What To Pay When You Can't Pay Everything

With ever increasing consumer debt more of us are finding ourselves robbing Peter to pay Paul each month.

We go through our bills and find that the money just won't stretch far enough to cover all of the bills and expenses. It's hard to decide who you should pay when you have one bill that is stamped with "Final Notice" and you are behind on several of your other bills.

If you don't pay the credit cards you know that you are going to start getting those harassing phone calls. If you don't pay the house payment you are looking at foreclosure. If you don't pay the utilities they will shut them off. How do you decide?

When you get to this point it's time to get down to basic survival and work from there.

I have actually talked to people that stated their credit cards were up to date but their mortgage was two months behind. This is one of the biggest mistakes we can make when we don't have the money to pay everything.

Another mistake I see on a regular basis is that some people pay their bills at the expense of their food budget.

If you have the money to pay some of your bills you have to start with groceries first and necessary health items. You can try to save as much as possible on your food but that money has to be set aside before anything else.

The next bill you must pay is your mortgage or rent. While credit cards companies will drag out their collection process, mortgage companies and landlords will start the process of foreclosure or eviction within just a couple of months.

Your next priority is your utilities. In many cases utility companies will turn off your utilities if the bill isn't paid within a few days of receiving the bill.

Once you are sure you have enough to eat and a roof over your head you can start thinking about your other bills. The secured loans, like your car payment, should come before your unsecured loans, like your credit cards.

The reason for this is simple. Creditors that have secured property will sue or repossess much quicker than the credit card companies.

If you find yourself in this situation it is a sign that you need to do something drastic and fast. By not paying all of your bills each month they are going to add up quickly and you are going to accumulate a lot of late fees.

The best place to start is to find out exactly where you stand and what is causing the problem. This is as simple as listing your income on one side of a piece of paper and your bills on the other. Total each and subtract your bills from your income.

Your next step is to develop a budget. You can find a free and simple budget by visiting The Complete Budget and Bill Organizer at http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline.html

Whether you use my budget system or another it is very important that you start one as soon as possible. For those of you that believe a budget is to restrictive, just the opposite is true. The only way you can get what you want and know you can afford it is to have a budget in place.

It is important that you pay all of your bills on time each month. When you don't have the money to pay everything it is vital to your survival that you pay the most important bills first.

Terry Rigg is the author of Living Within Your Means - The Easy Way http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/ebookadpage.html and editor of the Budget Stretcher web site. Join the thousands of subscribers to The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and get great articles, tips, downloads and a lot of Budget Help by visiting his home page at http://www.homemoneyhelp.com

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What Is This Blue Lumber?

Sunday night I was sitting around watching the Simpsons, my favorite TV show when I get a call from my dad. He was watching that show Extreme Home Makeover and he notice that they where building the house out of blue lumber. He asked me "Why is this lumber blue?" Confused, I was like "blue lumber?" I asked him did it look blue or was it blue, and he told me it was BLUE, the whole house. Not knowing what he was talking about I did some research, on this blue wood he was talking about, and came across some interesting facts on it.

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Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes

To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read, believed and acted upon. In order to do this it must attract attention, warm the interest of the reader, create a desire for your product or service and cause your prospect to take positive action.

An effective sales letter, not surprisingly, achieves the same objectives as an effective salesperson. And just as there are certain mistakes a salesperson wants to be sure to avoid in the selling process, the same holds true for the writer of sales letters.

So today I present Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes. Eliminate one or more of the common blunders described here and it's a good bet your response rates will improve.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 1 Writing Your Letter For the Hundreds or Thousands of People You Will Be Mailing It To Instead of One Special Person. One sure way to generate an apathetic response to your sales letter is to write for the group or list of people you will be mailing it to.

Approaching your letter with a crowd mentality instead of focusing in on a single, real, living, breathing prospect will greatly impair the ability of your letter to make a genuine connection with the reader.

The sales letter is the most personal, one-to-one form of advertising there is. As is often said, it's the only form of advertising that begins with the word "dear." So it should read like one person sitting down writing to one other person. And heres a crystal clear example of exactly what I mean by that statement. Its from a letter by the brilliant copywriter and nonpareil advertising man, Maxwell Sackheim:

Thank you very much for having written to me for my latest catalog. A copy is being sent to you in another envelope and should reach you in a day or two.

When my catalog arrives I hope you will give it as friendly a welcome as if I were visiting you myself. Ive tried to put into it just the words I would say to you if you were to come here personally, or if I were to come to your home and spend an evening with you.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 2 Thinking that Your Prospect Wont Read a Long Letter. The key question is, what makes for a long letter? To which the answer is, any letter that is uninteresting is a long letter! Even the one-page letter that many salespeople and amateur marketers arbitrarily limit themselves to can seem long.

For example, a number of years ago Kevin Costner made an interminably boring and bloated movie entitled Waterworld that the critics panned and audiences ignored. On the other hand, Stephen Spielbergs inspiring and unflinching film about the Holocaust, Schindlers List, was more than three hours long and it was a huge critical and financial success.

Heres my point: People read long books, take long trips, and watch long movies and plays. And evidence abounds that people read long letters. But people wont read boring letters, dull letters, obviously self-serving I-me-we-product-oriented letters.

Offer the right product or service at the right price to the right audience and if you have enough to say and say it interestingly enoughyou can make a five-page letter pull a better response than a two page letter.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 3 Being a Slave to the Formal Rules of Correct Grammar. When you were in school, teachers and professors were paid to read your work and they dutifully corrected your writing according to the formal rules of grammar.

In the real world its a different story. When writing a sales letter you want your work to have a conversational readability to it. And in most instances that means writing in an informal style. Because thats how the vast majority of buyers and sellers communicate with one another.

As a result, youll break a number of formal grammatical rules. Youll start sentences with and or but. Instead of complete sentences youll sometimes use a sentence fragment. But thats OK. And every now and then youll dangle a participle or end a sentence with a preposition.

If all of this seems totally against the grain consider this true story. Winston Churchill, a Nobel Prize Winner for literature, was corrected by one of his proofreaders for ending a sentence in a preposition. To which Mr. Churchill replied, That is the type of nonsense up with which I will not put!

Your objective is to generate a lead or advance or close the sale. Not one of your prospects is getting paid to read your letter. This time your grade will be determined by how well people respond.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 4 Giving The Reader a Reason For Not Reading. Beware of the so what reaction of your typical prospect. Simply stated, they dont care about you, they dont care about your product or service and they dont care about your company.

Indifference is the order of the day. So you must grab hold of your5B4 prospects mind with a startling statement, a provocative question; some volley of words that will stir them from their apathy and make them pay attention to your letter.

But capturing the prospects attention will do you no good unless you hold onto it. And you do this by focusing your copy on one or more of the fundamental urges which motivate people fear, exclusivity, greed, guilt, the desire for love, beauty, health, salvation and so on.

Among these you must find or create the symptom or symptoms which your product or service cures. If your letter does not clearly and convincingly articulate your cure you have given your prospect an excellent reason for not reading it.

Deadly Sales Letter Mistake # 5 Not Offering Proof That Your Product or Service Does What You Say It Will Do. Not only is your typical prospect indifferent, in the vast majority of situations he is also highly skeptical. Thats why you always want to offer the reader proof that your product or service will do what you say it will do. This will serve to validate your claims and minimize your prospects skepticism. Most important, it will establish your salesperson the sales letter as a more credible and believable source of information.

The proof you offer up in your sales letter can take several different forms. Here are two forms of proof that I have found to be very effective:

1. Customer 5B4Testimonials A testimonial from a satisfied customer with a well-known, well-respected company is some of the most valuable proof you can offer. But make sure that the testimonial copy speaks to specific and relevant issues and concerns your typical prospect is likely to have.

For example, you sell training services and you know that one of the biggest concerns your prospect has is whether or not the training will produce meaningful, measurable results. So you go through your thick packet of glowing testimonials and find a statement that speaks directly to the prospects concern. This is what it says:

When you compare 6 months of results prior to your training with the 6 months after, we have improved our market share by $2,261,000 and have established numerous new dealer relationships. Thanks to you, we are the only district in our region to experience any type of retail growth."

2. Tell A Success Story As a salesperson you know that stories sell. Thats because, as skeptical as the typical prospect may be, she knows that few people will stoop so low as to fabricate a story.

Like any good story yours has to have some drama to it. And of course the hero of the story is you, your company and your product and/or service. Heres an example of what I mean. Its from a letter I wrote for a broker at a commercial real estate firm and this is exactly how the letter opens:

"They hadB3C accepted our purchase price. But when the building inspection revealed many small details that needed repair their response was, No way, this is an as-is purchase.

"My clients just did not have the time to "lock horns" on this issue. Fortunately, they didn't have to. As their representative it was my job to get them what they wanted.

"I persisted. In phone callafter phone call after phone call. In meetingafter meetingafter meeting. I met with the broker. The property manager. The corporate ownership's management. Their attorneys (ugh!). I persisted. And, I negotiated.

The bottom line? My clients got everything they wanted; every repair they asked for. Some $40,000 worth!"

Stories sell, in person and on paper. They sell because they offer the prospect believable and credible proof that your product or service will do what you say it will do.

Your sales letter is the pen-and-ink embodiment of YOU, the professional marketer or salesperson. So when writing your sales letter think of yourself first and foremost as a salesperson, not a writer. And that means communicating with the prospect in much the same way and selling to him or her using many of the same tools as you would in a face-to-face meeting.

2006 Ernest Nicastro

About the author
Ernest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist, heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm specializing in B-to-B marketing and lead-generation. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter, AIM For Positive Response. For more information visit http://www.positiveresponse.com. Contact Ernie directly at ENicastro@positiveresponse.com. or by phone at 614.747.2256.

2006 Ernest Nicastro
You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

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MLM Training Tip - Mentoring Leaders to Success

As network marketers, don't we all want a large organization made up of successful and productive team leaders? Mentoring our downline in order to effectively create leaders who can take care of their own groups is the only way to build a large, massive organization.

What is the difference between distributors and leaders?

Distributors are only temporary in any organization. Sometimes they work hard and build downlines, or they may chose to simply be a wholesale user of the product. Eventually, they may even quit. Distributors are going to take what they want and then get on with their lives, but leaders are going to stay with you and your business for a long time.

Having a lot of distributors may create a good bonus check, but they will have to continuously be replaced as time goes on. Over time, replacing these individuals could become a full time job, diverting you from your primary purpose of building a large, profitable, high retention organization.

Are you a leader?

Network marketing success is built on good relationships and leaders know that in order to be effective they must understand how to connect with people and get them to know and trust you. Leaders know that building relationships takes time and effort, but it's a worthwhile investment in the future of the entire team's success.

Regular communication with your team members is essential. A good upline leader knows that regular communication shows the commitment they have to their downline's success. It also shows and mentors them in how to effectively communicate and relate to their own downline.

Leaders listen to people and really hear what they say about what's important to them and what their goals are. They know that if they can discover what motivates their downline, they can help them to achieve their goals.

All of these qualities produce actions that are essential for creating a line of effective leadership in order to keep the process of duplication in motion.

What is duplication?

As any leader knows, any company is ultimately a reflection of its leadership, and network marketing is more about leadership than it is about anything else. Duplication is the ability to lead by example and teach your downline to replicate the same methods you use for success and, in turn, be able to pass that knowledge on to their own team.

It's really very simple - people, helping people, helping people. As a result, you will start to see growth in your group that you had absolutely nothing to do with.

Build People. People will build your business. Your first commitment must be to your people, not to personal profit. Network marketing is a teaching and mentoring business. The key is to work with your team and give them the training they need to become successful in order to keep from having to rebuild your downline time and time again.

Do you have a mentor?

You must have a mentor to be a mentor. Everyone in network marketing should have a mentor - someone who has already learned valuable lessons from trial and error and can pass that knowledge along to you. Someone who can say, "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt," without you having to do their laundry!

Duplicating a proven method for success is the only way to assure an organization that is made up of successful and productive team leaders, and it all starts with your own effective leadership. Be a mentor with a servant's heart!

Terry Montague is a successful network marketer and MLM mentor. Her objective is to provide as many people as possible with valuable information and equip them with skills for success in order for their dreams to become their reality. Download her Free eBook or visit "The Full Monte" for more tips and resources.

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5 Simple and Effective Gout Home Treatment Ideas

Gout home treatment may be another alternative remedy you can use instead of, or as a compliment to tissue salts. There are different home remedies that can help treat gout, and many of them are practical treatments that are easy to use and follow.

Here are 5 gout home treatment options you can consider:

1. Low-purine diet One of the best natural gout treatments you can follow is to control your diet by eliminating foods that are high in purines, which are known to trigger and worsen attacks of gout. In fact, it is estimated that half of uric acid produced by the body is a result of purine rich foods consumed in the diet.

Studies have found that by following a low purine diet that focuses on eliminating high purine foods (I.E. organ meats, wild game, meat extract, gravies, sardines, anchiovies, scallops, mackerel, sweetbreads, etc.), and encourages vegetable protein, dairy products and increased water intake, can effectively decrease and prevent sudden painful gout attacks.

Keep in mind that some foods high in purines contain certain essential nutrients your body requires such as protein. Therefore, you will need to ensure you replace them so your body is receiving adequate nutrients to stay healthy. Speak to your doctor or dietitian about what foods contain the nutrients you need and are safe for your condition. You may also want to consider taking a multivitamin.

2. Water Believe it or not, but water is actually an excellent gout home treatment. Not only is water safe to drink and side-effect free, but drinking plenty of it daily aids in proper digestion and will actually help you flush excess uric acid out of your system. Furthermore, drinking plenty of water can help prevent kidney stones and help those suffering from an uncomplicated case of stones pass them.

It is important to lower your intake of beverages that cause dehydration such as alcoholic and caffeinated drinks (I.E. soda, coffee, tea). Stick to hydrating beverages including water (8 10 glasses daily), herbal tea and fruit juice.

3. Cherries or cherry juice Cherries are an effective gout home treatment. Cherries, in all their forms (I.E. Fruit canned, dried, fresh, black, red sour and sweet yellow cherries or cherry juice), have been found to prevent gout attacks and help alleviate inflammation during an attack.

If using cherries as a natural remedy for gout, here are some guidelines:
Cherry fruit eat at least 10 cherries and no more than half a pound daily...or
Cherry juice 1 6 oz glass of cherry juice 1-2 times daily.

Note: Although cherries have no known side effects, eating too much of one food can cause stomach distress (I.E. constipation, diarrhea, etc.). Therefore, while you should keep the above guidelines in mind and not exceed them, you should ingest the amount your body is comfortable with.

4. Charcoal poultice - Charcoal poultice is a gout home treatment remedy that reduces inflammation. It is created by mixing half a cup of activated powdered charcoal with 3-7 tbs. of grounded flaxseed. When the mixture becomes mealy, warm water is then added to turn it into paste. The paste (charcoal poultice) is placed on the inflamed joint and covered with a plastic or cloth dressing. Dressings should be changed approximately every 4 hours and can be left on over night.

Be advised, charcoal poultice will stain virtually any fabric it touches. Check online or at your local nutritional store for active charcoal powder.

5. Rest and Relaxation Resting a gout-inflamed joint is a mandatory home gout treatment if you want the joint to heal faster. Keep the affected joint elevated and stay off it as much as you can so you dont aggravate the inflammation further. In addition, make sure you keep the joint warm or cool whatever makes it feel most comfortable and less tense to reduce joint stress.

Although most gout home treatment remedies are safe and effective, they shouldnt replace your doctors advice. Make sure you consult your doctor first before staring any gout treatment plan.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how to treat your gout symptoms with a exercise as an effective natural cure for gout. Discover how home gout treatment ideas can get rid of gout.

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Wholesale Modular Homes - Your DIY Skills Can Really Pay Off

If youre a skilled DIYer with construction experience, a Wholesale Modular Homes Program may be perfect for you. There are many modular home manufacturers across the US who have wholesale modular home programs, and as long as you are capable of taking on some of the tasks normally assigned to a modular home builder, you can save considerably on the already low price of you modular home.

Retail Vs. Wholesale
A retail home builder sells homes directly to consumers for their personal use. A wholesaler usually sells products to a retail home builder who uses them in constructing projects. But a wholesale modular homes seller offers homes to consumers wholesaler after factory-assembling after assembling the modules from which the completed home will be built with all the products like plumbing, wiring, insulation, and pipes already installed.

Where wholesale modular homes differ from retail modular homes is in the construction process. The retail modular home construction will include digging and pouring its foundation, finishing its interior and exterior, and connecting its electrical, water, and septic systems. But if you or your friends are handy or have home building experience, or know how to find subcontractors, you can opt for a wholesale modular homes program.

What A Wholesale Builder Does
In a wholesale modular homes program, the homes manufacturer will produce and delver the homes modules to your building site, where you have already had the foundation dug and poured. The manufacturer will arrange for a crane to mount your individual modules on the permanent foundation, and for a crew to attach them. You will also get the materials necessary to complete your roof; the crew will complete it and also nail the structures of the home together.

A wholesale modular homes program will leave you with ah home which is from seventy-five to eighty percent complete, depending on the complexity of its plans. All modular homes are engineered to meet the building cods of the areas in which they will be constructed, so you wont have to worry about the inspection process.

What You Will Do
What you will have to do, or hire someone to do, is connect your modular home to its utilities sources, and finish its interiors and exterior. While having to do this yourself may delay the time before your modular home is ready for occupancy, the money you save will be considerable.

Mountain View Homes and Development Homes of Tennessee, for instance, has a wholesale modular homes program which offers a one-year warranty on all work done by their own crews, and will let you buy a four-bedroom, three-bath 1700-square foot two story home for less than $104,000. They have many other wholesale modular homes as well, and their program is typical of wholesale modular homes programs across the US.

You can also find more info on Wholesale Modular Homes and Modular Homes. 1modularhomes.com is a comprehensive resource to get information about Modular Homes.

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Getting to Know Your Daschund

Getting to know your dog starts by getting to know its breed, and that includes getting a better idea about its appearance, personality, and health requirements. Here's what you need to know about the Daschund:

Known also as the wiener dog because of the long body, the Daschund makes a great pet. With its low-riding body typically comes a laid back low-riding attitude. The Daschund dates all the way back to Ancient Egyptian days. Over the years, the breed became popular around Europe, specifically loved by royalty.

The Daschund we know today was originally called a German Daschund, which was much larger, weighing up to 40 pounds. This early breed had straight and crooked leg varieties. The Daschund is also famous for hunting of fox and rabbit, as well as exterminating badgers and finding wild boar and injured deer. The name itself translates in German to badger dog because of its amazing hunting, chasing, and scent abilities.

Physical Appearance

Todays Daschund is known for having crooked legs, a barrel shaped chest, loose skin, and again, the elongated body. As with other breeds, the Daschund is bred for a smooth, longhair, and wirehair coat. Keep in mind that the wirehair breed usually has shorter and wirier hair than the smooth and long coat. If you plan to show, the American Kennel Club accepts a miniature and full-size version, each with a distinctive class of height and weight.

To give you an idea of the difference, a miniature Daschund would weigh 11 pounds or less while a full-grown dog would be anywhere from 16 to 32 pounds. This breed is also available in a wide array of colors although the primary colors are red, and black and red. Other possibilities include:

* Fawn
* Chocolate
* Wild Boar
* Cream Blue
* Light Boar Red (copper, rust, etc)
* Piebald
* Sable
* Dapple
* Double Dapple
* White
* Chocolate and Red
* Brown and Red

In addition to the variance in colors and color combinations, the Daschund would generally have black hair intermingled on the back, tail, edges of the ears, and face. While you will find many solid chocolate and black dogs of this breed, keep in mind these are non-standard colors, meaning from conformance competition in the United States and the United Kingdom, they would be disqualified.

Temperament and Personality

If you were looking for a fun, playful, and loyal family dog, the Daschund would make an excellent consideration. This breed is actually quite clever, smart, and courageous but also being strong-willed, they can be a bit on the challenging side when it comes to training. On occasion, a Daschund might appear shy which would not be a preferred behavior. In this case, early and on-going socialization would help.

Another interesting fact about the Daschund is that the type of temperament changes with the type of coat. For example, a long haired breed tends to be a more relaxed dog. The eyes of this breed are deep and heartfelt, making the expressions sweet. Then, the Daschund usually has a rich bark while making snoring type sounds due to larger lungs that fill the space of the barrel shaped chest.

Health

Although you might expect the Daschund to have a lot of health issues because of the elongated body, the truth is most are healthy. However, they can have problems with the spine, which can be aggravated by obesity. To prevent spinal problems, it is recommended this breed be kept from jumping off beds, walking up and down many stairs, and so on. Even picking this breed up must be done carefully to avoid injury. For instance, the front and rear portions of the body must always be completely supported.

One of the most inherited of all spinal risks is Intervertebral Disk Disease, which can usually be treated with various medications and in more severe cases, corrected with surgery. Alternative medicine is also used and found in most cases to be successful. For instance, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, and physical therapy are all possible solutions.

Daniel Stevens is the renowned dog trainer and author of SitStayFetch: Dog Training To Stop Your Dog's Behavior Problems, one of the leading dog training guides on the market today selling over 21,000 copies (and counting). He currently heads the Kingdom of Pets (http://www.kingdomofpets.com) dog training team. See http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/dogbreeds/dachshund.php for more on dog breeds.

Thinking About Home Improvement
A House With Cracks

Strength Training and Weight Loss

Did you know that strength training is crucial for successfully losing weight and keeping it off? I'm talking about weight-bearing exercise. It doesn't have to be a huge, hulking workout where you're trying to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, it just has to be some basic strength training.

Losing muscle is a bad thing. Muscle tissue is very active--it burns a lot of calories. Every pound of muscle burns about 35 calories per day. Using the above example, if you lost 12 pounds, then, you lost three pounds of muscle. You would be burning 105 less calories per day or 3150 per month. Since there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, you would gain almost one pound of fat per month just from the muscle mass that you lost!

Why is strength training and losing weight that important? Because a lot of people try to starve themselves into weight loss. They think it's all about controlling calories. Unfortunately, a lot of dieticians and nutritionists don't really understand strength training, and they also think that it's just about calories. Calories in, calories out. If you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain body fat. While that's true, it's only part of the picture. Sure, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how does your body actually use calories? It's your lean body mass, that muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to actually eat more calories without gaining weight.

How can we lose and keep off extra fat? You need to increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the pace your body burns calories at rest. Your RMR is closely linked to the amount of muscle you have--remember, muscle burns more calories than fat. Adding muscle will raise your RMR and will greatly increase the chance that the weight loss (more accurately fat loss) will be maintained.

Contrary to what many people think, strength training is as important, maybe more important to successful fat loss than aerobic exercise. The reason lies in the amount of calories that are burned when you aren't exercising.

Let's say you happen to be quite obese and you have a high percentage of body fat. I used to be in that situation; I know what it feels like. Underneath that body fat you actually have a very strong skeleton and strong muscles. Your body has built up those muscles in order to carry all of that extra body fat when you move your body. Just the very act of standing up, walking across a parking lot, going up a flight of stairs or lifting your arms requires more effort when you're overweight, especially if you're obese. So the heavier you are, the stronger your muscles have to be just to allow you to do basic, everyday things.

The solution to all of this, the strategy I want to focus on here, is to engage in strength training while you are losing body fat. If you do this, then you will be able to maintain the muscle mass that you already have underneath your body fat while you are in the process of losing the fat. This will leave you with a greater proportion of lean body mass to body fat, meaning that you will be slimmer, yet you'll have the muscles that you had when you were overweight.

If you get rid of enough body fat in this way, then those muscles may begin to show -- if you're a man. If you're a woman, don't worry. You're never going to bulk up. A lot of women are mistakenly afraid of strength training. They think that if they pump a few weights they're going to turn into Lou Ferrigno overnight. They think they're going to have this competition muscle-bound body from lifting a couple of weights. Believe me, that is not the case at all. Most of those bodybuilding women are using steroids, and they've trained for years, even decades, just to produce that kind of muscle mass. Women are not built to puts on lots of muscle mass, so don't be afraid that you'll bulk up. Women who are afraid of exercising because they think it's going to make them look bigger have it all wrong.

Strength training and weight loss are so important for overweight people because strength training and weight loss leads to a healthy life, a nice body and will keep you in a good shape.

I am a nutritionist woman who used to be fat. After testing tens of so-called "wonder diets" I've decided to create a Weight Loss Programs Review Website, containing a top of the 3 best programs with a brief description about their features and benefits.

Visit the website! It will help you make a wise decision! http://www.LoseWeightFast.999answers.com

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Room Addition Articles

Money From Thin Air - Developing Urban Air Rights

Prime commercial land is limited. Prices per square foot can be astronomical. Demand for efficiency to maximize return is growing. No wonder developers and property owners are looking to the sky, with varying degrees of success, to capture all the value they can from each urban parcel.

Owners and developers, and people in general, are conditioned to think of potential development sites as flat surfaces with essentially two dimensions: north/south and east/west. They see only the surface of the land, and envision the building they will construct for the particular purpose they have in mind; a bank, a drugstore, a restaurant, a strip mall, a parking garage, an office building. If the parcel is larger than they need, they may envision subdividing the parcel to make two or more lots. In most cases, however, they think primarily in terms of land coverage for the type of building they need. They visualize only the two dimensional space depicted on their Site Plan or Plat of Survey.

In 30 out of 50 states, including all Mid-Western states, the "Rectangular Survey System" is in effect. The Rectangular Survey System was adopted in 1785 to meet the needs of the Federal Government as it faced the challenge of dividing vast areas of undeveloped land lying west of the original 13 colonies. The system, developed under the direction of Thomas Jefferson, essentially divides the United States into rectangles, measured in relation to lines known as Meridians and Base Lines .

Development lots are instinctively viewed as the two-dimensional surface of land visually representing a potential development parcel. Descriptions of a parcel typically refer to "a parcel of land X feet by Y feet" located in relation to an intersection or other identifiable landmark.

Once a parcel is "developed", or designated for development, by construction of improvements on the land, it is natural to think of the parcel as being unavailable for further development (unless the existing improvements are to be demolished).

Classic examples of this are single story commercial buildings at prime commercial locations, a multi-deck parking garage or mid-rise building in a downtown development area, railroad tracks or spurs cutting across valuable urban land and, in some cases, roadways and alleys.

Each of these situations represent, potentially, underutilization of valuable real estate. Finding a way to develop the "air" above these existing or planned improvements maximizes the economic utility of these parcels and can be like creating "money from thin air."

The practice of finding ways to utilize the "space above" is often referred to as "air rights development". Air rights development requires thinking in three dimensions, and requires serious design consideration and legal planning but, when land values are at a premium and zoning permits, the economic return may be dramatic.

Though often overlooked, virtually all of Chicago's downtown business district is a "city in the air". People tend to think of streets and street level entrances to buildings in the downtown Chicago "loop" as being at "ground level". This is simply not the case. Most of what is thought of in the Chicago Loop as being at "ground level" is located 12 to 22 feet above the earth's surface. This explains the vast network of "lower" streets and passageways in downtown Chicago, such as "Lower Wacker Drive", "Lower Dearborn Street", "Lower State Street", etc. which most people seldom traverse. It also explains why, in 1992, the Chicago Loop business district was virtually shut down by "the Great Loop Flood of '92", but few people got wet or even saw any water as office and retail buildings were closed and workers were sent home because of "flooding".

The point of these observations is to reveal that "development of air rights" is not new. Development of so-called "air rights" is little more than efficient use of a limited resource when use becomes economically feasible and beneficial.

"Air rights" are part of the "bundle of rights" constituting fee simple title to real estate. The term "air rights" generally refers to the right of the owner of fee simple title of a parcel of land to use the space above the land. If this right did not exist, it would not be possible to construct improvements on the land, such as a home, fence or other structure above the surface of the land. While the ancient common law doctrine that "ownership of land extends to the periphery of the universe" has been limited to accommodate the modern world realities of air-travel, the fundamental concept that land ownership includes the right to use and occupy the airspace above the surface of the land is well established.

As one of the bundle of property rights comprising fee simple title to real estate, "air rights" may also be "unbundled" and alienated separate from other rights in the bundle. Conceptually, from a legal standpoint, the separation and transfer of so-called "air rights" is not materially different from subdividing and transferring a lot pictured in only two dimensions. Instead of subdividing and selling off, for example, "that part of Lot 1 lying east of the west 100 feet of Lot 1" as depicted on a plat of survey, the transfer of air rights subdivides and transfers a parcel based upon its vertical elevation. For example, one might subdivide and transfer "that part of Lot 1 lying above a horizontal plane located 100 feet above [some benchmark elevation].

By dividing a development parcel "vertically", it is often possible to "stack" uses in a mixed use development owned by more than one owner or developer, in the same way it is possible to subdivide and develop side-by-side a horizontal surface subdivision. In some cases, without even developing the open air above existing or planned improvements, it is possible to sell and transfer "air rights" to an adjacent property owner to allow construction of a taller building on an adjacent building site. Recognizing this potential can result in a substantial economic windfall to a property owner otherwise underutilizing a valuable development parcel.

Hypothetical Facts: Suppose you are planning to acquire a 20,000 square foot parcel in a fairly typical commercial zoning district that permits a wide array of permitted business and service uses including restaurants and banquet halls serving food and liquor as well as dwelling units so long as the dwelling units are not below the second floor. The zoning district permits a floor area ratio 12:1. Your purchase price is $4,500,000.

You believe your prospective development parcel is a perfect location for a restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex serving food and liquor, with live entertainment and dancing. You visualize a state of the art venue spread out over 2 floors, with about 19,000 square feet of usable space per floor, for a total restaurant/banquet/entertainment venue of 38,000 square feet. Fortunately, adequate parking is close by and available. Demand for offices and condominium housing is growing in the vicinity of your parcel, which you believe will further enhance the chances of success of your planned business by bringing more customers through your doors. Although you recognize development of offices and condominiums in your area is a "hot" development opportunity and might also be an excellent investment, you have no interest or experience in developing offices or condominiums and really just want to develop and open your dream restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex. You have calculated your costs of construction and operation, and believe the project is economically feasible, although you would like to find a way to cut your costs or otherwise increase your return on investment.

As stated above, the permitted floor area ratio (F.A.R.) for the parcel zoned is 12; which means that the total square footage of the building or buildings permitted on your 20,000 square foot parcel is 240,000 square feet. You are utilizing only 38,000 square feet which means, from a zoning standpoint at least, you are underutilizing your parcel to the extent of 202,000 square feet.

Suppose you were able to reconfigure your proposed project to free up 1000 to 1200 square feet per floor in return for recovering half (or more) of your total land cost. If this were possible, your restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex may be reduced in size to 36,000 square feet instead of 38,000 square feet, but your development cost for the project would be reduced $2,000,000 or more. Almost free money.

How could this work?

Scenario No. 1: With the hypothetical facts presented, it is certainly within the realm of possibilities to market and sell the "air space" above your proposed restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex for development of offices and/or condominiums. As mentioned, under the applicable zoning classification, 202,000 square feet remains available for development on your site. With prevailing land values of $225 per square foot (represented by your purchase price of $4,500,000 for a 20,000 square foot parcel), a condominium/office developer may well view your "air space parcel" as a bargain at $2,000,000 ($100 per square foot measured in two dimensions for 20,000 square feet) since it would still enable construction of 202,000 square feet of floor area above the second floor.

Obviously, to make the "air space" usable, adequate means of access and support must be planned, which will require detailed planning for design and construction of both the ground level parcel and the "air space" parcel (which do not necessarily need to be constructed at the same time, although simultaneous construction may be more efficient and practical) and creation of legally sufficient easements of support, and easements for ingress and egress, utilities, loading and unloading, mail delivery, a street level lobby, elevators, standpipes, etc., as well as drafting of development specific covenants running with the land to promote non-interference and compatibility of use of each parcel. The necessity for easements of support, and easements (or conveyance of fee parcels) for a street level lobby, mail delivery areas, and loading and unloading areas, is the reason slight reduction in size of the proposed restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex is suggested in the premise to Scenario No. 1 to free up space for these purposes.

While sale of an "air rights parcel" will require added expense for engineering (much of which will likely be undertaken by the proposed developer of the air rights parcel) and attorneys fees to negotiate and draft a workable declaration of easements, covenants and restrictions to legally facilitate the development and use of each parcel, the economic advantage of being able to sell the air rights parcel may more than justify the added effort and development expense involved.

Scenario No. 2. Assume the same hypothetical facts as in Scenario No. 1, except that instead of being the owner of the parcel referred to in Scenario No. 1 (the "Entertainment Parcel"), you own or wish to develop a parcel adjacent to the Entertainment Parcel. Perhaps the Entertainment Parcel has already been developed with the restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex referred to in Scenario No. 1. Assume your parcel (the "High Rise Parcel") is 40,000 square feet with B6-6 zoning, and you wish to construct (or to sell your parcel to a developer to construct) a mixed-use development with first floor retail, five floors of office space and six floors of luxury condominiums. Because zoning for the High Rise Parcel allows an F.A.R. of 12, you determine a twelve-story, 480,000 square foot building is the maximum you will be able to construct on your 40,000 square foot lot

In conducting a financial analysis of your project you determine that the marginal cost of each floor would result in you generating a substantially greater return on your investment if you were able to construct additional floors of office space, condominiums or even multi-level parking in your proposed project on the High Rise Parcel. Still, you are faced with the maximum F.A.R. of 12 for the High Rise Parcel as established by the hypothetical Zoning Ordinance.

Is there a solution? Perhaps.

Once again, using the Chicago Zoning Ordinance as an example, a "Zoning Lot" is defined as follows: "A 'zoning lot or lots' is a single tract of land located within a single block, which (at the time of filing for a building permit) is designated by its owner or developer as a tract to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit, under single ownership or control. Therefore, 'zoning lot or lots' may or may not coincide with a lot of record".

One solution is that the owner of the High Rise Parcel might acquire the "air rights" over the Entertainment Parcel (by purchasing from the owner of the Entertainment Parcel, ". . . all of the Entertainment Parcel except that part thereof lying below a horizontal plane located x feet above the Chicago City Datum" or other established benchmark) and then designate the Entertainment Parcel as part of the Zoning Lot to be developed and controlled by the developer of the High Rise Parcel. The "Zoning Lot" would then be 60,000 square feet . Because the F.A.R. remains 12, the maximum floor area on the total Zoning Lot is 720,000 square feet.

Because 38,000 square feet has been used (or is to be used) for the restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex, 682,000 square feet remains available for development on the Zoning Lot (being, in effect, the High Rise Parcel) . Therefore, instead of being able to construct only a 480,000 square foot project on the High Rise Parcel, if developed alone, the developer would now be able to construct up to an additional 202,000 square feet (for a total of 682,000 square feet) on the High Rise Parcel or, roughly, 5 additional floors at 40,000 square feet each, because the High Rise Parcel and the Entertainment Parcel, collectively, constitute the "Zoning Lot".

Of course, if the developer does construct 682,000 square feet of floor area on the High Rise Parcel (in addition to the 38,000 square feet constructed on the Entertainment Parcel) under the foregoing Scenario No. 2, all floor area available for development of the combined Zoning Lot pursuant to the zoning ordinance will have been fully utilized. As a result, since the Zoning Lot is fully developed as a whole, no further opportunity exists to expand the square footage of improvements on the Entertainment Parcel. If the restaurant/banquet/entertainment complex fails, or is destroyed or otherwise demolished, the replacement improvements will be limited to a maximum square footage of 38,000 square feet.

To avoid this outcome, parties will sometimes negotiate an "air rights transfer" that raises the elevation of the delimiting horizontal plane and includes an express covenant running with the land that reserves potential floor area to the transferring parcel (in this case, the Entertainment Parcel).

Under Scenario No. 2, the sale of "air rights" is more akin to the sale of "development rights", but the legal principal is substantially the same as in Scenario No. 1. In each case, a property owner is selling the right to develop "the sky above" while retaining the ground level development parcel.

"Air rights" are valuable property rights that can be sold, purchased and transferred. Under the right circumstances, "air rights" may represent a substantial untapped resource with great value to those who recognize their potential. Since the transfer of these property rights may not directly impair the owner's intended use of the surface level property, they often do represent "money from thin air".

R. Kymn Harp represents investors and developers of commercial and industrial real estate, primarily in Illinois and Indiana. He has been practicing law for nearly 30 years and is currently a partner in the Chicago, Illinois office of Arnstein & Lehr LLP, one of the oldest law firms in the Midwest. Mr. Harp is a frequent speaker at educational forums involving the development, financing, and sale of commercial real estate, and has written and published numerous articles on a wide range of real estate topics. He also frequently writes for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. R. Kymn Harp can be contacted at Arnstein & Lehr LLP, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60606 Dir. Ph. 312-876-6907; email: rkharp@arnstein.com For more information go to

http://www.realestate-law.com

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Satellite Communication Components for Communication Satellites Part III

The simple basic application of any communication satellite, whether it is low earth orbital or geosynchronous, involves transmission of information from an originating Earth station to the satellite concerned, which is termed as "up-linking," followed by re-transmission of the same information to the designated Earth station. This re-transmission is termed as "down-linking." The downlink of the information may be to one particular Earth station or broadcasted over a selected number of Earth stations, situated at a larger area. In order to perform this up-linking and down-linking, the satellite has a receiver and a receive antenna, a transmitter and a transmit antenna, just like a set of walkie-talkie, which has a receiver and a transmitter with an antenna, though, in here, the receive and transmit are done through the same antenna. Satellites need antennas separately for its two functions of receive and transmit. Additionally, the satellite has electronic switches. This is used to logically switch the uplink signals, down-linking it to the appropriate Earth stations. It has an electronic black-box to determine the destination or destinations of the signals being down-linked to the Earth Stations. There is that ever important electrical power in a satellite required in keeping alive the electronic circuitry. The exact component structure of a satellite may differ from one to the other, depending on its actual application, but the basic component requirements remain the same.

The electrical power needed by satellites for receiving and transmitting signals greatly depend upon its orbital path, that is, whether it is a low Earth or geosynchronous orbital satellite. Electrical power requirement mostly depend upon the height of the satellite above the Earth. The higher it is, a satellite would need that much power for its basic operation in receiving and transmitting signals On basis of this, a geosynchronous satellite, being at an altitude of 22,300 miles, would require much more electrical power than the low earth orbiting satellite, which is situated at only a few hundred miles from Earth. In theory, a geosynchronous satellite would need 10,000 times the electrical power than the low Earth orbiting satellite. This is an awful lot of power and the satellite is designed in a way to work out a compromise, without losing the application reliability.

A satellite is usually powered from a battery or a solar energy system. In some of the communication satellites, a combination of battery and solar power energy is used, with the batteries supplying power to the electronics circuitry in the satellite, with a change over to solar energy during sunlight cycle, when the batteries are left on charging. The battery is turned on during solar eclipses, when the solar panels become inactive.

The main difference between the satellites in different orbital path is the antenna. This antenna design sets the optimum power requirement of a satellite. There are basically many designs available for an antenna. Some direct their radiation to one particular direction and there are others which are omni-directional, radiating all around. This principle is carried further by a communication satellite. If you consider the height at which the satellite is orbiting, even a large area on this Earth will be a mere spot of an area from that height. With the earth stations located in a comparatively small area, a properly designed antenna will beam its signals within that constricted area and not in any other direction. With a bigger antenna dish diameter, the area of radiation decreases in relation to certain design parameters.

One of the parameter in such a design is called "gain of an antenna. This gain tells us how much more power would be required to beam the signals on one square mile of an area, with the transmitter power evenly distributed (isotropic distribution) over all directions within that area. This is one of the primary design criteria, which goes into the requirement of less electrical power required for a geosynchronous satellite, compared to what it would, in theory.

The larger difference in the antenna system of a geosynchronous satellite and the low earth satellite is that, the antenna should always look at the Earth. While it is fairly easy for the geosynchronous satellite, being stationary relative to the Earth's rotation, the low Earth orbit satellites zoom past any point on the Earth every 5 to 10 minutes. In this case it becomes difficult to maintain the antenna orientation, as required.

The Earth station is a moving target, when looked at from the low Earth orbiting satellite and some sort of tracking system must be incorporated in the design, so that the antenna tracks the Earth station as passes that spot in its orbital path. The other alternative is to make such a design, such that the antenna can beam at a wider angle covering a wider area of the Earth, so that the receiver or transmitter is always within the reach of the reception and transmission of the signals. In doing so, the gain of the antenna reduces and to maintain the right gain, a lot more power would be required for the transmitter to provide such signal transmission.

Where do we get that power? One may wonder why the transmitters are not designed that way to provide thousands of watts of power. It is simply that it is not possible to make that kind of power available in a spacecraft. The on-board power is generated either by the series of batteries on the craft or by the huge solar panels, mounted on the satellites. These solar panels have numerous solar cells which generate the electrical energy required from the sunlight, while charging the batteries during sun-light periods. During the time when it is dark, the power generation is switched on to the batteries.. These solar cells are similar to the ones that you find in you calculator. There is a limit of how much these solar panels can generate. This limitation sets the limit of how much power can be generated in a satellite system. In practice, in some of the satellites, these solar panels generate few thousands of watts of electrical power. It is just not conceivable in providing that high power transmitters on-board the satellites as is desired.

The batteries on board are deployed, when the Earth passes in between the satellite and the Sun, when the solar panels do not get the sunlight required to produce the electrical energy. Therefore, the batteries have to remain in good charged condition in order to take over the energy generation when required.

The satellite receives and transmits the signals in two different frequencies. In here we find the application of transponders in a satellite system. A transponder is a component of a satellite system that receives the signals from Earth stations and transmits it back to the designated Earth station or stations. The uplink of any signal from Earth station is done useing a "dish" antenna pointing towards the satellite. This signal is sent to one of the transponders on board. The transponder amplifies this signal, shifts it to a different frequency and transmits back to Earth. This shift of frequency, from the received signal to the transmit signal, is to avoid any interference between the receiver, and transmitter frequencies. A downlink dish like antenna at the earth station, looking at the satellite, captures this signal from the transponder which is then processed. Satellites can downlink the signals received, to many Earth stations at any given moment. The system has the advantage of having the ability to uplink and then downlink to multiple earth stations thousands of miles apart and, with multiple satellites relaying the signals, it can easily cover the whole world.

If a cell phone won't work you can alwasy use a SATELLITE PHONE RENTAL or SATELLITE PHONE SALE. For example in 99% of all SIM CARDS incoming calls are free and calls to the states can cost a trifle. Such as, from the UK to the USA 7 cents/minute, from Israel 22 cents, from Australia 27 cents. Yes, USA Dollar cents! There are today even prepaid service providers in the USA offering rates of 10 cents per minute to call anywhere in the US to any type of phone. No contracts, no credit card checks, no bills. Pre-paid always means no minimums no contracts, no obligations. You only pay for the calls made. You'll need an unlocked GSM tri-band or quadband UNLOCKED phone. You can buy factory unlocked phones and sim cards for more than 170 or the 193 countries on earth from http://www.planetomni.com Tel. # 800-514-2984

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A Simple Guide to Granite, the Miracle Stone for House Signs

The use of granite for house signs and kitchen tops is becoming more popular, but do you really know what granite is? Granite is quite simply a type of very hard rock or stone, it is dug from the ground or blasted or cut from the side of mountains, this is called quarrying. The aim of the quarry is to produce large rectangular blocks, some of these blocks can be huge and weigh up to twenty tons! Try to imagine a block of stone 6 feet by 6 feet by 12 feet made of one of the hardest and most dense materials in nature.

Now lets be clear, this is the same stone or rock as is found in our rivers and on many of our beaches all around our coast, especially in Scotland, Cornwall and Devon. Those rocks have been broken and shaped by millions of years of glacial activity but many of them are granite just the same as our blocks.

The blocks are now sawn into sheets of a useful size, the saws are massive beam saws with rows of parallel diamond tipped blades that move backwards and forwards lubricated by water, the blades slice the granite block rather like a bread slicer cutting up a sliced loaf! sounds simple doesnt it, but granite is incredibly hard, the saws are deafeningly noisy and the process for each block takes days.

Up to this stage the whole business is an act of faith, remember no-one has ever seen this piece of million year old granite, if the stone is seriously flawed or not an acceptable colour all of the work so far is wasted, this will be the first opportunity to see the colour and markings of the stone.

The newly cut slabs are called scants, they have a rough and pitted face, covered in saw marks, it is difficult to even see the real colour, but by throwing water over the face, the colour and markings become visible and it is possible to see the potential of the scant.

The scants now go for polishing, they are laid flat on polishing machines which used to be called Jenny Linds, they are rotary polishers with large spinning heads that can be changed with different grades of diamond abrasives.

Im not sure if the modern giant computer controlled versions have such a quaint name, but apart from the name the computers and the size, the principle is the same.

Starting with a coarse grade to grind out the worst marks and grooves the polishing head moves backwards and forwards over the face of the granite in a controlled an even pattern for hour after hour, as each new grade is applied the colour and nature of the granite becomes more apparent, until with the final superfine grades the granite takes on its brilliant polish, the amazing patterns and colours are now seen in their full glory.

But just how hard is granite? Granites are almost impossible to scratch deeply with anything other than high grade steel, tungsten or diamond. Granites are extremely resistant to staining, one of the few things I have found will stain some granites is beetroot juice! Though it has to be left for some time to do any real harm. And lighter coloured granites may stain with rust from dripping guttering etc. Granites are extraordinarily resistant to the effects of rain and sun, and most corrosives found around the home have little effect.

I have been a Stone mason for forty years, but I never cease to wonder at this miracle of nature, I often wonder who was the first man to try to polish a piece of this super hard stone, whoever he was he was a genius!

Steve Walker has been a stone and marble mason for 40 years, working in almost every type of stone marble and granite. He is now the sole owner, craftsman and teaboy of StoneEngravings House signs http://www.stoneengravings.co.uk

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Team Building - From Fun Event to Genuine Team Improvements

What does the phrase "team building" mean to you? Quad-biking? Abseiling? Propping up the bar with your work colleagues? Allow me to disagree.

Let's look at the word "build" and see where that leads us. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines the word "build" as "Establish, make or accumulate gradually". This definition implies a sense of time passing and growth. This, in turn, implies a modicum of care and attention to maximise the growth - or at the very least monitor the development.

So what kind of process works best to turn a team building session into something that improves team effectiveness back where it matters?

It is not uncommon for trainers and facilitators to like the sound of their own voice. Yet we all know that it is far more powerful if people can learn something for themselves rather than be told it. People turn off very quickly even after a very enjoyable team activity if the next thing they hear is the facilitator telling them his or her view of their performance.

I'll go further - the tried and trusted technique of "What did you do well? What could you have done better?" isn't much better. All too often you can hear people leaving team building sessions saying "every time we do one of these, we fail at the same old things" closely followed by "we'd have been better off talking about the real issues at work". If you are lucky, they might add "I enjoyed it though". So here's the dilemma. If you leave it up to the participants themselves to come up with the improvements, their blinkers stop them from seeing the obvious development opportunities that the activity unveils to those observing. Yet if the observers tell them what they see, the participants don't listen - or worse, become defensive.

I can hear you thinking "but a truly skilled facilitator will lead them to the learning without them realising it". Don't you believe it. Only the most naive of the group will fail to spot a facilitator guiding them somewhere they don't really want to go. And that taints the learning - or at least the chances of it being applied.

So if the participants can't see the learning and won't listen if someone else tells them, is a team building session doomed to mediocrity before it starts? No - there is a third option.

A team building debriefing guide, tailored to the activity and (ideally) to the participant group, is a superb mechanism to guide the learning while not interfering in the process. So what are the key characteristics that such a guide should have? My experience suggests the following seven elements are all key components:

1) It should be tailored to the activity and focus on those aspects that have one or more direct parallels in the group's real working environment.

2) It should provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect before any discussion within the team on the points it makes.

3) It should be constructed such that the input of every member of the team is necessary to complete the process.

4) It should not make value judgements in the way in which it describes particular aspects of the activity that might have gone well or less well for the team. Rather it should provoke discussion and encourage transfer back to the workplace.

5) It should provide places for individuals to capture their own learning and for the team to capture the group learning.

6) It should be useable purely by the participants themselves after brief instruction.

7) It should offer a framework for the team to invite observer input so that any "external" comments are requested by them rather than forced upon them.

Achieve all of these and you will have a superb base to build team improvements upon. And that feels like what the Oxford Concise English Dictionary is getting at.

Alan is Managing Director of Sandstone, a leading UK team building company. He enjoys creating innovative activities that combine fun with genuine team development. In his spare time, he does voluntary work for the RNIB. http://www.sandstone.co.uk

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American Indians and Plants in the Great Basin of North America - An Ancient Relationship

Originally, many scholars viewed the possibility of this ancient relationship with some skepticism, primarily because of the early anthropological work of Julian Steward, and the overall general unfamiliarity with the Great Basin environment. Rather than according the American Indians of the Great Basin the knowledge and cultural sophistication they deserved for sustainably and symbiotically living in their homeland, scholars hypothesized that indigenous Great Basin peoples were:

1) the least developed in terms of cultural sophistication and complexity,
2) had only recently migrated into the Great Basin from more resource rich areas, and
3) had little or no knowledge of Great Basin ecology. Therefore,
4) they were a dying cultural group that required little or no consultation in contemporary Great Basin resource issues.

As researchers began to actually work with Great Basin peoples, and slowly learned the epistemic value of their traditional ecological knowledge, a very different understanding has emerged. It became apparent that the Paiute, Shoshone, and other indigenous people of the Great Basin have been in their traditional homelands for thousands of years, and that their traditional lifeways and the general Great Basin ecosystem were only recently disrupted by Euroamerican colonial processes. Further, it became clear as more research was conducted that an ancient relationship between American Indians and plants in the Great Basin existed, and that knowledge from such a relationship could offer insights into restoring the Great Basin ecosystem and other natural resources problems currently at issue.

The Great Basin is a region encompassing more than 115,800 square miles between the Sierra Nevada of California in the west and the Wasatch Range of Utah in the east. The region is bounded to the north by the lower Snake River plain in Idaho and to the south by the Grand Canyon and Colorado River. Composed of a series of large, internally draining basins in which seasonal lacustrine marshes and lakes form, the Great Basin has historically provided a rich variety of resources that American Indians have relied upon for 10,000 years or more. Furthermore, these seasonally dry and sparsely vegetated basins are geographically divided by a series of north to south mountain ranges that historically provided resources in a seasonal cycle from the basin floor to the upper mountain slopes. As a result of this geography, perennial mountain streams form each spring that historically provided a number of riverine based floral resources. By knowing the environment, weather, and geography of the Great Basin, American Indians could successfully find plant resources at all times of the year. Evidence for this ancient and symbiotic relationship comes primarily from archaeological and ethnographic data, although biological data also supports these conclusions.

The archaeological evidence, which has become more refined and extensive since the time of early theories discussing American Indians of the Great Basin, argues that American Indians and plants of the Great Basin have shared an 8,000 year or longer relationship. In the eastern Great Basin, for example, the earliest evidence of people in the area comes from sites located along prehistoric lakeshores in the basin floors where people subsisted largely on seasonally available lacustrine resources. Later, evidence indicates that Great Basin peoples began to also utilize upland regions that were situated in the pion-juniper ecozones, allowing access to sage and grass communities as well as higher montane resources. Faunal and floral macrofossils, coupled with pollen analyses from across the Great Basin, further evidences a dependence on wetland food resources augmented with small seeds from dryland plants beginning in the early Holocene (9600-7000 years ago) and continuing into the ethnographic period. Although other resources apparently fluctuated over time in the diets of Great Basin peoples, plant-based resources remained constant.

Not only was plant-life exploited for subsistence purposes, but peoples of the Great Basin also used floral resources in the construction of shelters, mats, clothing, and especially baskets. The exploitation of plant-life in the construction of baskets was so important, in fact, that it has been possible to identify at least three distinct basketry manufacturing regions. Each region had special characteristics that delineated it from other basketry manufacturing styles, such as in the northern Great Basin where at least 13 different basket wall-construction techniques have been identified over time. These include at least six different coiling techniques and seven basic twining methods such as close simple twining, close diagonal twining, and open simple twining.

Beginning in the 1800s, however, contact with Euroamericans and their cultural products (i.e., diseases, material goods, weapons, horses, etc.) resulted in a disruption of the millennia old relationship between American Indians and plants of the Great Basin. This disruption was rapid and severe, as thousands of Euroamericans entered the Great Basin to begin agricultural, industrial, or resource extraction endeavors. These processes and events, such as the now famous Comstock mining explosion, or the development of the Newlands project near present-day Reno, or the massive cattle and sheep ranching operations that took place in the early and middle twentieth century, completely disrupted the ancient symbiotic relationship between American Indians and plants in the Great Basin.

These colonizing processes of the 1800s radically changed the ecology of the Great Basin. The seasonal marshes and lacustrine resources were either trampled, drained, or consumed. Large areas were transformed into agricultural fields that produced non-indigenous agricultural products. Giant mines and their waste transformed entire mountains and watersheds, polluting the land and making it impossible for the native plants to grow. As a result of these and many other processes, the relationship between American Indians and plants of the Great Basin has been seriously tested. Unable to access traditional resources and areas, much of this relationship has been maintained through oral traditions, ceremonial and religious practices, and in the minds and hearts of tribal elders. Today, however, there may be hope for reinvigorating this ancient relationship once again.

Great Basin peoples are beginning to establish cultural programs that teach their youth ancient cultural values and knowledge. Environmentalists and resource managers are attempting to clean up mines and restore watersheds, and applied and action-oriented social scientists are advocating for the inclusion of Great Basin peoples voices in resource issues. Together these processes bring hope to a formally bleak picture. By working together, it is possible to once again allow this relationship between American Indians and plants of the Great Basin to flourish. Through communication, consultation, and collaboration this relationship can not only flourish, but it can be strengthened by the addition of all voices involved.

My name is Peter N. Jones, Ph.D. I am a social scientists with the Bauu Institute in Boulder, Colorado where I work on environmental, psychological, and social science issues. I have written numerous articles and two books: Respect for the Ancestors: American Indian Cultural Affiliation in the American West and American Indian mtDNA, Y Chromosome Genetic Data, and the Peopling of North America. I am also author of Indigenous Issues Today a syndicated news blog.

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How to Build a Step Stool: Simple DIY Woodworking Project

Benjamin Franklin first designed the innovative step stool that doubles as a chair. We've created a version that's easy to build and ideal for any home. It's a four-step design that's hinged at the middle step. When the top pivots down to the floor, the middle step opens.

A foreclosed house is a result of an individual or the previous owner of a particular house being closed to him and is unable or un-wanting to take his house back by releasing it after paying his dues on the mortgage.

The house is taken over by the financier, lender or the mortgager and put it up for resale to get the money back by reselling it through an auction or otherwise. The most common reason attributed to the existence of a foreclosed house is the unhealthy financial situation of the current owner.

Foreclosed homes are normally advertised in newspapers and local media. The real estate agents may also have some valuable information regarding foreclosed houses. Local and county courts would also possess information on foreclosed houses and can inform one about current deals.

Court auctions are usually the most profitable way to buying a foreclosed house. The risks of buying at a court auction are minimal when the house in question is foreclosed by a bank or the HUD (Housing and Urban Development).

Buying a foreclosed house is inexpensive compared to buying normal house. Discounts and differences can be anywhere between 15 to 50%. This enables a lesser down payment, facilitating an average buyer to afford a house in the booming real estate market. Financing these houses is also possible up to 100% in some cases.

There are advantages and disadvantages in buying a foreclosed house. The following issues need to be researched and calculated upon making a decision:

a. Condition of the house, the wear and tear and expenses involved in repairs would add to the cost. The responsibility of fix up would lie on the buyer in most cases.

b. Inspecting the house before buying is very important.

c. Once a house is bought and the deal is made, it cannot be reversed. So, it is important to make sure that the buyer is not burdened with a white elephant.

d. These foreclosed houses need not be necessarily empty. The residents therein are the current owners until the mortgager hands it over to you.

e. The condition of the house may be difficult to assess when a family is already residing there.

Make sure you take necessary care and obtain all pertinent information before buying a foreclosed house. If one is careful enough, realizing the dream of owning your home will be most beneficial by buying a foreclosed house. Only then would the discount advantage work your way.

For listings of real estate auctions, please visit http://www.real-estate-foreclosed-home.info/

The Number One Way To Satisfy More Customers While Increasing Profits

So many articles and books have been published about the current economical tides where the consumer is in control, and companies should do everything to serve them. Many entrepreneurs fail to do this, or think its to expensive thus going for non-maximized client satisfaction. This will finally result in business failure when a competitor goes for maximum satisfaction.

Other advice is about creating so-called WOW experiences. Giving the customer such a nice time, extremely caring support and delivering more then expected. This is also held back in many companies as being to expensive or to difficult.

The opposite is true actually, whether it is about customer serving or WOW experiences. In fact, experience has proven that it actually keeps customers with you for a much longer period and they also increase in worth with at least 150%

A simple Satisfaction & Profit Building System is the following, which after being implemented resulted in an increase of 70% in customer life and 162% average customer worth. The cost: a few hours of implementation, an hour a week to run the system and almost zero setup costs.

1. The customer nowadays has a lot of options to choose from. However they dont know their own criteria and simple dont know how to decide. Take them by the hand and teach them exactly how (not who) they should choose. Act as their trusted friend, not as the know-it-al or market leader, youll regret that.

2. After you got them to choose for you and got your first sale, immediately inquire about their other problems and questions. See what other services and product they can use to solve other problems.

Offer them the services or products that can solve their problems immediately when you discovered his problems. But dont haste yourself, you should still make a good impression and sell them well.

3. Rinse and repeat until you solved all the problems you can possibly solve. Also do client satisfaction surveys at this point, asking customers about how they liked the solution you offered and if they still got some questions or small problems. Offer solutions for that too think back-end products.

4. If you cant solve their problems, look in your rolodex or network for someone who can. Refer your customer to them and later call the company or person to let them know you referred them. Or, let your customer tell them you referred them. Most of the time youll get a present or commission. If you dont, no worries since your client is satisfied and will stay with you longer.

5. After every possible problem within your expertise or closely to it is solved, find other common problems your customers have. For example a moving company can refer their customers to furniture stores, plumbing and technical services etc. Your customer has moved to a new city and might want new furniture. Plus they dont know the best plumber, the best handyman, the best gardener. Why dont you tell them and get a nice commission? If you want more business-building and growth advice, visit Dave Origanos website at the link below.

Dave Origano runs seven successful business, all doing at least 6 figures per year. Learn from this successful serial-entrepreneur how he does it, what marketing secrets he has and what strategies he uses at his website www.MrOrigano.com

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Recovering From Bankruptcy - Re-Establishing Your Credit

If you have filed for bankruptcy you have been through a very stressful, and probably humiliating, time in your life. It can be traumatizing to realize that you have hit rock bottom financially and you may feel panicked or shaky about what this means for your future.

You may feel guilty for what you were not able to pay. Or you may still be working your way out of Chapter 7 non-dischargeable debt such as student loans. Or you're trying to keep disciplined about paying off what you owe under your Chapter 13 bankruptcy payment plan. If you declared bankruptcy before certain expenses hit, new expenses may now be coming due. Keep working with professionals until you are through the process and for as long as you need their services while you rebuild. Get the emotional support you need from family and friends and try to keep a clear head.

If an unexpected life event has caused your debt trouble, make sure you're taking care of yourself and accepting friends' offers of help while you're sorting out your financial situation. If unrestrained spending has created your debt problems, you may want to think about getting some professional counseling help to identify the root of your overspending and what potential "triggers" to look for so you don't re-create the problem in the future.

Regardless of what caused your financial crisis, once your debts have been discharged, you have done what you could. Give yourself an emotional clean slate. Allow yourself a new start. Focus on ways you can begin, step by step, to create a different financial future. Here are a few tips to get on good, solid footing for your new beginning:

• Create a budget. Maintaining self-discipline over your spending is really important in order to re-establish your credit. Having a budget puts your financial reality on paper and keeps it right in front of you. Creating and sticking to a budget is a great tool to boost your money management confidence and to give you some real resources and hope for a new, financially secure future.

• Keep things stable. Credit bureaus and future creditors like to see that you have a stable employment history, residence, payment habits, etc. Start by staying in your current residence and job for a few years. Pay your bills on time and keep receipts of all paid bills.

• Open an account. If you don't already have a checking or savings account, open one up and keep more than the minimum required in the account. Creditors like to see that you can manage your money wisely.

• Use your credit card...wisely. After you've filed for bankruptcy, or even if you're just trying to repair your credit, using a credit card or charge card wisely can actually help you. Creditors like to see that you use your credit or charge cards consistently, and that you pay the bill consistently - on time and more than the minimum. If you can't get a credit card because of your bankruptcy, see if you can find someone to cosign on the card or apply for a secured card. A secured card is when you deposit money into a savings account with your local bank and then they give you a credit card with a line of credit for the amount of money in your account.

• Think ahead about future expenses. Part of managing money wisely means thinking ahead about potential expenses in the near or long-term future and planning for how you will be able to pay for them. For example, you could begin by making a list of your bi-annual or annual insurance premiums, car inspection renewal costs, magazine subscription costs, club or association dues, sports team fees, etc. Budget for those expenses! If you lost your house, or still want to purchase a home, use that as a goal for managing day-to-day and future expenses. It will be a few years before you will be able to build up sufficient savings and credit to be eligible for a mortgage, but you can start rebuilding your dreams now.

• Consider planning for contingencies. If you've come right up to the edge of not being able to pay your debts, or even if you've crossed that line into bankruptcy, you know how life events can dramatically change your financial circumstances. To best care for yourself and your family, consider how you would answer the questions:

  • What would happen if you or a working partner lost your/their job?
  • What would happen if you or another family member experienced a catastrophic illness?

  • What would happen if you or another family member suffered major property loss due to theft, fire, or natural disaster?

• Start saving. Make it a goal to save enough money to cover at least 3 months of expenses in the event of an emergency.

With persistence and self-discipline you should be able to rebuild your credit within 3-5 years. Don't lose heart! It probably took you a while to get into financial difficulty, but with a plan and some discipline you can turn it around and get on solid financial footing again.

Stay Vigilant and keep an eye on your credit...

For more information on Credit Repair or Bankruptcy visit my blog at http://creditprotector.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Donald Martin

Shaped 3 X 6 Rafter Tails

5 Simple and Effective Gout Home Treatment Ideas

Gout home treatment may be another alternative remedy you can use instead of, or as a compliment to tissue salts. There are different home remedies that can help treat gout, and many of them are practical treatments that are easy to use and follow.

Here are 5 gout home treatment options you can consider:

1. Low-purine diet One of the best natural gout treatments you can follow is to control your diet by eliminating foods that are high in purines, which are known to trigger and worsen attacks of gout. In fact, it is estimated that half of uric acid produced by the body is a result of purine rich foods consumed in the diet.

Studies have found that by following a low purine diet that focuses on eliminating high purine foods (I.E. organ meats, wild game, meat extract, gravies, sardines, anchiovies, scallops, mackerel, sweetbreads, etc.), and encourages vegetable protein, dairy products and increased water intake, can effectively decrease and prevent sudden painful gout attacks.

Keep in mind that some foods high in purines contain certain essential nutrients your body requires such as protein. Therefore, you will need to ensure you replace them so your body is receiving adequate nutrients to stay healthy. Speak to your doctor or dietitian about what foods contain the nutrients you need and are safe for your condition. You may also want to consider taking a multivitamin.

2. Water Believe it or not, but water is actually an excellent gout home treatment. Not only is water safe to drink and side-effect free, but drinking plenty of it daily aids in proper digestion and will actually help you flush excess uric acid out of your system. Furthermore, drinking plenty of water can help prevent kidney stones and help those suffering from an uncomplicated case of stones pass them.

It is important to lower your intake of beverages that cause dehydration such as alcoholic and caffeinated drinks (I.E. soda, coffee, tea). Stick to hydrating beverages including water (8 10 glasses daily), herbal tea and fruit juice.

3. Cherries or cherry juice Cherries are an effective gout home treatment. Cherries, in all their forms (I.E. Fruit canned, dried, fresh, black, red sour and sweet yellow cherries or cherry juice), have been found to prevent gout attacks and help alleviate inflammation during an attack.

If using cherries as a natural remedy for gout, here are some guidelines:
Cherry fruit eat at least 10 cherries and no more than half a pound daily...or
Cherry juice 1 6 oz glass of cherry juice 1-2 times daily.

Note: Although cherries have no known side effects, eating too much of one food can cause stomach distress (I.E. constipation, diarrhea, etc.). Therefore, while you should keep the above guidelines in mind and not exceed them, you should ingest the amount your body is comfortable with.

4. Charcoal poultice - Charcoal poultice is a gout home treatment remedy that reduces inflammation. It is created by mixing half a cup of activated powdered charcoal with 3-7 tbs. of grounded flaxseed. When the mixture becomes mealy, warm water is then added to turn it into paste. The paste (charcoal poultice) is placed on the inflamed joint and covered with a plastic or cloth dressing. Dressings should be changed approximately every 4 hours and can be left on over night.

Be advised, charcoal poultice will stain virtually any fabric it touches. Check online or at your local nutritional store for active charcoal powder.

5. Rest and Relaxation Resting a gout-inflamed joint is a mandatory home gout treatment if you want the joint to heal faster. Keep the affected joint elevated and stay off it as much as you can so you dont aggravate the inflammation further. In addition, make sure you keep the joint warm or cool whatever makes it feel most comfortable and less tense to reduce joint stress.

Although most gout home treatment remedies are safe and effective, they shouldnt replace your doctors advice. Make sure you consult your doctor first before staring any gout treatment plan.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how to treat your gout symptoms with a exercise as an effective natural cure for gout. Discover how home gout treatment ideas can get rid of gout.

Home Mold Test Kits

How To Choose The Right Finish For Furniture

This is the Holy Grail for many woodworkers. Or at least you'd think so by how tight lipped woodworkers can be about their finishing techniques. "What finish did you use?". For some woodworkers you may as well have called their Mothers ugly by the look you may receive.

Finishing wood is an art unto itself. With that being said though, it's still not as complicated as some would have you believe. Much of the confusion comes from the manufactures themselves, mostly in the form of how they label products.

Why do so many woodworkers simply throw their hands up in the air and just use one type of finish for all their projects? Because they're afraid of trying something NEW!

Well, as with most things that seem complicated, if you take the time to break the process down into smaller pieces, it becomes much easier to understand. With this understanding, the decision making process becomes much easier.

When choosing a finish there are six major qualities to consider:
1) Appearance
2) Ease of Application
3) Protection
4) Durability
5) Health Concerns
6) Ease of Repairing

When deciding on a finish for it's appearance there are three basic questions to ask yourself:

1) Will this finish build up on the piece?
2) How Transparent do I need the finish to be?
3) Will the finish add any color to the wood?

Finish build up:

If you want a finish to build up on wood you must us a film finish. For our discussion here, we'll only be looking at finish that can be applied by hand (not sprayed on). With that in mind our choices would include: Shellac, brush on lacquer, varnish and water base. Oils don't cure hard so they have to be applied in very thin coats (with the excess wiped away) which doesn't allow them to build up on a surface.

Transparency:

This is probably most important when you're dealing with a light colored wood such as maple. De-waxed shellac, lacquer, and alkyd varnish (if the can simply says "Varnish", it's probably is made up of alkyd resins), are the most transparent finishes. Natural shellac, oil-based polyurethane and water base are the least transparent finishes.

Color:

Finishes that contain oil (including varnish) will yellow with age. This can be desirable on darker woods adding "warmth" to the look of the wood. However, on light colored woods it may be undesirable. Wax and water base finishes add very little "warmth" to wood. Lacquer and clear/blond shellac add a small amount of yellowing but not to the degree of oil based finishes. Garnett and button shellac (or lac) colors add a deep orange/brown color that is nice on darker woods and can give an antique appearance. Orange shellac colors the wood purple. Just kidding. The orange color of orange shellac adds a lot of "warmth" to wood, especially kiln dried walnut.

Now let's look at protection and durability of finishes.

Protection:

Most wood looks nice completely unfinished. So why do we even bother to go through all the steps necessary to finish a piece of furniture? Two reasons are: To protect the wood and add to it's durability.

The best reason to protect wood is to slow down the water transfer between the wood and it's environment. Wood movement is caused by moisture transfer. When wood has a high moisture content it swells, mostly across the grain. The opposite is true when wood loses moisture. This movement can play havoc on glue joints.

For a finish to be resistant to water and water vapor a finish must be fairly thick. The best finishes to use for this are varnishes and water based (there are others but they must be sprayed on). Shellac does a good job against water vapor but a poor job against direct water contact. Wax and oil finishes do the poorest job against water and water vapor mostly due to their thin coats.

No finish will completely stop the transfer of moisture between wood and it's environment, some just do a better job of slowing it down.

Durability:

The durability of a finish must take into consideration wear resistance, solvent and other chemical resistance, and heat resistance.

Varnish and water base finishes do a good job with wear resistance. Shellac and brushed on lacquer do a fair job. For finishes that can be applied by hand, varnish is the only one that gives good chemical and heat resistance.

Ease of Application:

One overriding factor that must be taken into consideration here is: How fast does the finish cure?

If a finish cures fast we can put more coats on faster. The downside is that the finish can cure too fast causing it to smear if we drag our brush or rag through it again. If a finish cures slowly we can cover large areas without fear that it will start to get sticky, which is great for large pieces. The downside is you must work in a dust free environment due to the possibility of dust settling on the finish before it cures. You can get around this somewhat by wiping off the excess finish so that it will cure faster, but many more coats must be applied.

The easiest finishes to apply by hand are: Oil, oil blends, wiping varnish (thinned varnish), and gel varnish.

Oils and oil/varnishes cure slowly, as does varnish. Water base dries faster than varnish but not by much. Shellac cures fast and brushed on lacquer cures slow enough to be able to brush on.

Health Concerns:

Finishes that can be applied by hand that cause the least health problems are linseed and tung oil, water base and shellac. Linseed and tung oil contain no solvents and water based finishes contains only a small amount. The solvent for shellac, denatured alcohol, is relatively safe unless its ingested or breathed for a long period of time.

All the finishes we've talked about are combustible except water based so avoid using them around flames or sparks.

All finishes have some degree of odor to them. It's never a good idea to breathe in solvents so one of two things should be done. Use the finish outdoors, or use a respirator that is approved for use with the finish you're using.

One more point about the safety of finishes. All finishes are safe to be in contact with food after they have cured completely. This doesn't come from me but from the FDA. All the metallic additives used are safe once they have cured. This is due to lead no longer being used in finishes since the 1970's.

Ease of Repairing:

One rule of thumb to keep in mind: The thinner the finish, the easier it will probably be to repair. Wax, oil, oil/varnish, shellac and brush on lacquer are all fairly easy to repair. Varnish and water base are the hardest to repair.

Armed with this information, you should be confident in choosing the right finish for your next project.

About the author: Craig Stevens has been a furniture maker for over 10 years who enjoys teaching others the joys of learning woodworking. If you are interested in learning more about woodworking, or in teaching your kids woodworking, go to our website to find tons of free information.

http://www.WoodworkersResource.com

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