Students Of Success

With all of the emphasis in the past few years on Homeland Security, many people have overlooked the importance of home
security. While it might not make the first story on the news,
when your house is burgled, safeguarding your home soon becomes
the most important issue in your world.

The Facts

There’s no reason to wait until it happens to you. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 75% of all crime
in the United States is property crime. In 2003, there were 14
million thefts of property. In 83% of these crimes, the burglars actually entered the home or some other building to steal property.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, residential burglaries in 2003 averaged $1600 in property or cash loss
per incident. This does not include repair of locks, doors,
windows, and other destruction. Are you willing to give $1600
(not to mention the security of your home and safety of your
family) to a burglar?

It can happen to anyone. Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you are a target of burglars. What are you going to do about it?

The Options

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of an intruder. Simply
locking your doors and windows isn’t enough. If you can think
of a way to get into your home, surely someone who makes crime
his living will be able to as well.

You also shouldn’t overestimate the resourcefulness of neighbors. Neighborhood watches are fine, but how many of your neighbors spend every hour you aren’t home watching your house? How would they distinguish between a furniture delivery and a robbery? Can you tell just by looking if someone is simply walking for exercise or casing houses for possible burglary attempts? Even houses less than a mile from police stations are easily robbed.

There are more effective options that will prevent break-ins and make your home secure.

Home Alarms

A simple loud noise will not deter a criminal. Your neighbors
are likely to turn up their televisions to drown out the sound.
Battery and even electrically operated sound alarms are easily
thwarted by criminals.

If you are going to use a home alarm, you should use a monitored system. When you decide between monitored home alarm systems, you generally have three choices – a do-it-yourself system, a national monitoring system, and a local home security company system.

The do-it-yourself installation systems are by far the cheapest. You need a bit of technical know-how, and you need to know how an intruder enters. When you buy your own equipment, you have your choice of companies to monitor your system. Some systems let you program additional numbers to be called when the alarm is triggered, which isn’t as helpful as you’d think. By the time you or a neighbor is able to react and call the police, your burglar is usually long gone. It’s best to stick with the pros.

National alarm system monitoring services (such as ADT or Brinks) are the most popular. Common customer complaints include being taken advantage of on installation. The national companies contract installation with independent dealers. Many ADT and Brinks customers have reported outrageous quotes, having to negotiate with the installer, and advertised specials being worthless. Other problems include monitoring errors and slow reaction time. When an alarm is triggered, the company calls you to determine if the alarm went off by accident (the large majority of home alarm triggers are accidents by the home
owners). If they cannot get you on the phone, they will then
call the proper authorities. Unhappy customers have reported
no calls at all or very delayed calls. These companies also
require you to contract with them for a specified amount of
time, usually 2-3 years, even if you are unhappy with their
service.

Local alarm monitoring systems are usually less expensive with
higher levels of customer satisfaction. A local company will
have fewer customers, so you are more important to them. You
will get a less expensive, yet completely effective installation by an actual company representative. Because these companies rarely require long-term contracts, you have more freedom to change monitoring companies. Knowing this, they will usually charge less per month and put forth more effort to keep your business.

Any home alarm system comes with a useful lawn sign indicating
that your home is protected by an alarm system. This, alone, is a form of prevention as a thief is more likely to hit a house without an alarm system. Alarm systems are also great for fires and other emergencies. Usually as an added feature, you can hook smoke alarms up to your monitoring system. If a smoke alarm goes off, the fire department is notified. This is
especially beneficial during the night or if you leave pets at
home during the day. Panic buttons are good if you happen to
be home during a break-in or you have a medical emergency. You
should also get a break on your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance when you have a system installed. Monitored home alarm systems are definitely worth the investment, but you shouldn’t stop there.

House Sitters

Even if you have an alarm system, house sitters are invaluable.
If you leave your home to go on vacation, your best defense is
having actual people in your home. The majority of burglaries
in the United States happen during the day while people are at
work. Criminals will take the easiest route. If people are in
their targeted home, they will move on to a house that appears
empty. The problem with traditional house sitting services is
that they simply make one or two trips to your home a day to
collect mail, open curtains, water plants, and throw off
criminals. That still leaves about 23 hours in the day that
your home is vulnerable to intrusion or fires.

The best house sitting option is to have people living in your
home. If you have a friend or family member stay at your home
full-time throughout the length of your vacation, you will worry less about burglaries, fires, and other problems such as coming back to a flooded home because of a broken hot water heater.

Having a house sitter also cuts down on preparation time and
expenses before your vacation. You won’t have to have your mail stopped (all a criminal has to do is watch your postal carrier skip your house to assume you’re on vacation), buy and set light-timers, or even board the dog.

Don’t have a friend or family member who can stay at your home?
There are services available that match up people and live-in
house sitters. It’s as though someone is renting your house
while you’re on vacation, only they generally don’t pay you
rent. They will pay utilities, mow the lawn, take care of your
mail, pets, and home while you’re away. They will notify you of any problems. The services help you screen candidates and find the perfect person, couple, or family willing to take care of your home.

The Solution

The very best prevention you can implement is a combination of
24-hour home alarm monitoring and a house sitter if you are going to be away for any length of time. Don’t become a statistic. Start protecting your home today!

Copyright © 2005, Ian White

Author Ian L. White specializes in helping people who are
interested in finding a house sitter in their town, or for more
information about the benefits of house sitting. To find out
about these services, visit http://www.housecarers.com today.

Registration is free for homeowners (and they’ll never have to
rely on cousin Eddie again.

At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President made a comment on another meeting he had attended, where someone in the audience asked the presenter where to find good subjects to photograph. The presenter in question started giving specifics instead of identifying the core issues in question, Attitude and Perspective.

Clients often ask me the same question about ideas, “Where or how does one come up with a good idea for a business or service, for a new product to develop or a theme for an ad?” Oddly enough, the answer is the same; it depends on your attitude and perspective because inspiration is everywhere. Everywhere around you, there are clues to great ideas but you have to be receptive to see or hear them. Once you are open to really listening and observing, you tend to notice things you weren’t aware of in the past. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to look at the world around you and respond to it differently than others do, but it can be very rewarding.

Is the world around you a place of abundance and opportunity or a difficult barren place? Do you think of life as a constant struggle or an adventure?

Take a look at www.MixZup.com. This retail concept is an idea that originated in a three-year-old’s mind. The important point is that Julia’s mother Lynne was someone who did not patronize her daughter by saying, “Isn’t that cute.” and then telling her to put on socks that match. She really listened to her daughter, considered the factors that prompted Julia to express her individualism by wearing socks that do not match and recognized it as an opportunity. Children, with their ability to think outside of the limitations most of us have developed and placed on ourselves as adults, are great at coming up with innovative, unconventional ideas.

To get back to the example of the photographer; often businesses tell me they need photos and their son, daughter, or spouse has an expensive camera…that’s great, but it’s not about the equipment. It’s about the eye behind the camera and the ability to be open to recognising a great shot.

It doesn’t matter how much business training or ability you have if you use it as an excuse to stop listening and observing. If you close your eyes and ears to the opportunities around you, you are limiting your life, not just your business opportunites.

How many successful businesses would never have gotten off the ground if the owner considered the fact that they had no business experience or no money?

Today, make a decision to think of business as a series of adventures and ideas waiting to be implemented.

“First Ponder, Then Dare”

Nancy Fraser is the President of Nota Bene Consulting. Her business experience encompasses over 20 years in media sales and management, ownership of a retail store and involvement in the real estate industry. Free marketing information and tools are available in Notable News http://www.notable-marketing.com

Throughout the ages, men and women have used gemstones and crystals in personal ornaments and body decorations as bewitching jewelry. Wearing them as charms, talismans or amulets, they were believed to possess the power to ward off evil spirits (or attract benevolent ones), keep one safe from harm, or to find love. To this day, many people of all ages and from all walks of life believe in the magical power of certain gems and make bewitching jewelry part of their everyday attire.

Take pearls, for instance. In the olden days, if a maiden wanted a man to fall in love with her, she would put pearls ground into a fine powder into a glass of wine and somehow get him to drink it. A pretty costly way to catch a man, that method. Nowadays, wearing pearls is believed to enhance one’s inner character and bring about peace and serenity. Gold is another example of bewitching jewelry. Since time immemorial, it has captured the fascination of all people, and is one of the cornerstones of the science of alchemy. Gold is used to enhance the power of other gemstones, hence its popular use as a setting. It is also believed to attract wealth and influence, because the wearer is perceived to be strong and powerful.

Bewitching jewelry is not confined to fashionable purposes. The Indian warriors of old used to have swords that were adorned with garnets, secure in the belief that this would bring them luck in battle. Today, garnet jewelry presented as a gift signifies the giver’s feelings of eternal love and commitment. It can also be worn as a charm to increase sensuality and sexuality. Similarly, diamonds are said to aid in the release of sexual tension and to help the wearer enjoy a fantastic sex life. I wonder what that says about girls who treat diamonds as their best friend?

Sapphires are benevolent examples of bewitching jewelry. Aside from preserving friendships and promoting loyalty, they are also believed to protect the wearer from capture. Turquoise is likewise popular as a talisman because of its alleged property of changing colors when the wearer is in peril. Plus, it is used in amulets in many cultures because it is believed to be a bringer of luck.

There are many, many other beliefs regarding the use of gemstones as bewitching jewelry. They may be worn as talismans, charms, amulets or simply as fashion accessories. But for many people today, as in the ancient times, jewels are chosen not only for their beauty, but for the perceived benefits that they will bring to the wearer as well.

Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of “How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.” This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at www.morninglightjewelry.com.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, and one of the most common types of cancer in general. It is estimated that one in seven women that live to age 90 will develop breast cancer. It is especially prevalent in some families, making the statistics a bit skewed.

If you have a family history of breast cancer, your chances of developing the disease are much greater. It’s therefore a good idea to stay especially vigilant for breast cancer symptoms.

Breast cancer symptoms don’t often manifest themselves until the cancer is already in its later stages of growth, and may have already metastasized to other more vital areas of the body. That is why it is so important for women to regularly get checked. Mammograms may be unpleasant, but late stage breast cancer symptoms are worse.

The most clear and common breast cancer symptom is of course a lump in your breast. It is important to keep in mind that not all lumps are cancerous. Most women will develop numerous lumps in their breasts throughout their lives; they are especially common during periods of rapid hormonal changes such as puberty, and menstruation. Some women will have more lumps than others.

A more severe breast cancer symptom will be pain in your breasts. A cancer that has grown large enough to impinge on nerves will be a noticeable lump in a self check or mammogram, so hopefully you’ll catch anything before it gets to the point of causing pain. If one or both of your breasts are in pain, again its important to keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have breast cancer. During puberty and periods of hormone fluxes, tenderness of the breasts is common. Also pregnancy, and some medications can cause pain or tenderness in your breasts.

Even though most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 40, women in their teens and twenties are occasionally diagnosed as well. Most people don’t know that about one percent of the cases are in men. Starting from puberty, it is a good idea to start checking yourself for lumps.

Remember, during this period you’re likely to find a lot of lumps that are harmless. With some experience and some consultation with your doctor, you’ll soon get an idea of the kinds of lumps that are normal, and the kinds of lumps that may be breast cancer symptoms.

For more current health articles on all subjects, please see: Current Health Articles
Natural Health Directory

People call you spend thrift, but you find it hard to get your needs fulfilled with the pay package you are getting. Don’t worry you are not the only person who is in this rat race, almost every second person is in this marathon and is working to put the two ends of life together. Indeed, we find that people are smarter today and to fulfill their needs they take PERSONAL LOANS.

Personal loans help you to gratify your desires. You can indulge in various types of personal loans, which comprise:

· Secured loans
· Unsecured loans
· Bad credit secured loans
· Bad credit unsecured loans
· Debt Consolidation loans

The secured loans are nest egg loans, as you promise a bail in form of property for them. These loans are easy to generate as they provide the lender extra teeth and he has a hold on your property in case you are not able to reimburse his credit. As the lender has the extra teeth you also are not far behind him, for you have the privilege of enjoying Low rate of Interest, Easy and long repayment plans.

Unsecured loans are not easy to avail but once you convince the lender, then you can negotiate with him about the rates and also get a fast approval, as less paper work will be needed. These types of personal loans pamper all your needs from debt consolidation to home improvement and also for chilling out on a holiday.

If you have a remarkable credit history you can profit from a cheap unsecured personal loan, which will add extra feathers to your cap because then you can increase your credit score.

Put in simple terms how long can you wait to mitigate your desires, avail a personal loan and quench your desires.

The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. She has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting go4ukloans as a finance specialist.
For more information please visit:
http://www.go4ukloans.co.uk/

For some people, a networking event is excruciating, intimidating and even feels physically and emotionally painful. Some people consider networking to be a waste of time, because they don’t see immediate results.

To others, networking is fun. It is something they look forward to. These people are the ones you see who look like naturals. They are visibly enjoying themselves and look as though they are spending time with old friends.

So, what’s the difference between the two? Is there a secret to successful networking?

There are no secrets for successful networking, but there are some very valuable and simple steps to follow to make your networking experience something that is both enjoyable and profitable for you.

Businesses have found that networking can be one of the most efficient, effective and cost-effective ways of marketing your business, your products and your services. Networking is a great way for you to become known within a community of individuals who are also coming together for the purpose of marketing themselves and their business.

So, if everyone goes to a networking meeting to become known, how could networking possibly work? The answer lies in the INTENTION of the attendees.

You see, the most successful Networkers know that networking is not all about them. It’s not about handing out and collecting as many business cards as possible in an hour and a half. It’s not about continually talking about them and being the center of attention.

The most successful Networkers know that networking is ALL about creating relationships. It’s about making connections, showing up and being fully present. It’s also about consistency.

You see, networking is not a one-shot deal. Networking is a process. And great relationships don’t happen in a single meeting… they grow over time.

The purpose of networking is to be with groups of people often enough so that you get to know them and they get to know you. Great relationships occur over a series of conversations, not just a 30-second introductory “commercial”.

This is not to say that you can’t go to a meeting one time and meet the exact person who has the perfect contact for you to expand your business. What is true is this: If you are meeting the perfect person with the perfect contacts for the first time, will they feel comfortable referring you? Will they be willing, on the first time meeting you, to refer you to their long-time colleagues and associates, family and friends?

Think about it… When you refer someone, your OWN reputation goes right along with that referral. If you refer someone and it works out, then you’re a hero and the person you gave the referral to will trust your judgment in the future. If it doesn’t work out, then they might be less likely to trust your referrals and you. Therefore, it is important to get to know the people you will be referring and to let them get to know you. This way they feel good about referring you and you feel good about referring them. This is what creating relationships is about. This is what great networking is about.

It’s not about selling. It’s not about you. It’s about the group. It’s about getting to really know people and letting them get to really know you. It’s about consistently showing up, and especially, successful networking is about creating great relationships!

Sue Urda is the Co-Founder of Powerful You! Women’s Network and a two-time Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies honoree. Her vision is to contribute to a global consciousness of women helping women succeed in business and in life and to expand Powerful You! by creating chapters and Tele-Networkstm around the US and beyond. Sue’s mission is to create venues for women to grow their businesses, nurture relationships and to foster empowerment, gratitude and self-development. http://www.powerfulyou.com

As summer bares down it’s all but certain that same sex marriage will be the law of
the land. But Stephen Harper claims that law will lack legitimacy in the eyes of many
Canadians because it’s supported by the Bloc Quebecois.

“Because it is being passed with the support of the Bloc, I think it will lack legitimacy
for a lot of Canadians,” Harper told CBC-TV as he walked into the House of
Commons.

“The truth is most federalist MPs will oppose this legislation.”

Mr. Harper has essentially said that Quebec and the Quebecois should be
disenfranchised. However, last month Mr. Harper seemed to accept the Bloc’s
legitimacy when the Conservatives tried to bring down the government. So I have to
wonder, why should the Bloc now be such an issue regarding legitimacy?

The Conservatives claim that the Bloc only have Quebecs interests and not Canada’s
at heart. Peter MacKay stated..

“Most Canadians have a very skeptical view of anything the Bloc do”

And with that, the Conservative Party has decided to make the Bloc Quebecois and
Same-Sex Marriage an election issue. I’m beginning to understand why Belinda
Stonarch was ready to pull her hair out prior to crossing the isle.

Unfortunatley this is different than just another case of Stephen Harper looking for
ways to pit one group of Canadians against another. Less than a decade after the
marginal federalist victory in the Quebec Referendum, the Conservative Party is
riling up separatist feelings. Harper has now raised the stakes by stating that the
traditional definition of marriage in Canada has become a victim of Quebec
separatism.

http://www.lonelycanuck.com

After you have done your research and decided on the HDTV model that you think will best fit your needs and wants, it’s time to decide where to actually make the purchase. In times past, you really didn’t have much of a choice, and the local electronics retailer is probably the only place you could go. But the internet has made online shopping so much easier and better, so the question now is should you buy online or offline?

Actually, it’s usually a good idea to go to the local electronics store to get a physical demonstration of almost any TV that you are thinking about buying. That’s a huge advantage that offline retailers have, you can actually physically examine the merchandise before the sale. However, if it is one of the large electronics store chains, most often the service will not be all that good, and don’t expect the sales staff to be very knowledgeable either. They are often low paid salespeople who are not hired for their knowledge of the products and the high turnover rate often prevents you from speaking to a very experienced person. They also are usually more concerned with selling the product they want you to buy rather than the product that you want to buy, so their opinions will often not be impartial. So these kind of stores are usually only good for doing research and gathering product data.

The higher line electronics stores can be great sources of information, and the service is usually much better there, but you pay for all of that, as the prices for comparable products will often be much higher than at the retail chains.

Online retailers can vary dramatically and run the gamut from johnny-come-latelys to well-established, trustworthy merchants. The one big advantage that online retailers have over their offline counterparts is considerably lowered overhead costs. That means that they do not have to make as much profit on each sale to stay in business as the offline stores do. The savings are then passed on to you. Because HDTVs are a high dollar purchase to begin with, the extra costs associated with shipping are most often offset by the fact that you don’t have to pay sales tax on the product.

The main things to keep in mind about online retailers is the need to stick with those that have been in business for a long time. That indicates stability in their business practices. It is also good to do business with merchants who are authorized dealers for the brands that they sell. Again, that speaks more to the quality of the whole operation that you are dealing with.

In general then, if you do enough research beforehand online to get a good working knowledge of the HDTV products that are available, and then visit a local store to actually demo them, you can then save considerable amounts of money by buying your preferred model online from a well-established, reputable retailer.

Jim Johnson is a successful author and publisher on consumer related matters. You can find out more about the best dlp tv and dlp vs lcd by visiting our HDTV website.

In a statement that surprised gamers and non-gamers alike, Peter Moore of Microsoft Xbox, endorsed Nintendo’s new Wii console. Speculations circulated whether this statement by Moore was a genuine praise or a calculated move designed to offset the launch of Sony PlayStation 3. Moore even referred to himself as a big fan of the Nintendo console. He suggested that for the price of a PS3, gamers would be able to get a new Xbox 360 plus a Nintendo Wii, with some leftover for a few games. It can be recalled that Sony pegged the price of their new PlayStation at $499-$599, a price the company claimed to be fit for a Blu-ray console.

This move by Microsoft seemed to be another tactic to push the Xbox 360 sales higher with the imminent release of the PS3 at its heels. Peter Moore was downplaying the viability of the PS3 by pointing out the only disadvantage of the new Sony console: its price. But Moore’s reason was not only consumer concern. Moore’s statement also implied that Microsoft do not see Nintendo as direct threat and competitor. Perhaps he thought that having Nintendo’s support would clearly buoy Microsoft’s sales. Moore was right to do so in this case, since ugly numbers were cropping up in sales reviews of the Microsoft consoles.

The marketing and research firm, NPD Group supplied numbers and reports that indicated that the prized console of Microsoft lagged behind the PS2 in terms of hardware sales. Launched half a decade ago, Sony’s PlayStation 2 still lets its presence be felt at the game console market. The five-year old Sony console even managed to exceed the sales of the then-brand new Xbox 360 especially in the month of May. The next-gen console sold only 221,000 units; 11,000 units less than the PS2 sales. Though Microsoft retaliated quickly by revamping shipment processes and adding a third manufacturer for its console, it wasn’t enough to draw considerable margin between their sales and that of PS2.

But even if the move didn’t suffice, it somewhat improved Xbox 360 console sales. Succeeding sales reviews showed that the sales of the console picked up; the influx of consoles ensuring amply supply and brisk sales. But the PS3 was touted to be a bigger threat. It didn’t help either that Sony’s processing systems have improved since the release of the PS2. Clearly, it became imperative for Microsoft to beef up its marketing operation to ensure their new console’s top position within the next-gen hierarchy.

In conclusion, Microsoft’s marketing plan included Peter Moore banking on Sony’s overly-inflated ego that expected gaming fans to shell out big bucks for the PS3. Moore targeted the rival console’s price when he made that statement about Xbox 360 and the Wii console. He also hoped to draw in Nintendo fans over to the Microsoft side by actively endorsing the Wii. If Nintendo approves Moore’s tactic, the next-gen console battle will be a two versus one fight. Another tell-tale sign of Microsoft and Moore’s pricing attack at Sony’s new console was the reported price slash for Xbox 360 consoles during the holidays. The price slash was clearly planned to coincide with Sony’s PS3 launch. However, the affirmation if Peter Moore’s tactic worked still rests on gamers’ shoulders.

Many students ask me a question that goes something like this:
“What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?”

The trouble with a question like that is that it ignores individual differences such as talent, motivation, freedom to practice, and a hundred other variables.

How much did Mozart have to know? How much did Erroll Garner know? Mozart could play far better than I can when he was 3. And Garner was barred from joining the musicians union because he couldn’t read music.

Does that mean I don’t have to practice, since Mozart could do it without practice? Does that mean I shouldn’t learn how to read music since Garner couldn’t, and it sure didn’t stop him.

Obviously, no.

I wish I had the talent of a Garner or a Mozart, but I don’t. Nowhere close. But God gave me some talent, and it’s that talent that I need to develop to it’s maximum.

Same with you, unless you’re in a class with those guys, in which case you certainly don’t need me.

Back when I operated Piano University & Keyboard Workshop, we had a list of skills that we attempted to inculcate into our students, at least to some degree. Here is that list:

Technique

Fingering

Chords

Scales

Ear Training

Music Theory

Sight Reading

Rhythm

Styles

Runs & Fills

Transposition

Modulation

Accompanying

Repertoire

Improvisation

Arranging

Pedaling

Dynamics

Feeling & emotion

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it’s a start. So as you play and practice, think about each of these areas individually, and focus on improving them one at a time.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled “How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano!” has sold countless copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions with over 57,400 current subscribers.