigon they serve only an advisory purpose. Even when the light turned red, traffic continued to flow, as drivers blatantly ignored the red light!

The lanes of traffic impatiently waiting at the green light would edge forward into the traffic that was ignoring the red light. At some point traffic trying to move with the green light would build up enough momentum (and vehicles) to stop the traffic running the red light. Traffic would then flow correctly until the light changed, and the whole process started again.Dancing through the ChaosUnder this onslaught the flashing green "walk" sign over the crosswalk taunted me from the far side of the street. I was ready to look for something to eat (and a place to sit) on my side of the street when an older Vietnamese gentleman took my arm.In English he kindly said, "Crossing the street is not a problem, but a dance.

" With that we stepped off the curb and entered the maelstrom together.My heart pounded as we walked slowly across the street. Instead of greeting us with blaring horns, irate shouts and screeching brakes, the drivers saw us and adjusted to us. As long as we made no sudden movements (like diving for the curb or running screaming from the street), we were fine. I felt like we were swimming through a school of fish. The tempest flowed smoothly around us, and before I knew it we were across.

I thanked my benefactor and went on to lunch. Later that day I taught the same technique to my husband and friends — at one point crossing a busy boulevard with an entourage of 8 people strung out like a Broadway chorus line.Later I thought about how the traffic in Saigon is a metaphor for business. There is a sort of graceful chaos, everyone going in their own direction, some traveling with traffic, some across it and some against it. Buses and trucks barrel through the streets, stopping for no one. Certainly collisions and accidents happen — but for the most part the system works.

People reach their destinations and life goes on. And the best way to survive is not to struggle against the flow, but to approach it like a dance.Invitation to the DanceDo you dance through your own life, career and business and the surrounding chaos? Or do you struggle against it, exhausting yourself, causing collisions with others and keeping yourself from reaching your chosen destination?

On any given day, each of us must adapt to life and pass through it gracefully. Occasionally things are going well, then out of the blue a big truck bears down on us, forcing us to stop or change directions. How we deal with such routine chaos determines whether we prosper or fail.In my own office I have 17 employees, each traveling in different directions but all basically headed for the same destination. I cannot interfere with their travels but must move gracefully through them.

In my business, students, vendors, other businesses, obstacles and competitors often appear in the road in front of me. I have many choices: collide with them head on, turn down a side street, take a detour, avoid them altogether or simply flow with them. How well I adjust my dance to this chaos controls my future success.In the turmoil of your own business each choice you make affects your outcome. You can adjust to the chaos and deal with it gracefully, or you can allow it to stop you or force you into costly detours. The choices are yours.

In Saigon I chose to cross the street thanks to my new-found guide and enjoyed the reward of a wonderful lunch. Then I plunged back into the chaos, now wise enough to guide others on the journey. Every day in my business I face the traffic, dance with it to the best of my ability and hope to enjoy continued success. You can do the same thing if you cultivate the grace to flow with chaos.

Collection agencies and credit card debt

Though you’re in debt at this time, if you dig down deep and decide to fight for your financial freedom back, you can surely find a solution. Credit repair becomes a necessity in some of our lives at times since we do not always have great debt management skills going into adulthood. The creditors that have lent us money are doing so in good faith and under the assumption that they will be paid back, and paid back on time. However, these are people too and what they really want is their money back, and so on that note are usually willing to extend the amount of time for you to pay them back, instead of dealing with all of the inconveniences of reporting you and such. Not only that but they’re also hoping that you’ll be a returning customer too. The lenders are often thought of as the enemy but the real vicious ones are the collection agencies that get handed your files when you do not pay or contact the lender to let them know that you do plan to pay. These collection agencies will stoop to all new lows just to find you, even if it means breaking the law to get to you. The reason being that they’re paid a commission for every debt that the recover. Your best defense, or offense I should say is to get ahead of the game. This is the ultimate weapon against the collection agencies, the same people who could really care less about you, whether it’s intimidating you to give them your last dollar that will feed your kids, or from dropping dead from a heart attack because of the stress. So, getting your credit card debt, and other loan balances paid off before they have a chance to get to you, is the offense of choice. You’ll want to contact each creditor, let them know that you’re having some problems, but that you’re setting up a budget in order to pay them. This same budget that you truly are creating is what’s going to help you break through all of your debt. After setting up your budget plan, you then want to check out the balances in your checking and savings accounts, and note how much money you have in each. If managing money is not your strongest point, you can actually open an account at Paypal, which will then give you a chance to get a debit card. This will help you if you want to make purchases that you couldn’t make without a credit card, such as renting a car. Also, you can also get back money for using the card, so paying your bills with the debit card, which is directly connected to your bank account anyways, can earn you up to 1% of your money back. May not seem like a lot but it adds up rather quickly. There are many available resources to you if you’re still having trouble with your debt. The resources that don’t add on to your existing debts are the best ones to go with when in your situation. There are even government loans and grants to those who have a low income, and are in trouble with their credit. You also have debt consolidation, and bankruptcy options to choose from if things turn extremely grim. Be careful and responsible in all of your choices.

Warning signs of poor home business strategies

Copyright 2006 eliasg Every day, countless individuals sign on with various home business strategies looking for a way to find personal freedom and financial independence. Some make wise decisions that lead to a lifetime of prosperity. Too many, however, embrace flawed models that create nothing but disappointment. There are so many home business strategies available, that it is almost impossible to keep track of them. New plans are introduced every day and the business of creating and promoting work at home plans is becoming its own massive industry. That means there are more great options available to those who want to escape the nine to five grind, but it also means there are more scams and dead ends than ever before. Spotting potential weaknesses of home business strategies allows one to cut their losses in a hurry and to seek out a more lucrative opportunity. Understanding some of the warning signs associated with poor home business strategies can prevent wasted effort and involvement altogether. Here are three characteristics often associated with the kind of home business plan that leads to more frustration than profit: First, if you don’t have immediately accessible and truly helpful back-up support, you might be in the middle of a quickly developing disaster. If the opportunity’s support system is simply calling someone in your “upline” who will direct you to spend more and more on motivational products or advertising, that’s just as bad as having no help at all. If the home business opportunity makes you “do it alone,” think twice about participation. If you are already “in,” think hard about getting “out!” Second, if part of the opportunity’s plan involves pitching a product or service to family and friends, you might want to look at it with a skeptical eye. Often, home businesses that focus on “signing up” others are often among the most problematic home businesses. Not all such plans are dead-ends, but enough of them are to justify careful examination. Third, if you sense organization problems with any home business plan, you should see it as a red flag. Waiting for commission checks or not receiving information on schedule can be a definite sign that things are not as solid as you need them to be. Make sure to align yourself with a plan that is solidly structured and well backed. It can be tough to avoid the rotten apples that seem to be multiplying in the work at home barrel, but it is possible to make a wise program decision by exercising an appropriate level of caution. Looking out for problems like the ones mentioned here is a great way of increasing the odds of your own home business success.

Finding the right printer

To produce thousands of copies of a fifteen page brochure at a rate of one page per minute with men working 24 hours a day would perhaps take over a week. But to produce the same quantity of brochures using your desktop printer would take over a decade! Clearly, desktop printing is not really an option in terms of cost, quality and speed. Hence, when you need large volumes of brochure or catalogs to be printed, it is perhaps a good idea to let the professional handle the job for you. There are, however, several things you need to consider in choosing the commercial printer for your particular print job. Perhaps one of the things you need to consider is the kind of printing process used by the printer. Do they use offset printing or maybe digital technology? Is letterpress and screen printing also available? After you have decided on which printing process to use, you now have to determine which printer has the right equipment. Find out the number of colors they can handle, how long they can do the print job and what other equipment and services do they offer. Also, find out what kind of print job each printer specializes and what types of binding and folding equipments they use. But aside from determining which kind of printing method and printing equipment is appropriate for you, it is also essential to know what kind of workers will work with the print job. Understand that although the printing company has the right equipment and printing technique it does not mean that the equipments and facilities will make great print jobs. Look for samples of work of these printers and focus more on their printing technique not merely on their design process. Also, look for clean colors, smooth text and focused images and graphics. It is also a good idea to visit the printer to get a good feel of who you will be working with. And when you meet them face to face, ask them what you want to know about their service. You can ask questions such as how many presses they have and what are the capabilities of each; how long they have been in the business; what software they accepts and what kind of payment they receive. You can also ask their previous customers for feedbacks to know if they are able to meet their customer’s printing needs. It is essential to know this information ahead of time so you would not regret your choice later on. When you are able to find the right commercial printer, they will be able to make your printing job look great.

Artwork for label printing

If you are just getting involved with label printing or are considering outsourcing your label printing needs to a professional, you have probably already encountered a few industry-specific terms with which you may not be entirely familiar. One such term is “artwork.” Artwork is completely unrelated to your favorite museum pieces and does not necessarily refer to “graphical” elements, either. Let us look at what artwork for label printing is all about. In the simplest of terms, artwork refers to the layout of a label’s design. That includes factors such as the actual words used (referred to as the “copy”) and any images that might be involved in the design, as well. In essence, the artwork for label printing is the complete “look” of the label, including all of its components. Artwork is finalized prior to the label printing company’s creation of printing plates or negatives. Depending upon the label printing company with whom you work, artwork may be your responsibility, their responsibility, or a joint effort. In all cases, the label printing firm should provide you with samples, or mock-ups, of your labels before turning the artwork into a final product. Label printing experts often employee design specialists to help with artwork. In some cases, they will actually create the label’s artwork after a discussion with the client and then submit it to the buyer for approval. In other situations, a bare-bones label printing team may require you to provide finished artwork. Understanding the vocabulary of label printing is an important way to make sure you get what you want from the printer. Artwork, which refers to the collective whole of your future label, is an expression with which you will need to be familiar.

Seasonal makeup tips

This is a continuation of the article "Makeup Tips According To The Seasons". Although this can be read separately, it is best to read the previous article first before reading this one. Here are some tips on how to put on eye shadows. Apply first to the under brow a highlighter color like a light neutral color. Apply from the brow to the lid. Examples of highlighter colors to be used on the under brow were pale taupe or gray. Next, apply a second color to the orbital bone like a dark or medium neutral. These colors can be brought halfway to the lid. Examples of colors to be used on the orbital bone were smoked plum, gray, or smoked navy. Apply a third color to the lid. These colors could be the same color as your eyes or a complimentary neutral. Examples of colors to be used on the lid were mushroom, taupe, mauve, cocoa, plum, grayed brown, smoked mauve, or navy. When it came to picking a mascara only people categorized as "winters", with extremely dark eyes, were to wear black. Other "winters" would wear brown-black or brown according to the depth of their coloring. If eyeliner was used, a person was to use only a touch of crayon on the outer third of the upper lid. People categorized as "winters" were given guidelines when it came to hair coloring. "Winters" were to never to frost their hair, bleach their hair, or add red. If they used henna on their hair, it was to be natural or black. Hair colors they could dye their hair with were ash brown or blue-black. Suggestions were given on what "winters" could wear when it came to their clothes. "Winters" were to start their basic wardrobe with neutral and basic colors. White, black, navy and taupe were the neutral colors that could be used for skirts, pants, shoes and handbags. Burgundy, blue-red, true red, true blue, true green, emerald green and pine green were the basic colors that could be used for coats, suits, blazers and basic dresses. Accessories for "winters" were to be silver, platinum, or white gold. "Winters" were to pick perfumes and/or colognes with spicy scents. "Winters" were also given guidelines on which seasons to wear their colored clothes especially for them. For example, when it came to wintertime, "winters" were to wear black jackets, gray skirts, black pants, red dresses and magenta sweaters. Colors for casual blouses could be icy gray, purple, white paisley and black paisley. When it came to a dressy blouse, it was to be white. When it came to a cocktail dress, pants, or skirt; it was to be black. Casual pants and skirts were to be navy. A causal top was to be red. Shoes were to be to be black, navy and burgundy. A regular coat was to be black and a trench coat was to be taupe. An evening wrap could be emerald green and made of velvet. When it came to summertime, "winters" were to wear white jackets and skirts. The color for pants were to be navy and the color for dresses were to be true green. For a dressy blouse, the color was to be purple. A summer sweater was to be a navy knit. Colors for a casual blouse could be a true red, navy and white stripe. When it came to a cocktail dress, pants, or skirt; it was to be white. Casual pants and skirts were to be were to be white as well. A casual top was to be shocking pink. Shoes were to be white, black and taupe. If summer outerwear is needed, it was to be an icy gray trench coat and a white shawl.

Junior wholesale golf equipment

Benefits of Junior Wholesale Golf Equipment There are a number of benefits for individuals that are interested in purchasing golf equipment, and who settle on purchasing junior wholesale golf equipment. Many people may wonder how it is possible to purchase junior wholesale golf equipment and how the companies are able to offer these items at such a discounted price. When individual consumers purchases junior wholesale golf equipment, they can either pay the up front cost of the item, which is typically not inflated, or it is possible to purchase the items in bulk. For an individual to purchase items in bulk, they have to be purchasing more than one item or the same type of goods or services. The reason that so many people are interested in purchasing items in bulk is because the item they are considering purchasing is one that they use all the time and would thus need a lot of the item, or because they are aware that this type of purchase would save them money in the long run. Either way, when individuals are looking for discounted, new golf equipment they can always consider junior wholesale golf equipment. The way the companies make money is fairly simple. If a person purchases just one item at a wholesale price, they are able to purchase the item at a price that would be just high enough to cover the cost of the manufacturer for making the product and, in some cases, the minimal cost of stocking and storing the items in a warehouse for sale. There are clubs that are open to individuals that would like to purchase wholesale items, after paying an annual fee. This also determines how the wholesale company or provider is able to charge low costs for their items such as junior wholesale golf equipment. When a person wants to purchase a large quantity of items such as the junior wholesale golf equipment, it is possible to purchase an entire set of the item that the individual is interested in purchasing. Since the company is confident in the fact that the items will sell, and they have a supposedly guaranteed buyer, they are able to charge less per individual item in the set. This is because if they offer to sell single items that are indicative of junior wholesale golf equipment, they may not sell as many. Sold individually, a person may only purchase three golf balls and three tees, for example. However, when they are sold in sets of 12, the company knows that they will sell all twelve when the set is purchased because of the way that they are packaged. This allows the company to be able to charge less per individual piece of junior wholesale golf equipment. Purchasing junior wholesale golf equipment for one’s self or child is a very important process because families want to be sure that the items that are being purchased are ones that enable the individual to function as highly as possible on the golf field. It can also help when the prices are reasonable, which is part of what makes purchasing junior wholesale golf equipment so attractive.

How to apply for a factoring loan

Factoring is the process of securing money against outstanding accounts receivables for your company. Despite the idea out there that only businesses that are in financial trouble use factoring, it is actually a common practice for many businesses. From time to time, most every business, and especially small ones and start-ups, will find themselves short of cash while waiting for payment on a product or service already provided. What factoring does is allow you to have the money for payroll and overhead while you wait. Factoring loans are not hard to get. In fact, most businesses qualify for factoring of up to 80% of the value on outstanding accounts payable receipts. Despite the ease of them to get, there is an application process involved when using factoring with your business. Knowing how to apply for a factoring loan can make the entire process go more smoothly for you when the time comes to get your factoring loan. How it Begins The first part of how to apply for a factoring loan depends upon what institution you use for the service. If you are using an online financial institution or at least the internet as a means to contact them, you will likely be filling out a simple online application. If you are working with an institution in person, then you will fill out paper work in person instead of electronically. Either way, though, you will fill out similar information about not only your company, but also you personally. Business Part of Application When looking at how to apply for a factoring loan, you can divide the process into three parts. The first of those parts is information about your business. To fill out your factoring loan application you will need, obviously, the name of your company. You will also need to give them the “DBA” if you have one, the physical address of your business, and all other contact information including email addresses, website, and even telephone and fax numbers. From your business, you will also need to make sure you can supply your federal tax ID number and state of formation. What type of business you have in terms of what you do as well as whether your company is an LLC, corporation, partnership, or whatever else yours may be. Personal Information The next part of your factoring application will likely ask for personal information. Again, you will need to have contact information and address. They will also likely want to know what percentage of the company you own. Finally, for credit purposes, they will in almost every case ask for your social security number. Customer Information Finally, when learning how to apply for a factoring loan, you will need some client information. You will likely be asked to supply the names of at least a couple of your biggest customers whose receipts you will be factoring. Additionally, you may have to provide information about how much money’s worth of unpaid A/R you have. Knowing how to apply for a factoring loan is important so that you can have information at the ready when the time comes. You will want to have information about your company, you personally, and your clients. With all of that in hand, you will be only a few hours or days away from the factoring loans you need to keep your business running efficiently.

Unbiased abortion faqs

The topic of abortion is extremely controversial and has received a great deal of media coverage regarding the legality, morality, and constitutionality of the topic. There are a phenomenal number of groups and organizations in existence that are willing to provide their version of abortion facts, but take great care when seeking information on abortion. Many of these organizations or groups put a certain spin on information or only present part of the information in order to show their stance in the most positive light. Depending on the specific stance of the group or organization at hand, either pro choice or pro life, the information can potentially be widely skewed and you will not have the necessary understanding of the argument or the procedure. If you are a woman faced with an unwanted pregnancy and wish to seek out all potential options that are available to you or if you are an individual who wishes to learn more about the topic of abortion before you form your own opinions, be sure to seek out information from unbiased sources. In a topic as complex and widely discussed as abortion, there are few outlets that offer truly unbiased abortion facts. This is mainly because the topic is highly fueled with a number of factors, including religious and moral ones, that can influence your way of thinking. Try to find unbiased sources that are legitimate and trust worthy. Most news organizations are capable of presenting news or current events issues in an unbiased light, so these outlets are a great source of information. However, that being said, many media outlets are run by groups with pro life or pro choice agendas, so the information presented is biased and should not be trusted without first learning the counterpoint. The best way to attain information about abortion is to hear from both sides of the argument. Both the pro life and the pro choice sides have a great many organizations that regularly provide a great deal of information and other abortion facts. By learning about both sides of the argument, you will be better able to form your own opinions and make your own choices. Abortion FAQ Answered The topic of abortion is a widely debated and controversial one in the country, and has been for many years. There is a great deal of incorrect or biased information available from organizations and groups with different agendas. This information may come from a pro life organization or a pro choice organization and has a certain spin so that the specific information is presented in a certain manner so that it benefits that group’s position on the topic of abortion. Although this information may be mostly correct, it can be written in a manner so that it seems to be for or against abortion, depending on the stance of the specific organization. Instead of seeking information from a biased source or only researching one specific organization for information, seek out a number of sources for their abortion FAQ. Abortion FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions and can deal with a number of topics and concerns regarding the controversial topic of abortion. Such questions can deal with topics like legality, medical treatment options, alternative options, and emotion support for after the procedure has been performed. You should take great care to ask any questions that you may have regarding abortion, not matter how small or trivial. Seek out answers to all your questions through researching the internet or your local library or by asking medical professionals, clergy, or individuals who have experienced the procedure in the past. Remember, FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions, so you are certainly not the first person have these questions regarding a topic as important as abortion. When seeking answer to abortion FAQ, look toward the medical community for help. Ask your physician questions or seek a referral to a physician who will be capable of answering these questions. Look for a second or third opinion for your inquiries in order to receive information from a variety of trained professionals. When asking questions directly regarding the abortion procedure, make sure you understand the details of the procedure in addition to any potential side effects or complications that may occur. By understanding all aspects of the procedure, you will be able to make an informed decision whether to pursue and abortion or not.

Installing ceramic tile in a shower

Installing ceramic tile in a shower starts with a proper foundation. The foundation consists of WonderBoard or Durock cement board on the walls and a Shower Pan Membrane Liner in the base of the shower, if the shower floor is to be tiled too. WonderBoard or Durock cement board, also known as backerboard, are resistant to water and are ideal materials for applying ceramic tiles to high-moisture areas. Durock can be applied directly to wall studs and ceiling joists using hot-dipped galvanized nails or galvanized wood screws. Thin-set or an adhesive mortar can be applied directly on the WonderBoard or Durock cement board for attaching the ceramic tiles. However, fiberglass mesh tape should be applied over all seams and smoothed out with a latex thin-set prior to the application of ceramic tiles. If ceramic tile is desired on the floor of the shower as well, then a shower pan membrane liner should be installed prior to the installation of the WonderBoard or Durock cement board. The shower pan membrane liner is used to ensure a leak-proof shower. Shower pan membrane liners are used to funnel any water that seeps through the floor or wall grout to the shower drain below. The shower pan membrane liner is made up of a flexible type of plastic material that sits below a bed of mortar, and the tile, in the shower floor area. Prior to installing the shower pan membrane liner, the floor of the shower needs to be pre-sloped to ensure that the water will flow towards the shower drain assembly. The pre-slope is accomplished by applying a layer of mortar to the floor of the shower unit area. The layer of mortar is troweled in such as way as to create a gentle slope from the shower wall edges to the center of the shower where the drain resides. Once the pre-slope mortar has cured, the flexible shower pan membrane liner can then be installed. There are a couple of types of shower pan membrane liners on the market, with each having their own benefits. With either type of membrane, the homeowner needs to form and fold the material into the base of the shower area and secure it to the sides of the shower wall frame with staples and/or nails. In addition, an opening in the membrane should be cut out to allow the adjustable shower drain assembly to slip through. With the shower pan membrane installed, the cementitious ceramic tile backerboard can then be secured to the framed shower walls. The backerboard is a rigid material that is ideal for attaching tile in wet areas such as a shower stall. After installing the ceramic tile backerboard, a final coat of mortar needs to be applied on top of the shower pan membrane to protect it and to provide a solid base for laying the ceramic floor tile. With the final coat of mortar cured, the ceramic tile can then be installed in the shower. Once the tile and grout have been installed, the shower drain assembly should be adjusted so that the drain height sits flush with the finished ceramic tile floor. For more information on installing a shower pan membrane liner, see the Shower Pan Membrane Liner Installation EBook from HomeAdditionPlus. The Shower Pan Membrane Liner EBook will quickly teach you the step-by-step process for installing the shower pan membrane liner correctly. It includes instructions on framing the shower stall, pouring the pre-slope and shower base mortar, and installing the shower pan membrane liner.

How to choose the best balance transfer credit card

Credit cards are often the cause of financial troubles for many people today. They are often so easy to get - but they can also be so hard to control. However, by taking advantage of some special balance transfer credit cards, help can be found that could bring some ease to financially tight situations. This article will focus on how to choose the best balance transfer credit card, making sure that the card you pick is the right one for you. What Is A Balance Transfer Credit Card? This particular kind of credit card allows you to take an existing credit card balance, which is at a standard rate of interest - possibly as high as 29%, and put it on another card. The new card makes the transfer appealing to you by offering either a low monthly interest on the transfer, or even no interest on the balance - for the life of that transfer amount. Making this kind of a credit card balance transfer not only makes good financial sense, but it is also easy to do. What Are The Special Gimmicks Of The Card? Obviously, a credit card issuer is not in the business of giving an opportunity like this away without any potential strings attached. Here are a few things that you might want to read the fine print in the offer and look for. • Transfer Charges Some credit card companies seem to want to play with the fact that not everybody reads the fine print. So, for the unwary, there could be a fee for making the balance transfers, or, it is possible that other advantages made in the offer could offset the transfer charges. You will have to look it over and compare it with other card offers. Ideally, if you accept a card with transfer charges, try to get one that puts a cap on the amount - for example, around $60 to $75. • Yearly Charges The transfer may be free, and the interest, but there could be an annual fee for the use of the card. This means whether or not there is any balance on the card - you will still pay the fee for as long as the card is active. Many cards will carry no annual fee. • New Purchases Here is another thing that you need to look for. A balance transfer credit card may offer you 0% interest on the amount transferred, but the amount of interest on new purchases could be very high. • Introductory Rate Every card has an offer to get you to get their card. One common feature is the promise of a low rate for new purchases. Be careful about focusing only on the promise of 0% interest on credit card balance transfers. Check out the length of time for the introductory interest rate, toopare that also with other card offers. What Are You Going To Use The Card For? Another consideration about which card to choose should be based upon why you need such a card. If you have a lot of credit card debt, then the purpose should be only to put on the card your current credit card balance transfers. This means that you should try to get a card with 0% interest on the balance transfer amount, and that you will not use it to make new purchases. Also, seek to pay as much as you can as quickly as you can. When choosing your balance transfer credit card, the ball game is in your hands. It can either help you - or hurt you, if you get a card too hastily. Do a little research, compare cards, and then proceed with comfort - knowing that you got the best one for your needs.

Alison s journey book review

The dedication in this book is a work of poetry in itself. I had a distinct recollection of ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ when reading this book, but this story has some very unique twists and turns. The characters seemed very real to me – I live in a small town and we are just like that! Here, we are shown the psychological cycle of the victim of domestic violence (Alison) and her growing awareness that some things can change for the better, trust can be had and given, and faith in inner strength can grow. Like many who crawl out of hellish conditions, Alison did not do it on her strength alone, but through a few strong, giving individuals who contributed a gesture or a friendship along the way. Yet, most healing of all is to find a new, healthy love and good, solid relationships with others – a most difficult thing for victims of abuse to do. If it was the author’s intent to use the main character to bring depth and understanding into what people go through in situations like these, then she accomplished this goal admirably! Readers are shown how being rich, good looking and well-educated – having all the benefits one could desire - cannot lead to happiness. Mr. Bruce Cockburn says it best in a song of his which says ‘though chains be of gold, they are chains just the same’. Amey Tippett has accomplished a work of art with this book. I really felt like I was right there watching the children play during the festivals and feeling the pain and fright of impending danger, and endured the hellish nightmares along with Alison. This was a fantastic read and I would not hesitate to recommend Alison’s Journey. ISBN#: 1413740073 Author: Amey Tippett Publisher: Publish America

Hope diamond the killing stone

Of all the well-known big diamonds the most infamous is the Hope Diamond, a blue colored beauty that was dubbed “The Killing Stone.” According to the legend the hope was placed in front of a Buddha statue when it was stolen by a warrior, Tavernier, and a curse that foretold bad luck and death befell on the stone ever since. For this transgression, the legend says, Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia just after he had sold the diamond. This was the first horrible death attributed to the curse. But many others would follow… The businessman who had acquired the stone sold it to king Louis XV. Soon after that, the businessman got poor, contracted a mysterious disease and died suffering terrible convulsions. When Louis XV died, his grandson, Louis XVI, became king with Marie Antoinette as his queen. According to the legend, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded during the French Revolution because of the blue diamond's curse. After the French Revolution, the diamond was hidden in a government building, where it was stolen in 1791. Six years later, the thieves were condemned to the death penalty. In 1830, Francis Hope bought the huge blue diamond in an auction for 90.000 pounds and gave the stone his name. Francis Hope, who was a member of the parliament, soon died a sudden, unexplained death. Soon after his demise, his widow was burned to death in their mansion. After receiving the stone, Francis Hope’s heir and nephew, Thomas, went bankrupted and was abandoned by his wife. Thomas got rid of the diamond, which was purchased by the Russian prince Iva Kitanovski who gave it to a ballerina. The night she wore it for the first time she was shot and killed. After a series of tragedies the stone found itself in the hands of Sultan Abdul Mamid II, who was forced to resign in favor of his brother and took the Hope along with other personal things to exile. In the beginning of the 20th century the Hope was purchased by the McLean family and soon after, their daughter committed suicide and their nine-year-old son died in a car accident. Mr. McLean got really depressed and died months later in a mental institution in 1941. Evalyn McLean had wanted her jewelry to go to her grandchildren. But in 1949, two years after her death, her jewelry was put on sale in order to settle debts from her estate. When the Hope diamond went on sale in 1949, it was bought by a famous New York jeweler: Harry Winston. For almost a decade, Winston offered the diamond on numerous occasions to be worn at balls to raise money for charity. Then, on the 10th of November of 1958, this magnificent blue diamond traveled in a plain brown box by registered mail and was met by an eager group of people at the Smithsonian Institute. Some believe that Winston donated the Hope diamond to rid himself of the curse. In 2003, the Hope was taken to a museum laboratory for testing. It was only the second time in 20 years the Hope has been removed from its necklace setting. They focused an ultraviolet beam on the stone. Then turned off the beam and, in pitch dark, the diamond glowed bright orange-amber (most blue diamonds phosphoresce light blue.) It's that strong color, which lasts for several seconds, that intrigues scientists. Some speculate it's related to chemical impurities that give its blue color. What causes the gem to fluoresce remains a mystery. But since the Hope Diamond has inspired many legends, some say that the glowing color reflects the blood of royalty spilled during the French Revolution and the trail of death and bad luck that followed the stone over the centuries. Aside from its bad reputation, this diamond has been nothing but good luck for the Smithsonian Museum. After Winston’s donation, attendance has jumped and it has encourage others to donate, helping the museum to build its world-class gem collection. So don’t worry if you decide to visit it, the Hope’s negative magnetic energy won't pass through the thick crystal glass that guards this mystical, largest deep blue diamond in the world.

5 Outdoor decorating tips

Spring is here and decorating is in the air. We all love putting out fresh new looks in our homes this time of year, but have you thought recently about the outside? Often we're so busy decorating or redecorating inside, we forget to do the same outside as well. So here are a few quick and easy outdoor decorating tips that will help spruce up the curb appeal of your home: 1. Paint: You can paint the entire house and trim, or simply touch up the trim alone... either way will make a huge impact on how your home looks to the passing public. 2. Porch or Patio: If you already have a porch or patio, simply putting new furniture out can make a wonderful difference in the presentation of your home. Alternatively, you can simply buy new cushions or covers for your existing patio furniture. Other quick patio spruce ups can be as simple as putting out a few flowering potted plants, adding gnomes or statues, or putting a small water fountain into the space. 3. Walkways: Having walkways outside your home add a cozy, homey and inviting feel to the overall outdoor presentation. Just a straight concrete walkway can be spruced up by putting a bit of garden bed edging along each side... putting small solar walkway lights on each side... or planting colorful annual flowers such as petunias on each side. If you don't already have a walkway and want to create one, I think the prettiest are those made of stone. Add an extra decorative touch by making the walkway curve or wind a bit to your front door instead of leading straight there. 4. Yard ornaments: These can be as simple as a small bird house, a pole mounted outdoor lantern light, or even a wheelbarrow with flowers. Putting a little something extra in your yard defines you and your tastes, plus it gives your home a more unique personality that stands out from your neighbors. 5. Flowers, Plants, Vines & Bushes: Probably the most popular way to spruce up a yard quickly is to simply put out some pretty plants, bushes, vines and flowers. Annuals are great for adding dashes of color quickly, because you can usually buy them this time of year in bloom. To get continuous color and greenery, plant some perrenials too. Then once the annuals are starting to die out, you'll have something to replace them. You'll also have the added joy of seeing the perrenials sprout again for several years to come. Would you like additional outdoor decorating tips? See the rest of this article and related resources at: diyhomedecorating/articles/2006-05/372/10-tips-for-improving-the-curb-appeal-of-your-house/

Which paid online survey companies really pay for your opinion

Paid Survey Companies conduct market research on behalf of thousands of companies that produce products and sell services. They will pay you for a quick 10 minute survey and they will even send products to your home and compenste you with anythwere from $10 to $75 just for trying out a new product and telling them what you think. Online surveys are are an easy way for these companies to collect consumer opinions before they launch a new product or service. Now, the question is, how much money can you make with paid surveys? It all depends on a few factors. The first factor is that you must join the top survey sites online. The second factor is that you must join a few different paid survey sites, so you always have a steady stream of surveys coming your way. Depending on the number, duration and type of survey you are sent, you are usually paid pretty well for your time. Typical surveys take about 5 to 30 minutes to complete. The longer the survey, the more you earn. From time to time, you will even be invited to join a Focus Group, which last 1 to 2 hours and usually pays upwards of $50. Most people then say to themselves, "Where do I start?". Continue on and read the tips below, and you will be well on your way to earning the extra income you have always wanted and needed. Remember, all of the information on the best paid online surveys should be free. You should NEVER pay for information about online surveys. I can't stress this enough. You don't have to pay money to take surveys or try new products. I have been a member of dozens of the top paid survey sites on the internet and not once did I have to pay a dime for any of the information I received. After extensive research, there are quite a few amazing Paid Offers out there, and now is the time for you to start collecting money for your opinion.

How to save time money on car rental

Lowest Rates Vs. A Good Bargain Many people approach Car Rental as a lowest-price-possible contest rather than to concentrate on the value of the deal they eventually would get, in terms of what type of car, what’s included (air conditioning, automatic gear shift etc’) as well as what type of service they are buying. The thing is, Car Rental market is very competitive one and rates differences for comparable quality and service are relatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These minuet price differences are going to vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest renter counter, drop charges for remote destinations, late return fines, and gasoline inflated rates as well as other service charges you didn’t think about when you shopped for the “best deal”. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t like to pay higher prices more than you do. We do recommend to shop around and check the various rates available, especially when it’s so easy to do it via the Internet at comparison sites. All we say here you need to consider other things beside the price and when you compare please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears. Things to consider when ordering a rented a car Who is using the car, are you by yourself on a business trip or you are traveling with the whole family? How much luggage are you going to have, does the car you are thinking about is big enough to have you all plus all your hand luggage and big suitcases? If not, consider to change to a mini van or a car with extra large trunk. Do you need an Infant seat or a child booster? make sure it is mentioned clearly with your order, usually there is a shortage of these seats and they are provided for extra charge. Check the state laws for where you are traveling. A new law in Denver for instance, requires Booster Seats for all 4 and 5 year olds who are not 55 inches tall. Do you actually need the car in the town or city at the first few days? If not, consider to take a taxi, a bus, a train or the hotel shuttle into the city and when it’s time for you to go out of town and travel around, then, rent the car from the city location and by that save up to 15% on Air-Port charges as well as on city parking fees. Are you going to a very warm and humid destination? If yes, it’s recommended to order a car with air conditioning, usually the price difference is negligible, the problem is that it’s not available in all destinations like in some European countries. Most major rental car companies allow for unlimited mileage in the same state, but it's a good idea to check their policy before confirming. Many smaller local independent companies charge mileage after 100-200 free miles per day. As mentioned before price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a car rental company. If you choose a very small, no-name company, don’t expect them to provide you with service across all nation or continent, what would you do if the car is needed to be replaced or serviced for some reason? Frequent or Preferred Renter Programs and affiliations Frequent renter programs, Like airlines and hotels, major car rental companies track their customers’ rental histories and offer preferential service to loyal customers. Most of the major companies offer frequent renter programs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs and hotel frequent-guest programs. Preferred renter clubs, Most major car rental companies also offer preferred renter programs or clubs (one example is the Hertz #1 Club). When you belong to one of these clubs, you get preferential treatment, including automatic upgrades when those cars are available. You can join these programs at any time, even if you are a first-time renter with that company. While basic-level club memberships are often free, higher-level memberships (as in the Hertz #1 Gold Club, which allows you to bypass the rental counter) generally come with a price tag. What most people don’t realize is that it’s often possible to avoid the membership fee by simply writing or calling your car rental company and asking them to waive it. They will do it because the car rental industry is very competitive, and they want your business If you're still faced with a steep rate, try getting discounts based on your affiliations with organizations like AARP, AAA or others. These discounts are usually not great, but they are better than nothing. In addition, always check for corporate rates if applicable to your situation. Car Rental Insurance Some of the Insurance terms seem to be confusing, let’s try to clear them out first. CDW - Collision Damage Waiver. LDW - Loss Damage Waiver. PDW - Physical Damage Waiver. PAI - Personal Accident Insurance. PEC - Personal Effects Coverage. ALI - Additional Liability Insurance. Many of the Credit Cards have most of these coverage, therefore it’s not mandatory to purchase excessive coverage. It’s better to check this issue with your travel agent, insurance agent and your credit card company a head of time. Some Car rental companies require that you show proof of insurance. Also be aware that your personal insurance probably doesn’t apply to your rental car when traveling overseas. All this is somewhat complicated and at times confusing because there are no industry standards for terminology and policies vary by locations. Important things to check and do before leaving the Air-Port After a long flight and the waiting in lines for your luggage and afterwards for your keys at the car rental counter, it is understandable you just want to take the rented car and drive away to your hotel, but wait! Here is a list of things you must check first. Start by making a careful check around the car, look for any small dents or scratches, in case you find some, don’t be lazy, go back to the office and ask a representative of the rental company to write down all of these dents, ask for a copy of that report. Other wise you might be responsible for damages you didn’t perform. Open the trunk, make sure you have a spare tire, a jack and set of tools, there is noting more irritating than to find out in the middle of nowhere that you don’t have a jack when you need to replace a flat tire. Many car companies will provide you with an extra key if you ask for one. This can come in handy for some of us who are absent minded. It is recommended to spend some time to get acquainted with the cars’ features and switches, make sure you know where the lights switches are, how to operate the windshield wipers, the air conditioner and even set your favorite radio stations as well as set your side mirrors. It might be quiet frustrating to fight with the new switches while driving, when all of a sudden it starts raining. Make sure you have a map and it’s better to spend few more minutes and plan your driving route. Last but certainly not least, If you have a lot of luggage, don’t park the car in the parking lot and go for lunch, in many countries, this is an easy target for the thieves, It’s better to buy some sandwiches and beverages in the air-port, or stop somewhere along the way for refreshing but never leave the car unattended. In case you are involved in a Car Accident These are the most important pieces of information to collect from the involved parties: full name, mailing address, telephone number, insurance details, and drivers’ license number. Also try to get the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident. Make a note of the vehicle’s make, color, brand and license plate number. Try to pinpoint the exact time and location of the accident. If the police get involved, ensure that you receive a copy of their report. Don't forget to inform your insurance agent immediately and notify the car rental company. They will let you know about their accident procedure. If you purchased insurance through the car rental company, they will have to make the claim. If there is damage to the rental car, there will be much paper work to complete Make sure any involved parties are ok. Any injuries should be taken care of ASAP. Call the police and/or ambulance (if necessary), and then call the car rental agency. Be as cooperative as possible. The car rental agency will have its own policies regarding accidents. Exchange information with the affected parties. Try to record everything on the scene. Your notes should include details of the accident, identification of the autos and people involved, and the names and badge numbers of all emergency personnel. Take pictures if possible. If you are on vacation, you will probably have a camera handy already. File an accident report with the police, and report the claim to your own credit card company or insurance company. When returning the Car Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time, that includes looking the location in the map especially if you return the car in a foreign city. Late return charges are high and arbitrary, secondly, if you are late, you probably won’t have the time to fill the car with gasoline yourself and the rental company will charge you exorbitant inflated gasoline rates. In case you return the car in a city location on Sunday, it might be that the station will be deserted, it will let you in via automated gate, make sure to take the card and leave it over the dashboard, this is your recorded time of arrival. In addition, lock the car, take the keys plus your rental contract and insert them into the designated box.

Covient sap business one solution provider

13th July 2006 System Application and Product in Data Processing [SAP Business One] is business Software for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). It is ERP Software that integrates CRM with financial and logistic modules. This is introduced to integrate all data and processes of an organization into a single unified system by using single database to store the data of various system modules. This is mainly useful for the small and midsize enterprise as it automates their critical operations like, sales, finance, purchase, inventory and manufacturing up to the minute picture of their business. SAP Business One is affordable and easy to implement solution designed to fulfill the specific needs of emerging and dynamically growing businesses. Covient is leading and Independent SAP Business One Solution Provider. Covient has over 15 years of experience in ERP Market, serving various industries with Integrated Software Solutions and Outsourcing Solutions. SAP Business one helps the business to manage their sales, inventory, operations and accounting. SAP business one is a complete real time business management solution with embedded CRM, sales, purchasing, inventory, MRP, production, service, workflow, powerful reporting, Microsoft office integration including outlook and complete financial accounting. At Covient, we understand all your business needs and provides total solution right from most reliable ERP Solution, we take care of all your business Software needs like customizing the solution to your exact business needs, development utilities, project management, technical support, training and implementation. For more information about us please visit us at: Covient

How to best select an affiliate program

How To Best Select An Affiliate Program Marketing products and services through the Internet is unquestionably easier and more rewarding compared to traditional marketing methods. With the millions of people worldwide getting online each day, there’s an enormous possibility for a merchant to sell his products and generate huge income. However, merchandisers are not the only ones who can benefit from online marketing. A booming industry nowadays, provides great opportunity as well to individuals as affiliate marketers. In affiliate marketing, an affiliate marketer doesn’t need to have his own products and services to sell. All he needs to do is to refer people to the merchant’s business site for them to buy the products and thereby, earn a commission. The key to an affiliate marketer’s success is to choose a good affiliate program and to employ excellent marketing techniques in promoting or selling the products to consumers. Why good and not the best affiliate program? There is no “best affiliate marketing program,” as one program might make one affiliate marketer a millionaire and the other a frustrated marketer. In other words, it can be a success to one and a failure to another. But there certainly is a good affiliate marketing program to start with. How to make it best would now depend on you. But before you think how you are going to make it best and financially rewarding, first think about how you are going to land on a good affiliate program with the thousands of affiliate marketing opportunities abounding in the Internet today. Try to look into the following tips and suggestions on how to best select the affiliate program that’s right for you. Information, that’s you need in order to make the right choice. It is helpful when you have already focused your search to a specific interest, which may be the theme of your website (if you already have one). In this way, you would be able to direct yourself towards a program that really matches your needs, wants and resources. It would be easier for you to eliminate options that are not suited to your own criteria for a good affiliate marketing program. You can join affiliate forums and learn some tips and get suggestions from experienced affiliate marketers. However, be wise enough to weigh their ideas before you buy them. The Internet Affiliate marketing program networks are good places to look for choices. Here, merchants and affiliate marketers like you meet. The merchants advertise their affiliate programs to interested affiliates who sign up in the network for free. Third party affiliate program networks are helpful since they provide you with access to a large number of advertisers (merchandisers) simultaneously. You can easily track and compare their sales records, performances, benefits, products and services. So now you have choices, the next question is which among those options is the right one. Here are some things to consider in deciding which to take and which to reject. First is the quality of the products and services. As an affiliate marketer your goal is not only to make visitors of your site click the link to the business site; but more importantly, to promote the product so they would buy it. If the customers are not convinced upon going to the business site, then you don’t earn. Make sure the products you are endorsing are worthwhile or in the business context, saleable. Ask yourself: if I were the customer, would I buy it? Would I recommend it to my family or good friend? If you can’t convince yourself or your family and friends to buy it, take a look at your next option. Another is the affiliate program or the merchandiser’s history. Look into their previous and present sales data, their proven and tested affiliate marketing systems and their partners’ experiences with them. Although, success of the program really depends on you, this one is still very important. The sales records don’t only show how good the affiliates are, but they speak about the products’ reliability, market availability and the company or the merchandisers’ reputation as well. Moreover, look into and carefully study the company’s compensation plan. Your purpose for joining the program is to earn, so make sure you’ll be paid for all your efforts fairly. If you do not have much time to promote intensively the affiliate products by creating banners, graphics and articles, choose affiliate programs that help you create these for your web site. It would be great if the company provides training on how to effectively market products online. Remember that affiliate marketing is a partnership, so make sure your partner is able to support you as you help him promote his products and services. Take down all the advantages and disadvantages of each program you are considering so you can clearly see the difference among your options; then later, compare the advantages of the programs with your own checklist. Take time to gather all the info you need to choose the right program. Remember an informed choice is the best choice.

Choices for buying cooking and enjoying fish

Wild Salmon There are six species of Pacific salmon - chum, coho, king (chinook), pink, sockeye and steelhead - and all are wild. Wild West coast salmon are harvested commercially in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and much of Canada. Smoked wild salmon is a delicious seafood item. The delicacy is simple to prepare and lends itself to a wide variety of dishes. Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which is well known as having health benefits. Studies have shown that smoked salmon has a very low level of mercury, unlike some other seafood. The Journal of American Medicine Association recently published a report stating that adding salmon at least once a week to your diet will cut the risk of sudden cardiac death in half. Tuna Tuna is consumed in a variety of ways. Tuna is the most well known and available fish in the USA and many other parts of the world due to it's popularity as a canned product. Most of us grew up on tuna salad sandwiches and associate that experience with tuna as a meal. Readers that have been lucky enough to enjoy fresh caught tuna know that there is quite a difference between a canned tuna salad sandwich and a fresh grilled tuna steak! Tuna is delicious grilled, blackened, or as sushi. Those of us that still love tuna salad can enjoy tuna from the can or use leftover grilled tuna to create a unique and delightful tuna salad with a unique flavor. Smoked fish lovers will be thrilled to know that tuna is excellent when smoked. The finished smoked product makes fish dips, salads or just eaten alone. Wahoo Wahoo are beautiful pelagic fish and are excellent table fare. Wahoo live in the open ocean and are common along much of the USA and Caribbean. Wahoo should be rinsed well and then the fillets can be removed from the body. The flanks can then be cut into steaks with the skin on or the entire sections can be skinned before cutting into steaks. Wahoo is delicious grilled, fried or smoked. Fresh wahoo are available in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Hawaii and other areas. Mahi Mahi Mahi Mahi, also known as dorado or dolphin fish are fast growing, pelagic fish. Mahi Mahi are among the most beautiful of all fish. The meat is mostly white with a high content of oil. Mahi Mahi is best grilled or smoked. Fresh Mahi Mahi is available in states such as Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Hawaii and others. Other areas of the country can enjoy this fish as a frozen product or fresh via overnight shipment. Striped Bass Cooks have a variety of favorites for cooking rockfish. Whole fillets of school sized fish or steaks of larger fish are delicious fried. Other choices for cooking striped bass include grilling, broiling, fish cakes and more. For top quality striped bass or "rockfish" as table fare, it's important to take care of the fish prior to cooking. The fish should be chilled on ice and laid out flat until cleaned. Once the fish is home, it can be rinsed thoroughly and filleted. Several cleaning methods exist and each angler learns their favorite style. The fish can be scaled and the skin left on, filleted and then skinned or the skin can be cut around the perimeter of the fish and pulled off with pliers. The skin-on version is nice when baking or grilling smaller fish. Skinning the fish before filleting has some advantages, the most important being speed. Filleting the fish and then cutting the skin off removes the most dark meat and leaves the highest quality portion, although some fish is lost in the process. Black Sea Bass Black Sea Bass are excellent table fare. The meat is firm, white and delicious. Sea Bass are superb fried, grilled, baked or broiled. Sea Bass are easily skinned and filleted. Black sea bass are common along the Atlantic coast from New York to North Carolina. They are best fresh. The fish do not freeze well. Grouper Grouper is among the most popular fish in the Southern USA. Grouper is a premium fish harvested from the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic Ocean. While individual species have unique identifiable characteristics, they are commonly described as lean, white flesh fish with a taste and texture which is popular and distinct from many other white fish. Tilapia Tilapia have gone from being an obscure fish to one of the most popular fish in many cultures. Tilapia are the second most important group of farm raised fish in the world. Tilapia has been introduced in over 100 countries. Tilapia farming and consumption are rapidly increasing in the US. Tilapia are a good source of protein and is now the fifth most popular seafood consumed in the United States.

Student loans don t bother me. i m eccentric

"Do you really see yourself as eccentric?" asked my boss incredulously. "Yes." I replied - "Eccentric means away from the centre, which means that I don't follow all the other sheep." How it Began ------------ Probably it all began when I was in my teens and found a book that showed me the easy way to write essays. "Always think what everyone else will write and make your essay as outrageously different as you can." You can get a free eBook now on the subject from studying-techniques It was such fun being outrageous that it spread to my everyday life. Often the outrageous ideas I thought of made more sense than the conventional thinking. Soon people started to accept me as an eccentric. Immediate advantages of being a known eccentric ----------------------------------------------- * You don't offend people. Everyone shrugs and says "It's just Ian!" * You can say "no" whenever you like. * You no longer have to keep up with the Joneses. You set your own targets. How being eccentric saves on student loans ------------------------------------------ I had a pushbike instead of a car like all the other students. I didn't need student loans. I set my own standards. The Joneses didn't drive me to student loans. When I needed textbooks I bought them second-hand, but decided for myself if the book was really necessary. After all, if I read the book in the library I wouldn't have to pay for it, and student loans would be kept at bay. I'm eccentric - remember? So I don't have to follow your expensive pastimes. I chose free pastimes. No need for student loans if I keep to free. What's that? Didn't I get bored with nothing to do? Far from it! Four times in my life I've had so many pastimes that I've had to prune the list drastically. Each Saturday I joined other young folk cycling round the countryside. I usually repaired their punctures, because I had the tools and it cost me next to nothing. I toured England, Scotland and Wales during my holidays with no fuel costs at all for my pushbike, so no student loans were needed. Sports: Of course I needed some eccentric sports to keep fit, so I took up croquet, fives, table-tennis, 7-mile cross-country running, hill-walking. No need for student loans because it was all free, and so were the games that I played such as chess. Each evening I had to make time to go out with my date, so had to push through my one-hour harmonium rehearsal, and one-hour violin rehearsal, and do my homework, and play some table-tennis, and read library books, and eat . . . Fortunately none of that needed a student loan - even my date. Remember, I am eccentric, so my date had to go along with me, or find someone else. I didn't need student loans for my furniture. My boss said later that I'd furnished my entire house for less that he paid for his bed. Auction prices were so low that the main cost was in carting the stuff home. Student union? No I'm eccentric. Horse-racing pool? No I'm eccentric. Join a student protest rally? No I'm eccentric. Each time students were browbeaten into something expensive because "everyone else is doing it" they didn't even bother to ask me because I was eccentric. Far from needing student loans, I saved money from my government scholarship. Then I took holiday jobs for extra money. One day the unemployment officer showed me a job which "nobody will want". I grabbed it immediately because it sounded different. I was working alone on a farm, 6 miles from my boss and was snowed-up most of the winter so that my boss couldn't get through to me. It was there that I learned to trap rabbits, skin them, cure them, train dogs, cook, hand-milk cows, make cheese - well what else is there to do when you're snowed up? I bumped into the employment officer a couple of months later and he said "You're not still on that terrible job are you?" I hastened to reassure him that it was great. He must have thought that I was eccentric or something. Why does being eccentric avoid student loans? --------------------------------------------- * I don't mind buying seconds or second-hand from the op-shop or Salvation Army. * Anything free is great. * I'm not proud. People give me lifts in cars because I'm too eccentric to have one of my own. I used to hitch-hike before it got dangerous. People give me cast-off clothing - well only an eccentric would wear it! * Naturally I hunted for a scholarship until I found one. Everyone else may have student loans, but I'm eccentric. * "Everyone else has one" so out comes the credit card. Not me. I'm eccentric. Credit cards can charge more than one fifth of your loan per year, making them the most expensive of student loans. * Giving gifts needs more student loans. I'm eccentric. Something for 50cents from the Salvation army can make a great gift. Keep buying through the year then wrap up your treasure trove at Christmas and hand deliver to avoid paying postage. Yes - they'll all know what you're doing, but "it's just Ian" and you're eccentric, remember?

Postcards the best kept secret of modern marketing

What can be more effective than a brief, captivating message printed on a postcard? It's quick and easy to read at a glance. Yeah, it has a friendly feel that appeals to the emotional side of your potential customer as well. Sure they'll realize it's an advertisement right away, but it has the appearance of a personalized friendly correspondence that is pleasant and low pressure. No, you won't close any deals with a postcard, but you can quickly and effectively state the offer and its advantages and give them a compelling reason to get in contact with you. Yep, it'll be just enough to whet their appetite for more! People Can't Resist Reading Postcards How often do you get the mail, look at the name of the addressee and pitch the envelope and its contents directly into the trash? I do it everyday. Yeah, who needs more mail to sort through with all of the junk mail that fills our mailboxes and inboxes? What about postcards? ...no envelope to hide the contents...just the flip of a small piece of paper...and yep, you've read it! It just makes good horse sense that the advertisements that get read are going to bring more response than those that don't. Yeah, no rocket science involved here! Postcards are much more likely to get read than other mail or email...the curiosity factor combined with the ease of reading, work together to make these extremely effective marketing tools. Postcards Save You Money Add 4 to 9 cents in printing costs, and 23 cent postage... and yeah, postcards are extremely inexpensive advertisements! Think friendly...which provides a more personal feeling...the little bars and lines of prepaid postage, or the colorful design of a stamp. Yeah, you can invest a little extra time in placing stamps on each card and create a personalized affect that won't go unnoticed! Watch out for cheap immitations! Modern postcards are high impact creations. We're not talking about old-fashioned... home printed... uneven edged catastrophies here. The postcards of today have tones so vivid they jump off the paper at you, and pictures so realistic you could pick the flower of the page and put on your kitchen table. For the miniscule amount of money you MIGHT save... if you don't make too many mistakes along the way...heck, I say just order them! Yeah, let the printer do all the hard work while you rake in the profits they'll bring in

Designing your site for the search engines

When you design a website, it's easy to focus on what your visitors are going to see. What you have to realise, though, is that you're going to have another kind of visitor with a completely different agenda: they're not going to be looking at your pretty logo and they're not going to be passing judgement on your background colour. What they're looking for is the content and structure of your page. They're the search engine spiders, and they are in control of probably the largest section of your traffic. You need to please these spiders if you want your site to be successful. Here's how. Make Your Structure Clear. Resist the temptation to lay your page out in non-standard ways: you want it to be very clear to the search engine where the navigation is, where the content is, and where the headings are. As a rule, put navigation first in your page. Always use the heading tags (h1, h2, etc.) for headings and sub-headings. Avoid using generic span and div tags and only making things clear to the user through CSS font sizes: instead, use every 'semantic' HTML tag that applies to your content. If you're quoting someone, use the blockquote tag; if you're posting program code, use the code tag. Search engines love this. Keep Keywords Consistent. It's not usually worth deliberately saturating your content with keywords in hope of a higher search ranking – the engines have pretty much wised up to this tactic – but do make sure that your keywords appear consistently when they occur naturally. For example, for these articles, I have stuck with 'website' throughout, as suddenly writing 'web site' instead would bring down my rankings. HTML and Javascript. It's worth noting that search engines read HTML, but they don't, in general, read Javascript. That means that using Javascript to insert text into your page is a bad idea if you want search engines to see the text. On the other hand, you might want to have just the text in HTML and insert all the other parts of the page with Javascript: this will tend to make your page appear more focused, although you should be careful not to insert navigation links this way if you want the search engines to follow them. Use Meta Tags. Yes, meta tags are out of fashion, and search engines pay no attention to them any more when it comes to ranking your site, but they're still important in one way: the meta description tag is still often used to decide what text search engines' users see when they find your site in their results! This can be just as important as the ranking itself – write something here that will look useful to the searcher, and you're more likely to get them to click-through. Don't forget that, while search engines are just machines and algorithms, the end result of it all does involve a human decision: to click, or not to click? Avoid Splash Pages. You might think it's a great idea to have a 'splash' page displaying a full-page version of your logo (or an ad) to every user who arrives at your site, but search engines really hate that. Using this trick will get you ranked far lower than you would usually be, so you should avoid it – it's annoying to visitors anyway. Include Alt Tags. Any time you use a graphic, include alt text for it – especially if there is text in the graphic. Remember that, as far as search engines are concerned, all your graphics might as well just be big black boxes. Test by removing all your graphics and seeing if your content remains relatively intact. If it doesn't, then you'll be turning search engines away. Finally, Write Great Content. The key with modern search engines (and, at the same time, the thing you have least control over) is how many people decide to link to your page from their page. How can you make more people link to you? Make your content useful. Make it something they'll want to quote on their blogs. Content is more King than it's ever been, and the best way to design for search engines is to make your content really stand out.

Internet banking pros and cons for your business

Many businesses now use internet banking as they deem it to be even safer than the traditional method. Once suppliers' details have been entered in correctly the payment goes directly to their bank account within 3 working days. Traditional Method With the traditional method you get to deal with real people but there is a lot that can go wrong. The teller might punch in the wrong amount or you might arrive at the wrong time and end up queuing. You might run out of cheques or even forget your chequebook at the office when you most need it. Once you have written a cheque and mailed it you are relying on the post office to deliver your mail on time and to the right address. They often get it wrong. You need to wait for a statement to find out your account balance unless you are brave and have hours to kill whilst you listen to "your business is very important to us, please hold while we transfer you to the next available operator." Opening Hours With the traditional method you are tied down to normal working hours. Online banking is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day as long as you have access to the internet. With internet banking you cut out the middle man and transfer the funds directly to your supplier's bank account. It is also possible to access your bank statements day or night without having to wait weeks / months for the banks to deal with your request. Speed Bank transfers are often dealt with speedier than traditional banking. Some of my transactions definitely happen quicker through online banking. I can also access all my accounts from one secure site. You can check your bank statements for any period in the past without having to search for a long lost file! Offers Some banks now offer special deals for their online business customers only. It is possible to get cheaper loans with lower setup costs, credit cards with lower transaction charges and applying for a loan online is also quicker. Security Be very careful with your login details and do not write down your password anywhere. Always log out once you have finished your business and regularly run anti-spyware software on your computer. Spyware tries to monitor your usage of your computer and collect your personal information and use it against you. There have been breaches of internet banking in the past but now online banking technology is more sophisticated and secure. Suitability Internet banking might not suit you if you like to see who you are dealing with. If you are a "technophobe" & feel insecure about doing large transactions online then it is definitely not right for you. On the other hand if you hate queuing, despise the time it takes for duplicate statements and hate being bogged down by traditional opening hours then the convenience of online banking can not be beaten. I use a mixture of online and face to face banking. Some things can only be discussed face to face with my bank manager.

Your no gym workout

A no gym workout is ideal for those people who aren't members of a gym, and don't have any equipment of their own. There have been fascinating methods devised whereby people can use their own body weight as a tool to build muscles. Here we show you the secrets of the no gym workout. Step 1 We are going right back to basics here, so if you already know this, bear with us. The first part of a workout should involve cardio as a warm up, to get the blood pumping. A no gym workout needs to abide by this as well. There are many different ways of achieving a solid warm up, so pick the one which suits you. Jogging, running, cycling, any of these will do to get you into the prepared state. One possible routine which will definitely warm you up is to alternate a couple of minutes of jogging with a minute of sit ups. This will certainly warm you up! Step 2 The arms are so often the main feature of a bodybuilding workout, whether in the gym, or at home. There is plenty you can do for the arms as part of a no gym workout. You will need some kind of weight, and obviously professional measured weights are the best. If you don't have these, you can always improvise. Bags can contain just about anything, and you can do bicep curls with them. If you use something like tins of food or books, you can always alter the weight ass necessary. Press ups are good for the rest of the arms. Step 3 The chest is much more difficult to work at home, because the most effective exercises normally involve professional training equipment. A weight bench is ideal if you have one, but if you don't there are still exercises you can perform. In a no gym workout, you will need to do some tough press ups (one handers or declined). You can also dip yourself if you can find the right facility, maybe in the garage or the kitchen. Work surfaces have been successfully used by some people. Step 4 Legs are another area where it is often difficult to find the right circumstances to exercise with your no gym workout, but there are ways of getting round most of the problems. Squats are your first port of call, as these put a lot of pressure on the legs. You can do these without any weights, and still get good results, or else you can improvise some weights as we did for the arms. Calves can be built up by performing heel raises on a step, or similar structure. They can also be a side beneficiary of your cardio, especially if that involves skipping. Now you know how to perform a full no gym workout. Keep at it, apply consistency, and you should see results.

Quel cadeau offrir a vos employes

Les Soirйes Entreprises: Marre des traditionnels restaurants sur des pйniches, ou dans des cabarets traditionnels pour essayer de contenter tout le monde? Pourquoi ne pas rйaliser alors organiser une journйe casino au sein de l'йtablissement. Pour cela, rien de plus simple. L’option premiиre consiste а faire appel а des animateurs de soirйe casino qui, en plus d’apporter le matйriel, vous serviront de croupier pour l’ensemble de vos jeux pour prиs de quatre heures de rire et de dйtente. L'avantage, ces jeux resserrent les йquipes et permet de dйcouvrir la face cachйe de chaque employй. Les cadeaux traditionnels: 1) Les Objets Publicitaires On y retrouve du plus classique а la perfection du Hi-Tech tels les йquipements portatifs de tйlйphonie, les MP3, les DvX, lecteur CD, radio-rйveil, sans oublier les vкtements ou chapeaux personnalisйs, ou encore les cйlиbres stylos plume ou plus original, un livre sur le thиme professionnel de votre choix comme comment s'йpanouir au travail. Eux aussi on la part belle. On en trouve pour tous les budgets et pour tous les goыts. Ces derniers sont d'excellents supports publicitaires pour afficher la marque de votre entreprise. Bien que la plus part des personnes soit dйjа pourvues de ce genre d'accessoires, ces derniers restent banals. Ce qui est sur d'atteindre votre but, ce sont tous les cadeaux de maroquinerie. En effet, sur le cuir, vous pouvez inscrire ou encrer votre logo d'entreprise discrиtement et кtre sur que l'employй l'utilisera. Cela va du simple portefeuille en cuir au porte-documents, sans oublier le confйrencier et le kit de voyage. 2) Pour Noel Traditionnellement, l'entreprise se fixe sur des corbeille d'assortiments gastronomiques composйs de foie gras en boite, avec une mini bouteille de champagne et ou de vin. N'oublions pas non plus les boites de chocolat, re-designer pour l'occasion mais gare а la date d'expiration car combien d'employйs ont dйjа reзu un "chocolat empoisonnй" du fait de la pйremption? Alors pourquoi ne pas innover? Pourquoi ne pas offrir а vos employйs des places de thйвtre, autre que celles proposйes par votre Comitй d'Entreprise. En prix de groupe, cela vous reviendra moins cher et pourrez profitez de cette йconomie en proposant par exemple un dоner gourmet dans la cantine redйcorйe pour l'occasion. Ou encore, pensez aux articles de cuisine, l'art de la table, la salle de bain, autant de lieux "visitйs" rйguliиrement par les consommateurs, et oщ il est donc judicieux de vouloir "placer" des objets publicitaires а leur marques et messages. Citons aussi les outils de jardinage, les plantes, les sets de table, les horloges etc. Autres Idйes Cadeaux: D'autres idйes cadeaux sont prйsentes pour vos employйs. Tenez, par exemple le secteur de la bagagerie publicitaire, les t-shirts et casquettes personnalisйs qui sont de trиs bons supports pour afficher votre marque de maniиre bien visible. Pour vous rendre encore plus original, pensez vacances. Quel est l'йlйment qui vous sera utile pendant vos voyages? Des jumelles? Pourquoi pas? Ou alors un rйfrigйrateur rйchauffeur? Un йquipement de volants et raquettes de badminton pour les remettre en forme? Vous voyez les idйes ne manquent pas.

Are you a know all or no all

Expert or Generalist - what are you? Are you one who will know more and more about one subject and less and less about others? Or you are one who knows something about everything? Those of us who are experts are surprised that some people on the earth are generalists and vice-versa. But both the breeds exist on our earth. What are you? Which type is better? Let us take example of medicine. For example if someone gets fever, he/she cannot approach a specialist, because they would not know which specialty is concerned. In this case they will have to first consult a generalist and after that if needed go to a specialist. The problem arises when one is a total generalist in his/her profession/work/business. No growth can take place here because if you are in retail but know as much about retail as you know about export procedures, that will be of no help. Slowly you will have to develop expertise in retail to succeed. Similarly, if you are an expert in retailing but know nothing about other professions, that will hurt your interests. You will find it difficult to grow because retail does not grow alone. It has to get support of other specialties also such as manufacturing. What is the best way? The best option would be to develop expertise in one trade/profession and get related knowledge of other professions, which will be needed to grow in your chosen field.

5 Steps to securing your windows xp home computer

Most people are aware that there are continuous security issues with Microsoft’s Windows operating system and other programs. However, what most people do not realize is how easy it is to significantly improve your computer’s security and reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim to ever increasingly sophisticated threats that lurk on the internet. These steps should take less than a couple of hours to complete and should not clean out your wallet. 1) Windows Update – the first crucial step you need to take to make sure that all your Microsoft applications have all the latest product updates installed. These updates or “patches” address security vulnerabilities and other issues. Microsoft usually issues these updates on a monthly cycle. Visit the Microsoft website or switch on automatic updates from the Windows Control panel. Even if your “new” computer is second hand this is still a critical first step. If you buy a used computer with Windows XP make sure Service Pack 2 or SP2 is installed. 2) Strong Passwords - people often overlook this but having well thought through passwords is an important element of your computer security. A strong password should include at least 8 characters with a mixture of text, symbols and numbers. As a minimum you need to make sure the services most at risk have a strong log-in password. These services include your bank, credit card, other financial services like PayPal, your email address and any other services like Ebay which hackers can use to generate profit. 3) Anti Virus Protection – while it is fair to say the threat of the computer virus has receded during the last couple of years they can still inflict serious damage on your computer. Part of the reason why the threat has reduced is because PC manufactures are now more frequently bundling anti virus packages with their new computers. For example last year my new Dell shipped with a 90-day trial of McAfee's Internet Security Suite. The best bet here is to purchase a security package which includes firewall and anti virus software as a minimum. Top brands include McAfee and Symantec Norton products. However, Microsoft has recently entered the market with their "OneCare" offering which is very aggressively priced. 4) Firewall - if you are using a broadband connection then a firewall is definite requirement to manage the traffic flowing between your computer and the internet. A firewall monitors the inbound internet traffic passing through the ports of your computer. Better products also monitor outbound traffic from your computer to the internet. As per above the best bet here is buy a firewall application as part of a security package which most vendors offer as standard. If a hardware firewall is included as part of your router package then you do not need anything else. A company called Zone Labs offer a great free firewall product called Zone Alarm which should be used as a minimum. Windows XP does now ship with a free firewall but the product does not monitor outbound communication and therefore I believe does not offer adequate protection. 5) Anti Spyware Tool - this software is the last piece in your basic internet security set up. This tool helps combat spyware and adware. There is a good mixture of free and paid versions on offer. Good free software include Microsoft's Windows Defender, Spybot S&D or Ewido Anti-Malware. Ewido Anti-Malware is frequently recommended in computer help forums. Be careful if you decide to purchase a solution. There are a number of rogue vendors out there which aggressively push products which offer you little value. Stick to trusted names like Webroot's Spy Sweeper or PC Tool's Spyware Doctor. These products always come out well on independent tests.

College student credit cards

College is the place where most of us get our first taste of financial freedom and the responsibility that goes along with it. Inexperienced with debt, college students may apply for a cash back credit card thinking that it sounds like a no lose situation. They hope to charge large ticket items or living expenses that they cannot afford to buy with cash and then receive a check for cash back at the end of the year. Unfortunately, a free credit card offer can appeal to a student for all the wrong reasons. Instead of building a good credit base and starting out responsible buying habits, a college student credit card may be used to live beyond the means of the average student. This can be a trap for students and lead to years of credit damage and negative consequences. The college student credit card College students receive credit card offers on a nearly daily basis. They are included in bags with new textbooks, campus purchases, and student run newspapers. Offers for a free credit card also come in the mail marked "Pre-approved". Faced with the idea of a cash back credit card, most students are eventually lured into replying to one or more of these offers. In addition, credit card companies, such as MBNA, offer cards designed to target specific college students. This college student credit card comes in a design that features the student’s university or alumni association and is appealing for the sense of belonging and exclusivity it conveys. However, it also carries some hidden dangers that the average college student misses in their excitement to get their first credit card. Drawbacks A company that offers a free credit card to college students is familiar with the sometimes precarious spending habits of the average student. Payments from students are frequently late and the minimum payment due is the most some young people ever try or are able to pay. This delinquency adds up to a lot of money in interest and late fees that goes to the credit card company in the form of profits. Since a cash back credit card offers the incentive of a return on purchase prices, the interest rates for these cards are usually very high. In addition, the student applying has little or no credit and can only qualify for a line of credit by promising to pay exorbitant interest rates if late or overdrawn. So in order to lure students into applying, the lender may advertise a low interest rate for a trial period, such as six to twelve months. But when the student uses the free credit card, the balance accumulated ends up costing much more once the higher interest rate takes effect. But the most dangerous part of a college student credit card is the damage it does to the student’s credit rating. This damage takes place long after the purchases have been enjoyed and is usually not a factor in the decision to make such purchases. Impulse buys and peer pressure can add up to serious credit consequences. The average student has no real understanding of the implications of bad credit, which could follow them into their careers and family life. They could be denied a car or mortgage loan, as well as further lines of credit with other credit card companies.