It’s not those beautiful roses that make us scratch, sniff and wheeze. It’s the pollen from trees, grasses and low-growing things like ragweed (ah choo!).
Here are some of the things you can do to ease your allergies:
1.Keep windows and doors closed.
2.When you come in from outside, if you’ve been exposed to allergens, take a shower and shampoo your hair. Same for the kids.
3.When allergens are at their peak, stay inside. This site ( http://www.pollen.com ) will tell you how your city is doing, and generally speaking allergens are worse in the mornings.
4.Avoid fans because they circulate the air, especially that ceiling fan over your bed.
5.Get your bedrooms more friendly. Remove anything that collects dust – curtains, drapes, stuffed toys, rugs, books, and, alas, Fido needs to sleep elsewhere. Use blinds and linoleum or tile for flooring. And speaking of Fido, best allergy-friendly choices for a dog are Maltese, bichon frise and poodle. For a cat, the sphinx or the rex. (Source: Dr. Kross, DVM)
6.Avoid places where molds are – basement, lawn mowing and raking leaves, humidifiers, and leaving clothes in the washing machine. Don’t let wet towels lie or hang around. Take care of plumbing and roof leaks immediately. Also beware of mold in refrigerated jams and jelly, and on cured, salty meats like ham, bacon and salami, certain cheeses. Don’t sniff it, just throw it out. Click for more on mold and food.
7. Wash bedding frequently at a temperature of at least 130 degrees F.
Use hypoallergenic covers for mattress, pillows and box springs. (Your bed is full of dust mites).
8. Keep your house and lawn as uninviting to cockroaches and bug as possible. Keep food sanitary and in the garbage, not lying around. Avoid lots of ground cover near the swimming pool. Get rid of paper grocery bags. They can harbor cockroach eggs.
9.Avoid irritants such as scented candles, eucalyptus, perfume, potpourri, chalk dust, newspaper print, tobacco smoke, and markers. Use hypoallergenic makeup and cleaning products.
10.If you’re allergic to a food, avoid it. Also certain foods cross-react with certain pollens to give a double wallop. For example, elm is pollinating in January and February, and milk products should be reduced or eliminated. Check out the list here: http://www.wfaa.com/weather/allergy/allergy7.html .
For more resources, go here: http://www.aaaai.org/patients/topicofthemonth/0201/default.stm .
Copyright©Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach™. I offer coaching around emotional intelligence – relationships, career, transitions, retirement, and personal and professional development. I offer distance learning courses, and an EQ library.
Friday, November 16, 2007
How to organize your bathroom
When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos.When your bathroom cabinets are busting at the seams and your shelves are spilling over, it's time to get organized. Try these four easy organizing steps to bring some order to your chaos.
1. Clean and Clear
Remove everything from the drawers and cabinets. Toss out all old and unused or out of date products: Make-up, hair care, lotions, medicines (check expiration dates). Remember, "When in doubt, throw it out!" Move your medicines and vitamins to the kitchen. The moisture and heat from the bath will ruin them.
As you sort through things, take the time to evaluate whether or not you really need each item. If you have kept perfume samples, and cosmetics that are the wrong color, now is the time to throw them out or give them away. If you aren't using them why keep them?
Wipe out the cupboards and shelves. Clean off the counter top. Replace the shelf paper on the shelves and in the cabinets if needed.
2. Only the Essentials
The next step is to organize your belongings. Start by putting back only the essential items that you use every day. Put them in locations where they will be easily accessible. Try to store what you can under the sink in plastic bins. If you have the room, give each family member their own plastic bin to store their toiletries.
As you arrange your counter top, try to put out only the things that you will use on a regular basis. If you can get away without anything on the counter, that is even better. There will be less to clean.
If you have decorative items, now is the time to review their relevancy. If you don't really love them, replace them or remove them all together. There is no sense in having things you don't really love in your home; especially if you need to clean them.
3. Making Families
Categorize your shelves and drawers by creating families of like items: shaving products, hair styling, makeup, nails, personal hygiene items, first aid, medicines, etc.
4. Relocate the Excess
Make sure that only items that belong in the bathroom are in the bathroom. Transfer cleaning products to a caddy and store them under the kitchen sink. Store surplus toilet paper, shampoo and seasonal items, such as beach towels, tanning, or sunburn lotions in the hall closet or other location.
4. Storage Ideas
Make use of dead space. Try using any or all of the following organizing ideas: wall mounted cabinets, carts on wheels, hooks on back of door, shower caddies, coat rack, hanging mesh bag for holding children's bath toys, wall mount hair dryer and curling iron, drawer organizers.
Once your bathroom is organized, sit back and admire your work. If you make this an annual project, your bathroom will always be a joy to use. Now go take a bubble bath. You deserve it!
About the Author
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter.
1. Clean and Clear
Remove everything from the drawers and cabinets. Toss out all old and unused or out of date products: Make-up, hair care, lotions, medicines (check expiration dates). Remember, "When in doubt, throw it out!" Move your medicines and vitamins to the kitchen. The moisture and heat from the bath will ruin them.
As you sort through things, take the time to evaluate whether or not you really need each item. If you have kept perfume samples, and cosmetics that are the wrong color, now is the time to throw them out or give them away. If you aren't using them why keep them?
Wipe out the cupboards and shelves. Clean off the counter top. Replace the shelf paper on the shelves and in the cabinets if needed.
2. Only the Essentials
The next step is to organize your belongings. Start by putting back only the essential items that you use every day. Put them in locations where they will be easily accessible. Try to store what you can under the sink in plastic bins. If you have the room, give each family member their own plastic bin to store their toiletries.
As you arrange your counter top, try to put out only the things that you will use on a regular basis. If you can get away without anything on the counter, that is even better. There will be less to clean.
If you have decorative items, now is the time to review their relevancy. If you don't really love them, replace them or remove them all together. There is no sense in having things you don't really love in your home; especially if you need to clean them.
3. Making Families
Categorize your shelves and drawers by creating families of like items: shaving products, hair styling, makeup, nails, personal hygiene items, first aid, medicines, etc.
4. Relocate the Excess
Make sure that only items that belong in the bathroom are in the bathroom. Transfer cleaning products to a caddy and store them under the kitchen sink. Store surplus toilet paper, shampoo and seasonal items, such as beach towels, tanning, or sunburn lotions in the hall closet or other location.
4. Storage Ideas
Make use of dead space. Try using any or all of the following organizing ideas: wall mounted cabinets, carts on wheels, hooks on back of door, shower caddies, coat rack, hanging mesh bag for holding children's bath toys, wall mount hair dryer and curling iron, drawer organizers.
Once your bathroom is organized, sit back and admire your work. If you make this an annual project, your bathroom will always be a joy to use. Now go take a bubble bath. You deserve it!
About the Author
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter.
How to choose perfume
The choice of fragrances and scents seems to grow wider every day, as manufacturers fight for our attention and try ever harder to distinguish their offerings from the competition. With such a selection to choose from, how does one even begin to know where to start when it comes to buying perfume?
Broadly speaking, all perfumes fall into one of six different categories based on their dominant top notes. Different categories will suit different people or occasions.
Earthy or woody type perfumes evoke smells of the forest, and are usually very refreshing. They often tend to appeal to the older generation, and may make ideal gifts.
Oriental fragrances use strong spicy scents, and are ideal for special social occasions, but be cautious giving them to anyone you don’t know well – these intense perfumes can be a very personal choice.
The so-called “greens” are much lighter than the orientals, and are well suited to more casual wear. Because they make a less dramatic assault on the nose, they are also safer to give as gifts!
Modern “oceanic” fragrances are becoming more and more popular, particularly among younger people who appreciate the intense but often quite unusual scents, which instantly bring to mind seaside scenes. Naturally these are an excellent choice in the warmer months when thoughts turn to holidays.
Spicy fruity perfumes are also a good warm-weather choice, and can be a good all-round choice for the woman who wants to wear something with some traditional base-notes but is a little different to the classic floral scents.
Finally, those classic floral fragrances are suitable for almost everyone and any occasion. But be wary of cheaper brands; this most feminine of all the main groups works best when the ingredients used are of high quality, and that means less expensive brands can smell exactly that.
Ultimately, choosing a fragrance is a very personal choice, and many women prefer to stick with what they know and buy the same thing year after year. But by trying different fragrances from the same group as your favourite smell, you may just discover a new gem.
Copyright©Sara Blackmoore is a relationship councellor, and a freelance writer.
Broadly speaking, all perfumes fall into one of six different categories based on their dominant top notes. Different categories will suit different people or occasions.
Earthy or woody type perfumes evoke smells of the forest, and are usually very refreshing. They often tend to appeal to the older generation, and may make ideal gifts.
Oriental fragrances use strong spicy scents, and are ideal for special social occasions, but be cautious giving them to anyone you don’t know well – these intense perfumes can be a very personal choice.
The so-called “greens” are much lighter than the orientals, and are well suited to more casual wear. Because they make a less dramatic assault on the nose, they are also safer to give as gifts!
Modern “oceanic” fragrances are becoming more and more popular, particularly among younger people who appreciate the intense but often quite unusual scents, which instantly bring to mind seaside scenes. Naturally these are an excellent choice in the warmer months when thoughts turn to holidays.
Spicy fruity perfumes are also a good warm-weather choice, and can be a good all-round choice for the woman who wants to wear something with some traditional base-notes but is a little different to the classic floral scents.
Finally, those classic floral fragrances are suitable for almost everyone and any occasion. But be wary of cheaper brands; this most feminine of all the main groups works best when the ingredients used are of high quality, and that means less expensive brands can smell exactly that.
Ultimately, choosing a fragrance is a very personal choice, and many women prefer to stick with what they know and buy the same thing year after year. But by trying different fragrances from the same group as your favourite smell, you may just discover a new gem.
Copyright©Sara Blackmoore is a relationship councellor, and a freelance writer.
How to prevent acne
You probably don’t know this yet but product wastes and toxic build up in your system is one of the main reasons why you have acne or why your skin breaks out.
You see, your body has 4 channels of elimination... your bowels, kidneys, lungs, and your skin. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary channels that your body expels product wastes and toxics through. The only time that your body expels product wastes through your lungs and skin is when your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with product wastes and toxics. This can happen when you’re not drinking enough water.
You see, water is the main carrier of nutrients throughout your body and is quite possibly the single most important contributor to healing and preventing acne flare-ups. Drinking enough water will dissolve waste products in your system so it can be easily remove and flush out.
Without enough water, there won’t be much to dissolve these product wastes and toxics... causing it to build up in your system and causing your body to expel these product wastes and toxics through your lungs and skin. And this can and will result in acne breakout.
How much water should you be drinking each day to dissolve product waste and flush out toxins from your body? Although some would say you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and some would say 3 liters a day or half of your bodyweight in ounces a day. I say, you should drink only enough to see that your urine is mostly clear, which is probably much more than what you’re drinking now.
But I wouldn’t recommend you going overboard because drinking too much water will also flush out electrolyte minerals out of your system (which is not good). So how do you know how much water you should be drinking each day?
Test!
Start by drinking 7 glasses of water a day for the next 2 to 3 days. If you see that your urine is clear then 7 glasses of water a day is what you should be drinking. But remember, you don’t want to go overboard so you may want to try drinking 6 glasses of water a day. If you see that your urine is kind of yellow drinking 6 glasses of water a day then you should stick to 7 glasses of water a day. If not then you should stick with 6 glasses of water a day.
But if you find that 7 glasses of water a day is not enough. Then you should try drinking more glasses of water a day and see the results. What you’re trying to do here is make sure you’re drinking enough water each day. Not too much or too little. Another important thing you should know... You can’t just drink any type of water. There are certain types of water that’s full of toxins (such as tap water).
The 2 types of water I recommend you drink is distilled water and purified water. Distilled water has no minerals, which means if you drink it, it will leach out any unwanted non-organic minerals from your system. But since distilled water has no minerals (it’s just dead water), you will need to drink some purified water to oxygenate your system. However, you do need to drink them separately and drink it on an empty stomach for it to be effective. While water alone will not eliminate your acne it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.
Copyright© Houa Yang
You see, your body has 4 channels of elimination... your bowels, kidneys, lungs, and your skin. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary channels that your body expels product wastes and toxics through. The only time that your body expels product wastes through your lungs and skin is when your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with product wastes and toxics. This can happen when you’re not drinking enough water.
You see, water is the main carrier of nutrients throughout your body and is quite possibly the single most important contributor to healing and preventing acne flare-ups. Drinking enough water will dissolve waste products in your system so it can be easily remove and flush out.
Without enough water, there won’t be much to dissolve these product wastes and toxics... causing it to build up in your system and causing your body to expel these product wastes and toxics through your lungs and skin. And this can and will result in acne breakout.
How much water should you be drinking each day to dissolve product waste and flush out toxins from your body? Although some would say you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and some would say 3 liters a day or half of your bodyweight in ounces a day. I say, you should drink only enough to see that your urine is mostly clear, which is probably much more than what you’re drinking now.
But I wouldn’t recommend you going overboard because drinking too much water will also flush out electrolyte minerals out of your system (which is not good). So how do you know how much water you should be drinking each day?
Test!
Start by drinking 7 glasses of water a day for the next 2 to 3 days. If you see that your urine is clear then 7 glasses of water a day is what you should be drinking. But remember, you don’t want to go overboard so you may want to try drinking 6 glasses of water a day. If you see that your urine is kind of yellow drinking 6 glasses of water a day then you should stick to 7 glasses of water a day. If not then you should stick with 6 glasses of water a day.
But if you find that 7 glasses of water a day is not enough. Then you should try drinking more glasses of water a day and see the results. What you’re trying to do here is make sure you’re drinking enough water each day. Not too much or too little. Another important thing you should know... You can’t just drink any type of water. There are certain types of water that’s full of toxins (such as tap water).
The 2 types of water I recommend you drink is distilled water and purified water. Distilled water has no minerals, which means if you drink it, it will leach out any unwanted non-organic minerals from your system. But since distilled water has no minerals (it’s just dead water), you will need to drink some purified water to oxygenate your system. However, you do need to drink them separately and drink it on an empty stomach for it to be effective. While water alone will not eliminate your acne it will greatly assist your skin in remaining healthy and that will be one portion of the pie in fighting acne.
Copyright© Houa Yang
How to avoid colds and flu during winter
For most of us, the worst part about the winter season is that it’s also flu season. Every year, the flu costs Americans approximately $10 billion in lost wages and medical expenditures. Make sure you and your loved ones are taking the proper steps to stay healthy throughout the cooler months.
One of the most effective methods for preventing the spread of disease-causing bacteria and other germs is a simple act most of us perform everyday: washing our hands. What we don’t do is perform this act properly or often enough. Schools are large breeding grounds for cold and flu viruses and studies have shown that children who wash their hands more frequently tend to get sick less often. Practicing good hand-washing habits can provide an effective extra line of defense for you and everyone around you. “Common cold, flu and stomach viruses for example, can live on the fingertips for hours, and they can survive on the surfaces of objects for days,” says Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., author of “The Secret Life of Germs” (Pocket Books Nov. 2001). “Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but for the most part viral infections simply have to run their course.” Therefore, the best way to avoid such illnesses is to prevent them from ever occurring.
Dr. Tierno recommends the following hand-washing regimen:
* Effective hand washing requires both soap and water. Merely rinsing the hands with water alone is next to useless
* Wet your hands thoroughly and lather them with soap
* Rub the soapy water all over the hands and fingers for at least 20 to 30 seconds
* Don’t forget to wash under fingernails
* Rinse and repeat
As for frequency, you should wash your hands several times a day, before eating, after using a bathroom facility and after coughing or sneezing on them. After shaking hands with someone, you should avoid touching your face or mouth until an opportunity presents itself to wash up. It also makes sense to wash whenever coming in from outside.
In public bathrooms, you should wash your hands before using the toilet if you have had to touch a doorknob or other surface on the way in. When you wash your hands afterward, use a paper towel or tissue to shut off the faucet and open the door.
Dr. Tierno also recommends the use of tissues over handkerchiefs, which according to him tend to become “germ reservoirs” as we tend to hold on to them even after we’ve used them to blow our noses.
For an added layer of protection, use an anti-bacterial soap containing a germicide such as Triclosan. According to Dr. Tierno, “It seems to me that germicides can be a valuable support to good health, especially for groups who are at extra risk when it comes to infectious diseases.
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with depressed immune systems are particularly vulnerable. While germicides are no substitute for conscientious hygiene, they fight bacteria, have no side effects and have not been shown to contribute to increased bacterial resistance.” Even if you don’t fall into one of the higher risk groups, you owe it to others to be more conscious of hand washing to avoid transmitting germs.
Also, habits are best formed early on. If there are any children in your home, take the time to set a good example and teach them how to wash their hands properly.
Courtesy of ARA Content.
One of the most effective methods for preventing the spread of disease-causing bacteria and other germs is a simple act most of us perform everyday: washing our hands. What we don’t do is perform this act properly or often enough. Schools are large breeding grounds for cold and flu viruses and studies have shown that children who wash their hands more frequently tend to get sick less often. Practicing good hand-washing habits can provide an effective extra line of defense for you and everyone around you. “Common cold, flu and stomach viruses for example, can live on the fingertips for hours, and they can survive on the surfaces of objects for days,” says Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., author of “The Secret Life of Germs” (Pocket Books Nov. 2001). “Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but for the most part viral infections simply have to run their course.” Therefore, the best way to avoid such illnesses is to prevent them from ever occurring.
Dr. Tierno recommends the following hand-washing regimen:
* Effective hand washing requires both soap and water. Merely rinsing the hands with water alone is next to useless
* Wet your hands thoroughly and lather them with soap
* Rub the soapy water all over the hands and fingers for at least 20 to 30 seconds
* Don’t forget to wash under fingernails
* Rinse and repeat
As for frequency, you should wash your hands several times a day, before eating, after using a bathroom facility and after coughing or sneezing on them. After shaking hands with someone, you should avoid touching your face or mouth until an opportunity presents itself to wash up. It also makes sense to wash whenever coming in from outside.
In public bathrooms, you should wash your hands before using the toilet if you have had to touch a doorknob or other surface on the way in. When you wash your hands afterward, use a paper towel or tissue to shut off the faucet and open the door.
Dr. Tierno also recommends the use of tissues over handkerchiefs, which according to him tend to become “germ reservoirs” as we tend to hold on to them even after we’ve used them to blow our noses.
For an added layer of protection, use an anti-bacterial soap containing a germicide such as Triclosan. According to Dr. Tierno, “It seems to me that germicides can be a valuable support to good health, especially for groups who are at extra risk when it comes to infectious diseases.
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with depressed immune systems are particularly vulnerable. While germicides are no substitute for conscientious hygiene, they fight bacteria, have no side effects and have not been shown to contribute to increased bacterial resistance.” Even if you don’t fall into one of the higher risk groups, you owe it to others to be more conscious of hand washing to avoid transmitting germs.
Also, habits are best formed early on. If there are any children in your home, take the time to set a good example and teach them how to wash their hands properly.
Courtesy of ARA Content.
How to wash a down comforter
Few things are as comforting on a cold winter night as a down comforter. Soft and fluffy, down comforters are like a big hug after a long day. If properly cared for, a high-quality down comforter can last for many years. So, what is the proper way to care for down?
Surprisingly, down comforters actually require very little day-to-day care, aside from a little fluffing. Down comforters should be fluffed frequently, preferably every day. They should also be covered with a duvet to protect from spills. If adequately protected, they do not require frequent cleaning. In fact, many down comforter manufacturers recommend that down comforters only be cleaned every few years, though they should be aired out occasionally.
When washing down comforters is necessary, it is best to leave it to a professional cleaner. While down can be dry-cleaned, the results are better if it is instead cleaned with specially designed solutions.
If, however, you prefer to do it yourself, you will need to use an oversized front-loading commercial grade machine. If needed, you can use non-chlorine bleach. Do not use your home machine. It is not designed for cleaning large down comforters. Using it could lead to damaging your comforter—or your machine. After washing down comforters, you should dry them in a large commercial dryer on medium heat. Although this could take several hours, do not try to speed up the process by using high heat. This can burn the comforter. Even on medium heat, it is important to check periodically and make sure the unit is not overheating.
Be patient during the long drying process -- failure to properly dry your down comforter could lead to mildew growth. With proper care and infrequent washing and drying, your down comforter can provide many years of reliable warmth and comfort.
About the author:
Down Comforters Info provides detailed information about various types of down comforters, including goose, luxury, down alternative, and discount down comforters, as well as down comforter covers, and instructions on washing down comforters. Down Comforters Info is the sister site of Waterbed Sheets Web.
Surprisingly, down comforters actually require very little day-to-day care, aside from a little fluffing. Down comforters should be fluffed frequently, preferably every day. They should also be covered with a duvet to protect from spills. If adequately protected, they do not require frequent cleaning. In fact, many down comforter manufacturers recommend that down comforters only be cleaned every few years, though they should be aired out occasionally.
When washing down comforters is necessary, it is best to leave it to a professional cleaner. While down can be dry-cleaned, the results are better if it is instead cleaned with specially designed solutions.
If, however, you prefer to do it yourself, you will need to use an oversized front-loading commercial grade machine. If needed, you can use non-chlorine bleach. Do not use your home machine. It is not designed for cleaning large down comforters. Using it could lead to damaging your comforter—or your machine. After washing down comforters, you should dry them in a large commercial dryer on medium heat. Although this could take several hours, do not try to speed up the process by using high heat. This can burn the comforter. Even on medium heat, it is important to check periodically and make sure the unit is not overheating.
Be patient during the long drying process -- failure to properly dry your down comforter could lead to mildew growth. With proper care and infrequent washing and drying, your down comforter can provide many years of reliable warmth and comfort.
About the author:
Down Comforters Info provides detailed information about various types of down comforters, including goose, luxury, down alternative, and discount down comforters, as well as down comforter covers, and instructions on washing down comforters. Down Comforters Info is the sister site of Waterbed Sheets Web.
7 tips for a healthy pregnancy
It is always important to take whatever steps you can to be healthy, but while you are pregnant it is even more important: not only do you need to take good care of yourself, you are also profoundly affecting the life of another person – your baby.
Here's 7 tips to help you along the way.
1.If you smoke, one of the most important things you can do is to stop smoking: babies born to mothers who smoke have a lower average birth weight, are more likely to be born prematurely, and are at greater risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome than babies of non-smokers. Sometimes mothers feel having a low birth weight baby could be an advantage as it will make the baby easy to deliver. This is not necessarily the case, as it may lead to an emergency delivery, which can result in all sorts of complications. Even if you are already pregnant, stopping smoking will benefit the baby for the rest of your pregnancy. It is not only the baby who benefits. You are likely to suffer from less morning sickness, experience fewer complications and have a more contented baby after the birth.
2. It is also important to pay attention to your diet. Many women feel they should ‘eat for two’, but research has shown that women only need an extra 200-300 calories a day while pregnant, and you may be eating those extra calories anyway. What is important is to ensure that you get the protein, vitamins and minerals necessary to build another human being. Those extra 200-300 calories should not be squandered on chocolate or crisps, but should be eaten as fruit, vegetables, etc. It is also important to increase your water intake, which will help avoid constipation.
3. It is generally a good idea to take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement too. There are now ones specially formulated for pregnant women. Ideally these should be started before you become pregnant, so that you are in the best shape possible for the pregnancy, and then continued throughout your pregnancy. An adequate supply of vitamins and minerals is important right from conception.
For example, a deficiency of one of the B vitamins, folic acid, in the first month of pregnancy may lead to the baby being born with a cleft lip, congenital heart disease or spina bifida. Omega-3 fatty acids (obtained by eating oily fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, spinach and spirulina, or taken as a supplement) are important for the development of the baby’s eyes and brain. Omega-3 also reduces the risk of premature birth and post-natal depression.
4. Nobody knows how much alcohol it is safe to consume during pregnancy, so many health experts feel it is better to avoid alcohol entirely for the sake of the baby. This can seem hard on the pregnant woman when everyone else is drinking, but it is important to remember that alcohol is a poison for the growing baby, and no caring mother willingly gives her baby poison.
5. Pregnancy is not a time to sit still. Although adequate rest is vitally important, most experts believe that healthy pregnant women should be taking 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
6. It is also important to minimise exposure to toxic chemicals while pregnant, so spending a lot of time painting the house and laying new carpets is not a good idea, especially in the early stages of pregnancy when the baby is particularly vulnerable.
7. Many women find pregnancy stressful, and this can be a particularly good time to turn to safe, non-invasive options such as Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, kinesiology and other therapies.
Making a new life is something miraculous. Doing the best you can for that new life starts long before you have the baby in your arms for the first time.
About the author:
Jane Thurnell-Read is an author and researcher on health, allergies and stress. She has written two books for the general public: "Allergy A to Z" and "Health Kinesiology".
Here's 7 tips to help you along the way.
1.If you smoke, one of the most important things you can do is to stop smoking: babies born to mothers who smoke have a lower average birth weight, are more likely to be born prematurely, and are at greater risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome than babies of non-smokers. Sometimes mothers feel having a low birth weight baby could be an advantage as it will make the baby easy to deliver. This is not necessarily the case, as it may lead to an emergency delivery, which can result in all sorts of complications. Even if you are already pregnant, stopping smoking will benefit the baby for the rest of your pregnancy. It is not only the baby who benefits. You are likely to suffer from less morning sickness, experience fewer complications and have a more contented baby after the birth.
2. It is also important to pay attention to your diet. Many women feel they should ‘eat for two’, but research has shown that women only need an extra 200-300 calories a day while pregnant, and you may be eating those extra calories anyway. What is important is to ensure that you get the protein, vitamins and minerals necessary to build another human being. Those extra 200-300 calories should not be squandered on chocolate or crisps, but should be eaten as fruit, vegetables, etc. It is also important to increase your water intake, which will help avoid constipation.
3. It is generally a good idea to take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement too. There are now ones specially formulated for pregnant women. Ideally these should be started before you become pregnant, so that you are in the best shape possible for the pregnancy, and then continued throughout your pregnancy. An adequate supply of vitamins and minerals is important right from conception.
For example, a deficiency of one of the B vitamins, folic acid, in the first month of pregnancy may lead to the baby being born with a cleft lip, congenital heart disease or spina bifida. Omega-3 fatty acids (obtained by eating oily fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, spinach and spirulina, or taken as a supplement) are important for the development of the baby’s eyes and brain. Omega-3 also reduces the risk of premature birth and post-natal depression.
4. Nobody knows how much alcohol it is safe to consume during pregnancy, so many health experts feel it is better to avoid alcohol entirely for the sake of the baby. This can seem hard on the pregnant woman when everyone else is drinking, but it is important to remember that alcohol is a poison for the growing baby, and no caring mother willingly gives her baby poison.
5. Pregnancy is not a time to sit still. Although adequate rest is vitally important, most experts believe that healthy pregnant women should be taking 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
6. It is also important to minimise exposure to toxic chemicals while pregnant, so spending a lot of time painting the house and laying new carpets is not a good idea, especially in the early stages of pregnancy when the baby is particularly vulnerable.
7. Many women find pregnancy stressful, and this can be a particularly good time to turn to safe, non-invasive options such as Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, kinesiology and other therapies.
Making a new life is something miraculous. Doing the best you can for that new life starts long before you have the baby in your arms for the first time.
About the author:
Jane Thurnell-Read is an author and researcher on health, allergies and stress. She has written two books for the general public: "Allergy A to Z" and "Health Kinesiology".
How to avoid swelling when pregnant
Edema, otherwise known as swelling, will affect almost all women at some point during their pregnancy. Swelling or Edema is most often the result of excessive levels of hormones coursing through your body.
Really, the best thing you can do to combat swelling is to drink far more fluid. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more juice and water you drink the less water your body will hold onto and the less puffy you will be. You should be working to drink at least 10 eight ounce glasses of water per day.
Also try to avoid diuretic beverages such as tea and coffee, which contain caffeine. These are more likely to dehydrate you than invigorate you during your pregnancy.
You might also consider wearing some support stockings during your pregnancy. These will not only help combat swelling, but may help prevent or minimize the effects of varicose veins later in pregnancy. Most medical care suppliers carry support hosiery that works well for women during pregnancy. You should look for support hose with a medium grading minimum, meaning they provide firm support. Compression hose can often be purchased online. You can also ask your healthcare provider where you might purchase a pair or two.
About the author:
Article by Beverley Brooke, author of "Ensure a healthy safe pregnancy for you and your baby".
Really, the best thing you can do to combat swelling is to drink far more fluid. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more juice and water you drink the less water your body will hold onto and the less puffy you will be. You should be working to drink at least 10 eight ounce glasses of water per day.
Also try to avoid diuretic beverages such as tea and coffee, which contain caffeine. These are more likely to dehydrate you than invigorate you during your pregnancy.
You might also consider wearing some support stockings during your pregnancy. These will not only help combat swelling, but may help prevent or minimize the effects of varicose veins later in pregnancy. Most medical care suppliers carry support hosiery that works well for women during pregnancy. You should look for support hose with a medium grading minimum, meaning they provide firm support. Compression hose can often be purchased online. You can also ask your healthcare provider where you might purchase a pair or two.
About the author:
Article by Beverley Brooke, author of "Ensure a healthy safe pregnancy for you and your baby".
How to prevent varicose veins
Varicose veins – they can hurt and, well, let’s face it. They’re not exactly pretty, are they? So how can we prevent varicose veins?
While certain factors including age, genetics and whether or not you’re pregnant can play a huge role in whether or not you’ll get varicose veins, there are certain lifestyle changes that can help prevent varicose veins.
Varicose veins are twisted, enlarged veins, especially in the lower legs caused by over-pressured veins. The best cure is prevention. So start standing up straight! Good posture can help prevent varicose veins. Maintaining an ideal body weight will also help you to prevent varicose veins. When we are overweight more pressure is placed on our entire circulatory system, including the veins in the legs.
Something very popular that can contribute to the development of varicose veins is crossing your legs. Next time you sit down remember not to cross your legs, and if your legs are crossed right now un-cross them! You’ll be helping yourself prevent varicose veins.
If you want to prevent varicose veins take it upon yourself to take part in some light exercise each week. Activities such as walking, cycling and swimming help to boost circulation without adding unnecessary pressure to the veins.
Okay, so I know they’re fashionable, but high heels are really bad for you! If you want to prevent varicose veins kick the high heel habit now! Wearing high heels adds a lot of undue stress to your lower legs, which can, in turn, contribute to the cause of varicose veins.
In order to prevent varicose veins you should also avoid wearing clothes that are tight on the crotch, waist and legs, stretch your legs when sitting for long periods of time and wear mild compression pantyhose if you are required to stand for long periods of time.
About the author:
Kate and Phil Wiley run the popular health sites http://www.healthy-shopper.com, Health in 1 http://www.health-in-1.com and Advice on Health http://www.advice-on-health.com
While certain factors including age, genetics and whether or not you’re pregnant can play a huge role in whether or not you’ll get varicose veins, there are certain lifestyle changes that can help prevent varicose veins.
Varicose veins are twisted, enlarged veins, especially in the lower legs caused by over-pressured veins. The best cure is prevention. So start standing up straight! Good posture can help prevent varicose veins. Maintaining an ideal body weight will also help you to prevent varicose veins. When we are overweight more pressure is placed on our entire circulatory system, including the veins in the legs.
Something very popular that can contribute to the development of varicose veins is crossing your legs. Next time you sit down remember not to cross your legs, and if your legs are crossed right now un-cross them! You’ll be helping yourself prevent varicose veins.
If you want to prevent varicose veins take it upon yourself to take part in some light exercise each week. Activities such as walking, cycling and swimming help to boost circulation without adding unnecessary pressure to the veins.
Okay, so I know they’re fashionable, but high heels are really bad for you! If you want to prevent varicose veins kick the high heel habit now! Wearing high heels adds a lot of undue stress to your lower legs, which can, in turn, contribute to the cause of varicose veins.
In order to prevent varicose veins you should also avoid wearing clothes that are tight on the crotch, waist and legs, stretch your legs when sitting for long periods of time and wear mild compression pantyhose if you are required to stand for long periods of time.
About the author:
Kate and Phil Wiley run the popular health sites http://www.healthy-shopper.com, Health in 1 http://www.health-in-1.com and Advice on Health http://www.advice-on-health.com
How to take care of jewelry
Sterling Silver & 14kt Gold: Both will tend to tarnish over time.
- Store all precious metal jewelry in a zip lock bag to protect it. This does not stop the discoloration, but will drastically slow the process.
- Use a polishing cloth as needed for cleaning your jewelry.
Jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals:
- Store all jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals in a zip lock bag to protect it.
- Check the instructions on your jewelry cleaning solution prior to placing any items with stones in it to be cleaned. Some stones, such as turquoise, and freshwater pearls cannot be placed in most jewelry cleaning solutions.
- Do not wear your jewelry when you are showering or washing dishes.
- Use caution when wearing lotions and perfumes, for they will discolor gems such as turquoise.
Pearls:
Special care should be taken with pearls. They are much more fragile than most gemstones.
- Use caution when using hairspray and perfumes. Let dry completely before donning your pearls.
- Cleaning pearl jewelry: wipe with a clean dry soft cloth after wearing them.
About the author:
Lisa Jay is a freelance writer and the jewelry designer behind Lantana Designwear. You can sign up for her newsletter to receive information on jewelry, fashion and womens issues.
- Store all precious metal jewelry in a zip lock bag to protect it. This does not stop the discoloration, but will drastically slow the process.
- Use a polishing cloth as needed for cleaning your jewelry.
Jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals:
- Store all jewelry with semi-precious stones and crystals in a zip lock bag to protect it.
- Check the instructions on your jewelry cleaning solution prior to placing any items with stones in it to be cleaned. Some stones, such as turquoise, and freshwater pearls cannot be placed in most jewelry cleaning solutions.
- Do not wear your jewelry when you are showering or washing dishes.
- Use caution when wearing lotions and perfumes, for they will discolor gems such as turquoise.
Pearls:
Special care should be taken with pearls. They are much more fragile than most gemstones.
- Use caution when using hairspray and perfumes. Let dry completely before donning your pearls.
- Cleaning pearl jewelry: wipe with a clean dry soft cloth after wearing them.
About the author:
Lisa Jay is a freelance writer and the jewelry designer behind Lantana Designwear. You can sign up for her newsletter to receive information on jewelry, fashion and womens issues.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
How to choose web hosting
Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website is not an easy task especially when there are thousands of web hosting providers all offering almost identical web hosting packages.
Therefore, it is important to know few major considerations even before you start your web hosting search.
Below are three major criteria for web host seeker:
Web hosting features requirement
This is probably the most important consideration to start finding a host for your site.
You need to decide the technical requirements for your website, this including:
a) Server platform and hardware requirements
If you plan to set up a website that uses programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic scripts, Cold Fusion or Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database, in this case, you will need to find a web hosting service that supports Windows platform such as Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers.Likewise, if you plan to use programming languages such as Perl, CGI, SSI, PHP or mySQL database, then any web hosting plans that support Unix/Linux platform should be sufficient to meet your hosting requirements. Once you have these server platform and hardware requirements in mind, you can decide the best web hosting plans for your need.
b) Disk space & Bandwidth requirement
Here is another technical requirement that you need to consider before selecting a web hosting plan, i.e. disk space and bandwidth. If you intend to publish a website that does not have a lot of contents (meaning, web pages), then the disk space requirement may not be a big concern to you. In general, a disk space with 200MB to 500MB should be enough to meet your hosting requirement. In contrast, if you plan to host a website with enormous amount of graphic pictures, mp3 or video files, then you should consider a web hosting plan that provide huge disk space, for example, 500 MB to 1,000 MB. Similarly, the bandwidth requirement will depend on your site traffic estimation.
Obviously, a website that expect to attract high traffic will consume the monthly bandwidth allowance very fast. If so, you will need to find one web hosting service that offer huge bandwidth with 40 GB to 100 GB per month. Depending upon your website requirement, choosing a web hosting service that provide sufficient amount of disk space and bandwidth is crucial consideration to prevent paying extra costs in the future should you overuse the monthly disk space and bandwidth allowance.
c) Other hosting features
While the above requirements are utmost important, there are other hosting features that you have to consider too.
Can web hosting provider support video clips on your website, if you have?
Is the web hosting service compatible with Dreamweaver or FrontPage web authoring tool? Do you plan to set up a virtual store online?
Can the host support the e-commerce features without adding extra cost to your monthly payments?
On top of that, you may also want to find out the number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, web statistic software (analyze your web traffic), type of control panel supported (manage your web hosting account), database and scripting languages supported and etc.
Reliability and scalability
A first-class web hosting provider offers reliable server uptime and fast Internet connection.
You should only choose a web hosting service that guarantee at least 99% server uptime with high-speed Internet backbones using at least OC3 (Optical Carrier) lines (155 Megabits per second) or above instead of T1 or T3 lines. A reliable web hosting provider usually invests heavily on their data center infrastructure with high performance servers, high speed multiple backbones providers with fail-over redundancy, backup power generators and firewall software protection in place to ensure they meet the uptime guarantee specified in the terms of service.
Similarly, you should choose a web hosting service with hardware facilities that designed for scalability, so that they can grow with your business.
For example, if you need to increase more disk space, bandwidth or number of mySQL databases, you should be able to upgrade as needed without any problems. Customer service and supportThe last major consideration in choosing a web hosting service is to find a web hosting providers that offers excellent customer service and support.
You should always search for a web hosting provider that offers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support that fielded with highly experience technicians, so that any web hosting problems will be resolved within a reasonable amount of time.
You may also want to consider to test how responsive is their customer support by sending few inquiry emails to the web hosting provider. In general, any response in less than 24 hours is considered acceptable. It is a sign of poor customer support if they take more than one day to response.
In addition, a web hosting provider with excellent support should also provide multiple support channels, such as toll-free phone support, 24/7 email support, live chat, online knowledgebase, Interactive flash tutorials and FAQ.
Above are few major considerations before you choose your web hosting service.
In addition, how long has the web hosting provider in business and the number of customers that they currently have are also a good indication of the quality of their hosting products as well as the stability of the company. Even though cost of the web hosting service is also important but it should not be your major consideration. Because the price of a web hosting service has been declining over the years due to competition, as a result, the price of most of the web hosting services offering quality hosting features has been converging to less than US$10 per month. If you can't afford less than $10 per month, you probably isn't in the online business for the long haul.
Therefore, price should not be a major deciding factor.On the other hand, it is more important to ensure the web hosting service that you choose is able to meet your website hosting requirements, guarantee your website is always accessible with satisfying speed, provide scalability to grow and expand your website as well as offer excellent customer supports.
Therefore, it is important to know few major considerations even before you start your web hosting search.
Below are three major criteria for web host seeker:
Web hosting features requirement
This is probably the most important consideration to start finding a host for your site.
You need to decide the technical requirements for your website, this including:
a) Server platform and hardware requirements
If you plan to set up a website that uses programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic scripts, Cold Fusion or Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL database, in this case, you will need to find a web hosting service that supports Windows platform such as Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers.Likewise, if you plan to use programming languages such as Perl, CGI, SSI, PHP or mySQL database, then any web hosting plans that support Unix/Linux platform should be sufficient to meet your hosting requirements. Once you have these server platform and hardware requirements in mind, you can decide the best web hosting plans for your need.
b) Disk space & Bandwidth requirement
Here is another technical requirement that you need to consider before selecting a web hosting plan, i.e. disk space and bandwidth. If you intend to publish a website that does not have a lot of contents (meaning, web pages), then the disk space requirement may not be a big concern to you. In general, a disk space with 200MB to 500MB should be enough to meet your hosting requirement. In contrast, if you plan to host a website with enormous amount of graphic pictures, mp3 or video files, then you should consider a web hosting plan that provide huge disk space, for example, 500 MB to 1,000 MB. Similarly, the bandwidth requirement will depend on your site traffic estimation.
Obviously, a website that expect to attract high traffic will consume the monthly bandwidth allowance very fast. If so, you will need to find one web hosting service that offer huge bandwidth with 40 GB to 100 GB per month. Depending upon your website requirement, choosing a web hosting service that provide sufficient amount of disk space and bandwidth is crucial consideration to prevent paying extra costs in the future should you overuse the monthly disk space and bandwidth allowance.
c) Other hosting features
While the above requirements are utmost important, there are other hosting features that you have to consider too.
Can web hosting provider support video clips on your website, if you have?
Is the web hosting service compatible with Dreamweaver or FrontPage web authoring tool? Do you plan to set up a virtual store online?
Can the host support the e-commerce features without adding extra cost to your monthly payments?
On top of that, you may also want to find out the number of email accounts provided, number of FTP accounts, web statistic software (analyze your web traffic), type of control panel supported (manage your web hosting account), database and scripting languages supported and etc.
Reliability and scalability
A first-class web hosting provider offers reliable server uptime and fast Internet connection.
You should only choose a web hosting service that guarantee at least 99% server uptime with high-speed Internet backbones using at least OC3 (Optical Carrier) lines (155 Megabits per second) or above instead of T1 or T3 lines. A reliable web hosting provider usually invests heavily on their data center infrastructure with high performance servers, high speed multiple backbones providers with fail-over redundancy, backup power generators and firewall software protection in place to ensure they meet the uptime guarantee specified in the terms of service.
Similarly, you should choose a web hosting service with hardware facilities that designed for scalability, so that they can grow with your business.
For example, if you need to increase more disk space, bandwidth or number of mySQL databases, you should be able to upgrade as needed without any problems. Customer service and supportThe last major consideration in choosing a web hosting service is to find a web hosting providers that offers excellent customer service and support.
You should always search for a web hosting provider that offers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week technical support that fielded with highly experience technicians, so that any web hosting problems will be resolved within a reasonable amount of time.
You may also want to consider to test how responsive is their customer support by sending few inquiry emails to the web hosting provider. In general, any response in less than 24 hours is considered acceptable. It is a sign of poor customer support if they take more than one day to response.
In addition, a web hosting provider with excellent support should also provide multiple support channels, such as toll-free phone support, 24/7 email support, live chat, online knowledgebase, Interactive flash tutorials and FAQ.
Above are few major considerations before you choose your web hosting service.
In addition, how long has the web hosting provider in business and the number of customers that they currently have are also a good indication of the quality of their hosting products as well as the stability of the company. Even though cost of the web hosting service is also important but it should not be your major consideration. Because the price of a web hosting service has been declining over the years due to competition, as a result, the price of most of the web hosting services offering quality hosting features has been converging to less than US$10 per month. If you can't afford less than $10 per month, you probably isn't in the online business for the long haul.
Therefore, price should not be a major deciding factor.On the other hand, it is more important to ensure the web hosting service that you choose is able to meet your website hosting requirements, guarantee your website is always accessible with satisfying speed, provide scalability to grow and expand your website as well as offer excellent customer supports.
How to start internet marketing
Internet has become very important today. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and with the advanced technology now, we can even buy products and make payment through the internet.
There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.
So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
*Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
*Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.
HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?
To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.
Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.
Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.
Copyright Internet Marketing
There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.
So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
*Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
*Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.
HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?
To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.
Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.
Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.
Copyright Internet Marketing
How to start internet marketing
Internet has become very important today. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and with the advanced technology now, we can even buy products and make payment through the internet.
There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.
So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
>
Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
>
Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.
HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?
To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.
Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.
Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.
Copyright Internet Marketing
There has been a tremendous increment in the number of people subscribing to or accessing the internet. Just look at the statistics here! More over, Internet has been shown as the third most popular media for marketing! Thus internet marketing has now become an important strategy to boost your business profit.
So, this site is intentionally created to provide useful information to…
>
Those who already had a business whether it is small, medium or even home based business and looking towards getting their business online or on the Internet.
>
Those who want to earn money as an internet marketer or affiliates.
HOW TO START YOUR INTERNET MARKETING?
To really be able to market your business online, you should have your own website. You can either build the website yourself if you know how to do it or hiring an expertise to build it. There are also a few website builder tools available in the market now.
Next, you need to search for and secure your preferred domain name with a web host.
Finally, you should promote your website. An online and offline promotion is very important if you really want to get traffic to your website.
Copyright Internet Marketing
How to choose a digital camera
The huge variety of Digital Cameras in the market is a great thing but it is making our buying decision a difficult task. The following buying tips will help you make a better, more educated, focused and rational purchase decision. Please take into acccount that there is no one perfect Digital Camera that contains all the requiered features and sells at a low price too, so it will be a compromise like many others we make in life.
Do You Really Need a Digital Camera?
To answer this compare the price of mid range digital cameras and devide it by the cost of a roll of film. How many rolls of film you need to buy before covering the cost of your digital camera? On average good mid range digital camera cost aprox $ 600. Film will avarage $ 2. you will buy 200 rolls of films before ever covering the cost of your new digital camera.
Think about it, how much time in terms of years would it take to shoot 300 rolls of film X 36 frames? It is almost 11,000 pictures! Shooting ten rolls a year on average would take 30 years to spend $ 600 in terms of rolls of film and if the cost of the camera was only $ 200 then it will take " only " 10 years. Do you start geting the picture here? Don't forget that there is the cost of developing and the cost of the prints, but if you want to get simmilar quality prints as film camera then you will have to send your digital images to a mini lab printer as well.
So please, don't buy into the idea you are saving money here...
It is true though that with the digital camera you print only the best shots you like most and not all 36 pictures, so at some point everything begins to balance out. Another point to consider is that, many people don't print digital images, they store it on their computers or over the internet in digital albums, or they make a presentation with background music, burn it on a DVD disk, and share it with family and friends at their living room on TV. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.
If it is not necessarily cheaper, Does the Digital Cameras give better quality results? The answer is short: NO! experts may even argue that film quality is better.
There is the psychological aspect behind it all. Remember not having to buy film gives you the free feeling of taking as many pictures as you like, with instant satisfaction of seeing results immediately. Secondly,you always have the option to retake shots.
Thirdly, people tend to store or print only the best pictures. The overall result is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and store or print only the very best.
In addition, imaging software enables us to even further improve saturation of colors, Compensate for bad exposures, crop, rotate, make a collage from many pictures, add Artistic Graphics Text and style.
To sum it all up, it is not true that the Digital Cameras are saving money, the quality is not higher than Film camera, in general the new better Digital cameras give you more manual control over exposure and shutter speeds. Psychologically we feel relaxed and free to shoot much more pictures. The end result is an overall improvement in recording our live memories.
What Do You Need to Look for in a Digital Camera:
Examine the Camera at a real store:
First I would like to suggest that the whole buying process not be done over the internet even though it is convenient and tempting. In my view it is very important to see the camera, to hold it in your hands, and most importantly to try it and see the results.
The features of many digital cameras look quite similar and it is hard to make a decision merely by feature comparisons . It might be very handsome nice looking camera on the internet but may be it is too small for your big hands? Did you know that some Digital cameras Have up to 3 seconds delay between pushing the button and the actual shutter Movement (Picture taking). In 3 seconds my son is out of the frame already...
One warning, come prepared (after reading this article), listen to the salesman but with a critic ear, as objectivety may be abscured and profit margin goals may be at mind. You don't have to buy at the store, If you like a specific camera now is the time to go to the internet and compare specific model prices. buy only at a reputable and reliable store either virtual or not.
Decide on a Certain Budget and Stick to it:
Photo gear has a lot of wana haves, nice to haves and let me have that one as well, gadgets. most camera manufacturers provide a basic memory card of 16 MB, this will be good for only a few high quality pictures, I strongly recommend you will buy a 128 MB or even better yet 256 MB Memory Card. Since Digital Cameras use LCD screen, batery consumption is much higher than what you are use to in film cameras, it is recommended to invest in a battery charger. Allocate a budget for your camera, but make sure it includes the Camera + Memory Card + Battery charger + case and even consider Wide Angel Converter.
Skin tone:
Test the cameras quality by taking a picture of people, observe the skin tone (face, hands etc'), does the skin tone looks natural to you? Or is it too pale or yellowish? Is it too reddish or pink? Insist on a good natural result.
How Many Mega Pixels?
The very basic " Point & Shoot " models can start with 2 Mega and can give very good results but I recommend you choose 3 mega or even 4 Mega for prints of up to 5 x 7. If you don't need many enlargements it is high quality and sufficient. There are compact models with even 7 Mega pixels but for all practical reasons it is an over kill, I would invest in wider aperture lens and longer range zoom. Don't think if your neighbor bought a 7 Mega camera that his camera is better, It's not.
What Aperture Lens:
The smaller the number the better, it is always marked with "f", for instance aperture range: f2.8 - f4, if it is constant on the entire zoom range, let's say f2.8 on all zoon range - excellent, the longer the zoom range the harder it is to produce a small aperture number, for instance a zoom range of 36mm - 420mm (12 X) if it is f2.8 on all the range it is impressive. a camera with Aperture range of f2 - f3 Very good. Higher aperture than f5 will produce less desirable results.
Zoom Range:(Optical)
The longer the range the better, you can catch a distant object, make nice close ups and portraits, it gives you more accessibility, flexibility and creative options. A long 420 mm (12 X) is excellent range BUT, you need to understand that the longer the zoom range the bigger the amplification of any hand shaking with the camera, therefore it is recommended to hold your breath, be as stable as you can with your hands and body but even better yet to use a Tripod. I would even compromise a bit on the range to be 370 mm (10 X) " only ". Important feature on a long-range zoom is an Anti-Shake or Image stabilizer. These features compensate approximately one f stop or more on movements.
I referred here to Optical zoom, there is a digital zoom in addition but usually the quality of it is very low, some salesmen tend to confuse the customers by multiplying the optical zoom by the digital zoon and claiming the camera to be 12 optical x 4 digital = (48 X)! Ignore such statements, refer just to Optical zoom.
In the old Film cameras a long zoom range meant a very long bulge, in the current modern Digital Cameras it extends less than an inch and stops, all the rest is done internally by the Cameras optics.
Wide Angel:
Most Digital Cameras do not have wide angel! It is one of the their biggest shortcomings, 36 mm or even worse 37 mm is not a wide angel zoom, as a result when taking pictures indoor you will notice you cannot catch a better part of the scene or only part of the room, when shooting outdoor you will notice that only part of the landscape can be included in the frame. Not to worry, there is a solution! Wide Angel Adaptor, it is an add on which is placed over the existing lens. It can be (X 0.75) = 28 mm, it can be (X 0.66) = 24 mm which is excellent. There is an additional charge for adopters as they are produced either by a third party or the original manufacturer of the camera. Adaptors give small Distortions so as a rule of thumb it is much better to have the original manufacturer adaptor as it matches optically much better. There are even Macro ad on Adaptors available.
LCD Screen:
The bigger the better, average size is 1.8", but there are models with 2" and even 2.5", another feature is a swivel (flip-out & twist) LCD screens, you can show your kid His picture in real time, and it can help you take a difficult angel and access shots. The LCD screens have one big problem, that is, under sun light and outdoor conditions it is very difficult to see the picture on them. Therefore, if it has Anti Glare feature it's better. The more pixels the better.
ISO Rating:
This one is important to actually check in the store and observe the results carefully. The wider the range the better, both on the low and high sides of the scale. If it is less than 100 it means you will get very good results in bright day light sunny conditions ( Iso 50 or 80 ), if it is Iso 400 and up it means you will get excellent results on low light conditions. Some of Digital Cameras don't perform well in Iso rating of above 200, (e.g. you will see a lot of noise and snow flakes), this is why I recommended verifying it.
Optics:
The quality of the Glass Optics is Important, some of the Manufacturers wave with their Optics Brands well known producers like:
Leica lens
Carl Zeiss lens
Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens
Nikkor Lens
Canon Lens
Etc’.
Additional points:
Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).
External Flash option via hot shoe a plus.
Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.
Who is the Camera manufacturer?
Most of the Digital cameras are designed in Japan, it is very important to choose a reliable producer with strong and experienced knowledge of Cameras, with a large variety of models and commitment to service and excellence. Always think who is the manufacturer, is he coming from the film field, Printers producer, electronics or has he dealt with cameras from day one.
Summary:
The economy of the Digital Camera is not cheaper than Film Cameras.
The overall result of using Digital Camera is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and Store only the very best.
Examine and test the Camera at a real store only then compare prices in the Internet, buy only at reputable store.
Decide on a Budget and stick to it, Take into account all the accessories such as bigger memory card of at least 256 MB.
Aperture lens - The smaller the "f" number the better, Range between f2 - f3 is very good, f2.8 across all the zoom range is excellent. Especially if the zoom is long.
Zoom range of (12 X) or (10 X), with Anti Shake or Image Stabilizer is great, Consider adding a Tripod.
Wide angel adaptor is most important (0.75 X) or even better yet (0.66 X), original manufacturer adapters will give you best optical compatibility.
LCD Screen - The bigger the better, Flip out & twist, Anti Glare, High Resolution.
ISO Rating - Preferable range 50 - 800, settle for 80 - 400, Test It!
Optics - well known manufacturers will give you better quality output.
Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).
External Flash option via hot shoe a big plus.
Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.
Well-known leader and experienced Camera manufacturer with good service backup.
A list of major camera manufacturers web sites:
Canon USA
Casio-USA
Nikon USA
Fuji-Film-US
Hasselblad
HP-US
Kodak Photo
Konica-Minolta-US
Mamiya
Leica-Camera
Olympus-America
Panasonic-Cameras
Pentax
Samsung-camera-usa
Sigma-Cameras
Sony-US
In my view the best place to look for Information on Digital Cameras Is the DpReview web site at www.dpreview.com. Here you can Read the Latest Digital Camera news, In depth reviews of specific models, Compare side by side cameras, see picture samples, forums with specific Sections of Manufacturers and cameras models. In addition you get final professional
This article can be obtained Free of charge @ www.1st-Photography-World.com.
(C) Copyrights Amit Laufer - 2005
Do You Really Need a Digital Camera?
To answer this compare the price of mid range digital cameras and devide it by the cost of a roll of film. How many rolls of film you need to buy before covering the cost of your digital camera? On average good mid range digital camera cost aprox $ 600. Film will avarage $ 2. you will buy 200 rolls of films before ever covering the cost of your new digital camera.
Think about it, how much time in terms of years would it take to shoot 300 rolls of film X 36 frames? It is almost 11,000 pictures! Shooting ten rolls a year on average would take 30 years to spend $ 600 in terms of rolls of film and if the cost of the camera was only $ 200 then it will take " only " 10 years. Do you start geting the picture here? Don't forget that there is the cost of developing and the cost of the prints, but if you want to get simmilar quality prints as film camera then you will have to send your digital images to a mini lab printer as well.
So please, don't buy into the idea you are saving money here...
It is true though that with the digital camera you print only the best shots you like most and not all 36 pictures, so at some point everything begins to balance out. Another point to consider is that, many people don't print digital images, they store it on their computers or over the internet in digital albums, or they make a presentation with background music, burn it on a DVD disk, and share it with family and friends at their living room on TV. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.
If it is not necessarily cheaper, Does the Digital Cameras give better quality results? The answer is short: NO! experts may even argue that film quality is better.
There is the psychological aspect behind it all. Remember not having to buy film gives you the free feeling of taking as many pictures as you like, with instant satisfaction of seeing results immediately. Secondly,you always have the option to retake shots.
Thirdly, people tend to store or print only the best pictures. The overall result is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and store or print only the very best.
In addition, imaging software enables us to even further improve saturation of colors, Compensate for bad exposures, crop, rotate, make a collage from many pictures, add Artistic Graphics Text and style.
To sum it all up, it is not true that the Digital Cameras are saving money, the quality is not higher than Film camera, in general the new better Digital cameras give you more manual control over exposure and shutter speeds. Psychologically we feel relaxed and free to shoot much more pictures. The end result is an overall improvement in recording our live memories.
What Do You Need to Look for in a Digital Camera:
Examine the Camera at a real store:
First I would like to suggest that the whole buying process not be done over the internet even though it is convenient and tempting. In my view it is very important to see the camera, to hold it in your hands, and most importantly to try it and see the results.
The features of many digital cameras look quite similar and it is hard to make a decision merely by feature comparisons . It might be very handsome nice looking camera on the internet but may be it is too small for your big hands? Did you know that some Digital cameras Have up to 3 seconds delay between pushing the button and the actual shutter Movement (Picture taking). In 3 seconds my son is out of the frame already...
One warning, come prepared (after reading this article), listen to the salesman but with a critic ear, as objectivety may be abscured and profit margin goals may be at mind. You don't have to buy at the store, If you like a specific camera now is the time to go to the internet and compare specific model prices. buy only at a reputable and reliable store either virtual or not.
Decide on a Certain Budget and Stick to it:
Photo gear has a lot of wana haves, nice to haves and let me have that one as well, gadgets. most camera manufacturers provide a basic memory card of 16 MB, this will be good for only a few high quality pictures, I strongly recommend you will buy a 128 MB or even better yet 256 MB Memory Card. Since Digital Cameras use LCD screen, batery consumption is much higher than what you are use to in film cameras, it is recommended to invest in a battery charger. Allocate a budget for your camera, but make sure it includes the Camera + Memory Card + Battery charger + case and even consider Wide Angel Converter.
Skin tone:
Test the cameras quality by taking a picture of people, observe the skin tone (face, hands etc'), does the skin tone looks natural to you? Or is it too pale or yellowish? Is it too reddish or pink? Insist on a good natural result.
How Many Mega Pixels?
The very basic " Point & Shoot " models can start with 2 Mega and can give very good results but I recommend you choose 3 mega or even 4 Mega for prints of up to 5 x 7. If you don't need many enlargements it is high quality and sufficient. There are compact models with even 7 Mega pixels but for all practical reasons it is an over kill, I would invest in wider aperture lens and longer range zoom. Don't think if your neighbor bought a 7 Mega camera that his camera is better, It's not.
What Aperture Lens:
The smaller the number the better, it is always marked with "f", for instance aperture range: f2.8 - f4, if it is constant on the entire zoom range, let's say f2.8 on all zoon range - excellent, the longer the zoom range the harder it is to produce a small aperture number, for instance a zoom range of 36mm - 420mm (12 X) if it is f2.8 on all the range it is impressive. a camera with Aperture range of f2 - f3 Very good. Higher aperture than f5 will produce less desirable results.
Zoom Range:(Optical)
The longer the range the better, you can catch a distant object, make nice close ups and portraits, it gives you more accessibility, flexibility and creative options. A long 420 mm (12 X) is excellent range BUT, you need to understand that the longer the zoom range the bigger the amplification of any hand shaking with the camera, therefore it is recommended to hold your breath, be as stable as you can with your hands and body but even better yet to use a Tripod. I would even compromise a bit on the range to be 370 mm (10 X) " only ". Important feature on a long-range zoom is an Anti-Shake or Image stabilizer. These features compensate approximately one f stop or more on movements.
I referred here to Optical zoom, there is a digital zoom in addition but usually the quality of it is very low, some salesmen tend to confuse the customers by multiplying the optical zoom by the digital zoon and claiming the camera to be 12 optical x 4 digital = (48 X)! Ignore such statements, refer just to Optical zoom.
In the old Film cameras a long zoom range meant a very long bulge, in the current modern Digital Cameras it extends less than an inch and stops, all the rest is done internally by the Cameras optics.
Wide Angel:
Most Digital Cameras do not have wide angel! It is one of the their biggest shortcomings, 36 mm or even worse 37 mm is not a wide angel zoom, as a result when taking pictures indoor you will notice you cannot catch a better part of the scene or only part of the room, when shooting outdoor you will notice that only part of the landscape can be included in the frame. Not to worry, there is a solution! Wide Angel Adaptor, it is an add on which is placed over the existing lens. It can be (X 0.75) = 28 mm, it can be (X 0.66) = 24 mm which is excellent. There is an additional charge for adopters as they are produced either by a third party or the original manufacturer of the camera. Adaptors give small Distortions so as a rule of thumb it is much better to have the original manufacturer adaptor as it matches optically much better. There are even Macro ad on Adaptors available.
LCD Screen:
The bigger the better, average size is 1.8", but there are models with 2" and even 2.5", another feature is a swivel (flip-out & twist) LCD screens, you can show your kid His picture in real time, and it can help you take a difficult angel and access shots. The LCD screens have one big problem, that is, under sun light and outdoor conditions it is very difficult to see the picture on them. Therefore, if it has Anti Glare feature it's better. The more pixels the better.
ISO Rating:
This one is important to actually check in the store and observe the results carefully. The wider the range the better, both on the low and high sides of the scale. If it is less than 100 it means you will get very good results in bright day light sunny conditions ( Iso 50 or 80 ), if it is Iso 400 and up it means you will get excellent results on low light conditions. Some of Digital Cameras don't perform well in Iso rating of above 200, (e.g. you will see a lot of noise and snow flakes), this is why I recommended verifying it.
Optics:
The quality of the Glass Optics is Important, some of the Manufacturers wave with their Optics Brands well known producers like:
Leica lens
Carl Zeiss lens
Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon lens
Nikkor Lens
Canon Lens
Etc’.
Additional points:
Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).
External Flash option via hot shoe a plus.
Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.
Who is the Camera manufacturer?
Most of the Digital cameras are designed in Japan, it is very important to choose a reliable producer with strong and experienced knowledge of Cameras, with a large variety of models and commitment to service and excellence. Always think who is the manufacturer, is he coming from the film field, Printers producer, electronics or has he dealt with cameras from day one.
Summary:
The economy of the Digital Camera is not cheaper than Film Cameras.
The overall result of using Digital Camera is improvement in our recorded memories, we shoot much more, correct and delete bad ones and Store only the very best.
Examine and test the Camera at a real store only then compare prices in the Internet, buy only at reputable store.
Decide on a Budget and stick to it, Take into account all the accessories such as bigger memory card of at least 256 MB.
Aperture lens - The smaller the "f" number the better, Range between f2 - f3 is very good, f2.8 across all the zoom range is excellent. Especially if the zoom is long.
Zoom range of (12 X) or (10 X), with Anti Shake or Image Stabilizer is great, Consider adding a Tripod.
Wide angel adaptor is most important (0.75 X) or even better yet (0.66 X), original manufacturer adapters will give you best optical compatibility.
LCD Screen - The bigger the better, Flip out & twist, Anti Glare, High Resolution.
ISO Rating - Preferable range 50 - 800, settle for 80 - 400, Test It!
Optics - well known manufacturers will give you better quality output.
Auto Focus - The more points the better - (9 Points is very good).
External Flash option via hot shoe a big plus.
Lens Protective Hood - Better Light input + physical protection of the lens.
Well-known leader and experienced Camera manufacturer with good service backup.
A list of major camera manufacturers web sites:
Canon USA
Casio-USA
Nikon USA
Fuji-Film-US
Hasselblad
HP-US
Kodak Photo
Konica-Minolta-US
Mamiya
Leica-Camera
Olympus-America
Panasonic-Cameras
Pentax
Samsung-camera-usa
Sigma-Cameras
Sony-US
In my view the best place to look for Information on Digital Cameras Is the DpReview web site at www.dpreview.com. Here you can Read the Latest Digital Camera news, In depth reviews of specific models, Compare side by side cameras, see picture samples, forums with specific Sections of Manufacturers and cameras models. In addition you get final professional
This article can be obtained Free of charge @ www.1st-Photography-World.com.
(C) Copyrights Amit Laufer - 2005
How to burn fat
Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secret #1
Let me ask you a personal question. As you read these words, right now-- are you burning fat? If you don't know the answer, you need to know about a simple, inexpensive way to make sure. Every time. Every day. And I'll show you why and how this simple, doctor-proven technique can be your most powerful weapon in your fight against fat. No matter what weight loss program you are currently on, wouldn't you like to know whether your plan is producing results?
Most of us step on the scale, or wait until our clothes fit more loosely, before we really know whether our latest miracle diet pill or plan is working. And as a veteran dieter, you know that can take many days or weeks. But there is a way to know for certain-- within hours-- whether or not you're burning fat.
To see if the food, or the pills, or the exercise is really returning benefits. Immediate benefits. Are you starving? There are really only two ways your body loses weight (by non-surgical means). You are either burning fat, or "burning" muscle. If you are burning muscle, watch out! You have actually begun to starve.
For safe, healthy weight loss, you must preserve your muscle tissue (including heart muscle) and burn fat instead.
Here are the medical facts: any time your body burns fat, chemicals called ketones are produced. Ketones are byproducts of burning fat. Robert C. Atkins, M.D., the famous low-carb diet expert, states it clearly. "When your body releases ketones," says Dr. Atkins, "it is chemical proof that you're consuming your own stored fat." And burning your own stored fat is exactly what you want to do. Dr. Atkins goes further. "If you're not in lipolysis (ketosis), you're in glucosis." It's one or the other, period.
Your body is either burning sugar, from simple and complex carbohydrates you are eating, or burning your own stored fat. Both produce energy. But only one will help you lose weight!
Prove it to yourself
You may have heard about this simple method of testing for ketone release before. But have you actually used it? It really is a marvelous tool to help you see the biological proof of your diet program, quickly and easily.
Ketone test strips are available at any pharmacy. Originally developed as a testing tool for diabetics, they are sold under various brand names, including KetoStix, LipoStix, Keto-Thin, and others. They all work essentially the same way.
The test strips are simple to use. Just place the tab end of the test strip in your first morning urine stream, and note the color change. Match the color to the chart on the bottle, and know immediately whether you are burning fat-- or not.
The beauty is- it’s all about you!
Perhaps the best part of this test method, aside from the ease of use, is that you get to see what is really working for you. Everyone’s body is a little different, and now you can customize your food and supplement intake from specific results of your unique body and metabolism. The other very important benefit of this easy test method is that it can help protect your health.
As stated earlier, loss of muscle can be dangerous, and eventually even fatal. If you are dropping pounds but you are not burning fat, you are risking your health. And the ketone test strips can provide this valuable feedback. To recap Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secret #1: test for ketones daily.
If the reading is too dark, you can increase carbohydrates to balance into the “trace” to “small” range. If you see too little or no change, decrease your carbs, increase your protein intake. Whether you are low-carb dieting, trying a new fat loss supplement, or starting a new exercise regimen, this simple, inexpensive test method can be the most important tool you have to make sure your program is safe, effective, and actually burning fat.
About the author:
Katrina Kern is an author, women's health counselor, former nurse and Director of Medi-Bolic Weight Loss Clinic. Get more exciting health and fat-loss discoveries, and 10 more Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secrets, in her free e-book, "How to Absolutely, Positively Know When Your Body is Burning Fat".
Let me ask you a personal question. As you read these words, right now-- are you burning fat? If you don't know the answer, you need to know about a simple, inexpensive way to make sure. Every time. Every day. And I'll show you why and how this simple, doctor-proven technique can be your most powerful weapon in your fight against fat. No matter what weight loss program you are currently on, wouldn't you like to know whether your plan is producing results?
Most of us step on the scale, or wait until our clothes fit more loosely, before we really know whether our latest miracle diet pill or plan is working. And as a veteran dieter, you know that can take many days or weeks. But there is a way to know for certain-- within hours-- whether or not you're burning fat.
To see if the food, or the pills, or the exercise is really returning benefits. Immediate benefits. Are you starving? There are really only two ways your body loses weight (by non-surgical means). You are either burning fat, or "burning" muscle. If you are burning muscle, watch out! You have actually begun to starve.
For safe, healthy weight loss, you must preserve your muscle tissue (including heart muscle) and burn fat instead.
Here are the medical facts: any time your body burns fat, chemicals called ketones are produced. Ketones are byproducts of burning fat. Robert C. Atkins, M.D., the famous low-carb diet expert, states it clearly. "When your body releases ketones," says Dr. Atkins, "it is chemical proof that you're consuming your own stored fat." And burning your own stored fat is exactly what you want to do. Dr. Atkins goes further. "If you're not in lipolysis (ketosis), you're in glucosis." It's one or the other, period.
Your body is either burning sugar, from simple and complex carbohydrates you are eating, or burning your own stored fat. Both produce energy. But only one will help you lose weight!
Prove it to yourself
You may have heard about this simple method of testing for ketone release before. But have you actually used it? It really is a marvelous tool to help you see the biological proof of your diet program, quickly and easily.
Ketone test strips are available at any pharmacy. Originally developed as a testing tool for diabetics, they are sold under various brand names, including KetoStix, LipoStix, Keto-Thin, and others. They all work essentially the same way.
The test strips are simple to use. Just place the tab end of the test strip in your first morning urine stream, and note the color change. Match the color to the chart on the bottle, and know immediately whether you are burning fat-- or not.
The beauty is- it’s all about you!
Perhaps the best part of this test method, aside from the ease of use, is that you get to see what is really working for you. Everyone’s body is a little different, and now you can customize your food and supplement intake from specific results of your unique body and metabolism. The other very important benefit of this easy test method is that it can help protect your health.
As stated earlier, loss of muscle can be dangerous, and eventually even fatal. If you are dropping pounds but you are not burning fat, you are risking your health. And the ketone test strips can provide this valuable feedback. To recap Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secret #1: test for ketones daily.
If the reading is too dark, you can increase carbohydrates to balance into the “trace” to “small” range. If you see too little or no change, decrease your carbs, increase your protein intake. Whether you are low-carb dieting, trying a new fat loss supplement, or starting a new exercise regimen, this simple, inexpensive test method can be the most important tool you have to make sure your program is safe, effective, and actually burning fat.
About the author:
Katrina Kern is an author, women's health counselor, former nurse and Director of Medi-Bolic Weight Loss Clinic. Get more exciting health and fat-loss discoveries, and 10 more Doctors' Proven Weight Loss Secrets, in her free e-book, "How to Absolutely, Positively Know When Your Body is Burning Fat".
How to choose a cell phone
Considering the innumerable varieties of cell phones in the market, it is quite a challenging task to choose the best one. However, the basic criterion of selecting the best cell phone is to be absolutely clear about what your needs are. The best cellular phone is the one that is absolutely right for you. And, of course, you can only have the best cellular phone when you pay for what you want.
Tons of offers are also available. There are free cellular telephone offers, prepaid cellular, digital, mobile, web enabled and many more. No one can tell you which cell phone is best for you because every one has different needs when it comes to their cellular telephone. Some people want absolutely basic features while others want a lot of totally fantastic features. Some need a cellular telephone for e-mail, faxing and surfing the Internet. Many people want it to be top of the line while others prefer simplicity.
The process of buying a cell phone is so confusing. There are simply so many different handsets, networks, deals and call costs to consider that buying the right phone for your usage and budget can be very difficult.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best cell phone. First of all, decide how much you want to spend and be clear on the features you need. Remember that the more the features, the higher the cost.
Purchase a battery with a decent battery life and judge the mobile phone by the talk time it gives. The bare minimum should be 2 hours of maximum talk-time plus 90 hours of maximum standby time.
Shop and compare for pricing and service. These days, quality phones are very cheap. There is a proliferation of cell phone makers including Nokia, Motorola, Ericson, Siemens, Samsung, Sony, etc. More importantly, cellular plans have come down enormously in overall price with some caveats.
Some standard features include caller ID, phone book with fast dial, call waiting, voice mail and auto-answering. Some also have other added features like your first incoming minute free. The high-end cell phones will have voice-a ctivated dialing, SMS, 2-way paging, games, scheduling calendars, digital organizer and all the standard features. The main thing is to see what fits into your life style best and also to be sure when and if the features expire.
While making a cell phone and service plan decision, remember that everybody's needs are different. So what's good for your friend may not be the best choice for you. Your best bet would be to search online for websites with good cell phone comparisons in order to get a quality cell phone offer.
To make sure that your cell phone comparisons are complete look at Nokia cell phones, Ericsson cell phones, Sprint cell phones, Motorola cell phones and Samsung cell phones. Research the different free cell phone offers, prepaid cell phones and service plans from brand names like AT
About The Author
Telefon Wirles is the editor and proprietor of IP Electronics which is a premier source for Cell Phone information.
Tons of offers are also available. There are free cellular telephone offers, prepaid cellular, digital, mobile, web enabled and many more. No one can tell you which cell phone is best for you because every one has different needs when it comes to their cellular telephone. Some people want absolutely basic features while others want a lot of totally fantastic features. Some need a cellular telephone for e-mail, faxing and surfing the Internet. Many people want it to be top of the line while others prefer simplicity.
The process of buying a cell phone is so confusing. There are simply so many different handsets, networks, deals and call costs to consider that buying the right phone for your usage and budget can be very difficult.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best cell phone. First of all, decide how much you want to spend and be clear on the features you need. Remember that the more the features, the higher the cost.
Purchase a battery with a decent battery life and judge the mobile phone by the talk time it gives. The bare minimum should be 2 hours of maximum talk-time plus 90 hours of maximum standby time.
Shop and compare for pricing and service. These days, quality phones are very cheap. There is a proliferation of cell phone makers including Nokia, Motorola, Ericson, Siemens, Samsung, Sony, etc. More importantly, cellular plans have come down enormously in overall price with some caveats.
Some standard features include caller ID, phone book with fast dial, call waiting, voice mail and auto-answering. Some also have other added features like your first incoming minute free. The high-end cell phones will have voice-a ctivated dialing, SMS, 2-way paging, games, scheduling calendars, digital organizer and all the standard features. The main thing is to see what fits into your life style best and also to be sure when and if the features expire.
While making a cell phone and service plan decision, remember that everybody's needs are different. So what's good for your friend may not be the best choice for you. Your best bet would be to search online for websites with good cell phone comparisons in order to get a quality cell phone offer.
To make sure that your cell phone comparisons are complete look at Nokia cell phones, Ericsson cell phones, Sprint cell phones, Motorola cell phones and Samsung cell phones. Research the different free cell phone offers, prepaid cell phones and service plans from brand names like AT
About The Author
Telefon Wirles is the editor and proprietor of IP Electronics which is a premier source for Cell Phone information.
How to buy a mobile phone handset
If you asked 100 people the factors that drive their choice of a cell phone, 80% would say the ringtone or the flashy design. Though personal preferences may determine how we buy our mobile phones, it is considered prudential that we factor other elements into our purchase decisions so we derive full value for our money and do not rush into extra expense after using the device.
Buying a simple device like a cell phone can be an overwhelming experience. The device may cost just a few hundred Dollars but there are so many of them on the market and each company is inundating the television and newspaper with so much publicity.
But in the face of all the ad tactics, consumers can work out their own checklist and then screen off manufacturers who do not conform to them.
Let’s try to see some of the factors you may have to consider when making a decision to acquire a handset:
How deep is your budget?
You should examine your funds and determine whether the phone you have set your eyes on is affordable. You may want to note that an affordable or cheap phone may have all the features you are looking for. Generally phones which sell for $100 and below are quick bulky, have minimal features and have sharp edges. If you are on low budget, seeking second hand phone or simply want basic features, this is the area you may have to venture.
Phones priced $300 thereabout are usually sleek, come with web features and may have voice dialing features. Some may have dual band characteristics and calendars.
Phones selling for $300 and over are the smallest in design, come with advanced features like cameras, video, mp3 capabilities, voice recorders and radio.
You may also have to critically examine the features of the phone to see if they appeal to you and will serve your objectives. If you would like to record appointments, then you may need a phone with an appointment setter or calendar.
If you a traveler, you may have to buy a dual band phone. You may also have to consider dual mode, that is a phone that will work for both analog and digital services. You would also need to get a phone that will accept double SIM so you can have access to multiple services without changing SIMs.
If you are the busy type , you will have to look for phones with long lasting battery and long talk time so you can carry for long without recharging.
Internet users will have to go for phones with more lines of display that is a bigger screen to display about 6 lines so they can be able to read text without much discomfort and too much scrolling.
Buying a cell phone handset is not a chore at all but it is helpful for one to find one that will meet the pocket and at the same time satisfy lifestyle and business objectives.
Copyright: Peter Lenkefi
Buying a simple device like a cell phone can be an overwhelming experience. The device may cost just a few hundred Dollars but there are so many of them on the market and each company is inundating the television and newspaper with so much publicity.
But in the face of all the ad tactics, consumers can work out their own checklist and then screen off manufacturers who do not conform to them.
Let’s try to see some of the factors you may have to consider when making a decision to acquire a handset:
How deep is your budget?
You should examine your funds and determine whether the phone you have set your eyes on is affordable. You may want to note that an affordable or cheap phone may have all the features you are looking for. Generally phones which sell for $100 and below are quick bulky, have minimal features and have sharp edges. If you are on low budget, seeking second hand phone or simply want basic features, this is the area you may have to venture.
Phones priced $300 thereabout are usually sleek, come with web features and may have voice dialing features. Some may have dual band characteristics and calendars.
Phones selling for $300 and over are the smallest in design, come with advanced features like cameras, video, mp3 capabilities, voice recorders and radio.
You may also have to critically examine the features of the phone to see if they appeal to you and will serve your objectives. If you would like to record appointments, then you may need a phone with an appointment setter or calendar.
If you a traveler, you may have to buy a dual band phone. You may also have to consider dual mode, that is a phone that will work for both analog and digital services. You would also need to get a phone that will accept double SIM so you can have access to multiple services without changing SIMs.
If you are the busy type , you will have to look for phones with long lasting battery and long talk time so you can carry for long without recharging.
Internet users will have to go for phones with more lines of display that is a bigger screen to display about 6 lines so they can be able to read text without much discomfort and too much scrolling.
Buying a cell phone handset is not a chore at all but it is helpful for one to find one that will meet the pocket and at the same time satisfy lifestyle and business objectives.
Copyright: Peter Lenkefi
How to accept credit cards without a merchant account
To increase sales on your website, you must accept credit cards. To process credit cards, you could apply for a merchant account through your bank or other financial institution.
Sometimes, though, you would be further ahead to use the services of a credit card processor. This is especially true when you are first starting out and have more limited resources. In this way, you may process credit card transactions without the high front-end costs and requirements of a merchant account.
Here, then, are just a few ways of accepting credit cards without a merchant account. I personally use all of these vendors and can recommend them wholeheartedly.
1. Clickbank
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com . For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales. You receive additional exposure through free listing on their website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com. As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates.
2. PayPal
PayPal.com has no initial fees. For just 2.9% of sales and $ .30 per transaction (and sometimes less), you can receive money from anyone. Also, you can pay others by credit card or chequing account without supplying your personal credit information to the payee. PayPal can be used to collect money from your auctions, website sales, or even from friends or clients.
3. PaySystems
In the original edition of this article, I recommended PaySystems.com (also known as MyPaySystems.com). This is what I wrote about them: "PaySystems.com can handle either intangible (downloadable) or tangible (shippable) products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 3.95% of sales and $1.00 per transaction. Alternatively, you may pay 5.5% of sales and $ .35 per transaction." "For this, you receive shopping cart, integration with third-party affiliate programs (such as ClixGalore.com), fraud screening, multi-currency transactions, toll-free support, marketing tools, and more." Unfortunately, PaySystems.com has discontinued their "Internet Billing Account" for those outside the United States.
4. 2CheckOut
2CheckOut.com can handle both intangible and tangible products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 5.5% of sales and $0.45 per transaction. For this, you receive shopping cart, fraud detection, integration with third-party affiliate programs, multi-currency transactions, free on-line support, and more. Incidentally, 2CheckOut.com has the same policy as ClickBank.com does with regard to sales taxes.
Both companies take the position that you are selling your product to them and that they resell it to the final consumer. Thus, they claim that you are not subject to sales taxes on those sales.
About the author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
Sometimes, though, you would be further ahead to use the services of a credit card processor. This is especially true when you are first starting out and have more limited resources. In this way, you may process credit card transactions without the high front-end costs and requirements of a merchant account.
Here, then, are just a few ways of accepting credit cards without a merchant account. I personally use all of these vendors and can recommend them wholeheartedly.
1. Clickbank
If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com . For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales. You receive additional exposure through free listing on their website and through the search facilities of other websites, such as CBMall.com. As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program. You decide what commission (from 1% to 75%) you would like to pay your affiliates.
2. PayPal
PayPal.com has no initial fees. For just 2.9% of sales and $ .30 per transaction (and sometimes less), you can receive money from anyone. Also, you can pay others by credit card or chequing account without supplying your personal credit information to the payee. PayPal can be used to collect money from your auctions, website sales, or even from friends or clients.
3. PaySystems
In the original edition of this article, I recommended PaySystems.com (also known as MyPaySystems.com). This is what I wrote about them: "PaySystems.com can handle either intangible (downloadable) or tangible (shippable) products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 3.95% of sales and $1.00 per transaction. Alternatively, you may pay 5.5% of sales and $ .35 per transaction." "For this, you receive shopping cart, integration with third-party affiliate programs (such as ClixGalore.com), fraud screening, multi-currency transactions, toll-free support, marketing tools, and more." Unfortunately, PaySystems.com has discontinued their "Internet Billing Account" for those outside the United States.
4. 2CheckOut
2CheckOut.com can handle both intangible and tangible products. For an initial fee of $49.00, you can accept all major credit cards as well as online checks. Fees are just 5.5% of sales and $0.45 per transaction. For this, you receive shopping cart, fraud detection, integration with third-party affiliate programs, multi-currency transactions, free on-line support, and more. Incidentally, 2CheckOut.com has the same policy as ClickBank.com does with regard to sales taxes.
Both companies take the position that you are selling your product to them and that they resell it to the final consumer. Thus, they claim that you are not subject to sales taxes on those sales.
About the author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.
How to save money
‘MONEY’, in this era I think can well be stated as the ‘Most Outstanding Necessity Enveloping You’.
Life is impossible without money. Funds are essential in every walk of life. So, such a crucial indispensable aspect of our lives needs extra care and protection. This article, therefore, is a guideline to many effective money saving strategies.
Money Management might not be imperative for everyone. But many of us nowadays need to be vigilant while spending. This is because of the soaring market prices and limited income. But ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. If you desire to save your hard earned cash, you ought be judicious while spending it.
The foremost technique to be economic is to prepare your monthly budget. This will help you in administering your expenditure throughout the month. But mere planning a budget is insufficient. What basically matters is, how much you adhere to it. So, try to stick to your budget. Any deviation from it should be in case of an emergency.
Shopping from coupons is deemed to be a very cost effective nowadays. These coupons are gift vouchers can be grabbed from your daily newspaper, magazines, in shops and on Internet. They provide you with varying lucrative offers such as 40% off on your eating in a restaurant at a particular date and time etc. Coupons thus are a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of things in life while saving many of your dollars.
Be frugal in using your credit card. Though credit card acts as bank in your pocket, it comes with huge rate of interests. This is the most significant drawback of using a credit card that perhaps supersedes all its merits.
Try shopping during the sale season. It is the best time when you can get an item worth $100 in just $80 or even $50. So, don’t miss an opportunity to avail the sale season benefits.
Avoid repeated shopping. It is not prudent to shop time and again because each time you make it to the market, you will be spending money on travel (oil, taxi fare etc.). Moreover, the market rates keep on fluctuating. The thing prized worth $45 today may be for $50 by the end of the month.
Therefore, once you are on for shopping, especially some items such as foodstuff etc are concerned shop as much required and make no compromise. Take these a little more than needed. This saves you from landing into troublesome exigency situations.
Don’t be habitual of junk food and eating out. This will not just be emptying your pocket soon but can even be hazardous to your health.
Get a medical insurance. It will facilitate you with requisite amount during unfortunate health perils.
Planning a garage sale at the end of the year is not a bad idea to make some money out of the undesired items in your house.
Another good way to save money for your own self and your successors is to make investments. These can be in the form of property, land, stocks, trusts and the like.
Save on electricity and phone bills. Do not assist your children with separate TV and phone connection in their rooms. Keep just one television set and phone connection in your living room. This will enable you to keep a check on the amount of usage of these things. It is definitely a money spinning way for those fraught with hefty electricity and phone bills.
Apart from these there might many other ways to manage your outlay that may appeal to you. All you need to do is to be a little cautious, far-sighted and love your well-deserved money.
About the author:
Mansi gupta writes about save money. Learn more at http://www.howtosavedough.com
Life is impossible without money. Funds are essential in every walk of life. So, such a crucial indispensable aspect of our lives needs extra care and protection. This article, therefore, is a guideline to many effective money saving strategies.
Money Management might not be imperative for everyone. But many of us nowadays need to be vigilant while spending. This is because of the soaring market prices and limited income. But ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. If you desire to save your hard earned cash, you ought be judicious while spending it.
The foremost technique to be economic is to prepare your monthly budget. This will help you in administering your expenditure throughout the month. But mere planning a budget is insufficient. What basically matters is, how much you adhere to it. So, try to stick to your budget. Any deviation from it should be in case of an emergency.
Shopping from coupons is deemed to be a very cost effective nowadays. These coupons are gift vouchers can be grabbed from your daily newspaper, magazines, in shops and on Internet. They provide you with varying lucrative offers such as 40% off on your eating in a restaurant at a particular date and time etc. Coupons thus are a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of things in life while saving many of your dollars.
Be frugal in using your credit card. Though credit card acts as bank in your pocket, it comes with huge rate of interests. This is the most significant drawback of using a credit card that perhaps supersedes all its merits.
Try shopping during the sale season. It is the best time when you can get an item worth $100 in just $80 or even $50. So, don’t miss an opportunity to avail the sale season benefits.
Avoid repeated shopping. It is not prudent to shop time and again because each time you make it to the market, you will be spending money on travel (oil, taxi fare etc.). Moreover, the market rates keep on fluctuating. The thing prized worth $45 today may be for $50 by the end of the month.
Therefore, once you are on for shopping, especially some items such as foodstuff etc are concerned shop as much required and make no compromise. Take these a little more than needed. This saves you from landing into troublesome exigency situations.
Don’t be habitual of junk food and eating out. This will not just be emptying your pocket soon but can even be hazardous to your health.
Get a medical insurance. It will facilitate you with requisite amount during unfortunate health perils.
Planning a garage sale at the end of the year is not a bad idea to make some money out of the undesired items in your house.
Another good way to save money for your own self and your successors is to make investments. These can be in the form of property, land, stocks, trusts and the like.
Save on electricity and phone bills. Do not assist your children with separate TV and phone connection in their rooms. Keep just one television set and phone connection in your living room. This will enable you to keep a check on the amount of usage of these things. It is definitely a money spinning way for those fraught with hefty electricity and phone bills.
Apart from these there might many other ways to manage your outlay that may appeal to you. All you need to do is to be a little cautious, far-sighted and love your well-deserved money.
About the author:
Mansi gupta writes about save money. Learn more at http://www.howtosavedough.com
How to cut credit card debt
Most Americans have too much credit card debt. Duh, we've all heard that before, right? Only now its gotten a bit personal... right again? You personally have too much credit card debt and its about to drive you crazy.
Well there IS hope so don't file those bankruptcy papers just yet. One major thing you have to keep in mind is your creditor is probably very willing to work with you. Its in their best interest to have you making some payment versus no payment.
So here are a couple points to help you deal with your credit card debt.
The first thing you have to do is simply contact your creditor and let them know your situation. Ask for a lower interest rate or a repayment plan. You might not have thought of it because you're just naturally so polite but its a very good strategy to be courteous at all times when negotiating with your creditor. Polite, but firm. Come across as one who knows what you're asking for and expect to get it. If you're not sure what you're asking for in the first place you might consider a reputable credit counseling service. There's a lot of great, honest organizations out there whose mission is to help you work things out with your creditors.
Next you've GOT to stop using your cards. Cut them up, freeze them in a tub of water, whatever you need to do to get them out of your wallet or purse, do it! You simply can't keep adding to the problem by running the debt up any higher. This is actually one of the hardest parts of cutting your credit card debt. Its like you're addicted to spending money you don't have. So go cold turkey and drop the habit.
Start paying the ones with the highest interest rate first and work from there. How do you do that? Concentrate on those high interest rate cards by paying more than the minimum balance each month. The minimum is just designed to keep you on the hook longer anyway. The credit card companies are in this business to make a profit and want to have you paying them for years to come. Even a little extra each month makes a big difference in the long run. Lastly, keep your chin up and have a good attitude. Millions of folks just like you have begun to cut their credit card debt by following the common sense steps outlined above. You can do it too. Good luck.
Copyright: Richard Townsend
Well there IS hope so don't file those bankruptcy papers just yet. One major thing you have to keep in mind is your creditor is probably very willing to work with you. Its in their best interest to have you making some payment versus no payment.
So here are a couple points to help you deal with your credit card debt.
The first thing you have to do is simply contact your creditor and let them know your situation. Ask for a lower interest rate or a repayment plan. You might not have thought of it because you're just naturally so polite but its a very good strategy to be courteous at all times when negotiating with your creditor. Polite, but firm. Come across as one who knows what you're asking for and expect to get it. If you're not sure what you're asking for in the first place you might consider a reputable credit counseling service. There's a lot of great, honest organizations out there whose mission is to help you work things out with your creditors.
Next you've GOT to stop using your cards. Cut them up, freeze them in a tub of water, whatever you need to do to get them out of your wallet or purse, do it! You simply can't keep adding to the problem by running the debt up any higher. This is actually one of the hardest parts of cutting your credit card debt. Its like you're addicted to spending money you don't have. So go cold turkey and drop the habit.
Start paying the ones with the highest interest rate first and work from there. How do you do that? Concentrate on those high interest rate cards by paying more than the minimum balance each month. The minimum is just designed to keep you on the hook longer anyway. The credit card companies are in this business to make a profit and want to have you paying them for years to come. Even a little extra each month makes a big difference in the long run. Lastly, keep your chin up and have a good attitude. Millions of folks just like you have begun to cut their credit card debt by following the common sense steps outlined above. You can do it too. Good luck.
Copyright: Richard Townsend
How to setup internet payment system
It's a fact that traders who are in a position to accept credit cards from their customers can expect to make more sales than those who only accept cash transactions. According to "Jumping Through the Merchant Account Hoops" by Khera Communications, the average credit card transaction is $40, compared to just $9 for cash sales. So, by not accepting credit cards you put yourself at a huge business disadvantage compared to your competition. It may also surprise you to learn that credit card transactions can cost your business less in transaction charges.
A case study by Coopers & Lybrand found that it costs, on average, 2.7% to process a credit card transaction as compared to 4.8% for cash and 4.0% for checks. The reason for this perhaps surprising statistic is that cash and cheques require more handling by financial institution staff whereas credit cards tend to be processed electronically for the most part these days.
To offer a credit card payment facility to your customers you need to set up a merchant account. Typically you will also need to have equipment installed to accept the payments. If you wish to accept credit cards online you will also need to sign up with a payment gateway such as CyberCash or VirtualNet to allow for instant authorizations over the Internet.
The provider of your business bank account should be your first port of call for a merchant account, but if you're looking to provide an online credit card payment service to your customers, it's important that you make sure that any merchant account provider can demonstrate a track record with accepting online payments.
Applying for and being accepted for a merchant account can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks or more. Your chances of being approved relate directly to your already-existing business track record. That's why your own business bank is a good first option, because they know you and your business better than anyone else.
How much can you expect to pay? The cost of a merchant account can vary enormously mainly based on the perceived risk associated with the business applying for the facility and the area of business they are involved in. Typically you can expect start up costs to be in the $190 - $300 range with processing fees on individual transactions from around 2% variable depending on sales volume. The more business you're going to be putting through your merchant account, the more you'll be in a position to negotiate with your merchant account provider.
About the author:
Steve Jones is Website admin for http://www.merchant-account.no1-source.info which provides all the latest news and information sources on merchant accounts.
A case study by Coopers & Lybrand found that it costs, on average, 2.7% to process a credit card transaction as compared to 4.8% for cash and 4.0% for checks. The reason for this perhaps surprising statistic is that cash and cheques require more handling by financial institution staff whereas credit cards tend to be processed electronically for the most part these days.
To offer a credit card payment facility to your customers you need to set up a merchant account. Typically you will also need to have equipment installed to accept the payments. If you wish to accept credit cards online you will also need to sign up with a payment gateway such as CyberCash or VirtualNet to allow for instant authorizations over the Internet.
The provider of your business bank account should be your first port of call for a merchant account, but if you're looking to provide an online credit card payment service to your customers, it's important that you make sure that any merchant account provider can demonstrate a track record with accepting online payments.
Applying for and being accepted for a merchant account can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks or more. Your chances of being approved relate directly to your already-existing business track record. That's why your own business bank is a good first option, because they know you and your business better than anyone else.
How much can you expect to pay? The cost of a merchant account can vary enormously mainly based on the perceived risk associated with the business applying for the facility and the area of business they are involved in. Typically you can expect start up costs to be in the $190 - $300 range with processing fees on individual transactions from around 2% variable depending on sales volume. The more business you're going to be putting through your merchant account, the more you'll be in a position to negotiate with your merchant account provider.
About the author:
Steve Jones is Website admin for http://www.merchant-account.no1-source.info which provides all the latest news and information sources on merchant accounts.
How to start your own clothing company
Ever wanted to start your own clothing company? Its not as difficult as you think.
What do you absolutely need?
1. A decent logo
2. Creative concepts and graphics - Design Talent
3. A unique, blank apparel supplier
4. A decent screen printer
5. A Line Sheet to show potential buyers
6. Sales and promotional talent.
Which do you think is most important? Its obviously design talent you say? Are you joking? You must be joking. Have you stepped out of the house recently? Have you seen Von Dutch clothing? Crayon weilding Chimpanzes produce better designs.
Furthermore, I imagine the monkeys are more sanitary, but I digress. #6 is clearly the most important element. You can create an entire line of fashion forward, beautiful clothing but if you can't pitch it - no one will ever see it (excluding your mom of course).
So, unless you want a closet full of your fantastic designs, ask yourself the following two questions: Can I sell? In other words......can I hit the pavement with my line sheet and walk into every boutique clothing store I can find? Then will I harass the hell out of retail clothing store buyers so that they'll try to squeeze 5 minutes of time in for me at Magic 06' (Clothing Convention) ? Will I be able to make a professional presentation to a Nordstroms buyer? Can I promote? Do I have and creative viral or gureilla marketing ideas to get this label kickstarted?
If the answer to both of these questions is No - you better get some help. Namely, find someone passionate for fashion who also happens to be ridiculously outgoing, great on the phone and aggressive as hell. Lastly, (and superficially) it would help if your sales rep is hot. I know, how horrible.....so sorry, buy I didn't say anything about this being an equal opportunity business. That being said, let me welcome you the shallow end of the pool..... i.e. the fashion world. Good luck with your label!
About the author:Bradley J, Fashionable Wholesale Clothing
What do you absolutely need?
1. A decent logo
2. Creative concepts and graphics - Design Talent
3. A unique, blank apparel supplier
4. A decent screen printer
5. A Line Sheet to show potential buyers
6. Sales and promotional talent.
Which do you think is most important? Its obviously design talent you say? Are you joking? You must be joking. Have you stepped out of the house recently? Have you seen Von Dutch clothing? Crayon weilding Chimpanzes produce better designs.
Furthermore, I imagine the monkeys are more sanitary, but I digress. #6 is clearly the most important element. You can create an entire line of fashion forward, beautiful clothing but if you can't pitch it - no one will ever see it (excluding your mom of course).
So, unless you want a closet full of your fantastic designs, ask yourself the following two questions: Can I sell? In other words......can I hit the pavement with my line sheet and walk into every boutique clothing store I can find? Then will I harass the hell out of retail clothing store buyers so that they'll try to squeeze 5 minutes of time in for me at Magic 06' (Clothing Convention) ? Will I be able to make a professional presentation to a Nordstroms buyer? Can I promote? Do I have and creative viral or gureilla marketing ideas to get this label kickstarted?
If the answer to both of these questions is No - you better get some help. Namely, find someone passionate for fashion who also happens to be ridiculously outgoing, great on the phone and aggressive as hell. Lastly, (and superficially) it would help if your sales rep is hot. I know, how horrible.....so sorry, buy I didn't say anything about this being an equal opportunity business. That being said, let me welcome you the shallow end of the pool..... i.e. the fashion world. Good luck with your label!
About the author:Bradley J, Fashionable Wholesale Clothing
How to save money on car insurance
Car insurance is required by all licensed drivers but many of them don’t know how to find the best rates available. Being complacent and purchasing car insurance without carefully investigating your options or maintaining the same car insurance for the remainder of your life could mean that you are paying too much for your car insurance.
Comparison shopping, ensuring that you are receiving all the discounts you qualify for and maintaining a clean driving record are just a few of the money saving tips that can save you a fortune on car insurance. Comparison shopping for car insurance, even after you are already insured, cannot be underestimated. It is critical that you investigate all of your options before choosing an insurance provider to ensure that you are getting the best possible rate on your car insurance.
There are so many factors considered in car insurance policies such as where you live, your driving record, your age and the type of car you drive just to name a few. With all of these factors to consider, it is very possible that you will find that there is a car insurance provider who will offer you a considerably lower rate than other providers. Even after you have secured insurance for your car, it is wise to periodically check the rates that other providers will offer you.
Car insurance as well as your circumstances are perpetually changing and you may find that the provider who is willing to offer you the best car insurance rate varies periodically. Many car insurance providers offer a host of discounts to their clients who qualify for these discounts. These discounts can relate to your driving record, safety features of your car, your age or other factors. These discounts can result in a tremendous cost savings on your car insurance policy but while many insurance providers offer these discounts, they don’t always advertise them. This means that you may have to do research to determine what type of discounts you may qualify to receive.
Carefully, review your car insurance policy to determine which discounts you are already receiving and then contact your car insurance provider to inquire about other discounts that may be available. For example if your driving record is devoid of accidents or tickets, you may qualify for a good driver discount.
Also, if your car has certain safety features such as daytime running lights, you may also qualify for car insurance discounts. Your age can also qualify you for certain car insurance discounts. Some insurance providers also offer discounts to those who insure their house with the same company as they insure their car. Taking advantage of this type of discount can save you money on both your car and home insurance. Being aware of the discounts that are available and ensuring that you are receiving these discounts, can save you a great deal of money on your car insurance.
Finally, maintaining a clean driving record is very important to receiving the best available car insurance rate. While it is true that each car insurance provider is unique in the factors that contribute to lower rates, the one factor that is consistent among all providers of car insurance is that a clean driving record is critical to your rate. Although accidents are sometimes unavoidable, it is imperative that you adhere to all traffic regulations and that you drive safely at all times. This will reduce the number of traffic violations that you incur as well as the number of accidents that you cause.
Following these tips will help you to maintain a clean driving record that will keep the cost of your car insurance low. Many drivers lament paying their monthly car insurance bill because they feel as though the insurance isn’t necessary. Although car insurance is a financial burden that seems superfluous, it does pay off if you are ever in a serious car accident that has significant financial ramifications. For this reason, you should never consider allowing your car insurance to lapse and it is recommended that you search diligently to find the best available rate on your car insurance.
About the author:
Ray Shelton. Get all the information you need about car insurance at: http://www.1-in-insurance.com
Comparison shopping, ensuring that you are receiving all the discounts you qualify for and maintaining a clean driving record are just a few of the money saving tips that can save you a fortune on car insurance. Comparison shopping for car insurance, even after you are already insured, cannot be underestimated. It is critical that you investigate all of your options before choosing an insurance provider to ensure that you are getting the best possible rate on your car insurance.
There are so many factors considered in car insurance policies such as where you live, your driving record, your age and the type of car you drive just to name a few. With all of these factors to consider, it is very possible that you will find that there is a car insurance provider who will offer you a considerably lower rate than other providers. Even after you have secured insurance for your car, it is wise to periodically check the rates that other providers will offer you.
Car insurance as well as your circumstances are perpetually changing and you may find that the provider who is willing to offer you the best car insurance rate varies periodically. Many car insurance providers offer a host of discounts to their clients who qualify for these discounts. These discounts can relate to your driving record, safety features of your car, your age or other factors. These discounts can result in a tremendous cost savings on your car insurance policy but while many insurance providers offer these discounts, they don’t always advertise them. This means that you may have to do research to determine what type of discounts you may qualify to receive.
Carefully, review your car insurance policy to determine which discounts you are already receiving and then contact your car insurance provider to inquire about other discounts that may be available. For example if your driving record is devoid of accidents or tickets, you may qualify for a good driver discount.
Also, if your car has certain safety features such as daytime running lights, you may also qualify for car insurance discounts. Your age can also qualify you for certain car insurance discounts. Some insurance providers also offer discounts to those who insure their house with the same company as they insure their car. Taking advantage of this type of discount can save you money on both your car and home insurance. Being aware of the discounts that are available and ensuring that you are receiving these discounts, can save you a great deal of money on your car insurance.
Finally, maintaining a clean driving record is very important to receiving the best available car insurance rate. While it is true that each car insurance provider is unique in the factors that contribute to lower rates, the one factor that is consistent among all providers of car insurance is that a clean driving record is critical to your rate. Although accidents are sometimes unavoidable, it is imperative that you adhere to all traffic regulations and that you drive safely at all times. This will reduce the number of traffic violations that you incur as well as the number of accidents that you cause.
Following these tips will help you to maintain a clean driving record that will keep the cost of your car insurance low. Many drivers lament paying their monthly car insurance bill because they feel as though the insurance isn’t necessary. Although car insurance is a financial burden that seems superfluous, it does pay off if you are ever in a serious car accident that has significant financial ramifications. For this reason, you should never consider allowing your car insurance to lapse and it is recommended that you search diligently to find the best available rate on your car insurance.
About the author:
Ray Shelton. Get all the information you need about car insurance at: http://www.1-in-insurance.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
