The business card is perhaps the best salesman and partner that you can have. That is why it is essential that it contain much more than your name, address, and contact numbers and services. It should be designed keeping its purpose in mind - that is it’s a powerful sales tool. So start with the design. If you want to create a business card that contains a photo with gradient colours you can try using a glossy paper to ensure that the cards are printed as good as they look on the screen. Or else, you can get disappointed with the print out and if your disappointed the customers may also be

Also, if your card design contains background colour or images, you can use papers that have gaps between them as these gaps will allow you to make up for the unavoidable elusiveness of the printer paper system. However, most stock cards don’t have gaps so if you don’t want to have trouble with printing, make sure your photos, images and text are at 3mm off the edge of the card. This way the printer imprecision will not destroy your business cards making you have to start all over again at a cost.

When it comes to printing, make sure that the paper type that you will use is compatible to your printer (not all papers are). As inkjet and laser printer use different types of technologies, it is important that you only feed the correct paper into them and that is the one that is attuned to your printer choice. So for instance say you will be using a laser printer, using a paper with glossy coating can cause damage to the printer so not a good choice. Therefore the right choice of paper type will greatly affect your business cards print out and the better it turns out the greater the reward in people keeping them for reference.

There are also some strategies you can use in business card distribution. Apart from the usual handing out of your business cards during tradeshows, conventions, meetings and the like, tucking them in your products before delivery can be a good idea. Say you are a florist. You can consider tying your business card around the flowers. Or if use bags in packaging your products, you can staple or tie your card on the outside of the bag. You can also include you cards in your letters and invoices. And if you are really crafty you can slip in your cards into your designs - you can include them in your greeting cards, emboss them with your rubber stamps or blend them with your other artworks. There are so many ways to incorporate them into the deliveries you send out.

There are so many ways to go about it when it comes to designing and handing out your business cards that you should always be carrying them with you for the odd chance encounter, as you never know where your next client may come from. You just have to know how to utilize these possibilities to your advantage. Remember that your business cards can be your best salesman and partner, so make them work for you effectively.

http://www.cheapcards.com.au/Business_Card_Promo.html

With a home treadmill you can still manage to have an extremely effective workout regardless of the weather outside. Basic treadmill models can start at $100 and can go up to $5000. Of all the different types of home exercise equipment that have come and gone, the home exercise treadmill has lasted throughout the years.

Always choose a belt width that’s at least of 16 ” ands long enough to accommodate your stride. Treadmills can have an AC or a DC powered motor. Treadmill cushioning absorbs the force of your step; get good cushioning to lower the impact on your joints and ligaments.

One of the key things to remember is that the larger motors tend to run cooler and usually require less repair and maintenance. Less expensive treadmill models require you to manually change the incline, which can be very frustrating if you want to make adjustments midway through a workout session. The more expensive treadmill models will offer a selection of preprogrammed exercise routines.

Some treadmills monitor your heart by way of sensors built into the frame that are gripped by your hands, but can only be done if you’re walking not running. One feature that is absolutely necessary in a home treadmill is an emergency stop button or a safety key that automatically shuts off the power if you should stumble, trip or fall. Safety features on a treadmill are especially important if you plan to work out alone or if you have small children who might accidentally start up the treadmill.

The console indicates the belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, miles per hour, and distance. Quite a few of the treadmills available today have the ability to add an incline to your workout to duplicate running or walking uphill, thereby increasing the intensity of your workout.

Buying fitness equipment over the Internet has grown at a fast pace over the past few years. Treadmill manufacturers are competing for your business and price wars are creating big savings for buyers. Make sure to add the cost of shipping when buying a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy and shipping will cost more, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping.

If there’s a treadmill you’ve enjoyed using regularly at your local gym or fitness center check to see if there’s a home version available in your price range. It’s important to set a strict budget and then stick to it. It’s definitely possible to find a good model that’s not very popular, but is still a good buy.

It’s best to buy a treadmill that has at least a one-year warranty. A noisy treadmill can upset other family members or roommates and even your neighbors if you live in a duplex, apartment or condominium. When you’re reading treadmill ratings or treadmill reviews, they’ll usually cover safety statistics, the heart rate monitor, the various merits of the interactive model and computer fitness programs and levels.

Consider the cost of maintaining your treadmill as well. The more incline variation offered in a treadmill unit, the more expensive the model will be.

Did I mention to make sure to check out the warranty fine print — this is very important. Be careful not to believe the marketing hype if you’re looking for a cheap treadmill; the truth is you get what you pay for.

The more programs the treadmill has to offer the more you can vary your workout and you’ll be likely to continue exercising on a regular basis. Treadmills are known to provide one of the best ways to improve cardiovascular fitness.

More and more people every day are choosing to get healthier; the majority of beginning exercisers start out by just walking or jogging. Running or walking on a treadmill is an effective way to workout compared to other more complex cardiovascular exercises. Make sure to take your time and choose a treadmill that fits your fitness goals. Choosing the best treadmill for you is easier than ever. If you’ve never used a treadmill before, make sure to have someone show you the basics of operation before you buy.

For more information on saving money on treadmills and best buy shopping for treadmills online and offline go to http://www.Best-Treadmill-Tips.com Helen Hecker R.N.’s website specializing in treadmill tips, advice and resources, including information on treadmill ratings and treadmill reviews

Gift baskets are always popular and a great idea to give as a gift whether for Mother’s Day or any other time of the year. Moms love to receive gift baskets. Making your own gourmet ‘mom’ gift basket is cheap and easy. You can fill your gift basket with a variety of inexpensive quality items; you have lots of choices.

I’ve put together a few great tips and ideas for making ‘mom’ gift baskets, complete with instructions on how to make them. You can make inexpensive gift baskets or expensive gift baskets depending on your budget. You can easily customize each basket to your recipient.

First make a list of the mom’s hobbies and interests. List everything you can think of that might possibly pertain.

Suggestions: sports, books, television shows, in-house hobbies, outdoor recreation, camping, workshop, tools, golf, fishing, computer-related, environment friendly, golf, tennis, relaxation, food, chocolate, wine, spa, bath and body, fruit, cookie, etc. These are just a few ideas.

You can find many inexpensive items and products for use in making your gift baskets or filling your gift baskets, at ‘dollar’ stores, craft stores, party stores, discount outlets, flea markets, close-out stores and even at garage sales providing the items are new, etc.

For gift containers you can use: any type of basket, wicker basket, straw basket, bucket, laundry basket, plastic container, purse, tin, seasonal container, large tea pot, large upside-down hat, red hat or plastic storage container-put lid underneath.

Other items: extra-large coffee mug, boot, potted plant holder, wire basket, large pasta bowl, large popcorn bowl, cooking pot, clay pot, colander, skillet, antique trunk, champagne bucket, hamper, Asian-style trunk or picnic basket.

For gift basket liner you can use: tissue paper, shredded paper, shredded newspaper, tea towels, dish towels, hand towels, kitchen towels, colored towels, colored napkins, placemats, or fabric pieces.

For gift basket filler you can use: shredded colored paper, straw, Easter basket grass, crumpled newspaper comics, a bed of wrapped chocolates or other wrapped candy.

For items in the container it’ll depend on the specialty or theme of the gift basket - in this case a mom. Here is a small random sampling to give you a few good ideas:

Gift certificate for massage or spa visit, scented oils, scented massage oils, gift certificate to favorite store, gift certificate for restaurant, loofah, fragrant candle, matches to light candles, CD of nature sounds, favorite artist CD, DVD of newer release movie, how-to video or CD, handwritten poem, perfume, cologne, watch, framed photo, inspirational book, spa pillows, bath pillows, spa supplies, bath and body products, facial and body scrubs, handmade soaps, fragrant soaps, shampoos, hand and foot lotion or fluffy towel.

Flavored teas, green tea, specialty tea, herbal tea, biscotti, tea infuser, healthy snacks, fancy chocolates, boxed chocolates, chocolate bars, hot chocolate mix, specialty coffee mix, homemade cookies, homemade brownies, homemade jams, popcorn, caramel corn, giant-size boxed candy, candy canes, suckers, lollipops, apple, pear, orange, persimmon, mango, papaya, chips, pretzels, nuts, gourmet pasta, gourmet olive oil, pre-packaged food items, pancake mixes, brownie mixes, cookie mixes, wooden spoons, your best chocolate chip cookie recipe, Italian recipes, Mexican food recipes or other ethnic recipes, coffee mug, or potholders.

Garden trowel or other garden tools, garden gloves, work gloves, cold weather gloves, leather gloves, garden picks, seeds, hand lotion, flower pot , small tools, gadgets, playing cards, travel-size games, small puzzles, t-shirt, tickets to events,
small plant, disposable camera, a small book,

Computer-related items, mouse pad, yarn, painting or artist supplies, golf balls, golf tees, golf knick knacks, tennis balls, tennis knick knacks, key chains, small calendars or desk calendars, barometer, outdoor thermometer, science gadgets, electronic gadgets, health-related items, auto-related items or cinnamon sticks.

For gift basket wrapping you can use tulle netting or better yet, cellophane wrap. If you’re going to use a lot of cellophane you can purchase it in large rolls wholesale through the packaging specialty stores throughout the U.S. but should be easily found in craft stores.

Tie off the wrapped basket with ribbon. Wired fabric ribbon is best if you have it.

For bows: You can use pre-packaged bows but making your own bow is easy and a better presentation if you can do it. Use a huge beautiful bow.

Assemble all your gift basket items, the tools you need, etc. Now line your selected gift container. Then stuff the selected filler into the gift basket to give added height to your items. Place, layer and arrange your selected items on the filler in the gift container. Put the larger items in the back, the smaller items in front.

Fill in the holes or prop up with more filler (shredded paper, Easter basket grass, wrapped chocolates, napkins or holiday napkins etc.)

Also you can use ‘picks’ of artificial flowers to fill in small open spots.

Place your cellophane or other wrap under the gift basket. Center the gift basket on the wrap. Bring the cellophane or other wrap over the top of the gift basket and tie it with ribbon and/or a beautiful bow! Use ribbon and bows to match your theme colors.

Tuck a personalized card in the ribbon and that’s it!

General tips: You can find fabric or wired ribbon cheaply at Costco — especially in the fall prior to Christmas or around holidays but often throughout the year in most stores. You can shred colored paper in a paper shredder.

Try to use non-perishable items except, of course, when making fruit baskets. Use freshly packaged food items; packaged crackers and cookies can go stale in a couple of months.

You can find filler flower ‘picks’ at garage sales cheaply. If you buy ‘picks’ wholesale they are usually around a dollar each.

Try not to mix chocolate or other food fragrant items with non-food fragrant items in the same basket.

Also there’s nothing like learning how to make gift baskets from a video or DVD for making cheap and easy gift baskets. You can view it over and over again and share it with your children, other family members and friends. You can even charge for classes with your new-found knowledge and/or start a home based business if you so desire. In any event, making a gourmet mom gift basket can be cheap and easy.

For more information on how to make gift baskets and how to start a gift basket business, go to http://www.HowToMakeBeautifulGiftBaskets.com
a website specializing in making gift baskets and gift basket business tips, help, advice and resources including information on drop shipping gift baskets

Much of the hype about whether Barack Obama was “black enough” for the African-American community had died down when reports began to surface that the Reverend Al Sharpton had complained about Obama’s “blackness.” Specifically, the reports alleged, Sharpton was concerned that Obama had never been active in the black community and that his campaign was largely driven by white Americans.

As the first serious black contender for the Presidency, Obama came under fire early for not being “black enough” to fully represent African-Americans. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning, facility and program supervisor for the Black Cultural Center, said the following: “His father didn’t experience Jim Crow. He was a black man not defined by Jim Crow America.” She went on to say that the black community was concerned with Obama’s family’s lack of the “black experience” and his politics towards blacks.

But is this really important? We will never be able to move away from judgments based on skin color as long as people insist on voicing such ridiculous questions. Yes it is an accomplishment that for the first time an African-American is a serious contender for the Presidency. But the color of his skin should not matter beyond that achievement. What should matter is what Obama believes, and what qualifications he possesses that would make us comfortable entrusting to him the leadership of the most powerful nation on Earth.

Vibe.com ran an article on March 23, 2007 that really gets at what is important. In the article, columnist Allison Harvey writes: “The question America should be asking has nothing to do with who is a black enough candidate….The real question for 2008 is this: Does Barack Obama have the chops to stand up as a competent Commander-in-Chief?”

Ms. Harvey is right on the money with her question. We, as Americans, should be asking why Barack Obama is the best man for the job. Unfortunately, so far candidate Obama has done little to let us know the answer to that question.

As soon as he announced his candidacy, Mr. Obama began to get pelted with questions about his lack of experience and demands for details of his plans for America. Those details have been very slow in coming as the Obama campaign focuses instead on calls for bipartisanship and unity in Washington, D.C. The central theme of the Obama run for the Presidency seems to be “Can’t we all just get along?”

With the candidate and his campaign tight-lipped about what a President Obama would stand for, we are forced to look at his limited time in the Senate for some answers. That time has been short, to be sure, but the two years Senator Obama has been serving the people of Illinois do in fact provide us with some clues about what we could expect from an Obama Presidency.

Steven Thomas, writing recently for the McClatchy Washington Bureau, called Barack Obama more liberal than even radical left-wing Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, and that’s no small accomplishment. Thomas bases his assessment on a National Journal analysis of votes cast by all the members of Congress currently in the race for President. That analysis ranked candidates based on comprehensive voting records, resulting in a ranking for Obama that made him the most liberal Senator after two full years in that legislative body.

That’s what voters should be focused on. For liberals, Obama’s ranking is probably uplifting. For conservatives and moderates, though, there is cause for worry if Senator Obama succeeds in becoming President Obama.

All of the time wasted focusing on Obama’s “blackness,” or lack thereof, would have been better spent educating Americans about what a President Obama would mean for government spending, taxes, foreign policy and national security, immigration, and social problems faced by this country.

Instead of focusing on candidate Obama’s skin color, or the skin color of those running his campaign, we should be focused on what he has to offer the citizens of this nation. When the debate moves to one of substance over race, then we will have truly progressed.

It’s an endless battle for some people to both lose weight and then keep it off. Some of us, me included, just have a tendency to put on the pounds without really trying. My doctor always accuses me of eating the wrong foods and eating too much.

Well, my doctor may be partially right in what he says about eating the wrong foods. But the part about over eating isn’t correct because I had drastically cut my food intake to try to lose weight. Having little to no success with my weight loss I did some research and found out that if you eat the wrong types of foods and at the wrong times losing weight is next to impossible. For example, if you eat a high carbohydrate meal or snack in the evening just before you go to bed the calories will be stored in the body as you sleep. If you have to eat the carbohydrate it is best to eat it in the morning for breakfast so you have all day to burn-off the calories.

The best way to lose weight, either one pound a week or more you will have more success if you watch what you eat and keep a log of your daily intake. You can calculate the exact amount of calories that you need to maintain your present body weight by finding out what your basal metabolic rate is. Your BMR is your resting metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns calories just to keep you alive.

To calculate your BMR you will need to convert your weight into kilograms by dividing your weight by 2.2. You will also need to convert your height into centimeters by multiplying your height in inches by 2.54. Then you can plug those figures into the Harris-Benedict formula: 66+(13.7xweight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years) = BMR.

Next you will have to multiply your personal daily energy expenditures by your BMR to determine how many calories you have to consume to either gain or lose weight. The activity multipliers vary depending on your lifestyle.

Sedentary: BMR x 1.2
Lightly active: BMR x 1.375
Moderately active: BMR x 1.55
Very active: BMR x 1.725
Extremely active: BMR x 1.9

So the total daily energy requirement would be calculated like so: Activity multiplier x BMR = Total daily energy requirement.

So to lose one pound of weight each week you should eat twenty percent less than your total daily energy requirement. Or modify your activity variable and exercise more giving you a higher activity multiplier.

Which ever way you decide to go you would be wise checking with your doctor before you start any diet or exercise modifications to be sure that your body is up to the task. Then once you start Don’t Cheat! After a few weeks you should be happy with your results.

It has taken me over six months to start to see any significant results. Over the course of the six months I have modified my diet and exercise routines by both increasing my level of activity and cutting my food intake. I have also started using some nutritional supplements to help keep my energy level up as I cut back on calories. So it is a matter of changing more that one behavior to be successful. Just simply cutting your food intake by itself isn’t enough to lose the weight and keep it off.

Bob Crane is a Nutrition Consultant and involved in introducing an extraordinary new Internet Work at Home Based Goji Juice Business System.
Check out the new Goji Juice Storefront
Contact him online at: www.domesticbiz.com

Lawn disease can be a real pain in the neck. They can do serious damage to your lawn in a very short time. The main culprit for lawn disease is fungus. You can recognize fungus from the emergence of spots, circles, patches or the presence of different colors like brown or yellow or red in your lawn. It is essential that you take care of lawn diseases without any delay. Here are some common disease that you know about and how you can eliminate them or at least put them under control.

The first lawn disease we would be looking at is the Dollar Spot. It is commonly found in Kentucky Bluegrass, Bent Grass and Bermuda. It thrives in humid climates. As the name implied, it looks like a small dollar sign and is usually brown or straw colored. Dollar Spots appear in your lawn quickly during drought conditions as well as in lawns which has low level of nitrogen.

For prevention of Dollar Spots, the best thing that you can do is to aerate frequently and water your lawn thoroughly in the morning hours. You should also remove excess thatch and fertilize your lawn based on a regular schedule. That would increase the nitrogen level of your lawn. If you wish to use fungicide, you can consider benomyl, anilazine, and thiophanate.

Rust is another common lawn disease. If you find your leaf blades turning orange or rusty, it is likely that Rust has appeared in your lawn. Rust is often found in Ryegrasses and Kentucky Bluegrass. Morning dew, shade, high soil compaction, and low fertility are factors that contribute to its growth. To determine if your lawn is infected with Rust, you can take a white tissue or paper towel and rub a few grass blades with it. If the orange or rusty color remains, it is most probably Rust.

The best way of getting rid of rust is by aerating your lawn. You should water your lawn well in the morning hours and reduce shade to the grasses. You should also mow your lawn more frequently with bagging of the grasses. In addition, you can increase the nitrogen level of the soil by following a regular fertilization schedule. If you intend to use fungicides, you can try Triadimefon and Anilazine.

Another lawn disease that is quite common is Red Thread. It is most commonly found in Fescue, Ryegrasses and Kentucky Bluegrass. It generally thrives in moist and cool weather. Red Thread is characterized by the pinkish-red thread that forms around the leaf blades binding them together. Grasses infected by Red Thread will turn brown very soon. The red threads are most visible when the lawn grasses are wet.

By aerating more often as well as removing thatches in your lawn, you can quite easily put Red Threads under control. If you prefer the use of fungicide, you can consider the use of Chlorothalonil.

As you can see, you can cure or put lawn diseases under control by properly caring for you lawn. Mowing too low, watering improperly under fertilizing and other undesirable lawn care techniques will contribute to the growth of lawn disease. By spending some time and effort to learn and implement good lawn care techniques, you will always to a few steps ahead of the lawn diseases.

Jack Greenwood is the webmaster of GreenLawnCareTips.com which provide information
on lawn care and lawn diseases. Sign up for your free 7-part Green Lawn Care mini course at http://greenlawncaretips.com today.

Everyone is talking about buying “green” or practicing the mantra, “recycle, reuse, and reduce”. Different organizations all over the country started to put all these sayings into practice by creating salvage and surplus building supply centers. Typically, builders order fifteen percent more supplies for their jobs in case some glitch shows up in the building process. Instead of throwing away good lumber, excess flooring, or kitchen cabinets, a builder or homeowner can bring them to their local salvage center. Homeowner can even dispose of their older materials when remodeling. Remember someone’s trash is someone else’s treasurer.

I decided to visit Build It Green!, a salvage and surplus building supply center in Queens, New York (”BIG!”). Since I am always looking for reusable materials for my home, I thought this would be a good road trip. I met with Justin Green, the programming director to survey the salvage center. (It’s just coincidence that the center shares the same name as Justin) Justin told me that BIG! was formed when the Durst organization wanted to environmentally dispose of its excess building materials when they built One Bryant Park and its 125 West 31st Street condo development. New York City disposes of approximately 13,500 tons per day of non-fill and demolition materials. BIG! has been in existence for two year and in that time period, this small 17,500 square foot facility with 2 full and 2 part-time employees and trusty mouse catching Jack Russell terrier have sold an estimated 400 tons of building material. As Justin stated, “It is equivalent to taking 150 automobiles off the road.” Pretty impressive.

At the facility, there were yards of doors, Prego flooring, sinks, Jacuzzis, and enough kitchen cabinets that could fill up a couple of kitchens. In addition, there was recessed lighting, lumber, plywood, MDF, and two stand-up piano needing homes. In addition, BIG! has the most beautiful ornate fireplace mantel with attached mirror for sale for $4000. It is obvious it is worth so much more. When I arrived even more kitchen cabinets were being delivered.

BIG!’s most impressive donation came from a family that bought a 2 family townhouse fully renovated. This family decided to turn the two- family townhouse into a one family home. So, they donated all of the duplicate building materials to BIG!, which included a magnificent German made stainless steel kitchen retailing for $70,000. It is sitting at BIG! still in its original wrapping.

Built it Green sells their products at approximately fifty percent below retail. Their goal is to lessening your carbon footprint on the Earth by reusing something that has already been made. I love a bargain so this store is right up my alley.

I asked Justin what were his favorite materials that he received and he told me it was the lumber. He believes that reusing materials that have already been manufactured is the ultimate “green” since no additional resources have to be expended (such as cutting down trees) to create this material.

BIG!, like every not for profit, has its own wish list. They could use a truck instead of renting one, more full-time staff, and a larger facility so they can take more materials. If you can help in anyway whether to donate or buy, it is one more step towards conserving the Earth’s natural resources and reducing the impact on our landfills.

BIG! is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the country there are salvage and surplus building supply centers just like BIG! Each center is unique in its size and what it has to offer. Construction Junction, a 65,000 square foot center in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania offers a multitude of building materials and salvage items. Their website contains a catchy slogan, “You can reuse, we can help” reminding you of Home Depot’s saying with a recycling twist to it. They provide deconstruction services, offer an old window restoration seminar, and give free building materials away to not for profit organizations including women’s shelters and senior homes. In addition, they provide low income families discounts to buy their building materials.

If you need building supplies, searching for that treasure you have always wanted, or just need a place to donate your unwanted building supplies or materials, contact your local salvage center. Either way, help do your part to “recycle, reuse, and reduce.” Remember, we only have one Earth.

For resources to find a salvage center near you:

Redo lists all sort of recycling centers. Go to “find a redo center”. Also look at “Redo Subscribers”. A quick way to find your state on the Subscribers is use ctrl then F (which is “find”) and type in what you are looking for.

Northeastern Recycling Council, Inc: Lots of good information on this website. Also, I noticed Re-do and this website had different information.

Building reuse: This site contains both not for profit and for profit salvage centers in Canada and the United States.

For more information about the salvage centers listed in this Article, visit them at the following websites:

Build it Green! at http://www.bignyc.org
Construction Junction at http://www.constructionjunction.org

You can visit other articles by Anna Hackman on her weblog, http://www.Green-Talk.com. Her inception to becoming “green” was when she built her house in 2005 using many green building products. Anna’s blog is dedicated to creating a community where she and other bloggers can share their own personal knowledge to help turning the Planet green, one conversation at a time.

“Park your domain for you sir?”

I have been looking at domain parking, including cash parking. I had quite a few domains that I didn’t have much of anything planned for. I bought them while trying to fill out orders, and sometimes the lure of dollar .info’s is like the lure of a cold one on a hot dusty Texas day after a hard day at work. Well, that’s how I got them, now what to do with them?

I built the websites that I wanted, all that I could get to in my allotted time, and there they were, sitting idle, staring me in the face, each time I went to the control panel.
I realized, that just leaving them for someone else to collect money from posted ads, didn’t make much sense.

I wanted to do more. I looked at cash parking options. There was a wide, almost bewildering range in price, service, user control, percentage of return, etc.
Then there was the question of honesty, and there are some kinda shady lookin companies parked along that stretch of road!

My company offers cash parking for a small fee, but most of my domains, won’t attract much attention on their own.

It offers starter web pages, which might be useful in driving traffic to the other pages you have that they let you list, and gives you the option of selling the domain from that location. There is a chance that if someone stumbles by, they might take interest, and build a little traffic.

It offers for sale pages, but you have no choice in how it is displayed, or the ads placed on it, and of course, the company collects any revenue while it is there.

Basically, it goes like this:

you can leave them parked with the registrar, where if any ad money is made, it is made by their parking attendants.

You can have them valet parked, but I never liked handing my keys over to one of those guys. Besides, you have limited control of the meta info.

You can park it yourself, if you have a parking lot or billboard (hosting)

You are not going to build any search engine traffic parked in one of those services. Even though most sites I see on the web, are little more than glorified bill boards or parked pages, a lot of ads and links, and a little text between them. I am not sure what the difference between a page full of ads, and a page full of links with a minimum of text means to search engines, but sometimes the lines are blurred, and the bots can’t see.

The only way a domain gets traffic on it’s own is if it is misdirected due to spelling errors, like my unfortunate attempt to get to an international relief organization that I really like. I misspelled “heifers” and almost never got away, then spelled it correctly, but left out the “International” and got stuck in the ditch again! This, is odious! Do it to anyone else, but not to a great organization trying to make conditions better in the world!

This is what I am doing now:

I am building pages, fast and furious!

I am building pages, with all the content I can muster,

I am adding ads, as fast as I can click,

I am forwarding domains to the sites I have built. This is really a pretty good Idea. If you build a page, and forward 9 similar domains that might draw that type of traffic, then you have, in effect, 10 monitized pages.

I am linking pages, to get whatever traffic I can from my other pages.

I am switching material, which the search engines seem to like. There again, I wonder at the validity of search engines wanting new info, and wonder if the future of the Internet may be in the blogosphere. If change is what they want, then, that is the place to find it!

At least, if you park it yourself, you have the chance to get search engine traffic, which usually leads to some real traffic. You might build some brand name recognition, and you might get a few ads clicked on. You can also promote your other sites, as ads, or links. There is that question again!

The sad thing is, that a site could potentially get a very high page rank, and be of no use to anyone. As wittiness to this I call to the stand the “Lupine Glupe” experiment, I just googled it, and most of it is gone now, but there is one page that said, “you must be looking for…I deleted it because it was full of stupid content, and if you are looking for it, you must be stupid too! Don’t feel to bad though….” It even had a fake 404 error page! Anyway, it is possible to say nothing of value, and still have a highly ranked, and possibly well traveled web page.

Search engines don’t seem to like parked pages, but there again, I suppose a clever person could emulate the work of other clever webmasters, who seem to be adept at disguising the fact that they are parked by shifting a little content, offering a link index to related sites, (perhaps even their own) which appears to be helpful, although the same thing could be done with a group of disjointed words and sentences, while an Einstein quality theory went unnoticed!

I’m not sure what the answer is, not really even sure what the question is, but I know that I need to make my domains as pleasing as possible, offer good content, even if it seems boring by contrast with some of the fakes, and let the things go where they will. All the while, hoping for some sanity.

James Burns is a licensed pest control professional, has been a Certified Professional Turfgrass Manager for more than 16 years, has a lifetime of experience in horticulture and agriculture, and is the owner of Rational Environmental Solutions, an IPM based pest control company in East Texas. He also has many helpful gardening tips at http://www.texpest.com .

Karma, simply stated, is habit patterns - cause and effect. Whatever habit patterns we die with will be reborn into another form. Why is this? It’s because the habits are left hanging and unresolved. Until we neutralize every one of our strong habit patterns, we will endlessly be reborn into the world of form, and once we are born into this physical world, we have two strikes against us. The first strike is that we are born with senses, and the second strike is that these senses require stimulation - hence action - hence more karma - and where does it all end?

So, what determines, out of the field of billions of possibilities in our brain, what becomes our experiences - and who is it that actually experiences this? The answer is . . . nobody! There is nobody behind anything, only arising of thoughts out of a vast field of karma, causing continuous stimulation that in turn creates more memory - and thus creates the idea of “me,” the idea of a “self.”

If we could either weaken our repetitive and limiting brain cell connections, or weaken our karma and prevent the connections from forming in the first place, we would open up unlimited fields of possibilities. These are the fields of the mind hinted at by the sages, far beyond ordinary minds, which are caught up in their mere thousands of bits of information per second. This new, amazing, inward experience of dipping into billions of bits of information would be a separate reality never before imagined, and this could change human beings forever.

Then, (and this is the metaphysical part), we will find ourselves transcending the mind itself and its billions of bits of information. Here, in a singularity, we find ourselves having conversations with Reality, or God, or however we describe the ineffable - and our karma is permanently resolved. No more births into the world of form to suffer again as we did before, before we understood the mind. The “I” that we thought was “us” is now transcended into a unity with all beings, and with all things spiritual and material. How could it be different from this? How did we ever consider ourselves separate from everything else?

These possibilities are why intelligent people meditate - to change themselves in a radical way that will in transform a world that has always thrived on the negative energies of hatred, greed, ambition, and killing. The truth is not something to believe in, the truth is to be experienced through insight, only then will truth be expressed through our actions. Wanting to end hatred doesn’t end hatred, but “seeing” hatred up close and personal does. The critical question remains, however, “Who will want to meditate?”

In society’s present mindset, the last thing it wants is peace and love. Society mouths the words, but peace and love is frankly boring, especially for young people. They want action, and in the words of so many evil crusaders throughout history, “Give me your youth and I will give you victory.” We are driven to action by senses that are starved for stimulation, and since action creates karma and karma in turn leads to rebirth of the senses, our cycle of cause and effect goes round and round eternally, with no end in sight. How can we ever wake up to the fact that within all of this action is lifetime upon lifetime of horrible torment? We just don’t get it.

Is there anything that will convince us of life’s double-cross? Probably not; not while we are deeply involved with pleasurable sense stimulation. It’s only when these excitements begin to wane that one looks around, puzzled. Until then, however, until our karma ripens, we have little chance of being coerced into being aware.

So what can we do? We see the worry and tension in the other guy’s face. We see the anxiety and suffering that results from his never-ending manic quest for the things that he feels are important. But we can’t see it in ourselves. We are somehow immune to all of that, or at least we think that we are.
This whole subject is confusing to anybody who has not meditated. This is why the Buddha almost didn’t teach, because the whole thing was too difficult to comprehend. But then, he could see that a few would always be ready to hear, just as he was, and he wanted to help them. But who these days will listen? When we meditate, we reach for the Reality, trying to end our habit patterns of karma forever and reach unknown depths. We want to change our patterned life from one of hopelessness to one of joy and passion - we want to become enlightened.

With our negative passions reduced, and with our positive characteristics enhanced through meditation, the doubt, the drag of a false personality, the misguided beliefs that drag our attention outward instead of inward, our anger, our pride, our egoism, our insatiable sense desires, and our self-righteousness, restlessness, and ignorance . . . all of these lessen. These negative aspects are replaced by insightfulness, where we are passionate in our endeavors and curious about everything and anything that come into our field of awareness. Our concentrated minds now cultivate a tranquility and equanimity that will someday shine its light on all the worlds.

We can never hold truth; it is far too fast and immense for us, however, we could be truth if only we can remain in the moment where no karma exists. If we can remain there, then our minds will experience a profound, fundamental transformation that discovers the oneness of everything, and the myth of individuality. Reality wants to introduce us to this beautiful, eternal moment. Why won’t we let it do that?

E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com

Money is good. And in today’s world, money is essential. But very few people become wealthy. Just as an example, in his book: “You were born rich” Bob Proctor wrote:

“In 1923, at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, eight of the world’s wealthiest financiers met. These eight men controlled more money than the United States’ government at that time. They included:

The president of the largest independent steel company;
The president of the largest gas company;
The greatest wheat speculator;
The president of the New York Stock Exchange;
A member of the President’s cabinet;
The greatest “bear” on Wall Street;
The head of the world’s greatest monopoly;
The president of the Bank of International Settlement.

Certainly, one would have to admit, that a group of the world’s most successful men was gathered that place; at least, men who had found the secret to earning money.

Now let’s see where these men were twenty-five years later:

The president of the largest independent steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on borrowed money for five years before he died bankrupt.

The president of North America’s largest gas company, Howard Hopson, went insane.

The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cutton, died abroad, insolvent.

The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitny, was sent to Sing Sing Penitentiary.

A member of the President’s cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.

The greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, died a suicide.

The head of the greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, killed himself.

The president of the Bank of International Settlement, Leon Fraser, also died a suicide.

Each of these men learned well the art of earning money, but it would seem that not one of them had ever learned how to live the “rich life”, which was their birthright.”

It is stories like this one that have caused many people to say that money was bad; that money is the root of all evil.

Money is not the root of all evil. In today’s world, money has become extremely important. We cannot do anything without money. We can’t get food without money. We even buy water with money. In fact, that makes money the second most important thing in life. The first being the air we breathe, and that is free.

Unfortunately, most of us are raised with the wrong perceptions of money. We learned to be the servant of money, and that is what is natural to us. We always have to remember that we are either slaves to money, or the master of money. In fact if you look at all the rich people you know (or know of) you will find they have this in common: They are the masters of money, and they teach their children the same.

How can you become a master of money in stead of its slave? Here are a few ways to increase your money:

Keep 10% of everything you earn. This is where the path to becoming wealthy starts. You have to keep at least 10% of all that you earn. This rule is only broken by those who have no money … and no, that 10% is not for holidays, a new car, a new house or anything for you. It is only to invest wisely so that it makes you more money. I can guarantee you that this is how the wealthy get their wealth. And if you are poor, the reason for that would be that you ignore this rule.

What you want to increase, you need to give away. So it is a good idea to give 10% of your money to charity.

It is also a good idea to develop a prosperity consciousness. This you do by becoming comfortable around money. You need to feel comfortable with it. The way to help you do this is visualise yourself as having a lot of money, and visualise yourself as being where you want to be and doing what you want to do and having what you want to have. If this is difficult, start by “giving” yourself a certain amount of money every day and then deciding what to do with it. Write it down in your diary or somewhere where you can work with it each day. On the first day, give yourself $1,000. Decide what you would do with it. On the second, give yourself $2000. On the third, $3,000 and so forth; every day you decide what to do with it. After a while you start going out of things to spend it on: How do you feel now?

That is Prosperity Consciousness. If you feel it, you will attract it.

Hannah du Plessis, an ex schoolteacher currently living in New Zealand started her first Network Marketing business in 2005. Early in 2006 she discovered the joys of target="_new" href="http://contractor816.payitforward4profits.com">Internet Marketing and now has her own target="_new" href="http://planetraffic.com/Surf/Referral.php?ID=4">Traffic Exchange and target="_new" href="http://www.articlehighway.org">Article Directory