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Why should you use hiking poles is perhaps the first question that may strike in your mind especially when you are a beginner. To get the right answer for this question you need to consider two things i.e. Safety and Comfort. Hiking poles are just balancing sticks which help you maintain good balance that is closely related to your overall safety and comfort. When you use two poles you move as you have four legs which allow you better comfort and safety. Experts say that by using hiking poles you switch to 4×4 mode of driving, using your two legs and two hands.

As far as safety is concerned, a pair of hiking poles helps you prevent frequent fall downs on uncertain tracks, avoiding aches in ankle or knee or even back; and here comfort is pointing towards the convenience in walking such as maintaining right walking posture and pacing using two extra legs.

Although it is personal preference and an individual decision to use hiking poles but they can prove to be very helpful for you during your hiking. You must use hiking poles especially when you are on your first hike. And, I think next time you will yourself carry these sticks with you by seeing their countless benefits.

Thousands of people who have already used (or still using!) hiking poles for years could not be wrong and this is the reason that poles are considered the traditional way to move on uncertain tracks while maintaining good stability. Although, hiking poles have countless benefits but below given are some significant benefits which enforce us to use them every time we go on hiking and trekking:

Safety- Safety is the main reason of using hiking poles. Hiking poles, in reality allow you the extra pair of legs to maintain good stability on the uncertain trails and when crossing fast streams or difficult terrains. Without having hiking poles you may fall down that may end up in injuries and accidents, and if you don’t fall even then ache in knees or ankles is a common mishappening you may face. When you have hiking poles with you, they keep you safe by preventing fall downs, bad steps which may cause of sprained ankle or knee.

Indeed, safety and convenience are the main reasons of using these hiking and trekking poles. Let’s see some other benefits/advantages of using them.

Weight Distribution- Hiking poles or staffs help us to reduce weight on our feet and legs. The modern design of the hiking pole distributes the weight evenly on the whole body instead of legs. According to one estimate poles can reduce 15% of weight from your legs by spreading it on the arms and other parts of body. As they act like your legs so they also bear some of the weight. Especially when you are climbing on a steep hill, the poles bear much weight than in normal walking so the percentage of weight may rise even further.

Pacing- When climbing on a steep hill, you will find your hiking poles more helpful for pacing yourself. I have personally seen their advantages to pace my steps. No doubt, hiking poles can easily speed you up by acquiring your weight and by allowing you to maintain good stability. You can maintain your speed without having so much huff and puff (needless to say more sweat!). And finally you will find that you have won over the trail without so much effort that really hurts. Certainly you will not feel pain in your back because poles allow you to walk in your natural position.

Comfort- Hiking with poles feels comfortable because you can walk in your natural posture while climbing on a hill or coming down. Your hands also remain in comfortable position; another better thing is that your hands remain above the heart which is also comfortable and beneficial as it improves the blood circulation that ensure less stressed body after the hiking. Many research studies and findings have clearly shown their cardiovascular, orthopaedic and other health benefits, as a result they advocate that not only circulation is improved but heart rate is also said to be reduced. A landmark study in this regard was published by Dr. G. Neureuther in 1981. Therefore, almost every seasoned and experienced hiker or trekker actually uses them and advises others to use them.

At last but not least using hiking poles for trail riding is not a wrong decision at all as they have countless benefits and uses, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any disadvantages. Experts believe that using poles may increase your total energy expenditure as your hands are no longer hands but will become two extra legs when you use them. Basically, your arms are not designed to prop up your body, nor to distribute weight, but to do certain other things that are expected to use your hands such as to open up the map, carry your drinks, eat a snack, wipe off your sweat, to grab branches of a tree to pull yourself ahead, to take a photograph, or occasionally to carry the hand of your partner. Undoubtedly, these things are not possible or comfortable when you have hiking poles in your hands and it will become relatively clumsy, time consuming, and sometimes even frustrating to carry them.

Well these were certain limitations of using hiking poles, but only an experienced hiker knows that these limitations in themselves are very limited. Of course these can be easily overcome as you grow and matured with them. However, most of the time it is generally seen that many people don’t actually know how to use them correctly and how to carry them properly. When they buy these hiking poles, they go for most stylish, fashionable and feature filled poles, but failed to recognize how to use them properly to reap their true benefits. For example, they buy adjustable hiking poles with compass fitted and with a camera mount, but don’t even know how to adjust them to a right length. As a result the majority of the people get little or no benefit from them except adding few extra pound of weight in their backpack to put more weight on their back.

But in actual sense, you must educate and familiarize yourself with your hiking poles and right techniques to use them. Then you will find that it only adds few extra pounds of weight to your packing but helps you in many ways. Actually pole less hiking is great for the slack packers who walks very short and come back their home in sunlight. But the hikers those who walk very long on the trails in day light as well in the night must use hiking poles. They are perhaps your best companions while climbing or walking on relatively difficult, snowy or muddy terrains. Specially when walking in after hours you should use poles to discover holes, stones and bushes in the absence of light.

I sincerely believe, by now, you may have understood yourself that why should we use hiking poles.

All the best!!

Mats Lundkvist
Trek Lightly!
http://www.hikinghelp.com/blog/

Transmissions and engines play a major role in automobiles but a lot of drivers are not aware of this fact. Transmissions and engines will serve as a power plant and propels the wheels of automobiles. In addition, transmissions and engines will help drivers and the passengers get from point A to point B. Since they play such important tasks, they must be built well and there must not be any room for error during the process of manufacturing. Car manufacturers must guarantee the quality of the final product or these parts before they are going to install them to the automobiles.

On the other hand, thousands of people drive with broken automobiles every year due to repairs they did not get on their automobiles. Sadly, a lot of people do not realize the risks and problems a simple problem or leak on their transmission and engine can cause. It must not take car mechanics long to get the point across that the transmissions and engines should have been serviced in order to get your attention on your vehicles bill. When it comes to the repair of auto transmissions and engines, it is very essential to take the right measures and make good decisions.

Many times, a repair is good enough but if the failure is very serious, then, simple repair is out of question. In such cases, transmission and engine replacement may be the best solution. Whether you admit it or not, transmission and engine replacement is necessary if there is an extreme failure or situation with overheating. At times, these failures begin as little leaks which can be cause mechanical stress, high temperature deterioration and mechanical failure. But regardless of the situations behind the leak or failure, it is very important to take care of engine and transmission replacements before it will cost too much. As mentioned earlier, engines and transmissions are there to create mechanical power to propel or drive you around the city or country. Therefore, waiting for too long to replace faulty engines and transmissions might actually be a troublesome for the automobile. More than 100’s of people every year make bad decisions which can come from individuals who are not taking care of their cars. It doesn’t help when the auto repair shop guides you wrong with helping you decide what road to take with your auto repairs.

In order to try to minimize such failures caused by broken engines and transmissions, replacement or the engine or transmission consideration is needed. Take plenty of time in order to shop around to locate reputable service and know the engine or transmission replacement cost. Make certain that the manufacturer has good replacement standards and can deliver the quality service that is worth the costs. Make sure that the parts quality is good enough to prevent you from any form of re-occurrence of problems of your car. It may also be helpful if you are going to contact a technician or mechanic to find out what kind of maintenance services that is recommended for your car.

Many shops might prefer you to drop off without hesitation and they may offer higher price if they can get away with it, but ask yourself is it worth it? If you are thinking of the price tag, doing your research for a quality job, you must consider also if the engine or transmission replacement insurance is something you can take advantage of. You just have to know what are the requirements are for the insurance and where to purchase it locality. Having engine and transmission replacement insurance may not only help you financially but should ensure that you get standard quality of service at a time of need.

Engine and transmission replacement can cost people a lot. You need to always find a way on how you can prevent the engine and transmission replacement costs effectively and keep up with your cars maintenance.

by Guy Skiver
@ Guy’s Automotive

http://transmissionrepairtampa.com
3049 W. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
813-353-1537

14611 N Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL 33613 813-975-9307

Celebrities often choose unique and unusual baby names for their offspring. Some of the trendiest celebrity baby names and their meanings can be found here. These baby names can provide inspiration for choosing a unique name for your own baby.

Girl’s Names:

Apple: Origin: English, Meaning: Apple.

Celebrity Parents: Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin

Ava: Origin: German, Meaning: A bird.

Celebrity Parents: Reese Witherspoon, Heather Locklear.

Coco: Origin: Spanish, Meaning: Coconut.

Celebrity Parents: Courtney Cox Arquette and David Arquette

Ella: Origin: English, Meaning: Beautiful fairy woman.

Celebrity Parents: John Travolta, Ben Stiller, Eric Clapton, Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham.

Georgia: Origin: Greek Meaning: Female version of George, meaning a farmer.

Celebrity Parents: Harry Connick Jr., Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall.

Leila: Origin: Hebrew, Meaning: Dark Beauty.

Celebrity Parents: Greta Scacci & Vincent D’Onofrio

Lola: Origin: Spanish, Meaning: Strong Woman.

Celebrity Parents: Kate Moss, Jennie Garth, Chris Rock.

Matilda: Origin: German, Meaning: Might, Power.

Celebrity Parents: Michelle Williams & Heath Ledger

Sailor: Origin: English, Meaning: Sailor.

Celebrity Parents: Christie Brinkley & Peter Cook

Shiloh: Origin: Hebrew, Meaning: God’s Gift.

Celebrity Parents: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

Sophia: Origin: Greek, Meaning: Form of Sophie, meaning wisdom.

Celebrity Parents: Francis Ford Coppola, Sylvester Stallone & Jennifer Flavin.

Stella: Origin: Greek, Meaning: A star.

Celebrity Parents: Melanie Griffith & Antonio Banderas.

Suri: Origin: Hebrew, Meaning: Red Rose, Princess.

Celebrity Parents: Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes

Boy’s Names:

Banjo: Origin: English, Meaning: Banjo.

Celebrity Parents: Patrick and Rachel Griffiths

Bogart: Origin: German, Meaning: Bowstring.

Celebrity Parents: David “Puck” Rainey & Betty Rainey

Dashiell: Origin: Unknown, Meaning: Unknown.

Celebrity Parents: Alice Cooper. (Also, Mr. Incredible’s named his son Dashiell Robert Parr or “Dash”)

Indiana: Origin: English, Meaning: The country India.

Celebrity Parents: Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix

Joaquin: Origin: Spanish, Meaning: Abbreviation of the Hebrew name Jehoichin, meaning “Jehovah has established.”

Celebrity Parents: Kelly Ripa.

Jaden: Origin: Hebrew, Meaning: Jehovah has heard.

Celebrity Parents: Will Smith, Christian Slater, Andre Agassi.

Liam: Origin: Irish, Meaning: Unwavering protector.

Celebrity Parents: Calista Flockhart.

Maddox: Origin: Welsh, Meaning: Son of the Patron.

Celebrity Parents: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

Marlon: Origin: English, Meaning: Sea of Bitterness.

Celebrity Parents: Dennis Miller

Myles: Origin: German, Meaning: Millstone.

Celebrity Parents: Sherilynn Finn & Toulouse Hardy, Eddie Murphy

Oliver: Origin: Latin, Meaning: Olive Tree.

Celebrity Parents: Bridget Fonda & Danny Elfman

Presley: Origin: English, Meaning: From the priest’s meadow.

Celebrity Parents: Cindy Crawford.

Reed: Origin: English, Meaning: Redheaded.

Celebrity Parents: Ron Howard.

Ryder: Origin: English, Meaning: Knight.

Celebrity Parents: Kate Hudson & Chris Robinson

Seven: Origin: Unknown, Meaning: Unknown.

Celebrity Parents: Erykah Badu & Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000 of Outkast)

Article written by Trisha Jones, owner of the hip maternity and baby boutique, Stella Maternity, offering trendy maternity clothes and cool baby clothes. http://www.stellamaternity.com
Trisha also writes for the blog, S.M.N., the place to find news about celebrity babies and the latest trends in maternity and baby clothes. http://stellamaternity.blogspot.com

Hip, wired, cool, outgoing, active, insecure, constantly online – is this the image of the youngster or young-minded person brands marketer in the Westernised economies are chasing after? Why is this segment so important for marketing planning? What should modern marketers know about the digital channel and how should they use it? How can they reach this important market and how should they communicate with it?

PHENOMENON: Youngsters are better informed than brand marketers.

In the global launch of Sony’s PSP, several Asian consumer electronics vendors were sued. Sony felt obliged to take this action because youngsters and other eager gamers, especially from Europe, saw the chance to get their PSPs already in summer 2005, while PSP was only introduced to the markets in autumn 2005. Consumers placed their orders via the Internet to Asian vendors and goods were shipped via global delivery channels to gamers. For Sony, these companies were endangering its distribution and launch strategy. The question remains: was this sort of legal counterpunch really worth it – and will similar cases become a natural part of our global business reality?

Reaching and influencing the young-minded segment is ever more challenging. Consumption patterns are shifting from mass-media toward micro-media for the masses. Savvy media-empowered consumers, often under 25 years of age, are being influenced by trends from all over the globe. The knowledge and adaptation of these trends is sometimes even carried out at a faster pace than local marketers can introduce their products to the markets. At the centerpiece of this revolutionary behavior lies the broadband-accelerated Internet.

At first glance, global consumerism seems to be great news for marketers: Global marketing works, campaigns are rapidly localized, consumers do the marketers work themselves and thus fewer resources need be allocated to domestic promotions. Yet, is this really so? For many brands, marketing to the empowered youth and young-minded segment is simultaneously a dream and a nightmare. For example, knowledge such things as product bugs and negative experiences about features, design and usability,

fly through the globe via networks as fast as the trends themselves. Consumers can tune into to the global opinion databases of any product 24 hours a day (1). The internet-empowered consumer has more perfect market information available than ever, and more and more them are aware of their new powers.

As rumors and experiences jump from one country to another, the message the brand’s agency tried originally to communicate does not remain uninfluenced. Marketers easily lose control over their campaign messages. In our wired and wireless world, it can be a major challenge to repair this damage with local initiatives, such as when a product obtains negative feedback from consumers. For example, in 2004-2005, the famous lock manufacturer, Kryptonite, had to spend a substantial amount of its marketing budget in activities to recover its reputation after an online site posted instructions demonstrating how easy it is to open Kryptonite locks with a plain ball point pen.

Satama thinks that modern marketing is all about creating a useful and sustainable dialogue between the brand and the segment. With this we state that brands need to shift from one-way push-marketing into listening to their target groups more carefully, and be ready to a dialogue with the target group in ways that encourage them to be part of the brand experience. Moreover, if an average Western consumer living in a city is daily exposed to more than 3500-5000 marketing messages (2), we argue strongly that it is more than essential to find the means and methods to cross the constantly increasing attention barrier. Satama sees that that this hurdle will not be crossed using only traditional means of marketing – new approaches are needed.

BEHAVIOUR:I’m alive – I am @ MSN – contact me!

There will be over 600 million broadband connection subscribers worldwide by 2015, versus about 200 million at the end of 2005 (3). Thus, who cares about numbers anymore? Who cares whether it is going to be 600 million people on broadband or 400 million or 800 million? Offline versus Online – could not matter less – it’s all about reaching the target in the new mass location. Online life is here – and the markets are massive. The youth segment is obviously the most experienced and skilled with regard to digital channels. They’ve grown up with them and thus these channels play a natural part in their life on daily basis.

When looking at the online presence of the young-minded segment in more detail, the findings are convincing. More than 78% of the 18-24 age group was online in the US in late 2004 (4) and more than 85 % of them had been online more than three years. Europe lags a bit behind in this, but the trend is clear. There is only one conclusion a brand can take from this – being online is a must for successful campaigning!

Furthermore, Internet users from 12-17 years old say email is best for talking to parents or institutions, but they are more likely to use instant messaging when talking to each other (5). This is reflected even in common language expressions: “Being @ MSN” is a common status of being alive, to exist amongst one’s peers. The number of active friends in a typical MSN hotlist for the active segment aged below 16 lies somewhere between 20 to 40 invitees. Consequently, the Dutch telecom service operator, Hi! (A subsidiary of KPN Mobile), leverages the MSN phenomena aggressively in its marketing. Its “Chatman” character offers a subscription though which youngsters (or any other MSN Messenger user) can be “present” in the chats though not in front of their screens, thus appealing to the self-esteem of the identity seekers. Check me out – I am always online!

In the broadband era there is no returning to life before it. Generation C (C=Content) (6) is producing its own content with powerful PCs and making it available to their peers via dedicated sites or Peer-to-Peer networks. While baby boomers (born before 1960) had to learn what mass media is; and while Generation X (born 1960-1975) grew up with television and 1st generation video games (and are now focusing on their peaceful family lives with high debt ratios); the new Generation Next/Idols/Content (Born after 1975) member is a born media multi-tasker. If their own preferences are not met with the offering from traditional channels, there is always an alternative: the online service.

The new on-demand-consumption (7) of content is something of a Pandora’s Box. Once opened, the consumers learn that there is access to a basically limitless amount of content within one’s own preference setting (8). Consumers will no longer be happy and satisfied only with content fed to them by media companies. They want to influence, get what they want – now, everywhere, anytime. And they demand this from the media company who is now struggling with decreasing profits – not an easy equitation to handle. Look at the music industry’s falling sales figures and the reality of more music being available then ever. Who is losing, who is winning? Gatekeepers losing, consumers winning? The “long tail” (9) effect enables more streams than just the few offered by media conglomerates. We will see a lot more popular performances and peer group stars outside music charts and mainstream movies.

FRESH APPROACH FOR MARKETEERS;Be part of living – online!

Young-minded people are much more heterogeneous in their needs for marketing than more settled “30-somethings” with family and kids. Youngsters are constantly in a process of finding/defining their own identity/independence. The needs of a 14 year old differ radically from the ones of an 18 year old. This identity seeking is often expressed through subcultures (skaters, Goth, manga, sudoku-players, ravers, etc.) and identification with strong opinion leaders’ behavior (pop-stars, idols, sport-stars). If a marketer wants to segment the youth market, they should carefully distinguish trends and subcultures within the age groups and demographics.

When affiliating with subcultures (skateboarding / snowboarding / DJ-ing / graffiti) or artists (Pepsi and Britney Spears) brands need a deep, long term commitment to actually gain credibility amongst youth. This can be gained only by being positively credible among the peers and locations where the segment naturally moves and meets. A brand should never pretend to be a teenager when its not. The way young people communicate is unique, and pretending will show through. The greatest thing a brand can attract to itself and benefit from is a passionate end-user community, for example Apple’s fanatic user base, or MTV’s outstanding success since 1980s.

The digital channels are on a winning streak for the time and attention span of the youth segment. Thus, they are extremely important for marketers. Even as recently as early 2000, the digital channels’ key role in communication was to support other channels, like print or TV. Now, at the dawn of the broadband era, it seems that TV, radio, and print media are like “gateways” to digital channels. Viral marketing through forum discussions, IRC channels (10) etc. are already used. Traditional advertising methods (including internet advertising, e-mail marketing, and search marketing) do not provide enough answers. It is not about whether to use digital channels or not, it is rather about what other channel to use to get traffic to the online channel.

The very diverse digital channels and ways of communication are still difficult terrain for advertisers. Satama thinks that the role of digital channels becomes important when they allow for communication between the members of a group or when they allow for the projection of icons. In other words, allowing communication between the target group members is one of key success factors in youth marketing. It is significant to notice that most of the biggest brands online (11) today are digital channels themselves. That is, if more than 80 % of all online sessions include a search (12), isn’t it essential to be strongly present in this medium?

Satama believes that brands need alternative means for their advertising: alternative ways are needed to get their message across among youth and beyond. The best digital marketing can mean digital services instead of advertising. Not everything has to go digital though, people still value tangible things, something for all the senses. The digital channels enable youth to DO “things” (e.g. they can get, create, share and influence

things that are relevant to them in a certain situation and/or time. Moreover, brands can listen to their target groups through digital channels – interactivity is the nature of these channels.

Consequently, the borders between marketers and content providers are blurring. At least, brands may be facilitating content. It seems that brands are forced to realize that stories are becoming more important than products. Target groups want to associate themselves with the fascinating story of the brand and are willing to pay a premium of this connection. Thus we see that content can still be the king. We see also that the content can be professionally or end-user generated. But does it even matter how it’s generated, if end-users want it! Satama believes strongly that increasingly there will be interesting and surprising partnerships established between different parties, old brands, and new digital brands. Movies, music, sports, retails, etc.

Innovative channels are needed. A few examples of these are in-game advertising and event marketing. First, the gamer’s world is different (see box). Rules of human behavior and limits do not extend to this world. Anything is possible. So why do even the most modern marketers stick to putting their brand in a game only as a billboard, static ad or what-so-ever. “Hello Mr. Brand! The world it different out there!” This new virtual space can also influence how a game player perceives the real world. Computer and console games form not just a “tiny hobby area for boys” – they totaled a ~€23bn area of business in 2005! Look at gaming rules. What if they were the rules of modern marketing – what would you do in this world for and with your brand? Could it be so that the best means for modern marketing emerge from the multi-complex world of game design, in a way similar to how field interactive marketing sprang from birth of the digital channel in mid 1990s?

Second, Satama says that marketers have to invest in making their events more innovative. It is good to have an event and sponsor it. Yet, to make a lasting memory among, for example, music festival participants, they need to be involved with the brand. With over 500 event solution deliveries behind us, Satama can now confidently state that using digital channels is the key to building before-during-and-after event experiences for participants. Segments, especially the youth, try out new things more freely when the involvement of the brand is higher – touch, feel, smell, experience – but use digital means to expand it beyond the conventional. For example, Satama produced in 2005 for a Malaysian telecom operator, Celcom, an integrated 3G marketing

campaign formatted around a TV reality show. The show was supported by a website, two mobile sites, a viral campaign, push SMSs, MMS blogging, plus engagement marketing on the streets for Kuala Lumpur. The outcome was outstanding: the target group, youth, was extremely passionate about the show and the campaign became one of the most popular TV programs during its existence.

RECOMMENDATIONS:What might work?

To conclude, we’ve listed a number of recommendations below that modern marketers should execute in modern marketing planning. These best practices expand beyond the youth segment; they are actually the core variables for realizing fresh, appealing, and impact-oriented marketing operations. Moreover, we claim that there is no brand that should not re-consider the impact of the internet on their brand positions.

1. BE INNOVATIVE AND DARE TRY OUT: The best way to understand

the emerging channels is through trial and error. Knowledge about how consumers behave is gained by making exploration rounds. In marketing planning, observational and various testing methods are needed, while in the execution phase proof is collected by measurement and metrics. Yet learning happens more and more through try and error. Thus, allow errors, but learn from them!

2. ACTIVATE THE LOGICAL SIDE OF MARKETING: Marketing is extending beyond creative concepts – managers increasingly call for ROI from marketing. Tracing and calculating the effects of marketing in the digital channel is more possible than in any other channel. We are committed to a process in which the measurement of marketing should be planned as carefully as well as the creative concepts currently are within the conventional advertising channels. We see that brands should do much more to ensure that communication motivates the segment to follow up one action with another.

3. BUILD BEHAVIOURAL KNOW-HOW.: More than ever, target groups are hopping about from one medium to another. It is crucial to be present wherever the target group is. As the online channel plays a significant role in modern behavior, it should be a high priority in any corporate planning. Satama believes that knowing a target group’s behavior and developing your digital service based on their needs, is the key to online success.

4. OPINION LEADERS BRING CREDIBILITY: Each peer group is influenced by its thought leaders. Especially for the youth segment, involving leaders involves the target group and extends events into virtual space by building before-during-after experiences. Leverage the mobile channel innovatively with leading consumer brands and remember to also market offline.

5. LISTENING AND NETWORKING: Understanding the context of communications is the key to making communications work effectively with your target group. A successful marketer must dare to listen and react – it’s not about push, its about listening skills. Relationships with challenging target segments, such as youth, take place across the innovative spectrum of relevant media channels. We believe that the creation of online communities and the provision of tools for natural networking can help a brand grow closer to youth.

6. PARTNERING: Dare to take innovative approaches and to closely co-ordinate with partners. It is not about trying to do thing alone – other brands are struggling with the same challenges. Why not to find credible allies to boost one’s own goals? It’s all about intensifying openness, discussions and trials with different kinds of partners. For the youth segment, it is of utmost importance to do marketing with partners who are credible for the segment. Find them and work with them!

7. FRESH AND UNIQUE: Satama believes that brands should provide

more and more unique content. The target should be to increase the number of regular visitors by offering fresh, up-to-date, and attractive content. Investments into one’s own IPR creation and imagination may prove to be very successful in making the difference. The digital environment allows for faster reactions and launches than any channel before it.

8. CREATE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATIONS: We see that brands should aim to establish a dedicated communications channel for its segments. This communications platform is a much more powerful approach than transitory online campaigns. Content within this kind of marketing focused online service should be based on specific interest areas to create a communications arena that is more like a media channel operation than a marketing-only operation.

At Satama we believe that marketing planning should move from advertising planning toward planning and measuring the actual impact of integrated actions. In the 1990s the key slogan most marketers were repeating throughout the globe was: ”The media is the message”. In today’s turbulent, networked, and dynamic business Satama asserts that: ”Behavior is the message”. It is not only about where you are, but how strong an impact you can create with your target group!

You can download this article with images from our corporate blog, [http://voice.satama.com]

Sources:

1 See e.g. http://www.epinions.com or http://www.seatexpert.com

2 J. Walker Smith, 2005

3 Quantum-Web, 2005

4 ComScore Media Metrix, 2004

5 Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005

6 Trendwatching.com, 2005

7 Business Week, Nov, 2005

8 so called “long tail”, Wired, May, 2004

9 See http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/

10 IRC= Internet-relay-chat, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat

11 e.g. Google, AOL/Warner, Vodafone, MSN, Skype, iTunes

12 Google, 2005

Tommi Pelkonen (tommi.pelkonen@satama.com) works as a senior consultant specialising in mobile telecommunications, digital marketing communications and business strategy formulation at Satama Amsterdam. He has worked on multiple mobility-related business projects. Prior to Satama, Tommi Pelkonen worked as project manager and senior researcher in LTT-Research Ltd (http://www.ltt-tutkimus.fi) analysing the developments in the Finnish interactive service provision markets. (Econ.) Pelkonen has authored several publications of the North European digital media landscape. His latest report (2006, forthcoming) was analysing the mobile industry evolution in Finland. In addition, Mr. Pelkonen has worked as IT-project supervisor and lecturer in the Information Technology Program (ITP) at the Helsinki School of Economics (http://www.hse.fi). Tommi publishes also his own personal blog in Finnish.

Your child will soon grow up to really appreciate their surroundings. They will soon be at the stage where they will understand the necessities of what a bedroom should be like. Then comes the inevitable: they’ll choose the furniture for their selves. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that because they are in charge of their own room.

The bed is not the only thing that your child will change. They’ll change the complete makeup of the room from the headboards to the bookshelves. Fortunately you can find complete childrens furniture in online stores and look at them with your child. You won’t be disappointed in the selection of furniture that’s available.

A child’s bedroom should reflect more than just the bed; it should reflect their imaginations. If they are adventurous and action-oriented, then buy furniture that’s geared toward that. Fantasy-filled? There’s furniture for that, too. There is nothing that can’t be done in this regard. Your child will have much furniture from which to choose and you’ll be able to go with them.

Your child’s bedroom is going to more than just a bedroom, too. It’s going to be a central area where games are played and friends are going to spend the night. As such, you should buy childrens furniture that best reflects the child’s needs in regards to space and imagination.

The best option is to buy them online because many stores have limited time from which to shop. At least online, you can shop to your heart’s content.

To learn more about childrens furniture you can research more through some trusted website or learn more through children bedroom furniture.

A career in the fashion industry sounds glamorous and lucrative. Have you consider getting into the fashion industry, but might think that you cannot manage it? There are so many different roles and positions that you can play in the fashion world. One does not necessarily be a fashion designer but still be able to have a very success career in the fashion industry.

Being able to make a living with things you like is always enjoyable. If you are a fashion fan and love to see beautiful clothing, accessories or sketches around you, you should consider starting a career in the fashion world. Below are some key roles in the fashion world where you can take part in – from design, production, marketing, to many more.

Designing

This is one of the most high profile jobs in the fashion industry. Designers are responsible for conceptualizing their ideas on trends and realizing them on their final products. Designers can be employed by companies which own a group of designers, or work for their own brand and production line, or, even as a freelancer providing designs for difference companies.

There are several types of fashion designers:

1. Apparel designers: Obviously these are clothing designers, ranging from lingerie, sports wear, casual wear to high fashion couture, for men, women and kids.

2. Footwear designers: They design footwear for men, women and kids from a style point of view, as well as from a foot-health’s perspective.

3. Accessory designers: Accessories has a broad definitely – from handbags, hat, eyewear to gloves, scarves and jewelry pieces.

Production

Production involves the sampling of garments and accessories until producing the final pieces that would deliver to shops and customers. This massive work involves a team of various professions:

1. Merchandiser: Merchandisers play a key role in the production process of a fashion product.They are responsible for buying raw materials for production, selecting fabric, textiles and trims. They have to make decisions based on pricing, quality and latest trend and innovation of raw materials.

2. Technical Designers: Technical designers are the one responsible for doing fittings during the whole sampling to production procedure. They might not be the one who designed the garment but are the experts in providing alternative to the garment to improve the fitting of garment.

3. Pattern Makers: Pattern is the basis for a garment to be sewed. Pattern makers produce and maintain patterns for garments that designers have sketched out. Pattern makers are key persons in realization of a garment.

4. Pattern Graders: The sizing of garment starts with the pattern grading. Pattern graders are experts in creating size specifications for different sizes. They are vital persons in for any fashion brands, as a consistent sizing across products can maintain customer loyalty and confidence.

5. Fitting Models: Ultimately garments and footwear are made for putting comfort and style together. Fitting is a crucial part in fashion industry and the most precise fitting is to use model as the body for fitting.

Many companies have their own dedicated models for fitting their lines, who has the exact sizing measurement the brand requires. Sometimes you would see ads looking for sampling models, from kids, men, women to plus size models.

6. Quality Control Specialists: Quality control is of top importance for any sort of products, and is no exception in fashion industry. Quality control specialists look at the quality of raw materials, like peeling, shrinking and color fading of textile and overall quality of a fashion item, for instance, the overall assembling of an accessory item.

7. Planners: Fashion planners coordinate closely with designers, merchandisers and buyers to decide the production plan for the coming seasons. They look at both production and marketing side while paying close attention to the latest fashion trend.

Marketing

Marketing is as important as making a perfect piece of fashion item. Whether it’s marketing in a wholesale or retail side, people in fashion marketing bears the mission of promoting the fashion item into this fast changing world.

1. Fashion Buyer/ Retail Merchandisers: Product merchandisers are the ones who buy ready-made products to be sold in a shop like department stores. These merchandisers conduct researches and analyze market trend, the relative customer wants and stocks. They bear huge responsibility in terms of profit making, since having the eye to buy the right product for sales can make a difference in revenue.

2. Showroom Sales Specialists: Some brands own their showrooms, displaying their collection for fashion buyers (wholesalers) to make their orders. Compared with retail sales, showroom sales specialists should know their seasonal returning customer better and be able provide detailed information on the selling collections.

3. Retail Store Manager/ Boutique Owners: Retail shop manager, sales and boutique owners are the first line personnel facing retail customers like you and me.

Other Fashion-related Professions

Besides in the field of designing, producing or marketing a fashion item, one might be attracted by other positions like as a writer of fashion magazine, online blogs and fashion event management etc. Below is a list highlighting the other possible jobs related to fashion industry:

1. Fashion Writers: Writers or freelance writers can write for magazines, online blogs or sites on reviews, trends and recommendations. Fashion writers can also develop into fashion magazine editors.

2. Personal Stylists:Some department stores provide personal styling services while some private customer would employ personal stylist giving them recommendations in personal styling.

3. Fashion event Management/ Public Relations: There are nameless fashion events which requires professional public relations and event management personnel to take care of. There are PR companies specialized in holding fashion related events.

Grasp the Opportunities!

Besides the above mentioned careers in the fashion industry, there are still many other opportunities like photographer, costume designer and catalog/ fashion show models, etc. One of the most reachable way to keep yourself updated with job opportunities and fashion trend is to be active in fashion forum and subscribe to fashion magazines.

Grasp the opportunities and enjoy a fashion career!

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Before you go shopping for a pair of hiking boots, you must have some of the accessories first. This article will tell you what you need to know about hiking socks and liners for your hiking boots so you’re sure to get the right fit. It will also discuss a few other accessories that you might need to think about before you choose.

In this article, we will mainly talk about the accessories themselves, but you should keep in mind that many of these accessories will become involved in your choice of hiking boots. This is especially true when it comes to picking the right size. Your hiking boots must fit not only your feet, but the socks and insoles and any custom inserts you use.

So, let’s talk about hiking socks, insoles, laces, and crampons, and how these affect your choice of hiking boots.

Hiking Socks

There are at least two general types of hiking socks, and if you are planning any serious hiking, you will need both:

1. Cushioning and insulation socks.

2. Liner socks.

You may do without the liners on shorter hikes, including most day-hikes. I wear liners only on multi-day backpacking hikes.

Whatever socks you end up choosing, choose them first, and wear them when you go shopping for hiking boots. Your hiking boots must fit you properly with the socks on. And in colder weather, you might need two pairs of cushioning and insulation socks, so make sure your boots can accommodate them.

Both types of socks must be made of a wicking material that will draw moisture away from your skin. Wool is the only good natural wicking material that wears reasonably well. (Silk works also for liner socks, but it doesn’t last long.) Cotton just absorbs moisture and holds it, without wicking it away. Some compositions of polypropylene and nylon can be effective wicking materials for those who may be allergic to wool.

The liner socks go next to your skin. They must be very smooth. This is where you can use silk or sheer nylon if you are prepared to replace the socks every other hike. Or you can use a very fine-knit wool sock. Polypropylene socks, even if they appear to be very smooth and fine, are usually too rough for hiking liners.

Cushioning and insulation socks, which you need even for moderate hiking, must be thick enough to keep your feet warm and to cushion the impact of heavy walking. They don’t have to be soft, unless you are doing without the liner socks. Wool is best, unless you are allergic to it, in which case you can use polypropylene or heavier nylon socks (or a blend of these synthetics).

Whatever you choose, and whatever type of hiking you plan to do, test your socks on something less strenuous first. Try them on a shorter hike, or in your everyday walking, and check for hot spots. If your socks create hot spots on your feet after a few miles of walking, they will cause blisters on a longer hike. You want to learn this close to home, and not out in the middle of the wilderness. Even if you’re an experienced hiker, if you are trying a new type of sock, try it on short walks before you commit to it on a long hike.

Insoles and Orthopedic Inserts

Cushioned insoles can make a world of difference in your hiking comfort. Even though hiking boots have built-in cushioning, it is a good idea to use removable insoles that you can replace periodically. That way, if you wear through them, you can simply get a new pair instead of having to repair your hiking boots.

There is a bewildering array of removable insoles out there. I’m not going to recommend any particular type, as this is mostly a matter of personal preference. I will only recommend two things:

1. Try them on short hikes or in your everyday walking before you set out on a long hike. If you don’t like them, try a different type.

2. Bring them with you when you go shopping for your hiking boots. Your boots must fit properly with the insoles in place, so choose a size of hiking boot that fits your feet, socks, and insoles together.

If you wear any orthopedic inserts in your shoes, bring them with you when you go shopping for hiking boots. Again, your hiking boots must fit everything that you’re going to put inside them.

Laces for Hiking Boots

Laces are one accessory for your hiking boots that you can think about afterward. The laces that come with your hiking boots are probably fine. However, you will want to carry an extra set of laces on a long hike, in case one breaks. You may even want to replace your laces before they break, if you find some reason to dislike the ones that came with your boots.

Generally, boot laces are braided nylon or similar synthetics. You can get rawhide boot laces, but these are problematic. Yes, they may last longer than braided nylon, but that might just mean that you have to put up with the problems they cause for that much longer. Problems with rawhide boot laces are:

* They tend to stretch with changes in humidity, or even with the passage of time. This requires frequent adjustment.

* Solid rawhide can have sharp edges which can cut your hands as you adjust or tie them. This is less true for braided rawhide or rawhide covered in a braided nylon shell.

Look for laces with a round cross-section. Flat laces may look stylish on your boots, but they tend to break more easily than round ones.

Crampons

Crampons are accessories you can attach to your hiking boots for traction on ice and snow. They are usually metal spikes, sometimes plastic, in a frame that fits under the sole of your hiking boots, attached by adjustable straps or clamps.

There are heavy-duty crampons designed for ice climbing. These are beyond the scope of this article. Just be aware that they exist, and when you see the giant bear-trap spikes sticking out of the bottom and front of the crampons, move along and choose a less aggressive pair.

Light crampons can attach to your hiking boots even if your hiking boots do not have purpose-made crampon attachment points. Just make sure your hiking boots have a distinct lip at the top of the sole that the crampons can attach to.

There are traction accessories designed for walking on icy pavement, but these are not appropriate for hiking. They simply can not stand up to the stress of walking on a steep slope, and they can not stand up to much wear. Make sure you choose a pair of crampons that are purpose-made for hiking.

Conventional crampons extend the full length of your hiking boots. You can also find crampons that fit only into the instep and do not extend to the heel or toe. I have used these, and they work better than you might expect. You have to remember not to walk on your toes when you cross icy patches, but I found that this comes pretty naturally anyway. Your natural reaction to an icy slope is to walk with your feet sideways to the slope and dig in with the edges of your boots, and that’s where the spikes of these half-length crampons are. Works beautifully.

Conclusion

The main thing to remember about accessories for your hiking boots is to think about them first. Choose your socks and insoles first, and bring them and any orthopedic inserts you need with you when you shop for hiking boots so you can be sure to get the right fit. Think about whether you will need crampons, and make sure your hiking boots can accommodate them.

Chuck Bonner is a lifelong hiker and amateur naturalist, and webmaster of http://www.HikingWithChuck.com For more information about hiking boots and other hiking equipment based on many years on the trail, visit [http://www.hikingwithchuck.com/Gear/HikingGear.htm]

About 25 years ago I began formulating pet foods at a time when the entire pet food industry seemed quagmire and focused on such things as protein and fat percentages without any real regard for ingredients. Since boot leather and soap could make a pet food with the “ideal” percentages, it was clear that analytical percentages do not end the story about pet food value. I was convinced then, as I am now, that a food can be no better than the ingredients of which it is composed. Since this ingredient idea has caught on in the pet food industry, it has taken on a commercial life that distorts and perverts the meaning of the underlying philosophy of food quality and proper feeding practices. Is health reducible to which ingredients a commercial product does or does not have? As contradictory as it may seem to what I have just said, no it is not. Here’s why.

AAFCO Approval

The official Publication of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) gives wide latitude for ingredients that can be used in animal foods. As I have pointed out in my book, The Truth About Pet Foods, approved ingredients can include*:

dehydrated garbage

undried processed animal waste products

polyethylene roughage replacement (plastic)

hydrolyzed poultry feathers

hydrolyzed hair

hydrolyzed leather meal

poultry hatchery by-product

meat meal tankage

peanut hulls

ground almond shells

(*Association of American Feed Control Officials, 1998 Official Publication)

Simultaneously, this same regulatory agency prohibits the use of many proven beneficial natural ingredients that one can find readily available for human consumption such as bee pollen, glucosamine, L-carnitine, spirulina and many other nutraceuticals. It would be easy to conclude that reason does not rule when it comes to what officially can or cannot be used in pet foods.

From the regulators’ standpoint, they operate from the simplistic nutritional idea that the value of food has to do with percentages and that there is no special merit to any particular ingredient. They deny the tens of thousands of scientific research articles proving that the kind of ingredient and its quality can make all the difference in terms of health. They also are silent about the damaging effect of food processing and the impact of time, light, heat, oxygen and packaging on nutritional and health value.

The 100% Complete Myth

Consumers are increasingly becoming alert to the value of more natural foods. Everyone intuitively knows that the closer the diet is to real, fresh, wholesome foods, the better the chance that good health will result. Unfortunately, people do not apply this same common sense to pet foods. Instead they purchase “100% complete” processed foods, perhaps even going the extra mile and selecting “super premium” or “natural” brands, thinking they are doing the best that can be done. They surrender their mind to a commercial ploy (100% completeness) and do to their pets what they would never do to themselves or their family – eat the same packaged product at every meal, day in and day out. No processed food can be “100% complete” because there is not a person on the planet who has 100% knowledge of nutrition. The claim on its face is absurd. Understanding this simple principle is more important than any pet food formulation regardless of the merits of its ingredients. Everything that follows will begin with that premise, i.e., no food should be fed exclusively on a continuous basis no matter what the claims of completeness or ingredient quality.

Genetics Is The Key

Pets need the food they are biologically adapted to. It’s a matter of context. Just as a fish needs to be in water to stay healthy, a pet needs its natural food milieu to be healthy. All creatures must stay true to their design. What could be more obvious or simple? For a carnivore the correct genetic match is prey, carrion and incidental fresh plant material, and even some fur and feathers, as well as the occasional surprise of unmentionables found in decaying matter. It’s not a pretty picture to think that “FiFi” with her pink bow and polished toenails would stoop to such fare, but that is precisely the food she is designed to eat. Since that is her design, matching food to that design (minus the more disgusting and unnecessary elements) is also the key to her health.

The Disease Price

We may prefer to feed a packaged, sterile, steam- cleaned, dried, farinaceous chunk cleverly shaped like a pork chop, but let’s not kid ourselves, that is not the food a pet is designed for….regardless of the claims about ingredients on the label making one think it is five-star restaurant fare. Pets may tolerate such food for a time, but in the end nature calls to account. The price to be paid is lost health in the form of susceptibility to infections, dental disease, premature aging, obesity, heart and organ disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and other cruel and painful chronic degenerative diseases. Because our pets are not out in the rigors of nature where they would quickly succumb to such conditions and end their misery, they languish in our protected homes and under veterinary care that does not usually cure but merely treats symptoms and extends the time of suffering. That suffering begins with the way in which we are feeding our pets, not the ingredients in a supposed 100% complete pet food.

The Perfect Food

What is the solution? It is simple and something I have been preaching for the past 25 years. Return pets to their environmental roots. They need – daily – interesting activity, fresh air, clean water, romps in nature, lots of love, and food as close to the form they would find in the wild as possible. Fresh, whole natural foods fit for a carnivore and fed in variety are as good as it can get. Anything less than that is a compromise. Compromise the least if health is the goal. (Same principle applies to you and your family.) To get a packaged food as close as possible to that goal requires the right starting philosophy of feeding (described above) and the expertise to design and manufacture such foods.

Enter The Profiteers

Elements of these principles (often distorted or misunderstood) have been taken up by an endless line of pet food entrepreneurs. The low fat craze led to low fat pet foods. The high fiber craze led to high fiber pet foods. The “no corn, wheat or soy” craze led to no corn, wheat or soy pet foods. The “omega- 3″ craze led to pet foods with fish oil. The “variety” craze led to pet foods supposedly offering variety. The “four food groups” craze led to all four bundled into a package. The “raw” craze has led to raw frozen pet foods. The list is endless and the race for pet owner dollars is at a fever pitch.

One can only feel sympathy for a concerned pet owner as they stroll along the huge array of pet food options in pet food aisles. Unfortunately, armed with only sound bites and lore they may have heard from a friend, breeder, veterinarian or on a commercial, they make choices that not only do not serve the health of their pet but may directly contribute to weakened immunity and disease.

The first thing consumers should keep in mind is the ideal diet for pets as described above. No packaged product regardless of its wild claims is ever going to equal that. The next best thing is to home prepare fresh meals. (Contact Wysong for recipes and instruction.) If that is not always possible, then products should be selected that are as close to the ideal as possible. (More suggestions below.)

Raw Frozen Pet Food Dangers

At first glance, considering the perfect feeding model I have described – raw, natural, whole – the best food may seem to be one of the raw frozen pet foods now clamoring to capture the “raw” craze. I’m sorry to say that some of these purveyors even use my books and literature to convince pet owners that their frozen products are on track. They take bits and pieces of good information and distort it into something that pretty much misses the point and misleads consumers. Also, these exotic frozen mixtures of ingredients of unknown origin, manufacturing and freezing conditions are most certainly not economical nor the best choice. They may, because of the water content and raw state, be outright dangerous.

Human Grade

Then there are claims about “USDA approved” ingredients, “human grade” ingredients and ingredients purchased right out of the meat counter at the grocery store. Again, at first glance – and superficiality is what marketers like to deal with – it may seem that such foods would have merit over others. But such labels only create a perception of quality. People would not consider the food pets are designed for in the wild – whole, raw prey and carrion – “human grade” or “USDA approved.” Because something is not “human grade” does not mean it is not healthy or nutritious. For example, chicken viscera is not “human grade” but carries more nutritional value than a clean white chicken breast. Americans think that chicken feet would not be fit for human consumption but many far eastern countries relish them. On the other hand, “human grade” beef steaks fed to pets could cause serious nutritional imbalances and disease if fed exclusively. Pet foods that create the superficial perception of quality (USDA, human grade, etc.) with the intent of getting pet owners to feed a particular food exclusively is not what health is about.

Pet Nutrition Is Serious Health Science

Pet nutrition is not about marketing and who can make the most money quickly. Unfortunately an aspiring pet food mogul off the street can go to any number of private label manufacturers and have a new brand made. These manufacturers have many stock formulas that can be slightly modified to match the current market trend. Voilà! A new pet food wonder brand is created.

Pet foods are about pet nutrition, and nutrition is a serious health matter. There is an implied ethic in going to market with products that can so seriously impact health. But the ethic is by and large absent in the pet food industry. Starting with the 100% claim and on to all the fad driven brands that glut the shelves, health is not being served. Nobody other than our organization is teaching people the principles I am discussing here. Instead, companies headed by people with no real technical, nutritional, food processing or health skills put themselves out to the public as serious about health … because that is what the public wants to hear and what sells. Never mind whether producers really understand or can implement healthy principles. The façade sells and selling is the game. Ingredients are important, true, but not less important than the expertise and principles of the producer who is choosing them, preparing, storing, processing and packaging them. Consumers place a lot of trust that nondescript processed nuggets are what consumers are being led to believe they are. Many a slip can occur between the cup and the lip. There are many slips that can occur between the cup of commercial claims and what ends up in the lips of the pet food bowl.

Consumer Blame

The consumer is not without guilt in this unfortunate – steady diet of processed pet food – approach to pet feeding. They want everything easy and inexpensive. They don’t want to learn or have to expend too much effort, and they want something simple to base decisions on like: “corn, wheat and soy are evil,” or “USDA approved,” or “human grade” or “organic is good.” They also want something for nothing and think they can get it in a pet food. People want prime choice meats, organic and fresh foods all wrapped up tidy in an easy open, easy pour package, hopefully for 50 cents a pound. They may even pay $1 or a little more if the producer can convince them about how spectacular their product is or how much cancer their pet will get if they choose another brand.

Are By-Products Evil?

In the processing of human foods there are thousands of tons of by-products that cannot be readily sold to humans. Does that make them useless or even inferior? No. Such by-products could include trimmings, viscera, organs, bones, gristle and anything else that humans do not desire. Should these perfectly nutritious items be buried in a landfill? As I mentioned above, while Earth’s resources continue to decline and people starve around the globe, should we feed our pets only “human grade” foods and let perfectly edible – and sometimes even more nutritious – by-products go to waste? How is that conscionable or justifiable for either the consumer or the producer?

Road Kill and Euthanized Pets

This shift to “human grade” for pet foods is partly due to a variety of myths that have gotten much stronger legs than they deserve. Lore has spread in the marketplace that road kill and euthanized pets are used in pet foods. I have never seen the proof for this outrageous claim and after twenty years surveying ingredient suppliers I have never found a supplier of such. However, fantastic myths easily get life and the more fantastic they are the more life they have. It’s the intellectually lazy way and what lies at the root of so much misery. Sloppy superficial thinking is what leads to racism, sexism, religious persecution and wars. People would like to think the world is sharply divided into right-wrong, good-evil, black-white. Marketers capitalize on this by trying to create such sharp distinctions for consumers to easily grab on to: human grade = good/all others = evil; organic = right/all others = wrong; rice = white/corn and wheat = black. Such simplistic and naïve distinctions are quick and simple for advertisers and salespeople to use to sway public opinion. But nobody stepping back and using common sense would ever think that something as complex as health could ever come from what is or is not in a processed bag of food. Reality is not black or white; it is in shades of gray. Grayness requires some knowledge, judgment and discernment before making choices. It’s a little more work but is what we all must do if the world is ever to be a better place and people and pet health are to improve.

What To Do

How do concerned pet owners wanting to cut through all the marketing clutter negotiate a path? It is very simple if the basic principles I have discussed above are kept in mind. Here are tips on how to implement an intelligent health and feeding philosophy:

1. Learn how to feed fresh food. Alternate these with honest processed foods fed in variety, and complement these foods with well- designed supplements.

[How To Apologize To Your Pet]

http://www.wysong.net/PDFs/apology_pamphlet.pdf

Don’t get all particular and paranoid about balancing nutrients and ingredient do’s and don’ts. Rotate, vary, mix it up and fast once in a while. Trust in nature, not some marketing hype. (Use the same principles for yourself and your family if you want optimal health as well.)

2. If you must have human grade or organic foods for your pet, go buy the real thing at the grocery meat counter. Take it home, cut it up and feed it raw. Freeze the remainder into small meal portions and use them for subsequent meals. Don’t turn your brain off and go buy “organic” or “human grade” pet foods that for their cost could only contain hints of the real thing. Pet food manufacturers may be clever at marketing, but they are not magicians. One thing is certain; they do not buy ingredients and then sell them to you for less than what they buy them for.

3. Use appropriately designed supplements such as Call Of The Wild™ and Wild Things™ to balance raw meals and help make them safe if you are not skilled at such meal preparation.

4. The best raw, processed food alternative to fresh foods from the grocer is non-thermally processed dry foods – not raw frozen ones. (See Wysong Archetype™.) Use this food for alternate meals and as top dressing to heat processed foods.

5. Check the credentials of the person making the decisions in the company whose products you buy. Don’t go to a plumber for brain surgery and don’t expect serious healthy products from business people.

6. Steer away from brands that are pushing any particular hot buttons such as “natural,” “no by- products,” exotic ingredients (quail eggs, watermelon, persimmons, etc.), organic, omega-3, rice and the like. Although these features may bring some merit to a food (if they are put in at other than “pinch” levels), they are not an end in themselves and if the packaged food is fed exclusively can cause more harm than good.

7. Steer away from brands that fear monger. For example, there is the no corn or wheat scam – “buy our brand; it has no corn or wheat.” (Just saying a product has “no” something is enough to scare the non-thinking public to the brand that doesn’t have the boogeyman ingredient. Profiteers know this and play it to the hilt in the pet food industry.) The truth is, grains are put in dried nugget foods because they contain the starch necessary for the extrusion process. Starch is pretty much starch regardless of whether it comes from corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, millet or whatever. Grains also help decrease the cost of pet foods. They contribute some nutrition but in a properly formulated meat-based pet food the majority of the nutritional value comes from the meat. It is true that animals may develop allergy to corn or wheat but that can happen with rice or any other grain or ingredient as well. Problems are prevented by varying the diet. That is why Wysong has developed the range of formulations it has and puts them in small portion packs so the foods can be rotated. Of all the Wysong formulations, the ones with corn are chosen on almost a 5:1 ratio over all others and are the diets we receive the thousands of raves about, even in those pets supposedly allergic to corn!

[Wysong Testimonials]

[http://www.wysong.net/testimonials.shtml]

This is not to tout the merit of corn, or any grain in pet food for that matter. They are sort of a necessary evil in dried extruded foods and any of them can bring some benefit if rotated in the diet.

8. Do not feed any product exclusively. Variety is the spice of nutrition and the road to good health.

9. Features to look for in a packaged product would be those that bring the product close to the raw-whole-fresh-natural standard described above: active enzymes, probiotics cultures, natural preservation and protection against food-borne pathogens, proper packaging, intelligent formulation and balance, micronutrient dense, freshly produced, fresh ingredients – and the expertise to do all of this, not just say so on a package or brochure. (Some brands trying to get on the raw food bandwagon make outright false claims about “cold” processing.)

10. The company should be able to intelligently explain what they are doing in terms of processing, packaging, product preservation and prevention of food-borne pathogens. It is one thing to simply put a certain ingredient into a food, quite another to protect it until it is consumed. For example, Wysong owns its own manufacturing facilities in order to go beyond industry standard techniques. Special portion pack, light- and oxygen- barrier bags, modified atmosphere flush and natural ingredients to prevent oxidation and food- borne pathogens are part of all Wysong products. (See technical monographs on Packaging, Antioxidants and Wyscin™.)

11. Most important, learn. Support a company that helps you learn the truth and teaches you how to be at least somewhat independent of commercial products. Demand that producers provide proof for their claims in the form of good logic, evidence and science. Try to discern the company’s true motives, your pocketbook or your pet’s health. Learn how to go beyond The Pet Food Ingredient Game.

Wysong R. L. (1993). Rationale for Animal Nutrition. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2002, June 19). Why Modern Medicine is The Greatest Threat to Health. The Wysong e-Health letter. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

[The Wysong e-Health letter]

[http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_884.shtml]

Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth About Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). Nutrition is a Serious Health Matter: The serious responsibility of manufacturing and selling. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). The Thinking Person’s Master Key to Health (60 Minute CD Discussion) Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

Wysong, R. L. (2005). Comparing Pet Foods Based Upon What Matters: The First Study of its Kind in the Pet Food Industry. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. & Savant, V. (2005). The Case AGAINST Raw Frozen Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit http://www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net. For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit [http://www.cerealwysong.com].

Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. http://www.wysong.net Also check out [http://www.cerealwysong.com]

Can ping pong help me learn tennis? Will racquetball hurt my tennis game? Can badminton help me play better table tennis? These kinds of questions about the transference of skills between racket sports come up all the time. The author has some unique credentials to help answer these questions. We will examine some of the mechanical similarities and differences between racket sports to help answer some of these questions.

To best compare the mechanics of tennis, table tennis, or other racket sports requires a bit of basic kinesiology. If you are standing relaxed with your hands at your sides, palms facing forward, you are in what is called the “Anatomic Position”. If you angle your fingertips away from your thighs, the max being about 45 degrees, that movement is called “Wrist Abduction”. Reversing that small movement is called “Wrist ADDuction”. Kinesiology students remember the difference by visualizing that this body part is being “ADDed” toward the midline, or long axis of the body and like to capitalize the first three letters for clarity.

Wrist posture is one very important difference between table tennis, tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton, and even fencing. Picture a fencer with a sabre or foil in their hand thrusting toward the opponent. In order to make the foil tip reach as far as possible, the wrist must be fully adducted. The wrist posture for table tennis is nearly the same but used for another purpose, not just for extending the reach.

In table tennis, the wrist is adducted to allow it to express whip during forward motion at contact. The legs, torso, shoulder, and arm start the movement and transmit momentum in what is called a “Kinetic Chain”. That chain of movement snaps the table tennis racket like a bullwhip at the ball. This kinetic chain of momentum from the ground, up through the body, then culminating at contact is actually common to most, if not all, contact/collision sports such as football and baseball. In contrast to table tennis, the wrist in tennis is usually “ABDucted”.

With the brief exceptions of reaching defensively to get to a ball or reaching upward for a serve or smash, the wrist posture in tennis is more like holding a hammer, much more “ABDucted”. This posture does several things for a tennis player. First, it makes bearing the extra weight and length of a tennis racket easier by it being above the hand vertically.

Second, an “ABDucted” wrist is a stronger, more controllable wrist posture. It is more able to resist the high impact forces of a tennis ball and also more able to resist the high twisting forces of off center impacts. Obviously, these kinds of impact forces do not exist in table tennis and learning this posture requires a great deal of practice and discipline. Unfortunately, as the author has found, that same “ABDucted” wrist discipline painstakingly learned to play better tennis is difficult to set aside when one tries to play ping pong with its “ADDucted” wrist.

This is THE main complaint of table tennis coaches, when teaching those who have come from tennis, that they must constantly remind them to “drop” or “ADDuct” the wrist. The author’s own ping pong coaches just smile and point now! In the authors theoretical and practical opinion, It appears that among racket sports, tennis requires the most discipline in terms of wrist “ABDuction”. Tennis, and perhaps ping pong, may also require more discipline in its strokes in general. Again, some additional basic kinesiology is useful.

From the “Anatomic Position” described above, if you bend your wrists so that your palms face upward, you are FLEXING your wrists. When you return your hands to the position in which your fingers point toward the floor, you are EXTENDING your wrists. When you rotate your forearms so that your thumbs are next to your thighs and your palms face behind you, you are PRONATING your forearms. The opposite movement is called SUPINATION. Both PRONATION and SUPINATION are defined by the two bones in the forearm rotating around each other, movements which are distinct but often confused with flexing the wrist.

Because the target for badminton, squash, and racquetball is so large, acceleration of the racket and contact speed is usually top priority. To do that, both flexion and pronation is used in the forearm to obtain the highest velocity. The target in tennis and table tennis is smaller than the other sports and maximum racket velocity is less often desired. The notable exceptions are the tennis serve and smash, but even those strokes generate racket velocity by almost exclusively using PRONATION, not FLEXION of the wrist. Pronation is also the dominant forearm movement in throwing a fast baseball.

What does this tell us about transferring skills from one sport to another? Does this make one racket sport easier to learn if you are already familiar with another? These are obviously difficult and complex questions even for a biomechanical specialist in racket sports, but if we isolate just the differences discussed here, one path to the answers can be found.

When it comes to the wrist and forearm discipline described above, we can assume that it is more difficult to acquire discipline than to suspend it. For that reason it follows that it is easier to learn racquetball, badminton, and squash AFTER learning tennis or table tennis. Conversely, it is more difficult to acquire the forearm discipline required in tennis and table tennis, AFTER learning the other sports which emphasize laxity of both forearm motions described here.

Beyond its biomechanical logic, this principle is born out in the author’s personal experience in racket sports and over 30 years of coaching. His tournament experience in racquetball followed that of tennis and it always seemed easy to relax the discipline of tennis to “snap” at maximum velocity at a racquetball. Over these years many students struggled to learn the additional discipline of tennis after the other sports. In short, the author recommends learning tennis and/or table tennis BEFORE branching out into the other sports that are dominated by whipping arm swings.

Jonathan Bailin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Biomechanics/Exercise Physiology while coaching tennis at the University of Southern California. He also taught racket sports to future coaches and broadcasters at USC and played in many handball, table tennis, racquetball, and college tennis events. Currently, Dr. Bailin operates a tennis coaching business in Marina del Rey, California, publishes research, consults for corporations in ergonomics, and enjoys recreational table tennis locally.

Dr. Bailin published TableTennisMenace.com when he rediscovered his first childhood passion, ping pong. On this site he uses his expertise to better guide consumers to only the best products for them. He pre-select only the best and most popular ping pong tables, table tennis rackets, ping pong balls, and accessories from the most respected suppliers and gives expert advice on product combinations.

Because of the sport’s universal appeal, modest space requirements, and potential to fight inactivity, he truly feels that whether you call it “Ping Pong” or “Table Tennis”, anyone can “Be a Menace” at http://www.TableTennisMenace.com.

To exasperate means to “stir up”. To frustrate, vex, annoy or make angry. There might be battles, children with parents; there might be struggles within. If we find that we are warring with our children – fighting battles with them on the home front, or if we see signs of unhappiness, or difficulty, we might discover that one or more of these 30 Ways is the cause:

1. Physical Abuse

Nobody would argue that harsh physical abuse is a one way ticket to a broken child, but physical abuse is so much broader. It ranges in anything from violent beating to repeated hitting. Parental authority should never be abusive. No child should ever be subjected to cruel punishment. Physical violence has no place in the family. A parent needs to ask themselves what their discipline accomplishes and be concerned about the after affects. No child should feel frightened or abandoned, or that they are inherently wicked.

There is a very strong argument that says that there should never be a raised hand to a child – be it a spanking, a caning, use of the hair-brush or slipper.

Being sent to boarding school, I was subjected to corporal punishment, several times subjected to the cane and leather strap. There are some who have the, “it didn’t do me any harm” view, but I can not subscribe to that. It did me a lot of harm, affecting my self-esteem and my view of authority. I harboured feelings of resentment and revenge. In my young mind I wouldn’t have cared if some of those masters had met an untimely demise. This is not a feeling I would want any child to have to deal with.

2. Verbal Abuse

Words Are Powerful. The written word carries much weight, but the spoken word is extremely powerful. Words can embolden and strengthen – but words can also cut like knives. When there is little thought given to how words might affect a child, we could be in danger of saying things which could harm our young ones. Given the more definitive list of fractious words that gain entry to these 30 Ways, this point is somewhat broader. It might include the snarled “Come on!” to the child lagging behind, the hissed “Shut up!” to a child who is too loud for comfort. The gradual wearing down of a little one’s spirit, the relentless chip, chip, chipping away at their self-esteem. The Chinese speak of Death By A Thousand Cuts, and verbal abuse in all its forms could result in the decline of out children’s self worth and desire.

I wonder whether this would include words said in jest, or teasing. If a young child declares, “I want to be a surgeon,” is she met with, “You can’t even cut the bread straight. Did you not see the mess you made of the play dough?” Or the young boy who dreams, “I want to be a fireman!” Is he ribbed, “But you can’t even hit the toilet!” Surely these would be examples of taking away a child’s hopes and dreams, and that is not something we, as parents, would want to do.

Perhaps it is best if jokes are left in the playground. A child needs to return home to a safe haven, knowing that everything said at school can be taken light-heartedly because, at least at home, Mum and Dad believe in me.

In summary: A parent who uses abusive and hurtful speech may raise an angry child, who in turn may grow up to become an adult full of rage. I don’t think anyone would argue that children who are continually screamed at and subjected to psychological indignities, emotionally battered and constantly criticized are having their spirit destroyed.

3. Name-calling

Surely it would be best for parents to refrain from calling their children names. Idiot, dolt, clot, chump, stupid and names of this sort are the mental equivalent of water torture. It might be funny to begin with, but before long it begins to irritate, then aggravate, then anger. I also wonder whether some terms of endearment might be guarded against. Names that we think of as affectionate, might be too much for children to bear. Prince or Princess – more especially, “My Prince/Princess” – terms that might become a habit for us, can begin to irk. I said to my daughter, “Hey, Gorgeous,” and, at two-and-a-bit, she replied, “I’m not gorgeous.” For me, I had to take that seriously, not question it, or argue it, just cut back or refrain.

It made me think that we need to be careful of terms that we understand, but are alien to our children, or terms that might be misunderstood. I still remember being called “pointy-head”. I have lived with it for years. Only recently I looked it up, and it discovered that it’s a reference to being intelligent. However, I know that it was one of those witty reverse-name type things, like when you call a tall child “Titch”. And even if it wasn’t, it doesn’t alter my perception of it. I wonder why a person should have to live with something as simple as name-calling for so long? It is evident to me that the names we call our children – even when we stop using them, can very easily be picked up and continued by them.

4. Labeling

Name-calling can easily turn into labeling. We should not underestimate the power of our words. Children may call each other “stupid” and know it is a joke, but when your mother, father or teacher calls you stupid, then you think it’s true because they ought to know. Labeling a child’s personality could be a factor in a teenager’s low self-esteem, depression and non-communication.

Is our child “lazy”, or “clumsy”, “shy”, or “sensitive”? Have we considered that we could be prompting a self-fulfilling prophecy? If we see our child in a particular role, then we could be inviting the danger of the child adopting the role by default

We might not label them to their face – a tragedy of great proportions – but if we see our child in that role, privately labeling them in some way, then it will make itself known in one way or another. Our child will pick up the vibes, the signals, and and this could cause them to begin to wilt under the branding.

5. Sarcasm

It has been called a sound barrier to learning. The trouble with sarcasm is its invitation to a stinging comeback. It might stir children to a preoccupation with revenge fantasies. There is confusion, resentment, a feeling of being made fun of. Are any of these mental challenges welcome in a family home?

6. Nagging

The connection has been made that parents who habitually make mountains out of molehills, nagging their children mercilessly about trivial matters, are inevitably going to have children who not only lie but are good at it. Habitual, long-winded, or cruel nagging rarely stops the children from doing the things they’re being nagged about. It could, however, stop the children from taking responsibility for their own actions.

This might include the relentless words of warning – every pen or pencil picked up is accompanied with the reminder not to write on walls, or not to run with it. Every plug socket is dangerous, every radiator and oven is hot, every step taken is with a charge to “be careful”. Perhaps, all a child is thinking is “nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag.”

If we have a nagging suspicion that we are nagging – we probably are.

7. Threats and Bribery

“If…then…”, “Wait ’til your father gets home.” Predictions on how a child will turn out if they pursue a certain course. “You’ll never get anywhere with grades like that.” “You’ll never if you…”, “If you carry on behaving like that you’ll end up in prison.” Promising a child a beating or some other punishment. Counting – to whatever number – is perceived as a threat. Threats are very likely to be met with the defiant retort – spoken or not – “Let’s see you try.”

Bribery is the promise of some reward if something is accomplished. Sweets for good behaviour. The problem with this could be the child only doing something because of the promise of reward. The added danger of “If…” is the message it sends: “I don’t think you can.” This might, in turn, lead to a child’s doubting their own abilities.

Above all, a child should never be threatened with abandonment. It can be too easy to let slip, “Okay, well you stay here then. We’re going.” Or jokingly, “Right, I’m calling the removal people, and they will come and take you away.” Threats like this unnecessarily draw on a child’s fear of being abandoned.

8. Blaming and Accusing

“You’re always answering back”, “you never listen”, “You are a real embarrassment to me.” Phrases like these could encourage an atmosphere of blame and accusation. They focus on the individual, rather than the problem to be addressed.

Blaming and accusing would also include those questions which could be described as The Invitation To Lie: The parent knows the answer to something, yet they ask their child about it to see what answer they get. It can be confusing and irritating for a young one to be faced with this no-win situation. “Who did it?” is also a question which rarely has a satisfactory outcome.

9. Fault-finding, Being Overly Critical

When our child makes an effort at something, do we first point out the flaws? When the child puts on their own shoes: “Oh, you’ve got them on the wrong feet.” Every defect must be highlighted. The child successfully feeding themselves is told, “Look at you, you’ve got it all down your front, you messy little thing.” The result could be children who are frightened of taking any kind of spontaneous action, helpful included, because they worry that their parents will find some fault in what they have done. They might be criticized, or even punished. Criticism by parents might lead to deep-seated insecurity, or play a part in developing a child’s shyness.

10. Rules, Rules, and More Rules

Do we have rules for everything? Rules which then have to be adhered to, repeated and barked. Rules which tie down and constrain. Rules which have to be explained and numbered. Rules which make living at home seem like living under a dictatorship, under the family society. Already I feel hemmed in and unable to breath. At the same time, children need boundaries, which means that their parents need to set rules and sometimes enforce these rules by discipline. Even so, children must be helped progressively to see the underlying reason for these rules: their parents love them.

11. Praise

It seems as though praise of any kind would be a good thing. However, broad, unspecific praise – “You are such a good boy”, “You are always so kind to your sister” – could result in tension and misbehaviour. A child may not be able to accept this kind of praise because his own idea of himself is quite different. Try it on yourself: “You’re a great father!” How do you deal with that? You didn’t feel so great when you snubbed your child because you wanted to complete some task, or you unthinkingly called him a name. And you know it probably won’t be the last time you do it. Now imagine a child trying to cope with those feelings.

On the other hand, a lack of praise can also lead to insecurity. Sometimes praising in a new way, or praising at all, can take a conscious re-education of the way we parents think and speak. We have to find a more insightful method of praise, one which draws attention to the child’s accomplishments, rather than his personality.

12. Comparing

Comparing to a sibling. Comparing to others at school. Comparing to ourselves as parents. The danger with making comparisons is that it can lead to competition, and experience tells us that intense competition can lead to physical symptoms, emotional troubles, anxiety and hostility. As parents, we want our homes to be havens from this kind of stress.

13. Ignoring Uniqueness

Ignoring uniqueness is not the same as comparing, but it is closely allied with it. It differs, though, in object. Wise parents likewise find ways to express appreciation for each child’s unique qualities, abilities, and accomplishments.

14. Not Respecting Their Struggle

One way to exasperate children is to fail to understand their daily problems and tests.

Growing up is hard work, learning how to do things, how to cope. When parents express how easy certain tasks are – even the ones easy for us, like buttoning a coat, or getting the lid off something – it can be exasperating for children. Homework is not that easy, learning to play the piano or guitar is not that easy.

15. Not Listening

Communication is a two-way discussion. Parents cannot really get to know their children’s needs unless they listen to them. If parents constantly tell children what to do without encouraging them to express themselves, their children may become less and less willing to communicate.

16. Being unreasonable

Are we flexible? Open to discussion? Can we be reasoned with, so that if a child feels that something is unfair, we are approachable and can reason on a matter, perhaps even changing our mind or making an exception to a rule. The inability to do this – the “my way or the highway” approach on all matters – is likely to cause warfare and rebellion in the house.

17. Silent Treatment

Sometimes we need to be silent. Sometimes we feel angry about something, and need moments of silence to collect our thoughts, or even to let the young child recognise that what they have said or done is unacceptable – it has caused a grievance. The danger comes when we use silence as a weapon. Filling the house with an unsettling atmosphere of power and fear.

18. Quick to Anger

Do we fly off the handle quickly? Are the children scared to do anything because of our wrath? Do they need to tiptoe around us lest they set us off?

19. Withholding Independence

Right from the start children naturally desire more independence. This manifests itself from a very early age – putting on their own shoes, taking off their coat, which may be painfully slow to the adult trying to get out the door. However, when a child is often prevented from engaging in activities and assuming responsibilities for which they are ready, this can lead to frustration and resentment

20. Unrealistically High Standards

Being constantly put down by a parent or being measured by unrealistically high standards can be exasperating for children. The inability to live up to high parental expectations could cause significant loss of self-esteem. Our children need to feel it is safe to come to us when they have failed at something, or when something is making them unhappy.

21. Over-permissiveness

Parents must be fair and set good examples, but children need regulations and discipline. A growing child needs a sense of boundaries and limits. If parents condone wrongdoing in their children, they are bound to lose the children’s respect. As parents, we may later find that we have compromised the line of communication.

22. Lack of Headship

When the father – or other significant adult – lives up to his responsibility, the whole family is drawn closer together and strengthened. When parents give in to children, or rely too much on their child’s giving of love, if they are scared of losing their child’s love and affection, or if they are scared of upsetting them, the child might end up assuming the position of head of the house, “ruling the roost”, as it were. It is a position the child does not want and emotionally cannot handle.

23. Inconsistent Discipline

This can consist of disciple that bears little or no relation to the crime being punished – it might include the naughty step, or naughty chair. It can include meting out discipline for a misdemeanour one time, and then not doing so when the same thing is repeated. It does not mean we cannot listen to our child, and our instincts, and sometimes make an exception.

24. Public Discipline

Punishment by ridicule before friends makes the child downhearted, even hostile. It is embarrassing and annoying for children to be disciplined in front of people, the danger being that it is done for the benefit of onlookers rather than the child. As parents we do not want to be viewed as “letting them get away with it” and this is a moment that can tax our determination not to expose our child to public shame and humiliation.

Demanding good manners in a public forum can be demeaning to children, and an affront – “Say ‘Thank You’ to Auntie (Whoever)” or “What do you say?” Of course, we want our children to be polite, so this is another challenging area for parents.

Chastising children in front of their friends, reminding them about an assignment, finger-wagging, can all be terribly embarrassing for a youngster.

25. Hypocrisy

It is irritating and frustrating for children to be told that they should be kind and considerate, and yet they see their parents argue, gossip, act rudely, or get easily upset. Can they be blamed if they act in the same manner? Children can spot hypocrisy from a long way. They are not so young that they cannot spot double standards in adults. As an example: The grown-up who smokes, but fumes when they discover their child smoking.

26. Self-righteousness

This invitation to battle is closely allied with hypocrisy. How can it fail to be. When we demand certain standards we will soon find ourselves unable to meet them. Self-righteousness shows itself in parents ability to lecture and moralise. Going on and on about something. Needing to appear as if we never do a thing wrong, and yet pointing out wrong-doing in others. A self-righteous attitude may not be demonstrated against our children, but if they hear us speaking in a self-righteous way about others this might have a detrimental effect.

27. Passive Aggression

This emotion can often be seen when we act against our better judgment. Then we have pent up feelings of anger which seep out into our activities. We might say we’ll do something when we don’t feel like it, and then sabotage efforts to get ready. Or allow the irritation to build up within us, until it explodes into something else entirely. A good rule of thumb: We can be a little bit nicer than we feel, but not much.

28. Absenteeism

If we disappear from our children’s lives, if our job routinely takes us away from the family home for days, weeks or months, we cannot be surprised that our children will react negatively. Not only will we exasperate them but we may well undermine their self-worth, making them feel unloved and unlovable.

29. Lack of Self-Control

A lack of self-control is not just seen in an ability to get angry quickly, reacting to the merest hint of wrong-doing. It is not only seen in an overindulgence in alcohol or some other habit. A lack of self-control can be seen in a variety of areas, it manifests itself as a general character trait. Self-control is the ability to say “no” to yourself, to be self-disciplined. The parent who lacks self-control, cannot be surprised if he has a child who resists discipline.

30. Spiritual Neglect

Children are curious. They want answers. At some point, they are going to want answers to the big questions in life: “Who are we? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life?” Parents who avoid these questions, or show that such things are unimportant to them, could find themselves with difficulty at home, especially through the teenage years, when young adults are at their most vulnerable.

Further Reading

Between Parent & Child and Between Parent & Teenager Dr Haim G Ginott

Liberated Parents, Liberated Children and How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish.

Rory Sullivan writes Hamelife [http://hamelife.com], a website dedicated to helping parents negotiate the unpredictable waters of parent-child communication. With the 30 Ways at its heart, Hamelife encourages parents to avoid exasperating their children by embracing empathy, respect, and patience.

This article answers some of the questions asked

by car owners or would be Do It Yourselfers on Do It

Yourself Auto Repair.

What is DIY or Do It Yourself Auto Repair:

This is a maintenance system where a vehicle owner carry

out specific repair works on his/her car. The repair

work can be major or minor.

Can anybody carry out Do It Yourself Auto

Repair: Yes, anybody old enough to own a car, and

calm – headed enough to follow some sets of repair

instructions can successfully carry out Do It Yourself

Auto Repair.

It does not require deep knowledge of engineering

or mechanism, just the ability to believe in yourself

and follow instructions.

What are the requirements for Do it yourself auto

repair: The following are the basic requirements,

which may be more, depending on the repair job to be

done.

• A good auto repair manual.
• Set of tools.
• Auto parts for replacement.
• Calmness and determination.
• Time.

From manual you can get all the requirements and the

procedures.

Where Can Do It Yourself Auto Repair be carried out:

Anywhere there is space. preferably in a place where

there is privacy and where you are shielded from

sun, rain, etc.

Can I get help for Do It Yourself Auto Repair jobs when

I needed one: Yes you can get a real life help if you

register with a good auto repair site and/or auto repair

forum for car owners.

There you meet car owners like yourself sharing their

experiences in Do It Yourself Auto Repair job and their

failures too, you learn a lot and avoid many pitfalls.

What are the benefits of Do It Yourself Auto Repair: you

stand to gain a lot in Do it Yourself Auto Repair, Some

benefits includes:

1. Reduction in repair and maintenance cost.
2. Self Satisfaction in carrying out your repair works.
3. Better understanding of your car system and operations.
4. Opportunity to meet/chart with other car owners,
   share ideas and gain from their experiences.
5. Ability to gain total control over your car.

The total benefit of Do it Yourself Auto Repair cannot

be generalized it depends on where an individual is

starting from and his background knowledge. You really

see it when you start.

What is the rate of success in Do It Yourself Auto

Repair: The rate of success figure is not constant, for

it depends on individual knowledge and what he has

committed to it.

But a lot of people have been recording

success, this you can find out in DIY forum sites. even

people that started as a complete novice.

The important things to hold to record success is,

having the right tools equipment and starting/doing your

Do it Yourself Auto Repair jobs rightly. This I can show

you.

You may have many more questions not answered here, but

you don’t need to know all answers before you start,

just a step-by-step guide. if others have been doing it

then you can do it.

Why not start right now.

Tope Olawumi is a seasoned auto – infopreneur. His site at

http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Do-It-Yourself-Auto-Repair.html shows you all the information you need to do your Do It Yourself Auto Repair right. For your right manual visit;

http://www.all-about-auto-part.com/Do-It-Yourself-Auto-Repair-Manual.html.

Please let me tell you about the Internet marketing

systems I use and find helpful. This information may be

of some benefit to you, especially if your goal is to

monetize your site or earn an income from your online

marketing.

My name is Titus Hoskins and I own and operate a very

modest marketing website called http://www.bizwaremagic.com

I have been designing web pages and sites since 1998.

I have an Art/Education background but in the last

couple of years I have been studying online marketing

systems and using them.

Yes, studying them, since I have an art background I like

to examine beneath the surface of things or structures in

order to get a clearer picture. I like to see the whole

picture. The big picture. But the underlying elements behind

these complex systems interests me the most. What’s beneath

the surface excites me, the structure holding everything

in place. How they are designed, the methods and tools

used to make these marketing systems work.

Keep in mind, I still feel a bit funny calling myself an

Internet marketer. Last week my marketing efforts make me

around a thousand dollars; don’t know if that qualifies me

as an Internet marketer or not. Probably not. Most of the

people I associate and have contact with, usually make that

in a day — the real smart ones make that in an hour.

A thousand dollars in one hour?

How is that possible? Well, the marketing experts who

earn the big d’s — usually have complex automated marketing

systems set up and operating on the Internet. These systems

start with their own products but quickly expands and builds

with large opt-in lists or ezines, 1000’s of affiliates,

large JV networks, multi-sites, viral marketing, membership

forums, brandable ebooks, online marketing tools/resources

and the list goes on…

No doubt you may have stumbled across some of these

marketing systems on the Internet… one of the first

I really encountered was Internet Marketing Center run by

the late Corey Rudl who died tragically in a car crash at

the young age of 34. I made my first affiliate check

through Corey’s system and it changed the way I looked

at the Internet forever. And the check was only $5!

What made me earn that $5 was not only my own efforts but

more importantly the whole marketing system behind IMC.

It took an ordinary webmaster and showed him how to market

on the web. It showed me the way. More importantly, it

also taught me Internet marketing is a skill anyone

can learn.

These marketing systems can be good places for the

beginning marketer to learn those skills. There are many

marketing systems quietly working the Internet. Some of

best (in my opinion) are Ken Evoy’s whole Site Sell system,

Marlon Sanders Higher Response Marketing, John Reese’s

Traffic Secrets, Bryan Winter’s PushButton Publishing, Jeff

Mulligan’s CBmalls, Nitro Marketing…

These Internet marketing systems are all different, yet

they all have common elements or features that make them

very effective and very powerful marketing systems. A close

examination of the different components or parts might

give you a better understanding of what makes these

Internet marketing systems work.

Here’s a list of different parts of an effective Internet

Marketing system:

* Founder or Helm: All these marketing systems have a strong

leader or founder at the helm. A very vocal and forceful

communicator or spokesperson is needed as a focal point.

And like any company, its only as good as the person leading

it. Because the Internet is still a very ’scary’ place for

the average user; a friendly outgoing spokesperson is

needed to break those barriers (real or imaginary) down.

* Unique Product or Products: Most of the effective

marketing systems have their own products to market.

These can be digital info products, web building/hosting

packages, or even self-contained marketing systems. Or all

of the above. Some popular products that come to mind would

include Ken Evoy’s whole Site Sell and SiteBuildIt line,

or Jeff Mulligan’s CBmalls promoting the well known digital

download affiliate site ClickBank.

* Databases or Lists: All these systems collect and keep

large databases or opt-in permission contact lists of

customers and potential customers. The real net value of

any marketing system is in the quantity and more importantly

the quality of its lists. All deliver a weekly or daily ezine

or ezines to these lists. Consider these Databases as the

engines that empowers any Internet marketing system.

* JV Networks: Most have large Joint Venture Networks or

contacts that will kick-start any new product. Momentum and

sales are created with these JV partners. An ideal JV partner

is a well respected online marketer with very responsive and

very large opt-in lists. If Databases are like engines, JV

networks will fill those engines with the fuel they need.

* Affiliates: The best marketing systems use 1000’s of

affiliates to promote and market their products. This is

usually done in-house with their own affiliate program or

onsite software set up. Some use third party affiliate

programs like ClickBank, 1ShoppingCart, Commission Junction,

LinkShare, or Shareasale. Your ignition.

* AutoResponders: One of the most effective marketing tool

these systems use, autoresponders are essential for delivering

the sales. A series of follow-up e-mails will increase those

sales dramatically, studies have shown that it takes 6 or

7 follow-ups before someone purchases your product. Consider

the autoresponder like a fuel injection system.

* Tracking and Marketing Resources: All have extensive

tracking and marketing resources, usually located online

within a membership site. An easy to use and accessible

tracking system for affiliates is needed. So too are

marketing resources such as banners, links, coupons,

graphics, seo tactics, landing pages, lead capture pages,

brandable reports, articles and ebooks. Obviously, your toolkit.

* Viral Marketing: All great Internet marketing systems

use viral marketing techniques. This can be as simple a

brandable reports, articles, software or eBooks. Affiliates

can embed their own IDs and pass these viral products along

to their friends and visitors, these useful viral products

then get passed around all over the web. Creating links,

contacts, buzz and funneling prospects back to your

marketing system. Consider it your Turbo Charger.

* Online Forums: Many of the better Internet Marketing

systems will have an online forum where members can network

and interact. Offering workshops and tutorials. This is a

vital community building tool that must not be overlooked

or underestimated. It will greatly enhance the effectiveness

of any marketing system, building a foundation and launch pad

for any new products. Your gas station.

* Cross Promotion: These marketing systems can become very

complex: promoting programs within programs, cross networking

whole systems within systems, joint ventures within joint

ventures… Marketing seminars, conventions and workshops

are other lucrative features these systems use to market

their products and to network with other marketers. Hybrid fuel.

* Corporate Blogs: Most have company blogs or a network of

members’ blogs. Realizing the importance of these relatively

new mediums for getting the word out. RSS feeds are also used

to syndicate your sales message and content. That would be

your satellite radio.

* Affiliate Incentives: The better marketing systems have

affiliate incentives and contests to motivate the sales force.

From cruises to Ferraries…

* They Pay Their Affiliates On Time: Might seem trivial, except

for the affiliate. The best Internet marketing systems pay

their affiliate regularly and on time. They are trusted and

respected by affiliates and online marketers. This trust have

been built up over many years of good solid business

relationships. The best marketing systems are the ones that

can harvest and develop those relationships with thousands

or even millions of affiliates. Your accelerator.

* Automation: The one key element that makes all of the above

possible. These Internet marketing systems are automated to

the highest degree possible. Without automation these large

marketing networks could not function. Therefore, almost all

the day to day running of a marketing system is automated and

can run smoothly without much work or maintenance. The grease

that makes everything run.

* Internet: These marketing systems have taken full advantage

of the world wide web and used it to their benefit. It permits

global marketing with affiliates in every country around the

world. A large multinational marketing force that is made

possible only with the creation of the Internet. Consider it

the clue that connects the whole system.

The computer and the Internet make these whole automated

marketing systems possible. Closely studied and dissected,

these systems are complex, intricate creatures solidly

embedded into the Internet and the lives of millions around

the globe. Enabling lifestyles that offer mobility, freedom

and enrichment never before seen this side of a PowerBall

win!

When you picture these complex marketing systems, don’t think

of computers, databases, autoresponders, wires…

Rather, picture a sun drenched tropical beach with a light

breeze and a clear blue sky. Picture a person sitting to one

side, checking daily sales stats on a cool sleek shinny laptop…

don’t forget to zoom in real close and you will notice a slight

smug smile. But don’t stop there, if you stare really hard and

think about what you have just read, you will have a clear view

of an Internet marketing system.

…..
The author runs a modest Internet Marketing web site where you will find helpful online guides on RSS/Blogging, SEO, Affiliate Programs, List Building, Laptops, Internet Fax and quite a few Internet Marketing Tools. Including the very popular Free Desktop Calendar & Planner Copyright © 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

How have you celebrated being alive today?

If God were to ask you: “How have you loved being alive today?” “Who have you touched with the grace of your smile?” “Are you grudge-full or grate-full?” “Have you seen me in our child’s beaming face?” “Do you work in the Church of Joy or the Church of Misery?” What would your honest answers be to these heart-hitting questions? Don’t allow yourself to be chained to a false prophet called negative thinking and negative talking. Start celebrating your life instead.

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME FOR JOY THAN TODAY

There’s no better time than today to tap into many, many, tiny moments of joy.

Celebrate the fact that you can’t change anyone but yourself.

Celebrate the awareness that you can make a new choice at any time.

Celebrate the reality that only you have the power to control your own mind.

Celebrate the wisdom of God, who keeps you safe and loves you unconditionally.

Celebrate the importance of having joy in this one life to live.

Celebrate the capacity to open your mind to new insights.

Celebrate finding ways to enjoy yourself despite failure.

Celebrate that you’re a fully feeling human being.

Celebrate being surprised.

Celebrate having faith.

Celebrate having friends.

Celebrate having another day to express who you are.

Celebrate bags of resentments dropping off like heavy rocks.

Celebrate revenge boomerangs being knocked away.

Celebrate accepting yourself after being rejected.

Celebrate the joys of partnering and parenting.

Celebrate starting, persevering, swerving, finishing.

Celebrate lives lost and lives bravely led.

Celebrate balancing a sour reality with your sweetest dreams.

Celebrate the healing power of a sincere apology.

Celebrate the mystery of creation.

Celebrate being forgiving in order to be forgiven.

Celebrate life by speaking words of caring when you don’t feel like it.

Celebrate any love you’ve ever been blessed to receive.

Celebrate a small child’s glorious intuitions.

Celebrate the wisdom of your elders.

Celebrate getting your anger out in healthy ways.

Celebrate life by trusting, risking and reaching out when there is no logical reason, whatsoever, to do so.

Dr. Dennis O’Grady is the grate-full author of a proven new communication theory found only in “Talk to Me: Communication Moves to Get Along with Anyone.” Dennis is a husband, father, communications coach and a guy who can’t stop talking about the art of talking. Visit http://www.drogrady.com for more information and valuable resources.

If you are a frequent visitor to my site, you have probably learnt that I was a two-time captain of the Debate Club in my university while I was undertaking my undergraduate study. Plus, I was also a Toastmasters Club member for around 3 years.

Personally, I don’t consider myself an expert in the field of public speaking even though I have attended many local and international public speaking competitions and experienced public speaking to over 1,000 people in an event. Instead, I would like to call myself an experienced person in the world of presentation, public speaking and communication.

In this article, I would like to share with you guys what I think are the 5 most important Public Speaking Tips. You can take these tips to improve your Public Speaking ability. Trust me when I tell you that Public Speaking skills is crucially important and can actually lead you to the peak of your life especially if your goal is to become a leader in any of your life pursuit.

1. Positive Mental Attitude

Personally, I’ve never heard or seen anyone die of public speaking. So, there is nothing to be afraid of public speaking. It’s easier said than done, right? It truly is, yet such fear can really be overcome.

Many people are afraid of public speaking because they don’t like the feeling of nervousness when they have to stand on the stage and face with many eyes locked on them. In other words, nervousness keeps them stay away from speaking in public.

Personally, I have also undergone the feeling of nervousness in my pursuit of excellence in public speaking. Even though I have a number of experiences giving speech to a group of people, I still feel nervous whenever I am on the stage. I just know how to manage my nervousness well.

How to manage nervousness

If you have some time, please read this detailed article: How to kill your nervousness in public speaking.

But, if you don’t, you should do as the follows:

a. Mentally remind yourself that public speaking can’t kill you.

b. Learn to get accustomed in looking to people’s eyes.

c. Start talking to people while standing whether in formal or informal settings.

2. Voice projection

Personally, I strongly believe that voice is the most important feature in public speaking. A speaker’s ability to properly project their voice well is crucially important in speech delivery.

Great public speakers, in my experience, are people who speak loudly and clearly enough that can be distinctly heard by people listening to them. The voice should not be too loud as it annoys the audience and too low as it makes the audience sleep.

When it comes to voice projection, there are many things to consider such as the using of tone and etc. Usually, a speaker is recommended not to use one tone for the whole speech because it simply makes the speech boring and less emotional. If possible, the speaker should use different tones for different plots. If the plot is about something sad, the tone must be in accordance to the story; it’d better be soft and slow.

How to project voice properly

You can try the following tips:

a. Practice talking to people standing or sitting 2-5 meters away from you. Try to get them understand everything you say. This helps you to talk better with a big group of people.

b. Practice talking to people standing or sitting 0.5-1 meter away from you. Try to get them understand everything you say. This helps you to talk better with a small group of people.

c. Listen to expert story tellers and learn how they use their tone in different parts of the story. Practice narrating story using different tones.

3. Eye contact

Eye contact is usually used by professional public speakers to attract the audience attention. In general, an audience participant focuses on listening to the speaker only when they realize that the speaker speaks to them or that the speaker pays attention to them. How does the participant know that? My experience has taught me that eye contact is the means of such knowledge.

Maintaining a natural and good eye contact with audience is crucially important because it somehow determines the degree of attention the audience members give to us the speakers. Personally, I almost always maintain a close eye contact with the people who listen to me and those who seem not to be focusing on my speech. I don’t have to say their name or point to them to listen to me because my eye contact says it all. Isn’t that cool?

Initially, I was so scared at looking into people’s eyes. I remember I took my glasses off during a classroom presentation because I was not able to undergo the overwhelming pressure of the 20-plus pairs of eyes looking at me. However, thanks to the countless speech delivery practices that I have done for years, I today don’t feel the pressure anymore every time I am on the stage. I just feel at ease.

How to develop powerful eye contact

You can try the following tips:

a. Practice looking into your eyes in the mirror and maintaining the contact for some time (two or three minutes) every day.

b. Practice looking into people’s eyes when you are in conversation in them. I know it’s difficult especially if you come from any country like Cambodia whose societal culture doesn’t promote people looking straight into other people’s eyes. You can start with people that you know well before strangers.

4. Body language

Body language is also one of the most essential elements in speech delivery. Effective use of body language makes the speech lively and active while ineffective use of body language could pose great threat or embarrassment to the audience members. For example, the use of middle finger in North America is offensive. The showing of folding fist could mean either anger or power.

Body language is a bit complicated if one wants to be perfect in it. Yet, it’s worthwhile to learn to use it effectively or perfectly if possible because it’s generally believed that body language conveys much more message than words and tones in any communication scenario. For example, yawning means being sleepy or feeling bored even though the person who yawns tries to say that he is not sleepy or bored.

The use of body language could include such as winking the eyes, using facial expressions, using of hands or legs, posing or standing, and etc. Basically, any movement of the body can be considered as body language.

How to develop powerful body language

You can try the following tips:

a. Strongly believe that use of body language in speech delivery is not crazy or silly. It’s what you are supposed to do and do well if possible.

b. Study the culture in which you are about to deliver your speech. There must be some gestures or body signs considered appropriate or inappropriate. Study them well so as not to offend your audience.

c. Practice using wide and clear body language. Use your hands widely. When you are on the stage, you shouldn’t fold your hands together. Instead use them widely so that your audience can see what you are trying to convey to them.

5. Practice

“Best practices give best results,” said Mr. Somboon Mongkol Sambath, one of the most experienced Toastmasters members with whom I associated during my time in Toastmasters Club. I heard the saying quite early in my pursuit of excellence in public speaking skills, and it has always become my only philosophy in speech delivery and public speaking.

There might be born great public speakers, but the number of these people is so few. Yet, there are so many great trained public speakers. The late Steve Jobs could be one of the examples. Before he passed away, he was considered one of the world’s most powerful public speakers even though he was not born to be a public speaker. During his initial show-ups on the stage or via media, he was quoted as nervous and shaky delivering his speeches.

Like Steve Jobs, I am not a gifted or born public speaker. I spent around 6 years to get trainings on how to effectively deliver speeches. I joined IFL Debate Club and Toastmasters Club. Plus, I have rarely if not never rejected the opportunities to improve my public speaking ability. I even volunteer for the chance to talk in front of people on any topic.

So, if you want to become a powerful and successful public speaker too, you should have this practice mindset. Sharpen your public speaking skills with practices, as many as possible.

How to develop powerful practices

You can try the following tips:

a. Prepare what you are going to talk. Put it in writing in brainstorming or complete form.

b. Rehearse your speech as many as possible before you get on the stage. You can do it in front of pretending audience if you can find. This helps build up your confidence.

c. Practice with a partner that has similar mindset to you.

d. Get constructive feedback from people who listen to your speech after each of your practices.

e. Video-tape your speech. Believe me when I say that you will learn more if you witness your own strengths and/or weaknesses.

Though long espoused as crucial for the development of young men, involvement in sports is highly beneficial for girls as well. Young women involved in sports are more likely to achieve academically, have increased self-esteem, experience a higher level of health and wellness, learn crucial skills for entering a competitive workforce, and enjoy the social rewards that accompany working as a team and having fun with others. With the availability of girls’ sports increasing, it is important that young women be encouraged to participate and enjoy the higher quality of life that sports help them achieve.

The most obvious benefit of involvement in sports is a healthier body. All children involved in athletics experience a decrease in the likelihood of developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and several other complications linked to a sedentary lifestyle. For young women, in particular, there is a strong correlation between adequate exercise and a decreased risk for breast cancer and osteoporosis, both diseases that typically affect women. Studies also reveal that girls involved in extracurricular activities are less likely to experience an unwanted pregnancy. Being physically active when young increases the likelihood that a person will live an active lifestyle as an adult.

Studies indicate that young people who are involved in athletic activities achieve higher grades and are more likely to complete high school and college. This may be because adequate exercise improves mental acuity. It may also be attributed to the fact that children in sports are less likely to abuse illegal substances, such as drugs and alcohol. Steering clear of these substances helps young people stay focused on their academics and free of dangerous distractions. There is also evidence that young people who play sports are less likely to start smoking.

Women who are physically active generally have higher self esteem. They experience a better body image than their sedentary peers and exhibit more confidence. They are also less likely to develop symptoms of depression. The feeling of accomplishment that athletics can garner, having a healthy body, and feeling strong and capable all help young women feel good about themselves and experience a higher quality of life.

As more women enter the workforce, there are many job skills they can acquire from participation in competitive sports. Young women can learn to work as a team, to value a person’s skills and abilities, to take orders from a captain or supervisor, and acquire the confidence in their abilities necessary to success in a competitive job market.

In addition to all the quantifiable and tangible benefits of sports participation for young women, there is also the immeasurable social reward. Sports offer girls an opportunity to socialize with people of varying abilities and experiences. Through sports, young women can find positive role models. They can learn the importance of working hard, working together, and being fair. Athletics offer children a myriad of social interaction and the delight that comes with playing a game and having fun.

With all the benefits of participating in sports for young girls, it is important to provide opportunity and encouragement to all young women to compete and play. Athletics and competition are an integral part of any child’s growth and development, and young women are certainly no exception.

Darla Blackmon writes for EverythingLongBeach.com ( http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/ ), a community website that covers news, the arts, entertainment and health. On weekends she can be found cheering the girls playing Long Beach soccer as they build the healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Barbie doll clothes are an important part of the fun of playing with

the Barbie doll. When Barbie first came out, the clothes were

fashion model outfits. Since then, however, outfits can be worn for

almost any occasion or situation. The only limit is the imagination.

Children love to play with the exquisite little Barbie clothes and the

fun accessories that came with each outfit.

Close attention was paid to the design and creation of these tiny

clothes. Barbie Doll clothes have hems, zippers, minute buttons

and even linings. &nbspThe quality finish of these dolls clothes was

achieved by hand finishing.

The fasteners used on the Barbie doll clothes were miniscule.

Mattel had these custom made in Japan. A company called YKK was

founded and managed by Yoshida Kogig. This was dedicated to

manufacturing fasteners and other miniature accessories which

accompanied each set of Barbie clothing. For example, the “Nighty-

Negligee Set” #965 1959-1964 contained a baby-doll set of a night

gown with a matching robe in the traditional pink. The accessories

included pom-pom slippers, a toy stuffed dog, an alarm clock, diary,

and an apple for a midnight snack.

There are certainly plenty of Barbie clothes to choose from to dress

your Barbie doll.

Where can you find Barbie doll clothes?

Obviously you will easily be able to find Barbie doll clothes at retail

stores. These stores will certainly have the latest clothes available.

However this isn’t the only place to find &nbspdoll outfits for

Barbie.

A great source to pick up bargains of doll clothes for Barbie is on

eBay. Usually the approximate age of the clothes is indicated. You

can find vintage or modern Barbie clothes, and they are auctioned

in different quantities as well.

Another place to look for Barbie doll clothes is in local garage and

yard sales and also thrift stores. You can often find some great

bargains, as people’s children have out grown them, and will sell

them very reasonably priced.

Barbie doll clothes are an important part of the fun of playing with the Barbie doll. When Barbie first came out, the clothes were fashion model outfits. Since then, however, outfits can be worn for almost any occasion or situation. The only limit is the imagination.

Children love to play with the exquisite little Barbie clothes and the fun accessories that came with each outfit.

Close attention was paid to the design and creation of these tiny clothes. Barbie Doll clothes have hems, zippers, minute buttons and even linings. &nbspThe quality finish of these dolls clothes was achieved by hand finishing.

The fasteners used on the Barbie doll clothes were miniscule. Mattel had these custom made in Japan. A company called YKK was founded and managed by Yoshida Kogig. This was dedicated to manufacturing fasteners and other miniature accessories which accompanied each set of Barbie clothing. For example, the “Nighty-Negligee Set” #965 1959-1964 contained a baby-doll set of a night gown with a matching robe in the traditional pink. The accessories included pom-pom slippers, a toy stuffed dog, an alarm clock, diary, and an apple for a midnight snack.

There are certainly plenty of Barbie clothes to choose from to dress your Barbie doll.

Where can you find Barbie doll clothes?

Obviously you will easily be able to find Barbie doll clothes at retail stores. These stores will certainly have the latest clothes available. However this isn’t the only place to find &nbspdoll outfits for Barbie.

A great source to pick up bargains of doll clothes for Barbie is on eBay. Usually the approximate age of the clothes is indicated. You can find vintage or modern Barbie clothes, and they are auctioned in different quantities as well.

Another place to look for Barbie doll clothes is in local garage and yard sales and also thrift stores. You can often find some great bargains, as people’s children have out grown them, and will sell them very reasonably priced.

Barbara enjoys writing about Barbie dolls and Barbie doll clothes [http://www.barbiworld.com/barbie_doll_clothes/barbie-doll-clothes.html] at Barbiworld.com Check out her Everything Barbie Blog [http://www.barbiworld.com/blog]

Bowling balls are available with a wide range of options. Such options as coverstock, weight block, top weight, and pin location to name a few. With so many variables, how do you choose the right one for you? Many factors, should be considered when making a decision on your next bowling ball purchase.

Let’s briefly breakdown what each of the above mentioned terms mean in reference to bowling balls.

-Coverstock is essentially to outer surface of the bowling ball that creates the shell. Typically, the coverstock can either be dull or shiny on a bowling ball.

-A weight block is the core of the bowling ball. Depending on the shape and density of the weight block, it can influence the reaction of the bowling ball.

-Top weight is the core variation within the bowling ball. If the core is higher in the ball, it produces a higher top weight. If the core is lower, then the bowling ball will have a lower top weight.

-Pin location simply designates the location of the top of the weight block in a bowling ball.

These definitions simply apply to the bowling ball itself. What factors not related to the make/model of the bowling ball? For this we are referring to factors such as your bowling game itself. Things such as ball speed, track flare, axis tilt, etc all play an important role in bowling. Each person has their own unique way of bowling. Knowing your game and style will make it easier for you to make the proper selection when buying a new bowling ball.

Below is a brief breakdown of a few key definitions.

-Ball Speed is simply the speed at which you roll your bowling ball. Many of the newer scoring systems measure the speed of your bowling ball. However, not all are 100% accurate, but it can give you a general idea of what the speed is.

-Track flare is the “oil rings” that appear on your bowling ball after you throw it. These rings show the progression of the rotation of your ball as it is rolling down the lane and the ball changing its axis of rotation while seeking its preferred spin axis.

-Axis tilt is the angle of rotation of the bowling ball.

Depending on your style and lane conditions, making the right decision can be tricky at times. The easiest and best way to decide which bowling ball is right for you is to visit your local bowling pro shop. Many pro shop owners have been around the game of bowling for quite some time. With their knowledge and experience, as well as watching you bowl, they can give you strong recommendations on which bowling ball will suit your game.

However, not every bowling center has an on-site pro shop. Luckily the internet provides a plethora of information regarding bowling balls. Many of the manufacturer sites provide in depth analysis of reactions and characteristics and even a few videos with the bowling balls in action. Customer reviews found on various bowling ball message forums can also provide real life insight as to what a particular bowling ball can do on certain lane conditions. There are even a few retail sites that provide bowling ball reviews, which are customer reviews for various products.

As you can see the internet can be an excellent resource in helping you determine which bowling balls will take your game to the next level.

As an author at [http://www.eZ-search.us], Chris Miller contributes to the growing content found within the site. Chris suggests purchasing the newest bowling balls at http://www.birddogbowling.com

If you think that tennis balls are simply yellow fuzzy balls, one no different from another, you are most definitely wrong. Tennis balls are much more than that. Here are some facts about tennis balls that you may or may not already know:

Pressurized vs. Pressureless Tennis Balls:

· There are two main types of tennis balls: pressurized and pressureless.

· Pressurized tennis balls have a hollow core, filled with air. Some tennis ball manufacturers use nitrogen in the center, because this air tends to last longer – pressurized balls will lose their pressure after about a month or so after opening the pressurized can that they come in. As they lose their pressure, they become “dead” and do not bounce so well.

· Pressureless balls have a solid core. These tennis balls are great for anyone who does not play tennis that often and/or to use and training tennis balls. These tennis balls do not lose their bounce. However, the felt will slowly wear off, and they will eventually need to be replaced.

Regular Duty, Extra Duty, or High Altitude Tennis Balls:

· When you buy tennis balls, the container that they come in should be clearly marked with what kind of balls it contains – regular duty, extra duty, or high altitude tennis balls.

· Regular duty tennis balls should be used on indoor and clay courts. Extra duty balls would get too fuzzy if used on clay courts.

· Extra duty tennis balls are used on grass courts and tennis courts.

· High altitude tennis balls are used in places like Denver where you are playing 4,000 feet or more above sea level. These balls have different pressure – regular balls would bounce too much at this elevation.

Tennis Ball “Fuzziness:”

· Without the yellow (or white…) fuzziness of tennis balls, the game of tennis would be a whole lot different. The fuzz of the tennis balls creates friction. The fuzziness of the balls creates dray in the air, making topspin and backspin more pronounced and more possible.

Numbers on the Tennis Balls:

· Have you ever wondered what the numbers on your tennis balls meant? Do they reference the weight or style of the tennis balls, etc.? No.

· The numbers on the tennis balls are simply for your benefit – if you are playing with Wilson 1 balls, and the people on the court next to you are playing with Wilson 2 balls, it is easier to retrieve your tennis balls when they wander onto another tennis court. The numbers help you tell your balls apart from other players’ balls (assuming that you are not using the same brand and same number of tennis balls!)

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on tennis, please visit E-Tennis.

The insurance industry in Los Angeles is extremely competitive, with an increasing number of insurance companies entering the market. A number of laws strictly regulate the insurance industry in Los Angeles. It is mandatory for all the car owners to get their cars insured, regardless of the model of the car and how old it is. It is in the best interest of the car owners to have car insurance, as it offers financial relief in case of sudden accidents and mishaps. Everybody wants to have car insurance that offers maximum coverage at unbeatable prices. A good research is probably the only way in which, car owners can find a good insurance company that offers, car insurance at reasonable prices. Car owners can opt for an insurance company, only after comparing quotes offered by different Los Angeles insurance companies.

Car insurance prices are fluctuating and change from time to time. Car owners can look around for better policies at reasonable prices, before renewing their policy. Many people continue to use the services of the same insurance company for years, without trying to find out if they can get a better deal elsewhere.

Many car owners seek assistance from an insurance agent who can guide them. The make, model, and the condition of the car are some of the deciding factors, a person must consider while selecting, an appropriate car insurance. Car owners must first decide how much coverage they wish to have, before looking out for an insurance company.

There are several auto insurance websites on the Internet that provide, rates of various reputed insurance companies. Car owners can easily compare the rates of all the insurance companies before making their choice. They can specify their individual requirements on these websites, to obtain rates of only those companies that best suit their needs. They offer online car insurance policies and the latest insurance information to help car owners to make the right choice.

Car owners must verify that the insurance company has a valid license, issued by the state. Generally, car owners who have good driving records can get car insurance at a lower price.

Los Angeles Car Insurance provides detailed information on Los Angeles Car Insurances, Los Angeles New Car Insurances, Los Angeles Car Insurance Quotes, Los Angeles Used Car Insurance and more. Los Angeles Car Insurance is affiliated with Philadelphia Car Insurance Quotes.

Analog television (or analogue television) encodes television and transports the picture and sound information as an analog signal, that is, by varying the amplitude and/or frequencies of the broadcast signal. Analog television, like all other motion picture systems, exploits the properties of the human eye to create the illusion of moving images. Analog television service is the traditional TV system. Analog television has been the standard broadcast technology since the inception of television using magnetic waves to transmit and display pictures and sound. Analog television has an aspect ratio of 4 by 3, which means the screen is 4 units wide by 3 units high.

HDTV

HDTV, the highest quality format, provides high resolution, a widescreen format, and surround sound. HDTV is a name given to two of the digital television (DTV) formats. HDTV programs can include Dolby Digital surround sound, the same digital sound system used in many movie theaters and DVDs. HDTV uses the same amount of bandwidth (the size of the communications channel) as the current analog system, but with HDTV, about six times more information is transmitted. HDTV is the highest quality of DTV, but it is only one of many formats. HDTV pictures are created by scanning up to twice as many lines. HDTV sets have wider, movie-theater like screens that more closely resemble human peripheral vision, making it more natural to watch. HDTV sets are “backward compatible,” meaning existing analog equipment (VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video games, etc. HDTV is best viewed on a new high-definition television. HDTV uses a wider 16 by 9 aspect ratio, which delivers movies with less “edge cropping” and provides a more intense viewing experience. HDTV’s digital audio sounds better than a standard television’s analog sound, just like digital CDs are superior to analog radio.

Cable

Cable Television Networks are already being broadcasted in simulcast since 2004 and analogue cable services were switched-off in April 2007. Cable and satellite subscribers with analog TVs should contact their service providers about obtaining converter boxes for the DTV transition. Cable here faces minor but growing competition from satellite and more recently, television via high-speed Internet connections with the service known as IPTV. Cable operators must ensure that all local broadcast stations carried pursuant to this Act are ‘viewable’ by all cable subscribers,” explained Martin, in a statement.

Analog television was introduced in the Netherlands in 1951. Analog televisions will work until all analog broadcasting ceases. Analog televisions are now commonly referred to conventional televisions. Analog television sets will continue to receive analog broadcasts at least through 2006 and possibly longer. Analog Television signals, both broadcast and cable, as well as VHS, in most cases, will look worse on an HDTV than they do on a standard analog television. Analog television technology is around 60 years old but still produces good quality pictures. Analog televisions will no longer function unless they are connected to a cable or satellite supplier that continues to deliver analog. Analog television uses a series of wavelengths to represent picture elements.

Clint Thomas is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TvThroughTime.com [http://www.TvThroughTime.com]. He provides more information about televisions and television issues [http://www.TvThroughTime.com] that you can research in your pajamas on his website.