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Growling is a normal form of doggie communication. Growling, along with body language and other vocalizations, gives us a view into the doggie psyche, into what’s going on in a dog’s brain. In this article, we’re going to dissect a growl – what does it mean, what should you do?

What is A Growl?

Dogs can’t use words to communicate, so they rely on body language and vocalizations (growls, barks, and whines, to name a few) to “have conversations.” Dogs converse with other dogs, as well as with people with these vocalizations. To really understand your dog, you have to know what growling does – and does not – mean.

Why Do Dogs Growl?

Not all growls are created equal. To decipher the meaning of a growl, we need to find out why the dog is growling. There are many reasons dogs growl – when playing, dreaming, protecting something of value, if they feel threatened, or scared.

What Does A Growl Mean?

Dog-to-Dog Growls

As mentioned earlier, it’s important to take into consideration the context in which your dog is growling. Remember, dogs don’t have words. They can only use their body language and vocalizations to communicate with their dog friends. Growling is one way dogs communicate with one another. Sometimes dogs growl when they are playing happily with another dog-friend.

Wondering how to tell the difference between a serious and a playful growl? Take a look at the dog’s bodies. Do you see the following?

• “Loose” bodies (not rigid and stiff)
• Mutual playing (both dogs are content to play together, neither one looks scared or threatened)
• Willingness to continue playing together (if one gets the chance to leave, does he?)
• Cooperative play (dogs take turns “winning” or pinning each other)

If you see these things, the dogs are most likely engaging in normal dog-play. If either dog looks scared, looks like they are bullying the other dog, or moves stiffly, it’s time to interrupt play-time and let them settle down before allowing them to play again.

Dogs also growl to communicate their uneasiness. Your dog may growl at another dog if that dog is:

• Unfamiliar
• Too close to a valued object
• Behaving inappropriately (jumping on your dog, for instance)
• Crowding your dog’s space

Dog-to-Human Growls

Much like dog-to-dog growling, dogs have different reasons for growling at humans. Some dogs growl playfully when interacting with humans. Other dogs growl at children, or men with hats, or some other elusive reason. Again, look at the context in which the growling happens – what does the dog’s body language tell you? Is he stiff or floppy?

What NOT To Do If Your Dog Growls

Knowing there are different reasons behind your dogs’ growls, it’s important to pay attention to the situation before deciding what to do with a growl. If the growl is playful, you probably don’t have to do anything about it, unless the growling bothers you. If you think the growl is more serious, it’s important to proceed with caution.

A growl is a good, clear warning signal and one that we should heed. The dog is clearly telling us that he’s not comfortable with the situation. The most important thing to note is that a growl is information. Punishing the dog for growling will not fix the problem. Punishing a growl will only take that form of communication away from your dog. The next time your dog is in the same situation, he will try a different form of communication – this time he may snarl or even snap. If you punish this form of communication, you’ll have a dog that bites without warning.

Forcing your dog to tolerate a situation that makes him uncomfortable is a recipe for disaster. By doing this, you are giving the dog no option to get out of the situation. If, for example, your dog is uncomfortable around small children and you hold your dog’s collar while allowing children to approach your dog, you aren’t helping alleviate your dog’s discomfort. You are actually contributing to the discomfort which could lead to a snarl, snap, or a bite. What to Do

If Your Dog Growls

Your first order of business is to determine what makes your dog uncomfortable in the situation. Is it the presence of small children surrounding him, another dog near a prized possession? Is he scared? Does he feel threatened? Once you know why your dog is uncomfortable, you can then do something about hearing his “call of distress” and do something to help him.

Here are some basic steps to follow. Please note that if you are afraid that your dog will bite, consult a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer and do not proceed with the following steps.

In this example let’s assume the dog is growling when you approach his food bowl.

1. Begin to hand feed your dog his meals. No more food in the bowl. If there isn’t food in the bowl, he’s much less likely to “guard” the bowl. Bonus: And it’s you that gives the dog the food. Therefore you become an important and welcome link to the food.

2. After your dog is eagerly accepting his food from your hand, begin to re-introduce the food bowl. Put the food bowl in your lap and drop three or four pieces of your dog’s food in the bowl. When he finishes those kibbles, drop three or four more in. Continue this until the dog’s entire meal has been eaten.

3. Once your dog is looking forward to your hand moving to his empty bowl to add more food, reserve an extra special treat (chicken, steak, fish – something REALLY delicious that he doesn’t normally get). Put five to ten pieces of food in his bowl and while he’s eating, drop in this delicious morsel. Your dog is learning that really good things happen when your hand moves toward his bowl.

4. If your dog readily accepts your hand approaching his bowl when he has a few kibbles in it, begin putting more kibble

in his bowl and then adding a delicious morsel every few moments.

Note: This process could take days, weeks, or months depending on your dog. Don’t rush these steps. If you are afraid that your dog will bite, DO NOT engage in this process. Find a professional positive reinforcement dog trainer.

By following these steps, you are solving the underlying problem (the dog’s dislike of approaching people) instead of just getting rid of his warning system. If, instead of implementing the steps above, you punished your dog for growling (by yelling or swatting at him, or taking his food bowl away), you are doing two things: (1) reinforcing his belief that people who approach his food bowl are dangerous and (2) getting rid of a perfectly good warning system. You are not, I repeat NOT, fixing the underlying problem.

Dogs can’t use words. It is up to each of us to listen to our dogs and try our best to decipher their language. Not all growls are created equal – know your dog. We expect dogs to listen to us, isn’t it time we start listening to them?

Laurie Luck, CPDT
Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Smart Dog University, LLC
Box 1111
Mount Airy, MD 21771
(240) 848-3468
laurie@smartdoguniversity.com
http://www.SmartDogUniversity.com
———————————————————————————————————————–
Laurie is one of only 1,300 certified pet dog trainers (CPDT) in the world and is the founder of Smart Dog University. She has been helping dogs and their owners for more than a decade. She is passionate about dog-friendly training and eschews punishment.

She works with dog lovers because she understand how frustrating it can be when people want to spend time with their dog, but don’t know how to get him to listen.

She loves what she does and has developed many happy friendships, both canine and human, along the way.

Laurie is owned by four dogs: two Labradors, a Great Dane Hound Cross, and an Australian shepherd.

For those starting out in bowling who have a good score, it is possible for them to consider trying their skills in an amateur bowling tournament. It not only brings about a confidence but also pays out a good amount in prizes. The amateur tournament.is made up of two divisions and has many breaks for those with handicaps.

The amateur bowling tournament started in the later months of 1977. It was created to unite bowlers of all skill levels into one great tournament. They realized that not all bowlers could throw a 200 or higher game and thus is the reason behind the amateur tournament. Not only can you find the amateur bowling tournament in North America but also internationally. This brings together other nationalities with a love of bowling. There is also a senior amateur bowling tournament for those over the age of sixty who still have the bowling spark in them also.

The amateur bowling tournament is no one of the largest tournaments around. It is the only bowling club that gives those participating assurance of winning a minimum amount. Depending on which branch of the amateur bowling tournament participated in will decide what prize is won. It also determines the amount of players participating in each division.

The amateur bowling tournament office is located in California and has since branched out to other areas of the country. This allows for more people to join in the amateur bowling tournament than in the past. There is a Masters Division and a Classic Division in the amateur bowling tournament. Your score will determine what amateur bowling tournament division you participate in. Most amateur bowling players fall into the classic division.

The amateur bowling tournament is designed for those who are bowling under 200 but may allow those with a 220 average in. The Masters Division was originally designed for those joining the amateur bowling tournament having a 190 to 220 average. This was eventually raised to those with a 225. The classic division in the amateur bowling tournament is was originally for those bowling with a 189 or lower but has since been raised to 199 or less.

Since its beginning, the amateur bowling tournament has paid out in the hundreds of millions of dollars for prizes. This means the amateur bowling tournament has paid out more than any other bowling club in existence. This amateur bowling tournament payout is even higher than the professional bowlers association that has been around for half a century. The amateur bowling tournament has only been happening for a quarter of a century. This is a feat within itself.

If you are really into the sport of bowling, you should consider trying your luck with an amateur bowling tournament. You may find that your skills are better than you thought they were. You can also learn a great deal from those who have participated in the amateur bowling tournament in previous years. Being in an amateur bowling tournament will not only be exciting but lots of fun also.

Jordan Matthews is an internet entrepreneur with a 239 average, who enjoys bowling at local ABT tournaments every weekend. Visit Jordan’s Bowling Website for more information about bowling in tournaments and improving your scores.

From time to time, we see so many horror movies come and go. Spooky, haunted houses, serial killers, slashers, maniacs, mentals, satanic and many others have been pictured in the movie. A lot of sub genres, a lot of remakes, a lot of variations, twist and all that can easily be found through the ages. Yeah, it’s all true. But have we ever thought where it all came from?

Or how does the horror movies genre change from time to time?

For you who share the same passion about horror movies, and want to know the road that have been travelled by Horror movies, allow me to have the honor to be your guide. Buckle up, here we go.

Where It All Began

The year was 1922, place: German. I can say that it was the birth of horror movies. W Murnau started the terror and fear through Nosferatu, nosferatuthe

story about bloodsucking vampire. It wasn’t the first vampire movie, as in 1896 Georges Melies made Le Castle Du Diable, but Nosferatu was the first movie where we saw vampire destroyed by sunlight. This one boasted remarkable animalistic makeup that has not been replicated, even with modern

technology. Dozens of vampire movies followed after that. In 1931 Universal Studio launched 2 legendary horror movies, Dracula with Bela Lugosi and Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Both of the movie became a classic and very successful. Boris Karloff even became a legendary name in horror movies history. The Mummy (1932) a silent picture with horror icon Boris Karloff in the title role, remains a classic, with unforgettable make-up and atmosphere. In 1935, the sequel of Frankenstein,

The Bride Of Frankenstein was made.This isn’t silent anymore.

Psycho

During 40′s the world’s on war, and it has changed the genre. Horror was almost forgotten as patriotic movies and war has taken the place. It slowly raised again around 50′s, where comedy and musical movies ruled. There were good ones took place at this time, House of Wax is one of the example. 1960 was the time for Hitchcock to make a memorable movie: Psycho. Too bad, this is the only horror movie by Hitchcock, cuz then he made lots of suspence thriller goodies like Rear Window, Vertigo,North by Northwest,Dial M For Murder that kinda changed the genre again. And remember, spaghetti western Movies in the late 60′s also had its moment.

The 70′s

This is the most creative year of Horror movies.Unlike before, horror movies got big exploration, where so many variation of story and evil came in. Note there were lots of controversy and protest happened here.The Exorcist (1973) for example showed disgusting scenes that never been imagined before, like the green puke to the face transformed to evil. This movie was controversial when Catholic Church protested that the demon cast-out in the movie was against the code of conduct. The shining, that based on Stephen King’s novel was one of the best one during 70′s. Later on from this decade to 80s and 90s, lots of movies was made based on his scary novel such as Carrie, Christine, Cujo, It, , Cat’s Eye, Dream Catcher, are the example. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was a low budget movie that reached a great result. This one introduced “the slasher movie” to the world that later followed by Halloween (say hi to Michael Myers) , Friday the 13th, Scream in the 80′s and 90′s and so on. Omen is a bonechillin’ movie that can still give

you nightmare even with today’s technology of making movie.Simply unforgettable. Amityville Horror, based on the true story was the first movie that took place in the actual location. The report said a lot of bizarre and dreadful things were experienced by cast and crew in location.

The 80′s

Freddie Kruger

This is the decade of madness. All gory stuff were shown sadistically for viewing. cutted off body parts were seen everywhere. Nightmare on Elm Street that launched Freddy Krueger to horror hall of fame, and Jason Voorheyes slashing games in Friday the 13th are one of the example. These two had some of their sequels during 80s, together with 3 of Halloweens. And remember how Italian horror movies that have a very sick super bloody vision? Count Romero and Argento for this category. This is also the era where horror expanded to tv.

The 90′s

Funny thing happened in 90s. There’s a tendency of self defense and self actualization by horror character on terror they have made to people. For example Ghost, Bram Stocker’s Dracula that told the story about Count

Dracula’s painful love to Mina, or Interview With Vampires that unlocked the mystery of vampire lives. Scream started a new genre, teen horror movies, slashing-serial-killer-who-did-it,which soon followed by I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and some more. A note in 1999, an independent movie Blair Witch Project became a big phenomena,using a documentation technique to give us fear,tense and mental disturbance. This one inspired some other movies like St.Francisville Experiment, The Lamarie Project and

tv series Freaky Links.

2000′s

Ringu

Still too early maybe to talk about horror movies in 2000s, but looks like Hollywood has running out of ideas. They are trying to widen up their view to see new ideas outside that can give new vision on the term of horror. The Ring, remake from Japanese movie was their first success. Followed by The eye, and some other remakes from Asian cinemas.

This decade seems being led by Japan and Korea, by making so many horror movies with lack of effects or gory blood but still successfully tortured our feeling. They don’t go with the Hollywood pattern, they just dig everything else that hasn’t been touched yet. Thailand is also emerging as a good horror maker. Indonesian movies too, with amusing number of horror movies every year. We also mark the decade 2000 for the decade of sequels and remakes too, such as Halloween H2O, Freddy vs Jason, modern version of Bram Stocker’s Dracula, Dracula 2001,

Halloween Resurrection, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , House of The Dead, The Amityville Horror and so on.

While the effort to combine some genres and produce something new has still been going on. Saw for example, combine the psycho thriller ala Hitchkock with slasher, sadistic, bloody and graphic scenes.

My prediction? I think this decade will continue to do so. Hopefully in the next decade we will see some new approach, style and way to present horror movies. Let’s wait and see where the horror movies continue their path.

By: Riandy Kurniawan
A Movie freak
Website: http://www.vrjunkyard.com

Every person likes their steak cooked a different way, so throughout this article I will make sure that I cover each possible different way so that you will always get the best result for yourself or whoever you cook for.

There are several different cuts of beef that will make a great steak, and there are also many grades of beef to consider, depending on what the cow was fed on the farm, so your first step is to choose which one you would prefer. The choices include rump, scotch fillet, porterhouse, eye fillet and T-bone as the main premium cuts generally eaten. The beef’s grading will come down largely to marbling and maturity of the meat. There is a debate as to which is better out of grain-fed and grass-fed cattle, and really the answer is grass-fed beef is healthier for you as it is the most natural form of the cattle, while grain-fed beef will have a lot more marbling and flavour, so I will leave that choice up to you which way you want to go. As for maturity, I recommend finding a butcher that will hang your meat for quite a long time in their meat locker before carving it, I have found that 27 days is ideal. This will help tenderize the meat by having it stretched out and relaxing the muscles, to give you the best possible final result.

The rump and porterhouse are firmer cuts, and the rump in particular can be a bit tougher and chewier than the rest, and you will find a strip of fat at the top of each of these steaks, which will help flavour and tenderize the steak during the cooking process. Both these cuts I would recommend eating rare to medium-rare (I will discuss steak doneness a little later).

Meanwhile the scotch fillet will come very nicely marbled with fat throughout, and can usually be distinguished by a C-shaped piece of fat close to one side. Due to the marbling it will be very tender and full of flavour (however if you’re on a diet it may be one to avoid for now), and I recommend eating it medium-rare to medium.

The eye fillet is the most tender cut of beef, and will normally be free of fat, although this also means you may need to do something extra to add some flavour to it, the most popular way being to wrap bacon around it during cooking, so the fatty flavours of the bacon are absorbed by the steak. This is my personal favourite steak, and is best eaten medium-rare to medium.

Lastly we come to the T-bone, which has both the eye fillet and porterhouse on either side of the bone, and will get its flavour from the strip of fat on the outside of the porterhouse. I recommend eating the T-bone rare to medium-rare, though it can be tricky to cook evenly due to the bone in the middle.

Once you’ve decided which cut of steak you will be eating, you need to work out how big a piece of meat you want. A normal-sized steak is generally around 300g for a good-sized meal, however it could range anywhere from 150g up to 1kg and even more! The size of your steak will become important later when you want to cook it to a particular doneness. For example, two different rump steaks could quite easily weigh the same amount, yet be completely different shapes, sometimes they can be wide and flat, and sometimes short and thick, depending on what part of the rump the steak was cut from. Choosing the size of your steak and the shape go hand-in-hand, it’s best to have a thicker steak for a rare or medium-rare steak, and when you want a medium-well or above thinner is better. This is so it doesn’t take a long time for you to cook, and you can still have a juicy steak without burning the outside.

Now let’s just get away from the steak for a minute and think about what you’re actually going to cook it on. Ideally you should have a chargrill, one that sits on an angle, and has enough space underneath the flame to have a tray that you can put a small piece of wood on. What I personally prefer is mesquite wood, which comes from the USA, and the best thing to do is to soak it in water for a couple of hours before cooking. This will help the wood give off its smoky flavour rather than just burn away, and it will also last longer, usually for at least a couple of hours.

I mentioned earlier that if possible your grill should be built on an angle, sloping up towards the back. As you know, heat rises, so naturally you should find the hottest part of your grill at the back, and get slightly cooler closer to the front. Most grills and hotplates in general will have certain “hotspots” that you will need to find for each one to work out the bests places to position your food when cooking. Once you’ve used a particular grill a couple of times you should find it quite easy to figure out your favourite spots to cook on. The combination of knowing where your “hotspots” are and using an angled grill will make it easier to find the best position to cook your steak. If you don’t have a chargrill to use and you have a flatgrill or a hotplate instead, I would recommend not cooking your steak entirely through on the hotplate, particularly for medium or above, seal it on both sides then place your steak on a tray and finish it off in an oven. Otherwise all you will do is burn the outside and lose all the moisture and juiciness from your meat.

The other element to consider is how you would like your steak cooked. In general, a well-done steak should be placed at the back, a medium steak in the middle of the grill, and a rare steak at the front. Obviously, this leaves medium-rare between the front and middle, and the medium-well between the middle and the back. In some situations you will need to adjust this slightly depending on the size and shape of your steak, a big, thick rump may need to be pushed a bit further up the grill to cook properly, while a thin and flat porterhouse might be best kept a little closer to the front to avoid overcooking. Your steak positioning will come down largely to personal preference and a bit of practice and experience with your grill.

Now that you should have worked out where on the grill you will place your steak, you’re almost ready to start cooking! What you need to consider now is how you will season your steak. You may not want any seasoning, that’s fine, go right ahead and start cooking. If you wish to use salt and pepper, I would suggest waiting until one side of your steak has been sealed before sprinkling any on, as salt has the tendency to leech out some of the moisture from your meat. My preferred method of seasoning is to get a really good steak seasoning spice and generously cover both sides before placing your steak on the grill. When you do place your steak on the grill, if you are going to have a rump or a porterhouse, make sure you place the strip of fat at the top, so as it cooks the fat will melt and drip through the steak, adding extra flavour to your meat.

The process of actually cooking your steak is quite simple, but there are a few key things you need to know to get the best result. Firstly, the advantage of using the chargrill means you can have nice cross-markings on your steak when it’s finished, which looks fantastic for presentation. To achieve this, your steak will need to be turned three times, the first time straight over itself, then on the second turn spin it around 90 degrees so the lines from the grill will cross over each other and make little brown squares all over the steak, and then the third and final turn will be straight over itself again. When you’re finished the steak should have cross-markings on both sides, and you can choose whichever side looks best to serve facing up.

What you should find if you have got the grill positioning right for your preferred doneness, 3-4 minutes in between each turn should have your steak turn out just the way you like it! (If you are cooking your steak bleu, you only need to cook it for 3 minutes on each side in total, just enough to seal each side basically).

This is just a guide to work by only, as each grill will produce slightly different results, but definitely the most important stage of cooking your steak is knowing when it is at the exact doneness you would like. This can sometimes be a little tricky, but there are a couple of methods for testing your steak without needing to cut into it. The best method to use when you’re just starting to learn would be what I call the “thumb test”. Hold your left hand out open and relaxed, and press the flesh of your left thumb with your right index finger. It should feel quite soft, and this is how a rare steak should feel when you press it with your finger.

Now lightly touch your left thumb to your left index finger, and press the flesh of your thumb with your right index finger. This is how a medium-rare steak should feel when it’s ready. Next, lightly touch your left thumb to your left middle finger, and pressing the flesh of your left thumb will feel like a medium steak when it’s ready.

Touching your left thumb to your left ring finger will make the flesh of your left thumb feel like a medium-well steak, and touching the left thumb to your left little finger will make the flesh of your thumb feel like a well-done steak. Try this out as a guide to get you started, and as with all things, practice and experience will help you hone your ability and instincts to know just when your steak is cooked to perfection! And just as importantly, make sure you get feedback from every person that you cook a steak for, this will make your progress go much faster. As they say, “feedback is the breakfast of champions!”

Another method to use, which can be a little bit sneaky, is if you can see into the middle of the steak at the edges to see what colour the middle looks like. This works really well for a scotch fillet, as you can gently pull away part of the meat right where the C-shaped piece of fat is without damaging your steak, and see if the inside is red, pink or grey.

Now I will explain to you each doneness, so you can work out how you would like to cook it and so you know what to look for when it is finished.

I will start with bleu, which is basically just sealed, is still very red in the middle, quite mushy to the touch, and will feel a little cool inside, only slightly warmed.

Rare is red in the middle from edge to edge, a little mushy, and will just feel warm inside. Medium-rare is red in the middle and pink at the edges, and will feel warm inside. Medium is pink in the middle from edge to edge, feels tender to the touch, and will be warm to hot inside. Medium-well still has a quarter in the middle that is pink, and will be grey at the edges, feels quite firm and is hot inside. If you plan to cook your steak medium-well or above, I would suggest you could speed up the cooking time by using a steak weight to place on top of your steak. It should be shiny silver and kept clean, and what will happen is the heat coming up from the flames below will be reflected down on to the top of the steak so it cooks on both sides. Make sure if you use a steak weight that you only place it on your steak after sealing one side so there is no chance of cross-contamination.

Well-done steaks are grey throughout, no pink at all, quite firm, although can still be juicy, and is very hot inside. Very well-done steaks are grey throughout with no pink at all, very firm, very hot, and no juices whatsoever. You can also get your steak cooked Pittsburgh, which basically means charring the outside so it is burnt while the inside doesn’t need to be completely cooked. For example, if you want to have your steak Pittsburgh-Rare, you could char the outside, and the inside would be red in the middle from edge to edge. To do this you will need some oil or butter, I personally use lemon butter just for the flavouring, and drizzle some over the steak until it drips onto the flames underneath. Your goal here is to build the flames up so they are licking at the steak and will cook the outside much faster than the inside.

CAUTION! Be very mindful of how much butter you use, make sure you have fire safety equipment, and if necessary that you have adult supervision. Do not do this if you do not feel comfortable working with large flames, it can be very dangerous if something nearby catches fire, so please be very careful if this is how you would like to have your steak cooked.

Everybody has different preferences when it comes to their beef, but I would urge you to try each different way so you can work out for yourself what’s best for you. Many people fear the sight of blood coming out of their steak, if you can work up the courage to try something new for yourself, who know, you might find you really like it! I personally eat my steaks medium-rare, and would like to take this opportunity to mention that once your steak starts getting to medium-well and above, you really lose a lot of the nutritional benefits of eating beef, so I would recommend not cooking your steak any more than medium, but obviously that is a choice that is entirely up to you.

Now all that’s left to do is to serve up your perfectly cooked steak, there are many choices of sides and sauces, far too many to list here. I always love it with a creamy mashed potato and seasonal steamed vegetables, and my favourite sauce is mushroom sauce. If you have the time the best sauce is made using beef bones, cooked off with a little tomato paste, then make a stock by boiling the bones in water with some celery, carrots, onion, leeks, bay leaves and peppercorns. Simmer it for a couple of hours until it reduces about three-quarters, and then remove the bones and vegetables. Add some red wine and port, and reduce it down to about half of where it is now, until it starts to thicken with a nice consistency. From here you can add some sliced mushrooms, or peppercorns if you prefer, and even add a little cream if you like as well. This is very time consuming to make the jus (rich beef gravy), but if you can do it you will find it well worthwhile. One other little tip I have for you is to brush a small amount of lemon butter over your steak before saucing it, this will keep your steak very juicy and tender.

I hope you enjoy cooking and eating many steaks in the future, and make sure you go out and impress your friends with your newfound cooking skills!

Mick Reade is a chef from Australia who has been cooking in commercial kitchens across the country for over 10 years, and has been helping teach others how easy it can be to cook great tasting and healthy meals, for more information please visit http://www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com

Children are becoming more like shorter adults as time goes on. They have cell phone, computers, busy schedules and they are also very expensive at times. When you have a child that plays sports, there are quite a few tricks to keep them (and you) on top of your game.

First and foremost, do not allow your child to become a prisoner of their own schedules. Most children cannot handle and do not want to be a part of seven different activities each week. At times this can be from the parents trying to mold their children into something they themselves were unable to accomplish as children or even as adults. Allow your child to express their interests in which sports they would like o be a part of and choose the ones they have talent in or enjoy playing and that fit well into their schedules. Once they are enrolled in the activities it is vital to ensure their needs are being met physically. This means going to bed at a reasonable hour and eating a healthy diet of foods necessary to fuel their sports playing.

Next is time management, what you teach your child as far as how to manage their day when they are young will stick with them for years and as they are adults. If you are always late, it will either annoy your child and they will become someone who is always early or they too will be people that are always late. Do not allow your child to sing up for a team sport and arrive late or miss practices or games as it is not only rude, but the child will not gain the same amount of skill that the others do. It is important to teach your child that what they commit to in sports or anything is life is something they should always follow through with and finish. Allowing them to miss events will only set them for more behavior to miss classes in college and find it completely acceptable, which then leads to missing work and overall becoming a very unstable adult.

While participating in the sports always be sure to encourage your child and not push them. When a parent becomes overbearing toward the child during sports, it gets inside the child’s mind and distracts them from what they are trying to do. It can also be embarrassing to them with their peers close by. Do note ever yell or shout at your child during any sporting events as the consequences can be very damaging. Instead, always smile and they know they can come to you if they need to. Save the criticisms for the ride home and not in a public place that may upset your child. Whether your child is great athlete or not, allowing them to participate in team sports is healthy and a great way to build a well rounded adult in the future. Always be positive and with that kind of support they can achieve anything.

Jesus likes to hike and backpack. He reviews different camping equipment. He has a website where he writes about target=”_new” href=”http://doublesleepingbagsreview.com/Light-Weight-Sleeping-Bags.html”>light weight sleeping bags and two person sleeping bags.

Childcare is often one of the main responsibilities and concerns for the young parents. There are formative age groups of children from babies to small children that need the proper care and attention of their parents. Moreover, in case of the absence of children, there is a need for a professional care and nurture paying attention to their safety and dietary requirements.

The above facilities can be availed from childcare providers that are there in the UK as well as in the other countries of the world. These are trustworthy and professionally trained organizations that are capable with proven standards. This is ideal for working parents and for those who wish to be reengaged to their professional life after pregnancy and childbirth.

In addition, if the parents are working there are childcare vouchers that their employers can provide them to help them make the arrangements easily. A system for tax benefits comes with the vouchers that can save on tax credits for the employees especially those who are parents of small to very small children.

These are ways of saving on your total tax credits on the entire salary or the gross salary amount. Here is how it works. There are deductions that are made from your salary of an amount up to 250 pounds a month for childcare. These vouchers can be redeemed for the services of any childcare provider that you deem fit for your little one. You can also make a weekly deduction of the same.

Now, the tax that you are paying for your salary every month will be on the amount after the deductions of the childcare vouchers. There are certain tax benefits in this for your employer as well.

Benefits in Tax Credits

The fact that childcare provider services are very expensive seems an attractive option to have been excluded from taxable incomes of parents. There are benefits that employers have in the exemptions from national insurances as well as certain other forms of taxes.

For parents there is a saving that comes in the form of one of the most important expense of their life. Acquiring any childcare support service like hiring a nanny, childcare centers and even workplace nursery among other options available is an important responsibility.

Childcare vouchers help them to provide the best there is available for their child’s age group and healthy benefits.

It is often a matter of concern among young and new parents that childcare providers are usually very expensive in the UK and in other countries as well. Thus, one of them opts to be at home to take care of the child.

However, child vouchers that come with a tax saving are seen as very helpful benefit that helps them to get the best services for their child while saving on taxes amounts. This has been a serious encouragement for parents to return to their professional life.

For more information on rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.childcare-vouchers.net”>childcare vouchers, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the tax credits!

My little nine year old girl started playing soccer last summer. It all started with pure fun, but after playing for a year now, it is evident that team sports really benefit a child’s growth.

When she began playing indoor soccer last summer, her coach complimented her athleticism and suggested that we should allow her to join the league for proper training and coaching in order for a better future. Even though it was quite challenging for her at first, since she hardly knew anyone on the team, her passion motivated her to keep playing. Through the process, she learned to make new friends and accept others. It was an excellent way to develop social skills for the years to come.

Besides learning to mingle, she learned how to listen and obey. Sometimes, I wish I could have the power of the coach to make her listen and follow my instructions without any questioning. One must show your ability and authority in order for the kids to trust in what you said.

What’s more, she learned the golden lesson, “practice makes perfect”. Success does not come in vain. Not only did she have to practice twice a week, but play an actual game as well. Needless to say, the star players on the team were usually the ones who were present at every practice. You may have talent, but practice is what makes full potential of the talent you have. Your harvest depends on how well you’ve farmed.

Of course, she grew physically stronger and more enduring with each game and practice as well. With all the junk food the kids are eating nowadays, exercise is crucial to part of their healthy development.

Last but not least, she learned how to embrace failure and always do her best in each game. While winning is an amazing experience, the game is about how you’ve proved yourself and how well you have done. Winning is just an empty feeling when no hard work was put forth and no team work was shown. Failures are inevitable in life. It is good to learn early how to accept it, learn from it, and move on.

My daughter is now begging to play basketball in the upcoming season just because one of her friends is playing also, but I convinced her otherwise. If she had quit soccer, then what was all the sweat and tears for? She had just begun improving and excelling in soccer that it would be a waste to just quit. Perseverance is another key to success. My little child got ALL that from just playing soccer for one season, what about your kids?

Author, Myra Lee, marketing manager for [http://www.favoritekidsbedding.com] Here you can find all unique designs of bedding and coordinate bedroom accessories for your kids bedroom. To choose a bedding with sports theme, visit our [http://www.favoritekidsbedding.com/store-categories-Soccer-Bedding_3787613.html]

Remember the Peter Stuyvesant cigarette ad they used to show in the movie theatre … the one with the beautiful models playing in a winter paradise of crisp clean snow, wide open spaces and the commanding presence of the mountains towering in the crystal clear air? (I know I’m showing my age, but bear with me a moment.)

They (the cigarette company) were hell bent on showing you the lifestyle of the rich and famous and making you wish you had it… Well, snow skiing is one of those recreational activities that takes you one step closer to living the Lifestyle!

So here is a short guide to Snow Skiing for Beginners.

Tip # 1- Get Some Lessons

You’ve made the decision to boldly venture where you’ve never gone before – balanced precariously on small slender pieces of wood & metal on a slippery surface that will get you all wet. Sounds simple and easy enough, but it takes a lot of courage to get out on that limb for other people to see just how green you really are. But even one lesson will build your confidence, lessen your fear and help you appreciate the grace and beauty of cross-country skiing.

It’s essential to take a lesson early in your skiing career to help you get the basics such as balance, control and stopping under your belt on a flattish surface before you take on the slopes. You won’t get all of it down pat in the first run – you’ll slowly apply and perfect them as you continue – but being aware of them will help you gain confidence. Skiing is a confidence sport – the more confidence you have in your own ability, the better you’ll be able to cope with what the slopes throw at you!

And you don’t need to fork out the big bucks for private lessons either. Lessons in small groups help you learn from other’s mistakes, not to mention building camaraderie with other newbies like yourself.

Most Ski Resorts offer beginners classes so be sure to check it out with your chosen ski resort and reserve your spot in the first class on offer on the day you arrive.

Whether you’re a total novice having never ventured onto skis in your life before or been on the slopes a couple of times, regular lessons in your burgeoning skiing career will help you to improve your skills, correct any bad habits you might have picked up and set your skis on the path to total enjoyment and freedom.

Remember, speaking to experts and more advanced students is still the best way of getting all the practical info you need.

Yolande runs the site [http://www.skiingtips.org] which is a collection of skiing tips from the Beginner to the Expert Skiier. To read part 2 in this series, please visit Snow Skiing Tips for the Beginner [http://www.skiingtips.org/Taking-The-Plunge-Snow-Skiing-Tips-For-The-Beginner-Part-2.php]

Are you afraid to speak in the public? Do you want to overcome your fear of public speaking? If your answer to the two questions above is yes, then read on as I share with you my own personal experience on how I overcame my fear of public speaking.

If you think you are alone with this fear of public speaking; then think again. I also had the same fears and many people all over the world also share your fears to speak in public. I recall several incidents that occurred while I was growing up. As a child, I often got punished with the rest of my classmates for failing to answer the teacher’s question; even though I had the right answer within me.

I preferred to be punished with others than raise my hand to answer a question; my fear of public speaking was so strong that I would rather risked being punished in school than to see myself being exempted from punishment, simply because I answered a question.

If there was anything I hated most, it was standing out from the crowd; and public speaking was one thing I hate. I often missed school feigning illness just to avoid the debate classes organized by the school management. Now how did I overcome my fear of public speaking? That’s what I am going to share with you now.

In this article, I am going to share with you my step by step strategy to overcoming my fear of public speaking. If you are willing to learn and take some actions, then below is my ten step guide to overcoming your fear of public speaking.

1. I acknowledged my fears: The first step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to acknowledge my fears. I wasn’t shy about it; I openly admitted that I was afraid to speak publicly. One of the mistakes people make is that they hide their fears; and this fear eats them up silently. They feign boldness on the outside but inside; they pray that the earth should open and swallow them.

The positive side of openly admitting your fears is that you will become more challenged to overcome it. Openly admitting your fears means you are facing your fears head on. It might earn you some mockery but it’s a way to go especially if you can use that mockery as leverage to boost your determination.

2. I traced the root cause of this fear: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to trace the root cause of the fear. I came to understand that the root cause of this fear was the mentality I grew up with. During my primary school days, I recall coming first in class term after term. I was happy and my parents were, but it put a strain between me and some of my childhood friends.

My friends began to pull back from me because they felt they were out of my league academically and it hurt me. I wanted to be like everyone else; that was where I developed the attitude to avoid “standing out.” If being outstanding was going to single me out of the crowd, then I didn’t want it. Now having understood the cause of my fears, I decided to attack the root cause. I began to be me, regardless of what people said. I began to take on challenges, not because I loved challenges but I just wanted people to talk. This attitude pitched me against people who felt I was showing off but I didn’t care; I just wanted to be me.

3. I developed a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking: To be sincere, I don’t think you can overcome your fear of public speaking if you don’t desire it strongly. I was able to overcome mine because I desired it. I wanted to express myself in public without an iota of fear and I was prepared to do whatever it takes to bring such desire into reality.

4. I prepared my mindset to take whatever comes: I had a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking and also develop my public speaking skills. But deep down in me, I knew it wasn’t going to come easy; I knew there has to be a price and I was willing to pay it. I prepared my mind to accept whatever comes; I knew the worst may come so I prepared to meet it in advance. I prepared to take the booing, mockery and rejection that may arise in the process of learning to speak confidently in public. So if you really want to overcome your fear of public speaking, then you must be prepared to take whatever comes.

5. I kept an open mind: To overcome my fears, I kept an open mind. I knew I had to learn and learn real fast. Learning in this case is not the classroom kind of learning; it’s a type of lesson that can come in the form of suggestion, advice or even criticism.

6. I learned from the masters: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to seek advice from the masters. I began to read books and listen to tapes authored by people such as Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie, etc. By reading the materials published by these great public speakers, I tapped into their wisdom and gained inspiration from them.

7. I harnessed the power of positive affirmation: Another step I took to enhance my public speaking ability was to use positive affirmations. You might think it’s not effective but I stand to tell you that it works like magic. By using positive affirmations such as “I can do it” or “I know I am destined for this”, you will unconsciously boost your self esteem. Remember the bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue, so learn to use the power of spoken words to your advantage.

8. I developed the passion to teach: Public speaking is more or less teaching. Most great public speakers are teachers so if I am going to excel as a public speaker; if I am to overcome my fear of public speaking, then I have to develop the passion to teach. That was how I became a teacher; sharing information over the web, on platforms and through hard copy materials.

9. I started small: Today, I speak on platforms; hold seminars and engage in one on one consultations but it was not so few years ago. I started small. I started out by practicing in front of a mirror; imagining myself standing on a stage. I worked on my body language and movement in my closet and from there; I proceeded to speaking for free. I also engaged in positive discussions and I wasn’t afraid to take a stand. I began to accept the crowd as a group of friends; never again was I to be scared of speaking in front of an audience.

10. I became a confident speaker: After taking the nine simple steps.above, I became a confident speaker. I can now speak to any capacity of audience provided I am well grounded on the subject. But I want you to know that I didn’t develop my public speaking skills overnight; I underwent a process that was triggered off by my desire to overcome my fear of public speaking.

As a final note, these are the exact steps I took to overcome my fear of public speaking. If you take a close observation, you will notice that they are very simple steps. Well, overcoming your fear of public speaking will not occur by just reading this article. It will only happen if you take action just as I took action. I wish you good luck.

And just before I drop my pen, if you need Expert Advice on How to Start a Business from scratch; please feel free to visit my blog. In addition, you can also download my free definitive guide on How to Become a Millionaire fast in less than a year.

Starting out in internet marketing is almost always overwhelming

your-web-hosting-needs-for-your-small-business/647/’>tomer-service-in-the-insurance-field/707/’>to e-business newcomers, even if they are seasoned business

professionals or marketing experts. Internet marketing is truly

original and quite different from traditional marketing. The

complexity is compounded for those who do not have vast

experience operating or marketing a business. Whatever the

circumstances, many new internet entrepreneurs ponder the idea of

hiring an internet marketing expert to get their internet-based

business off the ground.

There are different types of internet marketing experts who

provide various levels of support and services. Hiring or

contracting to a full-service internet marketing expert can be

quite expensive, but using limited services of an internet

marketing expert can be both cost-effective and advantageous for

a new internet business. Another option to hiring an internet

marketing expert is to pursue training and educational

opportunities in internet marketing that will prepare you to

become an internet marketing expert yourself.

Some services offered internet marketing expert firms include:

1. Preparation of marketing plans

2. Internet marketing

consulting services

3. Management of specific internet marketing

campaigns

4. Full-service planning and management of the internet

marketing program

Having an internet marketing expert craft a marketing plan that

is specific to your business is a good way to gain an

introduction to internet marketing and to realize your internet

marketing potential. A marketing plan prepared by an internet

marketing expert should contain an analysis of your business and

your industry as well as identifying and evaluating your

competition and recommending a niche market for you to target.

The internet marketing expert should also outline internet

marketing strategies for you to use to reach your target market

and to drive targeted traffic to your website. Specifics of your

planned internet marketing campaign should be included in the

marketing plan along with milestones and an internet marketing

budget. Using an internet marketing expert in this capacity will

provide you with a clear internet marketing plan that will serve

as a guide for your internet marketing program.

Internet consulting services provided by an internet marketing

expert can be provided one-on-one, through classes or through

coaching. Generally, such consulting services accomplish the same

thing as a marketing plan prepared by an internet marketing

expert, but they are less formal and more intended to condition

you to prepare and administer your own marketing plan and

program. Working with an internet marketing expert on a

consulting basis is a great way to learn about internet marketing

and to prepare yourself to manage your own internet marketing

program.

Sometimes you may find it beneficial to hire or contract an

internet marketing expert to manage a specific area of your

internet marketing campaign that is time consuming. Search engine

optimization and pay-per-click management are examples of these

specific activities that may benefit from the use of an internet

marketing expert. Both require ongoing monitoring and adjustments

to be continually effective and cost-efficient. Linking campaigns

are also ongoing, time consuming tasks that you may want to

consider outsourcing to an internet marketing expert.

A full-service internet marketing expert generally provides a

wide-array of internet marketing services. Among them are the

marketing planning tasks of reviewing the industry, identifying

the competition, analyzing the market, pinpointing a target

market, developing a unique selling proposition, identifying

marketing methods, and planning the marketing budget. Once the

marketing plan is in place and approved by you, the full-service

internet marketing expert actually launches and manages your

internet marketing campaign.

Considering all of the levels of service that an internet

marketing expert can provide will help you to decide whether or

not to hire an internet marketing expert. The main advantages of

using the services of an internet marketing expert are access to

expertise and freeing up your time. The disadvantage, of course,

is the cost associated with the use of an internet marketing

expert. In making that crucial decision for your unique business,

a cost-benefit analysis can provide guidance to ensure that you

make the best decision for your business.

Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you’re getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com

It is the augmentation in fashion trends in India that revolutionized the merchandising system in retail industry. Brands in apparel, textiles, jewelry, accessories, footwear, cosmetics and salons raised the business more than Rs 40,000 crore.

The Indian retail market is evolving rapidly. It is palpable that now Indian retail industry requires lots more of fashion. The organized retailing is developing at breakneck speed. It is amicable to all that fashion is a vital part of both the retail industry as well as the brands. Fashion has led the retail industry boom and it has sustained its dominance in every malls, markets and stores.

Since the spread-out of malls is increasing, the major issue will be how to organize fashion retails industry, has potential of making Rs 50,000cr business by the year 2007. Indian retail would cover-up 50mn sq ft by 2007 of sales space countrywide, and nearly 50 % of the total space would be assigned for fashion retailing. It is anticipated that about Rs 20,000cr retail sales would be coming-in from the fashion retailing. A population of over one billion, a massive consumer class, India is considered as the most preferred destinations for investments.

Apparel and textiles makes the biggest segment in retailing sectors, and if we accumulate all the other related segments such as jewelry, cosmetics, watches, health & beauty care etc at one single platform, then fashion would account nearly 60 % of the total retail sector.

With radically changing fashion and retail industry, the Indian consumers are facing considerable transformation. With an increase income levels and increasing attitude “LOOK GOOD – FEEL GOOD”, fashion is offering huge potential to penetrate deeper into the untouched Indian markets.

Fashions will account nearly 95% in total sales in the department stores, while in hypermarkets such as Big Bazaar the share could be about 70%. Fashion apparel has been the significant segment in the terms of evolution in Indian retail industry, not due to its size but the way it has influenced lifestyle of the Indian people. It was apparel that led multi-national brands to explore and invest in the Indian market, which led the ball rolling to rearrange the retail industry.

Few key factors that shaped the fashion retail industry are listed below:

. Massive spread-out of the malls, hyper markets and supermarkets throughout the country, even in non-metro cities.

. Mergers and acquisitions, which let huge brands to participate in the local market.

. The advantages by the elimination of global textile quotas in 2005.

. Expansion strategies of brands and retailers.

. Many international brands march into domestic markets.

. Many brands performed well in the mass segment.

. Boom in luxury retail segment.

. Indian fashion designers marked their names at International platforms.

. Considerable expenditure on ad and marketing by apparel brands.

. Enhanced merchandising let the companies to enhance consumer relations.

Few points on which retailers and brands should mull over:

. Collaborative tie-ups with non-competent services providers and brands.

. Offer value-added products, not cash discounts.

. Offer uniform sizing throughout the country.

. Offer personalized services.

. Concentrate on particular buyer or market segment. Take action to fulfill the demands.

. Try to become exclusive stores for specific brands and adopt shop-in-shop system.

. Place well behaved, polite and trained sales staff to manage counters.

. Go for organized merchandising format for your company.

. Avoid offering all at once. Introduce products assortments in a phase manner with latest trends.

. Try to get feedback from the consumer on “What they want?”

Review of some of the retail industry players on the attained targets and their wishes for the current year:

Benetton

Achieved Target:

. Successfully reestablished its place in the market, with opening 22 stores.

. Higher development – In fact the highest of all segments and categories.

. Enhanced brand image from small to huge format flagship.

Wishes

. People should enhance living standard, moving to mono-brand from multi-brand outlets.

. Excellent training and salaries to sales staff and be more mass-oriented.

. Expand in 5 lakh plus towns, providing similar buying experience.

. Looking for continues support from the consumers and to emerge as fastest evolving brand.

. To enhance team’s performance in coming years.

Blackberrys

Achieved targets:

. Take a lead in the dress-up segment that features dressing for occasion, success etc in trousers, and also in men’s suits.

. Concentrated on top around 70 MBOs and trying to deliver better.

. Enhancing perform of team – planning to establish systems to make them more productive and glad.

Wishes:

. To implement system for on-time deliveries.

. To put scissors on product assortment in terms of the number of styles – which will led company to serve better to fewer customers.

. Excellent outsourcing with making dedicated team to take care of it.

Forbes Gokak

Achieved Targets:

. In a span of less than two years, Daks brand has been successful to hit the Indian market despite of being a foreign brand.

. Managed tie-up arrangements for manufacturing Daks brand in India and Central Europe.

. Also signed agreements for Trussardi and Savile Row.

Wishes:

. To be a front runner in the Indian apparel market.

. To add 25 more stores.

. Allure entire high-end women class to wear Trussardi.

. Enhance sales staff performance.

Gini & Jony

Achieved Targets:

. Signed agreement with Reliance

. Signed license agreement for its kidswear brand ‘Levi’s Sykes’.

. Increased production capacities at Daman and Baddi.

Wishes:

. To get recognition as global brand in the international market.

. To create a different brand identity for all in related segments.

. Establish entire lifestyle stores for kids, under the brand Gini & Jony

. Pull down custom duties on accessories and fabrics etc.

Modelama Exports

Achieved Targets:

. Expanded product assortment mix and added knits, which was entirely woven product base before.

. Arranged tie-ups with some global brands, such as J Jill, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and Marks & Spencer.

. Increased capacity to attain a 40% growth rate comparing to the previous year.

Wishes:

. To train workers (sewing, inspection and finishing).

. To work close with fashion institutes like NIFT to revise and develop fashion trends.

. To introduce a brand, which is competitive, enduring and reliable product.

. To introduce specialized product assortment, featuring all-weather conditioner and change character consequently to match the consumer demands.

. To develop a stage where high-tech technology is available to small and medium scale producers so that they can enhance quality standards.

Pantaloons

Achieved Targets

. Started Asset Management Companies.

. Launched Big Bazaars in remote towns like Sangli.

Wishes:

. Reaching a target business of two and a half thousand crores in 2006-07 fiscal.

. Identify and present the consumers’ fashion requirement.

. Dominate the in all fashion segments like lifestyle, premium and value.

. Introduce or acquire new brands in fashion.

. To rope-in best fashion industry veterans.

Piramyd

Achieved Targets:

. Emerged steadily in the market – launched stores at Ahmedabad and Ludhiana, and planning three more in coming months.

. Introduced new brand “Trumart” with three stores in Mumbai and four in Pune.

. The IPO got oversubscribed by nearly 12 times that generated about Rs 108 crore.

Wishes:

. To Launch FDI for least lifestyle retail, this will lead Indian fashion designers to think globally.

. Create enhanced retail space for high-end retail.

. To make Fashion Alliance more practical and a reality to make sure that it gains momentum.

. To make fashion more affordable with a better ambience.

Raymond

Achieved Targets:

. Launched EBOs for all brands.

. Successfully introduced new product assortment such as non-iron shirt in Park Avenue and new suit ranges to uphold brand image.

. Also introduced the womenswear and kidswear collection.

Wishes:

. To launch a magazine on fashion.

. Begin a fashion week.

. Expand in US market.

. To launch a website that talks about lifestyle and fashion.

Sports Station

Achieved Targets:

. Successfully introduced two brands: H2O Plus and CPS Clothing.

. In a move to concentrate on expansion and new concepts for brands, the company has signed agreements with global brands such as Nike and Levi’s.

. Launched MBO for leather shoes “Shoe Tree.”

Wishes:

. To present new concept, where both international and local brands can be presented under single roof.

. Expand product assortment in luxury, premium and affordable segments.

. Duty validation, especially in footwear which is at a 12.5 % as compared to apparel which is at only 4 %.

. Validating countervailing duty (CVD) which is at of 60 %.

Fibre2fashion.com – Leading B2B Portal and Marketplace of Global Textile, Apparel and Fashion Industry offers Free Industry Articles, Textile Articles, Fashion Articles, Industry Reports, Technology Article, Case Studies, Textile Industry News Articles, Latest Fashion Trends, Textile Market Trends Reports and Global Industry Analysis.

To read more articles on Textile, Fashion, Apparel, Technology, Retail and General please visit http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article If you wish to download/republish the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the “Article Source”. Also, you have to make it hyperlinked to our site.

Copyright © 2006

Dining out is an occasional indulgence for some people. For some, it is a way of life. Whatever the case for you, careful choices and moderate portions will help you make dining out part of a wise overall plan for your diabetes nutrition.

1-Research the menus. Ask the waiter about recipes.

Many restaurants include information about the nutrition values of their entrees. When this resource is available to you, take advantage of it. Research food or meal options at those establishments to make the healthiest choices possible.

2-Keep your helpings of food in check.

Diabetes nutrition is based on moderate portions, so keep portion sizes in check. Large portions are the norm at many restaurants.

How to control your portions.

Always choose the smallest meal size if they offer you options. Share part of your meal with a dining partner or request a take-home container. Avoid “dangerous” places like all-you-can-eat buffets. Resist overeating will be surely hard with that many options. Small amounts of many different foods can obviously add up to a large calorie count.

3-Make substitutions.

Choose for example a diabetes-friendly side salad or a double order of vegetable, instead of fries. Do not settle for what comes with your meal or sandwich with the eyes closed. Try a flavored vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice on your salad, or use fat-free or low-fat salad dressing rather than the regular variety. Instead of shredded cheese and sour cream, ask for salsa with your burrito. On sandwiches, substitute mustard, ketchup, fat-free mayonnaise or a slice of tomato for the house dressings or creamy sauces.

4-Watch the “extras”.

Keep in mind that the extras such as croutons, fried chips and bacon bits can undermine your diabetes nutrition goals by increasing the carb and calorie count. So watch the extras! Do not ever forget that all the additions have calories, even the healthier ones, like barbecue sauce, fat-free mayonnaise and salad dressings. Notwithstanding, you can enjoy small servings of these, without sabotaging your meal plan.

5-If possible, speak with the chef.

Food preparation is also worth to consider. Avoid fried and breaded food. Instead request that your food be roasted, grilled or broiled. Whenever necessary and possible, ask if the chef can use skinless chicken, whole-grain bread and low-cholesterol eggs. If you are to order pizza, avoid doubling on meat or cheese, and request lots of vegetables and just a thin crust. Ask that no salt or MSG be added to your food if you are on a low-sodium diet. When you request healthier options and substitutions, do not feel like you are stepping out of line. You have the right to do it. You just try to stay committed to your meal plan, and you are simply doing what it takes to accomplish that.

6-Avoid high-calorie beverages.

Watch what you drink. Keep an eye on the continuously refilled soda glass. Each glass of sugar-sweetened soda adds hundreds of calories to your meal. Ice-cream drinks and shakes may be even worse. They have more calories, as well as saturated fat. Instead, drink water, diet soda, sparkling water, mineral water or unsweetened iced tea.

7-Refrain from overdrinking alcohol.

Alcohol is another crucial matter. Alcohol has its own caveats because it can worsen your diabetes. An occasional drink with a meal is fine, if your diabetes is under control and your doctor agrees. Remember that alcohol adds empty, non-nutritive calories to your meal. Diabetes complications, such as eye disease and nerve damage, might be the immediate consequences of drinking imprudently. Nevertheless, if you choose to drink alcohol, opt for light beer or dry wines, beverages with fewer calories and carbohydrates. Other options can be mixed drinks made with sugar-free mixers such as diet tonic, club soda, seltzer or diet soda. One or two drinks a day should be your limit, anyway.

8-Eat out at your usual time.

Sometimes it is hard to maintain the blood sugar level steady, especially if one takes insulin shots or diabetes pills. Eating at the same time every day can help achieve that.

Follow these steps if you are dining out with others:

+ Schedule the gathering at the time you usually eat.

+ Try to avoid times when the restaurant is busiest, or make a reservation to avoid waiting for a table for long  periods.

+ If you cannot avoid dining out later than usual, snack on a starch serving or a fruit from the upcoming meal at your usual mealtime.

9-Save room for the afters.

Sweets are not necessarily off-limits. Just remember that sweets count as carbohydrates in your meal. Reduce the amount of other carbohydrates in your meal, such as tortillas, rice, bread, potatoes or milk, if you would like dessert.

Bottom line: the point is to never forget the principles of diabetes nutrition, whether you are at home or dining out. Limit the amount of carbohydrates, salt and fat in your diet. Eat a diversity of healthy foods.

Responsibly follow the nutrition guidelines set by your dietitian or doctor. If you do that and work together with them, you can afford the joy of eating out without setting your meal plan aside.

JOSE TALAVERA – Health advisor. Diabetes expert. Experienced consultant and author. If you like this article, please visit the web site below for more advice and resources: http://conquer-diabetes.blogspot.com

When it comes to vehicles, classic cars are absolutely at the top of the pyramid, with their amazing features setting them far apart from the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately, as is typical for anything that attracts attention, classic cars tend to attract a decent share of thieves and vandals. Additionally, because classic cars are rare and tend to be expensive, many large “major player” insurance companies and agents will not even offer insurance for them. But just because it can be mildly difficult to find the right kind of insurance for your classic car, that does not mean that you can simply drive around without any insurance. Many states require that your vehicle be insured, and you can face serious fines if you are caught driving without adequate insurance coverage.

Finding the right kind of insurance for your classic car is going to take a little bit of time, and a lot of research. Even more research will be involved if you are set out to find the cheapest available antique and classic car insurance available. There are car insurance companies out there which specialize in insurance options for antique and classic cars. Additionally, there are large automobile insurance companies which offer specialized insurance including antique and classic car insurance, but you will have to do a decent bit of searching in order to find them. A good place to start is with insurance companies like Hagerty, Leland west and Norwich Union which all specialize in antique and classic car insurance. It is important that you weigh a lot of different options, because the costs associated with antique and classic car insurance can vary wildly depending on which automobile insurance provider you go with. It is also important that you determine what each insurance company will value your classic car at, in order to make sure that you are going to be insured for the full value of your car. Traditional car insurance values the car at the cost to replace it, minus any depreciation that it has experienced. This is what sets antique and classic car insurance apart from traditional car insurance. With antique and classic car insurance, the value of your vehicle is typically an agreement made between you and the insurance provider. This way, you will not lose a serious investment in the event that your vehicle is ever totaled in an accident, or stolen and never recovered.

The absolute best option for you to pursue when it comes to automobile insurance for your classic car is called an agreed value policy. Before this type of policy is purchased, you are required to sit down with an agent with the insurance company in order to come to a concrete agreement for the value of your vehicle. If your vehicle is ever totaled or lost, this is the amount that will be paid by the insurance company. This is also the point where you will receive a quote for the monthly payment. Another thing that sets antique and classic car insurance apart from traditional car insurance is the fact that antique and classic car insurance premiums are typically significantly smaller than what you will pay for traditional car insurance. However, not just anyone can acquire antique and classic car insurance, so before applying you should make sure you qualify for all of the following criteria:

o Many antique and classic car insurance policies require that you meet a specific age limit. This is to insure that the driver(s) on the policy have adequate driving experience and are not in jeopardy of causing an accident. This makes it difficult for young and new drivers to acquire automobile insurance, even if they are driving an antique or classic vehicle.

o Many antique and classic car insurance policies have also imposed a minimum age limit for your vehicle, in order to determine whether or not it can be considered an antique car. The typical limit is fifteen years old, so if your vehicle is less than fifteen years old you may have difficulty securing antique car insurance for it.

o In order to qualify for classic car insurance, there are certain limits on how your classic car can be used. For example, you must have a garage or some other form of protective storage to park the vehicle in. Additionally, you cannot use your classic car for any business purposes. Finally, there is a limit on the number of miles that you can put on your vehicle every month or year. If you go over the mileage limit you can but your vehicle in danger of losing its protective insurance. Because of the imposed mileage limit, you must also be able to prove that you have another vehicle which is used for normal driving.

Antique and classic car insurance is by far the best option if the vehicle that you are driving can be considered a collectible. This form of insurance is designed to protect cars that appreciate in value over time rather than depreciating. Most insurance companies will allow you to insure your classic car traditionally if you cannot find adequate antique car insurance, but you should expect to pay more in monthly premiums, and to receive significantly less in a pay out settlement if your vehicle is ever totaled. What this means is that if you are driving an antique or classic car, and specialized insurance is available to you on a local level, you should absolutely take the offer in order to protect your vehicle inexpensively without losing out on the serious investment that went into your prized possession.

For more information about Cheap Antique and Classic Car Insurance visit http://www.InsuranceSalesman.comwhere we also have comprehensive guides to Antique Car Insurance USA and Classic Car Insurance for Young Drivers in the USA

According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), US households are expected to spend $50.84 billion on their pets in 2011. This amount includes expenses on food, supplies, OTC medicines, vet care, live animal purchases, and grooming and boarding of pets. Pet owners pamper their cats, dogs or other animals, take them wherever they go and buy the best of products for them. A pet very soon becomes a part of one’s family and thus gets the same treatment as the other members of the family. This means buying the best food, pet supplies and medicines that ensure its proper growth and good health. Buying wholesale pet supplies for your cat or dog can be a great way to save money while always having the essential products close at hand. This process has become very simple and convenient with the mushrooming of online pet stores that offer great discounts and deals.

Types of Wholesale Pet Supplies

Whatever type of animal you may choose as a pet, you need certain basic essential items, such as food products, on a regular basis, as well as products that help you to groom, train and keep them healthy. In addition to these wholesale pet supplies, you may also need to purchase certain medicines from time to time to take care of any health issues. Various categories of supplies are available in the market. While some are common for all types of pets, there are others that may vary depending on whether you have a cat, dog, aquatic animal or bird. In a broad sense, wholesale pet supplies can be categorized into:

• Pet training products
• Pet grooming products
• Food Items
• Feeding and Water containers
• Pet cleaning products
• Supplements
• Pet carriers
• Pet Toys
• Beds
• Health Care products
• Grooming books and CDs
• Pet Clothes and collars

Apart from these types of wholesale pet supplies, you may need to buy certain veterinary medications that are used to relieve and manage the suffering of pets. Common problems faced by pets include fever, itchy skin, hair loss, ticks, cancer, rabies, ear mites, dysentery, tumors, worms, etc. You can find branded as well as generic medicines at the various online wholesale suppliers.

Considerations While Buying Wholesale Pet Supplies

Buying wholesale pet supplies is easy but you first need to identify what products you wish to buy and whether the online store chosen by you sells them. While some companies specialize in only grooming wholesale veterinary supplies, some others specialize in products pertaining to a particular animal, such as horses, dogs or cats.

You can save money by comparing prices offered by the various wholesale vendors. Many companies offer discounts while others are willing to forgo shipping and other charges if you purchase a specific amount of wholesale pet supplies.

For buying quality wholesale pet supplies, you need to visit a supplier who is trusted and operational in this field for many years. One such supplier is www.petplanrx.com, a leading pet store that offers a wide range of pet products and veterinary medications.

When it comes to vehicles, classic cars are absolutely at the top of the pyramid, with their amazing features setting them far apart from the rest of the crowd. Unfortunately, as is typical for anything that attracts attention, classic cars tend to attract a decent share of thieves and vandals. Additionally, because classic cars are rare and tend to be expensive, many large “major player” insurance companies and agents will not even offer insurance for them. But just because it can be mildly difficult to find the right kind of insurance for your classic car, that does not mean that you can simply drive around without any insurance. Many states require that your vehicle be insured, and you can face serious fines if you are caught driving without adequate insurance coverage.

Finding the right kind of insurance for your classic car is going to take a little bit of time, and a lot of research. Even more research will be involved if you are set out to find the cheapest available antique and classic car insurance available. There are car insurance companies out there which specialize in insurance options for antique and classic cars. Additionally, there are large automobile insurance companies which offer specialized insurance including antique and classic car insurance, but you will have to do a decent bit of searching in order to find them. A good place to start is with insurance companies like Hagerty, Leland west and Norwich Union which all specialize in antique and classic car insurance. It is important that you weigh a lot of different options, because the costs associated with antique and classic car insurance can vary wildly depending on which automobile insurance provider you go with. It is also important that you determine what each insurance company will value your classic car at, in order to make sure that you are going to be insured for the full value of your car. Traditional car insurance values the car at the cost to replace it, minus any depreciation that it has experienced. This is what sets antique and classic car insurance apart from traditional car insurance. With antique and classic car insurance, the value of your vehicle is typically an agreement made between you and the insurance provider. This way, you will not lose a serious investment in the event that your vehicle is ever totaled in an accident, or stolen and never recovered.

The absolute best option for you to pursue when it comes to automobile insurance for your classic car is called an agreed value policy. Before this type of policy is purchased, you are required to sit down with an agent with the insurance company in order to come to a concrete agreement for the value of your vehicle. If your vehicle is ever totaled or lost, this is the amount that will be paid by the insurance company. This is also the point where you will receive a quote for the monthly payment. Another thing that sets antique and classic car insurance apart from traditional car insurance is the fact that antique and classic car insurance premiums are typically significantly smaller than what you will pay for traditional car insurance. However, not just anyone can acquire antique and classic car insurance, so before applying you should make sure you qualify for all of the following criteria:

o Many antique and classic car insurance policies require that you meet a specific age limit. This is to insure that the driver(s) on the policy have adequate driving experience and are not in jeopardy of causing an accident. This makes it difficult for young and new drivers to acquire automobile insurance, even if they are driving an antique or classic vehicle.

o Many antique and classic car insurance policies have also imposed a minimum age limit for your vehicle, in order to determine whether or not it can be considered an antique car. The typical limit is fifteen years old, so if your vehicle is less than fifteen years old you may have difficulty securing antique car insurance for it.

o In order to qualify for classic car insurance, there are certain limits on how your classic car can be used. For example, you must have a garage or some other form of protective storage to park the vehicle in. Additionally, you cannot use your classic car for any business purposes. Finally, there is a limit on the number of miles that you can put on your vehicle every month or year. If you go over the mileage limit you can but your vehicle in danger of losing its protective insurance. Because of the imposed mileage limit, you must also be able to prove that you have another vehicle which is used for normal driving.

Antique and classic car insurance is by far the best option if the vehicle that you are driving can be considered a collectible. This form of insurance is designed to protect cars that appreciate in value over time rather than depreciating. Most insurance companies will allow you to insure your classic car traditionally if you cannot find adequate antique car insurance, but you should expect to pay more in monthly premiums, and to receive significantly less in a pay out settlement if your vehicle is ever totaled. What this means is that if you are driving an antique or classic car, and specialized insurance is available to you on a local level, you should absolutely take the offer in order to protect your vehicle inexpensively without losing out on the serious investment that went into your prized possession.

For more information about Cheap Antique and Classic Car Insurance visit http://www.InsuranceSalesman.comwhere we also have comprehensive guides to Antique Car Insurance USA and Classic Car Insurance for Young Drivers in the USA

A six year-old commented, “TV is so necessary. What would I do without it?” I told him TV is a rather new invention and the idea of it dawned on its makers about a century ago. It is a stirring thought that something playing such an important role in a little child’s life is so young, as an invention.

Television is the third invention after electricity and radio to have a life-shaping, magnetic influence on the masses. The word television loosely means to see far. While public and commercial television stations address masses, cable stations try to attract audiences with specific tastes. In addition to augmenting programs, security and surveillance problems are handled in schools, businesses, and hospitals through closed-circuit television.

Since many scientists were involved in the way the television technology has evolved, we cannot call any one person its inventor. Television was first thought to be possible as early as the 1800′s when it was understood that radio communication signals could be sent through the air.

In 1831, Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry were the first scientists to experiment with electromagnetism, therefore establishing a start for electrical communication. They were followed by Samuel Morse in 1844 with his invention of the telegraph and then by Abbe Giovanni Caselli an Italian, who first sent images over a distance using a pantelegraph. In 1873 two the Englishmen, May and Smith, used selenium and light with the idea to transform images into electrical signals. After George Carey’s system of selenium cells in 1880, Paul Nipkow patented the first mechanical television scanner in Germany. Marconi’s morse code by wireless also played a role in the development of television.

In 1906, Lee DeForest developed a vacuum tube to amplify signals. Then using the German Carl Ferdinand Braun’s cathode-ray tube invented in 1897 with the Nipkow disk, Boris Rosing of Russia invented a system as the world’s first television in 1907. In 1908, A.A.Campbell-Swinton of Scotland came up with the proposal of an all electronic television. In 1922, Philo T. Farnsworth, a sixteen year-old US citizen, developed an electrical scanning system. At about the same time in 1923, Iconoscope–an electronic camera tube–was patented by Vladimir Zworykin, who also produced the Kinescope, a picture display tube. John Logie Baird was the first to get an actual television picture, but Zworykin took the first patent for color television, being the one person who had made the most contribution during the first developmental stages of television.

In 1927, the pictures of Herbert Hoover, US Secretary of commerce, were sent over two hundred miles from Washington to New York, and in 1928 W2XBS became RCA’s first television station in New York City. This was when the first television star, Felix the Cat, was created.

The first television drama “The Queen’s Messenger” also came to the screen in 1928. Still during this year, John Logie Baird sent London’s images to New York via shortwave. The first television commercial was in the air in 1930 by Charles Jenkins. Also in 1930, BBC started its regular programming. In 1931, VE9EC–Canada’s first tv station–and in the USA, RCA from the Empire State Building began transmissions on an experimental basis.

In 1935, France began its television transmissions from the Eiffel Tower and Germany established a three day-a-week transmission service. CBC in Canada was formed in 1936. Right that year, Allen B. Du Mont manufactured the first TV set for sale to the North American public.

An interesting highlight in television transmission happened during World War II. As soon as the war started in 1939, September 1, BBC television stopped broadcasting in the middle of a Mickey Mouse Cartoon and in 1945 resumed the cartoon’s showing, starting where it left off in 1939, which makes one wonder what the British children thought of the broadcasters.

By the time the first color television transmission started in 1951, there were over one hundred television stations in the USA. In 1979 there were three hundred million television sets flickering on and off, and by the year 2000, about one and three quarters billion television sets were estimated to exist in operation worldwide.

With the arrival of high-definition and plasma TV’s and the talk of computerized TV’s or computer and TV combinations, twenty-first century is promising a great deal more of entertainment and education to its viewers worldwide. In bringing the cultures together, let’s hope we make the best use of it.

Joy Cagil is an author on a site for Creative Writers (http://www.Writing.Com/) Her training is in foreign languages and linguistics. In her background are varied subjects such as psychology, mental health, and visual arts. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/joycag

Hip, wired, cool, outgoing, active, insecure, constantly online – is this the image of the youngster or young-minded person brands marketer in the Westernised economies are chasing after? Why is this segment so important for marketing planning? What should modern marketers know about the digital channel and how should they use it? How can they reach this important market and how should they communicate with it?

PHENOMENON: Youngsters are better informed than brand marketers.

In the global launch of Sony’s PSP, several Asian consumer electronics vendors were sued. Sony felt obliged to take this action because youngsters and other eager gamers, especially from Europe, saw the chance to get their PSPs already in summer 2005, while PSP was only introduced to the markets in autumn 2005. Consumers placed their orders via the Internet to Asian vendors and goods were shipped via global delivery channels to gamers. For Sony, these companies were endangering its distribution and launch strategy. The question remains: was this sort of legal counterpunch really worth it – and will similar cases become a natural part of our global business reality?

Reaching and influencing the young-minded segment is ever more challenging. Consumption patterns are shifting from mass-media toward micro-media for the masses. Savvy media-empowered consumers, often under 25 years of age, are being influenced by trends from all over the globe. The knowledge and adaptation of these trends is sometimes even carried out at a faster pace than local marketers can introduce their products to the markets. At the centerpiece of this revolutionary behavior lies the broadband-accelerated Internet.

At first glance, global consumerism seems to be great news for marketers: Global marketing works, campaigns are rapidly localized, consumers do the marketers work themselves and thus fewer resources need be allocated to domestic promotions. Yet, is this really so? For many brands, marketing to the empowered youth and young-minded segment is simultaneously a dream and a nightmare. For example, knowledge such things as product bugs and negative experiences about features, design and usability,

fly through the globe via networks as fast as the trends themselves. Consumers can tune into to the global opinion databases of any product 24 hours a day (1). The internet-empowered consumer has more perfect market information available than ever, and more and more them are aware of their new powers.

As rumors and experiences jump from one country to another, the message the brand’s agency tried originally to communicate does not remain uninfluenced. Marketers easily lose control over their campaign messages. In our wired and wireless world, it can be a major challenge to repair this damage with local initiatives, such as when a product obtains negative feedback from consumers. For example, in 2004-2005, the famous lock manufacturer, Kryptonite, had to spend a substantial amount of its marketing budget in activities to recover its reputation after an online site posted instructions demonstrating how easy it is to open Kryptonite locks with a plain ball point pen.

Satama thinks that modern marketing is all about creating a useful and sustainable dialogue between the brand and the segment. With this we state that brands need to shift from one-way push-marketing into listening to their target groups more carefully, and be ready to a dialogue with the target group in ways that encourage them to be part of the brand experience. Moreover, if an average Western consumer living in a city is daily exposed to more than 3500-5000 marketing messages (2), we argue strongly that it is more than essential to find the means and methods to cross the constantly increasing attention barrier. Satama sees that that this hurdle will not be crossed using only traditional means of marketing – new approaches are needed.

BEHAVIOUR:I’m alive – I am @ MSN – contact me!

There will be over 600 million broadband connection subscribers worldwide by 2015, versus about 200 million at the end of 2005 (3). Thus, who cares about numbers anymore? Who cares whether it is going to be 600 million people on broadband or 400 million or 800 million? Offline versus Online – could not matter less – it’s all about reaching the target in the new mass location. Online life is here – and the markets are massive. The youth segment is obviously the most experienced and skilled with regard to digital channels. They’ve grown up with them and thus these channels play a natural part in their life on daily basis.

When looking at the online presence of the young-minded segment in more detail, the findings are convincing. More than 78% of the 18-24 age group was online in the US in late 2004 (4) and more than 85 % of them had been online more than three years. Europe lags a bit behind in this, but the trend is clear. There is only one conclusion a brand can take from this – being online is a must for successful campaigning!

Furthermore, Internet users from 12-17 years old say email is best for talking to parents or institutions, but they are more likely to use instant messaging when talking to each other (5). This is reflected even in common language expressions: “Being @ MSN” is a common status of being alive, to exist amongst one’s peers. The number of active friends in a typical MSN hotlist for the active segment aged below 16 lies somewhere between 20 to 40 invitees. Consequently, the Dutch telecom service operator, Hi! (A subsidiary of KPN Mobile), leverages the MSN phenomena aggressively in its marketing. Its “Chatman” character offers a subscription though which youngsters (or any other MSN Messenger user) can be “present” in the chats though not in front of their screens, thus appealing to the self-esteem of the identity seekers. Check me out – I am always online!

In the broadband era there is no returning to life before it. Generation C (C=Content) (6) is producing its own content with powerful PCs and making it available to their peers via dedicated sites or Peer-to-Peer networks. While baby boomers (born before 1960) had to learn what mass media is; and while Generation X (born 1960-1975) grew up with television and 1st generation video games (and are now focusing on their peaceful family lives with high debt ratios); the new Generation Next/Idols/Content (Born after 1975) member is a born media multi-tasker. If their own preferences are not met with the offering from traditional channels, there is always an alternative: the online service.

The new on-demand-consumption (7) of content is something of a Pandora’s Box. Once opened, the consumers learn that there is access to a basically limitless amount of content within one’s own preference setting (8). Consumers will no longer be happy and satisfied only with content fed to them by media companies. They want to influence, get what they want – now, everywhere, anytime. And they demand this from the media company who is now struggling with decreasing profits – not an easy equitation to handle. Look at the music industry’s falling sales figures and the reality of more music being available then ever. Who is losing, who is winning? Gatekeepers losing, consumers winning? The “long tail” (9) effect enables more streams than just the few offered by media conglomerates. We will see a lot more popular performances and peer group stars outside music charts and mainstream movies.

FRESH APPROACH FOR MARKETEERS;Be part of living – online!

Young-minded people are much more heterogeneous in their needs for marketing than more settled “30-somethings” with family and kids. Youngsters are constantly in a process of finding/defining their own identity/independence. The needs of a 14 year old differ radically from the ones of an 18 year old. This identity seeking is often expressed through subcultures (skaters, Goth, manga, sudoku-players, ravers, etc.) and identification with strong opinion leaders’ behavior (pop-stars, idols, sport-stars). If a marketer wants to segment the youth market, they should carefully distinguish trends and subcultures within the age groups and demographics.

When affiliating with subcultures (skateboarding / snowboarding / DJ-ing / graffiti) or artists (Pepsi and Britney Spears) brands need a deep, long term commitment to actually gain credibility amongst youth. This can be gained only by being positively credible among the peers and locations where the segment naturally moves and meets. A brand should never pretend to be a teenager when its not. The way young people communicate is unique, and pretending will show through. The greatest thing a brand can attract to itself and benefit from is a passionate end-user community, for example Apple’s fanatic user base, or MTV’s outstanding success since 1980s.

The digital channels are on a winning streak for the time and attention span of the youth segment. Thus, they are extremely important for marketers. Even as recently as early 2000, the digital channels’ key role in communication was to support other channels, like print or TV. Now, at the dawn of the broadband era, it seems that TV, radio, and print media are like “gateways” to digital channels. Viral marketing through forum discussions, IRC channels (10) etc. are already used. Traditional advertising methods (including internet advertising, e-mail marketing, and search marketing) do not provide enough answers. It is not about whether to use digital channels or not, it is rather about what other channel to use to get traffic to the online channel.

The very diverse digital channels and ways of communication are still difficult terrain for advertisers. Satama thinks that the role of digital channels becomes important when they allow for communication between the members of a group or when they allow for the projection of icons. In other words, allowing communication between the target group members is one of key success factors in youth marketing. It is significant to notice that most of the biggest brands online (11) today are digital channels themselves. That is, if more than 80 % of all online sessions include a search (12), isn’t it essential to be strongly present in this medium?

Satama believes that brands need alternative means for their advertising: alternative ways are needed to get their message across among youth and beyond. The best digital marketing can mean digital services instead of advertising. Not everything has to go digital though, people still value tangible things, something for all the senses. The digital channels enable youth to DO “things” (e.g. they can get, create, share and influence

things that are relevant to them in a certain situation and/or time. Moreover, brands can listen to their target groups through digital channels – interactivity is the nature of these channels.

Consequently, the borders between marketers and content providers are blurring. At least, brands may be facilitating content. It seems that brands are forced to realize that stories are becoming more important than products. Target groups want to associate themselves with the fascinating story of the brand and are willing to pay a premium of this connection. Thus we see that content can still be the king. We see also that the content can be professionally or end-user generated. But does it even matter how it’s generated, if end-users want it! Satama believes strongly that increasingly there will be interesting and surprising partnerships established between different parties, old brands, and new digital brands. Movies, music, sports, retails, etc.

Innovative channels are needed. A few examples of these are in-game advertising and event marketing. First, the gamer’s world is different (see box). Rules of human behavior and limits do not extend to this world. Anything is possible. So why do even the most modern marketers stick to putting their brand in a game only as a billboard, static ad or what-so-ever. “Hello Mr. Brand! The world it different out there!” This new virtual space can also influence how a game player perceives the real world. Computer and console games form not just a “tiny hobby area for boys” – they totaled a ~€23bn area of business in 2005! Look at gaming rules. What if they were the rules of modern marketing – what would you do in this world for and with your brand? Could it be so that the best means for modern marketing emerge from the multi-complex world of game design, in a way similar to how field interactive marketing sprang from birth of the digital channel in mid 1990s?

Second, Satama says that marketers have to invest in making their events more innovative. It is good to have an event and sponsor it. Yet, to make a lasting memory among, for example, music festival participants, they need to be involved with the brand. With over 500 event solution deliveries behind us, Satama can now confidently state that using digital channels is the key to building before-during-and-after event experiences for participants. Segments, especially the youth, try out new things more freely when the involvement of the brand is higher – touch, feel, smell, experience – but use digital means to expand it beyond the conventional. For example, Satama produced in 2005 for a Malaysian telecom operator, Celcom, an integrated 3G marketing

campaign formatted around a TV reality show. The show was supported by a website, two mobile sites, a viral campaign, push SMSs, MMS blogging, plus engagement marketing on the streets for Kuala Lumpur. The outcome was outstanding: the target group, youth, was extremely passionate about the show and the campaign became one of the most popular TV programs during its existence.

RECOMMENDATIONS:What might work?

To conclude, we’ve listed a number of recommendations below that modern marketers should execute in modern marketing planning. These best practices expand beyond the youth segment; they are actually the core variables for realizing fresh, appealing, and impact-oriented marketing operations. Moreover, we claim that there is no brand that should not re-consider the impact of the internet on their brand positions.

1. BE INNOVATIVE AND DARE TRY OUT: The best way to understand

the emerging channels is through trial and error. Knowledge about how consumers behave is gained by making exploration rounds. In marketing planning, observational and various testing methods are needed, while in the execution phase proof is collected by measurement and metrics. Yet learning happens more and more through try and error. Thus, allow errors, but learn from them!

2. ACTIVATE THE LOGICAL SIDE OF MARKETING: Marketing is extending beyond creative concepts – managers increasingly call for ROI from marketing. Tracing and calculating the effects of marketing in the digital channel is more possible than in any other channel. We are committed to a process in which the measurement of marketing should be planned as carefully as well as the creative concepts currently are within the conventional advertising channels. We see that brands should do much more to ensure that communication motivates the segment to follow up one action with another.

3. BUILD BEHAVIOURAL KNOW-HOW.: More than ever, target groups are hopping about from one medium to another. It is crucial to be present wherever the target group is. As the online channel plays a significant role in modern behavior, it should be a high priority in any corporate planning. Satama believes that knowing a target group’s behavior and developing your digital service based on their needs, is the key to online success.

4. OPINION LEADERS BRING CREDIBILITY: Each peer group is influenced by its thought leaders. Especially for the youth segment, involving leaders involves the target group and extends events into virtual space by building before-during-after experiences. Leverage the mobile channel innovatively with leading consumer brands and remember to also market offline.

5. LISTENING AND NETWORKING: Understanding the context of communications is the key to making communications work effectively with your target group. A successful marketer must dare to listen and react – it’s not about push, its about listening skills. Relationships with challenging target segments, such as youth, take place across the innovative spectrum of relevant media channels. We believe that the creation of online communities and the provision of tools for natural networking can help a brand grow closer to youth.

6. PARTNERING: Dare to take innovative approaches and to closely co-ordinate with partners. It is not about trying to do thing alone – other brands are struggling with the same challenges. Why not to find credible allies to boost one’s own goals? It’s all about intensifying openness, discussions and trials with different kinds of partners. For the youth segment, it is of utmost importance to do marketing with partners who are credible for the segment. Find them and work with them!

7. FRESH AND UNIQUE: Satama believes that brands should provide

more and more unique content. The target should be to increase the number of regular visitors by offering fresh, up-to-date, and attractive content. Investments into one’s own IPR creation and imagination may prove to be very successful in making the difference. The digital environment allows for faster reactions and launches than any channel before it.

8. CREATE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNICATIONS: We see that brands should aim to establish a dedicated communications channel for its segments. This communications platform is a much more powerful approach than transitory online campaigns. Content within this kind of marketing focused online service should be based on specific interest areas to create a communications arena that is more like a media channel operation than a marketing-only operation.

At Satama we believe that marketing planning should move from advertising planning toward planning and measuring the actual impact of integrated actions. In the 1990s the key slogan most marketers were repeating throughout the globe was: ”The media is the message”. In today’s turbulent, networked, and dynamic business Satama asserts that: ”Behavior is the message”. It is not only about where you are, but how strong an impact you can create with your target group!

You can download this article with images from our corporate blog, [http://voice.satama.com]

Sources:

1 See e.g. http://www.epinions.com or http://www.seatexpert.com

2 J. Walker Smith, 2005

3 Quantum-Web, 2005

4 ComScore Media Metrix, 2004

5 Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2005

6 Trendwatching.com, 2005

7 Business Week, Nov, 2005

8 so called “long tail”, Wired, May, 2004

9 See http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/

10 IRC= Internet-relay-chat, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat

11 e.g. Google, AOL/Warner, Vodafone, MSN, Skype, iTunes

12 Google, 2005

Tommi Pelkonen (tommi.pelkonen@satama.com) works as a senior consultant specialising in mobile telecommunications, digital marketing communications and business strategy formulation at Satama Amsterdam. He has worked on multiple mobility-related business projects. Prior to Satama, Tommi Pelkonen worked as project manager and senior researcher in LTT-Research Ltd (http://www.ltt-tutkimus.fi) analysing the developments in the Finnish interactive service provision markets. (Econ.) Pelkonen has authored several publications of the North European digital media landscape. His latest report (2006, forthcoming) was analysing the mobile industry evolution in Finland. In addition, Mr. Pelkonen has worked as IT-project supervisor and lecturer in the Information Technology Program (ITP) at the Helsinki School of Economics (http://www.hse.fi). Tommi publishes also his own personal blog in Finnish.

A lot of people like to exercise and let’s face it, a lot of us probably need to exercise but exercising indoors in a gym can quite simply become a bit boring. This is one of the reasons why there is a very high rate of dropouts. But there is a way to exercise which is stimulating and exciting and that it to go hiking. If you go hiking or would like to take up this exciting activity, then there is one essential piece of equipment that you will need and that is hiking boots. You can go hiking in normal trainers but you will soon discover that this is very uncomfortable to say the least.

Hiking boots are a must for anyone who wishes to take long walks on rocky, hilly or even flat terrain. When you are on long distance walks then you need to take care of your comfort as well as provide good ankle support and traction without being too heavy. Hiking boots are a very personal piece of equipment that needs to suit your feet. Key factors to keep in mind when buying hiking boots are much the same as when buying regular shoes and that is the fit and use should be taken into consideration for the best purchase. You need to take into consideration your type of feet. Do you have soft or tough skin? Are your feet normally sweaty or dry?

Nowadays hiking and climbing shoes come in a variety of men’s and women’s lasts, so your chances of finding a great-fitting boot are much better than they have ever been. Shoes made from animal skins were developed at first and through the centuries, other types of shoes have been made, incorporating a variety of methods and materials. Some hiking boots are made with special technology that lets the shoe change shape along with the foot. Quite a few of these hiking boots have taken advantage of technology to become smaller and sleeker, while at the same time becoming more sturdier.

The features that you need to look for in hiking boots depend on your hiking activities. Are you going to be hiking in all weathers and all terrains? Do you need waterproofing or not? Or do you need extra cushioning for extra comfort??? Asking yourself some of these simple questions will help you to decide, which is the correct purchase for your needs.

Once you have got the hiking boots that will suit your needs, it is important to break them in, before you go on your hike. You don’t want to end up with blisters on your feet and a long way away from home. One thing you can do for this is to wear them around your home and make sure they are comfortable and do not hurt your feet after awhile of wearing them. Doing this will ensure that your feet have adapted fully to the new shoes by the time you go for your first hike.

If your outdoor adventures revolve around short duration day hikes across predominately smooth terrain then a light, athletic styled hiking shoe will suffice for your hiking needs better than classic hiking boots. If your hiking interests are for more rugged terrain then you will need something more sturdier. So consider all these factors before you choose your hiking boots and join the thousands of people who enjoy hiking as a form of exercising that is more exciting and stimulating than any gym in the world.

Nim Aulakh is a writer and webmaster. He has already many articles published.Find out how you can avoid blisters on your feet by getting the right hiking shoes [http://www.outdoorsfunandgames.com/hikingboots.html] and enjoy the outdoors more with the correct backpacking tents by visiting http://www.outdoorsfunandgames.com

There area many common sense rules to follow when caring for your cat. These rules are simple and will ensure your cat will be healthy and happy.

1. When your cat arrives at home:

Bringing your new cat home cat be frightening for it. Be prepared by having a food and water spot already set up. Also have a litter box setup in a quite spot away from the food. Your new cat should be transported in a cat carrier. When you bring the cat inside set the carrier down and open the door. Let the cat come out and explore on its own. Confining the cat to a quiet room for a day or two will make the experience less overwhelming.

2. Going Outside:

Before letting your cat outside for the first time be sure it is comfortable with you and its indoor surroundings. There are many dangers outside so let your cat have an escape route in case it needs it. My cat uses a cat door and it has save him a few times.

Judge the risk to letting your cat outdoors. If you live close to lots of traffic having an outdoor cat may not be a good idea.

3. Litter Boxes:

If you are using a cat box it should be cleaned daily. Clumping cat litter makes this easy. Simply scoop out the clumps and you’re done. Put the litter box in a place where the cat will not be disturbed.

4. Food and water:

Your cat should always have a supply of fresh food and water. I prefer to use a heavy ceramic bowl to prevent the cat from pushing it or tipping them over.

The water bowl should be changed daily and food should be added to maintain a good supply.

My cat is now on a high quality dry food. I found feeding him can food was a waste. He generally left some behind at each meal regardless of the portion. At 15 I weaned him onto dry food only.

5. Scratching Posts:

Any cat is going to have the urge to scratch. The question is where is it going to do it? Best to have a scratching post that is safe and secure. Play with your cat on the post so it gets used to being allowed to scratch there. Rubbing a bit of cat nip on the scratching post will encourage your cat to scratch.

6. Cat Toys:

There are so many different cat toys on the market these days it is hard to choose a toy your cat will like. After much trial and error I determined my cat likes the string attached to the toy much better then the toy. Whenever I want to play I get a string, or better yet, my gold necklace (his favorite).

7. Sleeping Places:

A cat always needs a quiet, out of the way place to sleep the day away. A bed near a heater or furnace vent is ideal. In the winter most of the vents in my house have a cat bed near them.

If you have small children make sure they can’t disturb your cat when it sleeps

8. Care for eyes and ears:

When cats get a build up of discharge around the eye simply clean it with a damp cloth. A small amount of discharge is normal for a healthy cat but if there are excessive amount then consult a vet.

Regularly check your cats ears for dirt or ear mites. Any dirt can be removed with a damp Q-tip. If you spot small brown clumps of discharge you should consult your vet. This is a sign of ear mites.

9. Care for the claw.:

If you have an outside cat, claw care is less important. Climbing trees, and other outdoor stuff helps to keep claws well maintained.

An inside cat has far less need for its claws. There is really no environment where your cat needs to use its claws. You should trim your cats claws once or twice a year. Clip the very tip of each claw. Taking any more then just the tip can hurt your cat. It is recommended that you have a vet show you how to clip their claws properly.

10. Care of the mouth and teeth:

As cats age their teeth start to get calcium build up which can cause gum inflammation. Check your cats mouth every 6 or 8 weeks. Find and remove and calcium build up before deposits get too large.

Caring for a cat is quite simple, common sense really. I believe that good food, fresh water, lots of love and exercise is best for a cat. By following these 10 simple guidelines your cat can live a long and healthy life.

Copyright 2005 Dave Markel

Visit [http://house-cat-supplies.com/cat-articles.html] for more great articles related to cats.

Everyone wants to find a good, honest and reliable local garage which gives them value for money every time. So how do you go about finding one locally? The good news, it is possible if you just follow these 4 simple steps. This in turn eliminates the chances of you using the wrong ones that are going to charge you over the top. And the first step is to get personal recommendations especially from those that drive around in a similar model and make of car as yours.

Step 1 – How to be get personal Auto Repairs recommendations

So you drive around in a model of car that not many own or drive. So how do go about getting personal recommendations? Well it is now that much easier. Just email or text friends, relatives and work colleagues to ask them if they know of anyone who drives a similar model and make of car as yours locally. Give them your details as well as saying you are looking for a reliable garage to service or to do some auto repairs on your car in the local area. If they don’t know of anyone,get them to ask their friends. They in turn may know someone. As the saying goes, you are no more than 6 people away from the person you want to contact or speak to. Try it out. It works. You’ll be amazed at the results. Now on to the next step.

Step 2 – You now have a shortlist of potential garages to use for your auto repairs.

So what questions should you now ask those who have just recommended a particular garage for some auto repairs? Here are just some to get you started:

1. What do they like about the auto repairs in particular? Find out the reasons why.

2. How long have they been using the garage for servicing and for auto repairs?

3. What did they have done last on their car? Have they had any other auto repairs done using the same garage?

4. What was the service like? Any feedback? How was the car returned to them? Was it clean and tidy?

5. Was it repaired on the day and at the time it was booked in? Or do the auto repairs always over-run?

6. Were they informed of any other extra auto repairs that needed to be done before they were actually carried out? Did the auto repairs garage give them a quote at the time and more importantly did they keep to it?

7. Was the invoice itemised with a detailed breakdown for the auto repairs done including parts replaced? Were there any hidden nasty surprises added to the bill they knew nothing about?

8. Did the auto garage stamp the service book and were they any other issues?

9. How did they book their car in? Was there a long waiting period of say over a week to book their car in etc?

10. The garage itself was it well run, tidy, clean and well maintained? What was the general attitude of the staff? Were they polite and helpful?

11. Have they had any reason to go back to the garage to have some of the auto repairs looked at again?

Step 3 – Now to check out those auto repairs / garages on your shortlist

You now have a shortlist of the potential garages to use for your urgently needed auto repairs. You now need to quickly vet all of these out. First phone the auto repairs up and ask them for a service quote for your make and model of car.

1. How long were you kept waiting on the phone before it was answered?

2. Were they specific and detailed as to what is included as part of the service and what isn’t?

In most cases the way the reception staff operates and how they deal with the public ( i.e. customer care) is a reflection of how the auto repairs is being run. Yes, the person may be having a bad day. But even if they are, they should be professional and at their best when dealing with the public.

After a few days, you now need to do a quick visit to the auto repairs itself. It’s best not to go first thing in the morning as you want to see how the auto repairs is working properly at a busy time. Simply go to the reception desk and again ask them for a quote on the servicing of your car. Give them your car details etc. This is now your chance to ask any other questions you may still have:

If any work is undertaken on your car, how long is guaranteed for. It is always best to use an actual example to get all the details. This is so there can be no misunderstanding.

Ask them what is included in the service and what isn’t. You can now compare this to what was said on the phone earlier. Are they any differences? If there are, ask them why this is the case?

Find out where you collect the car once it has been serviced. You want your car to be parked and kept in a secure place. And not down a narrow side road where cars have difficulty parking and passing.

As part of the small talk, ask them how long they been working at the auto repairs? Lead them on and see how they react to your comment “It seems to be a very friendly place etc”. If they say yes it is, ask them how long most of the staff stay. Ask what training they have had most recently.

Once you have finished with the reception, look around generally:

1. Watch how the telephone messages are taken. Is it done systematically or just ad hoc on a piece of paper etc?

2. Is all the paperwork and documentation kept in an orderly way for each car?

3. Are the notice boards tidy and up to-date?

Review everything including how you were generally treated.

Step 4 – Now for the final test.

Once you have done the same for all the other auto repairs on your shortlist you can now decide which auto repairs to go with:

1. Best to give your chosen garage a small auto repair job first if you can, to see how they do it. What many also do at the same time is to mention they were recommended by such and such person with so and so car who also uses them.

2. If more than one person has given you a personal recommendation for that garage also mention their name. This way the auto garage knows that you are a serious customer. By doing this you ensure they will do an excellent job rather than risk you going back to their other existing customers and telling them otherwise. Play them at their own game.

Lastly as soon as you have changed your car to a new one, especially to a different make and model of car, you may need to find another suitable auto repairs to do the servicing and repairs to your car in the future. However you may be lucky in that the auto repairs you are presently using can also do all the servicing and any necessary repairs on your new car. Find out now if this is the case, and not when you need a garage in a hurry.

To cut your motoring costs even further, collect your free full report “57 Ways to Slash your motoring costs by 20% or more” now at Auto Repairs Chas Blandy runs http://www.car-buying-secrets.com/car-dealerships.html on car buying. That is to buy any model or make of car just like those in the car trade.