Renew Your Relationships, Visit A Spa

By Grace Anderson

The world keeps on turning. And the needs never cease howling. Stresses from daily conflicts often leave individuals look troubled and disconnected socially, emotionally, and physically, which could perhaps induce strife between partners.

A solution must be discovered.. And that is why spas came into existence.

A spa stopover, even for just a matter of one hour, could lead couples to revive the romance that's been overshadowed by adult responsibilities.

Many couples want the idea of spending a romantic day at the spa together, but the planning and schedules commonly place them off. Nice thing now most spas have websites, so it's easier to look at their services and compare with other spas. The instant couples finished the stage of planning, a spa treat will certainly create happiness for couples.

Some spas, if not all, have rooms specially meant for couples to get that privacy they want. And couples can pick out from the various couple massages ready on the spa menu. Visiting a spa together permits a couple to spend time with each other and enjoy the delights of a massage. In this way, they get reconnected and revitalized.

Usually, high end spas have special amenities for couples to enjoy from like a Jacuzzi, a lounging area to relax and enjoy a cup of tea, and some may even have steam bath.

It may be a bit of a challenge to get each other's hectic schedule meet for a spa visit. However, once they get there, usually, views are changed and moods are improved as they get treated to a relaxing spa aroma.

A visit in a spa not only proves to be romantic, but a healthy one as well as couples take the gains of a spa massage and the indulgence in special aromatherapy treatments .

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A Guaranteed Way to Find Financing For Your Business: A Must Read!

By James Scott

Easily Find And Secure: Angel Investors, Private Investors, Institutional Investors And More! Raising capital for a start-up, corporation in expansion mode or a company in virtually any position presents it's challenges and roadblocks. There has been no period in recent history that can simulate the difficulties that current entrepreneurs and executives are having when trying to achieve the procurement of venture capital. The standards have become more stringent and the cross-collateralization of personal and corporate assets as security for loans has virtually become a mandatory prerequisite for any type of funding, equity or loan based.

When initiating the process of raising capital one should take into consideration the use of a combination of funding options such as but not limited to: traditional venture capital, bank institutional, institutional equity investment, hedge fund lenders, private money lending, angel equity and loan investment, a private placement memorandum as the mechanism for raising capital distributed in shares, international equity based funding, the reality of taking your small business public on the OTCBB and many other concepts of capital raising that can be placed into a simultaneous strategy.

It's a common mistake among entrepreneurs and executives to place all of their attention and time into one singular aspect of the above funding concepts. Instead, you should pick a multi pronged approach and go after multiple genres of financing for your business. Some avenues will yield success, some will not but you are more likely to achieve incremental funding successes as oppose to one gargantuan, be all and end all finance victory.

To achieve funding you'll need to be able to contact multiple finance sources to start the ball rolling. Find online membership database sites that are owned and operated by professionals in the venture capital industry.

There is a big difference between a generalized database of possible lenders and a strategic database of success driven finance solutions. Find the most cutting edge, full range database on the web and join them.

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Steelers End Vikings Undefeated Run

By Ross Everett

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are undefeated no more. The Pittsburgh Steelers' used a couple of big plays from their defense in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and defeat the Vikings by a final score of 27-17. Favre put up decent yardage in the loss, throwing for 334 yards but had no touchdowns and an interception. The defending Superbowl Champion Steelers improved to 5-2, while the Vikings are now 6-1.

NFL pointspread players who backed the Steelers as -6 home favorites were rewarded with the cover. Pittsburgh had only covered one of their first six games heading into the contest, and the win improved their record against the number to 2-5. Minnesota dropped to 4-3 against the spread with the setback. The 44 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 46'. It was only the Vikings' second UNDER of the season against five OVERS, while the Steelers have gone OVER in four of their seven games.

The Steelers largely shut down Minnesota's rushing game, holding Adrian Peterson to 69 yards. Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark underscored his team's dominance against the run:

"That's the biggest point of the game. You have the best running back in the world and you don't give it to him. They're saying they can't beat us running, and that's a major statement when you have the guy they have back there."

Favre gave a feeble justification for the loss in his postgame interview:

"There were a lot of what ifs, a lot of reasons we didn't win. The red zone was one of them. They're physical, and they were as good as we thought they'd be. ... When I came here and looked at our schedule and saw the Steelers game, I went, 'Oh-h-h.' "

Favre has only thrown three interceptions in a Vikings' uniform, but #3 was a costly one as it was returned by Steelers' Keyaron Fox for a touchdown to put the game out of reach as Minnesota was driving for a potential game tying field goal. Afterwards, Fox recalled the play:

"Brett tried to force it in there and the running back bobbled it and slipped out of his hands and it fell into my lap. I had just run across the field after Peterson and I was winded, so it felt like it was 100-plus yards."

The Vikings now face another big game next week as they head to Favre's old stomping grounds in Green Bay for a battle with the Packers. It'll be Favre's first appearance at his old home in an enemy uniform. The Vikings will then have a bye weekend before hosting the lowly Detroit Lions on November 15. Pittsburgh will enjoy a bye week this week before returning to action on Monday, November 9th facing the Denver Broncos on the road.

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Increasing Traffic With SEO And Website Design


Increasing Traffic With SEO And Website Design
Selling a product or service to a local customer base often does not provide a business with the needed growth opportunities to thrive. By expanding a customer base a business has the capacity to expand ex potentially. However in order to expand in this manner it is necessary to employ more strategic marketing tools. One of these tools involves the use of SEO and website design.

There are thousands of websites designed on a regular basis which are vying for the market of customers that will help their businesses to thrive. Many of these businesses have some idea of that search engine optimization is. Some businesses may have been approached by companies offer SEO services and thought that it would make little difference in the overall impact of their marketability. However with careful planning and use SEO and website design are intricately linked when used as an effective marketing strategy.

SEO can play a vital role in the ranking of a business or company on the search engine directories. When websites are scanned there are certain key words that cause the entire website to be placed in a higher ranking than other website. These are the words or phrases that are used most often when people search a directory for a product, service, or information.

There are companies that offer website design services which do not have staff who are familiar with the concept or format requirements to incorporate SEO into the design of the site. There are SEO companies that do not have the staff on hand who have the unique skills and talents required to make a website design that is attractive and enticing for a visitor. However, in recent years there have been some companies created that provide both services and have the staff on hand that are trained to provide both SEO and website design.

Companies that select internal employees to create websites often find that the skills and expertise required are not available in a regular business setting. The field of SEO and website design is very specialized and requires a unique skill set that often is not found in an office or business setting. Companies that have a site designed then hire a full-time staff person to maintain the site often see much better results and also find that the long term cost effectiveness makes the initial investment of an outside resource well worth it.

When a specialized SEO and website design company is retained by a business there are many meetings held to create a design that will be effective and attract the target audience for the product or service. The language of the content must be carefully thought out and placed in the body of the website in a manner which will elicit positive responses from visitors to the site.

Many website designers have perfected techniques for creating sites that are user friendly and provide the look that is required to attract a large audience. It is the purpose of SEO to take the site one step further and provide the content within the design that will increase traffic to the site and raise the search engine ranking of the site.

A growing business finds very quickly that a well designed website affords the company many long-term benefits. The customer base is expanded from a local market to a global market, the sales of products and services increases, and the objectives of a business are more easily met. SEO and website design can be costly in the initial stages, however these costs are quickly offset by the increased sales and customer interaction that is attained.

An Efficient Funeral Director Gives Support When You Need It Most

By Kate Esteban

Funeral directors provide support when families are torn with sorrow after the death of a family member or a close relative. They manage the complete preparation and implementation of the proceedings, allowing family members some much needed time and space to mentally accept the sad occasion and grieve with their close friends and relatives.

The job of a funeral director encompasses many responsibilities starting from making preparations to bring over the deceased's body from the morgue or the house to its place of burial or cremation. The funeral director will need to make arrangements for paperwork of any type like getting death certificates, applying for the necessary permits, in addition to ensuring that procedures like organ donation are started in time.

A good funeral director should be the one point contact for all external parties starting from florists, musicians, catering services etc. He will be in charge of organising publication of obituaries in newspapers and intimating the funeral service venue and programme to anticipated attendees, who could be the relatives or acquaintances of the deceased.

The funeral director, in discussion with the family, fixes the date and venue for the funeral, and makes preparations for the memorial service and the final burial. He also arranges for the visitation ceremony before the funeral service wherein close relatives and friends assemble to provide condolence to the grieving family. On the funeral day, his task finishes only after he oversees all ceremonies until the grave is finally sealed.

In order to carry out these functions towards successful conducting of the funeral service, the funeral director must have important traits of compassion and a service driven attitude. Thus, a licensed funeral director who has adequate experience and recommendations should be chosen for funeral proceedings. He must be known to perform his job sincerely rather than as a complete outsider who might charge you a lot and not offer the correct kind of services.

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Facing The Job Loss Challenge

By John Smith

Many of the questions we've seen on the Interviewing message board have shown some of our readers difficulties to get a search started when somebody's leave job or lose a job. But I thought that this thing is useful for us to start at the beginning.

If we see the work culture of the new millennium one thing is very clear that nearly all work is now short term, frequently even careers themselves. It is obvious that you have to mould yourself according to the change whether that change suits you or not. If we see the current statistics, which almost all say that the average job is only about three to four years now, a rather dramatic change from 15 years ago when the average was about 10 years.

It will be better if you understand that there will be an emotional roller coaster, most severely during the first few days. This ride will include lots of depression, apathy, denial, anger and then some more anger. One degree or another degree everyone goes through this stage. And I just don't understand that why people don't believe in this thing.

It is not good to call everyone you know and start sending out resumes, answering ads, and calling recruiters. Because most of the times you are not prepared for the start a search after a separation. Don't do a job search "on the rebound". You'll probably say things that you will wish you hadn't. But it is good to share your true feelings about the situation with only a few people- maybe your close friends or your family members. You don't want everyone to avoid you ("Uh oh, here comes the whiner..."). Now is the time to adopt the marketing stance that your career - no matter how you perceive the reality - has been sunshine, light, and success. And you want everyone to know about those successes.

Calling to those people you know is not networking. Networking is indirect relationship building, quite a different thing.

It is good to develop a target, in my private practice, I have seen people who says that they want to be on TV," I never knew what that meant... did it mean television repair? Developing a target is the centerpiece of beginning of your search. It is good to know hat what is job function - specifically? What is the desired culture? Geographic location? Size of organization? Do you want to start your own business? Consult? Do you have Dot-com-Virus? This may all involve some extensive self-assessment, with or without outside assistance - but it's necessary.

And then, of course, you need to research your target

Stick to the marketing plan and stick to that. Work the system; there are no shortcuts, except for the occasional bolt of lightning. If you are discipline and consistent this thing account for a lot in this process.

If you are really serious listening while developing those relationships, your target might adjust and shift.

If you are loosing a job or leaving a job it doesn't mean the stigma it used to, except in your own mind. Its part of the culture now which everyone has to face one day.

Losing or leaving your job doesn't mean that you are carrying the stigma it used to, except in your own mind. Its part of the culture now. And everyone has to admit this thing that everyone has to go through this process one day.

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Hotel Facilities Vary Depending Upon the Service Level

By Adriana Noton

Many people wonder why they get charged one rate at a Super 8. airport hotels and another at a Hilton when they are using nothing more than a bed. If that is the case, they may be staying at the wrong type of hotel facilities and could use a little guidance as to what to expect based on the top of property that they are staying. Lodging comes in three different tiers and each one of them is meant to service a specific market.

The lowest level of amenities will be received at extended stay properties. These are properties that are strictly meant for longer stays that will not cost as much money as any other type of hotel or motel. The reason the rates are so low is because they do not usually offer the types of amenities that people would generally expect from a hotel.

It is a rare extended stay property that will have a rate anywhere near $100/night. The longer the guest is staying, the more likely that the rate will be lower. For this generous rate, they get very little other than a bed and a parking spot. There will usually be laundry facilities of some type and maid service will be very limited.

One step up would be considered limited service properties. These are properties like the Garden Inn or Days Inn. Room rates are a little higher, but there is not much more in the way of the typical hotel amenities. Owners of these properties make some of the highest profits in the industry so you can expect them to be clean, but they will be run very tight.

Maid service in limited service properties will usually be a daily occurrence, unless they are at the bottom tier of the scale. They may even only offer it on request. While some of them offer meeting rooms and banquet space, it is very limited. There may or may not be a restaurant on property and will probably offer a continental breakfast for their guests.

The hotels with the best hotel facilities are known as full service hotels. For these amenities, the guest can expect to pay considerably more. A nice travel tip is to look for full service hotels that are surrounded by limited service hotels. They will have to drop their rates to stay competitive in their market.

Types of full service hotels would be properties such as Hilton and Marriott. They are typical of full service hotels in that they treat their VIP members like gold. Their highest levels can expect free breakfast, a welcome amenity, honor bar with free hours d' oeuvres and express check ins. These types of properties are generally required to have a full service restaurant, health spa, snack shop along with high end banquet facilities.

If a travel is doing nothing more than sleeping in their room, why waste the money at a full service hotel. A place like the Garden Inn will still offer a free continental and a high level of service. When the guest wants to be pampered, pay the few extra dollars and take advantage of the hotel facilities that are offered.

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Want To Raise Capital? A Must Read If You Need Investors!

By James Scott

Regulation D, Under Sections 4(2) and 3(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, the SEC adopted Regulation D to coordinate the various limited offering exemptions and to streamline the existing requirements applicable to private offers and sales of securities. The Regulation establishes three exemptions from registration in Rules 504, 505, and 506.

Rule 504, which provides an exemption for non-reporting companies unless they are "blank check" issuers or certain "shells", stipulates that: The sale of up to $1,000,000 of securities in a 12-month period is permitted provided that there is no general solicitation, the securities sold are restricted securities and cannot be resold except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption, and a notice must be filed with the SEC within 15 days after the first sale. Rule 504 does not provide an exemption under any state laws. In certain limited circumstances where an offering is conducted under state accredited investor exemptions, securities offered under Rule 504 may be freely transferrable. Unlike Rules 505 and 506, Rule 504 does not mandate that specified disclosure be provided to purchasers. Nonetheless, the business person should take care that sufficient information is provided to meet the full disclosure obligations which exist under the antifraud provisions of the securities laws.

Rule 505 was adopted by the SEC to provide small businesses more flexibility in raising capital than under Rule 504 - but without the uncertainty of determining the quality of the purchasers that generally is involved in using Rule 506. Rule 505 provides issuers a limited offering exemption for sales of securities totaling up to $5 million in any 12-month period.

Rule 505 contains certain restrictions regarding "accredited investors" and non-accredited persons. The-term "accredited investor" includes:

Banks, insurance companies, registered investment companies, business development companies, or small business investment companies; Certain employee benefit plans for which investment decisions are made by a bank, insurance company, or registered investment adviser; Any employee benefit plan (Within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act) with total assets in excess of $5 million; Charitable organizations, corporations or partnerships with assets in excess of $5 million; Directors, executive officers, and general partners of the issuer; Any entity in which all the equity owners are accredited investors; Natural persons with a net worth of at least $1 million; Any natural person with an income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse in excess of $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year; and Trusts with assets of at least $5 million, not formed to acquire the securities offered, and whose purchases are directed by a sophisticated person.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish audited financial statements.

If an issuer other than a limited partnership cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, only the issuer's balance sheet (to be dated within 120 days of the start of the offering) must be audited.

Limited partnerships unable to obtain required financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense may furnish financial statements prepared on the basis of federal income tax requirements and examined and reported on by an independent public or certified accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards; and The issuer must also be available to answer questions by prospective purchasers about the issuer or the offering.

Further restrictions under Rule 505 include:

The total offering price of each issue of securities may not exceed $5 million. The offering may not be made by means of general solicitation or general advertising. The issuer may sell the securities to an unlimited number of "accredited investors" and to 35 non-accredited persons. There are no requirements of "sophistication" or "wealth" for persons to whom the securities are sold. A company must take any necessary steps to ensure that the purchasers are acquiring securities for investment only, not for resale. The securities are thus "restricted" and investors must be informed that they may not be able to sell except pursuant to a registration statement or exemption from registration. The issuer is not required to file any offering materials with the Commission. Fifteen days after the first sale in the offering, the issuer must file a notice of sales on Form D. The notice also contains an undertaking under this Rule for the issuer to furnish the Commission, upon its staff s request, any information given to non-accredited purchasers in connection with the offering. Rule 505 does not provide an exemption from state securities laws.

SEC Rule 506 offers and sales of securities by an issuer that satisfy the conditions stated below are deemed transactions not involving any public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. For an offering to be considered exempt from the registration requirements, Rule 506 stipulates: There is no ceiling on the amount of money which may be raised. No general solicitation or general advertising is permitted. The issuer may sell its securities to an unlimited number of accredited investors and 35 non accredited purchasers. Unlike Rule 505, all non-accredited purchasers (either alone or with a purchaser representative) must be sophisticated - that is, have sufficient knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to render them capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment. The term "accredited investor" is defined under Rule 505.

If the issuer sells any securities to non-accredited investors, it must furnish to all investors the same type of information as required by Regulation A. It must also furnish the same financial information as would be required by registration on Form S-1.

If the issuer cannot obtain audited financial statements without unreasonable effort or expense, then financial statements may be provided in accordance with the special treatment described under Rule 505.

The securities sold are "restricted" under the same stipulations in Rule 505.

A company is required to file a notice of the offering on Form D at SEC headquarters within 15 days after the first sale in the offering. All states except New York provide an exemption from state securities laws for offerings under Rule 506 but the company must file a copy of the Form D and pay a filing fee in each state. New York has a distinctive law which makes a Rule 506 offering within that state impractical.

Accredited Investor Exemption

The Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980 created a new statutory exemption from registration under the Securities Act for transactions involving offers and sales of securities by any issuer solely to one or more "accredited investors." Under Section 4(6):

The total offering price of each issue of securities under the exemption may not exceed the limit on small offerings set by Section 3(b) the Securities Act, which currently is $5 million per issue. The offering may not be made by means of any form of advertising or public solicitation.

The term "accredited investor" is defined to include the same individuals and entities as included for purposes of Rules 505 and 506. The issuer is required to file a notice of sales on Form D with the Commission 15 days after the initial sale is made in reliance on the exemption.

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How Did Wedding Photography Start Out?

By Sophia Mitchell

Wedding days are ever tiresome & nerve-wracking. It is already tough on those who are planning the wedding, but the maximum stress goes to the bride and the groom. For years, people have just ceded to the fact that weddings will ever be stressful and that they just have to deal with it to the best of their abilities

However, a lot of professional service providers who specialize in managing weddings have come into existence, so that you don't have to lose rest over how things will be organized on your wedding day. These services make sure that you can fully enjoy what would perhaps be the most important day of your life. Pre-wedding photography is one of these special services.

As per specialists, Singapore is the birthplace of pre-wedding photography, where it started about a decade back. However, other like forms of photography have existed in some countries even prior to that. In several parts of Europe & the US, couples have for many decades been posing for such photographs clicked by inexperienced photographers, but as pre-wedding photography emerged as a well known specialised service, people from around the world began to avail this service more & more. Photographers experienced in such shoots are widely available nowadays, & well-defined best practices are followed by them in their job.

The driving forces behind the beginning of pre-wedding photography are quite obvious. The need for a service, which decreases the stress on the couple on that important day, has forever existed. The realization has dawned on the to-be-married couples that a wedding day is an occasion where they should also have lots of fun. To be in a position to enjoy the day you need to have the least possible number of commitments.

In addition, by going for pre-wedding photography, you also minimize the risks of anything adverse happening. The last thing you would want is bad weather or any other unforeseen factors spoiling all your wedding photos.

To cater to this important requirement, several established photography service providers around the globe started providing pre-wedding photography services and the practice is becoming popular fast. These services are quickly gaining popularity across all continents, so regardless of where you live, you will be in a position to locate a photographer who can do this job.

These days any good wedding photographer would recommend that you make full use of this service. The lensman would be in a position to suggest a good location, would cater to all the arrangements, and would also be able to provide for any specific requests that you may have.

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Need Corporate Capital Fast? Your First Call Should Be To A Turnaround Consultant

By James Scott

Most companies who are on the venture capital trail are not set up properly to attract investors. When an investor looks at your business plan and private placement memorandum they are looking for certain things. Of course funding sources look for the obvious, a solid business model, positive cash flow, industry genre with solid future growth, recession proof business (if there even is such a thing) and minimal debt.

Countless companies are turned down for funding because they lack the basics such as: an advisory board, board of directors, solid executive staff with a well groomed pedigree, reasonable share price, business plan and PPM that spell out the risks for the investor and an original marketing strategy that covers all the angles. These are just a few of the most common mistakes that companies make out of naivety and by not taking the time to hire an expert to properly structure them to make the entity appeal to investors.

Seasoned expansion and turn-around consultants can step into a company and immediately zone in on the issues that will hinder a client's investment magnetism. Often times it only takes 2 to 3 weeks to completely reorganize a company to make it stand out like a beacon in the turbulent finance industry. If you are seriously considering the idea of raising capital with a private placement memorandum, traditional institutional loans, venture capital or a public offering don't be penny wise and dollar foolish.

Spend some money and hire a consultant who is completely submerged in the finance industry to take control of the elements of your corporation that are seen as 'black eyes' to investors so that you can achieve the capital you're seeking.

The reality is, raising capital for your company is easy and straight forward if you've taken the time to examine your business objectively and sought out the expert analysis of an industry expert consultant who will run your company through a formula and make the necessary changes to increase your ability to raise capital.

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Brochure Printing - Effective Methods

By Vince Banks

Brochures play a significant role in the promotion of a business. They lend legitimacy to a business by introducing & explaining its products or services, company line & other specific selling points in a strong fashion. Brochure design and printing is of high importance as they can be an important component of a successful promotion campaign. As you go with this article, you will get some valuable info on different aspects of brochure printing and development.

The primary aim of a brochure is to convey information. However, it also needs to be good-looking, so that potential customers are tempted to read through it. It should use text and pictures in the correct combination, while the colours should also be used carefully. The basic elements of design such as outlines, fonts, and pictures should work in complete unison to bring the desired effect. The brochure should not have a clumsy appearance, instead it should be clean and stylish, and at the same time simple and coherent.

The brochure printing related issues should also be taken care of at the time of designing. It is normally a good idea to take a test print out to see how the final brochure would look like before you send it for large volume printing.

The design should be developed taking into account the brochure printing budget. In case you have a restricted budget, you can always explore the option of black and white printing as it turns out to be much cheaper than colour printing. However, if budget is not a problem and if appealing and colorful brochures are what you have in mind, then thick and shiny papers should be chosen for sleek prints. If the brochure is to be printed on both sides of the paper, then the paper chosen for such a product must be strong enough for fine quality printing.

Asking for discounts from the printing company is always a good strategy if the brochures are to be printed in large volumes. However, never sacrifice quality, as you do not want to create a negative impression of your organization on potential customers.

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Gifts Are Great - Market Your Business The Easy Way

By Don Wong

The increasingly adopted practice of offering corporate gifts is not as known to people as gifts given by everyone to friends and family. Companies show that they are appreciative to their customers or staff by giving away corporate gifts.

Corporate gifts are normally expensive items and they do not carry any company logo or brand name, as they are not meant for marketing or advertising. However, at times organizations also give employees and prospective customers promotional items such as USB drives, mouse-pads, key-chains and stationery items that are emblazoned with the company logo.

Similar to any other gifts, the choice of a corporate gift also depends on the person to whom the item is to be presented. For important customers, exotic and expensive items are the norm, while standard items should be given to members of a particular team of employees.

The impact of the corporate gift on the rapport with a customer or a team member depends on how expensive the person perceives the gift to be. However, gifting is at times regulated by the law, so a quick check with your legal department is recommended.

Planning for corporate gifts involves estimating the expense, arriving at the number of items, and looking for good deals available in the market for a mass purchase. This is obviously more important in case of gifts to employees, especially if yours is a large-sized business. Make sure to buy the right quantity so that every employee whom you desire to show appreciation towards by means of a corporate gift is included.

To summarize, the custom of giving a corporate gift to your customers and employees is a good way to build strong working relationships. Always keep the legal and financial aspects in mind.

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Thoughts on Comptia Network Plus Training Uncovered

By Jason Kendall

In these days of super efficiency, support workers who can fix networks and PC's, and give ongoing advice to users, are essential in all areas of the business environment. As we get to grips with the daunting complexities of technology, growing numbers of trained staff are being sought to run the smooth operation of functions we rely on.

It's likely that you're a practical sort of person - a 'hands-on' individual. Usually, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you'll make yourself do if you have to, but you really wouldn't enjoy it. You should use video and multimedia based materials if you'd really rather not use books.

Memory is vastly improved when we use multiple senses - experts have been clear on this for many years.

Study programs now come in disc format, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you can watch instructors demonstrating how something is done, and then have a go at it yourself - via the interactive virtual lab's.

It's very important to see some example materials from each company you're contemplating. Be sure that they contain video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.

Often, companies will only use purely on-line training; and although this is okay the majority of the time, think what will happen if your access to the internet is broken or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It is usually safer to have DVD or CD discs that will solve that problem.

It's usual for students to get confused with a single courseware aspect very rarely considered: The method used to 'segment' the courseware before being physically delivered to you.

Drop-shipping your training elements piece by piece, taking into account your exam passes is the normal way of receiving your courseware. While sounding logical, you should take these factors into account:

What would happen if you didn't finish each and every exam at the speed they required? Often the prescribed exam order doesn't come as naturally as another different route may.

Put simply, the best option is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. Everything is then in your possession in case you don't finish within their ideal time-table.

Most of us would love to think that our jobs will remain secure and our work futures are protected, but the growing reality for the majority of jobs around the UK today seems to be that the marketplace is far from secure.

In actuality, security now only emerges in a rapidly increasing marketplace, driven by work-skills shortages. It's this shortage that creates the correct setting for a secure marketplace - a far better situation.

Recently, a UK e-Skills investigation highlighted that 26 percent of all available IT positions remain unfilled because of a lack of well-trained staff. Put simply, we only have the national capacity to fill 3 out of each 4 job positions in Information Technology (IT).

This one idea alone highlights why the UK is in need of many more people to join the industry.

No better time or market circumstances could exist for gaining qualification for this hugely expanding and blossoming business.

Many people question why traditional degrees are being overtaken by more commercial certificates?

Corporate based study (as it's known in the industry) is far more specialised and product-specific. Industry is aware that this level of specialised understanding is what's needed to service the demands of a technically advancing marketplace. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the dominant players.

Obviously, an appropriate degree of associated information needs to be taught, but precise specifics in the particular job function gives a commercially educated person a huge edge.

What if you were an employer - and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. What's the simplest way to find the right person: Pore through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from various applicants, trying to establish what they know and which workplace skills have been attained, or choose particular accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and make your short-list from that. The interview is then more about the person and how they'll fit in - instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

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Your Body Desires Whole Food, Your Soul Pines For A Whole Life

By Masami Sato

As the age old adage says, health is wealth. Here we are speaking about soul's wealth. Nutritious food is good for one's health because body can absorb its essence - it is ditto with our life. When we espouse life in its entirety, enjoying all the impressions and sensations in it, our soul will be able to take in its 'quintessence', coming to terms with the core of our existence, and helping us to live our lives to the highest. Masami Sato shares the mystery of living a complete life in this excerpt from her latest book, ONE.

Why is it many of us (in fact, most of us) occasionally experience some kind of empty feeling in our life? It is like being hungry. When we eat, we feel satisfied and become less interested in food. But as some time passes, we get hungry again. Then all of a sudden we feel so attracted to the smell and thought of food. We can also feel some kind of hunger when we are not even physically hungry-just after eating something. Some of us stay being hungry all the time.

Persistent emotional thirst is not the happiest feeling to have. Then how can we live our lives to the brim? How can we be more contented enduringly?

Maybe the answer is straightforward: just live our lives fully. The word 'full' holds the meaning of entirety. Then the secret to live a life in entirety is only to live it fully.

Let us begin by looking at an example of this 'completion' with something very close to our mind - our stomach.

Whole Food VS Semi Food

We are familiar with the word 'whole food.' It is said that consuming whole food is the secret to the health and fitness we need. What has whole food got more than 'part food?'

A whole grain for example has a life. So, if you soak the whole grain in water, drain the next day and leave for a few days, it sprouts. It has a life of its own. When we eat such food, our body absorbs the full live nutrients. It has all the properties to cleanse, heal and nurture different body cells.

And just like the example of a grain, most traditional eating includes eating whole animals as well. Eating whole fresh fish used to be more common than taking a part of fish and throwing the rest away. It was the same for meat and the same for vegetables.

'Half food' sometimes has more sweetness and flavour but not much other nutrition. We like its taste, but we could develop a long-term illness if we only ate 'half food' every day of our life.

So, to balance the missing part, we started to take dietary supplements. We have been studying and researching for a long time to find the perfect balance. It gets more and more complicated as we chop the food up, preserve and transport, and even try to balance with other parts coming from different sources, regions and seasons. Some of the nutrients even come from non-food items. They are chemically generated. After analysis and testing, we approve it for human consumption. But no matter how hard we try; we cannot put all the 'bits' together to make it come alive.

Part Life-'Sweetness' of Life

So, if we perceive our life now, much of what we are doing can be similar to eating the 'part food.' Just enjoying the sugariness of life but jettisoning the real nutritious part. And if we put our 'part life' in water with other pieces and left it in the sunlight, could it germinate and grow into a beautiful complete life?

Whole food is not (as some people perceive it) poor in taste. It is actually tastier when we prepare it properly. But while the demand is low, it is more expensive. It is actually more economical in the long run though, as we have less medical expenses later on. When more people start eating it, it will naturally become cheaper because it is a simpler food with less processing and waste.

Our life is identical. When we are only conscious of the 'sweet taste' and discard the remainder into the dust bin because we do not realise its worth, we may be jettisoning the most important component. And that which we cast out could have the maximum power for the substantiation of our life and our financial system. It also needs more vigour and sources to throw it away. Better yet, that which we throw away comes at no cost.

So, what is it we are not seeing?

Picture a life where we didn't in fact believe that we were lacking anything there.

The secret is right there. The secret of a whole life.

Full Life-The Complete Life

When it is 'full', it does not matter how big the full is. It can spread out all at once. It can still have within it all the components to uphold itself as a complete living thing. Once it develops to a given size, it can continue to live without some portions of it. Like plants can remain alive after birds feed on a little of it or trees survive even after losing their leaves. But if we ignore the equilibrium for a pretty long time, finally it can lead to a deadly disproportion. Then it might become too difficult to revert to normalcy.

We do not have to return to prehistoric times to find fullness. Fullness exists in the present. All that is required to do is view intently; view intently enough to actually find.

When we start seeing our life as a whole and stop throwing away what nourishes our life the most, we start feeling more and more fulfilled without looking for 'things' to fill holes and dents of our life. Everything finally falls into place. We now understand the mechanism of our world in a very different way.

Yes, it is now time to discover how we can fashion (and perceive) this equation consistently and affordably.

The actual enriching part of our life is what makes us feel fine deep inside. It is like that portion of food that makes us hale and hearty in the final tally. Sensations we experience in our daily life are the real answer to our lasting joy. And there are sensations that make us feel more full.

The smiles we see when we give acknowledgements to others. The joy we feel when we give gifts to others. The love we feel when we see our children being happy. The inspirations we receive when we feel our life is full of meaning

Let us internalize these moments of our life totally and relish the flavour of our entire life. Then we will perceive how it is not so imperative to constantly fill our heart (and tummy!) with physical indulgences - those types of things that only increase our cravings afterwards.

We can actually experience this delight, thankfulness and affection in order to sense life as a whole at any minute irrespective of the circumstances. It is not about what we perceive, what we are told or how we act that conclude our life as a whole. It is about what we 'opt to' feel about our life.

Yes, our life in fact is already whole.

When we start taking actions based on this understanding, we can become true masters of the balance creation-long-term health, wealth, nurturing relationship and happiness.

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Discover Your 'Giving Bumblebee' Personality

By David Anttony

Bumblebees are all giving by nature. They give naturally to maintain the world of abundance. But each bumblebee actually takes a different role in maintaining the colony as well as the flower garden. So, I thought human beings are the same. We are all naturally giving and caring. But we often express our giving in different ways. So, here it is a 'giving bee' chart where you can find your bumblebee type. Watch out for the following bumblebee analysis! The more you share your value as a giving bumblebees, the more we can all do together to make a difference.

Check here for image: http://www.buy1-give1free.com/images/What-type-of-giving-bee-are-you-Global-Giving-Village-sml.jpg

Bumblebee type analysis

1. Change-making bee

A giving bee who likes to see change - who spots every opportunity to do something better and worthwhile. A change-making bee often starts up new exciting projects for others to participate in. A flexible thinker who can collaborate well with others while often taking a leadership role in making change. Many business leaders and creators are this type of giving bee. They are not afraid of experiencing change.

2. Believing bee

A giving bee who believes in one core philosophy very strongly and inspire others to follow. Rather than changing all the time and being too flexible, this giving bumblebee attracts people by being solid like a rock and integral to the unshakable belief and vision. Some of the religious leaders as well as politicians are this type of giving bumblebee. Believing bees makes for a great leader who attracts masses of followers. This bumblebee can also be a great follower who strongly supports an existing belief and inspires others to come together.

3. Caring and nurturing bumblebee

A giving bee who may not stand out as a firm leader but often are the biggest heart focused giver. A caring and nurturing bumblebee is selfless in giving and is always the first to take the giving action when seeing anyone in need. Though this bee seems gentle and caring, the strong desire to give and care for others drives this giving bumblebee to present some unbelievable giving acts. Many people who dedicate their lives to giving (volunteering, community service etc) are this type of bee. Giving comes totally natural to them.

4. Supporting and uniting bee

A giving bumblebee who sees the greatest value in connecting and cooperating in effective partnerships. This giving bumblebee is very focused on looking for existing great ideas, mechanisms, philosophies or beliefs to benefit the community. It tends to support what resonates with him/her more often than coming up with a brand new way. A supporting and uniting bumblebee is less attached to own way and has more flexible mind while being quite strategic about what to support. Rather than taking direct action emotionally, this bee sees the value in creating the long-term unity. Long-term 'quiet' charity givers and people who take low profile in community giving but stick to the same project for a long time are often this type of bee.

Original article is at: http://www.buy1-give1free.com/index.php/598-What-is-your-giving-bee-type.html

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What Are Kitchen Bay Windows?

By Matthew Roberts

A kitchen bay window can look very nice in your room and it can be very useful. It can bring a dark, unappealing room into light. Such a window is both attractive and practical. There are a lot of advantages to owning a home with a kitchen bay window.

The addition of a kitchen bay window would make a beautiful accent to your room, but that might be all you're thinking of. You might not be thinking any further than that, but other reasons, apart from looks, are also important in choosing a bay window for your kitchen.

The looks are definitely a major cause for your purchase. There are three aspects to the appearance of the bay window. One is the window frame. Bay windows can have several types of frames. These days they are metal frames when you buy them in the store, but you can seat them in new woodworking to let them become to part of your house. If you have an older home, you can purchase used lumber to fashion you framework & sill from them instead. Whatever you do, make a point your window will be framed attractively.

At the same time, you may want to consider the glass itself as a feature of your window. When you are choosing how large the window should be, you also must decide how many sides that the bay window will have. This is because a bay window is made of 3 or more glass panes put together at angles. You can have a simple three-pane window, or you can have many panes.

Bay windows specialize in streaming sunlight. If the sun is in the proper direction, sunlight streams into your kitchen & breakfast nook areas. If your windows face east, of course you will get morning sunlight and if they face west, you will get afternoon sunshine. No lighting fixture can brighten your kitchen in a fashion that the natural light from the sun can. Plus, the kitchen bay windows give an open feeling in a room that usually seems too closed off otherwise.

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Life Insurance And Your Future Finances.

By Vic Shallow

A critical part of sound economic planning is life insurance. A life insurance policy protects family by providing imperative resources that help in replacing lost income when a relation loses their life. Though death isn't the most well liked object of conversation, we all worry how kin would survive life in our absence. When you have the right insurance policy prepared there is not any need for concern, spouses can cover last costs, pay off mortgages, send children to college or care for aging family in the later years of life. With the average funeral now costing between $8,000 and $10,000, paying the cost of services, coffin, headstone and funeral plot can make a gigantic dent in any family's budget and use their nest egg in just about no time.

Some breadwinners select pre-need funeral insurance, which authorizes consumers to pre-pay last costs, then select their own service and last life resting place. While this is a likely choice for some, it's regularly better to get a more major, complete life plan that designates money resources to be used as the policy's beneficiary sees fit.

Some breadwinners select pre-need funeral insurance, which authorizes shoppers to pre-pay last costs, then select their own service and last life resting place. While this is a possible choice for some, it's generally better to buy a rather more serious, complete life plan that designates cash resources to be used as the policy's beneficiary sees fit.

Clearing Mortgages

Paying For School

With the mean cost of a college education now hovering around $30,000 a year, families should think about their kids's education as a future life investment. But with costs like these, many mums and pops struggle to gather the funds critical to send their youngsters to school. By reserving insurance funds to be used for education, purchasers can set their children up for a successful, productive life and an education that offers opportunities that may instead not be possible. Reports say that children who get an education are loads more successful in life. Make allowance for education now by getting a life insurance policy.

Caring for Aging Elders

Caring for Aging Elders

Life insurance is a critical part of any family's finance plan. The right insurance provisions can help spare family members stress and difficulty at one of the toughest times of life. Think about using an online referral service to make the method of finding the best insurance quicker and simpler.

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Best Methods To Obtain Super Cheap Car Insurance

By Jim Hall

It is very essential to obtain cheap car insurance because of current financial crisis and sky rocketing petrol prices. It absolutely makes wisdom to look for other ways to save on automobile related costs such as insurance. One might feel that the car insurance company has all the authority and power to decide rate and premium. One can manage a lot if not all factors that decide insurance costs, from which company and what type of insurance policy you choose.

There are three simple ways to obtain super cheap car insurance. They are as follows:

1. Judgment of several bad quotes
It is a wide known fact that insurance premiums and excesses differ considerably from one company to other company. It thus pays or somewhat saves to do a little policy investigation. You will have to keep one thing in your mind that which is the cheapest insurance policy and how much coverage you will have to pay. You should always look for the package with the best coverage as well as the diverse rate.
Cheap car insurance is of no use if the policy doesn't meet your financial requirements or state insurance requirements. You will certainly find some of to be good and some of them to be bad. You will have to mention the marital status as well as the child and the driver addiction as well and not to forget the new car purchasing. The cheap car insurance will certainly have a great effect because of all of the above facts.

2. Make you're driving record better
Having the best driving record is certainly a good thing to have and you will be benefited from it. The vital aspect that the insurance companies look is reducing risk as much as they probably can, and drivers with spotless driving record are usually considered to be a significantly lower risk.

3. Something to consider while buying a car
You will certainly find the cars model very good for your car insurance. If a particular customer wishes to purchase a new car, it will make common sense to do essential study or research on the insurance expense connected with the new car you are willing to purchase.

Insurance companies consider various crucial factors when determining premiums and rates to a particular vehicle including the car's model, type, class, safety features such as ABS Airbags and if the type and model is a prime target for robbery.

Once you are finished with your list of possible cars to only a small number of candidates, you should get in touch with your present insurer and get cheap quotes for coverage on your list of cars.

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Guidelines On The Value Of Giving

By Masami Sato

A new experiment is completely changing lives in the rural areas of India by bringing luminosity where there used to be darkness.

The New York Times published an article titled, "Husk Power for India". Electricity, which is prevalent in the lives of many in developed nations, is a pure luxury in remote areas of developing ones. What was once fed to animals now is used to generate electricity - rice husks.

Raised in the rural state of Bihar, Manoj Sinha understood what it was like to sit in darkness. Being an engineer with Intel Corporation he had all the ability to bring alive the dream of a lifetime. He led the advancement of his power equipment that produces electricity from rice husks and other farm wastes and now he trades it to hamlets across India.

Sinha is what could be called a social industrialist because he feels entrepreneurship is a way out for important problems of the society. "Business leaders must realise that the world's poor need investments more than handouts," he says, adding, "these are customers, not victims."

The article inspired me to think about giving in a different way leading me to ask myself, "what is the most effective form of giving?" Is it education, commercial activity or disaster relief? There are so many ways to make a difference. One way of giving can seem more effective or sustainable than other ways depending on the way it is expressed, looked at or implemented.

I then came to delineate there were eight segments to giving as a way to see this. So, let me chart out the eight differences; which in effect are often 'stages' of giving as well.

Phase one: Exigency - salvaging and helping others who are suffering due to natural calamities, epidemic diseases or other insurmountable problems.

Stage two: Relief - providing relief from long-standing hunger, poverty, diseases, handicaps or discrimination which otherwise would continue or worsened because of the lack of information, education or resources.

Stage three: Remedying and defense - internally, bodily and psychologically. Many people carry injuries that may be invisible but could be severely confining their lives. Giving the remedy to release the buried trauma creates better facilities for them while giving proper protection gives them a sense of defense.

Stage four: Education - giving better education, information and skill training to create empowered and creative solutions to resource generation while supporting individuals to discover their unique talent to thrive.

Stage five: Inspired investment - giving a help, capital or resources to those who have great talent to alter the situation. This gets used many times as the resources become more and passed on to other people who again produce more out of the prospects given.

Stage six: Sustainability - working together involving the people in the local environment, creating sustainable community - environmentally and socially.

Stage seven: Empowerment - sanctioning and influencing the people to set free their true capability and drive to make a difference. In this group of offering, the aim of offering changes from 'giving to those who are in need' to 'giving people an opening to give to others' and to the whole group.

Stage eight: Loving - just doing whatever we feel to do to love and care for others. No strategy or expected outcome exists in this stage of giving. 'Giving' does not even exist here in the traditional sense of the word, as there is no sense of possession or judgment or desire to change anything. This is where we do not even have to think about anything, we give as a part of our own joyful experience.

What we also find is that at each of these eight stages of giving there are different things that the giver receives.

One: Sense of relationship

Two: Sense of contentment

Three: respite from hurt (our own)

Four: Gratitude for our own knowledge, skills and circumstances

Five: Long-term sense of involvement and fulfillment for our own life

Six: Improved environment for our own life and for the lives for all those we love and care for

Seven: Soul gratifying encouragement and devotion to our own purpose

Eight: Care

Giving has many levels and experiences depending on the giver and the receiver. And the 'stages' do not describe which one is more important than the other. All are necessary.

I was fortunate to have an experience early in 2008 while travelling with a group of dedicated businessmen through India to see how we could be more useful in our giving. I was blessed to have one exceptional happening that made me think about what 'effectual giving' actually meant.

We were in a small town one day. Four of us had just called a taxi to take us to another town in the vicinities. We bargained with the driver with care as our hotel staff had told us beforehand that we could be duped since we were not local.

We chose to stop in front of the local train station for a short interval en route to the town. While the others went to use restrooms, I struck up a conversation with the driver of the taxi, standing nearby. With his limited English vocabulary and a smiling face that showed his black front teeth to advantage, he told me that he lived in the outskirts of the town and that he had a young wife and two kids who attended the local school - I began to feel a relationship with him.

I patted him on the back for having an affectionate family and told him that I also had two kids of the same age as his. When the others came back the driver instantly asked us to come to his house for food. I thought it was just a formality he wanted to convey at first. However, after leaving us at the centre of the town, he was particular that he would wait for us till we were done with our traveling around the town. And he actually did. I was in fact quite taken aback to see him still standing by the side of the road next to his taxi even after an hour. We hopped back into the taxi and he whizzed off up the road to where his home was.

When we reached there we were really quite taken aback to see how he was living. It was more or less similar (if not worse) to the standard of people dwelling in slums we had visited before. From the gleaming new taxi he was driving, who could have thought this

As he reached the narrow open street in between shanties that were made with rough concrete blocks and mud walls, we felt guilty about accepting his invitation. For a brief moment I was nonplussed. "How could I accept the hospitality of this man who didn't seem to have anything at all and I didn't even bring any gift that could be a help to his family", I told myself.

As we walked into his house, we saw a pan and small stove on the mud floor. His very shy wife nodded blushing in surprise and disappeared into the small storeroom (a cupboard size) next to it. As I looked in, I saw the next-door neighbours handing over some teacups to his wife over the crumbled concrete fence. They didn't even have extra teacups in their house. There was only one small room fitted out with one single bed and an old galvanised chest next to it.

The taxi driver quickly pulled out three hand-woven rugs from the chest and rolled them out on the small patch of mud floor putting one on the bed.

Hot cups of tea came pretty fast and so did some snacks. His kids as well as all the little ones in the neighbourhood came to see us and stood around near the door. All six of us were totally wedged into the small room. I asked him with surprise where all his children slept. I thought they might be having another space somewhere. To my utter surprise, he pointed the chest and happily said that it was their sleeping space.

He cheerfully informed us that he was a dancing expert of the area and pointed at the medals displayed on the recess above his bed. Bent on showing us his dancing skills he at once ran outside. From some place music started coming into the tiny room. He has no arrangement for music in the house, it was flowing in from outside. I wondered where it came from till I saw him bringing his taxi in reverse to the back wall of his house with the doors open and music flowing in from the high volume car radio!

The time quickly passed (dancing together and having more cups of tea) and it was finally time to say thank you for their great hospitality and head on our way. As we stood up to leave and thank him and his wife, he reached to the best looking rug on the bed, rolled it up and handed it to us. It was one of the only few things he had. I could not believe he offered it to us.

We all courteously begged off his gift and moved out waving goodbye to all the people waving back at us. We got real baffled about the whole affair. Should we have paid them something as they surely had only too little money? Should we have consented to take the cherished gift he made us?

As I was thinking about this awe-inspiring experience after a few days, I considered our begging off his gift. He looked crest-fallen that we didn't accept the gift. It wasn't only the rejecting of the gift that remained in my mind.

I realised that the feeling of restlessness I felt was in reality the result of seeing him as less privileged. I was feeling that I couldn't probably receive anything from someone who owned too little.

But did he really have nothing much? Maybe he had much more - many more.

Maybe the perfect gift we could have given him then was to accept his gift in total surrender and gratefulness.

All actions of gifting and getting are essential for us to fill our world with plenty and contentment equally for both giver and getter. We can begin doing this instead of assessing and defending one over the other. The perfect act of gifting and getting needs no further clarification.

Manoj Sinha's words resound in my mind once again, "these are customers, not victims." I can visualise the eager faces of the village people who are now thrilled to have current in their hamlets and their little ones who now can now read and write and learn even at night.

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The Process Of Offset Printing

By Augusto Tan

Printing service is used by most organizations for different purposes such as marketing and corporate communications. Hence, it is good to have some basic knowledge of how printing works, especially offset printing, which is one of the most widely used printing techniques.

Offset printing is so well known among printing service companies and clients because for large volumes, it is more economical than other options. The clients giving big printing orders are advised by the printers to opt for offset printing due to this reason.

This printing technique uses oil-based ink, which is not soluble in water. In offset printing, rubber blankets act as intermediate for copying the image on the paper, which is originally on the plate.

The first step is preparing the images. Film negatives were employed in the earlier times for making images and then copying them to aluminum based printing plates. But, a modern printing company would now prepare the plates directly by making use of an image setting system. The next step is to attach the plate on to a cylinder such that it is spot on. Next, the water is spread on the image plates, which is followed by the ink. While the ink gets fixed to the image, the water gets attached to that part of the plate which has no image so that the ink does not spill beyond the image.

Next, the image is inverted when it is put on to a rubber blanket which is attached to another cylinder. After that, sheets of paper of desired dimensions are put together and the rubber blankets transmit the image to the sheets on a third cylinder, where it comes out as the correct side.

Last steps of the printing job involve things such as stapling, gluing or arranging the printed sheets in line with the instructions of the client, and any printing company should easily manage these.

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Why Overhaul Your Brand Design

By Tom Tan

Many people mistake brand design with just developing a logo. The truth could not have been farther from this. Brand designing plays an important role in the success of the organization as it helps in creating a bond with the customers, who identify the business by its brand. Redesigning a brand is only needed when your existing brand image is not serving the aim of creating a favorable impression on consumers.

An effective brand design is one that covers all areas of the brand identity and transforms the way a company projects itself to external parties. In addition to the logo, a brand design covers promotional jingles, the company website, marketing brochures and posters, and the organization's customer service offices.

Customers identify with a business when brand designing is effective, which in turn allows the organization to generate more profits. However, it is not all that simple to develop a good brand identity It takes a lot of effort, and requires the person creating it to know the customers and the competitors of the business, as well as the benefits of its products or services. This is why brand design consultants are so important when it comes to redesigning a brand.

Brand design consultants are trained and experienced in this area. Brand design consultants look at the existing brand and the client's aim behind going for a change in it, the existing market trends, and the anticipated reaction of the rivals to it before implementing redesign decisions. After this analysis is complete, the consultants focus on their real task - creating an appealing brand identity. This task involves an assortment of activities like designing catchy ads and stylish logos; and updating packaging design, corporate literature, and corporate website.

Therefore, it is critical that you use brand design consultants when you want to carry out a brand designing exercise for your business. Their creative skills and technical knowhow are vital to creating a powerful and successful brand.

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The Importance Of Protecting Yourself

By Ethan Kalvin

If you have lost your job in the career that you have been focusing on for a long time it is a big blow. It involves a change in lifestyle for the whole family and the best thing that you can do is look at what matters the most. If your company closed its doors and all your benefits went with it you need to be careful and take care of your family as best you can.

The economy will hopefully improve sooner rather than later, and you need to hang on until then. Unfortunately your situation could get worse so you need to do whatever you can to keep what you have safe. If the loss of your job meant losing more than cash flow you will need to replace those benefits as well as possible and soon.

Your job that you had for years is gone. You have found something making much less without the benefits your family needs and used to have. It is time to look into health insurance for yourself and your family. Because if someone gets hurt or becomes ill you will be in an even worse position than you are in now. Your whole life has already changed no doubt and the thought of things getting worse is scary.

The best thing you can do to protect your family from further harm is provide them with medical insurance coverage. This will keep everyone as healthy as possible while protecting your finances from being bogged down with extensive medical debt. Online quotes are simple and easy to come by and so is all the information that you will need to make an informed decision.

After all your family has been through you need to protect them from further harm and keep them safe. All the hardship can really bring your family closer together in ways that will probably surprise you. You need to do what you can to keep things from getting worse and health insurance will do that.

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Tips For The Would-Be Wedding Photographer

By Ron Wong

For years people will be displaying photos of their wedding, since it is that kind of occasion. Your clients will be looking for a quality track record because it is such a special moment they want capturing. If you are a photographer you might want to consider photographing weddings because there is a lot of money to be made by doing them. With the money comes the risk which you must manage well.

If this is going to be your first wedding shoot you will want to make sure your contract is written up properly and a disclaimer included in it. A disclaimer is something that can prevent you from being sued later on. For example, you should include that you are not responsible for pictures that might get lost after you send the film away to get developed, or pictures that do not come out clear due to equipment failure. You do not want to be sued for breaching your contract.

Now with that said you should also include how many pictures are to be taken and how long you will be photographing for and what hourly rate will be. Include how much the cost of development is and the cost of the album. Make sure you discuss with your clients what their requirements are. There could be a particular family member that they want photographed separately, or a certain group of people they do not get to see very often.

Your clients will probably request certain photographs so make sure you make a list. Generally your clients will want pictures of the pre-ceremony, wedding ceremony, post-ceremony and of course the reception. Who will be in certain photographs should be discussed with the client as well. Pay attention to what your clients are saying because each one will be different.

When you schedule your clients in make sure they pay you a deposit. At least 50% deposit should be paid prior to the wedding. You should set a date when the remaining amount will be paid because you do not want to be bothering the bride and groom during the reception for payment! They would think you were unprofessional and wish they had hired someone else.

If you are developing your client's pictures yourself, Photoshop is an excellent photo editing program. Flaw removal, montage, and changing the color are a few of the enhancements you can use with Photoshop.

Look for ways to add extra value that you have not told them about. This will always generate good feelings. A special surprise will keep everyone talking and generating more business for you in the future. Think different. Imagine for example if you uploaded all their pictures onto a password protected part of your website so that they and their friends can login and view.

In the end doing bridal photography can be lucrative and fun as long as you build on your people skills.

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Religiously Significant Aspects Of Buddhist Funerals

By Amy Tan

A Buddhist funeral contains extensive last rites carried out according to sacred customs and traditions. Buddhists believe that the soul attains freedom from the cycle of life and death from the deceased person's body during the funeral services and is able to find a new level and move towards a greater existence.

In a typical Buddhist funeral, the body of the departed is cremated and monks in the presence of the bereaved family carry out the funeral rites. The underlying positive energies are freed from the soul by the chanting of the correct sutras by monks who read from the holy scriptures. In the meantime, the body is made ready and embalmed so that even if the cremation takes place after some days of the death, the body doesn't get decayed. The body is washed and put to rest in a casket along with fragrance sticks, candles, flowers and a photo of the deceased person.

If the funeral is deferred by some days for distant relatives to get a last look, the monks visit the dead person's residence everyday and chant sutras from the Abhidharma, an important Buddhist holy scripture.

On the day of the funeral, monks perform the final rituals and their chief gives a brief speech in tribute to the deceased person focusing on his contributions in life and consoling the bereaved relatives that death is destiny. Other rituals like wrapping the casket with a white cloth during the religious incantation and Pansakula, a custom of passing on blessings and virtues to the soul of the deceased are also carried out.

Just before cremation, a family member or a near and dear one is requested to make a brief speech about the deceased person. A light meal for all the attendees is arranged after the Buddhist funeral ceremony and the cremation is done.

A large number of people in Thailand, Tibet, China and some other Asian countries with a large Buddhist population follow the Buddhist funeral system with some variations based on the local customs.

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Raiders Stun Eagles For Second Win Of NFL Season

By Ross Everett

The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a--9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. It was only the Raiders' second win of the season, and only the Eagles' second loss. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.

NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Raiders as a whopping +14 home underdog were never in any trouble as Oakland took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Oakland evened their mark against the NFL pointspread at 3-3, while the Eagles dropped to 3-2 against the number. The 22 points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 40'. It was the Raiders' fourth UNDER in six outings, while it was the Eagles' first UNDER of the season against four OVER verdicts.

After the game, Raiders' coach Tom Cable said for the first time all season his team focused their intensity in the right direction:

"We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, 'Enough. Let's play. That's all you can say. There's no magic words or anything like that."

Last week's 44-7 loss to the New York Giants may have served a wakeup call to the Raiders. In particular, they were offended by comments made by Giants' linebacker Antonio Pierce that the game 'felt like playing a scrimmage'. Raiders' wide receiver Louis Murphy didn't dispute the comments but instead took them to heart:

"That gave me extra fuel. You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn't play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart."

The Raiders' defense received the bulk of the credit for the victory as they pressured Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six times. The Eagles became the first team in three years to not score an offensive touchdown against the Raiders. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks, and Scott had the following observation:

"I'm sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry. But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go."

After the game, McNabb had little to say:

"I'm embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We're a much better football team."

The Raiders will try to put together an actual winning streak as they host the New York Jets next Sunday. Oakland is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 35. They'll play their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers on the road the following Sunday before a bye week. Philadelphia will play the Redskins at Washington next Monday night. The Eagles are a -6' road favorite with the total set at 38'.

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Event Photography Money Making Ideas

By Peter Wong

One of the many ways you can make money as a photographer is to specialise on events. Christenings, weddings, and lots of other events where people create memories can be well paid business. The great thing is that all you need is a good digital camera, tons of memory cards, and some business cards.

What to do

You must be careful what events to cover if you want to make money. Only where people want to retain memories will it be worth your while.

One idea is to go to kids sports events. Get permission from the coach to click pics for the parents watching and then start clicking away. If you turn up with a massive telephoto lens like the ones used for pro coverage of events, you will be taken seriously. Make sure you get all the children doing great action shots and then hand out flyers to all the parents watching with your web address. If you can grab the parents email address so you can email them the URL of you site then upload the pics to your web site that day and email everyone. If you have a simple shopping cart set up you can make money in a few hours as people pop in to see the pics and buy them for $20 or more a pop.

You can do a similar thing with weddings. Take all the normal shots as part of the wedding coverage but then get your URL printed on the wedding invites and all the other wedding materials and also get an email list of all the wedding guests, offer the couple a nice 20% discount for doing this and then take lots of extra pics at the wedding of the guests doing all the things they do. Upload all the pics to your site and send the emails. You will then make a lot more money than the 20% discount it cost you because then 30 or 40 people will be also purchasing your pics at $20 or more a shot straight from your site. Charging a higher price for high res pics is also a great money spinner.

The key is to just find a corner of the market where you can take the pics and then sell them easily online.

Dog shows, fashion shows, horse shows, car shows, livestock competitions, rock shows, - the list goes on. Keep your eye out in the events section of your local paper to see what is happening. Always ask for permission to shoot pics and if you need to offer the people 10% of the income if feel you need to so you can get easy access.

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Social Marketing

By Justin Harrison

A new and innovative method for advertising your business is social marketing. It lets you generate awareness of what your company has to offer using Internet blogs, social networking sites, and other forms of social media. Using social marketing has a lot of advantages never before seen in the world of advertising, including the chance to establish a relationship with your customer base.

Transparently pushy advertisements have no place in social marketing. An advertisement that is perceived as being too aggressive will very likely turn readers in the opposite direction. Your goal should be creating the perception that you are an expert in your field so that potential buyers will have comfort in the relationship they'd like to create with you. Having trust in this regard is very important, it should seem more like you are having a conversation online instead of a shouting match. The audience you target will come in if the words are right. This all is made even easier with social commentary sites such as YouTube and MySpace where the community is everything.

The more visible a brand name is, the higher the recall of that brand name with people. However, the impact of a marketing campaign is crucially dependent on the users' brand experience, hence the need for a positive experience. This can be achieved through amusing videos or articles, providing useful information or even using competitions built around the product. By utilizing appropriate techniques, social marketing can help establish a new brand or strengthen the awareness of an existing brand.

Bloggers and website owners are always on the lookout for interesting things to put on their websites. If you can give them articles that are noteworthy, they will begin to refer to them on their blogs and websites. A good article can actually end up being read by huge numbers of bloggers on the lookout for stories to blog about.

A marketing campaign exists to increase revenue and sales, and social marketing is no exception. Your business exposure in social media won't always generate a sale, but it is like word of mouth advertising that spreads awareness of your business in a friendly way that will eventually lead to more sales.

Since social marketing only costs you your time, a single sale is a good return on your investment. If you have limited means, using a social media could be the best way to market your product due to the low cost of their services.

If you use the internet to draw customers in, there is no over head costs, because you can do this yourself. And then you will have more money you can put into your company. Any one who can use a computer can set up a company web page. This is so easy to do. I mean people use the computer everyday for everything.

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