How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?

Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.

Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.

Webcam for Spying Purposes

You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.

Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you dont have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computers HDD (hard drive) space.

You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then youll save even more HDD space.

But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then theres nothing to worry about.

What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?

Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Lets take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.

* Audio Capturing - Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, its crucial.

* Compressed Files - Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.

* Remote Access - This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcams view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.

* Motion Detection - Weve already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You dont want to record the area when nothings going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.

* Alert Options - Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because its very neat.

* Multiple Webcams - Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.

* Stealth Mode - Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press "Ctr+Alt+Del" and look at Windows Task Manager!

Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isnt capable of detecting motion, doesnt have alert option, doesnt have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.

In Conclusion

Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each cameras view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.

However, if youre really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but theyre ideal for quality home or office protection.

Marie JohnsonAnna Diana Blog76356
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Viral Marketing 101 - Not Using It Could Kill Your Business!

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Viral Marketing is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Viral Marketing.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Viral Marketing experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Viral Marketing.

Creativity.

This is one virtue a site must possess to lead the race in the ruthless competition in the Internet based business. With so many competition and rivalry going on, every method of marketing must be employed and utilized.

It doesnt matter if you have a killer product or a fantastically designed website, if people dont know that you exist, it doesnt matter, and you are not going to make it big. Worse of all, you business could just get killed.

While there are so many methods and schemes used by so many e-commerce sites today, there are still some of those that can help you with an extra boost in the popularity ratings. One of these is the so called Viral Marketing.

While the term Viral easily depicts a virus, a word very much dreaded by all computer owners, it is not what it seems. You do not actually use a computer virus to spread your business; on the contrary it just might kill you. Everyone has had enough of all those pop up ads and spywares.

Viral Marketing Overview

Viral Marketing also known otherwise as Viral Advertising is a marketing technique used to build the public awareness of ones product or company. They use many forms of media to reach out to the public without actually promoting the product by riding on in other forms of addictive means that could get a person hooked and be obliged or amused to actually pass it on, with the product or company advertisement along with it.

In a nutshell, companies ride on the idea that if people like the content of a media they will pass it on to their friends and family. They sponsor the certain media, such as a cool flash game, funny video, amusing story and such, which one may pass on to another with the company brand or logo or the products description or any other content to help promote the company or its product.

Viral marketing has become a popular means of advertising and marketing because they are relatively low cost. To avoid being tagged as spam mail, viral marketing counts on the eagerness of one person to pas on the product. If a person sees the name of the person they know as the sender, they wont block it and open it as well.

Many companies offer incentives such as discounts and rebates when they help in spreading their viral marketing. They rely on the number of recipients a viral marketing gets from one person in determining the amount or number of incentive they can be attributed with.

Using Viral Marketing to your advantage

The main and foremost advantage of viral marketing is that you get a lot of publicity and public awareness about your site and your company. You get to generate a flow of traffic that are potential customers. With a little ingenuity and imagination, plus some incentives or prizes, you can reach out to a great number of people and announce your existence.

Most every site and companies are catching on to the effectivity of Viral Marketing and Advertising. Not using it could kill your business. Along with other schemes and methods in promoting your site, like Search Engine Optimization and such, viral marketing could easily push you ahead in the rating games.

Viral Marketing could be a sneaky way to get people to know about you and your company. You get them to pass your advertisement along. They are also very low cost that not investing in it could be downright a business suicide. All it takes is a great idea, a good addicting game, a funny story many ideas are still out there. Create a gossip or a buzz, many movies are promoted by using scandals and gossips to make them moir popular. Remember the movie The Blair Witch Project?

Many big companies have tried viral marketing and have had many success stories with it. A classic example is Microsofts Hotmail. They were the first known big company to utilize the scheme and it has worked wonders for them.

Now its your turn to use viral marketing to work wonders for you. Act now and reap the benefits Viral Marketing will provide for you and your sales figures.

Knowing enough about Viral Marketing to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about Viral Marketing, you should have nothing to worry about.

Sinta Makah is a Full Time Adsense Publisher and She Makes her living from Adsense. She is passionate about sharing her Adsense Knowledge: http://traffic.mydomainname101.com/Carlyn Blog71758
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Can You Get A Bachelor Degree Online At A University?

There are lots of reasons why you might want to get your education without actually setting foot on campus. And now, there are many ways you can do this. If you want to get your bachelor degree online at a university, it takes lots of discipline and determination, but it is convenient and you can do it without moving or having to quit your job.

What Should You Look For In A Program?

There are lots of options for studying on the internet. Most major colleges offer web courses and degrees. There are also institutions and companies that offer degrees on the internet only. It depends on what suits you. You also must keep in mind what employers in your field are looking for. But, how can you tell if this is the real deal or not? Here are some tips that can help you when you are trying to decide what's right for you.

No matter what kind of program you are interested in, you have to make sure it's accredited. This means that it is recognized as being a 'real' educational institution by an official organization. There are six such organizations given the authority by the US Department of Education to offer accreditation. It basically means that the institution meets certain standards of educational quality. If you go to a school that is not accredited, the degree you get may be worthless to employers, so it is important to make sure.

What Degree Program Should I Pick?

One good way to decide what major is best for you is to look at the course catalog and check out the required classes for the major. Do they sound interesting? Is that what you want to study? This will help you determine if that's what you want to do or not.

Another way to decide if a certain program is for your or not, is to look at the faculty. What kind of experience do they have? And what qualifications? Usually, the more PhD's you see, the better. Also, find out where they went to school. Where are their degrees from? A real school has faculty from all over the place, who have graduated from many different schools. If they all graduated from this school, that should tell you right there that this is a scam. Look for real qualifications!

Where the students go after they graduate is also an indication of the quality of the education. Look to see what professional organizations are connected to the school. This will help you when you get out in the real world. Contact someone from the school and talk to them about your educational and professional plans, and see what they have to say. A live person can answer your questions about a particular degree program better than a website or schedule of classes can. After you have consulted someone, see if the program suits your long-term goals or not. Try to find the one that suits you the best. Look at where the school's graduates go and ask yourself, is that where I want to be? It is important to keep looking ahead and thinking about how the education you get now will benefit you for the rest of your life.

Here's another thing to keep in mind: if the school accepts everyone who applies, that might be a bad sign. Real schools have entrance requirements that must be met by prospective students.

How Is Studying On The Internet Different?

It may seem obvious, but before getting into a degree program using the internet, make sure that you have a fast, reliable internet connection. Make sure that your computer can handle all the heavy use it's going to get. If you get into the program and start having computer trouble, that will cause big problems. You will spend a lot of time on the web. Most assignments will be there on the internet and you will have to download and upload them. Instead of classroom discussions, you will be communicating through a thread in a forum. In most classes you will be required to log in a certain number of times each week and make contributions to these forums.

Find out from each prospective school what type of support for students is available. Make sure that you are able to communicate with your professors. You will be doing most of the work yourself, but teachers must be accessible. And, can you communicate with the other students in the class? This kind of interaction is an important part of your education, so you have to keep the lines of communication open. Taking a course on the web means that you will have to spend lots of time with a good, reliable computer.

How Much Should I Expect To Pay?

One of the advantages of taking a class like this is that you don't have to pick up and move somewhere. That saves you lots of money on your education. However, if you take a course through a recognized school, you will still be paying tuition and fees. No matter how you do it, education is not cheap. But, doing it that way, you will cut down on your relocation and living expenses, which will help. Even for these kinds of classes, financial aid may be available.

Actually, classes taken over the web often have slightly higher tuition than traditional classes taken on campus. So, you might actually end up paying more. Still, the benefits may outweigh the costs for you. These programs are ideally suited for adult workers. They are designed for working adults, so there is a lot of flexibility. It might be the right choice for you.

Nic Haffner is a writer and internet publisher who likes to write about elearning and educational issues in general. You can read more at his e-learning news and in depth information website http://www.1-elearning.comAlta Blog40191
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Rta Furniture Is Europes Savings Solution For Fine Furniture

Ready to assemble furniture, known as RTA furniture to retailers, has been popular in Europe for years but is only now becoming popular in the United States. The popularity of RTA is now rising quickly, however, because it offers a practical, money-saving way to invest in high quality home furnishings.

Purchasing high quality bedroom or dining room sets can set you back thousands of dollars when you shop at a high end furniture store. When you add in the difficulty in finding what you really want (often visiting several stores before deciding), the lengthy time involved before receiving an order and the high cost of shipping, furniture shopping can turn into a nightmare. Europeans have known the solution for years RTA furniture can be shipped much more quickly because it isnt pre-assembled and the cost is much less because there are no assembly fees and the shipping is much more reasonable.

Most RTA furniture is sold online, giving you a world of options and styles to choose from. Rather than spend weeks trying to visit different traditional furniture showrooms and trying to fit them into your schedule, you simply spend an evening online. Greater variety is available because you can look for particular woods, grains and styles and most furniture sets are available in several finishes. Since everything is shipped from large warehouses, theres no waiting for a special order that could take weeks or even months.

RTA Provides Quality at Lower Cost

Is RTA furniture of the same quality as pre-assembled furniture? It depends on the company you order from, but in most cases the only difference lies in the fact that you will be assembling the furniture yourself rather than relying on the factory to do it for you. This can save you hundreds of dollars on a dining room set, which takes only a few hours to assemble. In most cases, the only tools you may need are included with the furniture.

RTA furniture is generally made of the same high grade wood and other materials as its pre-assembled counterparts. When assembled, the joints meet as cleanly and the hardware is just as strong and attractive. In fact, the trend toward RTA home furnishings has contributed to even more attention to detail.

When you order RTA furniture, it is shipped knocked down, or packed flat with all of the pieces and hardware included in a flat shipping box. This greatly reduces the cost of shipping and allows you to save even more money. If you live in an apartment or move frequently, you can simply disassemble your furniture and repack it for easy transport to your next home.

The styles available in RTA furniture are more contemporary and up-to-date than what you may find in some traditional showrooms as well. Because manufacturers of RTA furnishings know that most purchasers tend to be younger, they respond by designing and making furniture that fits the latest home decorating trends, steering clear of the furniture you would see in your grandparents formal rooms. Which leads us to one more advantage of RTA furniture since youve spent less, you can change your dcor more often and you ca be sure there will be lots of gorgeous new RTA styles waiting for you!

Chris Spears is an interior designer. Chris frequently recommends using http://www.airbediq.com/rtafuretoas.html RTA Furniture when redesigning your home space. Chris prides himself in finding the perfect http://www.airbediq.com/hoac.html home accessories for all of your project needs.Anna Blog23479
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Design Trends: Diamond Engagement Rings

From the grace of halo to the sophistication of micro pave, design trends in diamond engagement rings and wedding band settings are changing, reflecting today's busy lifestyles. Ergonomic designs reign supreme in today's market, no longer does pure panache determine the design that leads to 'I Do.'

"Some brides prefer an ergonomic design that can comfortably be worn day in and day out," says Brian Gavin, Executive Vice President of Whiteflash.com. "Others look for added style in an intricate or trendy setting; which, unfortunately, can be limiting when it comes everyday wear," adds Gavin. Whiteflash.com is an e-jewelry boutique specializing in Hearts & Arrows diamonds and custom-designed engagement rings.

Here's a peek at the up-and-coming trends in engagement rings according to the boutique's jewelry designers:

Myth: solitaires stand tall

Not true of today's diamond solitaire settings, says Gavin. "Solitaire settings are traditionally upswept, raising the diamond to make a very bold statement," he adds. "However, people are also choosing settings where the center diamond sits down low, creating a look that is extremely elegant and also ergonomic." With the diamond down in the setting, brides-to-be are able to wear the engagement ring in everyday work and play situations long after they say their "I Do's.

Halos make a comeback

The likely reason for that comeback, according to Gavin, is that the halo-style diamond engagement ring makes the center diamond appear larger than it really is. "And the appearance of a high carat weight in the center stone is extremely important for many who are headed to the altar," says Gavin. Whiteflash.com has introduced several halo designs to its line of diamond engagement rings in the past year, including one with beaded diamonds along the shank as well as around the center stone, Increased sales prove the design's resurgence and staying power.

A toast to the 'Champagne' setting

One design stunning even to the most fashion-savvy is the diamond 'Champagne' setting. "Those who desire this setting know exactly what they're looking for...and that's something unique," says Gavin. "The Champagne style of setting has an unmistakable following." The designers at Whiteflash.com deserve a toast of the bubbly for their interpretation of the Champagne-style bubble design in their U-prong Champagne engagement ring...among others.

Gavin says the company's Champagne fashions have produced a great deal of spin-off custom-design work, much of which incorporates Whiteflash.com's exclusive 'A Cut Above' (ACA) melee diamonds. "The design of the Champagne diamond setting intermixes several components...it's these combined features that really draw[s] people to it," he says.

"Often people ask us to replicate one aspect or another of the Champagne design into a custom project, and of course we don't hesitate to do so." According to Gavin, the U-Prong, domed shank and accent diamonds are examples of features that can be applied to any custom piece. "Our 'A Cut Above' (ACA) melee diamonds have been adopted into thousands of projects, and are a stunning complement to any setting style," comments Gavin.

Delicate pave and micro-pave designs

The old debate: Delicate versus complex, which is better? According to the designers at Whiteflash.com, this season the style leans more heavily towards delicacy rather than complexity.

The diamond pave setting is widely admired for its refinement. To give the setting its simplistic, yet exquisite appearance, beads of metal are raised to create secure channels where the diamonds sit securely in the ring. According to the craftsmen at Whiteflash.com, the raised metal of the band (or ring) is used to create the tiny prongs that hold the petite diamonds in place.

Center stage: Eternity bands

The pave and micro pave diamond engagement rings come into play when customers are looking at smaller diamond settings like the eternity band. According to Gavin - who is also a fifth-generation cutter from the world's largest diamond center (South Africa) - there has been a recent push for smaller diamonds in settings. "In some cases even solitaire engagement rings are being replaced with semi, and even full diamond eternity bands," he says. The trend is likely a response to the aforementioned movement towards dainty-looking styles and those that offer daily wear. Eternity bands traditionally are set with diamonds anywhere from one to three points (carats).

Brides trade up

The 'trading-up' trend will never fade into obscurity. "We've found that it makes a difference in the design process if the bride-to-be is involved up front," says Gavin. "If the groom chooses to go it alone, he typically gravitates toward a simple design with a smaller-than-desired diamond. And what happens next? The bride-to-be upgrades the size of her diamonds, even adding side stones, and looks for a setting more suited to their tastes."

'Trading up' need not always be done up front. Many couples consider upgrades for important milestones like anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. "While her diamond engagement ring was [current] as a newlywed, many years later she might change or modify her setting to reflect transition in her own life or to keep up with current jewelry trends," says Gavin. "Even if she keeps the setting forever, there is a chance that down the road she may require a larger diamond. We have many repeat customers who upgrade their diamonds with us," he finishes.

Whiteflash.com anticipates change as a constant and has made it simple for customers to upgrade with a unique guarantee: Every certified diamond sold at Whiteflash.com comes with a lifetime trade-up option. The company will accept the return of any original purchase and extend full credit in the amount of the original purchase price. The credit can be used to purchase a different diamond.

"Marriage is a lifetime commitment," Gavin says. "When you choose Whiteflash.com, we'll be there for a lifetime with you."

About Whiteflash

Whiteflash.com is the first company in the U.S. to offer an exclusive brand of Hearts & Arrows diamond and bring the sheer beauty of "super ideal cut" to the Internet. Brian Gavin, a 5th generation diamond cutter, and Debi Wexler, a computer entrepreneur, together founded Whiteflash.com in 1999 bringing an expansive selection of loose diamonds to the Internet, including an exclusive brand of Hearts & Arrows diamonds. 'A Cut Above' (ACA(TM)) is unmatched in its brilliance, fire and sparkle and remains the only Hearts & Arrows diamond sold online with advertised standards and a "true patterning" guarantee. Whiteflash.com also offers original, handcrafted platinum and gold settings, diamond engagement rings and wedding bands, custom diamond ring designs and specialty jewelry.

John Pollard is Director of Consumer Education http://Whiteflash.com - a company specializing in Diamonds, http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/1.htm and http://new.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/whiteflash-design.aspxCam Blog46974
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Credit Card Types And How To Know The Best For You

Choosing the right credit card is a decision thats more important and difficult to make than most people think. With the right credit card, youll be able to maximize your card benefits without getting into debt.

Credit Card Types Which One Suits You Best?

Low Interest Credit Card If youre interested in having a credit card only so you can pay for emergency expenses when you run out of cash, this is the best type of card for you.

Reward Credit Card Every time you swipe your credit card, you get to enjoy an equivalent number of points depending on how much youve spent. The points youve accumulated can later be on exchanged for various prizes.

Airline Miles Credit Card This is a type of reward credit card that offers only airline miles as rewards. When you use this credit card to purchase your plane fare, youll be able to enjoy reward miles. Later on, youll be able to use them and get discounted plane fare or fly for free even! The same rule applies for gas credit cards.

Student Credit Card Credit card companies have lately been designing credit card offers exclusively for students. Although accompanied with higher interest rates, these cards often have funky designs and offer special reward programs developed primarily to provide maximum enjoyment for students. Proof of schooling is often required. It helps if youre enrolled in an accredited school and youve got great grades.

Secured Credit Card If youve got bad credit, theres still a chance for you to own a credit cardbut only if youre okay with having a secured one. This type of credit card requires you to make a deposit on your bank account and serves as collateral in the event that you fail to pay off your credit card debt. Your credit card limit may equal or be more than the amount youve deposited.

Prepaid Credit Card This isnt a credit card per se, but it generally works like one. The limit of this card will depend on how much youve deposited in its account. You cant spend more than what youve deposited. Its main difference with a secured credit card is that secured credit cards can have greater card limits beyond the value of its deposit.

Business Credit Card This works just like any other conventional credit card only with a few additional perks that make it extremely suitable for business use. A business credit card can automatically separate personal expenses from business expenditures, facilitating monthly tallies for your taxes. It can also provide expense reports for your business, special rewards for your business, and allow you to provide supplementary cards for your employees. You can also choose to modify the credit limit of your employees if necessary.

Home-Secured Credit Card This works like a secured credit card, but only this time youre using your home as collateral. If you dont get to pay off your credit card debt, you know what will happen to your home, dont you?

Charity Credit Card Think of it as shopping for a cause. Every time you purchase something using your credit card, a small amount of your money will be donated to the charity being sponsored by the credit card company. This is a great way to salve your conscience if you feel guilty about your materialistic tendencies.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.firstglobalcreditcard.com and http://edblogonline.info.Arline Blog69378
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iPhone Tips and Tricks: How to Get the Most Out Of Your iPhone Experience

All of us folks who are lucky enough to already have an iPhone know how much fun they can be just to play around with. Playing with my iPhone a lot myself, I have discovered some cool tips and tricks that you may find useful.

1. If you tap once at the very top of the screen when you are on the internet, it will take you back to the top of the window rather than having to scroll all the way back up. A nice time saving feature.

2. If you set the font to the smallest size, you can read more in the internet window. An advantage of this is that when you want to click a link, you can pinch (expand) that area and the link will come up very large, making it much easier to click.

3. Rather than posting the full address of internet sites in bookmarks, you can post the equivalent RSS address instead into Apple's RSS reader and save that as your bookmark. This way you can quickly see if there's anything interesting on your favorite site rather than downloading the whole homepage.

4. If you are writing something and the iPhone flags a word as misspelled that you know is not misspelled, cancel the correction 3 times and the word will be put into the dictionary. If you write a lot, this feature is quite useful!

5. The magnifying glass is a nice iPhone tool when you are typing an email or any other text. If you tap once and hold, a magnifying glass will pop up showing you a zoomed in view of your words and cursor. You can now easily place the cursor wherever you want. This makes editing your writing very easy.

6. You can move icons around, but not on the home screen. You have to go to the ipod section. Go to iPod > More > Edit. Now you can drag your icons all around. This can also be done in the phone section.

7. To reset your iphone, hold down the right button and the "home" front button for about 6 seconds. To power it back on, push the top button. This is different than a regular shutdown, which can be done easily by holding the sleep/wake button for 6 seconds.

8. If you get a lot of spam e-mail or other unwanted e-mail, pay attention to this time saving feature. Add a link to Yahoo mail in Safari bookmarks. From there you can check 'delete all' to remove all unwanted e-mails. This is much easier than deleting hundreds of spam e-mails one at a time.

I hope you found these iphone tips helpful. If you have an iPhone and have been wondering how best to fill it up with music and movies, check out Top iPhone Downloads for the latest reviews of iPhone download sites.

CJ PratoArdelia Blog8173
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The New America Should We Outsource

If you were to look at many large corporations such as Sprint, Dell, and so on, you would find a number of jobs are outsourced overseas. Outsourcing is nothing new but the trend of global outsourcing has ignited a firestorm of controversy.

North American businesses are increasingly outsourcing business functions to companies outside of the United States. Often this outsourcing is seamless to the outside world. The company maintains control over the processes and results, while certain business functions are quietly conducted in another country. Companies often benefit from reduced operating costs and an eager workforce. For the employees, particularly those in struggling economies, they are afforded higher wages and an increased standard of living.

While this may seem to be a win-win proposition for all, it does not come without its share of naysayers who believe that this practice is further eroding the already shaky North American economy. To understand this controversy, we must look at why companies decide to outsource as well as the type of jobs being outsourced. Companies cite a variety of reasons for outsourcing from lack of qualified, available labor to cost concerns. Unfortunately, while many people in the United States want to work and some actively seek positions, sometimes these individuals are not qualified or unreliable. To the company, this creates a risk of missed deadlines, understaffing and its inherent consequences, under production, and so on.

Cost and competition raise another issue. Businesses around the country are vying for ways to reduce cost while increasing effectiveness and productivity. By using overseas outsourcing, companies are able to save on one of the largest line item expenses in business human capital. Consider alone the skyrocketing cost of healthcare in the United States. Businesses can spend an additional $8000 10,000 per employee, per year on benefits alone. When added to salaries, workers compensation, and operational expenses it is easy to see why global outsourcing becomes an option.

Global outsourcing can also offer competitive advantages. Companies can take advantage of specialized knowledge and emerging technologies by outsourcing certain processes to other countries. In this way a company can hire those leading an industry and leverage that competitive advantage in the marketplace.

The underlying discontent with global outsourcing has to do with wages. In example, outsourcing to countries such as India and Mexico enables companies to pay much lower wages than they would pay North American workers. With an abundance of people in foreign countries interested in making higher North American wages, finding help is never a problem. For instance, a telecommunications company pays a customer service representative in the United States between $20,000 and $30,000 per year on average. If the company were to turn the same job over to someone in another country, they would likely pay between $10,000 and $15,000. For the foreign worker this salary enables them to significantly raise their standard of living while the same salary would be at the poverty level for North Americans. For the company and the overseas worker it is a win-win situation. However, this also means workers in the United States are being forced out of or passed over for jobs thus the controversy.

American Express was one of the first companies to publicly come under fire for global outsourcing. Dell too has come under attack for basing customer service in India. United States customers complain about the language barrier and lack of service but neither company has suffered the loss of profits as a result of outsourcing.

From the viewpoint of the overseas employee, they simply want to make a decent living. With jobs difficult to find in their own country, accepting an outsourced job is a gift from Heaven. These people often make 100% or more of what they could make in their own country, which makes outsourcing highly profitable and very attractive. Obviously, with so much at stake, the outsourced workers are willing to be trained, to follow rules to the tee, to respect authority, and be to work on time, every time.

As you can see, outsourcing overseas is a huge dilemma, with growing concern. When you consider the growing positions being outsourced, the concern rises. Although you might generally think of customer support as being the number one outsourced job, you might be surprised. Below is a list of other jobs that are often outsourced:

Customer Service Although this was not one of the original aspects of a business outsourced, we now see a huge number of companies, small to large, using overseas services in all areas of customer support.

Data Analysis The amount of data being generated by companies throughout the United States is staggering. In most cases, conducting market analysis and reviewing trends is crucial to a number of industries. For instance, much of the data coming out of the New York Stock Exchange is sent to India where it goes through a complete analysis process.

Research Research is also another large area where overseas outsourcing is used. In this case, companies will outsource large or portions of large research projects to people in other countries, which covers everything imaginable such as pharmaceutical trials to genetics to nano stocks.

Engineering Design More and more, we see engineering design being outsourced. Typically, companies in the United States establish what is known as an Offshore Development Center or ODC, which includes a number of design fields such as architectural, mechanical, hardware, structural, and product.

Medicare Many people are unaware that Medicare is also outsourced to foreign countries. Services provided by employees could include data entry of doctors transcripts to interpretation of an MRI, CAT scan, or other medical imaging processes.

Art and Animation With different countries offering unique levels and genres of creativity, a company needing a website, illustrations, artwork, book cover design, television show, graphic art, and other similar functions would turn to other countries for fresh ideas

Legal Finally, we also see legal support services being outsourced overseas. Although professional services would not be included, we do see some of the more low-level tasks such as data entry of legal documents or transcripts and patent searches being performed.

Although outsourcing to other countries has been done since the early part of the 1990s, it has become a multi-billion dollar business for other countries. Although many of the workers are low skilled, they are again, eager and willing to work. The trend of outsourcing will likely to continue to expand. We often view the negative impact to North American workers but the reality is we too benefit from outsourcing.

Many small businesses provide services to other countries. Writers, web developers, marketing consultants and many others build a business that is largely global. These small businesses are often started by laid off or out placed corporate employees. Other countries outsource to the United States for the same reasons we do specialized knowledge, lower costs, and qualified labor. Lets face it the world has changed. The debate over outsourcing is unlikely to subside any time soon, but the rules will continue to be written.

Richard A. Hall is founder and President/CEO of LexTech, Inc., a legal information consulting company. Mr. Hall has a unique breadth of experience which has enabled him to meld technology and sophisticated statistical analysis to produce a technology driven analytical model of the practice of law. As a busy civil trial attorney, he was responsible for the design and implementation of a LAN based litigation database and fully automated document production system for a mid-sized civil defense firm. He developed a task based billing model built on extensive statistical analysis of hundreds of litigated civil matters. In 1994, Mr. Hall invented linguistic modeling software which automatically reads, applies budget codes, budget codes and analyzes legal bill content. He also served as California Director and lecturer for a nationwide bar review. Mr. Hall continues to practice law and perform pro bono services for several Northern California judicial districts.Caitrin Blog51822
Ailee Blog45226

Blue World Pool: a gift that can not be ignored

Getting up in the morning, going out for work and then the same hectic schedule.How do you manage to balance this hectic schedule? Life in this fast paced world seems to be so hectic that we do not even time for ourselves. It seems that our health, our personal leisure, nothing really matter to us as we tend to get so engrossed in our daily hectic lives. Well it is not really very difficult to balance our hectic livesall we need to do is give ourselves some time and analyze what can really help us to relax and to maintain a balanced life. I guess blue world pool can be the best answer.

One of the easiest ways out in balancing your hectic life is by getting a swimming pool installed in the backyard of your house and then you are bound to have a gala time and enjoy yourself to the fullest. But then getting a swimming pool installed is not an easy task and you will have to be aware of many things while getting the swimming pool installed. But if you want to go in for one of the best swimming pools then you should give blue world pool a try. Not only does a blue world swimming pool helps you in having a nice, relaxing swimming session but it also allows you to spend quality time with yourself and your family. Moreover if you get a blue world swimming pool installed, you will be assured that the blue world pool dealers will make sure that you as a client do not get involved in any sort of a fraudulent deal or a transaction.

As I already mentioned installing a swimming pool is beneficial for you, your family and friends in more than one ways. So the best option for you is to install a blue world pool and trust me I can assure you of a great experience with it. See, now I will tell you in how many ways you can benefit from a blue world pool. it goes without saying that if you have a swimming pool at your house you and your family will inevitably, get to spend more time at house in the pool instead of going outdoors. You can even give a nice swimming training session to your child if he does not know how to swim. They will simply love you for this and also love the blue world pool... So instead of heading to an exotic location this summer, stay home and teach your kid how to swim. Surely no vacation can be exotic or wonderful enough to temp you from spending time with your kids.

Blue world pool is a renowned and reliable brand of swimming pool installers and the swimming pools that they offer customers are thoroughly hygienic and assure you a wonderful time with your loved ones. In fact getting a blue world pool installed in your backyard also gives you another reason to stay fit and fine as you can always go in for the water exercises that not only help you to remain fit and fine but also helps you to relax.

Eric Wills advises people on installing and setting up swimming pools.He has been working in this field for many years. For any information on Blue World Pools,blue world pool dealer, blue world hot tubs and swimming pools financing visit: http://www.blueworldpoolfinancing.comBeret Blog27985
Caroline Blog32561

Choosing Jewelry For Your Personality

Are diamonds really every girls best friend? Maybe some prefer pearls, while others might be emotionally attached to their birthstone. Some might be drawn to a regional or cultural favorite, like turquoise in the southwest. Some believe that certain stones have healing powers, such as that hematite can banish headaches. When you are choosing jewelry as a gift for someone, it is a very personal item, one that, when they wear it, will reflect their personality and values to others. What do different jewelry items say about you?

One thing you should keep in mind is that jewelry is part of your outfit and overall appearance, so just as you buy clothing that flatters your shape and cut your hair to flatter your face, jewelry should highlight your beautiful parts in addition to being beautiful itself. If you, or the person youre buying for, has short, stubby fingers, large rings are not a good idea, and steering clear of rings in general is probably a good bet unless youre looking for engagement or wedding rings. People with long faces should stick to stud earrings or small hoops, since dangling earrings, while trendy, will emphasize the length of the face. When thinking about body parts to adorn, dont limit yourself. Those blessed with taut midriffs can wear belly button rings. If you are buying for someone with thicker wrists, or whose work or lifestyle might be slowed down by a bracelet, maybe an ankle bracelet would be a good alternative.

Different gemstones are believed by many to have personalities of their own, or make strong statements about the personality of the person wearing them. Birthstones are related to the month that you are born, which in astrology and other practices determine some of your personality traits. The symbolism of many gemstones is often similar to attributes that we associate with the color of the gemstone. For example, red is often considered to be a color of passion and love, and rubies, which are red, have the same connotation. Meanwhile, blue is usually associated with innocence, and so are blue sapphires.

Another consideration is shape. Jewelry is beautiful for two reasons, one, for the natural beauty of the material it is made from and two, for what the artist renders in it. Gold and silver chains and other jewelry come in varying patterns and thicknesses. Gemstones are cut and placed in settings that complement their natural features.

Jena Luthowski writes about http://www.jewelryanddiamondguide.com, http://www.jewelryanddiamondguide.com and http://www.SimplyBestCoupons.comCahra Blog75298
Annaliese Blog32276

How To Find The Best Desktop Computer Deal

If you are unable to find desktop computer deals that truly strikes your fancy, the best advice is to simply to wait for five minutes. After all, computers are consistently getting more and more powerful, not to mention cheaper, and nowadays it is no longer that hard to find a decent enough, mid-range box for less than 400 dollars, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. There are two important aspects of sourcing for good desktop computer deals. One of them is of course patience, and the other one is research. If you can combine both of these, you are virtually guaranteed to find a very decent machine at a great price.

The best thing is to start with researching desktop computer deals. What is it that you want inside your computer? Do you need the latest, high-powered engine, or would a relatively dated computer (up to 18 months) be good enough to start with? Before you start looking for desktop computer deals on the latest, most powerful machines, take a brief moment and think if you really need them. Honestly, for all intents and purposes, you can find a better desktop computer deal on a slightly older machine which will work just as well for you. Again that would depend on how you use it.

The simple fact is that the latest models are always going to be more expensive. If you need one, wait six months until it goes down. Unless you are a really serious gamer, or a researcher involved in complex analytical work, look for middle of the line desktop computer deals instead. Most other types of work will rarely require these kinds of advanced electronics.

The other thing that you have to do some research in is quality of product. What desktop computers will last, and which ones would not? What are the highest quality components? Does the company offering you desktop computer deals provide good warranties? Finding a cheap computer is less exciting when you find out that that computer is a lemon. The fact is that desktop computer deals are not real deals if you get a crappy machine out of them.

Just as important as doing your research is being patient. Once you find out the specific type of computer you want, don't just go out and buy the first machine you set your eyes on. Look for deals on a desktop computer for a while. Compare prices and wait to see which one is coming down. Think about how long you are willing to wait. The important thing to realize about desktop computer deals is that the longer you wait, the sweeter (i.e. cheaper) they become, so if you are able to put off buying your computer for just a wee bit longer, by all means you should.

Paul I. Etkin is a writer for http://www.articledirectoryzone.com Zone. The site provides readers with the latest insights and write-ups on all things http://www.computingguidezone.com and business.Bunni Blog31937
Berte Blog7179

The Value of an Online Degree

Many people wonder, What is the true value of an online degree? In reality, there is no price that can be put on higher education. In todays world, the job market has become extremely competitive. For every position that becomes available, there are dozens of applicants who are trying just as hard as you to get that position. Because of this, employers have to be extremely selective when they are attempting to pick the best candidate for each position that they offer. When employers are evaluating new candidates, there are several factors that they seriously scrutinize.

One of these factors is work experience. In the eyes of employers, work experience is one of the most important things that a candidate can possess. Relevant work experience is normally a strong indication of a candidates ability to succeed in a specific field. However, it is important that any work experience you have, whether in a related or different field as the current job that you are applying for, have a positive reference attached to it. Almost all employers, especially those interviewing for positions with multiple applicants, will call your previous employers, supervisors or managers. Although you can write whatever you want on your resume, these phone calls serve as a true test of your character. By having a direct conversation with an authority figure from your previous job, a potential employer can find out various facts about your character, abilities and interactions with other people. Although in some situations the person that is contacted may not provide the most accurate picture of you, most potential employers will put a lot of weight into these conversations that they have. Therefore, it is extremely important that you try as hard as possible to end your term of employment on a pleasant note.

Although work experience is an extremely important factor for employers when they are evaluating potential job candidates, it is not necessarily the single most important factor. The other factor that is just as important, if not more important, in the eyes of employers is the candidates educational background. Regardless of the type of job that you are applying for, a strong educational background is extremely important. If you do not have a college degree, there are many employers that will not give you any further consideration for a job, regardless of how much work experience you have already obtained. For many who did not have the opportunity to attend a traditional college, this is a very scary prospect. However, this is where the true value of an online degree shines through. Thanks to the multitude of online degree programs which are available, people who never thought they would have an opportunity to earn a degree are now accomplishing their goal on their own terms.

Thanks to the design of online degrees, anyone can earn one on their own schedule. Unlike traditional colleges and universities, online degree programs are designed with busy individuals in mind. Whether you have a full-time job or a family to take care of, an online degree program allows you to obtain a degree in your precious spare time. This is one of the things that truly show the value of an online degree. By obtaining an online degree, you are opening the door to a multitude of exciting opportunities. Whether you are looking for a promotion within your current company or a new, more lucrative career, an online degree is the best way for you to accomplish your goals. For more information about online degrees please visit http://www.speedydegrees.com/

As you can see, there is truly no price that can be put on an online degree. The value that an online degree gives you far outweighs any monetary investment that is required. Regardless of the reason you are interested in obtaining it, the value that an online degree will add to your life is tremendous.

Harris Jhosta is holding the market experience of IT industry and immense business solutions for about 2 decades now. His vast experience in the related field gave him the acclamation and renownship in many sectors of business. For more information about online degrees, please visit http://www.speedydegrees.comCelestyna Blog45988
Alfi Blog22923

Leaders Help People to Help Themselves

"There are incalculable resources in the human spirit, once it has been set free." Hubert Humphrey, Former U.S. Vice President

Remember the old television series, The Lone Ranger? A lot of traditional managers see themselves in a similarly heroic role. In the TV show, when the poor hapless townsfolk got themselves into big trouble, the Lone Ranger and his faithful sidekick would come riding over the hill. With the right degree of courage, wit, and cunning, he faced down the mean hombre or otherwise took care of the problem for the town. At the end of the nice, neat, half hour episode, our hero would leave the grateful townsfolk behind wondering, "Who was that masked man?"

The same spirit of rugged individualism runs deep within many of today's "heroic managers." They solve problems, take command, control and direct, occasionally empower team members, and are caught up in putting out daily operating fires. They are often overworked and a growing number are burning out. Managers often talk about their volume of email, voice mail, projects, meetings, and many hours worked. Is that bragging or complaining? One of the big reasons typical managers are caught up in their "busyness" cycle is because it makes them feel important. They are at the center of the action. They are making it happen. They get the adrenaline rush of urgent heroic problem-solving that saves the day for their poor hapless team.

Leaders spend much less time personally solving problems. They invest their time in making sure that the right problems are being solved. Here's how we might rewrite The Lone Ranger script for a leader rather than a heroic manager:

Responding to the call for help, the Lone Ranger rides into town, gets down off his high horse, takes off his mask, and facilitates a process by which the townspeople solve the crisis for themselves. He gets to know the people and matches their strengths and abilities to established performance targets. After seeing them through the crisis, he rides out of town, with the townspeople saying, "Hey, we solved this ourselves."

When the next problem arose, the townspeople might still call for the Lone Ranger, but in an advisory capacity; they would be more likely to handle the crisis within the team. Each time they handled their own problems, they would increase their ability to identify and eliminate the root causes, their capacity to work as a team, and their level of confidence. Eventually the Lone Ranger and Tonto would join the lonely Maytag Repairman, flipping playing cards into their hats as they swap stories around the campfire.

Of course, the "leader version" of the Lone Ranger wouldn't make very good television. It's less dramatic and action packed. The hero doesn't save the day. Heading off problems and solving root causes leads to less pressure-packed "excitement." Getting teams to share the workload and become more self-sufficient reduces the short-term adrenaline rush. It totally shifts the team leader's role and focus.

The fact is that organizations need both management and leadership. Ultimately it depends on the situation. There are times when the manager needs to ride into town, take control, issue commands, and solve the problem immediately. Indeed, to do otherwise in such cases might be seen as an abdication of responsibility. But such actions are generally needed only as a short-term response in times of crisis. If managers stay in crisis mode continuously, they weaken their teams, increase their own workload, multiply dependence on them, kill commitment and ownership, and reduce partnering. Personal, team, and organization growth is stunted.

Cassaundra Blog84628
Brittne Blog73718

Write And Publish A Book Eureka Style!

I had a dream. I wanted to write a book. I have found a neat way to jump over the publishing and marketing hurdles. What do I mean by neat? How about immensely more effective, efficient, and gratifying, for starters?

An Explosive Situation

You see, I love to write. I am also very curious, by nature. That can be a blessing and a curse! Over the years, I have dived into (read immersed myself) in a number of activities and fields of knowledge. I have acquired a fair amount of know-how in the process.

That knowledge and know-how, combined with my love of writing, had grown into a very explosive situation.

I like to share what I know. It is easy to get me going on a topic that I know and love. I was bursting at the seems to write a book.

Boy! Was I in for a surprise. Quite a number of surprises, in fact.

Gut Wrenching Choices

So, I set off to write a book. I had to do something to relieve this tremendous pressure that was building up inside me.

I was immediately confronted with a very hard choice to make. What should I write about?

All my activities, whether professional or amateur, were like my children. I loved each one of them equally. The kind of boundless love we reserve for our children. (If you have children, you will know what I mean. If not, then take my word for it. We love them all so strongly that it hurts sometimes.)

So how could I favor one over the other?

I chose to solve the problem the same way I fit things in the family budget. All my children have needs and wants. The family budget can only satisfy a few, at any given time. I have to prioritize.

Likewise, I only had enough time and energy for one book at a time. So I set out to list my favorite topics, as they popped into my head, in no particular order:

Meteorology and weather services,
Business planning,
Amateur radio (Ham radio),
Radio antenna building,
Radio wave propagation,
Speculative trading (stock options and currencies),
Information architecture for Web sites,
Computer programming,
French poetry writing,
Short story writing,
RV traveling with my wife,
Outdoor photography,


See what I mean. My time budget could not satisfy all my children at once. I had to choose. (How I actually made my final choice will be the subject of another article, one of these days).

Believe me. I have truly been active in all the fields of activity listed above, either professionally, or as a hobbyist. In fact, I am still active in many of them, albeit to a somewhat lesser extent. My wife would not have it any other way!J

All my activities are quite a strain on my time budget. I have to reserve some quality time with my family! Therefore, I constantly prioritize.

I finally chose to write about business planning. My target audience was to be the small business Web entrepreneur.

The Publishing Wall

Writing a book is only a matter of time, discipline and, above all, passion. Oh! Of course, you do have to love to write! No problem, or so I thought!

My problems began, however, when I submitted my manuscript to a number of publishers. Thats when I hit a solid brick wall!

Publishers typically receive hundreds, of not thousands of manuscript every year. Most are unsolicited. Most are from unknown, never published writers.

Yup! You guessed it. I was an unknown, never published writer. All publishers had very good reasons for turning down my offer. Some did not even acknowledge receipt, let alone give any explanation.

The Overpowering Doubts

Thats when the doubts began to gnaw at my insides. I was in a weakened state at that point. The writing task combined with all my other activities had literally drained me of all energy. I could not begin to see how I would ever get published.

To get my strength back, I went back to what I love to do most. Write. I soon felt good again. After a few weeks, I was ready to fight back.

The Self-Publishing Siren

I set out to search for an alternate way of publishing my book. Self-publishing looked promising.

Instead of the book publisher taking all the risks, you take charge of them! You put up the money to publish your book. Some self-publishing firms will impose a first printing run of two to five hundred books. Others will supply you with a dozen books or so, and publish the rest on demand, as orders come in.

Thats where you get into trouble again. How do you get the orders to come in? How do you generate the necessary interest? How do you get people to know about the existence, if not the value of your book?

Most self-publishing firms will offer to market your book for an extra fee, of course. But, even then, you will only get a burst of marketing (press, submitting to magazine reviews, international catalogs, etc.).

What happens after the few weeks of marketing campaign. Yup! You guessed it again. You can either wait for these efforts (over which you have no control) to bear fruit. Or you can cough up some more money for yet another marketing campaign!

Some self publishing firms will be honest enough to (strongly) hint that you will have to put in a fair amount of time in self promoting activities, such as organizing signature sessions at local libraries and book stores, participating in book publishing events and shows, etc.

Not exactly what I had in mind. Besides I could not afford it anyway. Not enough time, or money.

Fortunately, my research and planning discipline served me well again. I did not submit my book to a self publishing firm.

Trouble On Marketing Hill

I decided to promote my book myself. Fortunately, I had dabbed in Web site building when I was teaching Web site information architecture to senior college students. I knew that it was possible to promote my book with a Web site.

So, I went ahead and thoroughly researched this solution. I soon found out that having a Web site does not necessarily mean that it will be found by roaming Web surfers! Therefore, you cannot count on an automatic flow of visitors to your site.

There was more to Web site building and Web marketing than I thought. Much more. I soon discovered that I knew nothing about Web marketing.

New Tricks To Learn

I got lucky. My research enabled me to discover that I could build an effective Web site, efficiently. All that was required were a few hundred dollars, a Web site theme, and useful content. I was ready, willing and able to supply all that.

I also found that I did not need to have special knowledge of Web technology (such as programming, search engine optimization, Web design, usability, navigation issues, etc.).

Most importantly, I found that I could market my knowledge and know-how without ever publishing a book at least not in the traditional way, yet. I discovered that I would be much better off publishing one page at a time!

Heres how it works.

Each article I write on a given aspect of web business planning becomes a page on my Web site.

Each page of my Web site attracts its own visitors. And because my Web site is built to be visible on the Net, it attracts an increasing number of visitors every day. I did not have the faintest idea how to do that. Fortunately, it is one of the many built-in, automatic features of the Web site building system that I use.

By the way, here is proof of the effectiveness this system. At the time of writing this article, my Web site enjoys an enviable spot on the Web. It ranks within the top two percent! It sits near the top of the hill, and the hill is made up of more than 56 million Web sites. You can verify my Web sites rank on Alexa.com, if you wish.

Each page becomes a revenue generator on its own. I can display context relevant Google Adsense adds on them. I can offer links to (topic related) suppliers, as an affiliate. I can even promote and sell my own books, if I ever feel the need to!

The Eureka Rush!

At last! I have found a way to satisfy my craving for writing. As a bonus, I get regular feedback from my Web site visitors, even as I write more content. I have also discovered the intense pleasure of having people express their gratefulness for the helpful information I give them on my site.

Note that I do not sell my information. I give it away! It is part of the give and take of doing business. When I help my visitors, they eventually reward me with their patronage.

I have found a way to generate an income from my writing. I now publish my information in marketable installments, one Web page at a time!

My writing is fast becoming a very enjoyable and rewarding business. I have become convinced that no publisher would ever have been able to match the results I now get by self-publishing on my Web site!

Eureka! I have found a way to make my dream come true!

More on this topic here: http://www.top-web-entrepreneurs-plan-it.com/creative-writing.html

Claude Jollet is a former planning adviser to major industrial and commercial clients. He specialized in weather related operational planning issues. He holds a B.Sc. specializing in business process analysis and automation. He also taught Web Information Architecture to senior college students. He now devotes himself to the promotion of Web entrepreneurship through his Web site http://www.top-web-entrepreneurs-plan-it.comBarbara Blog55330
Alanna Blog1889

Building Garden Paths and Flower Beds On the Cheap

We recently added a large back yard. Toward the back of the yard is our perennial bed and gold fish pond. Theres just an empty space between the house and the garden with freshly sprouted grass.

I stood at the house and looked toward the pond and imagined the path I walk to get there. If I made that path a real path it seemed like it would add a lot to the yard. I took a rope and laid it out where I thought the path should go.

I like to work with materials I already have or with free materials. So I always question what I already have. A large pile of oak chips that came from the tree that fell on the neighbors house last year comes to mind. The neighbor asked if they could dump the chips over our bank in the back. The wood was in good condition when it got chopped up. So if I laid the oak chips down for a path, they would need something to contain them so they dont end up in the grass.

Our pondless waterfall weve been building has had us carrying rocks back from the river so my next thought is of some small flat rocks. The next trip to the river I filled 3 five gallon buckets with small flat rocks.

First I sorted my rocks by size and started with the smallest ones at one end of the newly envisioned path. I made two rows with the rocks about 40 apart and put the wood chips in between the rows of rocks. Later that afternoon I had a beautiful looking path and what a change it made to the yard.

You could also consider using short fencing, bricks, pavers, small tree trunks, crushed stones, or bark chips for materials. Use your imagination to come up with materials for your path.

Last week a visitor mentioned how beautiful the yard looked and how great the path was. He said to his wife Look at what her husband did. (why do the men always get the credit?) He built that path for free. We just spent $6000 for pavers to do the same thing!

Copyright 2006 Alice ScottAloisia Blog76167
Alis Blog35621

Choosing The Right Health Plan For You And Your Family

Health insurance can be a confusing. So as a service to our customers we put together this handy little guide to help them decide what their needs really are. These are the types of questions that everyone should ask them selves when considering purchasing a health insurance plan. Money is hard to come and by taking a moment to seriously evaluate your needs, you may be surprised at how much money you can save when shopping for a health plan. There is no point in paying for coverage you will never use!

The following is a brief list of some guidelines and recommendations for choosing a health care plan. Please browse thru this article as it offers some important things to consider when choosing the right health care plan for you, your family, or your business.

1. What is your budget for a health care plan? How much do you think you can afford to spend each month to maintain your health care plan?

2: Type of plan you need: Ask yourself some hard questions: Do you need a major medical plan, a high deductible plan, a health discount plan, prescriptions, maternity coverage, routine care, or dental? .

3. How often do you go to the doctor? Some medical plans will cover routine doctors office visits with unlimited use but they are much more expensive than those that have some limits to doctors office visits. If you never go to the doctor, a plan that includes this type of unlimited benefit would be a waste of your money. Some health insurance policies will cover routine "Wellness Visits" at little or no cost to the policyholder.

4. Do you take any medications? Some health insurance plans include prescription drug coverage. If you don't take any medications, having a health insurance policy that covers prescriptions may be a waste of your money. If you do take medications, make sure that the plan you purchase has enough benefits to it to make it worth the added cost to have prescriptions included in the plan.

5. Do you travel much? If you travel a lot you may want to look for a plan that doesn't require you to stay within a network. The insurance benefit that a company pays out is always better if you can stay within that companies network. Some companies use nationwide networks while others may use more localized networks.

6. Are you self-employed? Self-employed people will likely have different needs than people who work for a large company. It is important to make sure your insurance policy will cover you while you are working. Not all of them will!

7. Do you plan on having children? Maternity coverage is very expensive to add to a policy. Nearly all health insurance companies require you to have a policy in force with them for at least nine months prior to becoming pregnant. If you become pregnant before the end of the waiting period, the insurance company will not cover the pregnancy or the delivery.

8. Are there any medical conditions that are considered "pre-existing"? Most health insurance will have some very strict guidelines for covering pre-existing medical conditions. However, many of the discount programs and the guaranteed acceptance discount programs have no waiting periods or pre-existing condition exclusions. These may be a good option for you. This depends largely on what the condition is and how urgent the need for care is.

9. Do you need dental and vision coverage? Sometimes a dental or vision insurance plan can be like throwing your money away. Several of the discount plans offer exceptional savings at rates that are much lower than the insurance plans. If you need major dental work right away, the dental insurance policies may not be your best choice, as they will have waiting periods for up to 1 year before major dental work will be covered. If this is the case for you, the dental discount plans are your best choice, as they have no waiting periods or limits.

10. Who will the benefits cover? Adding people to an insurance policy can cause the rates to go up. The more people on the insurance plan, the higher the risk of financial loss to the insurance company, therefore the rate must be higher.

Keeping money in your pocket is much easier than making it if you are armed with the proper knowledge about what you are shopping for.

Shad Woodman is a licensed health insurance agent and specializes in marketing health insurance and dental plans online through multiple websites:Aurie Blog89741
Alyse Blog62587

Common Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Many people today suffer from a type of arthritis known as rheumatoid arthritis. Statistics show that as many as 2.1 million Americans (or one percent of the population) suffer from this disease. About three times as many women as men are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. There is no cure for this disease, which causes an inflammation of the lining (also known as the synovium) of the joints. However, a combination of exercise, joint protection techniques, self-management techniques, and medication can help rheumatoid arthritis suffers lead a happier and healthier life.

When the joint lining becomes inflamed because of rheumatoid arthritis, it can cause pain, swelling, and stiffness. Because of those symptoms, people may lose function of the area affected. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the small joints of the feet and hands first. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect glands (such as the tear and salivary) and the lining of the heart and lungs. Symptoms include joint pain, swelling, warmth, stiffness, and overall fatigue. Joints may feel tender and you may even run a small fever. Stiffness in the joints often lasts more than 30 minutes after waking in the morning. Because of the pain and discomfort, people with rheumatoid arthritis may also have trouble sleeping. Symptoms may also be worse when getting up after resting.

About 25% of those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis will develop small bumps under the skin. These bumps, known as rheumatoid nodules, are not normally painful. They may develop at the elbow, back of the scalp, or on the knees, hands, feet, or heels. The size of the nodules can range from pea size to that of a walnut.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms can come and go in severity. Increased activity in the symptoms is known as flares or flare-ups. During these times, the disease is more active. This can lead to joint damage that often results in disability. Those with severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis can have active periods that last for years.

Rheumatoid arthritis consists of three stages:

1. Stage 1 involves the swelling of the lining, which causes pain, warmth, and stiffness around the joint.

2. In Stage 2, the cells of the lining rapidly grow and divide, causing the lining to thicken.

3. The cells release enzymes in Stage 3 that eat into the bone and cartilage. This can cause the joint to be misshaped, causing further pain and loss of function.

Getting an early diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis allows for a good prognosis for living a productive life. When diagnosed early, doctors can prescribe an aggressive treatment therapy that can limit the damage done to joints. This will give you better function of the joints affected and help avoid later medical costs and loss of movement. Studies show that just 24 months of undiagnosed rheumatoid arthritis can do serious damage to the joints.

Doctors are not certain what causes rheumatoid arthritis. It is, however, an autoimmune disease. This means the bodys immune system does not act as it should, but rather attacks the joint tissues. Doctors believe that rheumatoid arthritis can be hereditary, meaning it runs in families. Scientists have pinpointed genes found in the immune system that may determine whether you have rheumatoid arthritis, but sometimes people who have those genes never develop rheumatoid arthritis.

There are many steps to diagnosing someone with rheumatoid arthritis. The doctor will look at your medical history. He will ask questions such as Do you have stiffness in the morning? and When is the pain most severe? Based on the series of questions, the doctor may be able to determine if you have rheumatoid arthritis, but he may also rely on the results from a physical exam. The physical exam may show joint swelling, loss of motion, and misalignment.

He may also order lab tests such as a blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, c-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies. He may order x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an ultrasound of the joints, and a bone densitometry study (DEXA). Using all these tools, the doctor should be able to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis then develop a management plan.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be a debilitating disease, but today more than ever, there are treatments and medication that can make living with the disease much easier.

Dr. Beth Paxton is a family physician and educator on common health issues today's family faces, and how to prevent and deal with the health concerns such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. http://www.doctors-advice.com/.Britta Blog57300
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Moving Blankets - How To Select The Right Blanket

On our site we offer a wide variety of quilted moving blankets to choose from. We often hear a question what is the difference? Which moving blanket is better? How do you compare to the competitors? Is there a difference between moving blankets and furniture pads?

Moving Blanket or Furniture pad. Moving Blankets and Furniture pads mean the same thing its a quilted pad or blanket that is used for covering furniture. during the moving or storage to protect from nicks, dents and scratches.

What kinds of blankets out there? Distributors of manufacturers use different terns to describe their product. And the same term used by different seller can apply to completely different blanket. But more or less you can break them to three different categories:

o Skins blankets that have no padding whatsoever;

o Economy the cheapest blanket that the seller carries, usually padded;

o Premium padded blanket, with different type of outer fabric;

This category can consist of several types of blankets depending on weight of the blanket, outer fabric, size, and marketing preferences of the seller. ( for example they can be called Professional, Premium, Standard, Deluxe, ProWrap, Multicolor, etc.

All padded moving blankets are quilted ( Zig-Zag stitched)..

How do you compare the thickness of moving blankets? The thickness of the blanket generally represented by the Weight per blanket. Some manufacturers use Amount of filler in Oz per yard. This is quite confusing and I will get in more details in further articles or you can go to our site and read more.

o NOTE: Imported moving blankets are usually compressed before they shipped so they look thin. But after use they absorb an air and will get thicker its like pumping up a pillow)

What type of filler is used? Blanket for moving filled with recycled cotton. Recycled cotton is not a Pure cotton as some distributors may tell you. It may contain all kind of fiber including synthetic, etc.

What is the difference in durability of the moving blanket? The blanket weight or thickness of the blanket is a factor of protection of your furniture. The durability of the blanket will be determined by the outer fabric and the binding that is used to manufacture a moving blanket. There are theree major types of fabric that are used in the industry:

o Nonwoven fabric this is man-made material that looks like its a pressed fabric. You will see no woven threads. This type of material is cheap and usually Economy blankets are made with this outer fabric.

o Polyester or Terylene fabric - Polyester and Terylene are exactly the same material. (See our site for more details why they have different name). Polyester is very durable and abrasive resistant material very soft and smooth. Polyester is mildew resistant very easy to wash and dry. Moving blankets with Polyester outer fabric look shiny and slippery.

o Cotton cotton is more expensive material to use. Blankets with cotton outer fabric do not look shiny. They are not Slippery. They feel more natural.

o Mixed outer fabric some moving blankets are manufactured with variety of used fabric, which can be mixed in unpredictable combination. manufacturer would use whatever was available. These blankets sometimes can be very rough, not flexible and can be hard in cold weather.


Adil Aliev Owns and operates MoversSupplies.com specializing in Moving Blankets. As a special Thank you gift please use code: MS-EZ-5. to get 5% off. http://www.MoversSupplies.com Aleece Blog61723
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Golf Vacations: What You Need To Know

Vacation time is here! Pack up your clothes. Pack up your shoes. Pack up your toothbrush, toothpaste, and some sunscreen. And, of course, don't forget to pack the most important thing of all: your golf bag. Welcome to Golf Vacation 101. Let's take a look at some things to consider when planning the golf vacation of your dreams.

Well, we may as well get the bad stuff taken out of the way first and confront question number one:

How much vacation money do you have saved?

I know, I know... you probably don't have a fortune saved up for your golf vacation. After all, you just finished paying for a new Hybrid club and then there were those Christmas presents you had to buy a few months ago...

But whatever the case - no matter how much money you do or don't have - you can find a golf vacation that's just right for you. If you do happen to have a lot to spend to get away, you would be wise to go where the warm weather beckons golfers from all across the world. How about the southern United States? California? The Virgin Islands? Hawaii? Why, you could see a volcano or three while you tee up on the green.

But if you don't have the funds available for extravagant vacations such as these, (remember, not only do you have to pay golf fees, but you must also cover hotel stay, transportation, food, and other activities) you could take a much cheaper vacation. If you live on the East Coast of the United States, you could drive yourself and a few friends to a golf club a few hours south to play for a few days. Granted, it may not be a resort-like atmosphere, but if you are there strictly for the golf, that shouldn't even matter!

Are you bringing non-golfers on your trip?

If you are bringing along girlfriends, boyfriends, friends, or family members who don't want to golf but who do want to get away with you, you should try to chose a golf place that is close to other attractions such as shopping malls, amusement parks, movie theatres, or beaches. Many golf resorts even offer packages that allow you and your guests to 'stay and play'. Most of these resorts offer packages to save you money on room and greens fees. Look at all of the ins and outs and read between the fine lines of the packages you are looking into before making a final decision about which place to choose. This way, you won't be the only one who gets to have fun on the vacation. And, while your family stays entertained, this makes more and more time for you to tee up!

Is your potential vacation course challenging enough for you?

If you are concerned about having an overly difficult or not-difficult-enough course to play on while you vacation, realize that most golf resorts offer a variety of courses available to choose from. After all, these places realize that all golfers have different abilities, likes, and dislikes. If you are very concerned though, it never hurts to speak with people from the resort by phone, or even talk to past guests that you know stayed in the same place. A little opinion can go a far way!

Finally, make sure that you enjoy your vacation and your golf. Typically vacation time comes around only once a year for most people. So make the most of your fun in the sun!

Challenge:

Perhaps the most basic consideration when choosing destinations and courses is the difficulty level of the courses you're considering. Generally speaking, many fine golf destinations have a variety of courses available, which will allow golfers of various abilities to enjoy themselves, so this factor may impact more which courses you choose rather than which destination you decide upon.

Weather, Seasons, and Related Concerns:

On the flip side, if you or your group eats, sleeps and plays golf while traveling, assuming the handicap and letter of introduction requirements do not pose a problem, traveling to the U.K. during the summer months can be a golfer's dream, since the sun in that part of the world does not set until as late as 10 or 11 p.m. and rises again by 4 or 5 a.m. This allows for 36 holes a day, with daylight to spare for other activities.

Off Season?

Many golf travelers like to save money by traveling off-season. This is a great idea, provided they've thought about the drawbacks as they pertain to them. Some golfers don't mind playing in the rain, heat, or the wind, and their or their companions' age or health is not a factor. For example, prices are down sharply in Florida and Palm Springs during the summer months - for those who can stand the heat (and in the case of Florida, the humidity).

Other Activities:

What else is there besides golf? And does it matter for your purposes? As mentioned above, weather can cause you to reconsider your plans to play, and even the hardiest players are occasionally faced with course closings due to weather. If this happens, you may be stuck with very little to do. Or, you may be traveling with a family, spouse, or others who do not play, in which case you will need to be sure there's plenty for everyone to do.

How Many Courses Do You Need?

Another factor worth considering is the amount of time you have to play, and how many courses you have the time and desire to play. For a weekend getaway, you might consider a destination with only one or a few courses - a destination that otherwise would prove unsuitable for a weeklong excursion. Bald Head Island, North Carolina, for example, is a wonderful private island destination where the only mode of transportation is golf carts. It's a fine, quiet place to relax for adults or families, with terrific beaches, a couple of restaurants, and nice accommodations consisting mainly of rental houses and a couple of bed and breakfasts. The island has only one golf course (albeit an excellent one), although you can take the ferry to the mainland (where you will have parked your car) to take advantage of the hundreds of courses in nearby Myrtle Beach, SC and Brunswick, NC - all within about a half hour's drive.

Matthew Hick has been designing profitable Niche Adsense Websites for over 5 years.Amelita Blog81166
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College Scholarship Application Process

The process for applying for college scholarship is virtually similar to applying for college. First, you have to learn as many scholarships grants as possible and create a shortlist of possible prospects that fit you and your need. Then, you create the most compelling application letters or essays that state your achievements together with interviews and other supporting letters such as recommendations. And finally, if you are lucky enough, you can go to college for less or for free.

Mentioned above is the ideal way of winning college scholarship, however, the task is still yours if you want to succeed winning your most wanted tool towards the degree. So to increase your chances of success, here are ways you can do:

Start your search early. Most scholarships are only open for a specific time period. After the application process closes, you have to wait for another year to file your application. Starting your search early would not only give you better chances of finding the best scholarship awards that suite you, it also gives you better chances of applying for several scholarships that in turn give you better chances of winning a scholarship.

Read the requirements carefully. It must be remembered that among all the scholarships available, there are only few that would suite you. To know this, read carefully the requirements including the eligibility standards of the scholarship you want to apply. If you find out that you do not fit, search for another one.

Do not apply if you do not qualify. Since it is assured that your application will be taken for granted, applying for a scholarship that you dont fit it is a complete waste of time.

In the events that there are things that should be clarified, never hesitate to contact the scholarship sponsor.

Complete your requirements. While you are searching for college scholarship, you must already be preparing the requirements. Never wait for the sponsor to ask before you prepare the requirements.

Write a compelling application essay. It does not mean that you dramatize your life story. It means that you convince your would-be sponsor that you need the scholarship more than anyone else. You should also fill up the application with honesty and sincerity. Never write false information just to pass the application process.

After all these, dont forget to submit your application early and hope that the sponsor would consider you as one of their scholars. Good luck!

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on scholarship & other useful information, please visit http://scholarship.articlekeep.comAnna Blog80782
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Key Accessories Can Increase The Nintendo WII Price

The Nintendo Wii is the hottest gaming system on the market. Even now many retailers are sold out and awaiting new shipments of this revolutionary game system with its remote sensing control system. The Nintendo Wii is a hot commodity, and like any commodity the laws of supply and demand are in play, and high demand can often equate to high prices. If you are one of the millions of people considering a purchase of the Wii System then you are probably among those for whom the Nintendo Wii price is a consideration.

Fortunately, the Nintendo Wii price is at a point that is affordable for most people, and for approximately $249.99 USD you can jump right in almost literally and begin playing the game that everyone is talking about. However, the $250 dollar price point only gets you the basic Wii package, which includes one game Wii Sports one controller, the sensor bar, and the assorted power cords needed to plug in and play. While this assortment is more than capable of getting you up and running, the $250 Nintendo Wii price does not include many items you are sure to want as soon as you tire of playing Wii Sports against the computer.

One way to avoid endless shopping for additional games and accessories is to purchase a Nintendo Wii bundle from a retailer who offers such deals. Various retailers offer bundles all inclusive package deals that include the Wii system as well as additional memory, additional controller, and several additional game titles. While such packages can greatly increase the Nintendo Wii price by $200 to $400 dollars depending on the number of games and their titles it can give you all you need, and more, to get started gaming.

The Nintendo Wii price, without accessories, is roughly $250. But it is the accessories that make the Wii such a powerful and dynamic system, and the Nintendo Wii price does not include those additional items. While new game titles will cost roughly $50 each, it is not the new games that will take your Wii to new heights; it is the add-ons. A second controller and Nunchuk - secondary controller that plugs into the primary, wireless controller; the Wiimote will cost approximately $60. For those who wish to offset the Nintendo Wii price by continuing to play games from their Nintendo GameCube, they may need to purchase a GameCube controller if they do not already have one ($25). Further, if you want to save your ongoing GameCube games like you could do on the original GameCube then a memory card is needed ($25). For roughly the same prices as the memory card, an SD card 1 GB of additional memory can be purchased allowing you to download classic games through an Internet connection.

Like other accessories, Internet connectivity is not included in the Nintendo Wii price, and a wireless Wi-Fi USB connector is required ($100 and up). And if you want to see the fruit of your investments in the quality of High Definition, then a component video adapter is needed to deliver that crystal clear picture ($20).

After reading a list such as this one it is easy to wonder what you really get for that $250 Nintendo Wii price. The truth is that you get a lot, but if you want more and you want to maximize the capabilities of the system then investing in accessories that cost above and beyond the Nintendo Wii price will deliver exactly that. Fortunately, you dont have to buy them all at once.

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Financing Your College Education

Through all of the ups and downs of applying to college there is one truth you should always remember:

if you want to go to college you will REGARDLESS OF FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCE.

Financing your college education can be the most stressful step in the process, however a little preparation and research make all the difference. The money is out thereyou just need to know where to look.

Scholarships are a great place to begin. The term scholarship does not only apply to aid granted to talented athletes at division I schools (though if you are a varsity athlete this could be an option and your coach is a great resource). In fact, there are innumerable scholarships and scholarship sources out there and you can start looking at any time.

Here are some suggestions for places to start in your quest of financing your college education;

First, look in your community. What activities are you involved in? Do you volunteer with children at a non-profit organization? Are you active within your religious community? Are you an aspiring writer/doctor/researcher? People and organizations are constantly setting up scholarships for future students based on any number of criteria. Ask around your community and look on-line.

Also, your high school offers scholarships for achievement in the arts, sports, or academics or perhaps to a student of a specific ethnic background or some combination of these. Go to your schools college office and ask for a list of scholarships offered by your school and the surrounding community.

Remember that the Internet is a great resource. You can never apply for too many scholarships because you have NOTHING to lose (only money to gain!) and remember that this is money that you will not have to pay back.

The next crucial step towards financing your education is to fill out your free application for federal student aid or FAFSA form. You will need to do this the winter before you plan to attend, so the colleges can assess your need and put together a financial aid package for you. It is recommended that you fill out the FAFSA online.

Make sure to be organized. For example, have your parents there with you because the form will require information regarding their income and taxes paid in the previous year. Also be ready to answer questions about your own earnings.

When your package arrives you will see that it is compiled of two main sections: Grants and loans. Federal grants will be given only to the students with the greatest financial need and does not have to be paid back. There are also loans in your FAFSA, which is money they will put up front for your education, but that you will have to pay back later with varying interest rates. There are options outside of your FAFSA depending on your specific circumstance and the school you plan to attend, (for example private loans) which should be researched by you, your school and your family. Though interest rates sound intimidating, remember that you are attending college to better your future and with that comes a higher income bracket. Remember to be realistic when negotiating a payment plan.

There can be many obstacles when facing your future educationbut remember that financing your college education should never be an insurmountable one. Accept the challenge with an open, organized mind and you will find a way to comfortably finance for your future.

To learn more about financing your college education visit How To Pay Student Loans at http://www.howtopaystudentloans.com

Susanna Rasmussen is a regular contributor to How To Pay Student Loans. To read more articles on how to finance your college education or other college rlated articles please visit http://howtopaystudentloans.com/newsCaritta Blog26493
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