Where To Find Your Cheap Wedding Venues

By Suzanne Daykin

Cheap wedding venues are hard to find when you are desperately trying to secure a date and a perfect location. It's almost as if they are being kept secret, until now!

Recently I was involved in working with community and social clubs and I was amazed at the facilities they have for functions that are under utilised and the prices that they charge. It is almost as if they have been stuck in a time warp and have almost no idea the gold mine they are sitting on. Some clubs are run with no intention to make a profit, costs have to be covered for them to stay in business but their main aim is to be a social club for members. Check out all the social clubs, working men's clubs, sports clubs and community clubs in your area, use your yellow pages, ask your friends and families. Do not be put off by the fact that they are members clubs, most of the clubs will be crying out for new members. You will probably need to join the club to use the venue, but again you will be amazed at the prices that are charged, we are talking a few pounds not hundreds! I have visited beautiful clubs in old houses with stunning grounds and also some in a horrible state. The point is have a look, you could surprise yourself.

Local authority venues are worth looking at, you can get a list from your registery office. They are getting smart to weddings and functions so it is unlikely you will get a great bargain but you might find they are the cheapest venue in town and they often have great locations.

Community and church halls are normally pretty basic but they often have a kitchen and if you can get a team together you could easily decorate your venue the day before. I recently was emailed a great decoration idea where the bride and groom used big branches and cemented them into buckets, the whole thing was sprayed silver and then decorations hung to the branches. They had an avenue of trees in their hall!

If you live in an area where there are a summer camps, retreats, universities, colleges, or schools, (Let's face it I think we all live close to at least one of those!) find out if they hire the venue during holidays or off season. All the facilities will be there and you are likely to find great cheap wedding venues.

In the US it is possible to have your wedding ceremony and reception in a State Park, the prices that I have seen quoted for hiring cheap wedding venues in the park are very cheap. You would also have beautiful views, great places for children to play and lots of spare money!

If you are getting married quickly then it is worth checking prices and availibility of big venues in your area, they should give you a good deal as it is unlikely they will sell the space with a short lead in.

The best tip is to think outside the box, look at your town with new eyes and anywhere that has the space to hold the numbers that you want.

Suzanne Daykin is owner of http://www.cheap-wedding-solutions.com

Suzanne has spent the last 12 years working in the Hospitality Industry as a wedding planner and event manager. Organising thousands of functions from small personal parties to large corporate product launches in the UK and Europe. Currently a work at home mum, Suzanne set up her own event company in 2006 and now looks to help future brides and grooms save money when they are planning their wedding.

Make it look like you spent thousands with simple Cheap Wedding Solutions http://www.cheap-wedding-solutions.com

If You Think There's Nothing Newsworthy About Your Business, You're Wrong

By Jean Henshaw

Let's say you're the owner of a landscaping business. Or you're a florist. Or the owner of a cleaning service. And you have dozens of landscapers, florists and cleaning services competing for customers. You think there's nothing exceptional about you. After all, all landscapers landscape. All florists sell flowers. All cleaning services clean.

There's nothing special about me, you think, certainly nothing a reporter would find interesting.
And that's where you're wrong. Because all you need is to think just a bit differently than your competitors.

For example, let's say it's summer. That means flea and tick season. As a professional housecleaner, you know how to keep fleas at bay indoors, but do your customers?
So you could write a release that goes something like this:

Have fleas jumped from Fluffy or Fido and infested your carpet? There's a simple way to keep them at bay, says Jane Doe, owner of Jane's Super Clean, a Your Town housecleaning service:
vacuum regularly. "Your first line of attack is to use a flea bomb. Then you should vacuum all the rugs and carpets in your house several times a week," Doe said.

Doe's company has been offering cleaning services since 1999 and knows a thing or 10 about keeping homes clean and pest free during the summer.

Then add a list of 10 summer (or anytime) cleaning tips to the release.

Finally, if you're offering a special flea-ridding service (you'll come in and vacuum a homeowner's house or apartment three times a week at a reduce/volume rate), be sure to mention it in the release.

By writing a release that gives a helpful hint, strategy or fact that is of use to an editor's or reporter's readers, you've just made your business newsworthy.

*****
Good writing means business -- more clients, more sales and more profit -- for you!

Jean Henshaw writes content for your website and/or your site's blog. She also provides news releases (written to grab a journalist's attention), marketing/communications plans and newsletters.

Visit her website at http://www.henshawcopywriting.com or contact her at henshawjean(at)verizon(dot)net.

How Can Jesus Be 100 Percent God and 100 Percent Man?

By Carey Kinsolving

"He did things like his Dad (100 percent God) and, He did things like we do (since he's 100 percent man)," says Candice, 10. I'm impressed, Candice! You have succeeded where others have failed.

Probably no question in all of philosophy and science has spawned more debate than this one.

Yet, an accurate answer can be given in one word: MYSTERY.

"Great is the mystery of godliness," wrote the Apostle Paul to Timothy (I Timothy 3:16).

Attempting to explain this mystery has gotten many of my friends into trouble. But they aren't the first, and they won't be the last.

"Jesus grew up as a man, and then God turned him into a God," says Brian, 8, little realizing he has an ancient idea. Brian, this error started in Rome around A.D. 190. The first to be credited with this deviation was Theodotus the Tanner, who would have fared better if he had stuck to making leather sandals.

Theodotus said Jesus was a "mere man" whom God "adopted" when the Holy Spirit came upon him at his baptism. Today, there's a popular variation of this idea: Jesus was a mere man who attained a higher form of God consciousness. He was a good, spiritual man whose example we should follow. Furthermore, through various forms of self-denial and spiritual exercise, we, too, can achieve the same oneness with God. Right?

Think again.

Listen to the angel who appeared to shepherds in the field at the time of Jesus' birth, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Did the angel mistake a "mere man" for "Christ the Lord?"

Nope! Next error, please.

"Jesus is not 100 percent man because then He wouldn't be perfect," says Caroline, 10, who is probably reacting to all the imperfections she has observed in people. And so did the Gnostics of the first century.

Modern people find it easy to believe Jesus was a man, but difficult to believe he was God.
Gnostics, however, didn't believe Jesus was a man with a material body because they thought matter was evil. They proposed that either Jesus had a body temporarily, which he left at the crucifixion, or had none at all, only seeming to be a human being.

To the Greek gnostics, Jesus was only God who appeared as man because, as Matt, 8, says, "He acted like man a lot." In other words, Jesus just put on a show of being human.

But the Apostle John said, "Gno!" to the Gnostics.

He wrote two of his three short letters to derail their false ideas. "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" (I John 4:2). Furthermore, John began his letter stating that he heard, saw and touched with his own hands the "Word of life," which was "with the Father."

John intertwined earthly matter with the eternal to say Jesus is man and God. Because of who Jesus is, John wrote that the way to fellowship with the Father has been opened.

"He's the Son of God first," says Stefanie, 12. "Then, when He was born on earth, He became the Son of Man, too."

God and man united in one person. Two natures, one person. This is the essence of a church council that met in Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Even though the natures are inseparably united in the person of Jesus Christ, they remain distinct, whole and unchanged, without mixture or confusion.

Take a tip from Donald, 12: "Anything is possible for God."

Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer.
To see more material like this, visit http://www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.

Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version.

Copyright 2007 Carey Kinsolving

Create A Vision For Your Dream Life First - Career And Money Second

By Terry Vermeylen

I have worked in the corporate world for close to 30 years now. I have also started a web based business on making life changes and have had hundreds of subscription payments from clients, money from Google and thousands more using the free tools we have developed. I’m excited not only about my career(s) but mostly excited about my life.

There are hundreds of blogs, websites and news sites giving expert advice on careers. Here is some of my advice.

Is your vision for a great life about having a great career?

Having a great career isn’t about constantly searching for a fairy tale company where rainbows, money and caring bosses rain down on you everyday. It isn’t about joining Google. Having a great career (dare I call it a job?) is a piece of the greater vision called your life. Your life vision includes your relationships, family aspirations, health, true passions and perhaps a host of other elements that make up the whole you.

My brother raced and delivered million dollar sailboats around the world for years and now owns an accounting business in Australia. He has told me that my years of corporate experience are invaluable. What do you know? Years of hard work and dedication in a corporation also pays off! His vision of a great life life and career was much different from mine. But we both seemed to be happy with our paths. The key is that our authentic passions are embedded in our life as a whole, not only in our work.

And if you can make your passion your job, then congratulations to you!

Do you think that Google employees are thrilled when the weekend comes? They are looking forward to sailing, playing with the kids, renovating, gardening, starting another .com, or anything else that gets them away from a computer screen. Life presents an infinite amount of choices for your vision. Choose well. Your vision should be life first and career second.
If you don’t make money now, you’ll hate yourself later.

Money is the number one factor when choosing a job. Anyone who thinks that money isn’t important needs a reality check. Money is what gives you the freedom to follow your passions outside of work. Making good money opens infinite doors. You may want to start a side business, build a dream house, volunteer at an animal shelter or join a Ferrari club.

Corporations offer plenty of razzle - dazzle benefits these days - from gyms, dry cleaners, great cafeterias, nap rooms and anything else they think will attract top talent. Many people get all hot and bothered about these things, and while they have signed up for $50,000, their friends are making $70,000 + and enjoying great health and stock benefits.

So think carefully about what you want out of a company. Is it having the company do your dry cleaning? Or is it having enough money to pursue your interests outside of your job? Believing that money isn’t important is the most idiotic career advice anyone can give you. Money brings freedom, control and hope.

In summary:

Your vision for an extraordinary life involves much more than a great career or job. Plan your life first, career second.

Money gives you freedom, control and hope to pursue all your passions outside of work.

Please consider this article for your website, blog or ezine. Permission to reprint if by-line stays intact and links are activated on the Internet.

Terry Vermeylen is one of those rare people that is passionately driven to help others unlock their own barriers toward fulfillment, meaning and purpose. He is the founder of http://www.mylifechanges.com/, an Internet value identification and goal setting enterprise and http://mylifechanges.typepad.com/less_stress_more_cool_/ His primary passion is wealth building using common sense.

Not Oprah's Secret! Grandma's Secret

By April Lorier

Oprah's Secret, my grandmother didn't know; but Grandma knew the secret to keeping her mind straight and her heart full of God's peace. She had five grown children and numerous grandchildren, some of whom she was raising. She worked as a cleaning lady for the President of the local bank, both for the bank and for his home. Even with her demanding husband she served the ladies in her local church. There were problems beyond her control every day, and yet there were always warm baked goods on her table and healthy meals served.

I learned her secret when I was just a child. She was constantly humming or half-singing some old hymn as she was down on her knees scrubbing the already-clean floors. No matter what life threw at her, Grandma got busy doing the next thing. She knew what she was responsible for, and she attacked it like there was no tomorrow. (Do I have to say her house was always spotless, her laundry fresh and clean, and her appearance was impeccable?)

Later I learned patients in mental hospitals are given one small task per day to accomplish: today clean out that small drawer and organize it. Tomorrow it could be a larger drawer, but whenever the “next thing” is accomplished the patient’s confidence is boosted and mental clarity improves immediately.

There are times when life gets too confusing – too painful to allow one to even consider what can or should be done. It is during these critical times that doing the next thing is so critical. It’s just too easy to become mentally, emotionally, and then physically paralyzed by life – especially if one has survived domestic abuse in the past. Nothing ever disappears from our subconscious minds – it creeps out when we sleep, or an image (or sound) immediately transports us back to the painful times. That's why we must consciously move!

I have a friend who has known me forever, and she always says, “Girl, get out of your chair and do something – anything that requires no thought. Always, if I heed her advice, it breaks the paralysis! There’s something about doing “mindless work” (eg: scrubbing down the kitchen) that makes me feel I have some personal power, and I’m OK from that point.

Today don’t let anything paralyze you. If you’re a Christian, give the memory to God, then do your part – get up and do the next thing. It’s Grandma’s Secret for depression!

April Lorier is an Author, Christian Speaker, and Columnist. She has also been a classroom Music Teacher. She is the Founder of C.O.P.E., Inc., a non-profit organization formed for the retraining of abusive and neglectful parents, as well as for the education of the public. Her testimony before the California State Legislature helped to facilitate the passage of The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) in 1974 which Ronald Reagan signed. As a pastor’s daughter and a survivor of severe child abuse, April Lorier has an intimate knowledge of child abuse in and out of the church. She has spent the last thirty-five years ministering to survivors of abuse from her home base of Southern California. Her autobiography, "God’s Battered Child:
Journey from Abuse to Leader" (2007) is available at AMAZON.

Tips on Starting a Membership Site

By Lynette Chandler

Have you decided to start a membership site and are plain confused with all your options? How important are all the different features? What should you have in your site? To help you get going, here are a few key features that you should look for.

Automated member management.Any membership manager will sign people up, collect payment and allow access to private areas. But a good membership manager will do all that and also revoke or suspend access automatically when payments do not come through or the subscription is canceled.

Affiliate systemHappy members are the best sales force you can ever ask for. Why not take advantage of that? Look for a system that will allow you to make members into affiliates automatically and the flexibility to sign up non-member affiliates if you choose to.

Choice of payment processorsYou'll often find low priced membership site managers that will work well but will only take PayPal. When it comes to payment, you should always give people a choice. Though PayPal works well, some people do not like it. Also, despite their large network, people in certain countries still do not have access to PayPal. This unnecessarily limits your distribution.

Easy content managementThis is perhaps the most important outside of member management. You shouldn't be locked into one way of managing your premium content. There are some systems that have built in content management systems. This is good if you are very new to website building.

The down side is, you're locked into one way of managing your content. When you outgrow the system or would simply like to move on, you'll have a huge task at hand moving your premium content.

Ideally, you should look for a system that allows you to use:1.Popular site building tools like FrontPage or Dreamweaver2.A popular third party content management system of your choice
Multiple membership levelsThis is one area where many systems are lacking. Multiple membership levels is just smart marketing. Even if your current plan is a single level membership, a system that can handle different levels will ensure it'll be able to grow with you.

CustomizableWho wants a site that is just the same as the other? Choose a membership manager that will allow you to customize the look and feel down to the smallest detail.

Extend-ableMany membership managers are all-in-one built in systems. They cannot communicate with other software like forums, mailing list managers and help desks. This can severely limit what you can offer your members. An extend-able system can help you make your membership site more attractive, valuable or easy to manage.

So far, we've only covered short list of features. For some sites, certain things in this list may not be all that important. One thing is sure, membership sites are not like one time purchase products. They are dynamic and ever changing because members will constantly suggest new things. So you really want a membership manager that's scalable. Choose one that's flexible enough to allow you to add on, remove and shape your member's area as you go along.

Lynette Chandler helps small businesses utilize technology in their marketing and every day business. Discover how you can use technology to your business's advantage at TechBasedMarketing.com

Law of Attraction & Personal Freedom - Where Independence Truly Lies

By Jeannette Maw

The 4th of July annual celebration reminds us not to take our freedom for granted. We’re prompted to consciously acknowledge and appreciate the independence won years ago, and to support our government’s continuing efforts to maintain our citizen rights.

However, with a sector of Americans at odds with our leaders, feeling misrepresented, unheard and deceived, some feel anything but gratitude for our unperceived freedoms. Frustration and disempowerment are often more typical feelings for those who oppose the leadership of our government.

But true freedom isn’t dependent on outside conditions; it doesn’t require particular circumstances be in place for us to feel peace. In fact, if we require certain situations to exist before we acknowledge freedom, we are anything but free.

True freedom lies within. Until we tap into that truth we’re at the mercy of the world around us for our peace of mind, joy and any other emotions we attach to liberty.

What is Freedom?The word “freedom” itself invites the idea of being able to do as we please. The dictionary definition includes “being exempt from external control or interference,” “at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint,” and “the state of political or national independence.”

When we consider the nature of independence and liberty in our daily lives, many Americans – arguably the most privileged citizens to walk the planet - don’t feel strongly connected to these facets. We speak as if we’re slaves to a job or life responsibilities or even time. We believe that without an abundance of time, money or health, we aren’t free to live the lives we really want.
And with those thoughts we would be right; we are enslaved. Not by our job or position in life, but by our thoughts of such.

Our true freedom lies in our ability to deliberately choose our thoughts and feelings. When we practice choice of thought we no longer require things “out there” to be a certain way to feel peace “in here.” Our “feel good” comes from within. And it’s there waiting for us whenever we choose to entertain it.

Which means developing the discipline to choose how we think and feel is where we meet true freedom. When we realize we don’t have to have a certain amount of money in the bank, particular brand of government in office, health status, or whatever else we might condition our “feel good” on, we embrace authentic personal liberty.

How to Be FreeSince the foundation of freedom lies in our power to choose thoughts and feelings, we can embrace that power by developing a discipline of conscious choice. To resist the knee-jerk reactive thoughts that don’t feel good. And to find our way, one better-feeling thought after another, to more pleasant feelings.

As we practice conscious choice of thought, we no longer need the boss to acknowledge our contribution to feel good about our job. We don’t have to get an anniversary present to appreciate our spouse. We don’t require six months of living expenses saved up in order to sleep well.

The additional beauty of this practice is that once we regularly spend time with more pleasant thoughts, we attract a more pleasant life. One where bosses offer generous acknowledgements, spouses treat us like gold and money flows in abundance. Which just turns out to be icing on the cake, since we didn’t need any of that to enjoy life beforehand.

So next time you find yourself in a stressful conversation about the importance of patriotism, evils of terrorism, or whatever topic might inspire your negative feelings, remember your true freedom lies in your ability to choose your thoughts and how you feel. Instead of being stuck in anger or resentment, exercise your liberty to find your way to a better-feeling thought. Be picky about the thoughts you entertain.

Similarly, when you recognize you’re resisting a situation or circumstance in life, use it as an opportunity to come back to your personal freedom. Remember you are free to choose how you perceive it and how you feel. As you do so, you’ll find your sense of freedom increasing dramatically without anything else around you needing to change.

Our thoughts create our world. Until we consciously choose our thoughts, we are slaves to reality and are abandoning the freedom that is our human birthright. This holiday, celebrate your internal liberty to find your way to thoughts that create the world you want. Namaste.

Jeannette Maw is an Attraction Coach and founder of Good Vibe Coaching in Salt Lake City, Utah who helps clients get what they want using the Law of Attraction. She is co-author of "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol. 3" and "Inspired Attraction," and speaks regularly on the topic of deliberate creation.

Free tips and strategies to use the Law of Attraction to make your wish list come true are yours by signing up for her fluff-free "Get What You Want" bi-monthly ezine at http://www.goodvibecoach.com

Law of Attraction in the Real World is the topic of her blog at http://www.loaplayground.blogspot.com

How to Easily Learn Spanish

By Steve Dolan

What is the Quickest Way to learn Spanish?
To be honest the quickest way to learn spanish is to use the method(s) that resonate most ideally with you. Everyone has a different way of learning so choose the way that suits you best. You'll probably need to do some research beforehand to determine which is the easiest and quickest way for you yo learn spanish.

So How Do You Find The Right Way To learn Spanish?
The best way to learn Spanish for you will depend on what makes you comfortable. Here are five advantageous alternatives that people have used successfully to understand Spanish:

1. Check the newspaper for advertisements - there would be any amount of language institutes, which teach Spanish, in your vicinity. Check your newspaper to find when and what their terms for enrollment are. Keep in mind that the place should be as close as possible to your residence so as to cut travel time and costs to the minimum.

2. Check out books for learning Spanish - There are a number of books, which can help you learn Spanish in easy steps at home. Look out for books which have pictures, are bi-lingual and have a good teaching structure. Check with the sales people about which books they would recommend for whatever level you need. Also, ensure that you have a very good dictionary Spanish-English and (your native language)-Spanish.

3. Check the Internet - Internet is the greatest boon to humankind in these modern days. You can find anything you want with the help of the Net. There are any amount of online courses, which you can enroll in and understand Spanish at your own pace from the comfort and convenience of your home. You can compare prices; you can compare how long the courses are; you can also find the level of the language you want to gain knowledge in (basic, medium, advanced) and so on.

4. Read a lot - I cannot emphasize this matter enough. This is definitely one of the best ways to understand Spanish (or any other language) because this is the only way you can increase your vocabulary and learn how to use the words in the right context. You will find that the more you read, the more you will be able to think in Spanish and hence, your conversation will become fluent.

5. Check out a tutor - you can always have a regular tutor. However, here I am suggesting you to get an online tutor - a friend (you can check out MySpace since there are so many people out there who would love to handhold you during this process) who can guide you. This will make learning Spanish very interesting as well.

Now Take Action!
Probably the most ideal way to learn Spanish is by using one of the above or a combination of several different methods. Try some or all of them out and see what works for you and what doesn't. You'll find that the best way to learn Spanish is the method or combination that makes the learning easy, quick and thay you find the most fun. Of course you may have to tailor the methods to suit your lifestyle and available time too, but in the end you'll find your ideal method to understanding Spanish!

Steve Dolan is a European who has travelled extensively across Europe and understands the value of languages. Find out how to learn Spanish quickly and easily at Learn Spanish and for other languages try Foreign Languages

The Best Ab Workout: Hip Hop Abs

By Brett Maynard

When I first saw the info commercial for Hip Hop Abs it was late at night and I was eating a bag of microwave pop corn. It was around early springtime and I had been going on a not so healthy food binge and was starting to get annoyed by my eating habits and non physical lifestyle.

So when I saw the advertisement for Hip Hop Abs it made me somewhat excited because it was something that looked fun. You get to learn how to dance and grove, and all without doing a single sit-up or crunch. However, I was also skeptical because I've always tried many ways to get rid of my belly flab that I've had ever since I was around 12, but nothing ever seemed to really work, so I thought I would give it a try. I placed an order online and it got it within about two weeks.

The package came with three DVDs, a tape measure, a eating guide, and a guide that shows you the best ways to follow the program week by week. Two DVDs that they give you each have different programs that target certain areas of your mid section differently, and the last one is a five minute workout for on the run.

Before I even put on a single piece of workout attire I put the first DVD in and just watched most of it. There is a section on the first DVD that shows you how to 'tilt, tuck, and tighten' that is the basic movement to learning how to get a grove while giving your abs a core workout. After mimicking Shawn T. ( the instructor ) for a couple of times, it actually felt it working and was super easy.

So I ended up getting my running shoes on and moved my couch over a little so I would have some room for the workout. I also made sure I was alone for the time being, not knowing how I would look in the world of dance for the first time.

I'll be honest with you. The first time I did it, it felt really foreign and weird to me. I never went clubbing or dancing before this and I knew it showed. However, the next time I did it, I focused more on my 'own grove and style' like it says to do, and I found that it got more effective and easy. Plus, with Shawn T's entertaining advise guiding you along the way it becomes more and more engaging and fun.

After the first week I could tell that my stomach was shrinking a lot. By the first month and a half I lost about three inches, and that's a lot for me because my metabolism is so slow. I remember years before I would run miles and do hundreds of crunches in the months of the summer just to lose an inch or more, but it hardly ever would dramatically change the appearance of my stomach.

Hip hop Abs is an 'absolute engagement' program that combines an excellent cardiovascular workout with high impact muscle for effective targeting, and sculpting for the abs, hips, buns, and thighs.

Growing up as a very chubby kid when I was younger, I just thought it would always be with me and it would never change. That's why I was extremely excited when I was seeing results within the first month of this program.

I think the best thing about Hip Hop Abs is that you can do it for a while, get off of it and your weight will not come back. You can start up from where you left off and, as long as you don't go and pig out everyday, you will keep the weight off while having fun.

Brett M. is a student interested in humanities, media arts, writing, and film. He struggled with weight problems when he was younger.

You can visit Brett's page on Hip Hop Abs here.www.healthgenxyz.blogspot.com

Wedding Dress Self Defense

By Kristy Bloch

I know traditionally that I am supposed to save my wedding dress and give it to my daughter one day, but the darn thing is taking up too much space. Besides, if she’s anything like me, she’ll want something much “cooler” or up-to-date than what her Mom wore way back in 2007. So I’ve decided to sell it.

Sounds simple enough right? Place a classified ad in the paper or online, and some sweet, grateful, bride-to-be without much money will be able to look beautiful on her big day.

But that’s exactly how a predator called the “wedding dress rapist,” found his victims.

Terrorizing women in Alabama and Colorado, police believe this maniac is still roaming the streets. While his identity is unknown, police know that he finds his victims by looking through “Wedding Dress for Sale” classified ads.

Saying that he wanted to buy the dress for his daughter, once in the victim's home he would overpower and rape them.

Now here’s the good news…
Not all of the women this creep tried to attack became victims.

One woman who was called about her ad by this guy, refused to meet with him as each time he called her from a different number. In another case, from the moment the guy came in the door the women selling her dress had a bad feeling.

When he asked if she could wear for him, she told him to leave, and he attacked her. Unlike his other victims, she fought back using good self defense moves that targeted vital areas like the head and groin. She beat him pretty good and threw him out of her home. Neighbors chased after the guy and even took a picture of his car, but he escaped before police arrived.

The best way to win a fight against an attacker is to never get allow one to happen. If you don't like how someone sounds over the phone, or through the door, don't let them in your home. If your instincts tell you not to go a certain direction, or that there is something wrong with somebody, listen…because you are probably right.

If you walk alone, try to find the safest route even if it takes a little longer. Don't always leave at the same time, and know more then one way to get home. If you are approached your first move should always be to run away.

As the instructor mentor for the International Association of Close Combat Professionals, I work with a number of highly skilled self-defense instructors. Many of which have female students who successfully fought off attackers.

In all cases, the key element that made their self defense training work each and every time was that they were attentive to their surroundings and made their move when they needed to.

In this busy world it is easy to overlook safety because most of the time things run fine. There are a lot of nice people in this world, and most do business with strangers every day without incident. But it is vitally important for every woman to remember that there are plenty of dangerous people as well that will exploit any opportunity you hand them.

When it comes to self defense keep it simple. Get away at the first opportunity, and if you have to fight, hurt them until you're able to get away.

This is not a game, not a sport, and not a martial arts competition. This is a matter of life and death, and you have to;

1) Have proper, legitimate self defense training (Not kiddie street corner Karate)
2) Be smart and vigilant in all your dealings with strangers
3) Be ready to fight for your life and to protect your body if you need to

You do not need to live a life of constant fear and paranoia to apply these tactics, just a little preparation and some good old fashioned common sense. Like the common sense not to invite a strange man over your house to look at your wedding dress (I’ll be using EBay to sell mine).

Kristy Bloch is an Instructor Mentor in the International Association of Close Combat Professionals. She left the corporate world behind in order to pursue her true passion martial arts. She has train in various martial arts including Karate, Judo, and Jujitsu. She is a long time advocate of women's self defense. For more information:
http://tstraining.powweb.com/dod/attention_women.htm

Making "For Sale By Owner" A Reality

By Ken Hamric

There is a rising trend in home sale in this country, selling your home yourself. Many home owners have come to terms with the fact that with a bit or education and effort they can sell their homes without the aid of a realtor and save some money on commissions. Now, understand that selling your home yourself does take quite a bit more effort than sitting back and letting an agent do all the work, but the final outcome can be quite profitable if the situation is handled correctly. So let's have a brief look at some of the tactics that the average owner can utilize to sell their home without using a real estate agent.

The first step in this process will be having a complete home evaluation done. In order to be competitive with other homes for sale you will need to know the selling value of your home. This is not what you think the home should sell for but what the market dictates that your home should be sold for. Pricing your home from an emotional standpoint almost never results in success. If you want further confirmation of the proper asking price, have a few agents do a CMA on your home. This is a free service that most agents will provide and will give you a good idea of what you should list the home for.

Now let's consider the marketing of your home. Typically agents have quite the advertising budget for home they list but this can be easily remedied by finding a few good FSBO listing sites and perhaps considering a flat-fee MLS listing. The idea behind the MLS listing is that local agents will have access to your home and it's particulars so it becomes a viable option for their clients and you would be remiss to eliminate ANY clients that may be interested in your home.

If you have thought about holding open houses then make sure you have planned ahead for this event. It will be quite different from an agent's open house as you have the ability to impart much more info about the home, just be careful that you don't get too caught up in the memories and make visitors uncomfortable. After all they will want to be able to form their own opinions on the home and their own memories there if they buy it without having to remember about events good or bad that you told them about. Also, viewers may be hesitant to express their true opinions to you the owner so be open minded and don't take it personally if someone has some negative feedback for you. Take it graciously and use it to improve the way your home shows.

Ken Hamric is a representative of http://www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S.
and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Boldness and Success Go Hand-In-Hand

By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

A bold attitude will inspire you to seek out an entirely new range of oftentimes challenging experiences.

“Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” --Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
“Fortune befriends the bold.” -- John Dryden

Feelings of boldness can influence the choices you make. You may feel compelled to step out of your comfort zone, personally or professionally, so that you can explore all that the world has to offer. In your zeal to enjoy new experiences, you might occasionally feel a sense of discomfort at being out of your element. This is part of the growth process. Your courage can sustain you as you immerse yourself in unfamiliar territory and struggle to learn who you truly are. If you feel lost or directionless, you can get back on track by seeking out a mentor/coach, who understands your quest for change.

Personal and professional growth tends to be uncomfortable precisely because it requires you to face challenges that are entirely new. While it is possible to make small leaps in evolution without broadening your horizons to the extreme, the progress you achieve will invariably be more profound when you remove yourself from your comfort zone in order to face the unknown head on. This requires faith on your part, as it will be rare that you are totally sure that your efforts to discover more about yourself and about the world around you will be met with total success. However, the rewards you eventually come to are frequently worth the temporary stress caused by your departure from all that you have embraced as fact in the past.

Success is the progressive realization of meaningful goals. This definition means that you will continually realize success one goal at a time with another goal waiting to be realized. Goals, by definition, are: measurable, achievable, observable and timely—you set your own goals—and how to measure them.

Goals are quantitative—winning an award, meeting an earnings goal or sales quota, obtaining a new job or promotion, getting married, losing weight, pulling off an event you organized, taking a trip, learning a sport, etc. Or they can be qualitative—forgiving someone, facing a crises with tact, compassion, level headedness and leadership, or reaching out to others, changing a bad habit, improving communication or relationship skills, etc.

Quantitative and qualitative goals may be declared in every area of your life, and if they are important to you, they are how you create a meaningful life.

“Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold.” --Herbert Spencer

“Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly.” --Henry J. Kaiser

“It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.” -- Aesop

“Courage is the greatest of all the virtues. Because if you haven't courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others. --Samuel Johnson

“Boldness in business is the first, second, and third thing.” --H. G. Bohn

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one's daily thoughts and feelings.

http://www.drdorothy.net

Six Tips On The Best Way To Burn Fat

By Paul Foley

Are you looking for the best ways to burn fat? If you are then do not worry, you are not alone. Here are six tips that if followed correctly will help you to burn fat.

1. The most obvious tip I can give you is to watch what you eat. The best way to burn fat is to stop eating so much and start watching what you eat. Rather than eating a bowl of ice cream have an apple. Simple things like that can help you to considerable burn fat.

2. Move around as much as possible. Most trainers will tell you that the best way to burn fat and lose weight is to move whenever possible. The best way to do this is to walk after you eat, go for a walk with your dog or just walk to the park. If you go somewhere do not look for the closest parking spot but try to park far away and walk, it will be good for you in the long run.

3. Do as much weight training as you can. The best way to build lean muscle and burn fat is to lift weights whenever possible. I would recommend you join a club or get on a weight lifting program.

4. The most important meal of the day is breakfast, so make sure you eat a healthy breakfast.
You should eat every two to three hours. Make sure you eat healthy food but you should only be eating small meals and snacks because they will help your body burn fat much easier than only eating large meals.

5. You need to exercise more. Go out and find an exercise you enjoy. If you find an exercise you enjoy then you will want to do it more than if you are doing something you do not enjoy. Go for a jog through the mountains, walk a dog, anything that will get you exercise.

6. Do not stop eating food! Many people believe that if they do not eat food they will begin to burn fat, this is not true though. The body needs you to continue to eat food, just watch what you eat and eat small amounts every three hours or so and you should be fine.

These are just six tips that I have found to be helpful when you are looking for the best way to burn fat.

The author used to suffer from a serious weight problem, but after a short battle has overcome it. To find out how I burn the fat - You can find more here Free Fat Burning Info

Seller Lost in the Deep Amazon Jungle of Brazil!

By Scott Daniels

I`m scratching my head in disbelief. We showed property last Saturday and our buyers loved this one house! We wrote the offer.

It`s a great offer with no surprises, The asking price was $479,000, we offered $460,000 with a 3% sellers contribution, The home has been vacant for 4 months, so the "Motivation" to sell the home should be there, right?! Wrong!

Normally, when i receive an offer, I call,fax or email a response within an hour after receiving the offer thanking the B/A for their offer and notifying them that we`ll get back to them ASAP! It`s called professional courtesy.

The company I`m dealing with begins with two initials in their name, so I figure that they`re on the up and up! They have a virtual assistant, an assistant on top of the virtual assistant and nobody there picks up a telephone, making it even more complicated to locate them.

This particular company seems to believe that it`s perfectly acceptable and finds nothing wrong with having a horrific attitude! I think they teach this in their seminars...It seems that everyone is always at one! How do they have time to see clients, I keep wondering!

They have no excuses why they can`t return their calls in a timely manner. The Buyer is antsy, which is why we started sending him additional emails of other properties to view. I`ve already explained to him, that this company may already be stalling and playing our offer against one of their own.

Last night I finally received a call from the "Teams Rainmaker" who expressed dismay that this team wasn`t following up! He starts explaining that the Seller can`t be reached because he`s in the "Deepest Jungles of Brazil!!!" No lie, I wish I could make this up!

They start backpeddling by telling us they have no way of locating the client!

South Florida is a multi cultural area. People from all over the world reside here or have second homes here. Many times I handle clients from Central or South America, and they always leave me instructions where to send important papers to them without any down stroke!

One would assume that these sellers gave the Agents similar instructions. The offer has been sitting there 4 days, I explain to the "Teams Rainmaker" doesn`t FEDEX deliver, or how about sending an email?!!

Jungle or no Jungle, this is a mess!

scott daniels
florida list for less realty,inc.
954-275-0200.
http://www.listfloridahomesforless.com

Secret Romantic Love Poems

By Adam P Archer

Romantic love poems are the poem of choice by many, although there are other great topics and all sorts of other types of poems, romantic love poems is what people automatically think of when the word poem comes up.

Back in the days when Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare, ruled, you can be sure Romeo tried and tried to seduce Juliet, and one of his many tactics was the all o mighty romantic love poems, and the reason being is they always work by capturing your lovers heart almost instantly.

Even today romantic love poems are a great tool used by many men trying to impress or win the love of a special lady in their life, there are many ways romantic love poems can be used, but a more widely used method of choice is the online email transfer. People are sending their loved ones romantic love poems by the thousands every single day.

Writing your own romantic love poem or finding one already written for you. if your a very creative person, you can write your own material, but if your not creative, you probably do not want to take the chance of using your own words, you could destroy the whole idea. So, the best thing to do would be to surf the internet for the best romantic love poem that suits you best or maybe something you seem to agree with more.

Just by typing the word "Romantic Love Poems" in your favorite search engine you would get thousand of results to choose from, you could also use the word love poems, even though its a bit broad you would still get some decent results. Then search through the material cause there's going to be a whole lot of it, and find that perfect romantic love poem for your special partner. Put it in an email, subject a romantic I love you poem. You can guarantee whoever see's that is going to open it as soon as they can, just waiting to see what you have written.

The secret they will never know if you wrote the poem, or had someone else do it for you, so make sure when you find a romantic love poem for you and her that it will not be so easy for them to find aswell, just in case they do search to see if you did write it or not.

Romantic love poems are on of the most efficient way's of expressing your true love to that special person in your life. If you would like more info about romantic love poems please visit the site. 2flavorlove.com

Tech Review - Microsoft Zune 30GB Media Player

By Calvin Chang

Apple’s almighty iPod has yet another competitor - Microsoft’s Zune Media Player. You had to have seen it coming - Bill wasn’t about to let his old friend Steve monopolize a market. That was supposed to be Microsoft’s thing. Sure, the iPod is at the pinnacle of its dominion now with many a diehard follower, but this won’t be the first time Microsoft makes a late challenge - the Playstation was at its peak as well when the Xbox butted in and now the 360 has the edge on Sony’s PS3. The point is, Microsoft is not a company to be overlooked, and it’s media player offering is worth looking over.

As a direct competitor to the 30GB iPod video, it plays music, videos and shows photos. On the surface, my Zune is soothing to touch and nicely packaged and a lot hardier - harder to scratch and besmirch. It’s a little taller and quite a bit wider though (justified in part by a 3“, 4:3 LCD screen compared to the iPod‘s 2.5“ - the larger screen is a certain plus), but much heavier - even more so than the 80GB iPod.

Regarding battery life, my Zune can play music for 12 hours and videos for about 3.5 hours, each on a single charge. It takes about 2-3 hours to fully recharge and like iPods, they don’t come with chargers, you’d need to do it over USB.

The Zune doesn’t come with a manual - everything is pretty commonsense. Turning it on reveals a colorful and energetically animated selection menu, thumbing left or right on the touch pad alternates between artists, playlists, tracks and albums, and navigating was quick and smooth.

A important issue to note is that the Zune’s software needs Windows XP- excluding those of you with MAC OS, Win98 or Linux.

Files supported include .mp3, .mp4, .mov, .wmv and .jpeg but because it uses a newer version of the WMA-DRM, it doesn’t work with tracks from stores like Napster: rather it uses its own software and store, the Marketplace where you can subscribe for a monthly flat $15 for any amount of downloads. Syncing CD burnt tracks, unprotected files and even iTunes playlists worked fine - just not those from Apple direct.

The video and sound quality is expectably good, certainly comparable to that of the iPod and it glided through my 15GB of songs smoothly - there weren’t any of the annoying little pauses the iPod suffers.

Its most distinguishing feature is certainly WiFi, so users can share media with other Zune users nearby, and shared tracks are conveniently stored in a separate folder so you don’t mix up. Its okay for now but still rather limited - songs only last for 3 days or 3 plays, whichever comes first, and it only works with other Zunes. On the plus side, though, shared pictures never expire and the Zune can link with the Xbox 360 for your own tunes replacing game tracks, which seem to be repetitive and boring at times.

So should you buy the Zune? It’s quite a bit bulkier, and the Marketplace is lacking in that it has no videos for that big Zune screen about 2mil tracks compared to Apple’s 3.5 mil. But on the plus side, it’s hardier and fits nicely in the hand, it has great sound and video quality, its media up/download and Marketplace software is user-friendly, and that larger screen is just beautiful.
I’d say it’s about a 8 out of 10 in my book, and worth considering for anyone that isn’t an iPod fanatic.

Visit FroggieShops.com daily for great online deals and product reviews© 2001 - 2007 www.froggieshops.com

Defining Yourself

By Nitish Kapoor

How do you define self respect? While you ponder upon this question,there is another one. What is more important respecting others or self respect? Well never mind I'll give you the answer. Both the questions answer each other within themselves. This is the beauty of words.

Only a few can understand this. Are you one of those? Never mind I'll give you the answer. You are not what you are, you are what you decide to be You are not what you want to be, but you are what you have to be. The two lines although look conflicting but are completely exhaustive of each other. If the option is with you, you can decide. But if not, you are what the situation demand of you.

Walking down along the straight line is very easy.The problem lies when you have to draw the line yourself and then walk along with it.You have to make sure about two things-One that the line drawn is straight and second that you do not make any mistakes in coping up with the length and trajectory of the line.

Even if you do not succeed it is still better than letting any one else draw the line for you.
There is another question- Are the lines drawn realistic or far fetched?

Walking down the fantasy lanes is easy,because then your mind is devoid of any complaints. But no matter how tempting and lucrative they look they will take you no where,for dream no matter how close to your heart is always short lived.

How To Buy Good Jewelry Wholesale

By James Ott

If you love jewelry, then you probably also know just how much it can cost to buy good quality jewelry. For most of us, our budgets are too limited to allow us to buy all the jewelry we would dearly love to have. So buying jewelry wholesale and saving lots of money is a great idea for expanding your jewelry collection at a budget price.

Recently, the expansion of the internet has made buying jewelry wholesale a whole lot easier. Many wholesale companies can be accessed online from the comfort of your own home. One thing to be careful of, however, is that there are two main types of jewelry sites online. Make sure you're looking at the wholesale company sites, not at the sites of online jewelry retailers. Otherwise you could still end up paying close to retail prices.

When you're looking to buy jewelry wholesale, look for wholesale companies that sell a whole range of products, not just jewelry. That's one of the best ways to recognize a store that's a genuine wholesaler, not just a jeweler trying to cash in on the desire of buyers to find a bargain.
Those type of wholesalers are more difficult to find so you really need to check carefully before you buy. Better to be safe then sorry specially when dealing with faceless persons on the "web."

If you plan to buy jewelry wholesale on a regular basis, then it may be worth purchasing a directory of wholesale companies online, but that's generally not necessary. Just type into a search engine what piece of jewelry you're looking for, followed by the word wholesale. So, for example, type in 'diamond bracelet wholesale'. Then it's just a question of sorting through the results until you find a genuine wholesale site that sells what you want.

The main problem in buying jewelry wholesale online is that some wholesalers will only sell their stock in bulk lots. So again, you will need to check the conditions of sale before buying a piece of jewelry, just to make sure you don't end up with 10 of the same thing, rather than one.

If this all sounds like a lot of trouble, there are other options. Look at joining a discount club, like Sam's. You won't get prices as low as buying jewelry wholesale, but you can still get substantial savings on ordinary retail prices. That may be enough when you consider how much time you'll save.

When buying jewelry wholesale online, it's important to be very sure you'll get what it is you've ordered. Check for words in the sales copy that could be misinterpreted - for example, 'realistic'. Often that is a clue that the item isn't genuine. Check for a refund or exchange policy, and a money back guarantee. These are important, because you need to be confident that you have the option of getting your money back if you're not happy with the quality of the goods you receive.

It can also be a good option to buy jewelry through eBay, where you can sometimes pick up good quality jewelry at the equivalent of wholesale prices. Just make sure the seller has good feedback and ratings, and if it's an expensive piece, use an escrow service. Buying jewelry wholesale is a great way to expand your jewelry collection quickly, but you need to be careful and make sure you really are getting a good deal.

Jim Ott is the author. For more information and help in buying wholesale and on the web, see http://www.berts-jewelry.com

5 Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

By Brandon Johnsonn

Kids are notoriously picky eaters. If it doesn't come in a box with a cute cartoon character promoting it, then they probably aren't interested. It's important to get your children to develop healthy eating habits early on, without having to force them to reluctantly choke down something they don't enjoy. In fact, making them eat certain foods could backfire, leading to binge snacking when you're not looking and/or having a bad association with a certain food for the rest of their life.

Here are 5 tips to ensure that your child is eating healthy because they know it's good for them. Teach them early on, and they will continue their nutritious eating habits for the rest of their lives.

Teach - First and foremost, talk to your kids and teach them that eating healthy will help them to "grow up and be big and strong". Just like talks about drugs or smoking, if they know why they should do things a certain way and how it could benefit them, they are much more likely to listen.

Variety - If they've been eating lots of unhealthy foods and snacks until now, ease them into their new eating habits. For the first few weeks, allow them to continue eating a few of their favorite foods, but mix in something nutritious with the same meal. Just mixing in a sliced apple or a bowl of corn with their dinner will help to widen their palette and develop tastes for new foods.

Schedule - Stick to an organized schedule for family meals. If you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day, your child will be hungry at the right times and less likely to fill up on snacks and junk food.

Tastes Change - As a child, and even into adulthood, our tastes and flavor preferences can change dramatically. So, just because junior despises the taste of broccoli now, he could develop a taste for it later on. If there's a specific healthy food your child refuses to eat, reintroduce it in new ways every few weeks. In the case of broccoli, for example, try mixing it in with a salad or chicken wrap to overcome the "ewww broccoli" stereotype.

Meal Environment - Try to have all meals in an organized setting with the entire family. If you're all eating and talking at a dining table without television or other distractions, your children will view mealtime as a pleasant social experience, rather than a minor annoyance they endure in between playtimes.

Put these tips to use starting with your next meal, and you can begin building the foundation for your child's healthy lifestyle. And, don't forget to lead by example Mom and Dad!

FitBuff.com is your portal to total mind and body fitness. We have a variety of articles, advice, and information to help you improve your brain power, dating, exercise, family, grooming, money, nutrition, sex, stress, work, and so much more.

Why don't you check out FitBuff.com right now - Click Here to Visit FitBuff.com Right Now!

9 Great Golf Courses in Hawaii

By Sunil Tanna

The United States is blessed with many beautiful public courses, and Hawaii, despite being a relative small state, is blessed with more than its fair share. In this article, we will review some of beautiful public golf courses in Hawaii, and what they offer.

1. and 2. Lanai offers two high-quality golf courses. Perhaps the better known is "The Challenge at Manele", which was designed by Jack Nicklaus, and is a course set among lava outcrops and overlooks, from the top of steep cliffs, the Pacific Ocean. The second of Lanai's courses is very different: "The Experience at Koele" winds its way through the island's tropical uplands.

3. and 4. Kapalua, which is on the northwest coast of Maui, offers two superb golf courses, "The Bay Course" and "The Plantation Course". The Plantation Course is home to the PGA TOUR Mercedes-Benz Championship in January of each year, and features many spectacular and beautiful landscapes.

5. The Kiele Course at Kauai Lagoons Golf Club is one of 14 golf courses (spread through British Columbia and Hawaii) owned by the GolfBC Group. The course was created by Jack Nicklaus, and features stunning cliffs, 40-acres of fresh water lagoons, and even a wedding chapel just off from the 17th tee.

6. Ko'olau Golf Course, on eastern Oahu, is known for having one of, if not the toughest, golf course in country. The course is spectacularly set beneath the Ko'olau Ridge mountain range.

7. Poipu Bay Golf Course is known as a unique and exciting course, that is home to many native species including seals, sea turtles, geese and even humpback whales.

8. and 9. Princeville overlooks Hanalei Bay on Kauai. The area is home to a hotel, a spa and two very different golf courses ("Prince Golf Course" and "Makai Golf Course") that were designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Perhaps the most noteable, Prince Golf Course, features a challenging rolling terrain landscape, and has deservingly been named by Golf Digest as the best course in the state.

For information on 100 public golf courses in the USA, and a detailed guide to family-friendly golf vacations in the USA, please visit http://www.guide2golfvacations.com/

For a guide to improving your golf fitness, please visit http://www.guide2golffitness.com/

If you have a golf web site, click the "Affiliates" link at the bottom of the page to earn great commissions promoting either of these guides.

Internet Marketing - The Power of Blogging

By Marenda Hughes Taylor

Bloggers are quickly becoming centers of influence on and offline. More and more people are turning to their favorite trusted blogs for information, recommendations, and to exchange ideas. The most popular blogs are updated daily and provide faithful readers with fresh new information. This constant flow of fresh content attracts new readers and keeps them coming back.

Blogs are “A Must” for webpreneurs. Blogging is a free and effective internet marketing opportunity that can take your business to the next level.

The Power of Blogging:1. The Internet is known as the information super highway because Internet users are seeking information. Blogging allows you to be a provider of information. Demonstrate your expertise in your field or niche. Blogging enables you share your knowledge and experience with others.

2. Blogging gives you a platform to introduce your products, services, and/or business to people interested in what you have to say and what you are doing.

3. Blogging daily increases your search engine rankings, making it easier for people to find you.
4. Blogging increases website traffic and backlinks to your website.

5. Blogging creates opportunities to establish credibility, gain referrals, communicate, network, establish dialog, and get valuable feedback. A blog is like your own online community and you are the center of influence. Being an influential blogger opens doors of opportunity for joint ventures and additional streams of income. As your blog grows so will the opportunities.

The Law of Opportunity- Your greatest possibilities will often come from the most common situations around you. Your biggest opportunity probably lies under your own feet…-Brian Tracy

Blogging is an opportunity in which the possibilities are endless. Use the power of blogging. Start blogging today.

About the author: Marenda Hughes Taylor is Chief Operating Officer of 1st Love Records, a living life abundantly motivator, an Internet business owner, and mentor. Get more online marketing tips, tools, and resources, including YouTube and CraigsList marketing secrets by visiting: http://www.onlinemarketing.marenda.biz/

Search Engine Optimization Tips - Super Easy Search Engine Optimization Tips

By Matt Canei

Search Engine Optimization is a lengthy process that requires a lot of patience and a lot of time. Once it is done properly the rewards of being on the first page of Google are unparalleled. Below is an assortment of SEO tips that will aid in raising your website or blog up the search engine ranks.

- Make the most use of the HTML header in your web pages. Make sure the main keyword phrase that you are targeting is present in full in your title, the first entry of your keyword meta tag, and in the first part of your site’s description.

- Do proper keyword research and after doing so do not target keywords that are too competitive or the sites on the first page have authority status or high page ranks. I believe authority status is defined by PR5 sites or above.

- Build backlinks through submissions to link directories. Also run a link query (link:URL) of the first few sites on page one for your main keyword and see what sites they have backlinks on. Get links on those same sites then get more and beat them!

- Try to write at least 5 articles startup when you launch your site in addition with a press release, then write no less than one article a day that is completely original and unique even if it is on the same topic as prior articles try to write it from scratch. Include your site’s link in the author bio as it will build both backlinks and credibility as readers become aware of your expertise.

- Submit your website and articles to social bookmarking sites like digg.com and del.icio.us for a viral effect. This will build backlinks on these high PR social networks.

- Make sure your content is unique and original and is not copied from elsewhere or duplicated from already written articles. If you want to use the articles you submitted to directories then rewrite 30-40% of the article so search engines pick it up as unique content. Search engines penalize for duplicate content so make it unique. Unique content is king!

- Include your targeted keywords within your website’s content, the normal rate of keyword density is 3-5% of your content is keywords you are targeting, and definitely include your primary keyword phrase. However, do not spam your content with keywords all over the place or search engines will DQ them.

To discover exactly how to implement these tips and maximize their potential read http://www.seofornoobs.com The contents include: how to set up meta tags, keyword research, article directory submission, link directory submission, search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, adwords and much more.

Get Serious About Promoting Your Web Site

By Daryl Putnam

You've built your web site. You've validated, tweaked, optimized and made it as effective, perfect, and useful as possible. You've manually submitted to search engines and relevant directories. Your content is fresh, unique and free of spelling and grammatical errors. You've done everything that you should and yet your web site just sits there, languishing, in Internet obscurity.

We all know that without visitors/traffic there's little chance that your web site is going to accomplish the results you desire. We understand that we need visitors to sell our products or services and we know that it's not enough to rely on search engines to supply the traffic necessary for success.

So what's the secret? How do you get those all important visitors to your web site? Unfortunately their are no quick fixes or magic formulas, that I know of, but their are things that you can do. The first thing that you need to do is get serious about marketing your web site. Let's face it, your not going to have visitors if no one knows you exist. Forget about search engine optimization and start getting the word out. Your site's great, leave it alone and work on promotion.

Once you have decided to do some serious marketing the next thing that you should do is to decide on a strategy and start a marketing campaign. Their are three tried and true strategies that you can use to self-promote your web site that needs no additional software and is absolutely free. Those strategies are writing articles, writing press releases and link requests. In this article we are going to talk about link requests.

link requests In marketing the term popularity refers to sites of the same niche (sites that are relevant to the content of your web site) that link to you. Increasing your popularity is one of, if not the best, form of marketing your web site. So, sit down and write a link request.

Each link request should be as personalized as possible, but to save time, you could create a link request template. You can edit the appropriate information in the template for each request.
The request should be professional, courteous, and to the point. Compliment the webmaster on his or her site, tell them where you have placed their link on your site, where you would like them to place your link, thank them for considering your request and close.

Use the webmasters name When you find a site that you would like to link to you should familiarize yourself with the site. Search the site and find the webmasters name and include it in the subject line and the request. Dear Jim sounds a lot more personal than Dear Webmaster and it proves that you have actually spent time on their web site.

Use your name Introduce yourself immediately by giving your name. "Hi Jim my name is Daryl" makes the request more personal and more apt to be considered by the reader. If you have a business you can also include your phone number. You probably won't get a call but it gives your email much more credibility.

Give your contact information

Illegitimate email does not include contact information so be sure to include your email address and your URL. Let them know that you are eager to hear from them.

When you find a relevant site edit the appropriate information in your template, link to it, and then send the webmaster your link request. Make it as easy as possible for the webmaster to link to your site. If the webmaster has not responded to your request after a predetermined time remove his/her link from your web site.

Link managementAs the number of sites that link to you increases you may want to add a link management system. Link managers automatically check your reciprocal links and remove those that no longer link back to your site. You can find several really good link management scripts that are free to use.

To win you have to compete and to compete you have to get into the game. So send a link request to as many quality relevant sites as possible. The more requests you make, the greater your chances of success. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". And don't be afraid to ask sites with a high page rank. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The higher the page rank of the site the greater the degree of importance. One link from a site with a rank of 7 is worth 100 with a rank of 0.

Daryl Putnam is the creator of the popular web site Web Essentials and other web based educational Internet sites. He is also the author of numerous authoritative articles on web design and development topics. To learn more about web site design and development visit Web Essentials.

Finally - A Top Secret Way You Can Get Google AdWords Pay-Per-Clicks FREE

By C Sankar

A gentleman from New York discovered what he calls an "oversight" on the part of 99.9% of all marketers that allows him to get otherwise paid-for advertising at Google as well as all other search engines that allow sponsored ads.

Now to everyone else's fortune, the city slicker is releasing his secret for getting an unlimited amount of pay-per-click ads to the general public. But he's not promising any of us for how long.

One famous public web guru pointed out that although this man may gain economically more so as a result of the publication of his secret "he's already so amazingly rich that whether he continues or discontinues its sale will neither make nor break the man, but not grabbing it for yourself while it's still available could prove disastrous for you as you may only have one chance, and a very limited one at that, to get this."

While you're there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in targeted advertising now made freely available to the rest of us?

It's in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.

And no, nothing about his "secret" is illegal - nor does it require that you know someone on the "inside" at Google, Yahoo, MSN, Overture and others. for advertising at Google as well as all other search engines that allow sponsored ads.

I'm Sankar and I have been in this business for over a year now and I am making just over a thousand dollars a day. I now love writing articles and helping people make the kind of money I do. I'm sure you are just like me. I hated working 8 to 5 every day making everyone money but myself. It is currently available at:http://www.payforread.bravehost.comC Sankar

The Subconscious Mind & Music

By Marenda Hughes Taylor

Recording artists often use music as a means for self-expression and people listen to music because they usually can identify with what is being expressed.

There is a song that fits any situation, circumstance, and emotion. Music can soothe, calm, and relax. Music can also, depress, anger, and agitate. It all depends on what you’re listening to.
Music strikes a chord within us that taps into our emotions. The melody, rhythm, beat, and lyrics create an experience in which we channel our feelings.

The repetition and reiteration of key words and phrases in music helps us to remember songs so that we can sing along, but at the same time it also invokes the power of suggestion, arousing our subconscious mind.

For so many people music is like medicine. A friend of mine refers to music as her “Drug of choice.”

A proper dose of music can be just what the doctor ordered, but it’s important that we take the time to identify the best prescription and dosage for our particular state of mind.

Unlike medicine or prescription drugs, music does not come with direction labels or instructions. We take in music by choice and at our own risk.

Bob was an alcoholic, with low self-esteem, and he was always depressed. His greatest fear was that his wife would leave him and he would be alone. His music prescription of choice was the blues. Bob got drunk every day and sang the blues. If it wasn’t blues he didn’t want to hear it. One day Bob came home and found he was actually living out his favorite blues songs. His “baby” left him.

Angie lacked self-confidence, she thought that she was over weight and felt unattractive. She loved listening to R&B and Pop. She listened to India Arie and Christina Aguilera every day. The more she listened to her favorite songs “Beautiful” and “Video” the more she became comfortable in her own skin. Angie now feels good about her self and as a result she is doing well in every area of her life.

While we cannot blame music for the circumstances of our lives we can blame ourselves for not listening to music that inspires us to greatness, encourages our heart, or plants meaningful seeds in our subconscious minds.

When we sing along with songs and repeat lyrics over and over, those words have power and become affirmations. Spoken words including singing are powerful. Our words whether we’re speaking, singing, or repeating reinforce universal laws such as the law of attraction.

You’ve heard the saying “you are what you eat.” I think the same can be said about music. You are what you listen to.

What a scary thought if your favorite song is “I’m a Flirt” by R. Kelly; there’s hope if it’s “Everyone Cared” by Nickelback.

If music is like medicine to you, or if it’s your drug of choice make sure you are taking the right prescription and the proper dosage.

I take a daily dosage of “Never Give Up” by Tommy Lockhart.

About the author: Marenda Hughes Taylor is Chief Operating Officer of 1st Love Records, a living life abundantly Motivator, and an Internet Business Owner. To contact Marenda or for more information visit: http://myspace.com/marenda