Well there has been a whole lot of buzz in the air weather things like meta tag optimization, keyword density and all the like even matter anymore with the advent of latent symantec indexing. Many are even a little scared about finding ways to improve their search engine ranking.

While Google may not be paying as much attention to these sorts of things, my view is that one should still optimize his web pages just as before. There are other search engines out there, and I certainly can’t see anybody penalized by Google for still considering these possibly small but somewhat important factors.

Latent symantec indexing and silo structured sites really isn’t all that new if you keep up on your studies of search engine optimization. Charles Heflin from SEO 2020 has been teachings this type of stuff for a while. Thankfully, I make it my business to stay abreast of these things. I’ve been a loyal follower of SEO 2020 for quite some time. Exactly what he said was going on in fact is going on in the search engines.

In a way I think it’s sort of good that Google has implemented these and admitted to these algorithm changes. It helps to keep a sites theme in place a lot better if you ask me. It’s a great way to keep the keyword spammers at bay.

The easy explanation of LSI is that Google will be looking throughout your site to see if your site is actually what it is supposed to be about. They will be looking for things related to your sites theme according to keywords and possible synonyms of certain phases throughout your site. Google’s intent is to provide the people using their search engine with good content, and realistically there isn’t anything wrong with that.

Google also isn’t going to be paying attention to reciprocal links as well the way I understand it. I’m not too sure how I feel about that one. I mean, many of us know that one way back links have been more important for quite some time, but to not consider them at all in your sites popularity seems a little harsh. As long as you’re exchanging links with other sites that could be helpful to the topic at hand or to enrich the visitors experience of the information they are trying to find you would think that it would be considered a good thing. I think were going to have to see how that statement from Google plays out until we get in to much of a panic.

I’ve never played the Black Hat game, nor do I intend to. If you follow good site structure, stay away from theme bleeding, provide good quality and unique content you will be rewarded in the end. If that’s what Google is after, well then, as webmasters we should be trying to provide it, not try and scurry our way around it.

With the proper tools, the proper information, and the proper ambition your website can achieve fantastic results in the search engines. Yes it does take some time and some work, but don’t forget that approximately 99% of websites out there really don’t even bother with proper SEO. You should of course be creating sites where the competition isn’t completely overwhelming. Performing in depth keyword research will always have a play in that, but you too can reach the front page of Google!!

If perhaps you would like to learn more about meta tag optimization, LSI, keyword research and all the proper tools to get the job done please take the time to visit my web site.

Davin Ogden

Search Engine Strategist

Davin Ogden has various websites on the internet. Davinatorbiz.com provides you with all the tools and proper learning information on LSI, serious seo strategies, and improving your search engine ranking to give you the results your after in the search engines. http://www.davinatorbiz.com If you would like to download a Free ebook on Successful Search Engine Marketing please go to http://www.davinatorbiz.com/step1.html

Every day, we are faced with a multitude of decisions. Some are subconscious decisions (Looking left or right, or lifting your foot to climb the stairs) while others use your thought process to make the correct decision (Choosing a video or what to cook for dinner) Believe it or not, it takes your body’s energy to make a decision.

There are times when we can be bombarded with decisions. Whether it is at work or in our personal lives the decisions that are made can have a great impact on the way we live. When you make what seems like a million decisions all at once, it can make you be very draining.

It is important that you are clear headed before you make any decisions. When you make decisions in haste or without thinking about the outcome or what the repercussion could be, you could be setting yourself up for more trouble.

Decide How You Decide

According to experts in the field of teaching executive through the decision making process, there are four different types of decision-making people.

A commander is classified as a person who is not patient. Being a commander can results in decisions that are made in haste and often foolish decisions.

Convincers are classified as people who act on their emotion. They decide on what feels good sort of like a gut instinct. They tend to be persuaded into making decisions; sometimes they are not in their best interests.

People who make decisions that are based on their concern for others feeling are classified as being carers, and as such, they tend to take a long time to make their decisions taking into consideration the feelings of all involved.

A person who needs to have all information, no matter how long it takes to collect is considered a calculator. This type of person usually takes an unusually amount of time to make their decision because the information that they request cannot be collected completely.

It is recommended that you make any of your decisions carefully. Take a step back and consider how others will view your decision and take the necessary steps to make the correct decisions.

There are several things that you need to take into consideration before making potentially life-changing decisions. There are rules that apply to all of the decision-making types.

Anyone can tell you that in order to make the correct decision you need to have as much information as possible. It is also important to ask as many questions as it takes for you to be comfortable in making that decision. When you think that you can make an informed take a moment to analyze the information and try to find anything that can be misconstrued or can backfire on you in the future.

Another problem that is common among decision makers is that they have an either-or-attitude. With this type of attitude, your options a limited. Usually, there is a vast array of answers to be found.

Another common problem is that we tend to make many decisions with an either-or attitude. This limits our options when, in reality, there are usually more answers facing us. It is important to use common sense when you make your decisions. You know right from wrong from the values that you have, use this when you make your decisions.

You waste a lot of energy when you try to work through the decision making process without having the right information. However, if you keep your mind on what is important you will find that it is much easier to make the important decisions.

Keeping notes, whether it is mental or on paper, will assist you in becoming more organized.

Leon Edward helps people reduce stress and improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking, time management .
Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.com

Leon Edward also helps people improve in Goal Setting, Success, Leadership, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blogs, reports on line and self-help success Roladex-on-line . Visit his Self-Improvement Blogs and Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

Leon Edward Helps people to start, grow and maximize online business income with training articles, reviews, marketing log… ideas and opportunities. Download his FREE Report - How to Find A Solid Home Business Opportunity without Getting Scammed! - Find online business training articles, an internet business in a box, FREE Content , starting a business free ideas, residual internet income opportunities and top network marketing home based businesses…
all at http://www.HomeBusinessIT.com

Borrowing is something that most adults will experience at some time in their life. We reach a point where we have to buy something out of necessity, but we can’t pay in full just yet. An example of this is a home or tuition for college.

Eventually, however, loans come due and you as the borrower must start repaying at the terms agreed upon between yourself and the lender. If you have discipline to plan out how much you should save each and every month in order to meet these payments, you won’t have a hard time doing so.

The first step is to prioritize which of the debts must be paid first. Prioritize your bills by making a list so it would be more organized because you could see it right in front of you. Also, establish which payments hold a higher importance over those you could schedule paying some other time.

The most important debts are what you can refer to as essential debts.

The essential debts are debts that should be on top of your list, such as:
- Rent or mortgage. These are the most basic of debts because you need to have shelter.

- Utility bills. With every paycheck set aside a budget on gas, heating, water, electricity or telephone. In doing so, when the bill comes, then you have something prepared.

- Child support. If you don’t pay on time, there’s a possibility you can be held behind bars. Besides, your children are your future and you don’t want to mess that up now do you?

- Car payments. This also includes car maintenance.

- Other secured loans. If you don’t repay collaterals, the creditor takes the property even without court interference.

This takes us to non-essential debts. These can be set aside because when these aren’t paid, you won’t feel as many repercussions. It’s a desired goal, as paying off all your debts should be, but not really a priority. The only concern that can be considered when you don’t pay non-essentials debts for a long period of time is the negative image it could project on your credit report.

- Department store and gasoline charges. Failure to pay these charges may result in losing credit card privileges. If it’s too large, you might be sued.

- Loans from friends and relatives. Morally speaking, there is an obligation to pay but sometimes since they’re family, we think that they will understand if we can’t. Check with them if you can delay the payment and ask them for how long.

- Newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Little by little, if you haven’t paid, they’ll amount to so much.

- Legal and accounting bills. If these remain unpaid after a long period of time, then that’s when you might be sued.

- Other unsecured loans. In unsecured loans, there’s no collateral for the debt. This means that the creditor can sue and then collect the debt.

Here’s the confusing part. Some of the bills border between essential and non-essential. If you let these bills defer for a long period of time, it could have consequences in your personal life.

- Auto insurance. The consequence in some states is losing your driver’s license.

- Medical insurance of bills. If you have a tainted record, you might have a hard time getting new insurance in the future.

- Credit and charge cards. If you don’t pay your bills on time, you might lose your credit privileges and would have a hard time applying for a new credit card.

Now that we laid out the groundwork on how you can prioritize which bill to pay first, we move on to having a time frame.

It’s best that you have a calendar in front of you. A palm pilot or the calendar in your Microsoft Office program will do. Mark the dates wherein you would have to pay the specific debt - be it essential or non-essential. Then what you can do is set aside the bill that is allotted for that debt.

As for the budget, prevention is always better than cure. You know how much you get in a month. That being in mind, you must allot how much percentage of your salary shall go to which bill. Then do your best to stick to that budget.

EASY BUDGET TIP:

Write down your monthly income on a piece of paper. In another column write down all your monthly expenses. Total them up and compare them. Hopefully your income outweighs your expenses and you have a surplus. If that’s the case then you can save a little each month to have as an emergency fund or you can pay a little extra on one of your bills.

Even in a budget, you must list which is number one for you. Have the discipline to stick to your priority, your budget and your time frame. If you succeeded, paying the bills won’t be any problem.

Discover the simple steps to debt relief at http://www.yourdebtreliefsolutions.com/

I can’t help but quote the late, great James Brown…”Please, please, please… (Please, please don’t go.)”

I beg you please don’t take your book to market if you haven’t developed a marketing plan. That includes:

- defining your target audience (visualize specific individuals you foresee purchasing the book)

- making a list of specific organizations that might

- hosting a book signing or speaking engagement

- developing promotional materials - sales sheet, web page, post cards and book marks

- writing an enticing book description

- determining ideal outlets for selling your book (internet retailers, your web site, independent book stores, speaking engagements, etc.)

What’s the worst that could happen? You could be one of those authors who never sells more than 99 books!

Marketing should not begin after the book is produced; it must begin before the book goes to press. Why not wait until the book has been printed? First of all, you’ll miss several crucial marketing opportunities. Secondly, if you wait until the book is in your hands you’ll feel under the gun to sell it and planning probably won’t be a priority for you.

Another good reason to think of marketing before your book is printed or published is the book cover. After all, you can’t expect your readers to judge a book without its cover!

MARKETING PLAN

In regards to your book cover, the marketing plan will help you determine the appropriate design, key words, and the content for the back cover. By developing a marketing plan, you’ll be forced to consider:
○-specific target markets
○-their interests and desires
○-their trusted and frequent information resources

Armed with this information you’ll be able to write a back cover description that entices prospective readers to open and purchase the book.

Target Market

Once you understand your target market, where they purchase books and whose opinions they trust and admire you’ll have enough information to identify the appropriate sales venues (internet retailers, book stores, conferences, etc.). I’ve included a sample target market analysis at the end of the book.

Here’s an example: I mentioned the client who’s writing a young adult fiction novel. She told me her target market was teens and young women aged 15 - 35. That’s a great start, but it’s not enough. With my help she was able to expand this description…

○-Primary target: black single women and single mothers ages 23- 30;
○-Secondary target: black young adult women & college students age 18 - 22
○-Tertiary target: black high school teens 15-18

Notice that we didn’t just say readers, but that we were specific about their sex, age, marital status and education - single women, single mothers, college students and high school students.

We also considered geography. The author lives in Atlanta, GA therefore this is her primary geographic target. We expanded this to include the Southeast region of the U.S. since it’s easy for her to travel to neighboring states for book signings and speaking engagements. She also has extensive contacts in New York so we included the Northeast as a secondary geographic market. Segmented the market this way does not mean preclude the author from pursuing national sales, it just helps her focus on specific regions.

Don’t worry if the thought of writing a formal marketing plan, causes some apprehension. Instead consider using a tool that my clients and I have found extremely helpful - the book proposal. Traditionally, book proposals are only necessary for authors in search of an agent or a traditional publisher, however I’ve found the proposal to be an immense help to all authors.

In the process of writing a book proposal you will:
○-Clarify the subject hook (short, compelling book description)
○-Present the book hook (title, selling handle and length)
○-Identify specific benefits and features
○-Identify competitive titles
○-Address marketing strategies and tactics

While writing God is My Consultant I found myself a bit confused about how to position the book, how to make it different and better than other spiritual/self-help books and the book’s major selling points. After two re-writes I still like it wasn’t quite right. So I stopped working on the manuscript and turned to writing the proposal. By the time I finished writing the proposal I was able to delete a lot of extraneous information from my manuscript, I had a full-fledged marketing and promotions plan and I knew exactly what to put in query letters to agents and publishers.

I also used the book proposal format to help a client edit her novel and write a book description to use on the back cover and in promotional material. To solve this problem we wrote the subject hook and the target market sections of the book proposal. In doing so, she was compelled to focus on the book’s main theme and why it appealed to her target readers.

TARA Y. COYT believes in the power of the written word. Known as The Write Author Coach, she has been writing and speaking professionally for over twenty years. Tara helps aspiring and existing authors by sharing her best talents - writing, strategic development, marketing and creativity. In 2005 Tara founded the GET IT WRITE Author’s Circle to connect writers and authors with industry professionals and resources. Her first book, DOWNlo MARKETING: Uncover Your Business, Discover More Profits is an example of Tara’s straightforward, personable and humorous approach to writing.

When she isn’t coaching authors or writing (a column for Catalyst Magazine, a memoir and a book on spirituality) Tara can be heard discussing the GET IT WRITE Approach. Her audiences include writers, business professionals, elected officials, speakers, educators and college students striving to transform their ideas, goals, experience and passions into successful ventures.

Visit http://www.TheWriteAuthorCoach.com or http://www.GetItWriteAuthorsCircle.com

Everyone wants to have a better sex life because our intimate relationships are such a significant part of our life. If it isn’t a large part of your life then you know you are missing something important. Virtually every aspect of your life - mental, physical, health - will be better if you have a better sex life.

First, you should forget about comparing yourself to others. You should certainly forget about trying to compare your sex life to celebrities and what you see in media such as television, magazines, and the Internet. There’s plainly no meaningful manner to equate yourself to somebody else once it concerns your sexual life. To boot, everybody lies about how great their sex life is. Don’t believe any tabloid results you may read.

In any event, quantity is not the same as quality. Although you need both.

Whenever you need to do something valuable for your sexual activity, concentrate on yourself and your partner.

Similarly, you should forget about comparing your body to others. Again, you should certainly forget about trying to compare your body to celebrities and what you see in pictures. Here is a secret you may know - those pictures you see are retouched. The fact is even the celebrities in real life do not look like their pictures. No one has a perfect body. However, we are swamped with put together sights of beauty which we totally liken ourselves to an unachievable ideal.

Of course, if you can make your body better, then that is an achievable goal and something you must do. Make sure you don’t just read about making yourself better. Take action.

On the other hand, your body and your sexuality go hand in hand. If you don’t like you body you are less likely to display it or want someone else to see it. If you feel better about yourself and have more confidence then you are more likely to open up and share yourself with someone else.

Another important aspect to having a better sex life is to explore yourself and to not be narrow minded. Experimenting and having fun are important parts of keeping your sex life interesting. You don’t want to be monotonous. Irrespective of your religious and political beliefs, what you do in private is your own business and not something anyone else needs to know about. What you require is to be original and not narrow minded in your life.

With this in mind you too can have a better sex life.

There is one guaranteed way for men to better please their woman and to have a better body for sex. For more information visit How to Have a Better Sex Life with Natural Male Enhancement.

Everyone has heard of an IQ test. The potential of the brain is called intelligence quotient or I.Q. These tests use the theories of unitary and multiple, which is believed to the two main theories when studying the brain.

Unitary refers to the part of the brain where the linguistic and mathematical capacities and confined them to that area. While the multiply theory include the parts of the brain that use visual/ spatial, musical/rhythmic, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal or intrapersonal development.

It has been determined that there is only three ways to increase your brains potential.

You first have to determine what you are good at. Very few people are good at everything. A person is considered intelligent whether their skill is derived from music, visual, body, or intrapersonal, intelligence.

Most people possess these skills and probably do not even realize it. If you are a creative person at heart, try your hand at writing, acting or singing.

You may be amazed at how well you do. Some people are born with in affinity for numbers; you may not think it is anything special, however others may. There are so many different areas in which you the potential excel.

Gymnastics, Dancing, building or designing, you do not know what you are capable of doing until you try. You get the most amazing feeling when you accomplish something you have never done before. If you do not even try, you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Very few people are classified as geniuses. A genius is a person who has extreme intelligence. Such people include Einstein, Mozart and Bach. These brilliant men accomplished greatness through their genius.
This is not to say that you have to be a genius to be successful. It simply means that you should use your brain to the fullest extent that you can. The more you try to improve yourself, the more your brain will benefit from it. When you utilize your brains potential you can achieve anything. Using your will power can point you in the right direction.

Broadening your horizons will also increase your brains potential. This is not to say that you should sit down and study the encyclopedia. When you study, you are acquiring knowledge through all five senses- touch, taste, see, smell, and taste.

You want to learn from your experiences in life, and experience everything in life. You cannot do that by studying. This is an excellent way to increase the potential of your brain.

New skills can be learned everyday. Talent comes in two forms, either you are born with it or you learn it. The brain is like a sponge, ready to absorb everything that is brought to it. The old adage that practice makes perfect holds true.

It is not difficult to maximize the brains potential. Many people everyday do it without even realizing it.

By simply reading a book, or singing along to your favorite song on the radio, you can increase your brains potential.

There are many IQ tests that one can take; however, many people question the accuracy of these tests.

Leon Edward helps people improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading, public speaking, time management and reducing stress.
Download his IQ Mind Brain Memory Self-Help library at his website http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.com

Leon Edward also helps people improve in Goal Setting, Success, Leadership, Self-Improvement, Happiness, Stress Reduction and more through his articles, blogs, reports on line and referrals . Visit his Self-Improvement Blogs and Articles at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

You want to remove adware before it removes you from your enjoyable computer experience but it just keeps popping up. You thought the adware removal software you purchased was supposed to keep these little popups away once and for all. I would venture to say that you may be missing the point.

You can remove adware all you want from your computer but you really want this to be more like a check-up than an actual daily process. Would you go to the doctor everyday just to make sure you did not catch a cold or the flu? That may be a ridiculous example but here is the point.

If you have to remove adware everyday from your computer it can get a bit annoying. What is the point of removal if you are just going to remove adware again tomorrow, and the same programs as you did the day before? There is no point to that and if this is your experience I have some practical advice for you.

Use your Antivirus software

If you are not running a good antivirus software on your computer you can remove adware all day and expect it to return tommorow. There are many good antivirus software programs available and some of the best are still free to use. You won’t need to remove adware everyday if you are employing antivirus software as a first line of defense.

Fire up that Firewall

Maybe this should actually be your first line of defense along with an antivirus program. Better yet, make them both of equal importance. As more Internet users become connected to LAN and broadband networks, they are leaving their computers on 24 hours a day. This obviously makes them more susceptible to malicious adware and spyware. You won’t have to remove adware as much if you stop it before it even gets there.

With these two protections in place you will not need to remove adware from your computer on a daily basis for you are stopping the vast majority of it from ever interacting with your computer. If adware cannot connect to your computer and thus the Internet, you won’t have to remove it everyday.

I remove adware from my computer once per week or once every two weeks and I am trying to get infected to test how well programs find new adware. My firewall and antivirus programs seem to deal with most of the common adware right away. At the end of the week I remove adware that was either too new to detect or that is really not adware at all.

When you remove adware from your computer, think of it like a check-up at the doctor. Generally a check-up is done on a routine basis and not when you feel ill, and certainly is not needed daily.

Article courtesy of: http://www.AdwareCompare.com and http://www.CompareBestSpyware.com

We’ve tested dozens - even hundreds! - of adware removal programs. Some of them are great, most of them get the job done (more or less), and too many simply don’t work. We’ve gathered the top contenders in the field, and reviewed them for your convenience.

While US domestic airfare is a lot more volatile (i.e. prices change a lot more frequently) the price difference between major travel sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, and the airlines sites is often no more than 10-20%. There are exceptions where going with a lesser known carrier such as Allegiant Air or US3000 Airlines can save you substantially more but by and large for most of US domestic travel this remains the case. Sellers of domestic airfare pretty much fall into 2 categories: (1) the airlines and (2) online travel agencies. There are a few niche players but they service a very small market. Therefore, when shopping for domestic airfare deals the “when to buy” is commonly more important than the “where to buy.”

The opposite is true when securing an international airfare bargain. The “when to buy” is still important (as in don’t wait until the last minute) but the “where to buy” is a lot more important. This is because airfare to Europe, Asia, Africa, and South & Central America are somewhat less volatile (may not change as frequently) but the price difference between different vendors can sometimes be as much as 50% or more. There are several reasons why that is but the two major reasons are (1) the type of fares that are offered and (2) the number of players in the field.

The Type of Fares
Without getting very technical there are basically 2 types of international airfare; published and unpublished. In the domestic market 97% of leisure fares are published (give or take). A published fare you can refer to as a retail fare. The airline creates the fare and the rules associated with that fare and then publishes the information through a clearing house called ATPCo (Airline Tariff Publishing Company). ATPCo then distributes the fare to the global distribution systems. Online and offline travel agencies in turn retrieve these published fares via one or more of these systems. Everybody has access to the fare. An unpublished fare (also referred to as a negotiated fare) is still being released via ATPCo but part of the “fare rules” is an indicator of what seller is allowed to access and sell the fare. It is essentially a private fare. One other difference is that published fares have to be sold at the price determined by the airline (no mark-ups or mark downs) while a private fare can be marked up. That is why you see online and offline agencies add a service charge of anywhere between $5 and $50 to a published fare ticket. With a negotiated fare the airline will receive a set amount and the seller is allowed to mark up (add his/her margin) to that fare. So, a seller may negotiate a $300 fare from New York to London with airline X and then mark it up and sell it for $345. Another visible difference between a negotiated and a published fare is the fact that on many (almost all) negotiated airline tickets you will not see the actual price you paid for the ticket. Instead you will either see a much higher fare or only tax information. A published fare tickets will show exactly what you paid for the ticket (excluding any service charges). As a general rule, negotiated fare tickets are frequently cheaper than published fare tickets (There are instances when an airline may have a “fire sale” that undercuts the fare levels of negotiated fares) and that is why “the where” is more important than “the when” when it comes to buying international airfare.

Sellers of Travel
Sellers of international airfare fall into the following major categories:

(1) Major Airlines
(2) Charter Airlines
(3) Online Travel Agencies
(4) Offline Travel Agencies
(5) Global Consolidators that sell to the Public
(6) Global Consolidators that do not sell to Public
(7) Ethnic Consolidators or Destination Specialists
(8) Student Travel Consolidators
(9) Tour Operators

Major Airlines
These are the carriers we are all familiar with such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM and many more. They offer airfare via their own website and many of the other sellers listed above. They may offer web specials on their own site. They do not charge a service fee.

Charter Airlines
In Europe this type of airline is a lot more common than in the US. A charter is basically when a tour operator “rents” or “charters” an airplane to fly vacationers from their departure gateway airport to the destination airport. There are a few airline companies that offer service from/to the US that have their roots in the charter business. They regularly offer year round or seasonal service to/from a few select US airports to a single country. They are FAA approved and must meet all airline safety rules & regulations. What sets them apart is their business model that allows them to commonly sell seats cheaper than the majors. Some of these alternative airlines are LTU, Condor, FlyGlobespan, or Martinair to name a few. They usually also do not charge a service fee.

Online Travel Agencies
Players in this category are Travelocity, Orbitz, Cheaptickets, Expedia, Priceline, Hotwire and so on. They sell published and unpublished airfare. They charge a service fee. They also habitually try to sell you other travel components such as hotel accommodation, car rentals, attraction tickets and/or travel insurance. If you are going overseas for a vacation buying a package (where the seller will bundle an air component with one or more land components) can be an option and may save you money. In a future article I will cover the advantages and disadvantages of packages.

Offline Travel Agencies
Also referred to as brick and mortar travel agencies, these are the traditional agencies that you would walk into, sit down and book your travel. Depending on size and target market they may also double as an ethnic consolidator or destination specialist. They also have access to consolidator fares not offered directly to the general public. Brick and mortar agencies almost always charge a service fee.

Global Consolidators that Sell Directly to the Public
Many times these are travel agencies that have decided to “cut out the middleman” and go directly to the airlines to negotiate their own private fares. This allows them to then re-sell them at a lower price without loosing their margin. In order to get decent private fares a global consolidator would have to offer $100 Million+ in annual agency sales. Most of the negotiated tickets are sold without a service fee. If a consolidator sells a published fare they regularly add a service fee.

Global Consolidators that do not Sell Directly to the Public
In the days prior to online internet travel very few agencies would act as their own consolidator. Instead they worked through middlemen (consolidators) that negotiated deals with the airlines. A consolidator would negotiate that same $300 deal mentioned above, add his margin and then sell it to a retail agency. The retail agent would then add her margin and sell it to the public. As the Internet took shape, agencies could reach a much larger audience and therefore gained the clout to negotiate directly with the airlines. Nevertheless, there are still many agencies, offline and online that offer middlemen consolidator airfares. Due to the sheer volume consolidators can offer to an airline these fares could still be a bargain even after several mark-ups.

Ethnic Consolidators or Destination Specialists
These are probably one of the least known (by the general public that is) sources for inexpensive airline tickets. They are also some of the hardest to find. The US is a nation of immigrants and ethnic consolidators have traditionally serviced their ex-patriot or immigrant community. They were and still are the cheap sources for airfare back to the home country. Unlike global consolidators that can turn over $250 Million+ in sales a year these ethnic outlets may only turn over $2-5 Million a year but most of that can go to 1 or 2 carriers. They are highly specialized and have long-standing relationships to their preferred carriers. These long-term, reliable relationships are the reason why some ethnic mom and pop operations are able to secure airfare rates that are 20-30% lower than any of the online mega agencies. Destination specialists are similar to ethnic consolidators in terms of size and style. They have become true experts in a country or region and have built relationships. The difference is that often they are targeting the foreign independent traveler (FIT). Like I mentioned, the airfare bargains some of these outlets can offer are often hard to beat but the challenge is finding them. Google and Yahoo and any of the other search engines often do not find them.

Student Travel Consolidators
As the name suggests these are agencies that target students (and in some cases faculty). Just like a global consolidator, they approach the airlines and negotiate special discounts or private fares. The difference is that according to the agreement with the airlines they are only allowed to sell to bona fide students (and faculty) only. Frequently, the students have to be enrolled in an accredited college or university and high school students are not eligible. The same is true for faculty. Some agencies are better than others in ensuring that the person buying the ticket actually is a student.

Tour Operators

Tour Operators are entities that sell vacation packages such as all-inclusive, etc. They negotiate deals with airlines, hotels, ground operators and so forth, package them together, mark them up and then sell them as one product to the public. On occasion they will sell just the airfare (at rock bottom prices) in order to fill empty seats on the plane. Since they have a fixed price that they have to pay the aircraft operator, any empty seat is a missed opportunity. The best chance to get one of these cheap seats is usually to the Caribbean or Mexico.

Sources for international airfare bargains are plentiful. Finding the right one at the right time may make all the difference in whether you get a good fare or a great deal. While getting a domestic airfare deal is often the result of (lucky) timing getting a great international deal is frequently the result of knowing where to look.

Kai Vorpahl has over 15 year travel industry experience of which the last 10 years have been in the online travel industry. He has worked in leadership positions for companies such as e-Travel (now part of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution), StudentUniverse (an online travel company focused on student travel) and CheapFlights (an online airfare directory displaying offers from their advertising partners) just to name a few. Kai has an undergraduate degree in Travel &Tourism Management and a Masters in International Business. He has researched and studied the online travel industry for the past 10 years. He has traveled extensively within the United States as well as internationally. He has recently published a Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Best Airfare on the Internet describing insider tricks and tips on where and how to find the best airfare deals. He operates http://www.bluemarblescout.com where you can find destination information & travel deals.

Eric was born in 1973, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His childhood was marred by misfortune when his parents divorced and custody fell on a neglectful mother who selfishly fought to keep him to hurt his father. She gave custody over to Ronnie in 1986, and promised Eric monetary things. She regained custody in 1988, after a lengthy court battle. Soon after Eric moved out of his mother’s home. At 16 he was living with various friends and had terrible trust issues after his tainted childhood.

He was staying a few apartments over from where a woman and her child lived. The woman was amicably separated but was dating an abusive, control freak. Neighbors stated that they often heard the couple scream and fight. On the night of the murder, neighbors heard much the same coming from her apartment. Followed by a loud, ‘THUD’. They state it was quiet afterwards.

Eric’s fingerprints and DNA were not found at the crime scene. However, when it came time for the trial his court appointed attorney fell asleep and did not defend him to the extent of her capabilities.

Eric was 17 years old at the time of the murder, 20 when he was tried as an adult. He was given 21 months for first degree burglary (althought nothing was stolen) and life in prison for first degree felony murder (although the prosecution couldn’t prove premeditation). This case was built on Eric’s vulnerability. He told his girlfriend and his two close friends that he did it to see if he could trust them. It sounds horribly stupid but that was the only evidence in his case.

Eric has been incarcerated since 1993, it’s 2007 now. That’s 14 years. He’s 34 years old this year. I want him to get out and enjoy his life. I want him to get married and have children.

While there are many who truly deserve to be separated from society, there are those like my brother who simply don’t belong there. Mistakes are made, our justice system is not infalable.

Please help me get him home.

http://www.erickoskela.co.nr

I have three dogs as pets. One of them is Sarah, my Yorkshire terrier. This is the second Yorkie I’ve owned and now I am starting to see some of the common problems with trying to train these tiny creatures.

Sarah weighs just under five pounds but she has the personality of a huge dog. She is stubborn and has a mind of her own when it comes to behavior. When I give her a bath she fights with the strength of a Doberman. I was very frustrated when I was first trying to train her to follow some simple commands.

Yorkshire terriers are typically lap dogs. Because of their small stature they feel more protected when they are close to their owner. Sarah likes to sit in my lap while I am using the computer, and I carry her with me as I move throughout the house.

The problems arise when I try to get her to do something she doesn’t want to do. This can be something as simple as getting her to come to me when I call her name or to walk on a leash without getting tangled around my legs. I spend many hours each day with all three of my dogs, but Sarah seems to require more attention. She is so independent that she reminds me of a spoiled child.

Yorkshire terriers are supposedly very intelligent, but my little Sarah does not seem too bright when I am teaching her some very basic commands. She will sit and come only if the mood strikes her, and then roll over onto her back so that I can rub her stomach.

Because this breed was originally bred to kill rats over in England I think they still believe they are the size that they were at that time. In England, during the 18th and 19th centuries, Yorkshire terriers weighed around thirty pounds. It wasn’t until they were brought to the United States during the 1870’s that people began to breed them down to the five to seven pound range they are today.

Yorkies are also very hearty and resistant to disease, but my veterinarian says that there are sometimes problems with their hearts and lungs because they have been bred down so small, and also because of inbreeding.

Sarah is a year and a half old now and finally housebroken. That was also very difficult to do, mainly because she seemed to enjoy the attention she got when she had an accident in the house. I tried withholding love when she would go in the house and that seemed to help. I love this little dog very much, but training her has been a challenge. She is also a troublemaker, barking at other dogs when I walk her and stealing food right from under the noses of my other two dogs.

I was finally able to train her, but I had to learn how to do it from an expert.

To see how I finally was able to train Sarah to be a good pet, and for help in training your Yorkie visit http://www.YorkshireTerriersAreTheBest.com
Connie Ragen Green loves dogs and has three as pets. She is a writer and motivational speaker living in southern California.