Spring has sprung

According to the time in my area Spring was Sprung last evening around dinner time. Have you seen the trees budding? Can you feel the warmth in the air and best of all can you smell the scent of spring rain? The air feels soft and fresh like clean clothes on the clothes line and there’s a promise of freshness and color from the crocus and daffodils peaking through the last remnants of snow. Spring is messy too! The once glimmering white snow is now laden with road dirt and other indescribable litter. The run-off water mixes with dust and debris as it rushes across our pathways to ditches and sewers. Yet the arrival of Spring extends a welcome greeting that hears only the mating bird songs and feels the desire to fondle the warming Earth. . The vernal equinox announces the first day of spring March 20 or 21 when the sun sits directly over the equator. As the earth revolves around the sun the top half called the Northern Hemisphere, which is where we are, tilts more toward the sun and moves us away from winter and toward Spring. On the other hand, the bottom half, the southern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun bringing autumn and winter to people in Australia and South America and Africa. “Equinox”, a latin derived word means equal nights. At this time, sunrises and sunsets are about 12 hours apart all over the Earth, give or take a minute or two when the days are a few minutes longer than the nights. Spring can be rowdy too! It can get extreme in temperature and bring more of the dreaded snow or rains that add to the run-off and burst the banks of the rivers and streams. Lightning and thunder and winds can often preclude twisters and tornadoes. There is a similarity between Life and Spring that gives us the determination and courage to renew us in the face of set-backs and misfortune. Human Beings rise up to adversity in it’s many forms from personal tragedy to the disasters of Nature. And Human Beings, being human in nature, rise to the aid of humanity.

How to convert at least 30 of your newsletter subscribers into paying customers

If I received a quarter for every time someone told me that it's absolutely impossible to convert 30% of the subscribers on your list, I'd have an extra million dollars sitting in my bank account. Well I'm here to tell you that it can be done ONLY by using a systematic approach to converting your list. How is this done, and is it difficult you ask? Well if done correctly, it's possible you may even convert more than 30 percent. Using the traditional permissions email marketing strategies that most internet marketers use simply isn't good enough anymore. People are getting pitched to for products that they're not even interested in eventually they become decensitized to the offer. Yes, SPAM has hurt the email marketing industry but it hasn't killed it...it's simply forced some of us to develop alternative strategies to be successful. In order to be successful, you simply need to create highly targeted sublists and then pitch them an offer they cannot refuse. Now, at this point you may be thinking it's very difficult, however; it's not, so let me show you exactly how you should do it. Example: Let's assume that my ideal leads/market are stock market traders/investors. He're how I would set it up. I would create a optin-page offering someone a unique and FRE~E ecourse or report which the website visitor needs to subscribe to receive. Now, asking them for an email address and first name IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH anymore, and this is where most marketers get it wrong. You need more information to know exactly who they are and what they're interested in. In this example, I would ask for the first name, email address, Trading Experience (drop down selection list which includes "beginner", "intermediate" and "advanced" then, what do you trade (drop down list "Stock", "Futures","Forex") and Trading Style(drop down list "Swing", "Day","investor"). by having them provide this info to you before subscribing you have now created a pre-qualified, laser targetted subscriber database list. You know exactly who they are and what they would be interested in and that's invaluable information when you're trying to sell them a product. If you're trying to sell them a Swing Trading producut for beginners, let's say for example, you know exactly which subscribers on your list would be interested in your offer. When you go to send an email to that list, provided that you're using a good autoresponder system, you can query your list and find only the people that fit that description and then send them an email with your offer....and since you've captured their email adress you can do this over and over and over again. You conversion with skyrocket!..particularly if you first cultivate a good relationship with that list by providing good quality content/information which is very important, in other words, don't try to sell to them immediately, first offer them quality information and PLEASE, when you recommend a product, make sure you've tried it yourself before recommending it. To me, anyone that recommends a product they haven't tried themselves is unethical, so don't do this. Be helpful and honest to your subscribers and they'll reward you for it. As I already mentioned, your conversion percentage will increase dramatically simply by pre-qualifying and cultivating your subscriber before offering a product to them, however; if you really want to absolutely skyrocket your conversion you have to structure your product offer to subscribers using a a very unique and systematic approach which I've perfected over the last couple of years... ..and these are the same advanced conversion strategies I talk about in my in my coaching program over at http: intelligentmarketer where I'll show you how to launch a product with the force of an atom bomb and make 30 times more sales than you normally would.

Passport safety tips

Protect Your Passport Your passport is the most valuable document that you will carry abroad. It confirms your U. S. citizenship. Please guard it carefully. Do not use it as collateral for a loan or lend it to anyone. It is your best form of identification. You will need it when you pick up mail or check into hotels, embassies or consulates. When entering some countries or registering at hotels, you may be asked to fill out a police card listing your name, passport number, destination, local address, and reason for travel. You may be required to leave your passport at the hotel reception desk overnight so that it may be checked by local police officials. These are normal procedures required by local laws. If your passport is not returned the following morning, immediately report the impoundment to local police authorities and to the nearest U. S. embassy or consulate. Passport Fraud Law enforcement records show that U. S. passports are sometimes used for illegal entry into the United States, or by criminals abroad seeking to establish another identity. This can cause embarrassment to innocent U. S. citizens whose names become associated with illegal activities. To protect the integrity of the U. S. passport and the security of the person bearing it, consular officers overseas have found it necessary to take precautions in processing lost passport cases. These precautions may involve some delay before a new passport is issued. Safeguard Your Passport Carelessness is the main cause for losing a passport or having it stolen. You may find that you have to carry your passport with you because you need to show it when you cash traveler's checks or the country that you are visiting requires you to carry it as an identity document. When you must carry your passport, hide it securely on your person. Do not leave it in a handbag or in an exposed pocket. Whenever possible, leave your passport in the hotel safe, not in an empty hotel room, and not packed in your luggage. One family member should not carry all the passports for the entire family. Guard Against Thieves Coat pockets, handbags, and hip pockets are particularly susceptible to theft. Thieves will use all kinds of ploys to divert your attention just long enough to pick your pocket and grab your purse or wallet. These ploys include creating a disturbance, spilling something on your clothing, or even handing you a baby to hold! You can try to prevent theft by carrying your belongings in a secure manner. For example, consider not carrying a purse or wallet when going along crowded streets. Women who carry a shoulder bag should keep it tucked under the arm and held securely by the strap. Men should put their wallets in their front trouser pockets or use money belts instead of hip pockets. A wallet wrapped in rubber bands is more difficult to remove without notice. Be especially cautious in a large crowd - in the subway, on buses, at the marketplace, at a festival, or if surrounded by groups of vagrant children. Do not make it easy for thieves! I always make a color copy of my passport and visa and carry that with me and secure my passport in the hotel safe. Some countries require you to always carry your passport on your person. But, most will not have a problem if you carry a color copy.

Alarm clocks an insight

For most the sound of an Alarm ringing first thing in the morning is a shock. You set it the night before, for whatever time you would like to wake up, and yet you are still annoyed with it when it actually goes off at the time you requested. If you are like me, then you will prolong the act of getting up by constantly hitting the snooze button – which gives you another few minutes before it rings out again. The irony is that I personally never go back to sleep as I wait in anticipation for the sound of the dreaded clock to go off yet again. Clocks nowadays have very different sounds to wake you, but none of them in my experience are welcoming, my current clock has a very high intermittent bleeping sound – which drives me crazy each morning, but without it, I would not wake up, so ironically I do depend on the irritating sound it makes. Perhaps I need to look at alternative clocks that offer a better noise to wake up to? Traditional mechanical alarm clocks have a bell on top that rings, but digital alarm clocks can make other noises. Simple battery-powered alarm clocks make a beeping sound whereas novelty alarm clocks can speak, laugh, or sing. Clocks have definitely improved in time (no pun intended) and the features too have improved – these range from: built-in radios, nature sounds, dual alarms, CD players, iPod docking bays, sunrise simulators, programmable snooze etc. The Digital Clock is probably one of the most popular Alarm clocks in use today because they can be very useful (they are usually fitted with in-built radios as standard and are usually inexpensive to purchase) However the digital clock does have its drawbacks. Since they run on electricity and have no permanent memory, digital clocks must be reset every time they are moved or the power is cut off. This is a particular problem since a power outage during the night usually results in the clock failing to trigger the alarm in the morning. To reduce the problem, later designs often incorporate a battery backup to maintain the time during power outages. What does the future Alarm clock have in store for us? Among annoyances caused by alarm clocks is sleep inertia, a feeling of grogginess that results from abrupt awakening. Progressive alarm clocks claim to solve this issue. They include sunrise alarm clocks, dawn simulators and progressive auditory alarm clocks.

Take time to read your digital camera owner s manual

All cameras come with an owners manual, but so few people take the time to read it. Once they get past the basic operations, they get anxious to go out and try the camera. Maybe all the new terms are confusing or there seems like too much information to digest. This is understandable, but by not reading the entire manual, you limit yourself and many cool features of your camera are never used. Hopefully you will find the following suggestions helpful in getting the most from your digital camera. After your first overview of the features your camera possesses, decide what you would like to explore the most. Pick only one special feature. Read the instructions on what this feature can do and how to use it. Don’t worry if it isn’t completely clear, that will come in time. Now the fun part. Take your camera and start using this special feature. Try all the different settings within this one feature. See how your pictures change. Explore what this feature does. Don’t stop until you know this feature inside and out and don’t go onto the next feature until you have fully explored this one. When you are satisfied you know the ins and outs of one special feature, return to the owner’s manual and pick another special feature you would like to learn. Repeat the above process with this feature, only returning to the manual when you are satisfied you have mastered the new skill. By working through the owner’s manual in this way, you will find it isn’t so overwhelming. The hands-on practice of each skill will help you learn it thoroughly. When you have covered all the cool things your camera will do, go out and enjoy them all. You will be glad you took the time to become friends with this wonderful creation.

Xylitol the cure for caries

Some of our first memories are all about health, we are taught to keep our hands clean, brush our hair, take a bath, and brush our teeth. We are taught how vitally important it is to clean our teeth after every meal or at least twice a day, to floss daily, and to avoid candy or sweets. You might have seen the demonstration of a tooth placed in a glass of Coca-Cola that drink full of acid and the common table sugar called sucrose. The tooth started to decay before you and you might have wondered why? Is it the acid, because it couldn’t be the sugar could it? Coca-Cola also contains other sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, corn syrup, and the like. Would you believe that these sugars are in fact the most cavity-promoting substances in a person’s diet? Of course how many of us actually brush between meals? How many of our children floss every day? Could it be that the allure of the chocolate bar and the cola are too much for any of us to resist? Most kids find them selves to be in this predicament and even perhaps you as an adult might feel its nagging craving. This might be the reason why cavities or caries as the medical industry calls them, still remain a common occurrence. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) survey (for survey go to nidr. nih. gov/news/consensus/final_cdc_statement. pdf) reported that 20% of children between the ages of 2 and 4 have had cavities. Furthermore, by age 17, nearly four out of five have had at least one cavity. So our percentage of people experiencing cavities is not getting better it is in fact getting worse! Jumping from 20% to 80% is a 300% increase in the number of young people who have or had a cavity. How about us adults how do we fare in this great struggle? The study goes to say that adults between the ages of 35 and 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth to dental cavities, and that 25% of the people ages 65 to 74 have lost all of their natural teeth. So why does sucrose hurt our teeth and is their an easier way to combat it? Did you know that tooth decay is a bacterial disease? Cavities are simply the symptom of what is going on inside your mouth. These caries or cavities are formed through a bacterial disease known as tooth decay. Bacteria in the mouth called Streptococcus mutants actually change the molecular structure of sucrose, corn syrup, and many other sweeteners. Without this molecular change sucrose and the like would increase the probability of type 2 or “maturity-onset” of diabetes and other diseases, but instead we just get a bacterial tooth disease to make up for it. The things we do to our selves with out even knowing it. So this is the reason why we were taught to brush our teeth after every meal and floss every day to minimize the ability of these bacteria to damage our tooth enamel through that slow every minute, every second, of every day tooth decay. The act of brushing ones teeth actually removes the bacteria from the surface of the tooth or the enamel where it does its nasty work. Some of the mouth washes or antiseptics are designed to kill the Streptococcus mutant bacteria. Dentists do their best to protect our teeth’s enamel with dental sealants, and with fluoride. Fluoride has a number of serious drawbacks as a preventative measure, its only strength is that is has been shown to strengthen tooth enamel. However, just because it strengthens your teeth’s enamel doesn’t mean it actually slows down the rate at which that enamel will decay, and it surely does not rebuild the enamel you have already lost. This is why there is so much controversy about fluoride as a “preventative measure”. The primary source of energy for the Streptococcus mutants is carbohydrates, especially sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. So restricting the use of the carbohydrates such as sucrose will deprive the bacteria of its needed fuel slowing the rate at which your teeth decay. So why am I writing this message to you? Simply to introduce to you a safe effective way for preventing and perhaps even stopping tooth decay all together. This preventative tool can stop tooth decay and may even reverse cavities allowing your body to heal its self. This is not a sonic mechanical tooth brush nor is it a complete set of gold plated dentures. The tool I am referring to is an all natural sugar! It goes by the name of Xylitol. You might be thinking “I thought you just said that carbohydrates especially sucrose are the main fuel on which this bacteria lives off of. Now you want me to eat it?” Be patient with me and all will be told. Sugar, what do you think of when I say sugar? Well if you’re like most of us you are thinking about the common everyday table sugar called sucrose that has been bleached white and is lying in your pantry or in that beautiful tin canister sent to you for Christmas. Not all sugars are or were created equal. Like sucrose xylitol is a natural food product, derived from certain fruits, vegetables (harvested mainly from corn), barriers, nutshells, and even tree bark. Xylitol is as sweet as sucrose and has about the same mass which is why you can substitute it on a one to one ratio for sucrose in all your cooking. So here is my point xylitol has no predisposition to cause cavities unlike sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. Thus this point in and of it self can actually help you in your daily fight against cavities. The regular use of xylitol products such as, chewing gums, candies, lozenges, toothpastes, and others, can stop the progress of tooth decay and as I mentioned earlier may even allow your body to heal cavities that are already in progress. Yet another amazing exciting fact about Xylitol is that children who consume xylitol sweetened gums, candies, and toothpastes before they loss their “baby teeth”, so long as they keep regular care of their teeth as they grow, will have more protection against cavities then we ever did or ever will when they grow older. Yes, that’s right before their permanent teeth come in. Xylitol functions so efficiently because it obstructs the bacteria that cause tooth decay, by stopping their growth and preventing those nasty Streptococcus mutants attaching to the tooth’s enamel. So ideal for children because foods made with xylitol taste just as good as those sweetened with sucrose. Can you imagine encouraging your children to chew gum, or eat candy because you know it is good for them! So do I have any “scientific proof” that supports my claims and how strong is this so called proof? Thankfully the people who have done the studies main motivations were not of greed, but rather of health and life. This means a lot me, these studies couldn’t be stronger. Many companies do the minimum of what is required by law to make claims about their products; though this may be legal it is not always moral. Dental anti cavity research has been going on now over 25 years. Dr. Catherine Hayes (for study go to nidr. nih. gov/news/consensus/catherine_hayes. pdf) of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine concluded that the favorable evidence for Xylitol was so strong that “it would be unethical” to deny people of its dental protecting effects.

The path to despair is paved with shattered

To desire is to want something that one does not have but wishes to have. In most cases, when a person desires someone or something, they firmly believe that there is some means of slating that desire. Whether or not those means are available to the person with the desire can vary drastically from person to person. While desire has been seen as a great motivator (Alexander the Great's conquests are often said to have been fueled by his desire for more world to conquer), it may also prove to be the undoing of a person's mental health, with the most common side effect being prolonged cases of depression. Sadly, for some people, having something they desire be utterly out of their reach can often make them willingly allow themselves to go into states of melancholy and despair. Humans, by nature, want things that they cannot have. This has never been disputed throughout history and, in most cultures, is accepted as a part of human nature. People have a tendency to want things, even when logic would dictate that those things are out of their reach. In some cases, this has been a positive thing that has allowed people to achieve their dreams, but disaster can strike when a person fails. For some people, desiring something they cannot have can often make them feel inadequate or unworthy of whatever it is they already possess. For others, it can cause fits of violence and rage, typically accompanied with attempts to used flawed logic to blame someone or something else for their inability to get what they want. However, perhaps the most damaging effect that the inability to fulfill one's desires might have is the onset of depression. When someone develops a case of clinical depression due to being unable to fulfill a personal desire, the consequences can weight heavily. In their minds, the only way to lift their negative emotions would be to find a way to fulfill their desires, preferably in a manner that satisfies them. For example, a man who is in love with a woman and becomes depressed at her lack of feelings for him might become depressed. While having her openly admit to having feelings for him would alleviate the problem, it would only have a lasting effect if it was brought about in a manner where the woman did not appear coerced or manipulated into such an admission. While it is possible that some people would have no scruples over accepting a lover under false pretenses, the depression might become replaced with paranoia in the long-term. After all, if she was only manipulated into loving him, wouldn't it be just as simple for someone to manipulate her into eventually leaving him? It is true that not all people who have failed to fulfill their desires become depressed individuals with compromised mental health. However, it is generally viewed as a safe assumption that letting someone brood for too long over being unable to accomplish a goal can lead to a state of melancholy and depression. There is a silent consensus that a majority of the population would have to face several failures to drive them to utter doom and despair, but for some people, just a single catastrophic failure is enough.