Content Maker Network Blog

The HDTV has become increasingly popular since its introduction. There are many well-known electronic manufacturers that have designed many models of the HD style TV. There are multiple sizes, styles and colors that can be attributed to a HD television. Likewise, there are various price tags found on the HD television. With so many choices and decisions ahead of you, don’t feel overwhelmed; there are many great resources to help make your search as quick and painless as possible.

HDTV has been around since the mid 1960’s. In Japan, the first model of the HDTV was created. The innovative electronic geniuses of the United States were quick to follow and the race to perfecting the high definition technology was off to the races around the mid 1990’s.

Basically, the term “HD” refers to the quality of the broadcast signal that is sent through the television set. The high definition signal represents images that are as crystal clear and lifelike as possible. When you watch a program via the HDTV, you will quickly understand why it is becoming the favorite method of watching TV! The HD signal is digital in nature and provides viewers a 16:9 wide screen format, the same as used in movie theaters. The incredible, lifelike images displayed through HD televisions are unbelievable! You can literally feel like you at the racetrack or on the football field! If you are watching a concert, you will have a front row seat to the magical madness, too!

Many of the leading television manufacturers make at least one model of the HD television set, including: Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi, RCA, JVC, Mitsubishi, Pioneer and Magnavox. There are multiple sizes of the HDTV available, from as small as 13 inches to as large as 85 inches!

3 types to choose from

There are three different formats that offer the HD technology, including: CRT (paints the image onto the screen. This style is perfect in any lighting condition and from every angle.), LCD (uses 2 different polarized, transparent panels to house a liquid in the middle.) and the Plasma (digital images at a high resolution are created.). Be sure to do a little research to find the format that you will prefer.

Rear-projection CRT televisions are older technology. CRT TV’s use three separate cathode ray tubes to create red, green, and blue and the TV combines the three beams before magnifying and projecting the image. The image quality isn’t as good as Plasma or LCD technology.

Flat-Panel LCD TVs (liquid crystal display) technology are designed to create sharp, bright images in any lighting condition. LCD flat screen TV models work by shining light through pixel cells, with each cell containing a red, green, and blue component.

Plasma TVs are the thinnest of all types of high definition televisions. You can find a huge range of widths, from 36, right up to 72″ inches that offer amazing color accuracy and saturation.

The 2 different types of HDTV

There are two types of hdtv systems, ones that are HDTV-ready and other systems that have an integrated system. HDTV-ready is the definition for a television that is capable high definition programming with the installation of a receiver or tuner. An integrated system is a television with a built in HDTV receiver enabling you to watch programming right out of the box.

If you are not sure as to which brand, size or format you prefer, there are many resources that you can access to make the decision a little easier. Other consumers, that have made a purchase of an HDTV, have written HDTV reviews on their TV of choice. These reviews are unbiased in that some may be favorable and other may not. One thing you can count on is that these reviews are not biased; everyday consumers, like yourself, write them. No one likes to spend their hard earned money on a product that they would have never given a second glance, had they been forewarned. Well, with reviews and ratings from other consumers, you will have a “heads up”!

When you are in the market for a great new TV, the HDTV is a perfect choice! There are many sizes, styles, formats and prices available. You should have absolutely no problem finding the perfect one for your home or business. If you demand only the best in your life, the HD style TV will fit right in!

Chris Vorelli is a successful writer with info on HDTV reviews & Plasma
TV reviews.Get info on Sony plasma TV, Pioneer Plasma TV and Panasonic plasma TV models.

Brand Identity is a conversation, an interactiona brandversation. Like any
conversation, it leaves an impression. Of course, the nature of the impression will depend on the value of the interaction, the way it has been communicated, the way it has been received, and the extent to which it has been engaged.

By the mis-1990s, the Internet had changed the way we worked: the way we were
educated: they way we played, shopped, and communicated. And it promised more.
For anyone involved, this transformational time was exhilarating and exasperating.
The learning curve was no longer a curve but a straight line moving vertically from
its base. The future was again upon us with predictions of revolutionary change and
rapidly developing evidence of that change. Movie theaters would cease to be, the
Internet would bring the demise of radio and television, there would be no further
use of the Post Office, the corner video store would be replaced by online, on-
demand subscription services, and every brick and mortar store would become click
and mortar.

Brandversation v1.0

Corporations rushed with a vengeance to grab history and launch their websites.
The first-generation websites were little more than electronic brochures, and were
commonly referred to as brochure-ware. These sites usually contained an “about
us” statement, some corporate philosophy that had been resurrected from the
company’s archives, dusted off, and lightly rewritten. Descriptions of the company’s
products and services, a careers section, and a “contact us” link were included to
finish of the site. Branding was considered to have been addressed if the company
logo and slogan were in a prominent place and appeared in, as close to the
corporate colors and the web would allow.

Brandversation 2.0

Evolution into more adventurous territory spawned the birth of second-generation
sites: interactive sites. Here a company’s hope was to mine data, with the intent that
this information would help it better understand the consumer. This collection of
data would build a profile on a consumer and, in theory, provide the company with a
rich understanding of the consumer’s lifestyle and spending habits. The hope was
to benefit both the consumer and the company. Usually this was accomplished by
giving something to the consumer in exchange for filling out a brief customer
profile. Case in point: The New York Times gave free access to its online edition to
those who completed such a form. The form requested personal profile and asked
permission to e-mail information that the company thought might be relevant to the
user. Once this was completed, the user had daily access to the news and the Times
had a “cookie” (an informational retrieval) embedded in the user’s computer. In
theory, this cookie could provide a stream of information, including following the
consumer’s online navigational history.

Attention was paid to the brand experience, but only as it applied to the content of
the product or service offered. If a company had a fun product or service, the
experience was made more playful; more businesslike products or services gave a
more straightforward experience. Although a plethora of data was collected, many
companies did not know where to go with this information, where to store the ever-
increasing supply being poured into their system or how to use it.

What was emerging was an exploration into the user expectations and, in fact, into
the way future business would be conducted and branded. Great effort was taken to
ensure that consistent branding and brandversation emerged between the content
of the product or service, but contextual branding was only hinted at.

Brandversation v3.0

Soon third-generation, transactional sites appeared. Business could actually
Be conducted as information was harvested. For a brief moment in time, the idea of
a web centric environment revealed a future where much more was possible.
However, the original hope of having a low-cost media vehicle proved unreachable,
as the drive toward web advertising proved that bringing traffic to a site was a costly
affair. The heavy lifting of driving eyeballs to sites proved to be a Herculean task.
The promise of web centricity proved to be the downfall of many sites. Only a few
web-only business prospered, although not necessarily financially. Companies like
Amazon, which had developed a business model based on retaining each customer
and refining customer profiles over a significant number of years (as long as 12
years), built better customer loyalty. Not only did their plan provide a model for an
extended brandversation, but their ability to harvest information on their customers
also permitted them to develop a richer brand experience. Contextualizing created
rich experiences for customers and other suggestions in their category of interest.
By taking the legwork out of the customer’s research and showing interest in the
customer’s request, Amazon built a brand that is customer centric. Contextualizing
the customer’s experience actually builds business for Amazon.

Brandversation v4.0

The destination site or destination fulfillment business model is undergoing a
colossal evolution that goes beyond web centric or brick-and-mortar-centric
models. It is a profound change that has refocused many corporations from a web
centric perspective to one that is customer-centric. Simply providing an
environment as a platform for the content is not enough. The user wants more, and
is being given more, and this has put more pressure on the brand promise. The user
is demanding content and an experience that is relevant to and engaging to him/
her.

The expanding digital bubble that surrounds each consumer also increases the
pressure on every brand promise. Content is expected, but content alone does not
constitute or guarantee success. Content must be delivered in a contextualized
environment. Contextualized branding links touch points throughout the user’s
experience, making the experience more relevant and rewarding.

The Internet continually reconfirms that its power lies in the ability to connect
people and ideas. The popularity of the chat rooms, user groups, e-mail, and other
forms of social networking are but a few everyday examples. Brand must also make
that connection to the individual. Today, companies must act as though everyone
has been wired into a wireless world.

Narrowcasting versus Broadcasting

Contextualized branding does not look at communicating a general message to a
large group of people. Quite the opposite: it narrowcasts a message, personalizing
that message for a specific audience. By building an audience of ones with a
targeted message, every message adds value to the brandversation between the
brand and the user. Johnson and Johnson’s Tylenol banner campaign explored this
concept by running banner advertisements on the financial sites: the ads for Tylenol
appeared whenever the market dropped 100 points or more.

The brand promise is an experience, a journey, and a friendly walk that always adds
new value to the experience. It can bring consumers back or send consumers
searching for another experience to meet or exceed their expectations. The more
the brand promise considers the needs of the individual consumer, the deeper that
consumer’s loyalty to the brand will be.

Theme parks are exploring ways to improve brand experience by giving users smart
cards that allow them to avoid waiting in lines. By swiping a smart card at a card
reader on the ride of choice, the user registers a place in line and is given a time to
return. In our wireless environment, we will soon be able to do this from cars on the
way to the theme park. Once we arrive, there will be no need to stand in lines, as
the schedule will have been preprogrammed from our cell phones, ensuring more
fun -a better branded experience.

Furthermore, knowing a customer’s schedule would enable the theme park to send
him or her relevant targeted messages. He/her could receive instant messages as
he/she moved through the park, suggesting places to eat and offering coupons or
discount for eating at certain times at certain food providers. Not only does this
richen our user’s branded experience, but also it helps draw customers into places
in the park that may require traffic at that moment, improving the user’s experience
as well as the park’s overall business.

Brand is a conversation that can take place at any of the encounter points that exist
in a consumer experience. At a theme park, the user could enter the experience at
any point though a phone call to the park or travel agent, or a purchase at a
souvenir stand. The user picks his/her point of entry: the user is in control.

A credit card owner has multiple entrance points into a brand. The card owner could
enter her experience by paying a bill online or making a purchase at a store.
Wherever she enters into the experience, she will be touched by the brand. It is the
responsibility if the company to ensure a meaningful contextualized experience if it
wants to retain the customer.

Contextualized Brand

The speed at which the Internet has evolved has highlighted the importance of the
brand experience. It has also revealed that the experience must be relevant and
contextualized.

Brand experience is a one-fold proposition: brand and experience cannot exist with
the other. For a band to survive, it must display a very clear, distinguishable brand
promise, focus and goal. Brand attributes go beyond the immediate benefits of a
product or service and are influenced by the attributes of the brand promise, as it is
contextualized throughout the touch points of the consumer experience.
Contextualizing the consumer experience means developing a branded experience
that constantly exceeds a customer’s expectation. Imagine a scenario in which you
are connected to a true brandversation. Make it simple, a scenario booking an
airline ticket for a business trip. You want to arrive in New York and return a week
later. As you book the ticket, you are given a list of car rentals, hotels, restaurants,
and special events happening at the time of your visit, personalized to your own
preregistered preferences (sports fans get a list of sports events, geeks find the
latest techie exhibitions and hot spots in the city); a reminder to send a gift to your
dad for his birthday (with a suggested selection of gifts); a wake up and weather
service call. It was the Internet space that reconfirmed what was previously known
but has been somewhat forgotten. Branding means a great user experience. Good
Internet branding went beyond logos, taglines, slogans and corporate statements
into real-time interaction for an online experience that is meaningful.

But branding
does not stop there. Developing a contextualized experience may include doing
more than one company is able to provide. Coalition programs, partnership between
companies with the purpose of providing a seamless consumer experience,
recognize the importance of granularly defining a company’s brand relationship to
other companies in the emerging wi-fi environment. As consumers settle into their
digital, wired bubbles, the demand for personalized experiences will intensify.

Don’t leave Home Without it

Our communication technology has us wired to the world, exposing the user to the
branded experience 24/7, anywhere, any time and all at their choosing. The more
robust the technology becomes, the more creative minds find ways to employ it. M-
technology notifies us when we are in the vicinity of a friend or business contact. It
offers us coupons redeemable at restaurants we are passing by. It notifies us when a
book we are interested in has arrived as we pass by a store.

Today in Japan, DoMoCo has put all of this in place. Teenage girls have totally
embraced this technology, turning their mobile phoned/e-mail/entertainment/wi-fi
environment into a fashion item worn as a necklace.
Salarymen are wired in and out of the office as Gen3 mobile technology becomes
ubiquitous. A man looking through the car showroom window at the latest Mercedes
after the dealership has closed can use his phone to scan a QR code on the window.
This can activate a commercial on his mobile phone broadcasting a commercial
demonstrating all the features of the vehicle of any car he is interested in. NNT
DoMoCo’s success lies in its creative ability to align its brand with thousand of other
companies.

Cell phone ownership among teenagers in Sweden is 100 percent. The opportunity
to immerse an audience in a deep branded digital communication is limited only by
our ability to creatively use current and future technology.

Today’s branded experience is an interconnected experience that links the user with
a robust, meaningful, personalized, prioritized experience. It requires a brand vision
that is creative, customer-centric, and globally encompassing. The user is in control
they want information when they are ready to receive it. The digital environment
provides us with the technology to meet this demand. From blogs, podcasts, social
networks, destination sites, he user has more touchpoints to interact with and each
one offers an opportunity to deepen their loyalty to a brand but it requires a
brandversation that is imagination and compelling. It requires people with a
relentless creative vision and imagination to continually evolve the brand
experience.

Article by Ken Thurlbeck
From The Digital Designer ISBN 0-7668-7347-1

Ken Thurlbeck is an early evangalist on the web. Presently CEO of Thurbeck & Co. in New York city he has held the position od Senior VP Creative Director and Brand Strategist a companies including Digitas and Avenuea/Razorfish.

Body piercings have seen a resurgence of interest in the last ten to twenty years and are becoming more and more a part of the mainstream Western culture. Take a look at any fashion or entertainment magazine and you’ll see plenty of well-known celebrities with body piercings like navel rings or a labret. You might be surprised to find out that piercing is actually an ancient form of expression that most cultures have practiced at some time or other for thousands of years.

Egyptian body piercings reflected status and love of beauty

The earliest known mummified remains of a human that was pierced is over 5,000 years old. This worthy gentleman had his ears pierced with larger-gauge plugs in his ears, so plugs may be one of the oldest forms of body modification there is! We also know that the Egyptians loved to adorn themselves elaborately, and even restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. In fact, only pharaoh himself could have his navel pierced. Any one else who tried to get a belly button ring could be executed. (Tell that to Britney Spears!) Almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their wealth and accent their beauty. Elaborate enameled and gold earrings frequently portrayed items in nature such as lotus blossoms.

Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible. In the Old Testament it’s obvious that body jewelry is considered a mark of beauty and wealth, especially for Bedouin and nomadic tribes. In many cases, body jewelry was given as a bridal gift or as part of a dowry. It is clear that piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness in Biblical times.

Romans were practical piercers

Romans were very practical people, and for them piercing almost always served a purpose. Roman centurions pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility. It was a badge of honor that demonstrated the centurion’s dedication to the Roman Empire. As a symbol, it was important and served a specific function, unifying and bonding the army. Even Julius Caesar pierced his nipples to show his strength and his identification with his men.

Genital piercing through the head of the penis was performed on gladiators, who were almost always slaves, for two reasons. A ring through the head of the penis could be used to tie the organ back to the testicles with a length of leather. In gladiatorial combat, this prevented serious injury. With a large enough ring or bar, it also prevented the slave from having sex without the owner’s consent. Since the gladiator was “property,” a stud fee could be charged to another slave owner for the highly prized opportunity to raise the next generation of great fighter.

Making love or war, piercing makes it better

Going across the ocean at around the same time, the Aztecs, Maya and some American Indians practiced tongue piercing as part of their religious rituals. It was thought to bring them closer to their gods and was a type of ritual blood-letting. The Aztec and Maya were warrior tribes, and also practiced septum piercing in order to appear fiercer to their enemies. Nothing looks quite as frightening as an opponent sporting a huge boar tusk thrust through his nose!

This practice was also common among tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Some of the materials commonly used were bone, tusks and feathers. Hundreds of years later, French fur trappers in Washington State discovered American Indian tribes who wore bones through their septum and called them the Nez Perce, meaning “Pierced Noses” in French. It’s interesting that civilizations separated by thousands of miles and even centuries often developed a love for the same kind of body piercings to enhance certain features, isn’t it?

In Central and South America, lip labrets were popular for purely aesthetic reasons – women with pierced lips were considered more attractive. In fact, the holes were often stretched to incredible size as progressively larger wooden plates were inserted to emphasize the lips as much as possible. (Kind of like collagen today). The Aztecs and Maya also sported lip labrets of gold and jade, many of them elaborately carved into mythical or religious figures or sporting gemstones. These were seen as highly attractive and to enhance sexuality.

As the world moved into the dark ages, interest in piercing died down somewhat and the medieval church began to condemn it as sinful. For a few hundred years, Western civilization abandoned the practice. As the Renaissance went into full swing, however, interest in piercing began to pick up again.

A new era and a new interest in body piercings

Sailors became convinced that piercing one ear would improve their long-distance site, and so the site of a sailor with a gold or brass ring became common. Word also spread that should a sailor be washed ashore after a shipwreck, the finder should keep the gold ring in exchange for providing a proper Christian burial. Sailors were both religious and superstitious, so they generally spent a lot for a large gold earring to hedge their bets.

Men became much more fashion-conscious during the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, and almost any male member of the nobility would have at least one earring, if not more. Large pearl drops and enormous diamond studs were a great way to advertise your wealth and standing in the community. It could also designate royal favor if your earring was a gift from a member of the royal family.

Women, not wanting to be outshone by the men in all their finery, began to wear plunging necklines, with the Queen of Bavaria introducing the most outrageous, which consisted of not much at all above the waist. In order to adorn themselves, women began piercing their nipples to show off their jewelry. Soon they began wearing chains and even strands of pearls draped between the two.

Men and women both discovered that these nipple piercings were also delightful playthings in bed, adding sensitivity to the breasts and giving the men both visual and tactile stimulation. Men began getting pierced purely for pleasure as well. While not entirely mainstream, piercing of the nipples and, occasionally, the genitals, continued to hold interest for members of the upper crust of society in Europe on and off for the next few hundred years.

The next resurgence of interest was, surprisingly, during the Victorian age, which is usually seen as very repressed. Prince Albert, future husband of Queen Victoria, is said to have gotten the penis piercing that is named after him in order wear the tight-fitting trousers so popular at the time. The ring could then be attached to a hook on the inside of one pant leg, tucked safely away between the legs for a neat, trim look. Although we have no record of Victoria’s response to the piercing itself, there is ample evidence she was wildly in love with her husband and almost never left his side after their marriage!

Soon, Victorian men were getting Prince Albert’s, frenums and a variety of other piercings purely for the pleasurable sexual effects, and women were doing the same. By the 1890’s, it was almost expected that a woman would have her nipples pierced. In fact, some doctors at the time suggested it improved conditions for breastfeeding, although not all agreed. It was an interesting double standard — plenty of people were doing it, but no one was talking about it.

Modern-day body piercings

In the last hundred years or so, body piercings in the Western world have mostly been limited to the ears, a standard hold-over from the fact that both men and women wore earrings during Elizabethan times. The Puritan movement did away with men wearing earrings, however, and it didn’t really regain popularity until recently.

Nose rings found new interest when young people (they were called hippies then) from the U.S. began traveling in India extensively looking for enlightenment in the 1960’s. They noticed the nostril rings that most women had been wearing there since the sixteenth century. In India, this was a form of traditional, accepted adornment and was often linked to an earring by a chain. For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion.

After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Celebrities, sports stars and singers all began sporting a variety of piercings. Soon, high school students and even stay-at-home moms were flashing new body piercings. And the rest, as they say, is history!

This article on the “History of Body Piercings” reprinted with permission.
Copyright 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

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About the Author:
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her work because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost everything, and a lot about body jewelry, belly button rings and tongue rings. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who is not.

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Introduction

Many of the people about to take one of my guided trips don’t believe that Catfish feed as aggressively as other game fish. People are used to throwing out their bait and letting it set while they wait. Some days this works and they don’t have to wait very long, but some days we all know that the wait can be very long. This waiting is what encouraged me to try to catch Blue Cats using other methods. Some techniques are passed down from generation to generation and these tried and true methods have caught Catfish since people have fished for them. I have used these methods most of my life and it was the way I was taught to catch Catfish. On the opposite end of the Cat-fishing spectrum, however, are two newer methods that I have been using to consistently catch Catfish, as well.

Fishing for Catfish

Ah, the American Catfish! The big three: Blues, Channel Cats and Flatheads; aren’t they a wonderful species of fish? Each one has its own outstanding features to thrill Catfishermen and women throughout the United States and even worldwide. Flatheads, with their big, wide heads and flat tails, have my vote as the hardest pulling fish pound-for-pound in fresh water. No Catfisherman can talk very long without telling their favorite Channel Cat story.

Channel Cats live almost anywhere in fresh water and eat an enormous variety of baits, from prepared stink baits to live baits. I believe these whisker fish are the most versatile and adaptive members of the Catfish family. The next Catfish member, the Blue Cat, also commonly called a White Cat, gets my pick for the best all around, year-round Catfish. This is also the fish I target with my non-typical Cat-fishing techniques. Although Channel Cats and Flatheads are caught using these techniques, Blue Cats remain the king in mass numbers. These dudes grow big and fast and will strike your bait with a vengeance. Plus, they pull hard in the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

The Blue Catfish

The Blue Cat is truly an amazing fish. I have caught these fish as deep as 96 feet at the bottom of a river channel in cold water
conditions. I have also seen them come right up to the top and smash a school of shad just as a Striper or White Bass would do in warm water conditions. As far as I can tell, these fish feed aggressive all year, which in my opinion sets them apart from Flatheads and Channel Cats. Reports of Blues falling for lead spoons, jigs, crank baits, and many other artificial lures are not uncommon any time of the year. The other Blue Cat bonus is their size, growing much larger than Channel Cats and a smidge larger than Flatheads. That makes your chances of catching a Blue Cat over 20 pounds a big time reality. Fish over 50 pounds are not that hard to find in reservoirs and rivers that have had time to produce that size of Catfish.

These fish grow to be over 100 pounds – it’s the exception and not the rule, but it does happen. That’s the beauty in setting up and fishing for Blue Cats: your next fish might be 1 pound, 51 pounds, or 101 pounds.

Make sure to read Part 2 and 3 of this article to learn about Capt. Jeff’s non-typical techniques!

Copyright © 2002-2005 Jeff Williams

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text “Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service”…

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

With the beginning of the new school year coming VERY soon, here are some tips to give us a “heads-up” to start the year off knowing what to do.

Three tips to have your kids Achieve Success At School:

1.) Turn off the T.V. At our house, we have an understanding that we don’t really have time during the week to watch T.V. (of course, we can be a little flexible if there’s a special, long-awaited educational show on PBS!)

2.) Be Prepared. Have backpack, pens, pencils, paper, folders, pocket dictionary, planner and anything else that would be useful. (The teacher would be an excellent person to ask.) At night, before getting ready for bed, all backpacks are packed-up with all books, papers, signed items, planner, completed homework, …and placed close to the door ready to be grabbed up in the morning on the way out.

3.) Follow the Schedule. There’s a daily and weekly schedule in every classroom. In most classrooms, weekly spelling and vocabulary words are given out on Mondays and the Spelling Tests are on Fridays. By simply being aware of the weekly “flow” of the classroom, you’ll come to find that there are few surprises-assemblies, field trips, and guest speakers…

The kids’ primary concern, (job?) is to study, complete their homework, read, get some exercise and prepare for tomorrow’s school day.

That’s it for now. If kids are taught organizational and time-management skills at home, then they’ll find that being a top, honor-roll student is actually quite easy!

For more tips, strategies and methods to have your kids be top, honor-roll students please visit: http://www.achievesuccessatschool.com/

There you can order the entire AchieveSuccessAtSchool eBook!

About the author
Mr. Carbaugh is a teacher and a father of 3. He teaches and lives with his family in Northern California.

Reframing is a tool that can alter the pressure we put on ourselves.

Reframing means exactly what it sounds like – to put a different frame on a situation.

Have you noticed how different a painting can look when you change the frame around it? The wrong frame can ruin a painting, while the proper frame can please the eye and reveal details not otherwise seen.

EX: Instead of “I’m never going to get all this done” how about “In how many ways can I get all this done and more, and enjoy the process?”

While some people will say this is just semantics, I say it’s really using the power of words and focus to change your life.

Benefits of reframing

Looking at something in a different way, what we are calling reframing, provides at least two very powerful benefits:

1. Looking at a situation in a different way can reduce the stress of a situation.

2. Often getting a different view allows you to come up with solutions you would have never discovered before.

One of the best ways to get a different look at a situation or problem is to think about your favorite character in a book or movie, or someone whom you look up to. Then ask yourself how this person would look at the situation and solve the problem.

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscirbe to our monthly Article Empire Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

So many podcasters. And more popping up each day. How can I be heard?

It’s so easy to podcast nowadays that many of the podcasts are just plain junk. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, you must plan your podcast so that you will generate a crowd of rabid subscribers.

How can you start?

First – BRAINSTORM!

Make a list of all your favorite hobbies or interests. What do you do during your free time? What catches your fancy all season? List down the things you spend most of your money on. It may be on electronic gadgets, beer, cloths… If you like it, then chances are, someone else does too and will listen to you if your show is about it.

Here are more possibilities. Write down your favorite TV shows, movies, music, games, sports, religions, political parties, philosophies, and books. As you are writing them down, sort them into categories like ‘very interesting’ to ’slightly interesting’ to ‘may be interesting’. Don’t be restricted. Anything goes.

If you are in need of inspiration, you can always visit various podcast directories. Just google ‘podcast directories’ and and you’ll find lots to get your brain juices going.

This may help you to determine if there is an interest in your potential podcast. If there’s absolutely no competition, you may be alone in your interest. BUT it’s difficult to say until you actually upload a show and start promoting it.

Don’t worry if there’s lots of competition. What this means is that there are probably lots of potential listeners out there. Go ahead.

Download a few shows of each podcast that looks interesting, and give them a listen. Pick up their good points and bad points. Consider…

“How could I have done a better job?” “What are the things I thought should have been mentioned but was not?” “Do I agree with them or is there an Alternative view I can present?”

Some are great shows already with loyal followers so you may not want to compete with them directly. Instead, develop a complementary show to theirs. Change the format around. Have an interview show and invite them as a guest. Chances are, they’ll plug you on their show and you’ll get some of their fans visiting you. If they like what they hear, they may stick around.

There are lots of other stuff one can do. But if you want your podcasts to be heard for a long time to come, you must put in the effort to develop a good podcast. Bottom Line is this: do your research and develop your unique proposition before you start. That way, you won’t the indistinguisable from the rest of the podcasters out them. Instead, you will stand out for being different.

After all, you podcast because you want to be heard. Let your listeners hear something fresh and alive – with your personal touch.

There was a time in my Country, Nigeria, when the craze for the US Visa Lottery spread by contagion. It was at such a frenzy equivalent to a festival. I was forced to look deeper into what it was all about. Men and women with university degrees, including those who were adept in the practice of their respective professions, were given the Green Card to come over to the U.S.A. together with the entire members of their families. However, once they arrived here, their qualifications and training became completely irrelevant as far as job placement went.

Let us look closely at what is happening here. First, the home country loses the contributions to the growth of the country from these citizens in whom much had been invested. Secondly, the U.S. needs the services of trained minds employed in unskilled labor. She is satisfied with her own production of skilled labor. The sustenance and growth of a country’s economy, most likely than not, is a game of numbers. I’m ashamed to admit though, that I have never read a book on economics. All the same, by observation, I have come to the conclusion that the volume of internal buying and selling is a significant among the indices that determine the state of a country’s economy. United States is spacious and largely untenanted. Populating it by choice is surely a smart move.

United States’ economy is distinguished by the nature and condition of the lower class. Compared to Great Britain where I was a student, the U.S. Government does not know you when you are sick, jobless, or homeless. In the absence of any corset to cushion the rough edges of every day living in a hostile world, the citizens are always on their toes, working two or three shifts to make ends meet. This tough attitude has a permeating influence on every facet of life. For this reason, U.S.A. excels when in competition with other countries. However, it takes its toll on the mental health of the people. Maybe this is responsible for the large number of inmates in the corrections homes. Probably, the vicious circle could be broken by paying more attention to the dregs of the society, who now are being more neglected. This may lead to unpleasant consequences. Also, the Bible says: “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors GOD.” Proverbs 14:31.

The obvious indices of the growth of any economy include the volume of activities in all construction aspects. There is little doubt that without the presence of immigrants, the various construction industries will collapse. The hullabaloo about the illegal immigrants exposed the intolerant nature of some citizens. The truth is, without these illegal immigrants, the economy of the country will grind to a halt. No far-seeing government will bend to the pressure of the noise makers to mete all kinds of horrible suggestions to these illegal immigrants. They are of benefit to the country beyond imagination.

The future may not be without its problems, though. Democracy is a play in numbers. Very soon, the immigrants will be in sufficient numbers to determine election results. Now, we have men and women proven in their professions in governance. It is rather unfortunate that in the country, the burden of acquiring university education is the responsibility of the individual. What are the chances that in the future, there shall be many who have not been educated beyond the high school taking part in governance at the various levels? If that happens, the result will be that in general, governance will be at a discount.

The preponderance of religion in the country is Christianity. The teaching of Jesus Christ is that we love our neighbors as ourselves. A Jew once asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29. The reply he got was a Samaritan who was not even expected to live within the borders. Also, it is in their Law that the Jews should take care of the aliens. Deuteronomy 14:29. Finally, Jesus Christ says: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. …..I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:34-40.

May GOD bless America.

Cornelius is a Nigerian. He went to Britain for his university education. He obtained B.Sc. Hons. Physics, and M.Sc. Solid State Physics. He returned to Nigeria afterwards, and taught in universities and polytechnics before he retired. Currently, he is in US to publish and promote his book: The True Mission of Christ. The content is by direct Divine revelation, and therefore, cannot be faulted. More about the book can be found at http://www.babasanyacraig.com.

The For Sale By Owner home seller: FSBO (Fizz-Bow). One of the most sought after of all real estate clients. Why? Because their homes are for sale and real estate agents can mail these folks any number of solicitations without stepping on another agent’s toes. These are the home sellers that have taken a chance in order to potentially save thousands of dollars in listing commissions. They’ve done a little homework and have decided to try and save some of the equity that has accrued in their homes.

As a real estate agent I love For Sale by Owner home sellers! Sound a little strange for a real estate agent to say he loves For Sale by Owner home sellers? Perhaps, but when the numbers are in and it becomes clear that only 14% of all homes that are For Sale by Owner actually sell as a true for sale by owner, you’ll understand why. Because that leaves fully 86% of these home sellers as potential listing clients for real estate agents (such as myself) to try and snatch up! And the number of true FSBOs has actually declined from a high of 19% in 1991 to just over 14% in 2004.

Now, as with many statistics, it depends on whose numbers you’re looking at. The big, national For Sale by Owner (FSBO) companies have one set of numbers and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has another set of numbers on homes that are actually sold by owners. Personally I’m sticking with the numbers provided by the NAR (which are the numbers quoted above). They have been compiling and providing these numbers for a heck of a lot longer than the National FSBO companies have. The bottom line is that true for sale by owner successes are declining.

One of the major problems I see with the For Sale by Owner segment of the real estate market is that they have a tendency to fall in love with the idea of selling their home on their own, but they fail to create a good back-up plan that can be quickly implemented in the event they are unsuccessful with their For Sale by Owner adventure. And many of these folks are down right militant toward the traditional, conventional real estate community! Many of them regard traditional real estate companies and agents as nothing more than charlatans and snake oil salesmen! Which may be all well and good in a white-hot housing market but not so good in a changing real estate environment.

Just a year or two ago a home seller could put a “For Sale” sign in their front yard in the morning and have their home sold by dinner. And many times at or above their asking price! Not so any longer. The housing market has been on a great run but it’s now showing signs of running out of steam. Those For Sale by Owner signs are now staying in the front yard for weeks and months rather than hours and days. But even in this changing market, I still recommend that home sellers at least make an attempt to sell as a true For Sale by Owner. I recommend that they try it for a set period of time, say, four to six weeks and, if the home doesn’t sell, then give it up and move on.

And often times it’s that moving on that gets the true FSBO into financial hot water. First, they don’t have a good back-up plan in place that can be quickly activated when they finally give up on the FSBO dream. Second, they often end up going from one extreme to the other by listing with a traditional, Big Name Real Estate Company and paying a 4% to 6% listing commission. (Just for the record, the national average listing commission is currently 5.1%). Or they may fall for the smoke and hype of one of the big, national For Sale by Owner assistance companies and still end up paying a huge flat fee, and a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listing commission on top of that. So what’s a poor, uninformed FSBO to do? Why, outfox them, of course!

But before our FSBO hero can outfox them, he or she first needs to know how they work. So, let’s now take a look at the truth behind another type of for sale sign; let’s take a look at the Truth Behind The For Sale By Owner Sign.

The true FSBO is a home seller that does not pay one red cent in sales/listing commissions and doesn’t use any type of conventional Real Estate Company or Real Estate Agent to sell their home. These folks are totally on their own! They make the sign in the yard, they price their home, they field all the calls and deal with prospective buyers, they conduct the open houses, they write and pay for any and all print advertising, they qualify the buyers, and they prepare all of the paper work and documents necessary to close the deal. These brave souls are the sellers that fall into the magical 14% of successful, true For Sale by Owners whose homes actually sell.

But what about the other 86%? Well, they usually end up falling into the Almost For Sale by Owners category: the AFSBOs as I have named them (pronounced Affs-Bows). They choose instead to list their property with one of the many new and emerging real estate services companies that are challenging conventional brokerage firms by offering an la carte menu of real estate services.

Some of the biggest names in the For Sale By Owner real estate assistance business offer many of these la carte services. These big, national For Sale by Owner assistance companies are playing the same game the large, brand name, traditional real estate companies have been playing for decades. They’re banking on that so-called “big, trusted, familiar name” to sell their services. And it’s working! One of these large, national FSBO assistance companies is opening one new franchise office every 48 hours! They expect to hit 1800 franchises by 2008.

The current president of this national FSBO assistance company is quoted as saying the following on the company headquarters web site: “The winds started shifting away from the traditional way to compensate REALTORS® years ago. It’s like a gale wind now and by all signs, it’s going to continue to grow in force”. Sounds great to me! A gale force wind of change blowing across the stagnant waters of the current real estate industry is just what is needed. But FSBOs can still find a better and more cost effective way (without sacrificing service and knowledge) to navigate the equity in their homes to safer waters.

If you’ve decided to pursue the route of a true For Sale By Owner, that’s great! By now you know the drill. And you can find enough information in books and on the web to help you out in your quest for the FSBO dream. But if your back up plan (and as you now know, everyone should have a back up plan) is to go the non-traditional route as an AFSBO, you first need to get over the notion of wanting, or thinking you need, a “big, familiar name” to sell your home. The idea of no longer needing that “big, familiar name” applies to AFSBOs every bit as much as it does to traditional, conventional home sellers. And AFSBOs should never forget the fact that these big, national FSBO assistance companies know all to well that 86% of their sellers will end up not as true For Sale by Owners, but as flat fee/discounted commission listings! And the flat fees that these big For Sale by Owner assistance companies charge can be huge! Some fees running as high as $2,500 to $4,400!

Before you sign on the dotted line with any real estate company either For Sale By Owner or traditional get the facts. Know the true cost. Read the fine print. And, watch out for the up sell on services. It’s the additional services that can put a FSBO in the listing commission poor house before they ever know what has hit them. Make these companies put it in writing. Because, if it isn’t in writing. It isn’t going to happen!

But just like a bug caught in a spider’s web, most home sellers that sign with these big, national FSBO assistance companies will, out of ignorance or for the sake of convenience, continue on to the next level and end up paying more than they should to sell their home.

I know this may seem like subversive stuff but hey, you’ve worked hard to purchase your current home and the equity you have in it is real money! Why give it away? What you need to do now is work just a little harder to educate yourself on the changing real estate industry and all that it currently has to offer. And the more you educate yourself, the more of your home’s equity you can keep from falling into the hands of the over priced real estate companies, be they traditional or FSBO assistance. A little knowledge isn’t always a dangerous thing, often it can be a money saving thing!

“There Is Nothing So Costly As Ignorance.”

-Horace Mann — The Father of American Education

Bill Brynelsen is a real estate agent in Spring Grove Illinois. His forth coming book “The Truth Behind The For Sale Sign”©. Gives readers valuable insight into the tricks real estate agents will use to get your listing/money. Visit Bills real estate web site at http://www.mypadd.com or email him your real estate questions at info@mypadd.com. You just may save yourself thousands on your next real estate transaction.

Satellite radio is an increasingly popular alternative to regular radio. With satellite radio you pay a certain subscription fee every month (around $15 or so) to get around 100 music channels broadcast by satellite. The subsciption cost pays mostly for the lack of commercials, which is a major plus for most listeners.

In order to take advantage of satellite radio you will need a satellite radio receiver. There are several types of receivers availiable, and a few of the most popular models are produced by Delphi. Their two most popular models are the MyFi and SKYFi line. The MyFi satellite receiver is slightly smaller and is considered the most portable. This device is meant to be taken with you just about anywhere – much like a mp3 player like the Apple iPod. The SKYFi is your standard satellite receiver unit and is commonly installed in cars, boats, and the home using different accessory kits. You will find more information about both of these units below.

Delphi MyFi Portable Satellite Radio

Manufacturers Description: The Delphi MyFi is the industry’s first personal XM satellite radio that you can take with you anytime, anywhere – right out of the box. MyFi provides the personal freedom to experience over 130 digital XM channels virtually anywhere. Packaged with a rechargeable integrated battery pack, antenna, remote control, headphones, home kit and vehicle kit, the palm-sized MyFi is Delphi’s most consumer-friendly satellite radio yet. MyFi also has the ability to store up to five hours of XM programming with the press of a button. Favorite music and programming is never missed and available for playback at any time.

Features:

- The first personal and portable XM satellite radio

- Breakthrough time-shifting “Memory Mode” capable of storing up to five hours of XM programming

- Integrated, rechargeable battery

- Built-in FM transmitter to make any FM radio an XM radio

- Everything you need in one package for car, home, and on-the-go

- Info Extras include a personalized stock and sports ticker

- Live XM listening mode

- Up to thirty channel presets

- Large, illuminated six-line LCD display

Price: $300

Delphi SKYFi Satellite Radio Receiver

Manufacturers Description: SKYFi allows access to XM’s 101 channels of music, news, sports and entertainment programming in the vehicle or at home. Enhanced features, such as the large 5-line display, 10-button direct channel entry and 20 channel presets help users easily navigate XM’s award-winning radio service. SKYFi also gives listeners the ability to preview and search XM channels by artist name and song title. Accessory kits for the home, vehicle, or our on-the-go Audio Systems (sold separately) make SKYFi portable and fun.

Features:

- Advanced 5-line display concurrently shows channel number, channel name, artist name and song title

- Preview song titles & artists

- 10 button direct channel entry

- 20 channel presets

- remote control

Price: $100

Delphi SKYFi2 Satellite Radio Receiver

Manufacturers Description: Using leading edge technology, the exclusive Replay/Pause feature continuously and automatically saves the last 30 minutes of programming – including programming from multiple channels.

Features:

- Exclusive Replay/Pause – continuously records 30 minutes of the selected XM station for flexibility.

- Built in FM Modulator – SKYFi2 can wirelessly transmit XM satellite radio to any FM radio – no need for wires or complicated connections.

- TuneSelectTM – select channels and programming in several different modes
- TuneSelect mode automatically finds favorite programs too!

- Personalized information tickers – stay up-to-date on your favorite
stocks, sports and XM guides as the tickers scroll on the bottom of the receiver’s display.

- Advanced display – display up to 5 lines of text on a white screen concurrently showing channel, song, artist and title information.

- Backward compatible – will operate with original SKYFi accessory kits

- Remote control included

- Wide variety of listening accessories available:

- Vehicle kit – everything needed to install SKYFi or SKYFi2 in your car or truck

- Home kit – everything needed to connect your SKYFi or SKYFi2 to a home audio system

- Marine kit – everything needed to install your SKYFi or SKYFi2 in a marine environment

- Audio System – a portable system that contains speakers and docking station

- CD Audio System – a portable system with a CD/MP3 player and an AM/FM tuner

Price: $130

Bradley James is the chief editor of SciNet, a popular consumer electronics review website. To learn more about satellite radio receivers and satellite radio in general, please visit our satellite radio receiver website.