In fact, falls are considered the biggest safety hazard for construction workers on most sites, particularly those that require work on extremely elevated heights, such as bridge construction. Falls from high places are the number one cause of death in construction workers on construction sites.

Construction safety related to fall protection includes an evaluation of the correct methods of access to the heights where the work needs to be done, safety precautions being put in place and followed at all times, and regularly clearing the construction work area of all debris.

Clearing debris and equipment is actually a critical part of fall protection and fall prevention. A large amount of fall accidents occur because of excess debris and too much equipment that’s lying around. By simply putting things where they belong and keeping the main construction work area free of extra “stuff,” you can reduce a great deal of accidents that occur from falling and tripping. As an added bonus, the after-work cleanup will be a lot easier and quicker if you “clean and clear” as you go.

In addition, it’s important that construction workers not become too overly confident or even cocky while on the job, thinking construction safety is “below” them or they don’t need the hassle of protective equipment and gear when venturing out onto high places “for just a minute.” However, a lot can happen in a minute, and this is actually when many fall accidents do happen, and without any fall protection, particularly safety harnesses, injuries can be far worse and even fatal. Appropriate and sufficient protective equipment should be worn at all times while on the job. Taking the time to harness up before going out on the edge for a minute or two could save your life.

In order to ensure your fall protection equipment, such as safety harnesses, is safe and secure, retains its quality, and is operating to its maximum potential, it’s important to follow a few storage and maintenance guidelines:

Put such construction safety equipment where it belongs to prevent damage (for example, hang up harnesses; don’t throw them on the floor). Store them away from heat and chemicals. Check them every day for dirt/debris buildup and damage. Remove dirt buildup with mild soap and a little warm water; hang dry. Remove damaged equipment from the premises-damaged goods should never be used as a “second best” option. Equipment that has been exposed to a fall must also be removed from the site and future service right away.

Anchorage points on the construction site should be regularly inspected as well for regular approval, weakening, excessive wear and tear, sharp edges, and cracks or tears. Scaffolds, ladders, guardrails, light fixtures, plumbing, rebar, and roof stacks should never be used as anchorage points.

By implementing fall protection and working toward fall prevention, overall onsite construction safety can be greatly enhanced.

Particular knowledge of electrical safety for your construction site should come from your site safety manuals. Make sure to consult them often and consider having weekly toolbox talks about various safety plans that your construction site has in mind.

Search engine optimization or SEO - the reverse engineering of a website to suit the search algorithm of popular search engines - is becoming rampant these days. Every website owner now wants his/her website to be SEO-ized, and for some of them, even the design aspect has become sort of a secondary thing only.

But, Google has taken serious note of such illegal practices and has decided to come down hard on those who try to dupe the search engine and the ethics it believes in. They just blacklist those websites which resort to unethical SEO practices and never let it get figure in any of the search results ever again. In other words, Google virtually shuts the door on such websites once and forever.

From a website owner point of view, hence, one must be double sure to stay away from those SEO practices that are deemed unethical or unlawful.

The most common mistake one makes is the use of too many keywords in the webpage. Ideally, it must be 5-7%. Anything beyond it could invite trouble. The same aspect applies to the title tag as well. For good results, the title tag must contain 50-80 words. Using words beyond that limit would be counterproductive.

Another important SEO step most people resort to is the populating of the and Meta tags of a webpage with keywords and descriptions. But, experts points out that if there are too many text in any of these tags, it could actually cause the search engine spiders to believe that the designer is trying to con the search engine, and it responds by straight away blacklisting the website.

It is also advisable not to use the same keywords over and over again. Google reads it as an attempt of deliberate spamming aimed at unethically improve the search rankings.

It is also advisable to avoid hidden texts, session identifiers, and one-pixel links, for all these attract the wrath of Google and similar search engines.

Once Google blacklists a website, it will be nearly impossible to gain back the lost credibility. Hence, it is always better to be as much ethical and straight as possible, when it comes to web design and SEO. In other words, prevention is always better than cure.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to Search Engine Marketing Success. Discover The *Secret Formula* We’ve Used To Stay In Google’s Top 3 Rankings For Over 3 Years For Some Of The Toughest Keywords Around (18 MILLION Competitors!)

Download it free here: HREF="http://affordable-search-engine-optimization-services.com/seo-course.html">Search Engine Marketing Success

Serge Daudelin

HREF="http://affordable-search-engine-optimization-services.com/">Affordable Search Engine Optimization Services.com

Serge Daudelin is a Internet Marketing Consultant & SEO Specialist who has written over 300 articles in print and 5 published ebooks. Serge is dedicated to helping others and offering the best information on how to make more money online.

Drive is the latest release from Smooth Jazz Superstar Russ Freeman, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD… AWESOME!

This CD will grab your attention right out of the gate with the first track and doesn’t let go until the very last note of the very last song, which by the way is another great track.

Drive has a nicely varied, mix of 10 tracks that are very well written songs. The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Smooth Jazz isn’t your favorite genre you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

Drive is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. It’s quite simply great listening. A must buy for the Smooth Jazz fan.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 3, Soul Dance. Outstanding!

Drive Release Notes:

Russ Freeman originally released Drive on Aug 13, 2002 on the Peak Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Guitarland
2. Villa By The Sea
3. Soul Dance
4. Brighter Day
5. Boys Of Summer
6. Anywhere Near You
7. Drive
8. Cool In The Shade
9. East River Drive
10. Bellagio

Personnel: Russ Freeman (guitar, keyboards, programming); Eric Marienthal (saxophone); Chris Botti (trumpet); Barry Eastmond, Bill Heller (keyboards, programming); Jeff Lorber, Jason Miles (keyboards); Jeff Mironov (guitar); Will Lee (bass); Buddy Williams (drums); Pablo Batista (percussion). Recorded at The Clubhouse, Orange County, California; Quad, New York, New York; Boca Rio Studios, Boca Raton, Florida.

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at http://www.iLoveSmoothJazz.com

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic, smooth jazz in particular, and does a daily online radio show featuring smooth jazz music that can be heard at http://www.PhiladelphiaSmoothJazz.com

Recently I have been coaching more and more clients on organizational skills because they now understand the importance of being well organized. Let me ask you, “Have you ever paused long enough to ask yourself how you could benefit from being better organized?” There are many benefits for being well organized and I have selected twelve (12) major benefits to share with you. These twelve (12) major benefits are:

Benefit #1: you will be able to be more focused on what you want to achieve.

Benefit #2: you will be able to be more productive.

Benefit #3: you will be able to manage your time more effectively.

Benefit #4: you will be able to do your work more economically.

Benefit #5: you will be able to reduce the clutter in your workspace and reduce your stress levels.

Benefit #6: you will be able to achieve more balance in your life.

Benefit #7: you will be able to set and achieve your goals in a more efficient manner.

Benefit #8: You will be able to present a more positive business image.

Benefit #9: you will be able to prioritize your tasks.

Benefit #10: you will be able to be more flexible and more creative.

Benefit #11: you will be able to achieve more energy and enthusiasm.

Benefit #12: you will be able to achieve freedom from chaos.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of being well organized for you and your company and how you can become more organized, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 250 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or jgecoach@aol.com

Are condominiums treated differently than single-family homes?

In a word, yes. And here is why: With a condominium,
you actually own only your interior space. You are thus
dependent on the financial health and the moral responsibility
of the developer or homeowners’ association to maintain
the exterior of your dwelling and to preserve your investment
value over time. Will the developer still be interested
in maintaining your property when you are ready to sell? Or
will he have gone on to develop newer subdivisions?
Generally, freestanding condo units retain their value better
than condos that are contained within a floor of a larger
building.

If you purchase a condominium, be sure that it meets all
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac standards, such as the number
of units per building, the amount of space between buildings
and the number of developer-owned units. (Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac are the source of most conforming, lower-
interest-rate mortgage loans.) If not, you may find it difficult
to resell and you may force the next buyer into a nonconforming
or sub-prime mortgage with a high interest rate.

To offset these additional costs to the buyer, you may then
need to lower the price of the condominium, resulting in less
profit for you.

Recently a condo developer in town fell into financial
straits (maybe from offering too many “unbelievable” deals).
Let’s say at the same time you received a job offer for your
dream job, but it would require you to relocate to Phoenix.
You have the “cream puff” unit of the neighborhood. The
appraiser estimated its market value at $150,000. You’d be
able to take the proceeds from your sale and make a nice
down payment on a luxurious ranch in the desert. You can
already see yourself basking in the February sun!
But the developer has to raise money quickly, so he’s
unloading his competing, twenty-four developer-owned
units at fire-sale prices-at fifty cents on the dollar. How
likely are you to get anything even close to the market value
you are expecting?

A quick note: With any transaction involving property
(and the investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars) it
may be worthwhile to retain the services of a real-estate attorney
(as a source of unbiased information). Better to be safe
than sorry later.

From the book Kickback: Confessions of a Mortgage Salesman, one of the best-selling mortgage books on Amazon.com. Experienced mortgage broker, creator of one of the most informative home-buying educational seminars in America and author, Ted Janusz educates first-time home buyers and seasoned real estate professionals on the Top 10 Mistakes people make when obtaining a mortgage. For more information, please visit his website at http://www.januspresentations.com/ You may also email Ted at tjanusz@gmail.com.

While researching blogs I have stumbled across some interesting and some not so interesting blogs. A number of people write about dull topics like the social life of their dust bunnies, which of course is ok, but not so interesting. Whereas others take the time to write compelling commentary on controversial or motivating topics that inspire empathy and action.

Blogs are an outlet and a stimulator, and unlike many publishing sources, blogs are equally available to everyone. So no matter how uncommon, unique or trivial the topic is, it can be shared.

Here are ten interesting trends I have have noticed in the Blogosphere:

Informative Blogs: I commend the time it must take to research and write informative blogs. Some cover topics in history or current events; others relate detailed information on hobbies, techniques or procedures.

Creative Rants: Rants are posted everywhere and I understand that it must feel good to get the frustration out. But some bloggers have made the extra effort to make their rants entertaining, informative and even funny.

Company Weblogs: Companies are beginning to see the benefit of projecting a more “human” or “approachable” image and are publishing blogs. I have seen some blogs that do a good job at educating customers about products or even frustrations and accomplishments involved in developing a new product.

Personal Accounts: Often news broadcasters/ publishers do not have the time or space to relate the whole story. Some writers are taking it upon themselves to document the daily details of an event, like a political race or a natural disaster. This has added a ground level, human voice to pivotal events.

Cultural Introspectives: Some people are using their blogs to help others understand their culture, history and social views, in hope that understanding will inspire improved global relations and altruistic action.

Pioneering Ideas: Many blogs start a buzz or promote original ideas before they are realized or marketed to the general public. Since most blogs are not motivated by monetary goals they are free avenues of discussion of innovative or alternative thought.

Niche Notching: Blogs are cheap or free and readily available, so even blogs that cover obscure or unique topics find readers. No matter what your interest is, you can find a blog on that topic.

Family Blogs: Staying in touch is hard and there are always schedule conflicts. Some families use a blog to share family news and pictures and the blog is available to the entire family anytime of day.

Creative Writing: Getting published is hard; publishing a book takes a long time and comes with challenges. Some writers are skipping the traditional publishing route and just writing. Blogs can get a writers work out to the world in a hassle free manner. We found many well-composed and thoughtful posts originated by talented writers.

Travel Blogs: We discovered interesting travel accounts. Some bloggers write about vacationing, others about their tour of service or their research and humanitarian efforts in an impoverished or developing country.

Blogs can inspire, inform or incite. They can be used to document the smallest detail of one life or the largest, most urgent issues of the entire human race. No matter the topic or the writer this avenue of self expression is open to everyone.

Pamela Stevens

Pamela Stevens writes for TopTenREVIEWS.com, a review site that publishes technology and entertainment reviews.

Spring is approaching and that means Mother’s Day is just around the corner. It seems each year it gets harder and harder to come up with that great Mother’s Day gift. The last thing you want to do is add clutter to your mother’s home. If you are stumped this year, I have a few ideas that will hopefully get your mind thinking!

New moms. You would think they would be easy to shop for, but there is one mistake that people sometimes make with her - they buy her something for that new baby, thinking that is what she would love most! Now let’s think about this. She has carried this baby for nine months, given birth and is now up in the middle of the night. While I’m sure she loves everything about her new bundle, she could use something for HERSELF. A day at a spa might be perfect. Some jewelry perhaps? Absolutely no lingerie! Men, let me give you a little word of advise: most women view gifts of lingerie as a gift to himself. I’ll leave it at that.

The busy mom. One of the nicest things you could do is give her the day off! Clean the house (make sure you get the kids involved!), take her out to a nice restaurant or cook for her at home. Make sure she has some time to herself. Maybe the best thing you could do is give her some quiet time.

The “kids are out of the nest mom”. This can be a tough one. You now have kids of your own. You know how hard it is to be a parent. Now what do you do for that mom who raised you, but seems to have everything? One of my favorite gifts to give that has become a tradition is something easy, inexpensive and very personal. Most of us now have digital cameras. You probably have loads of pictures on your computer. One great way to store those pictures is on one of the many photo web sites. It is very easy to upload your photos and create albums. You have all those pictures, now what? My mom loves the calendar I make for her every year. For each month I include photos that are relevant to that time of year. I try and mix in photos of all the grand kids, family events, etc. It’s a great way for her to have pictures year around, and who doesn’t need a calendar? Photo websites have all kinds of great ideas for your photos and they have always been a big hit with my mom!

One of the most important things to do when it comes to Mother’s Day, no matter which route you take - a personalized gift, a gift certificate, or just giving her some much needed time alone - make sure you get the kids involved. One way to do this is have them make her a coupon book. Little things that she can “cash in” throughout the year. Some can be big such as a night off from cooking dinner and some can be more on the funny side (although extremely useful) such as 10 minutes of total quite. Whatever you decide to do, make sure your little ones have some hand in it. With older children, make sure they take the time to let their mom know what she means to them. Even if it’s just spending the day at home with the family and not running off with friends!

Mother’s Day shouldn’t be chore to shop for - sometimes just a card will do! Whatever you decide, make sure you let the mom in your life know how important she is, not just on that one day, but all year around!

Shane Cooper and his wife, Jodi, also run a gift related site focusing on ideas for truly cool and unique gifts. With over 20 years of marriage and experience giving gifts of every kind, Shane and Jodi know a thing or two about what’s cool, unique and have ideas to share. cool Gifts To Give

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Full Stride gets. Full Stride stated simply is one of Rick Braun’s best CDs to date.

Unfortunately, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Full Stride. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Full Stride is a nicely varied, mix of 10 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly gifted artist who in my opinion is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with his talent. The kind of artist it’s really a treat to be able to listen to.

Listen to and I think you’ll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is simply outstanding.

While the entire CD is really very good the truly standout tunes are Nightfall [track 2], and Magic Moment [track 8].

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 8, Soul On Soul. Good stuff!

Full Stride Release Notes:

Rick Braun originally released Full Stride on Sep 15, 1998 on the Atlantic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. A Very Good Thing
2. Nightfall
3. Hollywood & Vine
4. One Love
5. Moonshot
6. China Bath
7. Magic Moment
8. Soul On Soul
9. South Of Midnight
10. Aqua Funk

Personnel: Rick Braun (trumpet, Flugelhorn, keyboards, programming); Peter White (nylon string guitar); Jeff Golub, Nils Jiptner, Tony Maiden, Bruce Conte, Carl Verheyen (guitar); Maysa Leak (vocals); Doug Norwine (soprano & tenor saxophone); Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Nick Lane (trombone); Mitchel Forman (acoustic & electric piano); Curtis Brengle (piano); Moon Calhoun (synthesizer, percussion, programming); Donnell Spencer, Jr. (keyboards, drums); Brian Culbertson, Chuck Kentis (keyboards, programming); Boney James, David Garfield (keyboards); Cliff Hugo (acoustic & electric bass); Jack Daro (acoustic bass); John Menzano (bass); Dave Palmer, Michael White (drums); Paul Brown (programming).

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at http://www.iLoveSmoothJazz.com

Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. SmoothLee is a life long music fanatic, smooth jazz in particular, and does a daily online radio show featuring smooth jazz music that can be heard at http://www.PhiladelphiaSmoothJazz.com

On a regular basis I meet or am contacted by someone who wants to start his or her own business. Typically the person has specific skills and experience in a specific industry, but lacks business management experience and self-employment experience. The vast majority of them are in fact totally naïve about how business really works.

The failure rate for small business is the subject of much discussion. Frankly speaking, there are many myths and half-truths about small business failure rates due to the absence of solid reliable statistical evidence. In researching the failure rate of small businesses, I went to the SBA (Small Business Administration) Office of Advocacy at www.sba.gov/advo and found that two thirds of new employer establishments survive at least 2 years and 44% survive at least 4 years. This is based upon a study of firms started in the 2nd quarter of 1998 and tracked for 16 quarters.

Based upon my research and personal observations as a strategic thinking business coach, here are 12 causes for small business failures.

1. Poor planning - The lack of a strategic business plan to help focus on vision, mission and goals.

2. Inadequate capital - The lack of adequate startup capital that has not included enough money to live for one or two years without income when getting the business started.

3. No prior business experience - The lack of experience running a business or in the industry entered.

4. Ineffective marketing - The lack of a strategic Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Plan.

5. Competition - The lack of understanding of whom the competition is and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

6. Poor customer service - The lack of commitment to first class and reliable service to customers.

7. Poor record keeping and financial controls - The lack of up-to-date, well documented financial and business records.

8. Limited product, services and/or clients. - Small business owners fall prey to clinging to one big client, one product or one service, rather than a variety and diversification, which serves as a risk management too against the ups and downs of business cycles.

9. Opportunistic marketing only - Entrepreneurs often get excited over any new opportunity and start pursuing a new opportunity without using strategic thinking to test the opportunity against the vision, mission and goals of the strategic business plan.

10. Poor time management - Lack of discipline and commitment to do tasks that need to be done on time.

11. Poor quality - Lack of a standard for quality of products and services.

12. Burnout - Owning a business with a significant investment of time, money, energy and emotion results in working long days and not taking time off. And not balancing your business life and your personal life will cause burnout and cause your motivation and creativity to suffer.

In reviewing the above list, did you recognize any of these causes for failure becoming apparent in your business? If you answered YES, you may have activated a warning system indicating a need to determine why your business is not growing and thriving. If you have detected a warning sign of potential failure in your business or organization and want to learn more about what it takes to turn your business around, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his website at www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com.

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 250 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or jgecoach@aol.com

Poker is a card game in which players conceal their cards fully or partially and whose objective is to win the pot, which is the sum of money that has been bet by all the players in a hand. The player who has the best card combination will be awarded the pot. Another way to win the pot is to make a bet that will remain uncalled.

There are many variants of poker but they all follow pretty much the same pattern. If you want to play poker in a casino, the cards will be dealt by the house dealer and the betting order will be determined by rotating a button clockwise among the players. The cards are shuffled and cut by the dealer and than dealt to the players in the appropriate number and one at a time. In some poker variants the cards are dealt face-up, in others they are dealt face-down. The poker game may consist of several betting rounds. The game starts with forced bets that one or more players will be required to make and which will be contested by the other players.

When a bet is made by a player, the opponents’ choices are folding, calling or raising. When a bet is placed by a player and all his opponents fold, the player wins the pot and is not required to show his cards. Bluffing is possible through this way of winning the pot. If there’s more than one player left at the end of the final betting round, the players show their hidden cards and their hands will be evaluated. This is called the showdown. Since poker has many variants, there are also several ways of determining the best poker hand. But the bottom line is that, at showdown, the player with the best hand will be awarded the pot.

If you’re not playing poker in a casino but at a gaming site, you have to fulfill some very important conditions in order to make sure that you’re not just wasting your time. The body language will no longer give you the advantage here, so you must be proficient. Poker tutorials can only benefit you if you want to be a good poker player. One of the basic rules that the poker tutorials will teach you is to participate as long as you have the advantage, and to quit fast whenever you feel that you have lost this advantage. Not quitting while you’re still ahead means adding more money to a pot that you won’t win anyway. Being able to decide the strength of the hand you’re holding, deciding what cards to play, making the best choice as to when to fold or when to bluff, being able to build up a pot - all these are conditions which a proficient poker player must fulfill. Poker tutorials will guide through all the steps of playing poker, providing you with appropriate examples. The poker tutorials may also check the understanding of the content comprised in a certain module which has been presented to you. Basically, poker tutorials represent an enumeration of instructions and tips that a player must follow and participating in a game of poker. Poker tutorials may also suggest taking notes of your poker performance.

All in all, you will only succeed at poker if you perform wisely, and this is where poker tutorials come in handy.

For more resources about tutorials or for more related subjects with poker please review this link http://www.holdemguru.net