Students Of Success

It was a beautiful relationship, one full of fond memories. Perhaps once in a lifetime by exchanging every intimate detail of ones life is such a deep, deep bond felt between two, inexplicably dependent on each other in furtherance of their mission in life. She was the one that held all of my memories.

Who held within their heart all the joy of acceptance letters from my publisher, each progressing manuscript update, and memories of Christmas’ past? Who is so close they know all of your passwords, and PIN numbers? For me it was Sara.

I am not sure how to grieve. The loss is complete and devastating. Will I ever be able to trust again? I am hurt, racked with pain, a bit confused and perhaps I feel a little guilt. Did I take care of Sara in return for everything she gave me? Probably not, I took her for granted; I assumed she would always be there for me.

Tomorrow I am going to begin by breathing in and breathing out. Life goes on; Sara would have wanted it that way.

One thing I have learned from this is to back-up, back-up, back-up. Sara was a wonderful hard drive. She lived for almost five years. That’s equal to about eighty human years. The doctor (computer geek) said he could transplant a new drive in her and she would be as good as new; but not to me. Without the memories, I would just as soon let Sara go completely. I wouldn’t know her in a vegetative state. Sara lived with me through Windows 98, Windows ME, and an upgrade to XP, so it was really hard to sign the donor card and watch her lifeless carcass be carried of to be recycled. Perhaps she can give life with some of her parts to a hurting family somewhere.

Remember to back-up your files daily, or at least weekly. As I rebuild my life bit-by-bit (literally), I will think of Sara and know she has finally stopped spinning for good. She is at rest.

Jon Hanson, is the author of “Good Debt, Bad Debt: Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Financial Life”

jon [at] gooddebt.com

For a bit of audio comic relief go to: http://gooddebt.com/debtdowns.htm

Available for interviews radio, print, TV, contact Jon through the website
http://www.gooddebt.com

Reduce your fear of speaking by taking the following steps.

1) Conduct Research.

Visit or call key participants to ask them what they expect from your presentation. That is, what do they want to learn from it? What do they already know about this topic? How will your presentation help them? Such conversations enlist these people as your allies during your presentation. It also helps you learn what people expect, so that you can deliver it. This is like collecting the answers to an exam before taking it.

2) Prepare.

Write an outline, and if possible write a script for key parts of it (such as the opening and close). Then practice giving your presentation, without reading the script until you know it so well that you can deliver it conversationally. Avoid trying to memorize a script. That makes things too complicated and difficult. Practice your speech anywhere and at any time. For example, you can talk through parts of it while jogging, working on chores, or taking a shower.

3) Rehearse.

Practice your talk in the meeting room with a group of friends, coworkers, and (if possible) your boss. Ask for their comments on how to improve your talk. Also, use this as an opportunity to become familiar with the room and any equipment, such as a projector.

4) Be the Host

Arrive early so that you can meet and greet the attendees before your presentation. Shake their hands and thank them for coming. Introduce yourself to them and engage them in small talk. (e.g., “How are you?”) Act as if they were guests coming to your party. This converts them from strangers into friends.

5) Expect Success

Fantasize doing a wonderful job. If you let nightmares run through your mind, you will scare yourself. Give yourself confidence by expecting to do well. Know that everyone wants you to do an excellent job.

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

Want to make cheap calls to India? Try a Broadband phone service.

Broadband phone service will help you make international calls
without having to purchase a phone card and that too at a cost
much lower than the traditional way!

Subscribing and using a Broadband phone service is fairly
simple. All you need is a broadband connection and subscription
to a Broadband phone service that provides calling plans for
making cheap calls to India. And you can save money by paying
only a fraction of the cost for your call. You can even make
FREE calls to other subscribers of the same service. The quality
of service is not an issue and the voice quality is as good as a
normal fixed line phone.

Broadband phone service is gaining popularity amongst customers
as they are becoming more confident users of their high-speed
net connections. The broadband phone service converts phone
conversations into packets of data that are transmitted on the
same network that is used to browse the Internet. The initial
inhibition to the technology is over and it is now being seen as
a cheap alternative to fixed-line voice calls.

Broadband telephone subscription has grown tremendously over the
last few years. According to a report by analysts Gartner
approximately one third of people in the US and Europe will
abandon phone lines in favor of wireless and broadband telephony
by 2009.

The telecom providers are already facing tremendous pressure
from this technology and many are already trying to adopt it to
prevent being thrown out of business in future. The success of
the technology and the phenomenal cost benefits that it offers
has helped in overcoming the psychological barrier observed
initially amongst users in subscribing to this new service.

There are various broadband phone service providers who provide
cheap calling plans to India. Some are old players in the market
who provide services for various countries while there are some
special providers who cater to special needs of customers who
want to make international calls to specific regions like India.
They provide lucrative calling plans and packages for calling to
India at very good rates. One of the popular Broadband phone
services is Blueskyphone, which focuses on India and offers
special bundled packages for making cheap calls to India.

These new broadband phone service providers have deployed voice
services over broadband networks and IP backbones. They offer
many free of charge value-added features such as call-waiting,
call-forwarding, 3-way calling, repeat-dialing, voicemail,
conference calls, follow-me services, etc. Besides this they
also offer many other advanced features and functionalities at
nominal costs.

So now you no longer need to cut short your conversations with
a friend in India. With family or work so far away, a broadband
phone service will make a great difference to how you
communicate with your family, friends and colleagues in India.
It will not only help you in saving money while you talk but
also in managing your long-distance relationships better.

Copyright 2005 Bart Bartolozzi

bart@eztelusa.com

Article Source : http://www.blueskyphone.com >

When choosing your cake it naturally occurs to brides to
think flowers, colours, patterns and before long they are
creating the dream cake-without first reminding themselves
that its ultimately destined to be eaten by their reception guests!

I encourage my brides and grooms to first think what their
guest list consists of in terms of population cross section;
Older folk do prefer fruit cake in general, whilst younger people seem to go more for sponge. The point being, the choice here dictates the size of the cake; you need roughly twice the sponge to fruit. It also affects which basic design you will have available, as many designers of wedding cakes, myself included, have reservations about stacking sponge cakes.

These issues include the suitability of sponge to ‘carry’ a cake above as required in the stack design, and the question of freshness; ideally when icing a cake a good designer will have in mind a number of days which they will want the cake iced before adding final touch decorations, and with sponge this is critical to the cakes freshness. When stacking we like to have the icing a little harder as this compensates for the problems of accessibility given by stacking.

Feel free to ask any questions about this or other matters relating to your wedding cakes at my web site ‘Wedding cakes by Franziska’.

Happy wedding!

Regards
Franziska
franky@hoosonf.freeserve.co.uk

My name is Franziska, of Wedding cakes by Franziska.
http://www.hoosonf.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm
I have been creating my designer wedding cakes for the last ten years,
and whilst most of my work is eaten in the UK., I have had cakes travel as far as St.Lucia, Amsterdam and the Philippines!

Short Message Service (SMS) is on the edge of becoming a big-time player in the wireless technology. SMS has grown in popularity far beyond anyone’s initial expectations. SMS is a smart and trouble-free method to interact with our friends living even in farthest corner of the world. In the age when science is dominating the world, SMS via our mobile phones is a boon of technology.
Every phone has a fixed limit of number of characters that can be written. Some have it at 160, while others allow you to type 190 characters on a single page. As soon as the message is delivered, we get the delivery report. The instant delivery of message depends on the network of the company whose mobile connection we have. SMS is similar to paging but SMS messages doesn’t require the mobile phone to be active and within range. SMS’s are sent via an SMS center.

Merits of SMS:
1. Cost effective: The wonderful feature of text messaging is that it is inexpensive. While an international call can cost you several dollars, an SMS will do the same job in a significantly smaller amount.

2. Comfort- SMS is perhaps the most convenient way to communicate. It allows you to chat with your friends and relatives anywhere anytime.

3. Express your opinion- SMS is an excellent way to state your choice in matters of public concern. You can also get a chance to win numerous contests happening on TV.

4. Spontaneity- Another significant feature of text messaging is the speed with which it connects us to people. It reaches its target in a few seconds. Messages can be written and sent while you going to the office, sitting idle in a bus or even watching television.

There are a few drawbacks of SMS:
• Some people become addictive to text messaging specially children. It may contribute to your mobile phone’s monthly bill.
• SMS’s are prone to failure due to network problems.

Short Message Service

If you live in Alabama and want to know what insurance you need
read on. By speaking with car insurance agents online you will
also be able to get car insurance estimates. Having the right
coverage and getting it for the right price are important.

Bodily injury liability is required by law in Alabama. It
provides coverage for damages to a person covered by the policy
to pay for bodily injuries to other people involved in the
accident when you are responsible. If you injure someone in an
auto accident the liability can add up very quickly sometimes
totaling into the hundreds of thousand of dollars. So you need
to make sure you have adequate bodily injury liability coverage
to protect yourself and your financial interests. Always
purchase the highest amount you can afford. The more assets you
have and the better off you are financially the more coverage
you will need.

Property damage liability is also required by law in Alabama.
This coverage protects the policy holder from damage caused to
property when you are at fault. Property includes vehicles,
houses, lamp posts and any other non human item. Here again you
should purchase as much as you can afford. Remember some of
these new cars are worth a lot of money and if you don’t have
adequate insurance to replace the vehicle then the other party
will come after your personal assets.

Uninsured motorist bodily injury is not required by law, but the
law does require your rejection of coverage in writing. Since
you have to buy insurance to protect yourself from financial
loss for others you might as well buy some coverage to protect
yourself too. Uninsured motorist bodily injury protects you if
the other driver is in the wrong and does not carry adequate
liability insurance. It’s a good policy to have.

Medical payments are not required by Alabama law. This coverage
protects against medical expenses incurred as a result of an
accident. Costs such as ambulance, x-ray, hospital visits are
all covered. Whether you require this will depend on what type
of medical insurance coverage you have. If your coverage has
limitations you will want to carry medical payments coverage.

If your existing medical insurance has unlimited coverage you
may not require this coverage. The only problem is that medical
payments also covers passengers in your vehicle and if they
don’t have adequate medical coverage you could be held liable
for expenses and without medical payments coverage it could put
you in the poor house.

Collision coverage is not required by law in Alabama. This is
the coverage that helps pay for damage to an insured auto as a
result of an accident even if you are in the wrong. The premiums
can be reduced by choosing a higher deductible. This is the
portion you are willing to pay before the insurance company
starts to pay. Never choose a deductible that is higher than you
can afford because the insurance company is not going to pay
their portion until you come up with yours.

Comprehensive coverage is not required by law in Alabama. This
coverage protects against damage to your vehicle that is not a
result of an accident. For example, hail, theft, vandalism, or
falling objects. Again you can reduce your premium by choosing a
higher deductible.

There are also additional coverage you can purchase if needed.
For example coverage for your stereo system, or loss of vehicle
coverage. If you require any of these coverages check with an
agent.

It is very important that you make certain you have adequate
coverage. An accident occurs in just a split second and no
matter how good of a driver you are you just never know when you
might be involved in an accident. You certainly don’t want to
risk the financial well being of yourself and your family by
buying insurance carelessly. So take you time and make sure you
understand the coverage you have purchased. Make sure you have
adequate coverage for the laws of Alabama.

Confidence coaching is in its infancy. Whilst we have had various kinds of coaches working in society for many years, specialists in self confidence are still comparatively rare. Which is odd, when you think about it, because most people would say that confidence is the single quality they most want to develop (okay, most people talk about their abs before they mention their psyche - confidence is maybe 3rd of 4th on the list)

So how do you set about finding a competent, qualified and effective confidence coach? It’s a little more difficult than it should be, because there isn’t any single professional body to oversee the field. In part this is because confidence coaches practice a wide range of difficult therapeutic approaches : hypnotherapy, CBT, NLP, role play . . . the list seems endless.

The rules which apply to selecting a confidence coach are much the same as the rules which apply to finding any kind of therapist. References are all important, as is professional accreditation. Check your coach’s insurance - if he doesn’t have insurance, that’s a definite signal to walk away. Once these, rather basic, considerations have been satisfied, however, you are in the realm of personal choice. What do you want to achieve from confidence coaching? Help with your career? Help with your social life / romantic life? What style of coach are you looking for? With such a broad range of styles to choose from, it’s important to find out a little about the different therapeutic interventions which are possible.

And now the hardest question - can the cost be justified? A typical confidence coach may charge $80 - $100 per hour (with some ’stars’ charging far more, of course). The good news is that this isn’t like psychoanalysis, where you may expect to spend years in therapy. Confidence coaching is about making tangible gains quickly, and then building on these incrementally for the long term. In your first year of coaching, expect to pay for around 10 sessions, with 4-6 sessions per year thereafter.

So it might cost you $1,000 in year one, plus $600 pa thereafter, to achieve lasting and profound improvements in your career prospects, your romantic life and your general sense of wellbeing. Is this worth the price? I think so. Indeed, we pay larger sums to insure our cars without a second thought. Strange to consider that an automobile is a depreciating asset, while self belief is part of the fabric of who we are, and can be thought of as an appreciating asset, as it can boost our career prospects significantly.

Jim Smith-Cartwright is a hypnotherapist and confidence coach

http://confidence.netfirms.com/

A recent review of more than 40 years of research has found
that a daily dose of vitamin D could cut your risk of colon,
ovary, and breast cancer by as much as 50%. Cancer
authorities in both the UK and USA are stating that swift
action is needed by public health agencies to boost the
blood level of vitamin D in the general population.

The study published in the online version of the American
Journal of Public Health, assessed scientific research
published on cancer and vitamin D since the 1960’s

Many research studies have shown that a lack of vitamin D
may have far reaching and possibly lethal effects. Vitamin D
has been shown to have a vital role in protecting ourselves
from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure,
lung disease, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis.

Our bodies make Vitamin D by the action of sunlight on the
skin. When you are exposed to the ultraviolet rays from the
sun, your skin is able to synthesize vitamin D
cholecalciferol (D3) which is stored by your body in fat for
subsequent use. Your body will only store vitamin D for
about 60 days.

This creates about 90% of the body’s supply of Vitamin D.
Unfortunately with the growing use of sunscreens as well as
less time spent outdoors there is now a growing problem of
vitamin D deficiency. African Americans require a longer
time in sunlight as the melanin in their skin acts as a
natural sunscreen.

US cancer scientists are recommending a daily dose of 1,000
international units (IU’s)
of vitamin D for adults. Vitamin D supplements are available
at most drug and health food stores. A 90 day supply should
not cost more than about ten dollars, and the health
benefits will be priceless.

Christopher Stewart B.A. M.S. is a Medical Intuitive. His work is the healing of heart, mind, body and spirit. You may visit Christopher’s website at http://www.clairvoyantguide.com for further information and to schedule a private consultation. You also may look for frequent updates to his blog at: http://intuitiveliving.blogspot.com/

He is the featured author of the weekly column “Ask a Medical Intuitive” at http://healing.about.com/b/a/201292.htm

Publisher’s Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, however that is optional.

Getting Organized in the Computer Age

A database is a collection of information, a sort of electronic filing system. Database software provides a way to enter the information, or data, organize it and view it when needed. Databases are effective programs for organizing and manipulating large amounts of data.

Databases are normally organized into fields, records and files. A field is a single piece of data, a record is a set of fields, and a file is a set of records. For example, if you were to create a database of the names and addresses of everyone who lives on your street, your last name would be a field. Taken together, your name and address fields would be a record. The collection of the records of all the people on the street would be a file.

Large databases contain quite a bit of data and it would be too difficult to search through each record for the one you seek. Database software allows users to run a search or query to select records. Users simply type in the data they wish to see, and the database returns the records containing that data.

Database software also allows users to manipulate the information by sorting it. Say in the above example you wish to see a list of everyone in the neighborhood in alphabetical order. You could accomplish this through a sort. Another day you might want to see the same data listed in order of house numbers. You could sort the database information in this way as well.

Reports can be created in database software to view data in easy to read formats. You can choose to have all the fields included in the report, or just a few.

There are many wonderful database software programs available. Here are a few of the top products.

Alpha Five Version 6 Database Software

The Alpha Five Version 6 is an award winning database software created by Alpha Software, a company that has been developing database solutions for over 20 years. The Alpha Five Version 6 allows users to make web databases without having to write code. IT professionals are able to produce databases quicker, resulting in lower costs. People who couldn’t make databases before because they did not know how to write code can now produce professional looking databases.

Filemaker Pro 8 Database Software

Filemaker’s newest offering, Filemaker Pro 8, comes in two versions – a standard version for new users, and Filemaker Pro 8 Advanced for professional developers. The standard version now allows users to find records with identical data in a certain field by using the Find Matching Records command. The newest version contains commands that allow users export information to Excel and to save files as pdf. The spell check function is also improved, with mispelled words being underlined.

Microsoft Access Database Software

Microsoft Access is simple, easy to use database software. Both professionals and new database designers can use it. One benefit of Access is that it is integrated well with other Microsoft products, such as Windows. Access is easy to use with small databases but can be more difficult when used for larger databases.

Want more ideas for your databases? Learn more tips and techniques at our Databases resource site – your-one-stop-shop for Databases!!! If learning the latest Database techniques is important for you then visit out site now!!! www.databaseshq.com

Culture and Website Localization

With the rise in ownership of computers and internet usage growing daily, the internet is fast becoming the primary port of call for information, shopping and services. In addition, those computer and internet users are increasingly from non-English speaking countries. At the end of 2002, it was estimated that 32% of internet users were non-native English speakers. This figure is constantly rising. In response, businesses have quickly become aware of the benefits of website localization.

Website localization is the process of modifying an existing website to make it accessible, usable and culturally suitable to a target audience. Website localization is a multi-layered process needing both programming expertise and linguistic/cultural knowledge. If either is missing, the chances are that a localization project will encounter problems.

In the majority of cases it is the lack of linguistic and cultural input that lets a website localization project down. In order to give an insight into the impact culture has on website localization the following examples depict areas in which a solid understanding of the target culture is necessary.

Language in Website Localization

Translating a website from English into another language is not as simple as it may appear. There are numerous factors that have to be taken into consideration when translating a websites’ content.
 
Do all the words, phrases, sayings and metaphors translate directly to the target language? Would it be wise to translate the phrase “everyman for himself” in text describing a company or product if this is going to be read by a highly collectivist culture? Does the content of your website use humour and if so will the target culture appreciate or even understand it? Native alternatives should always be sought and used in any website localization.

When translating into another language carefully consider the variants. If it is to be an Arabic website then is aimed at Tunisians or Iraqis, Egyptians or Yemenis? If you are targeting all Arabic speakers then ensure Modern Standard Arabic has been employed by your translator.

One must analyse the style of the language and the target audience. If the audience is foreign business personnel, the vocabulary, grammar and punctuation must reflect this. If the audience is informal or youth orientated then a more relaxed language must used. Just as we in the UK would identify the difference between a site using ‘posh English’ and ‘street English’, other cultures will have the same perceptions of language. Using the wrong language for the wrong reader in your localization project will lead to a misunderstanding of the site or company.

It is essential to assess what information is necessary to carry over into the new site. Do not assume that all information on the English site is automatically transferred over. One must evaluate the target culture and society. Is it a culture that relies on information rich writing to fully understand a concept or product or is a culture that relies more on images or one that needs little text to grasp ideas and concepts? If your English site employs a lot of technical language then consider how best to transfer these concepts without the use of language.

Pictures in Website Localization

Images carry many subtle cultural messages within them. These can speak volumes about your company or product. Pictures or images may have certain negative connotations that may repel viewers. This is now an area that thankfully is receiving attention in website localization.

For example, if a travel site in a Muslim populated country used pictures of scantily clad women in bikinis, disco dancing and beer drinking, the chances are that they would not be very successful.

When including pictures of personnel it is wise to tailor these to what the target audience will look positively upon. A picture of the Director behind a desk in an office will be fine for a seniority respecting society, but for an egalitarian society it is better to show the Director mixing with staff.

It is through pictures that websites can either relate to an audience or repel them.

Symbols in Website Localization

As with pictures, symbols can cause problems in localization. Icons using fingers such as an OK sign or V-sign may mean different things to different cultures. Our Western symbols do not always mean the same abroad. An oft cited example is the representation of the house referring to a home page, or a letterbox to mail. The use of animals in logos can cause embarrassment and further problems. For example, pigs are considered unclean in the Middle East and cows as holy in India.

Colours in Website Localization

Colours are also loaded with cultural meanings that need to be analysed in website localization. Choosing the wrong colour for your logo or background will not always have disastrous consequences, but avoiding them is always advisable.
For example, in Japan white is commonly associated with mourning. In China red is auspicious. In Africa certain colours represent different tribes.

Navigation in Website Localization

It is even the most taken for granted aspects of website layout that must be analysed properly for a successful localization project. In the West we assume that how we present websites is how it naturally should be done. This is far from the truth.

A common problem experienced in localization is the effect on layout through translation. Foreign scripts can make your pages need more room or less room depending on the target language in the localization. Not all languages read from left to right. Arabic is from right to left and both Japanese and Chinese are from top to bottom.

Access to certain pages is also a factor that can be considered as relevant. Highly hierarchical cultures may view a site positively if it is ‘member only’ access, whereas an egalitarian culture may find it disagreeable.

Content in Website Localization

Examining your written content in any localization process in critical to its success. This is not only important for proper transfer of aspects such as dates, currencies, and units of measurement but for the presenting the correct image.

For example, will the site focus on a product or a company? Both bring with them certain considerations dependent on the target culture. If a company is marketing itself in a culture that respects seniority and hierarchy, readers will want to see information on senior members. Along with their titles and rank they will also want to evaluate them through information on their professional qualifications, experience and contacts. These areas in the UK may generally be avoided as in our culture it is bordering on self-indulgence and boasting.

Conclusion

Culture affects everything we do, say, read, hear and think and even websites cannot escape the influence of culture.

The impact of culture on website localization is huge. The above few examples are literally the tip of the iceberg. The number of variables that have to be taken into consideration requires the expertise of both a website designer along with a cross cultural communications consultant. In tandem they can identify the issues that will impact on the successful localization of a site.

At a time where the internet is entering more and more houses it is crucial that companies involved in the internationalization of their business consider website localization and take care to use effective cross cultural analysis.

Neil Payne of http://www.kwintessential.co.uk is the Director of cross cultural communications consultancy Kwintessential.

Permission is granted to reproduce the article in full on the condition I am made aware of any intention to use it. npayne@kwintessential.co.uk