San Francisco Schools Connect To China And Its Chinese Community

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, one San Francisco School, is the first Chinese immersion school in the United States. The school is designed as a two-way Chinese/English instructional environment. The school provides an outstanding educational experience for children of all backgrounds. All students at Alice Fong Yu develop competency in the Cantonese and English languages and use the two languages actively in the content curriculum. The school aims to have all students to be able to converse in and become literate in both English and Cantonese by 5th grade. The Mandarin language is added after the fifth grade. The Mandarin/English program is similar in scope and function to the Cantonese/English program. The program is intended to vigorously include the staff, parents, and students in cultural and language education. The Alice Fong Yu school uses parents and volunteers in a variety of enrichment programs such as, Performing Arts Workshop, Poets in the Schools, and science and library consultants.

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative Schools Chinese Exchange Program

Created in 2000, the exchange program sends the eighth grade class to Beijing to meet their Chinese pen pals. The program gives students the opportunity to use their knowledge of the Chinese language and culture in a real life experience. The students travel to Beijing and Hong Kong where they meet Chinese students their own age. This experience allows students to experience the culture first-hand and put their language skills to the ultimate test.

In January of 2005, the program came closer to being a true exchange program. San Francisco Schools through the Alice Fong Yu School hosted students and teachers from The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. The selected students and two teachers from China stayed with host families and participated in classes and school functions including English, art and modern dance classes. The Chinese students were able to tour City College, the Chinese Consulate and many interesting tourist destinations in the San Francisco area. Both the local and Chinese students spent their time practicing English and Mandarin.

Dance and Art Students from San Francisco Schools Travel to China

Other programs in San Francisco Schools have allowed students to travel to China to participate in international exchanges and competitions. This summer five students from the San Francisco School of Arts will travel to ShenZhen, China as representatives of the United States at the ShenZhen International Culture and Arts Festival. As part of an Educational Exchange program facilitated by Dr. Marie Lee, Director of East/West Child Research and Development Center and former school administrator of the San Francisco Schools, all student expenses in China will be provided in full by the ShenZhen Nanshan Government. The five selected students will perform two dances, Chant of the Sirens and Basin Street Blues. The School of the Arts students were the only students from the United States invited to the Festival in 2006. The three hundred students at the Festival represented countries from around the world including: Australia/ New Zealand, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and others. Along with performing at the Festival students will visit schools, attend art exhibitions, eat new foods, visit tourist locations, and learn about Chinese culture and language while staying with Chinese families and students.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on San Francisco schools visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/California/San-Francisco/index.htmlCeil Blog6795
Anabelle Blog2425

How Owning Your Own Domain Can Generate More Web Income

Owning your own domain gives you so much more freedom on the internet and I would say it is an absolute necessity to ensure success, as it gives you the option to make changes to your site as and when you need to.

By having your own domain you are in control of your site and your business and you will be able to design or make changes to your site so that it stands out in the crowd, makes your site unique and allows you to do the most important task of optimizing your site for the search engines so that your site can appear high up in the search results. You will also be able to project your own personality into the site.

By optimizing your site for the search engines your site will receive targeted traffic which is exactly what is required to generate web income. This basically is also free traffic if you optimize your site yourself and is known as organic traffic. Taking Google as an example, if you do a search the sites that appear on the right hand side of the page are Adwords adverts which are paid adverts. The sites that appear in the main body of the page starting on the left are free and if you have your own domain you can optimize your site so that it appears on the first page of Google. It has also been proven that the first place your eyes look at on a web page is the top left hand part of the page, so ideally that is where you want to position your site in the search results.

With your own domain your advertising options will not be limited, as they are with affiliate urls, as some sites just do not accept them. Also imagine if you were one of a few thousand affiliates belonging to the same program, you would all have the same url. If you had your own domain you could still join a few affiliate programs and then advertise those programs on your own site. Amongst other things, you could create your own splash pages for different programs, add a fly-in, a pop-up, contextual adverts or Google Adsense your options are not limited.

It makes linking so much easier too, as sometimes to get listed in a high ranked directory you will be asked to place a link-back on your home page, in the form of a text link or image. You could also add a reciprocal linking program to your site. You can so easily place advertising banners on your site, add articles or other items of interest to attract visitors to your site and have them stay on your site longer as well as increase your rankings in the search engines.

Free web tools are a great feature to offer on your site enabling the visitor to check their Link Popularity or Alexa Rating for example. It also enables you to add features to your site that encourage your visitors to return. Add a small piece of script enabling your visitors to bookmark your site. You can offer freebies such as e-books.

Then of course there is the option of adding video and RSS feeds to your site, linking it to your blog as well as all the other technical things available.

You would also be able to add your own email autoresponder campaign that automatically follows-up with your website visitors who subscribe to your Newsletter. So whenever you want to add new products, re-arrange your site layout, change the color scheme or anything you want, you can do it all instantly.

The list of what you could do by having your own domain is limitless, that is why I feel it gives you total freedom on the internet, increases your internet marketing options and generates more web income.

Cynthia Minnaar works from home online and invites you to visit http://www.cyns-home-biz.com for web income generating ideas and opportunities, articles and marketing tools.Brynn Blog32573
Anstice Blog71727

Acquired Hope

This article is not about illness, injury or disease; rather, it is about recoverythe recovery beyond medicine for those persons coping with a severe injury, illness or medical condition. This article is for those individuals who may be coping with a chronic illness or disabling injury; individuals who have struggled with pain and are seeking to learn how to change their way of thinking in order to manifest a life experience full of hope, joy and fulfillment. This article is for anyone and everyone who has a strong, steadfast desire to obtain a higher level of function, better health and a better quality of life when presented with a severe and disabling chronic illness or injury.

My Story of Chronic Illness

I have always been an active person, enjoyed exercise, and worked passionately. Several years ago, when I was thirty-two, I nearly lost it all. I became seriously ill. Many of those coping with a chronic illness or injury share the same or similar experience. After many invasive tests and procedures, I had my diagnosis: Myasthenia Gravis. Like many dealing with a chronic illness, I was both elated with finally having a diagnosisand frightened by finally having a diagnosis.

The Diagnosis

According to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most common primary disorder of neuromuscular transmission. The prevalence of myasthenia gravis in the United States is estimated at 14 to 20 per 100,000 populations, there are approximately 36,000 to 60,000 cases in the United States. In myasthenia gravis, the immune system attacks the muscle receptor cells of the skeletal muscles. Symptoms include: difficulty with breathing, swallowing, speaking, impaired vision and mild to severe muscular weakness and fatigue. The disease manifestation can lead to mild or severe disability depending on several factors such as age, sex, promptness of diagnosis and treatment, thymus gland tumors or tissue growth, general health status and ones ability to cope with chronic illness.

Basically, my immune system developed antibodies which were now attacking my own muscle receptor cells; therefore, the communication from the nerve to the muscle to tell the muscle to move, to function, was severely disrupted. Myasthenia Gravis literally means grave muscle weakness. This grave muscle fatigue and weakness proved to be my biggest challenge and worst symptom. For several years, I suffered from severe to moderate and continuous disability. To make things worse, the symptoms often fluctuated from minute to day, often times without rhyme or reason. I eventually went through the cycle of negative emotions that many individuals with chronic illness experience: powerlessness, self-pity, frustration, isolation, anger, envy, fear and anxiety, jealousy and grief. I felt frustrated and powerless that my own body did not work. I felt sorry for myself, now that I had a big challenge that many people did not. I even felt jealous and envious of those with healthy bodies. In the darkest moments, when I became overwhelmed with the physical symptoms and emotional changes within me, I even felt isolated. I began living in a state of fear. I became fearful to try to do anything active for fear I would relapse. My negative emotions fed off one another and I became even more overwhelmed and even more exhausted. The dark cycle repeated itself over and over again, and I continued to experience losses in every aspect of my life.

Almost everything I was told, or that I researched, indicated that I would have to live with this disabling medical condition for the rest of my life. Working, functioning, and certain activities were things that were either gone, limited, or would remain extremely difficultand part of a daily challenge. Although with the medical treatments my disease stabilized, I remained significantly impaired in daily and work function even three years later. But I wanted to truly live an abundant life.

My Journey to Recovery

Despite my education and experience in healthcare, I was unable to heal myself. I wanted better functionality and a better quality of life. I sought out other means of recovery. I repeatedly asked myself, What can I do to improve my condition and to experience life again?

This is where my true journey to recovery began. I studied, found resources, and acquired knowledge about the art of healing and the power of the mind. An individual must seek out and try different methods and adopt those practices which are in alignment with his or her personal belief system. One must explore how to obtain and maintain a higher level of function, hope and healing.

Who Are We?

A book written by Daniel Anderson, Ph.D. informs us that of all the healthcare problems in the United States, nearly 80 percent relate to chronic illness or disability. We are many in number. We come in every age, shape, size and color, and from every ethnic group and socioeconomic background. The medical community is well equipped to manage our acute episodes; however, it is not well equipped to give us the kind of support we really need to lead fully functional lives.

I have written a book titled: Acquired Hope: A Journey of Advanced Recovery and Empowerment. This book is intended for anyone who is coping with an illness, addictive disease, disability or injury-related condition. How we choose to deal and cope with our pain and struggles is largely up to us. Unfortunately, most often our response to coping with the disease causes just as much stress and emotional pain as the disease or condition itself. We tend to focus on the fear, frustration, pain, fatigue, anger, limitations and even guilt. These are all negative emotions. This focusing on negative emotions may limit us even more and further diminish our quality of life. However, we have the ability to change that. We can learn to change the way we think. We can learn to guide our thoughts and emotions, so that we experience only positive emotions such as joy, happiness and hope. By acquiring this skill, we can stop our physical problems from getting worse and can lead happier, more fulfilling lives. By acquiring hope, we can recover. My book presents a details process on how to advance recovery and obtain high levels of function and life fulfillment. For more information and free resources for creating better health, please read Acquired Hope, visit: http://www.acquiredhope.com and please visit the Secret to Getting Rich website at: http://www.inspirednhopeful.theSGRprogram.com for opportunities on creating income to allow time and energy to focus on better health.

Nicole Matoushek, MPH, PT has 15 years of experience in clinical managed care and disability management. She is founder of http://ErgoRehabinc.com. She has authored two books "Acquired Hope: A Journey of Advanced Recovery and Empowerment" and "365 Days of Abundant Hope" both available on http://www.acquiredhope.com. She is inspired by http://www.inspirednhopeful.theSGRprogram.com. Nicole is passionately dedicated to helping others succeed in obtaining abundant health, wealth and a fuller life!Alexandra Blog23173
Beverlie Blog31768

4 Reasons Customer Loyalty Is Vital To Your Business

Have you ever wondered why some businesses may set up shop in areas that might not be very conducive to business and do quite well, while others are placed at major thoroughfares where walk by and drive by traffic are all but guaranteed, yet within six months they fold and the place goes up for lease or sale? The truth of the matter is that success is not always determined by your location although it does play a vital role but more often than not it is dictated by customer loyalty.

Here are four reasons customer loyalty is vital to your business:

1. First and foremost is the fact that a loyal customer is a repeat customer. This person will know about your business practices, about what to expect from your goods or service, the advantages and the disadvantages, and she or he will do business with you in such a way that it is a mutually satisfying transaction.

2. As you establish a relationship with your customer, you are also establishing a relationship with the customer's family. Thus, it is not uncommon to have the wife bring in the dry cleaning for the family and turns her mother, mother in law, aunt, and best girlfriend on to your business. As the husband is sent one day to pick up the dry cleaning he becomes familiar with the business, and he will tell his brother, business associates, and others who are looking for a dry cleaner. Thus, you are suddenly becoming a commodity which is being shared with others.

3. While family referrals are great, business referrals are even better. If you are a dry cleaner, you will want the dress maker down the street to recommend your services to its customers. Similarly, if there is bridal shop with which you may have some professional ties, then these business referrals are simply priceless! Customer loyalties when you have other business owners or clerks shopping at your store or utilizing your service are quite often the gateway to a great number of new walk in customers.

4. Yet the fourth and perhaps most important reasons why customer loyalty is vital to your business rests in the fact that many major purchases are not made during the initial contact. For example, if you are a furniture store, you might have someone come in looking for a computer desk. While these may be expensive depending on the materials by and large these items are small fish. Yet if the consumer is satisfied with the product, the delivery, the setup and also the price, the odds are good that she or he will be back when it is time to furnish the nursery, buy that new wall unit, or acquire that bedroom set that was saved up for!

Copyright © 2007 Vadim Kirienko owns the Home Business Resource Directory where you can find everything you need to start, run and grow a home based business. For further information, go to => http://www.NewAutomaticBuilder.com/pips.htmlAlmira Blog54766
Blinnie Blog16412

Do You Step Aerobics?

Step aerobics is based on stepping up and down on a platform, in time to music of course. it can be good fun, and is good for the leg muscles and to get some aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is when your body works hard enough to raise the heart beat by 40 per cent or so.

You use a platform about 30 inches by 15 inches and four to twelve inches high, according to your level of fitness. First, you step on to the platform landing at a particular point, with one foot, then bring the other foot up alongside. Then you step down to a different place with your feet in turn. There are many different movements you can do to make it more interesting, but you always have to lift your body up to get on the step.

More vigorous exercise than aerobic dancing

Proponents of step aerobics point out that it is simpler than aerobic dancing, and that you don't have to learn many movements. Step aerobics is more vigorous than aerobic dancing, because you have to lift your body weight up instead of just moving it around. How vigorous it is depends on the instructor.

Step aerobics certainly provides aerobic exercise that improves your fitness, strengthen your heart and make you less likely to suffer heart disease. There is some evidence to suggest that step aerobics increases your 'good' cholesterol while reducing overall cholesterol levels. However, one eight-week study of a group of women who did step aerobics showed many positive benefits, but did not affect their weight. Don't expect step aerobics alone to reduce your weight - you will need to eat less, better food.

Is step aerobics really good for you?

Like jogging, though, step aerobics has its detractors. Why? Well, because in doing all that stepping up on a block you are straining your knee joints which are very delicate. In fact if you work too hard at you can damage your joints.

If you are young and healthy, step aerobics is probably OK. But if you are overweight and middle aged, it is definitely not a good idea.

In fact, the old fashioned aerobic exercises like swimming, vigorous hill walking and cycling or roller skating are probably the best forms of aerobic exercise. We could add a new one - power walking - but you need to power along.

John Hartley is a business writer who has always enjoyed sports and exercise. He cycles regularly wherever his business takes him, and runs the web site, http://www.best-aerobic-exercise.com, where you can find plenty of information about aerobic exercise.Ambur Blog79710
Candace Blog61396

Fourth Of July Craft Ideas For Kids

Independence Day is a fun summer holiday, full of festivals, fireworks, and other activities. It is also a tribute to the beginnings of our country. Fourth of July crafts are an entertaining way for kids to commemorate the anniversary of our independence. Here are some ideas.

Windsocks are a fun and attractive outdoor decoration. They are also easy to make. All you need is an oatmeal box, some white and blue construction paper, red and white streamers, scissors, and glue. Cut the end out of the oatmeal box and cover it with blue construction paper, and cut out stars from the white construction paper to glue on. Then cut some red and white streamers to the same length, and glue them to one end. Tie some string to the other end for hanging.

Girls can make themselves some patriotic hair accessories for the occasion. Just buy some plain barrettes, red, white, or blue yarn, and patriotic beads or buttons from the craft store. Wrap yarn tightly around the barrette, and glue each end to the back. Then attach some beads or buttons, or make a bow out of some more yarn for a simple but pretty hair bow.

Fireworks are a favorite on the Fourth of July. You can make a unique fireworks picture with some crayons and white paper. First, use lots of different colors to make a pattern all over the paper. Color darkly. Then get a black crayon, and color over the whole piece of paper darkly. Use a paper clip to scratch off a fireworks design, and you will have a colorful picture of fireworks in the night sky.

Fourth of July parades are great, but think of the fun the kids could have by having their own parade! They can decorate their bikes with red, white, and blue crepe paper and tape. Then they will need some patriotic costumes. If they have some holiday-appropriate clothes thats great, but if not they can easily paint some stars and stripes on an old t-shirt with fabric paint. Make your own flags and signs with paper and markers. Gather up some toy or makeshift musical instruments, stick horses, and a few flags, and you can have an awesome parade right in your own backyard.

The Fourth of July is a great time for summer crafts. These are only a few of the many items that kids could make for the occasion. Once you get them started, they will likely think of many more creative ideas on their own. Make sure you have the basics such as construction paper, scissors, glue, art supplies, and some craft sticks on hand, and youll be surprised what they will come up with.

Alice SebaCelestia Blog31100
Augustina Blog83130

Checking Computer Security

Many people wonder whether or not their computer is secure. They fear that someone might be looking through their files, copying, altering, or erasing them. They are uneasy about the thought that someone might be monitoring their every move in cyberspace. These concerns come to mind when reminded of the problem of hackers, viruses, and other security risks that abound in the Internet. Fortunately its easy to prevent these problems by following a few simple tips.

Update

Perhaps the most important step for computer security is to keep it updated. Install the latest critical updates and service packs from Microsoft's download center. This is made easy by configuring the system to utilize Automatic Updates, if available. If not, updates can be downloaded directly from Microsoft's download center. Currently, Service Pack 2 (SP2) is the most current Service Pack for Windows XP.

Firewall

The easiest way to increase the security level of a computer is by using a firewall. Firewalls monitor all activity that occurs on a connection between one or more computers. They act as a wall with one or more computers on one side, and one or more computers (usually the Internet) on the other. Information transfer by suspicious programs are immediately cut off, preventing them from entering the protected side of the firewall. This way denying access to anything coming from unauthorized and unknown sources prevents possible infection by viruses, worms, and other malicious codes.

Anti-Virus and Anti Spy-ware

Even if a computer is protected by a firewall it is still necessary to use anti-virus and anti spy-ware. This is because a firewall only prevents unauthorized outside access, and cannot distinguish between malicious and benign access. It is still possible to inadvertently make a request for information that is harmful, which the firewall views as an authorized transfer. Anti-virus and anti spy-ware provides another layer of armor for a computer, making it harder for hackers and their malicious programs to penetrate and control a computer. Some well-known anti-virus programs include Norton, Trend Micro PC-cillin, and McAffee. Anti spy-ware programs are also important as they reduce the chances of spy-ware getting into a computer. Spy-ware behaves differently than viruses, making it necessary to use different programs to catch it. Spy-ware can monitor any activity a computer infected with it performs, or even act as a gateway to download additional spy-ware or viruses. Hackers typically use spy-ware to obtain important information that must remain confidential like credit card numbers, social security numbers, and police records.

Protect Home Networks

It is possible for a computer owner to be unaware they are using a network at home. If more than one computer shares the same Internet connection or if wireless Internet access is being used, a home network is present. Securing a single computer is not much use if it is part of a network. The whole network must be protected as well to prevent malicious software from simply hopping from computer to computer to avoid attack. Different kinds of home networks face different kinds of risks. In the case of a wireless connection, anyone within the broadcast range of the network may be able to look at any data contained within the network.

Most networking devices employ their own security mechanisms. Using this in combination with security defenses installed on each computer's should provide enough protection to thwart attempts from hackers to hi-jack the network and use the computers connected to it. Most routers function as Network Address Translators (NAT) which makes them a safe connection to the Internet.

While no measure can guarantee total immunity from attack, these steps should increase the security of a computer or network enough to protect against any typical attack.

Donald Brown enjoys writing for several web sites, especially http://sixal.com and http://tyrop.com.Britt Blog95573
Annabela Blog61802

Get Wholesale Digital Cameras And Enjoy Security Benefits

Today, digital cameras can be purchased wholesale and through retail outlets. Believe it or not, it is to possible to purchase wholesale digital cameras and still retain many safety as well as security options coupled with the new technology that is now available.

Not only the large business complexes but also the smaller companies now opt to go the wholesale way. There is a great demand for digital cameras. The technology is being used by people from both the corporate sector and the private sector.

The technology that comes with digital cameras provides not only security but also makes it possible for you to take photographs from any place or angle.

Previously, large corporate entities that had a higher risk of crime theft, made use of this technology. In this category, fall the casinos and the large banking institutions that made use of this technology and introduced this mode of security method to the society.

This technology of digital cameras now forms the backbone of surveillance operations. If you are worried about the cost of obtaining the digital camera, do not be so. Digital cameras now come at affordable prices and so you can easily lay your hands on them.

The option of the closed circuit security photography (CCSP) provided by digital cameras are now used by the public areas that have major consumer foot traffic, like subway stations, bus terminals and airports. Digital security cameras are also being purchased and installed by the malls, convenient stores, high auto traffic roadways and city parks. CCSP helps monitor a certain area. It is a great system for identifying suspicious people.

However, there are people who think that their privacy is being intruded by the use of security digital cameras. Yes, the accusation is justified to a certain extent, as these cameras enhance the opportunity for filming people without obtaining their permission for crude purposes. The usage of the CCSP is a controversial one.

Laying your hands on a Wholesale digital camera.

Always keep in mind that the digital camera you opt to buy must essentially be a reliable and authentic one.

You can trust the digital camera buyer's guide to ensure that you buy a good camera. This will provide you up-to-date information about digital camera comparisons, various accessories and lenses and information on what is in and what is out from the present trend.

The cameras available at wholesale prices can be bargains but you really need to shop hard to get a good one at an affordable price. Therefore, have access to the Internet and make use of the 'price comparison engines'. This will provide you a good estimate of the digital camera you require. This saves a lot of your time and effort. You are sure to find reasonably priced wholesale digital cameras on the Internet. So, visit the respective websites now and good luck!

Jones Wright owns and operates http://www.wholesale-camaras.com Wholesale Digital CamerasBertina Blog31746
Aleece Blog52762

Law Firm Internet Marketing An Executive Summary Using The Q&A Format Part III

Shouldnt the vendor I select for law firm Internet marketing have built lawyer websites before?

No. In fact some of these types of vendors that tell you how dozens, hundreds or thousands of lawyers have bought websites from them are probably the most expensive options in the marketplace for law firm Internet marketing with not nearly as much value delivered compared to what you can get from other vendors at a lower price. Remember that some of those high end vendors have high end overhead, stockholders, and come complete with sales reps that come to visit you in person even. That is all heavy overhead to bring to the law firm Internet marketing process. I have also found they want to sell you marketing packages (or tell you that you also need a blog with your website) that are pricy which usually include marketing on their heavily trafficked sites where they will list you with a group of your close competitors for the visitor to select from. I dont know about you, however, I want my prospective clients to come directly to me from the search engine. I want them to fall in love with me and not look at my competitors and hope they pick me out of the group on these sites. So I will spend my money getting the folks directly to my CTPM site thank you. Also remember the competition on the Internet is all about keywords and has little to nothing to do with if you are doctors, lawyers, plumbers, or roofers. Keywords are keywords, content is content and all of the other issues I wrote about are the same in Internet marketing in general as well as law firm Internet marketing in particular. I am more interested in if they know what I know as an educated consumer and how their own site ranks in Google Page Rank, how the sites they built look via Google Page Rank as well as how they look with Alexa before I spend my money. Having said all of the above if you think you need a vendor who has done a lot of lawyer sites I have found a vendor that is probably at the higher end of the price range that has done a lot of lawyer sites and has done them pretty well to very well in my opinion. This company is not of the types I spoke about at the very beginning which are parts of major corporations with stockholders and sales reps etc. It is http://ConsultWebs.com Inc. at http://www.consultwebs.com. If you use them do be sure once you negotiate your purchase from them that you ask them for a discount since I noticed they do give referral fees.

You keep talking about the number of pages on the site with respect to law firm Internet marketing. Why is that important?

One of the reasons I tell you that you need at least 20 keywords to write content to is because it is believed search engines consider 20 to 80 pages or so to be a medium size site. One of the more major factors search engines use to determine page ranking is the total number of pages on the site. Most attorneys have small sites (less then 20 pages). You will be out in front of the pack with law firm Internet marketing if you have a medium size site. Lastly, you want to have as part of your ongoing marketing plan of your site to add on average one new page per month to your site. Why? Because over time you would be adding 12 pages per year which will push you up the rankings each month and one day you will have a large size site which will make you virtually unassailable you your competitors. Finally, if you have selected your domain names correctly you will have a salable asset worth a large amount of money since it will be a mighty law firm Internet marketing machine for you by then.

Whoooo. You just said, selected you domain name correctly. Is YourLawFirmsNameLaw.com a good domain name for law firm Internet marketing?

Sorry to say no. Most lawyers have poor domain names on several counts for law firm Internet marketing purposes. Your domain name does affect your page ranking. First the name does not include one of your main keywords, which is the ideal or at least the domain name describes what you do. Second, using the name of the firm is often not a salable brand. Third it does not fit the psychographics of most prospective clients. Fourth often it is not easily memorable and often difficult to spell if you can remember the name. In fact, some attorneys dont even own the domain name they do have since the vendor registered it they may own it. Lastly, some firms will need more than one website since you may need to have a website for each of your top two or three practice areas.

Is there anything else of an intellectual property nature I need to be aware of in this law firm Internet marketing process?

Yes. First be sure that you indeed own the copyright to the entire website including the code, graphics, text and photographs that created the website. It is all yours. If not then I would not go with that vendor. Also be sure the vendor warrants that it owns or has all permissions to use any copyrighted material that they use in building the website. Also if the vendor is hosting your website be sure they have in place in the agreement what they are to do should the hosting equipment go down (like transfer your site to another server) and what are the remedies for interruption of service for more than short periods of time (short meaning hours at the most). Frequent loss of service should enable you to leave that service with no penalties. Some of the attorneys I have coached have said they had to buy their own website again when they wanted to move. A no fun situation so dont let that happen to you.

OK, we have completed part three of law firm Internet marketing and we are on to part four that will complete the series. In part four we will cover what your marketing budget might look like for your law firm Internet marketing, what you need to know about blogs and blawgs, pay per click, where to learn more should you want to dig deeper than this executive briefing and more so read on to part four.

Henry Harlow has individually coached well over 500 attorneys. You can get more free, in depth and objective information on increasing your revenue while reducing your work hours available now at http://www.law-firm-marketing-coach.comAnnecorinne Blog96491
Cecile Blog8049

Frequent Flyer Miles Lets Earn Some Points

The goal is to earn frequent flyer miles. To really earn a decent amount you would have to fly all the time. Although there are multiple opportunities and avenues with which you can earn miles, you first need to understand how the mileage and points program works. Taking that first step and attaining a solid foundation of knowledge about the various programs is the easiest step, but you have to pay close attention or else you are likely to pick a program that doesnt fit into your goals.

To start, realize that every frequent flyer program offered by every separate airline is different. They all offer different bonuses and point systems. Although we can provide you with some basic information, you will have to research individual programs to get those nitty gritty details that you seek. The facts though, they are typically similar from one airline to the next.

Basically, the easiest way to earn miles is by flying. The more you travel, the more frequent flyer miles you will obtain. The entire program was designed for one particular purpose, to encourage customers to be loyal to their airlines even if prices increase some. The same is true today, you can earn the most miles by flying with the same airline, and it is worth quite a good amount of miles too.

With most programs you will obtain one point per mile flown. But remember, different airlines offer different points per mile, so dont be afraid to shop around. Although, if youre residing in Europe, for example, they usually exercise a program that offers a fixed number of points per flight, no matter how many miles you may be flying. Not only this, but if you upgrade your ticket from coach to first class you will also earn more frequent flyer miles. First class always gets more points, so if you can, try and fly first class as often as possible. Certain flights can also have an effect on how many points are earned. Flights at various hours and to various locations can be worth more or less points, but this all depends on the airline and their promotions.

This may all sound extremely confusing, and it is! Fret not though; many people take advantage of their frequent flyer programs. Just make sure that you read the fine print and find the best overall program for you. It doesnt take much, just a little research and you will have plenty of options that will all look amazing.

Shelly Walther has written several articles on travel and leisure and enjoys traveling herself. She has been to many places including Norway, her most recent adventure. More of her work can be found at http://www.FieldTravel.com.Benni Blog31468
Belle Blog38876

A Top Sales Speaker Tip for Sales Effectiveness

A Sales Speaker advises you to Run your Numbers dont Run After Sales Quota

Imagine for a moment that it is your first day in a new sales organization and your sales manager tells you to forget about Quota block it out of your mind. You may think theyre out of their mind. How can anyone possibly lead a sales organization or manage their individual sales effectively without focusing on Quota?

After all, in the world of outside sales, you either meet your Quota or eventually youll be outside the door looking to meet some other sales forces quota.

But what if I told you thats the first step toward exponential revenue growth. Sales success is not about running after quota each month or year. Success comes from a Process; proven steps to meet benchmarked competency levels and a focus on the essential elements and powerful routines that maximize your sales effectiveness week in and week out.

Lets first define what we mean by a core competency. We will then introduce the 3 Core Competencies, and spend our time understanding how they can dramatically increase your success.

The term Core Competencies refers to those essential elements in the sales process that most directly impact your success. These elements are controllable and measurable, and sales professionals can be trained to be proficient in these areas. Unfortunately, many sales organizations and individuals lose focus distracted by peripheral activities or sophisticated systems that track dozens of different activities when only a handful really matters.

Without a foundation built upon these essential elements or Core Competencies, and because of all the distractions and roadblocks an organization is susceptible to today, results can be mediocre or less.

Take a look at the following list of actions that are common in a sales process, and select the items that you believe are absolutely essential to your success.

- Closing Sales

- Developing Prospect Lists

- Setting new Business Appointments

- Running 1st Appointments

- Working Sales Prospects through the Sales Pipeline

- Post-Sale Marketing

- Developing Referrals

- Reporting and Paperwork

- Documenting Testimonials

Now many of these tasks are important, but they are not all Core Competencies. Yes, it is important and useful to ask for referrals and develop testimonials from satisfied customers, but your success hinges mostly on the mastery of and attention to the (3) Core Competencies.

One simple way to determine whether a routine or task is truly a core competency is to ask what activities are directly related to sales revenue. After all, sales revenue is how we sales people measure success. Thats our scorecard at the end of the month.

We can do that through a series of questions around each element listed above.

Question #1:

Is it an essential component to the sales mission or is it just an ingredient in the recipe?

Consider a golfers essential competencies from tee-off to last putt. Is the core competency the ball or the club? Or is it the golf swing and putting stroke?

Question #2:

Can it be measured routinely and accurately with a napkin, pencil, and calculator?

Can you set a realistic performance benchmark tied to revenue goals? You know you have achieved this when you can tell a new hire in the sales organization the (3) simple numbers that will guarantee monthly sales success.

Question #3:

Can you apply Timely Training and Powerful Routines around each core competency?

We know what sales training is, but do we understand why sales training fails?

Timely training is NOT a seminar or one-time event. It requires appropriate structures for learning and application, defining useful short-term objectives, measuring progress, working closely with qualified trainers for follow-up and support, and most importantly, organizational commitment. Timely training is focused on one competency at a time until the appropriate milestone performance metric is realized.

So, if you can say it is directly tied to revenue (or your end result), is a skill set that can be trained to for improvement and can be measured, consider it a Core Sales Competency.

Perhaps a golf analogy will help illustrate the power of the Business of Core Competencies. A self-professed poor golfer with a chronic slice might attempt to correct the problem by adjusting his stance actually aiming away from the fairway so that the slice hopefully lands the ball in the middle.

In contrast, a low handicap golfer with a chronic slice might address the problem by adjusting their grip, rotating their hips, or adjusting the arc of their swing. In other words, good golfers address the core competencies of the swing vs. adjusting peripheral elements.

So what are the 3 Core Competencies?

Core Sales Competency 1: Conversation to Appointment Ratio.

Dont worry if you have never heard of let alone measured or trained to this sales competency because if you havent youre in the majority not the minority.

Your conversation to appointment ratio is how many conversations you must conduct with target prospects to achieve 1 new sales appointment.

The national average is in the 4-18% range. That is, most sales individuals have about 10-25 conversations to book 1 or 2 new sales appointments. Thats why the sales competency of setting new targeted business appointments is the Achilles heel of most sales organizations.

In fact, thats why I travel the country showing sales people and sales management how to improve this critical sales competency so they spend a lot less time to achieve more targeted appointments.

Once this competency is improved beyond your competitors, the benefits are more revenue in less time, less sales employee turnover due to low sales appointment activity and a quicker ramp-to-quota for new hire sales reps.

1st

Appnt

Core Sales Competency 2: 1st Appointment to Proposal Ratio

Whats the objective of your first sales appointment?

Have you defined what you want to happen at the conclusion of your 1st appointment? Only then can you actually set up a proficient sales methodology to achieve the defined objective more times than not. And with a pre-defined objective to your 1st appointment you can (1) set a realistic benchmark of success and (2) measure the outcome. It becomes part of your sales performance scorecard.

What is a 1st appointment to proposal ratio? Its simply how many times you gain commitment with your prospect to take the next step, as outlined by your sales process. Depending on your solutions-based product or service and your sales methodology, your Next step may be one of the following:

An on-site demonstration

A trial period of your widget

A tour of your operations or manufacturing facility

A no-obligation survey

An evaluation and side-by-side comparison, apples to apples

A solution-based evaluation, apples to oranges

Whatever your Gateway is, be sure to attach a business rule and definition to it, and then most importantly measure it.

Defining and measuring this Gateway will provide you with a Reality Mirror of how competent you are with the initial phase of your sales process.

So if you have set a realistic benchmark company-wide of a 60% 1st Appointment to Proposal ratio and you have sales individuals below it, you can pro-actively provide them with targeted coaching and support tools to help them achieve the standard benchmark. And that drives more revenue.

Core Sales Competency 3: Closing Ratio

Next Step

The Closing ratio is the number of proposals that result in new sales.

As a sales professional, your objective is to educate a prospect throughout the sales process so that the prospect can make an informed and clear buying decision. Your goal is to lead the prospect through every gateway and ultimately reach a legitimate yes or no at the end of the sales process.

Identifying (3) key Core sales competencies is different from the superficial values so prevalent in sales organizations today, such as a relentless focus on quota or a superior drive to succeed or other such motivational mantras. The trouble is the mantras usually lack depth and substance.

First identify your critical core sales competencies that are tied to routine sales success.

Your next step is to set realistic benchmarks to these sales competencies and finally, develop pin-point sales performance training and support systems to allow the majority of your sales force to be routinely sales quota savvy.

Jeff Hardesty is a National sales speaker, Sales performance improvement consultant and the Developer of the X2 Sales System, a blended sales prospecting training system that teaches sales professionals the competency of setting targeted C-level business appointments. April Blog29852
Alethea Blog96182

A Guide to Buying a Property in Hungary

Overview

Of the ten newest members of the European Union, Hungary has the fastest growing economy. As a result, those foreign nationals that took advantage of the liberalization that has begun to occur in the real estate laws of that country have enjoyed a profitable status over the course of the past three years.

Interestingly, the largest block of foreign nationals that are purchasing real estate in Hungary are from Ireland. The remaining groupings of foreign nationals tend to come from some of the other European Union nations.

The Hungarian national government has made a consistent and concerted effort to attract foreign investment into that country. In this regard, the government of Hungary has worked deliberately to liberalize the real estate laws in that country to make real estate investment and other types of economic involvement in Hungary more attractive to foreign nationals.

Investment Property in Hungary

Many foreign nationals have joined together with Hungarians in a whole host of different types of real estate investment enterprises. These trans-national joint ventures have been found in a wide array of different types of real estate holdings. For example, multi-national partnerships have been formed in the industrial, commercial and even residential real estate arenas.

Most real estate analysts that are familiar with Hungarian real estate market recommend that a foreign national interested in investing in real estate in Hungary should look to older properties in more established neighborhoods or zones. This recommendation holds true whether a foreign national is seeking to invest in commercial or residential real estate.

These real estate experts and analysts are reporting that the appreciation of these older properties are appreciating significantly, after undergoing a modest amount of rehabilitation after being purchased. Indeed, these analysts report that the value of these older properties -- both commercial and residential -- are appreciating upwards to 30% annually an incredible return.

The Hungarian capital of Budapest has derived the greatest amount of foreign investment in real estate in the past decade. Because the Danube River runs right through the city, a river that is an important European waterway, the capital is a natural for real estate and related types of investment.

Residential Property in Hungary

When it comes to single family homes, as has been touched on previously, those homes in more established neighborhoods -- older properties -- generally are more solid investments for a foreign national. The value of these properties -- following even only a modest amount of remodeling work -- rises a substantial amount each and every year. Currently, the value of these types of house is increasing in value at the rate of 27 to 30% each year.

There are some newer housing developments on the drawing board and under construction in different parts of the country. While there are some attractive points to these properties, as a rule, these homes -- once completed -- simply are not appreciating in value as are the older residences .

Residential Real Estate - Apartments in Hungary

The demand for apartments in Hungary is very strong in this day and age. Foreign nationals make up a considerable portion of the number of people who can be found purchasing apartments in Hungary during the course of a given year. Additionally, and interestingly, the Irish make up the most significant block of foreign nationals who are buying apartments in Hungary.

For the most part, foreign nationals have be found investing and purchasing apartments in the more major cities and urban areas in the country. With the entry of Hungary into the EU, coupled with the strong economy of the country in recent times, a growing number of foreign nationals are drawn to the company for economic and business reasons and purposes.

In this regard, when foreign nationals are found to be entering Hungary for business purposes, these men and women are taking to purchasing apartments for their housing needs. In the brisk apartment market in Hungary, the costs associated with these units is moderate when contrasted with similar apartments in other cities in Europe. Indeed, apartments throughout Hungary generally are classified as affordable when contrasted with the overall residential real estate market in the European Union in the 21st century

Holiday Property in Hungarian Holiday Resorts

In many ways, the 21st century has represented the true dawn of the tourism industry in Hungary. During the 20th century, tourism really was not a top industry in Hungary. Indeed, not that many people around the world included Hungary on their list of must-visit countries.

Since Hungary's passage from communist control, since Hungary broke free of the Soviet yolk, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who now are making Hungary a destination point for holiday travel. Many people are beginning to appreciate the true historic splendor that is Hungary.

A number of foreign investors have come together in the development of resort properties for travelers to the country. In addition, a growing number of foreign nationals (again, with the Irish coming in at first place) have taken to buying apartments which are being rented to travelers who intend to spend an extended period of time in Hungary.

Not only are these apartments being developed in the urban areas of the country, but a number of such developments have been undertaken in some of the more rural areas of Hungary. Many foreign nationals have found themselves attracted to the placid lifestyle and serene beauty of these more rural regions in the country.

Specific Steps to Buying a Property in Hungary

Hungary left the Soviet and communist era behind with a much stronger economy that had other nations that formerly were kept behind the Iron Curtain. As a result, Hungary has continued to enjoy an economic advantage over many countries in Europe in recent years. Most financial analysts and economic experts maintain that Hungary will enjoy a GDP that will exceed by 50% annually over what is being experienced in other EU nations over the coming few years.

One sector of the overall Hungarian economy that has been experience significant growth and activity is the real estate market. Thanks to efforts made by the Hungarian government to liberalize and streamline its real estate laws, including those laws that pertain to foreign ownership of real estate, more and more foreign nationals are investing in Hungary.

Historically, foreign nationals could not invest in real estate in Hungary. However, at this juncture, a foreign national can invest as an individual in real estate in Hungary. With that said, prior to making the purchase of real estate as an individual, a foreign national must obtain permission from the Hungarian Land Registry to purchase real estate in that country. Again, this step must be taken only if a foreign national intends to hold title to real estate in Hungary in his or her individual capacity.

The process of preparing an application for the Land Registry is a simple matter. With that said, there can be up to a month's wait before the Land Registry will act on an application to purchase real estate.

Some foreign nationals forgo the Land Registry application process by establishing a limited liability company in Hungary that can take ownership of real estate without the requirement of registering with the Land Registry Office. A competent lawyer in Hungary can complete the documents necessary to create a limited liability company within a day -- and can have them filed immediately with the appropriate governmental authorities.

Once a foreign national determines which route he or she will take in regard to the purchase of real estate in Hungary -- with as an individual or through a limited liability company -- the next step in the real estate sales transaction process is the execution of a preliminary sales agreement. Generally the buyer is obliged to post a deposit at this juncture, usually in the amount of about 10% of the overall purchase price of the real estate. After the initial agreement is signed, the buyer embarks on obtaining his or her financing while the seller makes certain that the property is capable to being legally conveyed to the buyer, makes certain that there are no legal encumbrances attached to the real estate. The seller must make certain that the buyer can take possession and ownership of the real estate free and clear of any impediment.

The last step in the real estate sales process is the execution of the final sales agreement and the conveyance of the deed from the seller to the buyer. The deed will then be registered with the Land Registry Office which will make necessary changes in the legal records pertaining to the property to reflect the new ownership of the real estate.

Overall, the real estate sales process in Hungary has become significantly easier to undertake in the course of recent years. Whether one is proceeding as an individual or through a limited liability company, a foreign national can purchase a wide range of different types of real estate in the country in the 21st century.

Property Abroad always recommends using a Solicitor or Lawyer.

Les Calvert - the Director of http://www.property-abroad.com often writes articles and information on the overseas property market. Visit their site with useful information and properties for sale in Hungary http://www.property-abroad.com/hungary.Adrianne Blog42295
Bess Blog91982

Cincinnati Schools Creates Programs to Improve Teaching and Learning

Teacher Advancement Program

Three Cincinnati Schools have volunteered to take part in a new program next school year that is aimed to improve the schools instructional strategies and increase professional development. The aim of the program is to illustrate the connection between effective teaching and the students academic performance. The Cincinnati Schools involved in the pilot program are John P. Parker School in Madisonville, South Avondale School in Avondale and Whittier School in Price Hill. These schools cover kindergarten to eighth grade. These schools were chosen over other Cincinnati Schools due to each schools rankings within the federal No Child Left Behind Act and their potential for growth. The Teacher Advancement Program is a research based school reform program that is designed to retain the best teachers in the profession in the schools. The Teacher Advancement Program was created in 1999 by the Milken Family Foundation. A major goal of the Teacher Advancement Program is to reverse the tendency of gifted young teachers leaving schools for other work by turning teaching into a worthwhile career choice. Teacher Advancement Program is endorsed by the Ohio Department of Education as a new restructuring program and by Cincinnati Schools teachers union, the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers. Teacher Advancement Program focuses on four areas of teacher development and student achievement:

Ongoing, applied professional growth Teachers are given time each week during the school day to work with teachers in the same grades or subjects to match instructional practices to student needs.

Multiple career paths Each school offers mentors and master lead teachers to meet regularly with teachers to plan and reflect on instruction.

Instructionally focused accountability Teachers will focus on student data to improve instruction and on feedback from observations by the mentors, master teachers and principals.

Incentive pay Following negotiations with the CFT and CPS, incentive pay for teachers could be added for student achievement, professional growth and/or instructional growth.

Cincinnati Schools Set Five Year Plan

Cincinnati Schools have initiated a five year progress plan beginning this coming school year. The plan known as Building Futures: Every Student Every School Every Day has been recently approved by the Cincinnati Schools Education Broad. The plan aims to be students centered and sets high performance objectives. The plan wants to foster stronger links to families and community members with Cincinnati Schools and increase professional development among the teachers, staff and administrators. The plan also sets clear accountability measures. The plan was developed based on input from individuals and groups representing parents, community members, school staff, students, elected officials, business leaders, civil-rights organizations, faith-based associations, and others. This plan is divided into ten strategic areas. The plan sets improvement goals for all ten of these areas:

1. All pre K-12 students meet or exceed high academic standards.

2. All students graduate and are prepared for postsecondary education, successful careers and productive citizenship.

3. Schools have autonomy and effective governance, and are held accountable for results.

4. Schools are safe, supportive and family friendly.

5. The district supports schools and is accountable for results.

6. The district employs a highly qualified, diverse workforce that engages in continuous improvement through ongoing, high-quality professional development.

7. The district implements a systemic leadership development program.

8. State-of-the-art school facilities are designed to support student learning in a standards-based environment and are constructed meeting diversity-participation goals.

9. The district and schools are fiscally responsible and allocate resources equitably to support student learning.

10. Community partnerships strengthen the connection between schools and neighborhoods while supporting student learning and family engagement.

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, Which provides free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues.Berti Blog89872
Aggy Blog50436

Collaborating For Leveraged Income

Who doesnt love a sale? Grand Opening sales, Clearance sales, and others that Ive never taken advantage of -- Midnight sales! We all love to get quality for a lesser price. Bargains have become part of the American lifestyle and with it the added bonus of bragging rights I bought the exact same car but I paid less than you did.

Sales are good for the business owner too. It brings in needed cash flow while clearing the shelves for new merchandise, but what about the Going-Out-Of-Business sale? You will find bargains hard to pass up because these sales mean the business has dried up and the owner can no longer keep his door open. Sadly, this owner will not be generating any more revenue: his cash flow will stop!

Realizing that the rich get richer by setting up leveraged income, lets look at this for the moment: in the workforce we consider being promoted as earning more and working less. With this mindset today, if you want to earn more and work less youre going to have to start creating income that does not require your direct involvement -- leveraged or residual income!

Leveraged income differs from linear income (the money you make by working 40 hours in exchange for a paycheck). Doctors and lawyers earn a higher linear income than say, a salesman or pizza chef. But in fact we all have a maximum of 24 hours a day which limits the amount of money even professionals can personally generate. They can up their hourly fee but if suddenly they are unable to work their cash flow stops too.

Linear income is trading your time for money. Leveraged income is your money working for you. With the right business you set in motion a chain of events that duplicates your income over and over again. In the perfect scenario this continues without end.

Think of the author of a best-seller his residual income is generated by the sale of his popular book over and over again often going into reprint status, or the composer of a song that wont leave your head. Every singer wants to record that song and you as the composer will earn mega bucks just for that one creation!

So how do we apply this to the Internet? You can find many programs online that generate leveraged income. Not all of them have or will endure the test of time. Surely youve seen the ones with poor products or unethical practices that disappear into cyberspace; often with your money.

Select a program that uses collaboration and you will have the perfect win-win situation. With so much conflicting information on the Internet, people are getting more confused than educated. A program where your sponsor guides you through the initial sales will gain leveraged income for him while earning you the privilege to turn around and do the same.

Lets examine the 2up system: you are rewarded for selling a valuable product to your new associate and you have earned a sales commission. In return for this commission you agree to train him/her to do the same, teaching them how to advertise and sell more of your companys valued product.

In a collaborative effort, they agree to forfeit their first two sales to you, their trainer. Once they complete these two training sales, they are independent and begin their own team of associates. Your leveraged income results from the two training sales your associate has given you, and you begin guiding these two new associates, each of which will in turn bring you two new sales commissions.

Do the math: your associate brought you a sales commission. He in turn gives you two new associates with two new commissions. And they in turn each bring you two more associates to train. Thats seven commission checks, and it doesnt stop there.

With this system, no one suffers the loss of an affiliate to jumps to greener pastures. Once they have made their first two sales in return for their training, you have no further use for them; they become independent and earning their own leveraged incomes.

There are also personal rewards for those who guide others to realize their dreams. As a mentor you are a productive citizen, a valued friend who has helped many become financially independent, and as each new associate fills his dreams, they in turn are fulfilling yours.

Collaborating with others for overall growth is the real beauty of leveraged earning.

2006 Esther Smith

Esther Smith publishes a weekly syndicated Newsletter and three Websites. You can join her team of Entrepreneurs and begin your own Leveraged Income for life here: http://thepermanentventure.com/2up.htm Start young, retire early! Anne Blog3714
Adelice Blog94017

Affordable Remote Video Surveillance for Everyone

John was on a business trip in Europe, when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and there was a text message that read motion has been detected at your home on camera #2.

No one was supposed to be in his house while he was away, so this could only mean one thing, someone has broken in.

John immediately logged on to the Internet and in less than 2 minutes he was watching a stranger rummaging through his house. By comparison, the 10 minutes it took him to contact his hometown police department seemed pitifully slow.

Yeah John said Im watching the guy on my surveillance cameras right now, you can still catch him if you hurry

A few minutes later the police arrived at Johns house and caught the thief just as he was leaving with a bag full of Johns stuff.

John thought to himself, this surveillance software has just paid for itself, unlike my neighbors alarm system that calls the police every time his cat triggers a sensor.

Home security and surveillance can be an indispensable tool for keeping an eye on things while your not there. Video surveillance software allows you to use your home computer monitor as your viewing platform, and involves minimal set up using inexpensive software to connect your security cameras with a home network.

Applications can include doorway or gate security, grounds surveillance, or you can even view a hidden nanny cam right from a computer monitor inside your home. Or by logging in through the Internet to view your surveillance cameras, you can view what your security cameras see from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.

In the past, it was quite expensive to maintain and implement such security systems because they were tied to expensive recorders and other fancy hardware components. CCTV Systems and other high-tech surveillance systems can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to many thousands of dollars. But now, you can turn your computer into a powerful surveillance system at a fraction of a regular security system cost.

These surveillance software packages have no monthly fees, which means that for a small one-time cost you can have remote video surveillance for a lifetime.

Most of these software surveillance systems are easy and quick to setup and require only a very basic knowledge of networking. Some of them only require you to place the CD in your computers CD drive, and the software will walk you through the process in about 5 or 10 minutes.

These surveillance software packages can be used with wired or wireless security cameras. A high quality video stream will be viewable from a computer within your home, or from anywhere with an Internet connection. One such software package that I have discovered is the Visec security software. For around $100, you can install, set up, and immediately start viewing up to four surveillance cameras, remotely, from anywhere in the world.

Using your computer's IP address to log on, you can view live or past video, and many of these software packages even allow for a motion detection mode which will record video activity just when motion is detected.

They can even be set up to alert you by email, cell phone or PDA when motion is detected.

While these streaming surveillance videos can be viewed with a dial up connection, a High Speed Cable or DSL Internet connection is recommended. The use of a dial-up modem will tend to give you a choppy video due to the slow bandwidth speed of the connection, whereas a high-speed Internet connection will allow for a much smoother real-time video.

Steven Rubin is the owner of North American Security Products, LLC. A company dedicated to providing you with the means to protect and defend yourself against crime.Beth Blog15571
Aindrea Blog83403

Internet Marketing And List Building: Forget Programs, Build Your List

Internet marketing newbies constantly have opportunities flung in their faces. There are a few that might be good, with good products behind them, but probably only for a while. Other programs are just so-so and the owners make a bulk of the income. Then, there are the Internet marketing scams, which you should avoid--totally.

Let's continue on the premise that you've found a solid program and you're really eager to make it work for you. You may even be making some money from it. But let's think about this: If you concentrate on it alone, and you're building this huge downline, what about emailing them? You can't do it for any reason, other than about company business or you'll be kicked out of the program. Should you be doing this?

Obviously, you can. Yet, what happens when you've spent all your time and energy and maybe money on getting this program really going great. That would be awesome, and you'd have a real sense of achievement, an income even. Great. But...

Did you know that most Internet marketing and other Internet businesses fail within the first year? That doesn't necessarily mean that your program will, but I can almost guarantee that when there are so many people in it that it becomes unpopular because there's just no money to be made anymore, it will fail. Then what? Start all over and do it again?

Here's the thing. Most Internet marketing newbies don't understand that programs aren't the answer. Even some people with time online don't get it. There is only one thing that will keep your business running, and that's a list of customers behind you, that know you, that trust you, that like your personality, and that buy. You'll always have a certain percentage of people on your list that buy what you recommend because they trust you and know it's a good product.

How about this scenario? You have worked really hard at list building all the while you were building your MLM business. But guess what? The MLM dies off and you don't care! You have a list of 10,000 people who are willing to look at anything you send to them, and a certain percentage of them will always buy. You can sell them a product that you develop or become an affiliate for someone else and sell their products and still have an income. Can you see how powerful having a list of your own is now?

My best advice to you, especially if you're an Internet marketing newbie, is to forget the hype. Get away from it and settle yourself down to building a list. List building is the only thing that will keep your business going. If you aren't doing it now, start today! See my resource box for my step-by-step program. It's a very quick way to get started.

Yet, whatever you do, whether you follow me or someone else, start list building today. If you aren't going to do that, don't buy into one more program, get another ebook, or buy more productivity software. If you aren't list building, you may as well just close the doors forget it. Ignoring list building is not an option.

Tellman Knudson is all about Internet marketing, and list building is his forte. Learn to build a powerful list in just 9 hours when you visit My First List at http://www.myfirstlist.comAdina Blog34267
Barbey Blog51531

Power Dust Removal Tools

With rapid commercialization coupled with growth in industrial, transportation and infrastructure, the pollution levels are rising at an alarming rate. One of the worst effected is the air be breathe. Dust is a major irritant, causing serious respiratory problems. The only answer to these problems is installation of dust removal equipments at domestic, commercial and industrial establishments.

Dust removal tools help clean the air of dust. Power dust tools are mainly of two types, the ones that remove the dust and others that filter the dust out. These equipments range from handy domestic vacuum cleaners to industrial air cleaners and equipments.

Depending upon the application, dust removal tools come with various RPMs (from 500 to 1500 RPM) and can range between .5 HP to 1 HP for domestic use and from 1 HP to 5 HP for industrial use. Selection of the power (HP) depends on the area and the volume of the place of use and dust levels. For example, an electronic warehouse will require a lesser capacity dust removal tool than a cement stock point of the same size as the dust in the later is far higher than the former. The motors can range from single to triple phase motors and adequate considerations and provisions for power should be made before selecting the model. Most dust removal tools operate automatically, running anywhere between 10 to 25 times an hour, a factor determined by the dust levels.

Multi-speed power dust removal tools help to optimize power consumption as you can control the speeds between high and low dust levels during different times of the day. The dust collection efficiency ranges from 90% to 99% and most of the power dust removal tools can collect dust particles of 1 micron. This is a very important factor as micro particles are known to cause allergies and asthma.

Power dust removal tools contain dust collection filters and bags that must be regularly cleaned and disposed to maintain dust levels at permissible limits and maintain standard power consumption. Enough thought goes into the aesthetics of the dust removal equipments as they come in sleek size and shape, considering their capacity and most come with remote controls for added convenience. Some recent power dust removal tools come with timer facilities and are also programmable.

Milwaukee, Delta, Porter-Cable and Jet/Powermatic are some of the major manufacturers of power dust removal tools. For more information you can visit Power Tools Mall. Remember, it is your responsibility to ensure dust-free environment to your family, workers and customers.

Dana Bradley writes about http://www.powertoolsmall.com, http://www.powertoolsmall.com/Coupons/Tool%20King.html and http://www.powertoolsmall.com/Coupons/Northerntool.htmlCarmen Blog36677
Anica Blog95062

Tips On How To Study History

Before we actually dive into this vast subject, I would like to touch on a few things. Firstly, studying history is like studying any other type of subject in that it demands participation and a big amount of patience. The successful student forces him or herself to study, of course there are certain tactics to make the whole thing go by easier and more effective.

Having that said, you should know that the following advice is what I feel is the most appropriate approach to studying history, it does not imply (by any means) that it is the only way to study history, we should have this issue clear. Secondly, if this way of studying does not fit your way of learning, throw it out and never look back! What! Did I just tell you to dismiss my own advice? Well, yes, but only if you find it reprehensive enough to the degree that you feel that the advice will actually give you worse result than benefit. Albeit, here it goes:

Studying history is often perceived as boring I have to disagree, its not just boring it is really boring if you dont know how to tackle it! Heres my take on the two elements you should always look at when studying history:

a) The Reasons/Causes behind an event.
b) The Consequences that followed.

By understanding why things happened and what the events led to, you have in fact answered most of the questions. This is what any person studying history should look at, in contrast to getting caught on all the details. So the first action you need to take when you've received a new history assignment is to write down all the possible causes to the event and the consequences that erupted due to the causes.

You will find that most of the time, finding the consequences is by far easier than trying to understand why it happened in the first place.

Adam Abderisak, a.k.a. "Study Coach" is an education instructor and entrepreneur. His latest work is a study guide entitled "Study Guide Pro". Be sure to visit his website to check out some of the most "lethal" study techniques known to man: http://www.study-habits.com/study-guide.htmlCamila Blog16346
Aurlie Blog14673

Garden Housekeeping

Most gardeners, myself included, would much rather be outside working in the garden than inside doing housework. Gardening also requires some housekeeping, but plant lovers generally dont mind being outside fussing with their plants.

Garden housekeeping is done for two reasons. Keeping the garden neat and clean is done to maintain the aesthetics of the garden, and also to maintain the health of the plants in the garden.

Keeping the garden free of weeds is a simple step that will improve both the beauty and health of any garden. After all, its difficult to enjoy your beautiful flowers if they are hidden amongst weeds. Weeds also attract and harbor plant diseases and insect pests, both which will happily spread to your garden plants. Not only that, weeds will also compete with your desirable plants, using more than their fair share of water and nutrients.

The best way to keep weeds out of the garden is to eliminate the weeds even before you plant anything. At http://www.freeplants.com youll find an excellent article on weed control that explains how to eliminate weeds from your garden. Of course, more weed seeds will constantly be blowing or carried in to the garden, but you can stay on top of the problem by pulling or hoeing the young weeds weekly, before they get a chance to grow large and set deep roots.

While youre weeding, remove any trash and debris that may have blown into the garden. Watch for over-ripe fruit and vegetables and discard them before they rot and attract insects or rodents. You can also take this time to examine your plants for insect or animal damage. After determining what insect or animal is damaging your plants you can take appropriate steps to prevent further damage.

Try to walk through your garden every day that you can, not only to admire blossoms that have opened that day or to harvest any ripe vegetables, but also to keep an eye on the overall health of your plants. This way you can identify and deal with any problems immediately and not give diseases or pests the chance to become established. Carry a pruning shears with you whenever youre in the garden and deadhead any faded flowers, especially on your annual flowers. Deadheading simply involves removing flowers that have already bloomed and are no longer attractive. For many annuals, this will encourage more blooms.

It is very helpful to keep a garden notebook for a number of reasons. In your garden notebook you can keep track of the names of all your plants and make a map showing where each one is planted. This is especially useful when you want to share plants with friends so you can tell them the name of the plant theyre receiving. Its also helpful if you sell your property. The new owners will be grateful to have that information about the plants on their new property.

In your garden notebook you can also make notes to remind yourself when each plant blooms or is ready for harvest, what vegetable varieties you planted and which of those performed best or werent worth planting again, and how you dealt with any insects or diseases that attacked your plants. If you found that your garden was too cramped, make a note to create wider paths between the rows or beds when you plant again the following spring.

Its particularly important to make a map of your vegetable garden each year. It doesnt have to be elaborate, a simple sketch would be sufficient. The purpose of your vegetable garden map is to remind you where each crop was planted the previous year so that you can rotate the current years crops. Since many plant diseases and even some insects are harbored in the soil, moving your crops from one area of the garden to another will help reduce disease and insect damage.

Some vegetable crops should never be planted in the same area two years in a row. Tomatoes, corn and potatoes are good examples of crops that should be rotated. Several common tomato diseases will overwinter in the soil and will infect tomatoes again if theyre planted in the same spot as the previous year. Colorado Potato Beetle larvae overwinter in the soil and will have more difficulty finding a potato meal if the potatoes are on the other end of the garden when the larvae emerge in the spring. Corn is a heavy feeder and depletes soil of nitrogen. Where the corn was planted the previous year, beans or peas should be planted the following season, as these legumes will fix nitrogen in the soil, replacing what the corn depleted.

Finally, garden housekeeping involves cleaning up the garden at the end of the growing season. Any diseased plants should be removed from the garden and discarded. Do not add diseased plant material to your compost pile unless you are sure that your compost pile heats up enough to kill any pathogens. Woody material such as cornstalks and sunflower stems should be removed from the garden and composted. You may want to break these down into smaller pieces as they tend to decompose very slowly.

Vegetable plants that are not diseased or infested with insects can either be removed and composted or tilled into the soil in the fall, where they will break down over winter and add organic matter to the soil.

Blooming annuals can be pulled from the flowerbed after the first killing frost. Perennials should be allowed to go dormant before the dead foliage is trimmed back close to the ground.

Garden housekeeping is an important step towards a healthy and bountiful garden. It does require a little effort, but garden housekeeping is still more fun than vacuuming and dusting in the house.

Kathy Anderson has been an avid gardener for many years and has grown tomatoes by the acre, along with many other vegetables, flowers and landscape plants. Kathy recommends http://www.freeplants.com as a great place to learn more about gardening. Article provided by http://gardening-articles.com. If you use this article the above links must be active.Cal Blog81676
Bernardine Blog30300

Do You Really Need Surveillance Equipment?

Dangnammit! Thats the third time this month that weve come up missing inventory.

Bob was clearly frustrated. His small electronics business couldnt afford to keep losing money on missing inventory. He knew it had to be one of his employees that was stealing from him, but which one? John had been with him for 6 years, Carrie had been here three years, and Jessie had been here for 6 months without incident.

The answer seemed obvious; Bob had to get one of those Hidden Cameras that he read about on the Internet. His store already had two Security Cameras, but the thief was avoiding them and not showing up on any of the surveillance tapes.

That night, Bob went on line and ordered a hidden camera that was disguised as a wall clock. No one would ever know to avoid this little piece of surveillance equipment because it was an actual working clock with the hidden camera built right in.

A week later when the clock arrived, Bob set it to the correct time, put it on the wall, and waited. It only took two days for him to get his answer. It wasnt an employee at all, it was his own teenage son stealing video recorders and CD players, and selling them to his friends for extra spending money. Bob thought to himself I dont know what that kid is doing with money I pay him for cleaning up around here, but hes going to be working for free for the next six months.

Hidden cameras have become very popular in recent years. Business owners often use surveillance equipment to keep an eye on employees or their store; they can help to protect the business from theft, vandalism, or just for keeping an eye on things. Parents can use nanny cams to make sure their children are being properly treated while theyre away.

Hidden cameras can come wireless or wired. Wireless hidden cameras use batteries for power, and transmit the images to a wireless receiver that can be set up to view what the hidden camera sees from up to mile away or more.

Wired cameras will have a physical wire running from the hidden camera to a Monitor, VCR or PC. The wired cameras are not limited by how long they can record for, but the length of the wires limits them to some degree as to where they can be placed.

To determine if you need a wireless or wired hidden camera, consider the length of time you will need to record. Will the batteries hold up long enough? Hidden cameras come in a variety of shapes and disguises. Choose a camera that goes well with the environment around so it will be unnoticeable. If its easily noticed, it cant really be considered a hidden camera.

There are many types of hidden cameras and surveillance equipment for all types of situations.

Nanny cams are just another name for hidden cameras. Even if you have a nanny that you feel you can trust, it doesn't hurt to have a nanny cam just to be sure that your children and home are safe. Their popularity grows with every news story about an abusive nanny or baby sitter. Hence the name Nanny Cam

The camera might be embedded in children's items such as teddy bears, baby wipe containers, dolls, etc. These items can be placed in the child's room next to other toys. There are also nanny cams for other rooms of the home, including clocks, radios, table lamps, picture frames, mirrors, VCR and DVD players, etc. Every room can have a nanny cam if needed. Just be warned that if your purpose of a hidden camera is to bring out the voyeur in you and spy on someone, you may be breaking a law depending on where you live.

Surveillance systems enable you to observe multiple locations through one localized system. If you need more than a few security cameras, consider a complete surveillance system. With a digital video recording system, your security cameras are set up in different locations and interconnected so you can view all the areas at the same time. You can expand your surveillance system as your business grows. There are also portable DVR surveillance systems for covert operations.

Dummy Cameras look like real security cameras and give an appearance that the area is under surveillance. Dummy cameras are not real security cameras but the thieves won't know if the camera is real or not. Many business owners often use dummy cameras as a deterrent to criminal activity.

Professional cameras are often used to survey large businesses or offices. They can be used inside or outside. Professional cameras can be mounted on wall brackets or ceiling brackets. Some are waterproof for outdoor surveillance, and some are even capable of viewing up to 40 or 50 in almost complete darkness.

Hidden cameras and security cameras are great for protecting your children, home, or business property.

You dont need to be paranoid to see how useful one of these security cameras or surveillance systems can be.

Steven Rubin is the owner of North American Security Products, LLC. A company dedicated to providing you with the means to protect and defend yourself against crime.Candi Blog10195
Audie Blog44809

Theres More to MP3

The association with the term is such that MP3 is considered synonymous to songs. What few know is that it also offers the facility of Pod casting which is fast turning into a hot trend in the field of online audio. Pod casting is a term evolved by fusing digital music players (Pod from I-Pod) transmission (or broadcasting). In Pod casting programmes the participants hold an interactive session of chatting, playing songs, etc and convert the recording into a digital audio file. Pod casters mostly patronize the MP3 format.

In a compact disc (CD) the sound quality is superior as musical sounds are recorded on it by turning them into digits. 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample and two channels (for stereo sound) are required to store music on a CD. About 10 million bytes (megabytes) of data per minute of music are stored on a CD and for a three-minute song 30 megabytes of data are needed. Anybody who has tried to download files on the Internet would understand that 30 megabytes is a massive quantum of memory space and using a modem for the purpose of Internet connectivity, 30 megabytes of data could take several hours to download.

For the purpose of recording/storing video data, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) has created systems of compression. Thus, to fit video and movie data into smaller spaces for movie; DVDs, HDTV broadcasts and DSS satellite systems, MPEG compression is used. A subsystem that compresses sound is called MPEG Audio Layer-3. The MP3 system enables a 30-megabyte sound file from a CD to be compressed to 3 megabytes and stored in an MP3 disc. It makes no difference to the sound quality and on downloading an MP3 file it plays as well as the original file. It is also possible to download an MP3 file and stretch it back to the original size for the purpose of recording it on a writable CD that could be played on a CD player that cannot read MP3 files. It is mere conversion of different formats to make the process of downloading that much easier.

Copyrights protected article written by Andrew Stratton for http://www.surveillancetechnology.com. More articles and information about the spy camera products can be viewed easily altogether at this location http://www.surveillancetechnology.com/entertainment-system.htm. Please be free to explore the website for more information on every surveillance products and their features.Becka Blog17554
Amara Blog39715

Sell Real Estate FAST With A "Seller Second"

The real estate market has been showing signs of slowing and more and more properties are advertised for sale; however, one real estate transaction type is gaining in popularity and that is the "seller second". In such a scenario, the seller holds a second mortgage allowing the buyer to purchase the home with little or no-money-down. The down payment or a portion thereof is effectively financed with the "seller second".

Since the first mortgage balance will be less than 100% of the sale's price, there is a lower inherent risk to the first mortgage lender who in turn is willing to approve a buyer who would otherwise not qualify for a no-money-down first mortgage. This dramatically increases the pool of potential buyers and that leads to a quick sale in today's market.

Typical minimum credit score requirements for a no-money-down loan are 580 or above; but, with the assistance of a 5% (5% of the sale's price) "seller held second", a buyer can purchase a home with a 550 credit score. With a 20% seller held second, a buyer with a 500 credit score can buy a home no-money-down. With a 35% seller held second, there are no credit score requirements for the buyer.

After closing, the buyer will have two monthly mortgage payments, one payment to the first mortgage holder and a second payment to the seller. The second mortgage is typically structured as a thirty-year amortization with a five-year balloon. At the end of the first year, the buyer can refinance the first and second mortgage into one new first mortgage and at that time the seller will recoup the balance of the "seller second". In the meantime the seller will receive interest only payments from the buyer.

A year ago, it was a seller's market. Properties were selling as soon as the real estate 'for sale' sign was planted in the yard. At that time, it was not uncommon to hear of bidding wars in the driveway and the subject property would end up selling for more than the asking price. Now we are in a different market. We have entered a buyer's market. Properties remain listed for sale for periods of time that exceed a sellers comfort level. Driving down a typical street in Any Town, USA, one might see numerous 'for sale' signs and even signs reading the likes of "price reduced". Reducing the price of a house does not significantly increase the pool of buyers that potentially qualify for financing for that property and therefore, demand remains unchanged as the result of a price reduction. The solution can be found through offering a "seller second".

A "seller second" effectively increases the number of buyers that qualify for financing and subsequently increases the demand. FICO statistics seem to indicate there are approximately 25% of the scorable population in this country that have a credit score between 500 and 649. Offering a "seller second" to buyers in this range can turn them into qualified borrowers and happy homeowners.

To offer a "seller held second", a seller will need to have sufficient equity in the property. Also, sellers need to understand that there is a risk of default by the potential buyer.

Paul Jerome is a mortgage expert and contributor to Seller Helps Buyer LLC Seller Helps Buyer provides a format for sellers to showcase properties 'for sale' that are accompanied by a 'seller held second mortgage'. Cacilie Blog70070
Andriette Blog56677