The Alternative Broadcasting Online News Station

It is not unusual for a person to grow apathetic toward his or her current job. Lack of stimulating work, low pay, and limited growth potential within an organization are all excellent reasons to seek out a way to make a change. One of the best, and easiest, ways to achieve this is to explore furthering your education and training online. This innovative and exciting method of personal and professional improvement has the benefit of allowing you to enhance your career opportunities by either earning a degree or by taking advantage of continuing education options. This is also an ideal option for you if you want to change your career entirely. Education and training can be sought online without interfering with work and family commitments.

In order to get that promotion you’ve been working so hard for, it’s often necessary to further your education and training. Doing so online allows you do achieve your full career potential at your own pace, without interfering with work. In many professions, such as pharmacy, it’s often required to stay up to date with new technologies and pertinent information. A convenient way to do this is to take your continuing education courses online. Some employers are even willing to pay for a portion or all tuition and fees. After all, investing money in their employees can provide long-term benefits for employers.

There are many advantages of choosing an online education and training facility if you wish to further your education and training. There is no need to live near or commute to a school or training facility when all classes can be attended and all coursework submitted online. Attending school online is a great option for those who might have misgivings about going to college as an older student or returning after many years. Furthering your education and training at an online school can make it easier to ease into the routine of class work and projects, an can reduce the stress of feeling the need to fit in with younger college students. Further, the course availability is often convenient for those who work full time and/or care for a family. Frequently, institutions offer evening and weekend sections of courses. It is also very appealing to “go to school” from the comforts of home.

The type of education and training available online is seemingly limitless. The entire spectrum of college degrees is available to a student, including Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and PhD degrees, as well as professional certificates. These degrees are available in many different fields, including Business, Social Sciences, Humanities, Mathematics, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and Healthcare programs. In addition to college diplomas, continuing education for professionals is available in many areas, including Healthcare programs, Business, and Information Technology.

Affording to further your education and training online is no different from doing so in a traditional face-to-face institution. Often, financial aid is available to students in the form of grants, loans, and scholarships. It is important to check with the individual institution of interest for requirements and guidelines. Also, many employers may be willing to pay for part or all of an employee’s continuing education. Investing in an employee’s future is also investing in the employer’s future.

The misconception of continuing your education and training online is that the experience might not be as enriching or legitimate as attending face-to-face classes at a traditional college or training facility. Programs offered online present the same opportunities for group work, independent study, and interpersonal communications as their traditional counterparts. In fact, continuing your education online might help to facilitate the learning process as well as develop time management and self-motivation skills. With the prevalence of the Internet and advancements such as teleconferencing in both education and the business world today, it is possible to come away from the experience not only with a degree, but also with greater knowledge and comfort with technology. Continuing your education and training online is a valuable, convenient, and flexible way to broaden your career opportunities.

Learn the essential information for picking the right online degree course at www.higher-education-online.com/education-and-training.html

BBQ sauces have regional characteristics. Kansas City-style sauce is the most common in the US. is generally a basic mixture of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. North Carolina’s barbecue sauce, traditionally is vinegar-based clear in Eastern North Carolina and red in the West. White barbecue sauce is made with mayonnaise, cider vinegar and black pepper is big in Alabama, where folks mostly have it with chicken. In Texas, beer and chilies are key ingredients. In Tennessee they enjoy a little hot pepper sauce in their sauce and in New Mexico they sometimes may have coffee as an ingredient. Mustard is the key ingredient in the sauces of South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi. You can purchase many of these different sauces at www.InsaneChicken.com or you could try making them yourself with the following recipes.

Regional BBQ Sauce Recipes

Tennesee BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dash of garlic
2 cup vinegar
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoon. Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Busha Browne Hot Pepper Sauce

Directions
In saucepan, stir together brown sugar, onion, salt, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Combine vinegar, barbecue sauce, catsup, Worcestershire sauce, and bottled hot pepper sauce. Stir vinegar mixture into dry ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Texas BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoon onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
dash black pepper

Directions
Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients
1 quart mayonnaise
3/4 quart apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Prepared horseradish
Lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place all ingredients in a very large blender or food processor. (It may be necessary to do this in 2 batches; just add 1/2 of each ingredient and then repeat.) Blend for 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined and mixture is smooth. Pour sauce into a large bowl. Use when grilling chicken; brush lightly over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. This sauce is also great for dipping; set some sauce aside for passing at the table.

New Mexico’s BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup Dark Karo Syrup
1/3 cup Strong coffee
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Corn Oil
6 teaspoons Chili powder
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Scorned Woman Hot Sauce

Directions
Mix well and allow flavors to blend for one hour or more

These are just a small selection of gourmet bbq sauces that are enjoyed around the country. So what BBQ Sauce style do you prefer?

Chris McCarthy is the owner of InsaneChicken’s Hot Sauce and BBQ Sauce Catalog and a hot sauce enthusiast. InsaneChicken is proude to sell Blair’s Hot Sauce. and some of the Worlds hottest hot sauces

Prohibited Marketing Practices. It is unlawful for a company or agent to use high pressure tactics to force or frighten you into buying a Medigap policy, or to make fraudulent or misleading comparisons to get you to switch from one company or policy to another. Deceptive “cold lead” advertising also is prohibited. This lactic involves mailings to identify individuals who might be interested in buying insurance. If you fill in and return the card enclosed in the mailing, the card may be sold to an insurance agent who will try to sell you a policy.

Check Your Right to Renew. States now require that Medigap policies be guaranteed renewable. This means that the company can refuse to renew your policy only if you do not pay the premiums or you made material misrepresentations on the application. Beware of older policies that let the company refuse to renew on an individual basis. These policies provide the least permanent coverage. Even though your policy may be guaranteed renewable the company may adjust the premiums from time to time. Some policies have premiums which increase as you grow older.

Know With Whom You’re Dealing. A company must meet certain qualifications to do business in your state. You should check with your state insurance department to make sure that any company you are considering is licensed in your state. This is for your protection. Agents also must be licensed by your state and may be required by the state to carry proof of licensure showing their name and the company they represent. If the agent cannot verify that he or she is licensed, do not buy from that person. A business card is not a license.

Keep Agents’ and/or Companies’ Names, Addresses and Telephone Numbers. Write down the agents’ and/or companies’ names, addresses and telephone numbers or ask for a business card that provides all that information.

If You Decide To Buy, Complete the Application Carefully. Do not believe an insurance agent who tells you that your medical history on an application is not important. Some companies ask for detailed medical information. If you leave out any of the medical information requested, coverage could be refused for a period of time for any medical condition you neglected to mention. The company also could deny a claim for treatment of an undisclosed condition and/or cancel your policy.

Look For an Outline of Coverage. You must be given a clearly worded summary of the policy… READ IT CAREFULLY.

Do Not Pay Cash. Pay by check, money order or bank draft made payable to the insurance company, not to the agent or anyone else. Get a receipt with the insurance company’s name, address and telephone number for your records.

Policy Delivery or Refunds Should be Prompt. The insurance company should deliver a policy within 30 days. If it does not, contact the company and obtain in writing the reason for the delay. If 60 days go by without a response, contact your state insurance department.

Use the “Free-Look” Provision. Insurance companies must give you at least 30 days to review a Medigap policy. If you decide you don’t want the policy, send it back to the agent or company within 30 days of receiving it and ask for a refund of all premiums you paid. Contact your state insurance department if you have a problem getting a refund.

And again, do not rush or be pressured into deciding on a policy. Trusting salespeople will take their time with you. If you are uncertain about a particular program, have the salesperson tell it to someone else, this sometimes helps too.

Submitted on behalf of a travel health insurance site for people searching for health insurance travel information.

The Ten Commandments of Using Streaming Audio On Your Website

When it comes to placing audio on your website there are Ten
Commandments you absolutely must follow. Break one of these
Commandments and you can watch your website drive visitors away
faster than the speed of sound. Fortunately, if you follow the
Ten Commandments you can get people to stay at your website
longer, inquire about your product or service more often, and
even buy more of what you are selling. Doesn’t that sound good?

So without further ado, here are the Ten Commandments you must
follow when placing audio on your website.

Commandment #1

Don’t set your audio to play automatically when people arrive at
your website. Your visitors all have different computers with
different speakers, some have the volume turned all the way up,
some are already listening to music, some don’t even have
speakers to begin with. If you start playing your audio
automatically you risk losing potential customers. It’s much
easer to leave a website or hit the back button then it is to
search around for how to turn off your audio. One exception to
this Commandment is the use of pop-up windows. Pop-up windows
can be closed by the visitor yet they still leave them at your
website. The same goes for exit pop-ups, these windows can be
very effective at grabbing the visitors attention, although some
people may not like it, it has proven to be very successful in
some uses.

Commandment #2

Sounding like a Pro! You must have professional sounding audio
on your site. Anything else will make you look like an amateur.
If you are showcasing your own poetry, or telling a personal
story, or marketing yourself, then you should use your own
voice. But, if you are trying to sell something and your voice
doesn’t quite cut it, then have a professional voiceover person
record your audio. It will make all the difference.
WebAudioReviews.com has a list of several affordable voiceover
professionals.

Commandment #3

When using audio to sell or promote, keep it short! Long audio
messages have their place online and rarely are they on the main
page of a website. Keep your messages short, concise, to the
point, and easy to follow. This can make all the difference in
your audio message. Try to keep your promotional audio message
around 30 to 90 seconds. Commercials are only 30 seconds and get
their point across very well, follow their lead and do the same
thing.

Commandment #4

Be prepared! If you or someone else is recording your audio then
write out a script. Write out a complete word for word script,
practice it out loud and change it as necessary. If you just
“wing it” then it will sound like it. Have others listen and
critique your script before you record it. Fine tune your script
by removing unnecessary wording, trimming down the overall
length, and wording it for maximum impact.

Commandment #5

When recording your own audio, smile! It will come across in
your voice. But remember, if you don’t sound like a pro even
when you smile, then get one!

Commandment #6

Don’t overload your site with audio. If you have too many audio
buttons to choose from most people will choose none. Whereas
when you only have a few audio buttons on your website it will
encourage people to listen to your audio message. A single audio
button done right is usually enough to get your point.

Commandment #7

Use music! Using music in addition to your voice will make your
audio sound 100 times more professional and engaging. Add some
easy listening intro music that fits the theme of your site,
even sound effects if done right can make a tremendous
difference in the way your message sounds. Remember to use music
that is royalty free music or music you have created and own
rights to. Placing your favorite Beatles song on your website
could get you in trouble.

Commandment #8

Have a point! This may sound obvious, but many people place
audio on their website just because they can and for no other
reason. No one cares about how fancy your audio is if it doesn’t
have much of a point to it. Have a purpose and reason for using
audio.

Commandment #9

Tell people to listen to your audio! Just having an audio button
on your website isn’t good enough. You need to tell people what
they will hear, what it’s about, how long it is, and where to
click to listen. Don’t assume people will figure it out on their
own, people need to be told what to do online, and the same goes
for telling them to listen to your audio. Also, by telling
visitors the length of your message they won’t be afraid to
listen to it because they will know how long it is. Research has
shown that sometimes people will not listen to an audio message
in fear that it may be too long. If it is a long message then
tell your visitors so they will be prepared for an hour long
audio message.

Commandment #10

Test your audio! Don’t just place audio on your website thinking
it will increase sales. Test it out, get opinions from your
visitors, friends, and family, and then do split testing. Find
out if the sales are greater with your audio. If you don’t split
test your site with different audio messages and without audio
then you will never know if it’s helping or hurting your website.

To place streaming audio on your site, as well as find a wealth
of information, voiceover professionals, audio hosting,
recording tools, and more, visit Web Audio Reviews.

Copyright Digital Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Spring time comes and with it comes the time to plant your garden. Garden tips range from the type of soil to plant in to ways to water your plants in order to get a full yield.However, when planting grape tomato seeds, the main garden tip is to plant them in a container inside. This will help keep them warm and give them a safe growing environment.

The best garden tip for planting sweet grape tomatoes is to prepare the soil properly. Using a good soil is essential and it doesn’t hurt to beef it up a bit. Depending upon where you live, soil can range anywhere from very fertile to don’t plant here dirt. When living in an area that has dirt that is not ideal for planting, go to a garden store and ask what type of soil they advise. The more fertile the soil, the better the plants will grow. If organic grape tomatoes are what you seek, using ordinary potting soil and an indoor container will keep the insects away and will make the tomatoes pesticide free.

Container gardening will help those who live in apartments or houses without large yards grow tomatoes indoors. These containers range from the average flower pot to multi-plant containers that can hold up to a dozen small plants. Another form of container gardening is to rent or buy a hydroponics system to grow your tomatoes in water. Growing grape tomatoes in a hydroponics system guarantees a completely organic, juicy, and super sweet grape tomatoes. The only problem with using a hydroponics system is finding a way to prop growing tomato plants up while they scale to new heights.

The greatest garden tip that you’ll ever receive is to water your plants. The more water that a tomato contains, the more watering it will need. Tomatoes are approximately ninety percent water and if they are not watered enough they will end up being shriveled and sour. No one likes a sour grape tomato, so keep your tomatoes warm and the soil wet and you’ll have super sweet grape tomatoes growing in no time.

Mark Kessler is a contributing editor to Debbys Garden Tips offering Gardening Tips Information, Links & Advice, Design Tips & Techniques, How to Plant & Grow Guide, Annual Flowers, Perennials, Specialty Gardening Tips, Tuberose, Growing Flowers and Planting Bulbs in your state.

Article Title: Look at South Africa - ‘Celebrate the Beloved
Country’ …but now time to show some firm leadership on
Zimbabwe, PRESIDENT MBEKI (and the WORLD) Author Name: Craig
Lock Line Space: 65 characters Category (key words):
“Inspiration, Spiritual”, South Africa, Inspirational Writings.
Web Site: http://kompuwiz.com/kompustore Other Articles:
http://www.soulful-writer.com and http://www.bridgeniche.com

Publishing Guidelines: This article may be freely reproduced
electronically or in print. If you do not want to receive my
articles as a member of an article list, you will have to
unsubscribe from them, as I do not have your email address. If a
lot of you do that, I’ll take the hint and rather not send out
my articles! Thanks. All my articles (and quotations) may be
freely published. If they help at all, or make a difference in
people’s lives by bringing some joy, then I’m very happy.

* Look at South Africa - ‘Celebrate the Beloved Country’ …but
now time to show some firm leadership on Zimbabwe, PRESIDENT
MBEKI (and the WORLD)

Introduction: As a South African writer living in tranquil
far-off New Zealand, I am enclosing a “letter” about my thoughts
and impressions following on from a visit, together with some
personal views on the current dire problems in Zimbabwe, which
may be of interest. Just sharing a few thoughts and remembrances
after a recent visit to my former homeland, this incredible,
vibrant and diverse country at the tip of the vast (”dark”)
continent of Africa, which may be of interest. This piece that I
wrote is based upon an inspiring address by former Archbishop,
Desmond Tutu. It is ten years since the first democratic
elections, so we can celebrate a decade of the birth of a new
country, where in spite of an endemic crime rate most people
accept each other and work together as common citizens of the
“beloved country”. Well, I’m always looking at some positive
aspects and this is my reason for sharing this piece about my
former (yet always in my heart) country! * In the light of
current world events and global uncertainty, I say: “Look at
South Africa”… Thousands of people died over the years of
South Africa’s turbulent, history (and under the “nightmare”
called apartheid - forgotten already ???)…which has ended
relatively peacefully. Out of a violent and bloody past, South
Africa’s extraordinary relatively peaceful transition to
democracy was a minor “miracle”… and I believe, South Africans
have accomplished something unprecented, unparalleled in the
last decade. Perhaps there is a message in South Africa’s
violent and tortuous path to democracy somewhere to the “trouble
spots of the world”… perhaps there was a reason for the misery
and tragedy of apartheid (as well as many centuries of
colonialism around the globe), after all… A possible
role-model? In spite of the corruption, crime and “cheapness of
life there, South Africa may be the “trail-blazer”, the beacon
of magnanimity, hope and reconciliation to the world. With
strong leadership, a spirit of goodwill, tolerance, acceptance
…and most importantly, attempts to understand other peoples
and cultures, who are different to us (yet we humans have far
more in common than our differences)…and especially with the
SPIRIT of peace, your nightmare too will end. An end to the evil
of terrorism, man’s inhumanity to man and the “impossibility” of
world peace CAN one day be achieved. Let the world celebrate the
quite magnificent achievement South Africans of ALL races and
creeds, “The Rainbow People of God” have accomplished in the
past decade. With your “torch of light” you may yet illuminate
the path to a world one day at peace with itself. CELEBRATE THE
“BELOVED COUNTRY” - a land of such contrasts, a “happy, sad”
land of great wealth and great poverty, yet the beauty and
richness of the land …and most importantly its most valuable
resource, the spirit of its 45 million diverse peoples always
seems to shine through in conquering adversity. “How apartheid
was finally buried, without requiem; but in joyous celebration,
will remain forever in the hearts and minds of a nation reborn.
When tears came, and there was dampness in the eyes of even the
most stern, it was for putting the past in the past and hoping
for hope in the future.”

“South Africa’s ability to overcome deep divisions, to negotiate
a common future and to commit itself to reconciliation and
reconstruction offers new hope - not only to South Africa, but
across the globe.

“God does work in amazing and miraculous ways…and every person
and country has a unique purpose in “God’s Divine Plan”. *
“South Africa is blessed in resources beyond many. It dare not
live just for itself. It must work and labour to bless Africa
and the world…but especially Africa. If only for Africa’s sake
we dare not fail; because as South Africa goes, so will the rest
of Africa.”

and as Zimbabwe goes, so perhaps may eventually even the
economic power-house of it’s Southern neighbour, South Africa.
Doesn’t the world need a leader like Nelson Mandela today?
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” The problems of the world
today cannot be solved by thinking at the same level that
created them. Jesus Christ challenged the conventional thinking
of the day over 2000 years ago. PPS: Why can’t the world and
especially South Africa now try a radically different approach
to South Africa’s “largely forgotten” neighbour, Zimbabwe in
“darkest Africa”. Even though it’s not a strategic country, like
Iraq!

Like South Africa in the past decade, let the INTERNATIONAL
(including African) COMMUNITY NOW show in a spirit of “unity”
how the immense problems under a brutal and repressive
government can also be solved PEACEFULLY through “constructive
engagement and negotiation in a show of peaceful unity with FIRM
LEADERSHIP”. Time to show some strong effective leadership and
to act decisively on Zimbabwe now, President Thabo Mbeki (though
you were allies in bringing freedom to your constituents, you
can immediately make the lives of thousands of Zimbabweans far
better by firmly condemning the brutal repression of its
citizens by Zanu-PF and through South Africa’s economic might
bring pressure on your neighbour by giving some ultimatums to
Robert Mugabe!

Standards of behaviour and repression that the international
community will NOT tolerate! And the world MUST support you.
Those leaders, who ignore the lessons of world history are
doomed to repeat them.

Let’s not wait for ten years idly passing by (as in Iraq!). It
is now time to “raise the bar” - what and what we will not
accept in the global community, as ‘acceptable behaviour’ what
the world expects now as acceptable (and decent) standards of
behaviour in the community of nations. A radically different
approach is needed with the problem of Zimbabwe to that imposed
on Iraq; yet with the same “force and passion” as the US
military have shown, yet without violence. Now it’s time for the
world to stand up and be counted. To show the peaceful, yet FIRM
way to resolving seemingly insurmountable problems and bring a
more “democratic” form of government to that beleagured country.
To at last show some effective leadership and shower the people
of that beautiful, yet blighted land under Southern skies with
humanitarian aid in the form of desperately needed food, health
supplies and education. That is the “pressure”, which will raise
the standards of what the citizens of Zimbabwe will and will not
tolerate from their brutal dictator. Pressure from within AND
without, as with Apartheid South Africa. A more educated,
well-fed and healthy population will bring about change
naturally and according to the will of the people….. so that
eventually “the people will govern”. Let’s fight the “war for
peace” with passion and with all of our energies. In the “WAR
FOR PEACE” everyone then benefits (a “win/win” situation). I
believe, that is the only true way to lasting world peace in
living with and acceptance of each other… And so helps make a
better world. Let us take courage. The years are passing. The
time for decision by all of us to shine that ray of light (and
hope) in an often dark world, President Mbeki and the world is
NOW.

Craig Lock “The greatness of a nation consists not so much in
the number of it’s people or the extent of it’s territory as in
the extent and justice of it’s compassion.”

- Inscription at the Horse Memorial in Port Elizabeth, for
horses killed in the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).

P.S: I am reminded of something Mahatma Gandhi’s said not long
before he was assassinated: “When I despair, I remember that all
through history the way of truth and love has always won. There
have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem
invincible; but in the end, they always fall. Think of it,
ALWAYS.” “Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not rejoice
in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love
never fails. And now abide faith, hope, love; but the greatest
of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13

“When the world is filled with love, people are overflowing
with hope.” - Craig Lock

Craig Lock’s second novel ‘The New Rainbow’ is a moving tale of
the diverse peoples of South Africa, which is based on fact.
Like Alan Paton, Craig Lock reaches to the heart of his troubled
“beloved country”. In his new novel, Lock, perceptively and with
an understanding of the historical elements, writes of the
situation as it was, as it is, and as perhaps one day it will
be, in the New South Africa. ‘The New Rainbow’ is available at:
http://kompuwiz.com/kompustore (click on SoulfulBooks)

“Uplifting, encouraging and empowering people through the power
of words and thought energy. Change YOUR world and you change
THE world.”

THESE WRITINGS MAY BE FREELY PUBLISHED

Homeowners rarely replace their windows with replicas of the old
ones. Unless the home is a historic one you will want to upgrade
on virtually everything: style and design as well as the more
practical features and you will want to do all of this while
still observing necessary budgetary restrictions.

Because well chosen replacement windows are considered one of
the most significant investments you can make in your home you
will need to make wise choices that take full advantage of the
opportunity.

A good place to start is with an investigation into the style,
design and materials of the old windows. By starting with what
you HAVE you will be able to decide on what you need and want.
Style and design should be your first consideration. Are the
style, shape and design of your old windows something you would
like to match or will you want to be more adventurous. Do you
have designs on larger more contemporary style windows than the
present ones? Is there a regular window that needs replacing by
something quite different, like a bay or bow window?

At this initial stage you may find it helpful to consult with a
professional. Well-chosen window designs can add dramatic
architectural detail and improve the curb appeal of your home by
up to 100%. Wise window placement, shape and design allow more
interplay between the interior and exterior as well as adding
light and atmosphere.

Once you have decided on the design and style of your
replacement windows you will need to make a decision about the
material you choose for the framing. There are five basic
options and each one has plusses and minuses.

Vinyl is currently the most popular choice among homeowners some
of the main reasons being its reputation for easy, low
maintenance. This is often the choice for people in recovery
from old wood windows that have a way of punishing you with the
thankless task of endless, unsuccessful attempts at maintenance.
Vinyl windows come in a broad range of shapes and designs from
the cost effective off the shelf kind to expensive top end
customized designs.

Vinyl replacement windows are also good choices for homes that
need good insulation from extreme weather. Good vinyl windows
have a high level of energy efficiency as well as superior
sealing capacities. Not only are they energy efficient and low
maintenance but they open and shut with ease so it’s obvious why
they are the ‘easy’ choice in replacement windows.

Wood windows will never go out of fashion. They are still the
most popular replacement windows among architects and designers.
It is hard to beat their aesthetic appeal as well as their
strength, versatility and energy efficiency. If you are choosing
wood be prepared for prices that reflect this. There are few
cost effective wood windows on the market and it would not be
wise to install cheap, badly made versions. They will make you
pay in other ways.

Aluminum windows are strong, light and cost effective but they
are poor insulators. These replacement windows should only be
chosen for homes where extreme temperatures are not an issue.
They are also a sensible option for large view windows where
their slim, light frames are advantageous.

Wood clad in aluminum or vinyl is a popular choice because it
offers homeowners the best of both worlds: warm wood inside and
weather proof, easy maintenance on the outside. These windows
are not the most cost effective option but the range of choice
is broad and the quality good, strong and practical.

Fiberglass windows are growing in popularity in the replacement
window market but they are still not as readily available as
other materials. They are upmarket and expensive but the
material is light, strong and as weatherproof as the many boat
hulls that are constructed out of it.

It is now possible to purchase super energy efficient windows
when you install replacements so look out for those bearing the
Energy Star label signifying that they have passed the formal,
objective requirements for superior insulation and low air
leakage.

Choosing the right replacement windows for your home is a step
by step process but if you steadily cover all the bases they
will repay you by changing the look and feel of the home for
many years to come.

We all want to look our best. Healthy skin makes us look younger and makes us feel more beautiful. In addition to the cosmetic benefits of healthy skin there are other health benefits to consider. Our skin was designed to be a protective barrier to keep bacteria, viruses and other contaminants from entering the body. Eating healthy is a great start to keeping your skin healthy but adding vitamins and mineral supplements act as insurance.

Free-radical damage occurs in skin just like every other part of our bodies. Anti-oxidant vitamins, like vitamin A, C and E are essential in warding off this damage. One of the types of free radical damage is the

Anti-oxidant vitamins, like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E are important to healthy skin because it is these vitamins that share in the responsibility of controlling the damage that free radicals, byproducts of energy production within the body and of environmental contaminants, produce. Collagen and elastin, which are fibers that support the skin, are damaged by these free radicals. As these are this damage occurs, wrinkles and a lack of that youthful elasticity begin to take place. Vitamin C is essential in the production of collagen, making it necessary to the look of the skin and its function. Recent studies have even found that the combination of Vitamins C and E can be used to help repair sun-damaged skin.

Small deficiencies of vitamin A can affect skins health and beauty. In addition to its anti-oxidant properties, vitamin A helps eliminate dryness and flakiness to the skin. This dryness makes lines and wrinkles in skin even more apparent than skin that is hydrated.

Vitamin A’s main use though is as a topical treatment for the reduction of lines and wrinkles and it’s been found effective against severe acne. Recent studies have found skin treatments that include the combination of Vitamin A and C can in some cases reverse the damage caused by aging and the sun.

Vitamin B deficiencies can lead to cracking, bleeding and even skin legions. These legions can be dangerous because they can allow bacteria, viruses and other contaminants to enter the body through the skin. Even a little shortage of Vitamin B can leave skin looking scaly and badly textured. Creams made with vitamin B have been found to hydrated skin cells, leaving firmer, healthier looking skin.

If you’re plagued by dark circles under your eyes, vitamin K has been found to help. Some studies claim that creams made up of both Vitamin K and Vitamin A are more effective than those made with Vitamin K, but research is still being done on this combination.

The minerals Selenium, Copper and Zinc have also been found to improve the look and health of skin. Selenium can be used as a topical treatment or a dietary supplement in an effort to prevent skin cancer. While Zinc, copper and the addition of vitamin C work together to keep skin healthy and firm by forming elastin.

Used correctly by following standard guidelines, vitamins and minerals can be a great way to keep skin looking young and healthy. The key is to recognize that these are powerful substances and care should be taken to use the proper dosage. Not following guidelines could result in effects that can result in serious side effects. Used correctly though, vitamins and minerals can be a welcome addition to your beauty regime.

Holly Dodd has been researching and writing about many consumer concerns such as skin care. She maintains a number of websites such as www.buckstopper.com to share

It has been said that it takes 21 days of consistent action to
change a behavior or create a new habit. Often times we want
something different but old tapes continue to play in our head
that keep us from reaching our goals and dreams. This can range
from trying to drop 10 lbs to gaining the courage to start your
work at home business.

The truth is going from an employee to an entrepreneur can be a
little scary. However one of the ways to reduce fear and
increase success is to lean on the wisdom and experience of
others who have been successful in life.

Some may be famous and others not. Nevertheless, the wisdom if
you choose to listen can help you create a paradigm shift in
thinking which the foundation to massive success. I have always
loved to listen to the champions that have gone before.

Here are 21 quotes that I have thought about often and used to
inspire me to down size my boss and it can do the same for you.

1. Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to
experience the world in the way they have been told to. —Alan
Keightley

Were you told to go to school and get a good job? I was. While I
know my mother meant well and thought she was preparing me tobe
able to have access to the pearly gates of success she could not
know how things would change.

However, I knew that I wanted more? How about you? Remember, you
don’t have to settle for 60 hour work weeks, 30 minute commutes,
your kids in day care or relocating for the promise of career
advancement. You don’t have to be part of the grind…the rat
race.

2. You will never change your life until you change something
you do daily. — Mike Murdock

Are you afraid to get started? It may seem overwhelming but if
you focus on simply daily actions the big goals take care of
themselves.

3. No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to
learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely,
positively have to find people who have already paid the price
to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals
—. Brian Tracy

Get help right out the gate. Find a mentor, coach, mastermind or
become a part a community that will help to support you in your
success. You want to become a life long learner. Attend seminars
and boot camps in your specialized area knowledge. When you
learn from people who have been successful and you model their
activities you will get their results.

4. By stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of
confidence you accelerate your development of competence. —
Michael J. Gelb

The only way to gain confidence in a certain area is to take
action. It is in the action you will start to have small
victories which will increase your level of success.

5. If you don’t program yourself, life will program you! —Les
Brown

Don’t let other people make decision for your life. If you have
no plan on you will create wealth during your working years your
employer will. Have no retirement plan? You don’t the government
to be your strategy. Remember, it’s your life and it’s now or
never.

6. There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions
as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.
—Denis Waitley

No matter what your current conditions are you have the
opportunity to change them. However, this only can happen if you
take total responsible for the direction of your life. If you
don’t like where you are forgive yourself and focus on
solutions. Don’t focus on problems or why you think something
can’t happen. Start to ask powerful questions the answers will
start to appear.

7. Everything you need you already have. You are complete right
now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on
the way to someplace else. Your completeness must be understood
by you and experienced in your thoughts as your own personal
reality. — Dr. Wayne Dyer

8. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light,
not our darkness that most frightens us. Who are we NOT to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? You are a child of
God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. We were born to
make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just
in some of us; it’s in us all. —Marianne Williamson

When I first heard this quote it brought tears to my eyes. What
talent or gift do you have that you are allowing fear to rob you
from achieving? Doing what you were called to do it is bigger
than you. You are unique and sharing your gift with someone
could make a difference in their life. Are you playing it too
small? Are staying in a job that doesn’t stretch you? What can
you do to make a difference?

9. You’ll see things “you never knew you never knew.” —
Disney’s Pocahontas

The journey and pursuit of freedom allows you to see the world
in a different way than others. As you grow you will naturally
see opportunities that others can not see. Jason Oman author of
Conversation with Millionaires calls it “Money Goggles.” Even if
you were in a pitch black room you will have infrared vision in
the area of creating opportunities to make money.

10. A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.
—Peter Marshall

You can’t have what you want in life by being indifferent.
Successful people are passionate and sometimes radical in
pursuit of their dreams. Don’t allow yourself to be in
environments that discourage you.

11. What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get
out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay
with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like
it you’ll never be successful in it. —Lee Iacocca

Why would you ever spend most of your waking hours doing
something that you don’t like? The key to success is finding
something you love to and set the standard for excellence.

12. Simply making consistent investments in our self-education
and knowledge banks pays major dividends throughout our lives.
— Jim Rohn

The self-education I have pursued after college has been my
greatest return on investment. There is something to be said
when you develop skills that you know will support you in any
economy. Specialized knowledge applied with all out massive
results will yield hefty financial and emotional rewards.

13. Finding your purpose may be a lifelong pursuit or you may
have discovered it when you were 5 years old. There’s no
absolute timeline for anyone. That’s a good reason never to give
up, to keep on discovering things every day. — Donald Trump

If you have not discovered your life’s purpose don’t be hard on
yourself. Start to ask yourself questions and enter into a
discovery process. Allow yourself to dream without concerns of
how you will get it done. Every time you think you have found
the answer did a little deeper with more questions. Rarely are
your true goals, purpose and desires on the surface of your
soul. Often times they have been put away for safe keeping to
protect yourself from disappointment. Keep discovering new
things until your purpose is crystal clear.

14. What material success does is provide you with the ability
to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is
being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but
in other people’s lives. —Oprah Winfrey

When you get the money out of the way your world expands even
greater. Oprah exemplifies this principle. She now looks for
ways to help others in everything she does. Whether it is giving
more support to your family or contributing to a worthy cause,
having freedom as a work from home entrepreneur will allow you
make your mark in the world.

15. The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows;
it is what the man or woman is able to do. — Booker T.
Washington

So what can you create and add value to the world? I love this
quote because it demonstrates very clearly that what matters are
results at the end of the day. Don’t get caught up in theories.
Make sure you are constantly taking action that moves you
towards a specific goal.

16. There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less
than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction. — John F.
Kennedy

Are you so afraid to fail that you just can’t get out of the
box? Don’t be. Many people have “failed” their way to million
dollar empires. It is better to do something and be wrong then
to do nothing at all. When you choose to do nothing someone else
usually makes a decision that impacts you and you ending up
doing something you don’t want to do.

17. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in
this world are the people who get up and look for circumstances
they want. –George Bernard Shaw

There is no such thing as luck. You create the luck by working
and preparing for the opportunity. When you start to put
yourself out there the universe gives back. Make sure you are
clear of your intentions and then go and make it happen.

19. It’s not the hours you put in your work that counts, it’s
the work you put in your hours. — Sam Ewing

You have the same 24 hours in the day as Bills Gate and Oprah.
Don’t sabotage yourself by saying, “Well they can do it because
their rich.” Unless you inherit wealth there is a price that
everyone has to pay. You don’t have to work all day at your work
from empire. However, you must consistently put time in if you
want success.

20. You must do the thing you think you cannot do. — Eleanor
Roosevelt.

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to do
something you think you can not do. It doesn’t have to be
something huge. A simple action of courage goes a long in adding
to your confidence in every area of your life.

21. You will never leave where you are, until you decide where
you’d rather be. — Dexter Yager

Until you know your purpose you will be at risk for staying in a
job that slowly eats away at you. Why? You simply don’t have a
strong enough goal to leave your current job. When the goal is
strong enough you will search to find the answers.

Acupuncture works! But your experience with acupuncture will depend largely on the acupuncture provider that you choose.

You want to find an acupuncturist that best suits your needs. If you like and trust your practitioner, your encounter with acupuncture will be more positive.

You will also want to know about the acupuncturists training and experience and what to expect from the acupuncture treatment. The clearer you are about who it is that is treating you and exactly what the treatment entails, the more you will be able to relax during the acupuncture session and benefit from this ancient form of health care.

Determine your goals

Do you have a specific injury or complaint or do you want to try acupuncture to balance body, mind and spirit? Are you looking for a primary health care practitioner, or someone to work in conjunction with your current physician?

Here are some questions that you should ask when choosing an acupuncturist.

• Where was he or she trained to practice Oriental Medicine?
• How long was the training?
• How long has he or she been in practice as an acupuncturist?
• What experience does he or she have in treating your specific ailment?
• Is he or she licensed?

What Qualifications to look for when Choosing an Acupuncturist

Today acupuncture is an acknowledged and respected field of medicine. In most States, provinces and countries formal training and certification is required in order to practice.

The United States has set rigorous training standards for acupuncturists. Most states require a 3-5 year Masters degree in Oriental Medicine from an accredited acupuncture school and issue a written and practical state board exam before an acupuncturist can become licensed.

In the states that do not require licensing, choose an acupuncturist certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. Its members have a degree in Oriental Medicine from an accredited school-or have worked as an apprentice acupuncturist for at least four years - and have passed both a written and practical exam. Acupuncturists who have passed this exam are entitled to add Dipl. Ac. (Diplomate of Acupuncture) or Dipl. O.M.. (Diplomate of Oriental Medicine) after their name.

Acupuncture requirements for Western doctors are generally more lenient than for non-MD’s. Choose a physician who also a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.). If there are none near you be sure that the M.D. or D.O. is a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture; it requires a minimum of 200 hours of training for membership.

Veterinary acupuncture is considered a surgical procedure that, legally, may ONLY be performed by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine.

Ask About Treatment Styles

Acupuncture and Herbology encompass several distinctive styles. Korean acupuncture, for example, primarily uses points on the hand, while Japanese acupuncture calls for fewer and finer needles inserted at shallower depths.

There is no evidence that one particular style is more effective than another, but you should know what you are getting into.

Discuss Length of Treatment

Decide in advance what your expectations are and discuss them with your acupuncturist. A chronic illness may need several months of acupuncture treatment to have a noticeable effect. If you are not happy with your progress, think about changing acupuncturists or check with your western doctor for advice about other options.

Diane Joswick, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist in San Diego, California. Please visit ACUFINDER.COM to learn more about acupuncture or to find a practitioner in your area.