Fashion and style. What are they? Do they always go together? Do they mean one and the same thing? It’s hard to say. According to specialists in the field, fashion is actually a synonym for style or glamour. It has been agreed on the fact that fashion is a way of personal expression, and according to this criteria, one can be fashionable when he/she fits in this expression mode, or unfashionable, which would be the opposite. Fashion has manifestations in all the fields of human activity, that is when can speak about fashion when we refer to topics such as architecture, clothing, music, cosmetics, entertainment, forms of speech or even politics or technology. Anything in these fields can be described as being fashionable or not. When one speaks about materialism or trend s using the term ‘fashion’, it can be associated with a negative meaning.

Most people today perceive fashion as a term referring mostly to clothes. The beginnings of what we call fashion today did actually refer to clothes and they go back as far as the sixteenth century. However, it was only two centuries later that the real manifestations of fashion took place and it happened in Europe, among the wealthy upper classes. Fashion, just like any other manifestation of human activity, underwent major and continual changes, to the point where it is today, that is, being related to many fields of activities.

Of course, it would be unjustified to assume that fashion is the same all over the world. First of all, fashion differs from one society to another. Then, within a certain society, there are a lot of factors which may influence fashion such as age or generation, social class, profession or occupation. Even the geography of certain regions may bring about differences in fashion among the people of the same society.

But how does fashion change? Because we all know that constant change is what fashion is actually about. Everyone will agree that what is new now will soon become old, and the process goes both ways, that I what was once into fashion but is now considered to be old and obsolete will soon turn into something new again. Capitalism has brought along with its numerous good aspects some less appealing ones, such as waste. People buy things which are not necessary to them and consequently speed up the process of change as far as fashion is concerned. Young generations have much to do with this change in fashion as well, because they are always eager and willing to try interesting things, things that they haven’t experienced before, something new to be more precise.

What made fashion so popular among people was actually the television. The moment fashion hit television, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was the moment when the general population became interested in this aspect. And fashion magazines, websites or even fashion blogs were only one step away.

Pretty much in the same way as fashion, style can refer to may things, from painting, music, literature, web design to linguistics or manners of addressing people. The very definition of style describes the term as a fashionable manner of doing things, which points out that style and fashion are very closely related. Not everything that is considered fashionable will also be regarded as stylish, which is why people should avoid turning into a fashion victim, one of those persons who will wear just about anything that’s seen as fashionable, no matter if it suits them or not, from hairstyles and piercing to clothes. It is true that today’s world and the society we live in have set some rules in what fashion and style are concerned, but these don’t always have to be strictly followed. Being a fashion victim will only turn you into one of the rest. If you want to be ahead at all times, what you must try is to define your own style and that will make you look your best.

If you want to find out more about fashion [http://www.style-icon.com] or even about style [http://www.style-icon.com] please review this page [http://www.style-icon.com]

1. What is Public Speaking Fear?

And what are its causes?

­­Public Speaking Fear can be paralyzing… Standing in front of a crowd… You probably know the feeling. You can work weeks, learn the materials, prepare the presentation. You try to ignore the anxiety. And then it’s the moment… You go to the stand… Your throat is dry, you begin to stutter… Your brain feels empty.

What is happening to you? This frustrating phenomenon is called Public Speaking Fear.

You are not the only one to suffer from this fear, or phobia. In fact, According to recent studies, about 40 percent of the population, were found to have a serious fear of public speaking. Almost everyone has some degree of fear regarding public speaking.

Whether it is in front of 10 people or a full auditorium, the fear of public speaking seems to affect nearly everyone at one point or another. Even the most professional public speakers can become nervous before an important speech.

This impacts of this anxiety vary from just ‘not being your best’ during the speech,,to not being able to even begin the speech, and in some cases even suffering from horrors and general feeling of incompetence.

Symptoms of this fear might be:

• Rapid heartbeats
• Shaky hands
• Shortness of breath
• Blank mind
• Feel of freezing
• Sweaty hands
• Dizziness

Although you might hear and read about various reasons and factor that cause and affect Public Speaking Fear, I will divide the causes of this “fear” into 2 categories: Historically-based and Experience-based.

1.1 Historically-based factors

Imagine human beings in past times, when we used to live in small tribes. Those times encoded in us all kinds of fears, that helped humans survive. A human tribe would include between 30-100 members, usually with a single (male) leader. This leader was vital for the survival of the tribe and used to be the authority. Now imagine that one simple member of the tribe would arrange a speech in front of the tribe. The leader of the tribe would see this as an attempt to gain authority over the tribe. A common penalty for that could be death.

Public speaking used to be extremely dangerous in the past.

This historical reason is considered according to researches as the main reason why we are so afraid of public speaking.

There is a branch of psychology called “Evolutional Psychology”, which discusses matters like this. The most important thing that you should remember is that a major cause for your fear is irrational. You can’t explain it with the terms of our world. Only imagining the world as it was 10,000 years ago carries the real answer.

1.2 Experience-based factors

Now, in addition to the psychological reasons that cause this fear of public speaking, there are of course also factors from you own life that create it.

The way we use language in our life is called “conversation”, because when we speak, we do it with someone else. Our neurological system is so used to having conversations, that we just don’t pay attention to all the internal processes that happen when we’re speaking. Because it’s done automatically, we can focus our whole attention on the conversation itself.

Now, every new and unknown activity that we try to do, will seem intimidating, just because we are not experienced enough. We don’t know how to use our voice. We don’t know how to look at the people, how to stand, how to move our hands. We are even not used to the specific language patterns that we need to use during speech – and there is a different way to use language during a speech.

Another aspect of experience-based causes is a fear, caused by our past experiences. An embarrassing or painful experience while speaking to a group in the past can also create a fear.

So, let’s summarize so far. Public Speaking fear is this negative feeling that causes us not to be at our best during public speaking. It might even prevent us from making the speech at first place. We’ve discussed 2 main reasons for this fear. The first is based on our past as human beings, and that is the reason why we are sometimes so terrified about public speaking. The second reason is based on our own experiences of the world, that also create fears and beliefs.

1.3 Rational and irrational fears

Before moving on to dealing with public speaking fear, we need to understand how to view our fear.

Rational fears are fears that we can explain rationally, and the fear is of something that could cause real harm (physically or emotionally).

In general, examples of rational fears include:

• Dangerous people (a person holding a knife, murderer etc.)
• Dangerous situations (fire, earthquake, floods etc.)
• Dangerous activities (Skiing, walking on a rope etc.)

Now, we can see that fear of some activities is considered rational, because it consists of real danger. Some fears are good to have. The fear itself is something positive, it helps us survive.

Irrational fears, on the other side, are fears that don’t help us survive, but on the contrary, prevent us of being our best.

For example, if we were bitten by a dog once, we might get the fear of dogs for our whole life. If someone frightened us during a dark night, we might get a fear of darkness.

As you can see, our mechanism of fear in not perfect, and we need to do some work to deal with our fears.

Rational fears should be kept and maybe even encouraged. Irrational fears, instead of preventing harm, in many cases can cause us harm. It’s normal to try and overcome irrational fears.

1.4 Is fear of Public Speaking rational or not?

Can public speaking harm you? As we said above, in past times, public speaking could definitely cause you harm. It used to be extremely rational to be afraid. Because this fear was rational for hundreds of thousands of years, it was delivered to us during what we call “Evolutional Psychology”.

Is Public Speaking fear today is still rational? Well, I could give you some hypothetical examples when public speaking could cause harm. If you speak in front of a hostile crowd, it might cause you emotional fear. If you’re a gangster and you try to speak in front of your gang members, you might event have physical harm.

However, in most cases, public speaking is completely harmless. There is no rational reason to be afraid of speaking in front of your class members; and what about presenting your new product in front of your clients?

Therefore, in today’s world, Public Speaking is completely irrational.

2. In short, How to overcome the fear?

In order to overcome the fear of public speaking, it’s vital to understand, remember, and believe, that the fear is irrational.

In this manual, we will discuss 2 approaches to overcoming the fear:

Subconscious- working on the processes that happen in our brain that we are not aware of, our belief system, etc. Those methods are meant to reduce or even completely abolish the fear.

Techniques- Specific techniques and methods to help you with public speaking, even if you still have the fear.

To tell the truth, if you just use techniques, get more experience, try to find the confidence and so – you will get better. You will desensitize your fear. However, every time, before a speech, you will still feel the fear. It will be weaker, but it will be always there.

Imagine that your mind is a computer. A very complicated one, but yet a computer. It runs so many programs that we just can’t count. Some of them are in our awareness – they are conscious processes. The rest, most of the processes, are out of our awareness – they are subconscious processes.

Now, when you go public speaking, there are 2 opposite processes in your head. The first one is positive, and tells you : “Go, give a speech”, and the second one is negative, it tells you “No, you cant”.

Working to eliminate the fear, can be done! It can be done using methods to eliminate fear. Because it’s a subconscious process (unless you consciously choose to be afraid…), it involves dealing with your subconscious mind.

In the next chapter, I’ll discuss the common methods. They include: Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming) and working on you belief system.

The other way, that will not eliminate the fear but will help you deal with it, is using learning techniques. It works on the positive side, I makes you better in public speaking, and therefore deal better with the fear. I will never eliminate the fear, but it will make it easier to do public speaking.

Personally, I recommend that you use it in addition to working on the subconscious side. Just learning the techniques will never make you speak at your best, and every speech will continue to be an effort.

3. Working on your subconscious mind

3.1 Using NLP Techniques

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a behavioral technology, a set of guiding principles, attitudes, and techniques about real-life behavior.

It allows you to change, adopt or eliminate behaviors, as you desire, and gives you the ability to choose your mental, emotional, and physical states of well-being.

I will not tell you here too much about NLP, because it’s a complete theory. Personally, I prefer NLP to work on subconscious processes, mainly because unlike other methods that I will discuss in the book, NLP can be learned and used by almost everyone. There is no need to understand psychology or medicine.

According to NLP, our mind is in some way like a computer. It has all kinds of programs running. Although many of them are unconscious (fear, for example), it teaches us methods to eliminate or at least weaken those processes, if we want to.

What are these processes? Our mind works with 3 senses (we actualy have 5, but only 3 of them are really important) – visual (eyes), auditory (ears), or kinesthetic (feelings). Every person primarily uses just one of the 3 during processes.

Some people are visual – they see the world through their eyes. Others are auditory, they mainly use their ears to hear voices. And other people are mainly kinesthetic, they understand the world through feelings.

For example, if you are a visual person, this means that you see the world mainly through your eyes. Therefore, there is a visual process (or processes) that create the fear of public speaking inside you.

Now, I’ll tell you a quick story about a friend of mine. He used to have a serious fear of public speaking. His hands would shake, his voice would change, his heart beat would skyrocket. When I tried to check with him what caused the fear, he told me that he would visualize himself giving a bad speech.

In those visual pictures, he saw people laughing at him, He saw himself standing without remembering what to say, etc. He couldn’t control those pictures. He couldn’t make them disappear.

What is happening? His mind is kind of “screening” a movie in his head. Do you remember a really scary movie that you saw? There were moments in that movie that you really felt afraid? Even though it was just a movie and you knew it was just a movie?

The same thing happened with my friend. What created the fear was the movie, the pictures. Our subconscious mind reacts the same way whether the movie is a reality or not.

Traditional psychology tries to find the “roots” of the fear. It tries to see what past effects created it. Instead, NLP provides an easy and short treatment. As we discussed in the first chapter, the reason might be even in our past as humans, so we can’t eliminate the root.

So, let’s see how we deal with our fear.

For visual people

If you’re a visual person, you probably have a movie running in your head. Try to understand what exact movie you see:

- is it black and white? Or do you see colors?

- is it smooth or not?

- is it going in slow motion, or quickly?

- do you see it in details?

- do you see it from a first position or third position?

Let’s go back to my friend’s example:

He used to see himself making a speech, and he saw people in the crowd laughing. he saw himself embarrassed…

Now, I asked him to sit silently in front of me, and we began understanding together what exactly he saw.

When he saw himself standing and giving a speech, it was from his own eyes, what we call “1st position”. He saw it black and white, and in great detail. He could see faces in the crowd; he could exactly understand what was happening.

When you see this movie running again and again in your head, your mind creates a great fear. Like a movie, even if you know it’s just a movie, it still creates the same effect.

A great basis in NLP is that you can’t fight your thought. You can’t just say: “No! I’m not afraid”. Your mind won’t accept it and you will continue seeing the movie.

However, what you can do is to make changes in the movie, add effects, even change angles. It might sound fantasy to you, but it’s possible.

So, what I did next is that I told him to change the movie into a 3rd position. I told him to see the movie as if he was standing near the scene, from the side.

That way, he was seeing himself there, and he saw the crowd. Now, I told him to make the movie a bit in a distance from him, As if he sees it on a television. I told him to begin moving the movie away from him, so that this “television” looks far away from him. Now, he saw himself somewhere in a great distance. He couldn’t see details anymore, because the picture was so far…

Do you understand what we did here? We can’t fight the movie, but we can do manipulations. Now, the movie was much less frightening. Almost like some pale thought…

The next time he was about to do a public speech, I told him this process again. After a few times, this movie didn’t disturb him anymore. The fear was almost gone.

When he now goes to speak, he can concentrate on the words, on the message. The fear is gone.

For visual people, NLP gives us a quick solution, and that is to make the visual process less dominant and less clear. Make it something in the distance that doesn’t bother you.

What if you are Auditory?

For auditory people

So, now that we understand how to deal with public speaking fear for visual people, you may ask the question – what if I’m an auditory person?

Well, for auditory people, we need to weaken the auditory process that creates the fear. What is that auditory process? It’s usually a sound or a voice. For example, you might be telling yourself: “No, I can’t do that…” or “Those people are going to laugh at me…”, or you might hear the people laughing, or shouting at you.

We can’t make the sound “smaller” as we did with the visual process, but we still can make it weaker. There are a few options. The one I will discuss here is making some differences in the voice: Instead of hearing it in its regular way, make it sound funny. Give it a childish voice, for example. I also like giving it a sex-flirting voice.

When you convert the voice to a different way, it doesn’t sound frightening anymore. On the contrary, you might find yourself laughing and smiling instead! Try this now, make a serious, frightening voice inside you, sound funny, childish or sexy.

How can you learn more of NLP

We only discussed some examples of using NLP to overcome fear. There are of course some more ways – for example, you can add effects to your internal movies, you can add background music and whatever you find useful in overcoming those internal processes that create your fear.

However, NLP can be used in many other ways and techniques to really improve you skills. You can become a better communicator, better lover, increase you income, be more efficient. It’s a set of techniques and methods to improve your life in general, and allow you to control your mind effectively.

If we are discussing Public Speaking, you can use NLP to make you message more clear, understood and acceptable by people.

NLP was created in the recent decades, and it’s still under development. I personally suggest that you find time to learn more of it. You can check our page to discover how we suggest to learn NLP.

3.2 Belief Systems

In many cases, our fear is caused by our belief system. Belief is stronger than knowledge, and our perception of the world is actually created according to our belief system.

Belief is usually something we can’t really prove. Belief in god is a good example, but almost all beliefs we have in life are not absolute.

There are certain beliefs that we can’t prove they are true or not. However, we CAN tell if they benefit us or not – or whether they help you achieve your goals.

When regarding Public Speaking Fear, there are a few a beliefs that might cause the fear. According to studies, the most common belief that directly causes the fear is the following:

Limiting Belief- “It is normal to have a fear or anxiety of Public Speaking”.

Think to yourself… Do you accept this? Do you believe that it’s normal, that it’s OK to have a fear of public speaking?

You probably do.

Why? Probably because of your own experience, because that is what society teaches.

However – are you sure it’s “Normal” to be afraid? Why? It’s just your belief. And that belief is actually causing the fear – because you kind of expect it.

It will be much more empowering to change this belief. Instead, you should understand that there is nothing “Normal” in public speaking fear. You know it’s an irrational fear. Nothing is Normal here.

Empowering Belief- “Public speaking makes me feel relaxed and energetic”.

Do you understand how changing your belief changes the way you respond and view life? Instead of believing that you are supposed to be afraid – you choose an empowering belief.

Is this empowering belief “True”? Many people around the world don’t have any fear of public speaking. Instead – they enjoy it. You can choose what to believe. I personally recommend you to choose the empowering one.

Here are some more beliefs that you should consider loosing:

“It’s good to be nervous”- What the hell? Why is that good? It’s good to be relaxed. That’s a totally limiting belief.

“Public Speaking is something you are born with, or not”- A terrible belief that unfortunately many people possess, not only regarding public speaking. Almost every skill can be learnt and improved. This belief only prevents you from improving. Nobody was born as a public speaker.

“Public speaking fear is something you can’t overcome”-I can give you so many live examples (including me) of people who successfully overcame public speaking fear.

“Your audience wants you to fail”- On the contrary, because most of the people are afraid to death of public speaking and many of them have tried it before, they will only appreciate your “courage” to stand and speak. People came to hear you – they want you to succeed.

A great way to succeed in life is by building an empowering belief system. The secret is understanding that you can CHOOSE what to believe. If this makes you feel interested, I suggest that you read my articles regarding belief systems.

3.3 Hypnosis

Hypnosis is considered a powerful tool to help with overcoming fears. It works directly with the subconscious mind, making the right “changes” to teach your mind not to be afraid.

Hypnosis can be done either with a therapist, or as it becomes common today, using an audio or a video that makes a similar job.

Hypnosis can be a good tool, but the problem that I have with Hypnosis is the fact that you don’t really know and can’t control over what the treatment is about.

Unlike NLP, you can’t do it alone and you can’t choose and decide what exact treatment to make.

On the other hand, you can feel free and not really care about learning and mastering technique. You just get the treatment, never care what it really does. If it works – you don’t have the fear anymore. For some people – this is the perfect solution.

If that sounds and feels good for you, you can check my review of available products (some of them are totally free).

4. External work – dealing with the fear effectively

In the previous chapter, discussed methods how to overcome and eliminate fear of public speaking.

Therefore, there is no use for this chapter, is there? Well, maybe there is…

• Even If you use the techniques we discussed (As I said, I recommend NLP), you might still have some public speaking fear.
• Many people can’t accept the fact that self-work can eliminate fear. I don’t agree, but I can honor their belief. If you believe that the way to make achievements is via hard work, then I accept that and will show you ways to practice in order to deal with the fear.

In this chapter, I will give you tips to quickly help you dealing with the fear. I will divide them into 2 categories: What to do before the speech; and what to do during the speech.

Remember – Practice makes Perfect. As you implement what I tell you here, you’ll improve, sometimes even rather rapidly. However – You Still Need Practice.

Unlike other guides, I will not give you a full list of tips. No one can’t use so many. Just the best ones.

4.1 What to do before the speech

You don’t have to be perfect

People are afraid of public speaking because they fear of mistakes during the speech. However, anxiety over mistakes only makes it more likely that mistakes will occur.

The best way to deal with mistakes is to accecpt the fact that youare not perfect, and mistakes are supposed to happen. Now, instead of being afraid, you can use mistakes to get feedback for future improvement.

Visualize the positive outcome

A good reason for which we are so anxious before the speech is because we visualize the speech, presuming that something terrible will happen. We may even do this subconsciously.

So, a good way to deal with our anxiety is to visualize the speech, this time in a positive way. Imagine the moments before the speech, how you feel secure and prepared. How you move slowly toward the podium. How you begin the speech. Try to hear your own words.

Visualizing will work on you internal fears and signal to your brain that everything is under control.

Put the past behind

Some people have speech anxiety because of past events. It could be even some humiliating event in the past. The way to deal with such incidents is the following:

If you can learn from it and improve – do it. If you can’t, just forget about it and focus on the future.

Use mistakes to learn and improve, not to increase your fears.

Practice your voice and tonality

Speaking involves using your voice. If you use your voice and practice it before the speech, you will be used to speaking and will feel more confident about how your voice sounds.

Don’t write a speech

One of the worst things you could do is to write a full speech. It will make you concentrated on the written words instead of on the speech.

Instead – only write highlights, know what your speech is about and what your main messages are.

This way, the page you are holding will only be a guidance, and you will be concentrated on the speech.

4.2 What to do during the speech

Remember to breath

Anxiety tightens the muscles in the chest and throat. With a restricted airway and without enough oxygen, your voice can come out as a squeak. Deep breathing, on the other hand, sends oxygen to the lungs and brain and expands the throat and chest, promoting relaxation. As you approach the platform, take a deep breath and relax. It will also improve your thinking processes. During the speech, whenever you feel anxious – remember to take a deep breath – It will immediately make you calmer.

Focus on friendly faces

During the speech, you might look at the crowd and see them as a large group of people. That may confuse you. Instead, focus on specific faces, you should prefer the friendly ones. This way your subconscious mind will feel as if you are having a conversation with a specific person. During the speech, move your eyes slowly and look at different people. It will also make the audience feel that you are talking with them instead of just giving a speech

Make Stops

Making a stop sounds something hard to do? You stop speaking, making a silent pause.

That is just great! It makes you look relaxed and confident, and gives you time to relax and remember exactly what you wanted to say.

Speak slowly

Speaking quickly and swallowing words is a mistake done by many speakers. It might be because you want to finish your words and have it all over fast. It might also be because you don’t want to be interrupted by the crowed if there is a pause. Your quick heart bit is also a factor.

Anyway – speaking rapidly just makes you more anxious and gives you less time to think. Just speak S-L-O-W-L-Y. Relax, give yourself the time.

5. What to do next?

In this article, I gave you the reasons and factors that cause your Public Speaking Anxiety. I showed you the options available to deal with it.

We discussed methods to eliminate or at least weaken the fear and anxiety that are created in our subconscious mind.

To eliminate fear, I personally suggest that you learn NLP. That is a set of techniques and skills to work on your mind and develop excellence. It also gives you control and full understanding of what you are doing (Unlike psychological treatment or hypnosis).

I gave you the basics of how to use NLP to eliminate your fears. To be really perfect and find many more techniques – I suggest that you learn and master NLP.

In addition, we discussed belief systems and hypnosis.

For those of us who prefer the “hard work”, I gave my tips on what to do before and during the speech to effectively deal with you anxiety.

If you want more guidance, I personally recommend you a book that was written by Benjamin van Spijck. It’s called “Overcoming the fear of public speaking”. It’s written as a 21-days tutorial and will guide you step-by-step to eliminate the fear.

I wish you all the best, hope that you find the way to get rid of this frustrating feeling of fear and anxiety forever.

If you liked my article, you can get it in PDF and read more on my website:

http://www.bebetterarticles.com/overcoming-fear-of-public-speaking/

Tom Slavoda.

If you’ve ever watched as a cat “flipped” over fresh catnip perhaps you’ve been struck with the question; “what causes Catnip to affect cats that way?” Catnip is indeed an unusual phenomenon among cats, it has the ability to alter your cat’s behavior like nothing else can. So what exactly is the reason for what scientists have coined as “the Catnip effect”?

Unfortunately for such inquisitive minds the exact reason of why Catnip affects cats in such a manner remains mostly a mystery. There is however much that we do know about Catnip and cats even if we don’t have the ultimate answer of exactly “why?” yet answered.

The Science Stuff

Catnip is scientifically classified as Nepeta cataria and is a perennial herb from the mint family and is in fact also referred to as “Catmint”. It is a plant indigenous to Europe but has been exported and is now found all over including the United States and Canada.

The active ingredient in Catnip is an oil; Nepetalactone, which is found in the leaves of the plant. This is the reason you are able to find Catnip in a bottle or spray form in some pet stores.

Other Uses For Catnip

Catnip is not only good to stimulate activity in cats, it can also be used by humans as an herb for a medicinal tea which may soothe toothaches, help against coughs, and may also perform as a sleep aid. Furthermore, Catnip can be used as an herb on salads or other foods as has been the case for centuries in France. Lately Catnip has also been garnering favor as a natural insect repellant rivaling the effectiveness of many store bought varieties of repellant.

Catnip and Kitty

Catnip affects approximately half of all cats. What determines whether or not a cat will react to Catnip is a genome that is inherited (or not inherited as the case may be) at birth. Kittens, regardless of whether or not they carry this genome, do not react to Catnip until reaching about 3 or 4 months of age and becoming sexually mature. Older cats are also more likely to have a diminished or non-existing reaction to Catnip, which leads scientists to believe that the Catnip effect is based at least partially on sexuality and that the reaction may be something like an aphrodisiac. Further adding to this belief is the similarity of a sexual pheromone found in the urine of the male cat to nepetalactone (the active product in Catnip).

Cats that can be traced to regions where Catnip is not indigenous appear to be unaffected by Catnip. The domesticated housecat is not the only cat that may be affected by Catnip. Larger cats can also be affected by the Catnip effect, felines such as the bobcat, lynx, tiger and even lion are known to react much the same way the common housecat would. It is interesting to note that while Catnip can act as a stimulant when a cat sniffs it, it can conversely act as a relaxant if ingested. Therefore, you may see a different, nearly opposite result depending on whether your cat chooses to eat the Catnip you provide for him/her or merely sniffs it (the latter being the more typical behavior).

How to Use Catnip With Your Cat

Catnip can prove to be a very useful tool for a few common problems with your cat. If you are lucky enough to have a cat that does react favorably to Catnip then here are a couple of ideas for you and your furry little friend.

Catnip and Lazy Cats:

Catnip can be used to get a lazy cat off his or her butt. Some cats are notoriously lazy, choosing to sleep much of their day away in a nice golden patch of sunlight on the living room carpet, only waking up to eat and gather some necessary attention from their indulgent owners. If this sounds like your cat, you may soon see (if you haven’t already) that your cat is becoming more and more round. This is generally not a good thing. Catnip may be able to help. Presenting catnip to your cat encourages activity (of course provided the cat sniffs rather than eats the herb).

Many adult cats will respond to Catnip in a manner that resembles their childlike kitten hyperactivity, jumping, playing and running around as if it was given an injection of kitty adrenaline, which in essence, is the case. The effect of Catnip on a cat can last somewhere between two and fifteen minutes. If the latter is the case, then this is a decent amount of exercise and will help keep your cat a little more svelte than without a Catnip treatment. Furthermore, if you leave the Catnip out for a few hours then your cat may return to the herb later (an hour or two after the effect has worn off) and again react in an energetic fashion. So in this sense you may consider Catnip sort of like a kitty energy drink.

Catnip and Cats That Scratch Furniture:

If you have a cat that seems bent on the destruction of your furniture then Catnip may again be able to come to the rescue. Cats can be frustratingly picky about just about anything under the sun including where they want to sharpen their furniture destroying claws. It is not uncommon for a cat to damage or destroy a piece of furniture just because the owners finally gave up on trying to redirect their cat to the unused cat scratching post that set them back anywhere up to a hundred dollars and more. A good way to attempt to change this frustrating and expensive behavior is to rub some Catnip or Catnip oil on a scratching post that you are attempting to get the cat to use. Introduce your cat to the newly “Catnipped” scratching post and see how he/she reacts. If all goes well, your cat will sniff and inspect the post and then begin clawing at it. After a few times (you may have to re-Catnip the post) hopefully kitty will be trained to use the post rather than the sofa.

Using Catnip with Multiple Cats

If you’ve never used Catnip before and you have more than one cat it is advisable to try it out individually on each cat before introducing it to all of your cats at the same time. The reason is because Catnip affects some cats in a negative manner causing the cat in question to become aggressive rather than merely playful. Introducing it to your cats individually enables you to control the situation and keep a cat that may react aggressively isolated from your other cats. This of course means avoiding a possible catfight that could result in broken furniture, hurt kitties (possibly requiring a vet visit), annoyed neighbors (and probably owners), or a combination of all of the above.

Growing and Keeping Catnip

Growing your own Catnip can be rewarding as it can save you money, give you the satisfaction of doing something yourself and ensuring that you always get fresh, high-quality Catnip for your cat. A word of caution however; the exact kitty reaction you want to grow your own Catnip is something to be wary of. If you plan on growing your Catnip out of doors and other cats can access your Catnip garden then be prepared for unwelcome feline visitors. This may not be a problem for you personally, but cats are by nature territorial and if you have a cat that lives alone without the company of other cats this could prove to be an area of stress for your cat. Even if you keep your cat inside at all times, your cat may get agitated if he/she looks out the window to see another cat frolicking in territory your cat considers his or her own. If you choose to grow your Catnip indoors, be careful to keep it out of reach of kitty. Otherwise you’ll likely have Fluffy jumping up on furniture even to the most out of the way place to get access to the tempting herb. Cats are great jumpers and not really known for respecting precious household knick-knacks. So if you do decide to grow it indoors for a cat that reacts to Catnip, be careful to grow it in a place that your cat won’t be able to access it. A room that you always keep closed to the cat is probably the best solution for indoor grown Catnip.

If you do find that your cat reacts positively to Catnip you should be sure to use it sparingly so as not to dull the effect which can be the result of overexposure. A good rule of thumb is to not treat your kitty more than once a week on average to Catnip.

Given all the positive effects that Catnip may have on your cat you owe it to yourself (and naturally your fluffy little ball of affection) to see how he/she reacts to this strange and well known herb. It will provide enjoyment and exercise for your cat and most likely an entertaining show for yourself as well. It’s a win win situation.

Andy Markison is an illustrator, graphic designer, animal lover and pet owner living in Germany. His website, ZapGraphix.com, sells fun and humorous pet related merchandise.

If you find yourself searching the internet for How To Find Your Dream Career more often than you’d like to admit then this article could be the very answer you’ve been longing for and assist you in finally figuring out what you want to do with your life.

It is very likely that there are various reasons why you are still searching for How To Find Your Dream Career and not actually pursuing your perfect path yet, however, by the end of this page that may no longer pose as a problem for you.

I want you to ask yourself something and answer as honestly as you possibly can.

Do you REALLY want to know how to find your dream career or do you silently wish you could be in business for yourself or work from the comforts of your own home?

There is no wrong answer to this question and whether or not you answered yes or no, the solution will still be available throughout this article.

I have discovered that most people I talk to are dissatisfied with working for somebody else at a set salary and constantly keep searching for that ideal career when what they want deep down is to be in their own business. On the other hand, I have talked to hundreds of people that have no idea what they want to do with their lives and others who know exactly what they want but don’t know how to go about making it happen.

Which one of these three predicaments do you find yourself in?

1. I want to be blank but I don’t have the money for college.

2. I want to work from home but don’t know how to begin.

3. I honestly have no idea what I want to do.

Let’s go over each one of the above individually and see if we can’t come up with the ultimate answer you were hoping to uncover while searching specifically for How To Find Your Dream Career!

A1. My best friend Anica has know since she was 6 years old that when she was all grown up she would strive to be a Veterinarian. Immediately after graduating High School she attended a low cost college and completed her Vet Tech Program. A Vet Tech is half way to becoming a Veterinarian so Anica knew she would still need to attend 4 more years of College and come up with $100,000.00 to cover her tuition. She had to work while attending college to cover her daily living expenses such as food and rent which made it hard for her to devote a decent amount of time to achieve the great grades that the Veterinary Schools require. Anica applied to all 28 of the Colleges around the world at $100.00 an application and was heart broken when she did not received one acceptance letter. For almost 5 years Anica completely abandoned her dream career of being a Veterinarian until we put our heads together and worked out the perfect plan to get this girl accepted into the Vet School of her choice. Anica already spent $2,800.00 in application fees to apply for these schools, still owed $28,000.00 in existing loans and feared that it would not only be a waste of money to try and apply again with her grades but that there was no way she would come up with the money for tuition even if she did get accepted.

Have you picked up on how Anica prevented her own dream career from happening even though she knew exactly what she wanted which was to be a Veterinarian? The answer will shock you like it did us and once we figured it out and you’ll be happy to hear that Anica has finally achieved her life long dream career!

As much as Anica said she wanted to be a Veterinarian, she was silently hoping to herself that she would not get accepted into any of the schools she applied for because she feared there was no way she could pay to attend anyway!

We had to laugh to ourselves when we discovered that she was wishing away what she wanted with her fears but we were able to figure out a successful solution once we realized what the root of the problem really was.

Just like Anica, millions of people allow money to be the driving factor in determining their dream career. Rule # 1 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to never let money keep you from living the life you love! I know that last line probably had you thinking like it did Anica, “Well where the hell am I going to get the money that will make it possible for me to peruse my passions”? You have every right to ask this question and because you have read this far you I am going to reveal the answer the answer to you now!

First thing we did was wrote down every single dollar Anica would need to pay off all of her current debt, determine exactly how much the tuition would cost to attend the college of her choice and factor in a figure that would cover her living expenses while away at school for the next 4 years. We came up with the exact amount of money should would need and then participated in a program that made it all possible.

There is a proven program that I personally use along with Anica and over 48,329 other ordinary, everyday people who have experienced extraordinary financial gains from over a very short period of time. With this system that most people have never even heard about before, I was able to make more money in 1 year then most people make in a lifetime and enabled Anica to pay off all of her existing debt plus pre-pay for her tuition which made it impossible for Vet Schools to deny her application. “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” I always say and you can learn all about this incredible system at [http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com]. The safe, stable and secure system that will be revealed to you at this website can be implemented by anyone, anywhere in the world! The only thing that is required is reliable internet access and at least 30 minutes a day to monitor your account. Everybody is entitled to the wealth that makes living life to the fullest possible and now nothing need stand in the way of funding your dream career!

A2. I spent several years searching online and local libraries for How To Find Your Dream Career but always felt deep disappointment because in the back of my mind I truly desired to be my own boss. I heard the expression before I turned 20 that J.O.B. stood for Just Over Broke and dreaded locking into a life-long career that could only lead me to a desperate destination. Besides, the though of being able to write my own paycheck excited me more then anything else in the world!!! Don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of exciting careers that pay exceptionally well which we will be going over in the next section of this article but I had it in my heart that being my own boss would be the perfect path for me. The very moment that I decided to work for myself and work from home, rather than seek out a career with a corporate company, all of the pieces came together that allowed me to accomplish just that.

I didn’t just desire to make money from home for the sake of not working for someone else but I asked myself a specific question and agreed to set my current financial circumstances aside while making my selection to assure that the answer I came up with would also give me a great sense of personal satisfaction. In a moment I am going to ask you to ask yourself the very same question I asked myself five years ago that led me to doing what I love for a living. This one simple question could very well lead you to discovering your dream career but it may take some deep contemplation on your part and will require that you cast your current income out of your mind while asking yourself for the appropriate answer.

Once you have eliminated your current income from the equation and committed to coming up with an answer, ask yourself:

“What One Activity Would I Love To Get Paid To Do Everyday”?

Do not dismay if the answer doesn’t instantly reveal itself and do not down play the answer when it does arrive with self sabotaging thoughts like “I could never make enough money to support myself doing this” because if it excited you at a cellular level then it is exactly what you came here to do and the appropriate pieces will come together for you as well when you decide that you are going to act on that answer!

The answer I instantaneously came up with was writing. I could barely sit still when I thought about getting paid well to write about things I was already passionate about and knew that getting the chance to do this every day would make me a very happy person. Even though I never excelled at English in high school and had no formal writing experience whatsoever, I did not let that stop me from writing 3 exclusive e-books that sell very well 7 days a week, publishing dozens of optimized articles for the World Wide Web like the one you are reading right now or approaching a popular Publisher about signing me to a distribution deal. I am almost finished with the final details of the book that I expect to be on the Best Sellers List around the world with the help of this popular publisher by March of 2007.

The only reason why I am living the life that I love today is because of Rule # 2 for How To Find Your Dream Career which is never talk yourself out of being in business for yourself if that is what you really want and always believe that “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” regardless of what anyone else chooses to believe about themselves. YOU can accomplish so much more than you could ever hope for by agreeing with the answer that arrives and resolving to see that answer through by taking inspired action immediately!

If you are interested in seeing one of my e-books in action or determined to make money online yourself, feel free to go to http://www.lazy-weight-loss-diet.com and click on the Work From Home button for step-by-step instructions about earning Six-Figures from the seat you are sitting in at this very moment.

A3. If you honestly have no idea what you want to do as far as finding a career with a corporate company goes then there are several online resources you can turn to for free assistance. I located an awesome website that contains hundreds of exciting careers and lists then in alphabetical order from A – Z. You can look through this interesting list by going to [http://www.texasmentor.org] and clicking on the Career Center section. I am confident that Texas Mentor’s list covers every career you could think of and hundreds more you may have never even heard about before. Due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career List” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Another technique that can help you hone in on How To Find Your Dream Career is to ask your friends and family what they think your strengths and talents are. When I asked my friends and family what they thought almost everyone said writing because I always took the time to write something special in my cards to them. They couldn’t have picked a better career for me and I haven’t regretted this career path for a single second! My sister use to say that she knew me better than I knew myself and that was why I turned to her for my dream career advice. You’ll be surprised at how helpful friends and family can be when it comes to identifying a great career and it will make them feel fantastic that you asked for their advice. Give it a try and see what comes up frequently from your friends and family members.

You may find taking a free career test and personality profile very helpful. Just for fun I took one of these free career tests at http://similarminds.com/career.html and answered 58 quick questions in less than 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised with the career outcomes this free service site returned because I have considered almost all of them before deciding to be in business for myself. In addition to writing, I also love Bookkeeping and Money Management which were two of the twenty potential careers that came up after answering all the questions. Again, due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career Test” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Rule # 3 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to put the time and attention it takes to define what you love to do in life and passionately peruse that path because you were born to be great at something specific! Confucius has been quoted as saying, “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” When you take the time to find out what excites you and turn that joy into a job then work will always feel like play which is the key to succeeding at anything.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime at theprovenpath@optonline.net if you think that I can further assist you on How To Find Your Dream Career.

May all your career dreams come true from this point forward!

Jamie Briggs

Jamie Briggs has been helping people define their dream careers since 2000 and has written several best selling online e-books. You can contact the author of this article at theprovenpath@optonline.net or visit her website [http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com] for additional assistance.

The old dreaded tune-up, this automotive service has changed immensely. In the older cars a tune up consisted of several replaceable items. I will mention some of these items in this article and compare the old vs the later model tune up. Read on.

-Distributor type ignition systems require more tuning than distributor-less found on newer vehicles. Distributors have been around for years and continue to show their presence. Distributor type ignition and the related components are the reason the tune up was born. This service helps allow the average, basic mechanic to keep working in the auto repair industry. Again their are several replaceable parts that you will need when performing “distributor type ignition tuning”. These parts may include the distributor, cap, rotor, wires and spark plugs. Use caution, these components can get extremely expensive, especially when there is someone replacing them and they are not bad. A good auto repair technician can perform the service in his sleep and can pin-point whether or not the vehicle needs to be tuned. Note Drive ability problems are not necessarily because you need a tune-up.

-Distributor-less type ignitions need much less maintenance. This makes tuning as easy as changing the spark plugs. I educate people, who frequently state, “my check engine light is on, my car needs a tune-up”. Warning, most of the time a vehicles check engine light takes more to repair than just a tune up for repair. This is why a qualified automotive repair technician is needed. Exercise your right to understand your automobile, one of your most important possessions.

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A loose definition of the word improvisation is to invent, compose, or perform something extemporaneously. For example if you’ve ever seen a Woody Allen movie, laughed at a sketch on Saturday Night Live or heard Miles Davis play notes of music not bound by this earth, you’ve experienced improvisation in action. As it is in movies, sketch comedy or jazz the joy of improvisational cooking is in the results that spring forth from inspired creation.

How do you use a recipe? Do you follow each step and measure each ingredient with the precision of a chemist? Do you nervously meter out the baking time of your cookies by tapping your foot to the cadence of the timer? We perform this culinary art to please more than our stomachs, the reasons too numerous to mention. Whatever the reason we usually approach it with recipe in hand. Often times a recipe we don’t understand. The essence of Improv Cooking, with it’s somewhat Zen like approach, demands you’re imagination and instinct to help you solve the riddle of the recipe.

The Steps Towards Improv Cooking

Improvisational cooking is not so much reading and following a recipe as it is using skills and techniques to take a recipe to another level or create a recipe out nothing more than a larder full of ingredients. You have to possess a certain amount of skill and understanding before plunging in to any kind of cooking. Improv Cooking is no different. It forces you to trust your instincts as well. Follow these seven simple steps and you’ll soon be free to open the fridge and just start cooking.

#1 Taste As Many Different Styles of Cooking as Possible

This is probably the simplest of all the Improv techniques to learn and master. Just eat as many different cooking styles as you can. The axiom is straightforward. The more you’re exposed to, the more imaginative you’ll become. Fill your headphones with nothing but Britney and it certainly would be difficult to imagine Charlie Parker’s saxophone. Consequently, eat nothing but the same restaurant or home cooked food all the time and your cooking vocabulary will reflect it.

#2 Understand the Basic Fundamental Techniques of Cooking

You can’t pick up a trumpet and expect to sound like Miles Davis without knowing a few things first. I won’t go into all the things that could and will go wrong. I’m sure you get the picture. Well, Improv Cooking follows the same rules. You can’t expect to be able to whip out a perfect Coq Au Vin without knowing the techniques involved to do so. But, the rewards will be greater once you do. The following list is more than just the basic fundamentals though. I’ve listed all the techniques and methods that matter to the experienced cook.

The Oven Group

Roasting – Cooking with dry heat that surrounds the food with as much direct heat as possible.

Pan Roasting – The wary little secret of every professional kitchen. This is a combination of method of starting the food in a hot sauté pan then finishing in a hot oven.

Broiling – A cousin to grilling, this is direct heat cooking with the heat source above the food instead of under it.

Braising – Moist heat cooking usually achieved in a sealed container like a Dutch oven, tagine or stoneware crock.

Baking – A dry heat method of cooking usually referring to breads, pastries etc.

The Wet Group

Boiling – Cooking in a large quantity of liquid, usually water.

Steaming – Cooking in a sealed container with a small amount of liquid (usually water but not especially) with the food suspended over the liquid so that it only comes in contact with the steam vapors.

Poaching – Best known as a method to cook egg, fish and perhaps chicken. This is cooking in a hot still liquid where the liquid never reaches more than a bare simmer.

The Frying Group

Sautéing – Cooking in a hot pan with little or no fat (butter, oil etc.)

Pan Frying – Very similar to sautéing, except done with more fat. Sometimes enough to almost immerse the food.

Stir-Frying – The Asian method of cooking in an extremely hot pan, usually a wok, with very little fat while keeping the food almost in constant motion.

Deep-Frying – Cooking by totally immersing the food in hot fat. The fat does the job of cooking by encircling the food with heat, thereby allowing it to cook faster sealing in natural juices and flavors. If done properly it’s not the health demon most people assume it is.

The Outdoor Group

Grilling – Cooking over direct heat with the food usually supported by a grate of some sort. This method can be performed indoors as well with the right equipment.

Smoking – This is actually two sub groups. Hot smoking is cooking at temperatures that will cook the food at the same time it infuses the food with smoke flavor. Cold smoking is done with the heat source separate from the cooking chamber so the food is enveloped in low temperature smoke that will infuse flavor without cooking.

Rotisserie – Like grilling, this method does not necessarily have to be done outdoors for the lucky few that have the capability in a well-equipped kitchen. Either way this is cooking with the food suspended over or next to direct heat and rotated via by some mechanical means.

The Sauce Group

Here’s where it gets a little dicey and can separate the cooks from the pretenders. Some of these techniques are best learned at the elbow of someone who’s been there before. But don’t let that stop you from digging in and trying on your own. You may come with some pretty awful stuff, but the attempt will teach you a lot.

Stock – A cornerstone of cooking, whether, meat, fish, poultry or vegetable. A low and slow cooking that’s meant to draw the true essence of flavor into a liquid form.

Brown Sauce – Usually made with beef or veal, but can be made with any brown stock made from roasted bones, flavored with aromatic herbs and vegetables.

Demi-Glace – Similar to brown sauce only made without a thickener and reduced to thicken and intensify flavors.

White Sauce – Also known as Béchamel, made with milk and or cream and thickened with a roux (flour and butter paste)

Veloute – Constructed very much like white sauce, except the milk is replaced usually by a light colored stock of either meat or poultry. It is often enhanced with egg yolks and butter at finishing.

The “Aise” Family – This includes Hollandaise and all its progeny like béarnaise, choron etc. and mayonnaise and all its descendants like aioli, remoulade etc. These are all emulsion sauces with egg bases and a body made mostly of oil or butter.

Other Emulsions – This can range from aiolis or butter sauces to vinaigrettes, to pan sauces that are thickened or finished last minute with butter and or cream.

Gravy – A sauce in loose terms only. Gravies are usually made with the juices collected from roasting meats or poultry. The non-thickened varieties are sometimes called “Jus” in modern menu vernacular.

The Soup Group

The Hearty Family – This includes all the varieties you want to serve in meal-sized bowls like beef stew, chicken and dumplings, chili, chowder and minestrone.

Bisque – Usually and intensely flavored soup that’s been thickened with rice, potatoes or a flour paste called panade.

Purees – Similar to bisque in nature but usually made with a single vegetable flavoring and thickened by pureeing the entire mass via some mechanical or manual means. Often times these soups are finished with cream.

Creams – Any soup, thick or thin, where a significant portion of the liquid is either milk or cream.

Broth – Often confused with stock, both are liquids that have been flavored with aromatics. But the basic building block of stock is bones whereas broth is composed from pieces of meat giving it more collagen. This is the lip sticking quality that gives broth its viscous body.

Consommé – A broth that’s been clarified with egg whites

The Miscellaneous Group

This is a hodgepodge of techniques that will give you a little more depth to your creativity.

Papillote, Packages and Pouches – This is where the food is wrapped and sealed in paper, foil or sometimes a natural wrapper like corn husk or banana leaf. The packages can be cooked by baking, steaming, boiling or grilling.

Dumplings – This is a very broad category of foods and methods that includes many varieties that I’m going to break put into two families. The filled dough variety and the nothing but dough variety. The filled dough relatives have names like ravioli, dim sum, kreplach or pierogi. After filling, these succulent siblings can be steamed, boiled, baked or fried. The nothing but dough relations generally just go by the name “dumpling” but sometimes have the main flavoring preceding their surname such as apple or onion. Also on this branch of the tree are hush puppies, zeppoli and matzoth balls.

Croquettes – Usually a fried delicacy, but sometimes baked. A soft filling of any manner of meat, cheese, vegetable or fruit encased in a crisp shell.

Brining – Very popular these days. Besides turkey at Thanksgiving, it’s an essential step in the process of smoking certain foods, like salmon or ham. But will often stand on its own in foods like gravlax or prosciutto.

Paté – A French term to describe a dish made with forcemeat (ground) of innards or any kind of meat. But the technique occurs in other cuisine and has recently been tagged to concoctions of vegetables or fruits as well. Cold meatloaf is technically a pate.

Charcuterie – Pardon my French, but they did have a huge influence on the world of cooking. This term covers all manners of sausage making and preserving of meats.

The Baker’s Group

This group of techniques is where the art of cooking meets the science of food. Precision in measurement, combination of ingredients and technique is of utmost importance. Discipline and a strict adherence to formula must replace the looser attitude you can give to other areas of cooking. But, as in life, there are no absolutes. Once mastered, these techniques will reveal many ways to tweak and stretch a recipe to your will.

Yeast Breads – These can be savory or sweet, loaves, rolls or doughnuts. They can be baked, fried or steamed.

Quick Breads – The “Quick” generally refers to the active leavening that’s achieved with eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and any combination thereof. These can be baked in loaves or cups (then they’re called muffins). Or steamed in molds which will change their name to pudding.

Pies, Tarts and Cobblers – Be they one crust or two, hand held or deep dish, cream filled, fruit filled, custard or meat. The basic construction varies very little.

Cakes and Tortes – The basic building blocks of flour (usually wheat but can be any variation), sweetener (sugar, honey whatever) and leavening (very similar to quick bread) rarely change. The differences all come in the flavoring and final construction.

Icings and Frostings etc. – Really a sub group of cakes and tortes, but for this purpose it stands alone. I’m including in this arena fondant, buttercream, ganache, boiled icing and all the wondrous creations done with pulled sugar.

Soufflés and Mousse- A seemingly daunting hurdle to the novice, but once the simple construction of flavoring base lightened with egg whites in the case of soufflé or whipped cream for mousse is mastered the sky is the limit.

Custards – Learning how to manage both breeds, baked and stir-cooked over heat, opens opportunities for both sweet and savory variations.

Puddings – A difficult process to pin down because of the wide range of foods that can be called puddings.

#3 Learn the Relationships of Aroma, Flavor, Texture and Color

The relationships of aroma, flavor, texture and color are possibly the most important aspect of improv cooking. In order for any dish to be cooked well, the dish must be whole. It must appeal to all the senses completely and with harmony. Webster’s Dictionary describes these elements in the following way;

Aroma – A pleasant characteristic odor

Flavor – the taste experience when a savory condiment is taken into the mouth

Texture – The distinctive physical composition or structure of something, especially with respect to the size, shape, and arrangement of its parts.

Color – That aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of the light reflected or emitted by them.

To make all of this work in harmony is no small task. Whether from recipes or you’re imaginations it’s the crux of all cooking. To neglect or diminish anyone of these elements would result in a dish that’s not complete. And by contrast, to enhance or over emphasize anyone of these elements as well would result in a dish that is off balance and probably not very appealing. So how do you know when you get it right? Is there a formula or system of measuring these elements that can insure all the pieces of the puzzle are in place? No, you just know when it works. Even though the balance of these elements is crucial, the right answer is up to you. Let your self go and become the dish or as was first said in Caddyshack “Be the ball!” Let your senses tell you what’s happening in that pot or pan. Smell, taste, look and even listen to the food as it cooks. It has a great story to tell if you let it.

#4 Learn the Art of Accompaniment

Very few things we cook stand-alone. Even the most well-crafted stew or soup becomes even more complete and interesting by what it is served with. The gamut of choices can range from side dishes to condiments to beverages and even to the choice of lighting or music. In fact there are too many choices to discuss in detail. The best way to approach this dilemma is to first understand the goal. Because there are huge differences in these as well, a simple lunch for two suggests a different set of choices from a large family gathering or an elegant supper. Throw this into the mix along with your own level of ability or comfort with certain techniques and dishes and well I think you get my point. Perhaps the best way to approach this step towards Improv Cooking is to begin with what you know, because just as the right accompaniments can make a meal, the wrong ones can just as easily destroy it.

#5 Cook With Others

“One can acquire everything in solitude except character.”

Stendhal, On Love, 1822

Unlike jazz, comedy or any of the other improvisational arts, where the act of improv is rarely done alone, you rarely think of cooking as something that can and should be done with others. Yet there are the accidental improvisational sessions that happen all the time.

While developing the skills of Improv cooking, you should plan several intentional cooking sessions centered on a specific dish or meal that two or more people can prepare together. Cooking with someone else can magically open a door to your imagination.

#6 Taste Analytically

I started cooking because I wanted to understand the magic behind the food I was eating. Tasting smelling and analyzing ingredients to understand the effects each can have within a dish is an essential improvisational skill. The more you do it the easier it becomes to unlock the magic of a dish. This skill coupled with a solid understanding of technique will enable you to accomplish great things in the kitchen.

#7 Break the Rules.

Without a sense of exploration, which is the ultimate rule breaker, we would have never walked on the moon or experienced Nouvelle Cuisine. The space program produced hundreds of modern conveniences we enjoy today. Yet many food writers and Chefs look upon Nouvelle Cuisine with the same disdain as the embarrassingly wide collars and polyester clothing of the day. Nouvelle Cuisine left us with a legacy of pushing the envelope. Unlike any other period in cooking, Chefs were taking the expected and giving us a whole new way to see it. The foods, techniques and presentations that seemed far out and strange then have today become not only the norm for many Chefs, but a jumping off point to even wilder ways to cook. Breaking the rules is the mantra in many kitchens today. Savory foams, laser printed edible paper, carnival midway snacks served in the palaces of high cuisine are just a few of the ways rules are being broken. If something feels like a rule the next time you’re in the kitchen, then break it. You may create something inedible, but you will learn a valuable lesson. I can’t emphasize enough that once you combine your increased knowledge of techniques, flavors and construction your imagination will be free to see new avenues to explore. Soon the rules will start disappearing.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN MUSTARD PAN SAUCE IMPROV

Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless

Unsalted Butter

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Veloute Sauce

Good Grainy French Mustard

Egg Yolks

Lemon Juice

Chives for garnish

Butterfly the chicken breasts or pound them to 1/2″ thick. Season each liberally with salt and pepper then set aside. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until it foams and begins to brown. Add the just enough chicken to the pan so its not too crowded. Brown the breasts on one side then turn and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and lift the chicken breasts to a warm platter. Repeat the process again if you need to cook more chicken. If not, return the pan to the heat and add the veloute sauce. Stir in the mustard and reduce the heat to low. Scrape the pan to lift all the little bits of browned chicken stuck to the pan. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Add a little of the warm sauce to the yolks to warm them then stir the mix into the warm sauce. Return the pan to the heat, but do not let the sauce boil. Finally, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce and warm briefly. Serve the chicken topped with a little sauce and garnished with some snipped chives.

Improv Hint: The veloute sauce in this case should be a little on the thin side. The simmering in the pan, the mustard and the egg yolks will have an affect on making it a little thicker. Plan on about one-third cup of sauce per chicken breast.

Tobie began his career as part of a restaurant and tavern family in Chicago. As a student of liberal arts at Kendall College he discovered his calling in the restaurant industry. Leaving school before graduation, he accepted an apprenticeship under Chef John Snowden at Dumas Pere L’Ecole de la Cuisine Francais. The classic French apprenticeship prepared him for a career as Chef and consultant. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ re-opening of the legendary Pump Room in 1977 was his first project. Since then, he has used his creative talents working with restaurants all over the country. He currently resides in Minneapolis working with an active list of consulting projects including, The Sample Room, a renovation of an old bar to a modern eatery Ike’s Bar and Grill, classic dining in downtown Minneapolis, Monkey Dish Bar and Grill ; an outrageous fun concept in suburban Chicago among others. His articles have appeared in various local publications and he makes regular appearances on radio and TV. He is working on a book called “IMPROV COOKING”.

Public Speaking Skill? Do you need more Public Speaking Skill? This article will give you not just one Public Speaking Skill, but five! Apply all five of these Skills and have fun becoming an awesome public speaker!

Public Speaking Skill – Tip #1 – Be Open to Learn

When it comes to public speaking, you will want to do everything you can to learn how to do it correctly. You will need to make sure that you take the necessary time to learn how to properly approach public speaking. Public speaking is like a lot of things in life, it’s learned. Oh sure, there are people who are “naturals”, but for the rest of us, we can learn! We all know that for anyone who would like to get a job that uses leadership qualities, you will need to learn how to become a successful public speaker. You will find that once you overcome any fear that you may have about public speaking, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself and your work. The first step is being open to learn.

Public Speaking Skill – Tip #2 – Allow the Fear to Be Your Friend

There are many people who will feel that nervous butterfly in their stomach every time they have to get up and give a speech. This is totally normal and it is only natural for a person to be slightly nervous. The key is to use this nervousness as a means to prepare yourself for your speech. If you know that you will be nervous, convince yourself that it is a good thing, that it can be used to help you focus. You should never allow the nervousness to stop you from seeing yourself as a success.

Public Speaking Skill – Tip #3 – Know Your Venue

One important aspect of successful public speaking is that you need to know the room or venue in which you will speak. You will want to get there early and familiarize yourself with your surroundings. There is nothing worst than getting to a venue late and having to step right up to the podium to deliver a speech. When you get there early, be sure to find some focus points that you can refer to when giving the speech. This will allow you to calm down when you feel that nervous feeling creeping up into your throat.

Public Speaking Skill – Tip #4 – Know Your Audience

Secondly, you will want to know your audience. You will want to know what type of people you are speaking to so that you can adjust the speech for their understanding. For kids you won’t want to use words they just don’t understand, and you will want to make things sound more exciting and complicated for adults.

Public Speaking Skill – Tip #5 – Know Your Material

As you step up to deliver your speech, it will become immediately apparent, whether or not you know your material. You will find that your nervous feelings will disappear quickly, when you really know what you are talking about. Be prepared! Spend time rehearsing your speech, preferably in front of a mirror or someone else. Pour over your notes, just prior to delivering your speech, to ensure that you remember all of your “talking points”.

These five public speaking tips can help you become the public speaker that you have always wanted to become. If you are open to learning and you allow your nervousness to help prepare you, while knowing your venue, audience and material, you’ll soon be on your way!

Public speaking can be fun! You can get over your fears and become an excellent, dynamic public speaker. To find out how YOU can grow as a public speaker AND to receive the report “Advanced Public Speaking Strategies” for FREE, go to http://www.squidoo.com/Public_Speaking_Tip/

Again, history is on the path to repeat itself in American Politics. It seems like for 2 different reasons America’s citizens have felt the need for a third party in politics. Either they believe in one or two political issues that they feel are not given a big enough role in either of the two big parties platforms or they don’t believe in anything and are annoyed with how democracy and debate work to solve political issues in society.

The green movement in American politics showed that the first of the reasons for forming a political third party actually are useful way of having an impact on politics. The main reason the American political system has only two parties is the ballot setup and how political elections are won. As we all know, it takes a majority or 51% of the vote to win most elections in politics and 51% of the state’s citizens votes to win all of the state’s electoral college votes.

The majority system in politics pits two candidates against each other and gives no incentives for only winning 15% of the votes. The contrast to the American political system is Great Britain, which has a proportional system. Because of this system, politics in Great Britain are different at their core from American politics. In a proportional political system, if there are 10 seats available and a political party wins 20% of the vote then they win 2 seats out of 10. I’m sure you can imagine how this influences the whole art and strategy of politics in this system.

Ok so what is unity and what do they have to do with all of this?

Unity08 on the surface is trying to sell itself as the party of the people and uses polls and catchy marketing to try to convince people to join their cause. They are a wannabe third party that has no core issue(s) that are not covered by the two major parties. They actually claim that they take on the more crucial issues rather than the somewhat important issues that don’t actually affect people.

They show base for their support by citing a polls that show the American public agrees with some things that are totally unrelated to a third party in politics. Things such as dissatisfaction with the way the country is headed and polarizaton. Also they polled on hypothetical questions of a different unity ticket and probably asked whether they agree or disagree with the idea. Good political pollsters know that people are always more likely to agree on any question when given the choice.

Ok now what do they have to do with third party politics? Well technically, they claim they do not want to be a third party. No No….They want to influence the big 2 political parties by giving them a wake up call. Oh it gets much better than this. They seem to contradict themselves a lot. They don’t want to leave their political parties but they want a moderate candidate or one person from each big political party to join together and run under their ticket.

So on some of their crucial political issues of national debt, nuclear proliferation, health care for all, and the disappearance of the American Dream they just want one candidate from each party to come together and run?

Ok Ok….Slow me down if I am wrong about this but is their differences on how to go about these issues what makes America the model democratic republic? Did our founding fathers not set our political system up with just that clash and debate?

I feel like I am under the Capitol Dome looking at the painting of Thomas Jefferson apparently stepping on John Adams toe and unity asking Mr. Jefferson if they could shake him up and then to embrace Mr. Adams like his political best friend. The political founding fathers setup the American system on the ideals of Newtonian physics where 2 political parties would both butt heads and the equal opposite reaction would end in a balance.

You cannot expect to take bits and pieces from each different approach given by the major parties, throw them into a blender and out comes the perfect solution. Most moderates in politics today hold views on political issues that are held by both political parties. However, they are affiliated with a certain political party because they believe in their core platform.

Finally, if unity08 plans to have one prominent member from each party on their presidential ticket for the 2008 political elections then how do they decide which party holds the President and which one holds the Vice President. I feel like I shouldn’t need to say this but unity08 makes it out like they do not see the huge difference in power between those two political offices.

So my final thought is this…The main founders and backers of unity08 are in this thing for exactly one reason. *Drumroll* MONEY. Plain and simple. Unity08 said they are seeking an advisory council from the FEC to see if they can be considered not a political committee. This means they do not want to be bound to FEC rules. Also nothing states that they are a non-profit and therefore I have to wonder whether they are not just a for-profit company.

Finally, one of the main founders bio on their webpage states this…

“Hamilton Jordan, Atlanta, Georgia. Carter White House Chief of Staff, writer, investor; focused on for-profit and non-profit start-ups; most importantly, father of three.”

This could mean nothing but it sure sticks out…investor;…for-profit and non-profit start-ups. Also, most of these former political people would not have wasted their time on this if they couldn’t control the cut they’ll make as consultants for unity08.

hmmm…This thing smells of scam and unrealistic dreams that not only contradict the founding fathers political setup for America but are also bad for America. The 2 party system is and will always be the best system for America. Does America need political advocates and higher citizen engagement? Of course! Conflict and honest debate is the best path to the perfect solution.

So to end let me say, unity08, no thanks.

here’s a link to their site. I feel like it is doing them a service but for my readers that don’t know what I am talking about I feel I must.

Jonathan D. Rhyne

Editor of The Right Minded Elephant http://rightmindedelephant.blogspot.com

Fashion designers use flair and know-how to create everything from hospital uniforms to the eye-popping outfits worn by rock stars and models. Jobs for fashion designers are expected to grow more slowly than the average for all careers through 2014, according to government economists. A study of the work of several other fashion designers records how fashion changed throughout the decade.

Fashion

Fashion design is also a labor of love, requiring long hours and little chance of superstardom — but for many, the work itself is the reward. Fashion designers, in fact, are some of the most creative and eclectic people that you will ever meet. Men’s fashions during the 19th and 20th centuries have been conservative and dull in comparison to women’s. The fashion industry is a big part of our economy. Here is a short list: Chanel Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971) created feminine fashion that provided the feeling of luxury and combined traditional women’s clothing with styles, fabrics, and articles of clothing used by men. Her fashion revolution liberated women to express their femininity with elegance and grace.

The Hollywood film “The Devil Wears Prada”, starring Meryl Streep, has brought a lot of attention to the world of fashion. More information about Prada Versace Gianni Versace (1946-1997) became interested in fashion working in his mother’s small dress shop. By 1978 he had become a design leader of women’s and men’s fashions. More information about Giorgio Armani Jean-Paul Gaultier (1952- ) is a French fashion designer who never received formal design training. In 1967 he purchased the Polo label and launched a world-wide fashion empire that includes clothing lines for men and women.

Fashion

The high prices commanded by the fashionable Fendi purses have created a large market for fake goods from Asia bearing logos that are eerily similar to the inverted FF. In 1985, they took part in a fashion show featuring “New Talent”, and the following year, they presented their first independent women’s ready-to-wear show. You’d have to be walking around with a shopping bag over your head to not realize that fashion is everywhere. In order to succeed in the often cutthroat–and frequently debt-ridden–world of fashion, designers can no longer hide behind their model’s skirts.

Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions for the mass market. Employment growth for fashion designers will be slowed, however, by declines in the apparel manufacturing industries Designers in most fields are expected to face strong competition for available positions.

Most women of means had a dressmaker who would create garments according to the latest fashions. Instead of catering strictly to a few wealthy clients, coveted fashion designers now create product lines ranging from perfumes to pantyhose that can reach consumers at every price point. “Consumers at the middle and lower level have realized they can get just as good a fashion direction with clothing at disposable prices that they can wear once and throw away–or if it falls apart, who cares.

Trishia Lopez is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.TheFashionGurus.com. She provides more information about Fashion and fashion issues that you can research in your pajamas on her website.

If you just started out as an Internet Marketer you might be a little overwhelmed by everything there is to know about Internet Marketing. Wanting to succeed online is one thing, knowing how and what to avoid is another. If you want to succeed online, know these top 5 Internet Marketing Mistakes newbies make and never forget them. I guarantee you will be miles ahead of your competition.

Internet Marketing Mistake #1: NOT TAKING ACTION

The number one reason new Internet Marketers fail to succeed online is that they never get started. In order to make a sale you have to take action and get the product you are promoting in front of your audience.

It doesn’t matter how much you know about Internet Marketing, product creation, customer service or any other aspect. If you do not have a product to sell and do not put a product on a website for your audience to find, you will never make a sale – no matter what. My point is if you do nothing, you’ll gain nothing. Take action!

Internet Marketing Mistake #2: WANTING TO BE PERFECT

Another major mistake Internet marketing newbies make is they want to be perfect. Just another adjustment here, and another tweak there. If you always wait for your products and website pages to be perfect, you will always be waiting.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Ask yourself; Does the page serve its purpose? Does it look like the product and web page could sell? Then, it doesn’t need any adjustments.

Avoid the Mistake in Marketing of wanting to be prefect and you will double, if not triple, your year income!

Internet Marketing Mistake #3: AFRAID YOU DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH

This marketing mistake frequently goes hand in hand with Internet Marketing Mistake #1. Many new Internet Marketers are afraid they don’t know enough yet to be successful. So, they don’t take action yet.

Don’t be afraid! If it is any reassurance, you will never know all there is to know about Internet Marketing. Knowing and learning more about Internet Marketing is an ongoing process. You learn more as you go along. The best tactic is to apply what you already know. Learn from your mistakes and improve on that the next time.

This brings us to mistake number 4…

Internet Marketing Mistake #4: FEAR OF FAILURE

This may be one of the Biggest Marketing Mistakes that holds newbie Internet Marketers back more then any other mistake. They are afraid that if they market a product, it will fail. How could you possible know something will fail when you have not tried to market it yet?

If – and only if – you don’t try, it’s guaranteed to fail.

Actually, there is no such thing as failure. If something fails it means you have to make minor changes next time. Failure is the one thing that thought all great Internet Marketers how NOT to promote. There is not one successful Internet Marketer that hasn’t failed promoting a product or service at least once. New Internet Marketers, and even great Internet Marketers, fail a lot. It’s part of the process.

Try – take a risk – and if it doesn’t stick, ‘pick up’ and move on.

Internet Marketing Mistake #5: IMPERSONAL MARKETING

I see many, many Internet Marketing newbies launching a website (sometimes full of products and sales pitches) missing a privacy policy, contact form and, most important of all, a personal reference and introduction of who you are and why you can help others as an “expert” in your field.

People tend to buy more easily when they trust who they are buying from. Building trust is key to online success as an Internet Marketer. Get yourself known as the expert in your niche/target market. People trust experts. People believe (rightly or wrongly) that you would not have reached “expert” status unless you know what you’re doing. If you’re serious about building your business, build on trust with your audience by making a personal connection with them. Adding a picture of yourself, and a small description of who you are, to some or all your website pages, is the least you should do!

Now that you know the 5 Biggest Mistakes in Internet Marketing, I advise you to act accordingly. You will be miles ahead of your competition and well on your way to online success. I guarantee!

Getting started and taking action are your first priorities. Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but try and learn from them and improve on them later. And most advisable, build trust with your customers. You’ll get more repeat visitors and thus more sales.

Yves Barneveld wants you to learn how to successfully market your business online, and follow highly profitable advice shared by 100s of other authors on http://SmallArticles.com – With over 800 articles in the Internet Marketing Articles Category alone, there’s a strong chance they have an answer to what you want to know about Internet Marketing right now. Welcome to SmallArticles Article Directory!

If you think that tennis balls are simply yellow fuzzy balls, one no different from another, you are most definitely wrong. Tennis balls are much more than that. Here are some facts about tennis balls that you may or may not already know:

Pressurized vs. Pressureless Tennis Balls:

· There are two main types of tennis balls: pressurized and pressureless.

· Pressurized tennis balls have a hollow core, filled with air. Some tennis ball manufacturers use nitrogen in the center, because this air tends to last longer – pressurized balls will lose their pressure after about a month or so after opening the pressurized can that they come in. As they lose their pressure, they become “dead” and do not bounce so well.

· Pressureless balls have a solid core. These tennis balls are great for anyone who does not play tennis that often and/or to use and training tennis balls. These tennis balls do not lose their bounce. However, the felt will slowly wear off, and they will eventually need to be replaced.

Regular Duty, Extra Duty, or High Altitude Tennis Balls:

· When you buy tennis balls, the container that they come in should be clearly marked with what kind of balls it contains – regular duty, extra duty, or high altitude tennis balls.

· Regular duty tennis balls should be used on indoor and clay courts. Extra duty balls would get too fuzzy if used on clay courts.

· Extra duty tennis balls are used on grass courts and tennis courts.

· High altitude tennis balls are used in places like Denver where you are playing 4,000 feet or more above sea level. These balls have different pressure – regular balls would bounce too much at this elevation.

Tennis Ball “Fuzziness:”

· Without the yellow (or white…) fuzziness of tennis balls, the game of tennis would be a whole lot different. The fuzz of the tennis balls creates friction. The fuzziness of the balls creates dray in the air, making topspin and backspin more pronounced and more possible.

Numbers on the Tennis Balls:

· Have you ever wondered what the numbers on your tennis balls meant? Do they reference the weight or style of the tennis balls, etc.? No.

· The numbers on the tennis balls are simply for your benefit – if you are playing with Wilson 1 balls, and the people on the court next to you are playing with Wilson 2 balls, it is easier to retrieve your tennis balls when they wander onto another tennis court. The numbers help you tell your balls apart from other players’ balls (assuming that you are not using the same brand and same number of tennis balls!)

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on tennis, please visit E-Tennis.

Africa has been marked by a dearth of books, especially picture story books for younger children reflecting an African environment both in textual context and illustration. Problems militating against a rapid growth in writing and publishing for children in Africa include the following:

(1) The bulk of reading matters available to the African child are textbooks rather than books for pleasure and enjoyment.

(2) Most children’s books are still imported. Such imported works are mostly insensitive to local culture, and unreflective of the social realities of the African child and his aspirations.

(3) Not enough African published children’s books are available.

(4) If they are available the illustrations in them are either

(a) of poor quality

(b) not in full colour

(c) Do not have beautiful dust jackets.

(5) And if they are in full colour, and of good quality, they are either much too expensive or for an elitist few and well beyond the reach of most African children, especially those in the rural areas.

(6) Most serious African authors do not bother to write for children since it is not accorded the same status as writing for adults.

Africa has very little concern for written literature. Even Nigeria which is rich in award-winning authors is marked by neglect of her authors. Writers are seldom as honoured.as footballers are. Hardly any foundations exist to boost the creativity of African writers. Prizes for literature are also in short supply. Book Development Councils seem to be either non-existent or collapsing except in Ghana. In Sierra Leone and the Gambia its absence is still being bemoaned. Whereas in Nigeria where one was once set up to develop indigenous book publishing, it hardly made any impact until it was swallowed up by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. In Africa generally adults seldom read children’s books – not even parents. Compared to the over 2,000 titles published every year for children in Britain, the output in Nigeria is hardly up to 60.

In spite of the over 100 publishers in Nigeria the situation remains bleak for children’s literature. This is due mainly to their textbook orientation which makes them lazily rely on a captive school market. It has been proven that if only African children had access to more books they would read outside the classroom. An illustration of this fact could be seen from the 1985 Ife Book Fair where the Children’s Literature Association of Nigeria (CLAN) held a special exhibition of books

Visitors to that stand were fascinated by the colourful poster illustrations of folktales decorating the wall, the top and back of shelves. Some even wanted to buy the poster-sized illustrations made by a very gifted woman artist from the Nigerian television authority. The festive air given to the stand by the balloons decorating it along with the colourful posters attracted many children. There was the astonishing sight of three children of varying ages reading one picture book at the same time, visibly very fascinated by this picture book entitled No Bread for Eze by Ifeoma Okoye and published by Fourth Dimension in Enugu. It was one of those picture books where both story and illustrations were ideally integrated. It was about a young boy Eze who loved bread and could not eat enough of it. He wanted bread all the time. So his exasperated parents made him eat nothing but bread. Eze was at first very happy. Nobody was pressurizing him to eat nourishing food. But he soon grew tired of eating bread all the time and pleaded with his parents to give him other types of food. But they would not relent. So Eze became tired of bread and stopped eating. He grew hungry and weak and could not even play football with his friends. In the end his parents relented and Eze began to enjoy a balanced diet, having learnt that boys shall not live by bread alone. This emphasizes the importance of illustrations in children’s books, for those children were fascinated not only by the story of Eze but also by the imaginative and sometimes humorously drawn pictures. If children are to acquire the reading habit, they must be given attractive books which also mean well-illustrated books. Even a two-year old baby can enjoy looking at a picture book. Picture books could indeed be expensive to some extent if one insists on printing in four colours which is ideal as could be seen in the lavishly illustrated folktale The Drum specially written for children by Chinua Achebe. But even line and wash drawings could be so well drawn that they too could be captivating.

Half-tone illustrations as in Adagbonyin’s The Singing Ashes (1981) can also be effective due to the masterly shading of the artist. Even one-colour children’s books could infectiously hold young readers as does Just in Case (1983) By Sandra Slater, illustrated by A.L. Satti.

Other good picture books include the colourful Amina the Milkmaid (1988) by Fatima Pam illustrated by K. Ofori Pam, a Ghanaian, The First Coin (1989) by Mabel Segun illustrated by the same artist and How the Leopard Got His Claws (1982) by Chinua Achebe and John Iroaganachi. This has two illustrated versions, the one in full colour being by Adrienne Kennaway.

Although Nigeria has a few good illustrators, most of the good illustrations there have been done by expatriates. It appears that many Nigerian illustrators cannot draw children’s faces and have problems with interpreting texts. In order to remedy these defects, CLAN has run two illustrators’ training workshops with UNESCO funding and published a book on Illustrating For Children (1988) edited by Mabel Segun.

But this problem can only be solved permanently by integrating text and illustrations, a feat best accomplished by an author illustrator The cost of publishing in full-colour could even be reduced through co-publishing with, a number of publishers working together to increase print runs and reduce the unit cost of books. Sometimes a book is published with texts in different languages using the same colour illustrations. In Nairobi, five publishers across Africa including Nigeria’s Daystar Press came together in 1983 under the auspices of the World Association for Christian Community (WACC) and co-published a number of children’s books in full colour under the imprint DUCCA.

The dearth of good children’s authors is also militating against the publishing of children’s literature in Africa. For, writing for children, is much more difficult than writing for adults, for not many adults can either enter into the child’s world and interact with him with understanding and lack of condescension whilst adapting the contents and language of her writing to the child’s age, experience and background… A good writer for children must understand a child’s psychology for the story not to ring false. Good children’s literature arouses a child’s imagination and extends his horizon giving him a knowledge of the past in relation to the present and imbuing him ideals and values necessary for national development. Work ethics. selflessness, loving relationships, acceptance of responsibility are amongst the values which can be so taught, not in a didactic, off-putting manner but with subtlety so that children can be mobilized towards national and international development. Good children’s literature develops a child’s creativity and inventiveness without which a people cannot hope to move into the technological age.

Good literature can also give a child personal identity in a continent which has been subjected to cultural imperialism through mass importation of foreign literature. Achebe does this through his well-written folktales such as The Flute, The Drum and the earlier How the Leopard Got His Claws co-authored with John Iroaganachi and published in 1972 by Nwamife Publishers. The latter was one of the first children’s picture story books published in Nigeria and remains one of the best and most successful ones, with an East African Publishing House. Chinua Achebe is quoted as saying it.. ‘Is one of the best things I have ever done.’ Mabel Segun does this through character-building books such as Olu and the Broken Statue (1985).

In neighbouring Ghana many other problems including the country’s balance of payments difficulties which cause constant short supplies of essential raw materials and

spare parts to repair defective printing equipments. Amongst The Ghana Publishing Corporations’ substantial number of children’s books published, one of the earliest and most attractive was Mesheck Asare’s picture story book, Tawia Goes to Sea published in 1970. This was probably the first African-published children’s book to gain world-wide recognition and it was also the first book from an African publisher to be translated into Japanese. Better still was the welcome news that a Ghanaian children’s book was the winner of the 1982 Noma Award. This $3,000 prize went to Mesheck Asare, for his engaging picture story book The Brassman’s Secret published by Educational Press and Manufacturers United of Kumasi in 1981.The jury in selecting it were impressed by its’ exciting and unusual children’s story, beautifully and imaginatively illustrated by the author, himself an artist, to bring out important aspects of his Asante culture. They also thought it remarkable that a book of such high quality was produced under such difficult conditions then prevalent in Ghana. Asare has like Achebe been rehabilitating the African child’s mind through literature designed to reveal to him his cultural heritage through all these fantasies as well as the adventure book Chipo and the Bird on the Hill and his more recent Sosu’s Call

Another G.P.C. item Mercy Owusu-Nimoh’s The Walking Calabash published in 1977 was singled out for ‘Honourable mention’ in the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa competition

Inspite of its many problems Ghana manages to maintain a lively and enterprising local book industry. Firms such as Aframs Publications, Adwinsa Publishers and the Wielerville Publishing House are among those whose list includes occasional children’s books.

In East Africa, the bulk of the children’s book publishing output is from Kenya. The East African Publishing House in Nairobi in particular, has an extensive list of picture-story books illustrated in full colours, as well as readers, and traditional stories and folklore. Especially appealing is their series called ‘Lioncubs.’ Charity Waciuma, Pamela Kola, Asenath Odaga and Cynthia Hunter are amongst the most prolific authors in the EAPH list. Another prolific children’s writer is Barbara Kimenye who publishes with the East African branch of Oxford University Press, some titles one of which is Martha the Millipede recounting the story of Martha who fed up with getting sore feet decided it was about time to get herself some shoes.

The Kenyan Literature Bureau taking over from the East African Literature Bureau has produced a few children’s books among which is Ray Prather’s A is for Africa A Colouring Book for Africa which contains forty full-page drawings depicting the various people of Africa, accompanied by small maps showing their geographical locations.

Foremost Kenyan writer, Ngugi Wa’Thiongo has joined his Nigerian counterpart, Achebe, in writing and publishing his first children’s book but unlike Achebe in his native Gikuyu language but later translating it as The Great Hero and the Flying Bus.

In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe Publishing House have already built up a most impressive collection. A government supported private commercial undertaking, it publishes books on education, politics, literature and creative writing, Zimbabwean history but with books for children featuring prominently. It sponsored a splendid magazine for children ANTS started by a panel of Zimbabwean children but which I have learnt with much regret has stopped publishing more than 15 years now.

Other publishers catering for children here are Mamba Press and the Zimbabwe Literature Bureau, the latter having a wide range of materials in Shona and Ndebele comprising novels, poetry, short story booklets, children’s comics and material for literacy development.

In Malawi another firm actively developing children’s books in the indigenous languages publishes the popular publications of Limbe.

In Lesotho the church-sponsored Mazenod Book Centre similarly has a substantial list of books for children in African Languages,

In Zambia and in Tanzania some children’s material is coming from the National Educational Company of Zambia and the Tanzania Publishing House.

In South Africa initially the small local market did not make it feasible to publish local children’s books in English. English children’s books written with a South African background or by a South African were usually published in England. Jock of the Bushveld (1907) written by Sir Percy FitzPatrick, is generally regarded as the first English South African children’s book. .This was published in South Africa during the second half of the twentieth century. Only during the 1970s did local publishers realize the need for indigenous children’s books in English and start exploiting the market. This change was brought about single handedly by the writer Marguerite Poland with her Mantis and the Moon which was published in 1979. The rise in price of imported children’s books made the publication of indigenous material more competitive. The political changes during the 1980s then brought improvement of the quality of education of African children and the decision that they could receive tuition in English. This created a large potential market for English children’s books in which some publishers specialize. At the end of the 1980s English children’s books were prominent in dealing with the political and socio-economic conditions in the country. The English children’s book was more explicit with regard to criticism of apartheid. with authors like Lesley Beake, Dianne Case and Lawrence Bransby taking the lead.

As a result of the small local market, few original books with full colour illustrations are published. Collaboration with overseas publishers and the simultaneous publication in various indigenous languages is often the only way to make a publication viable. Also, publishers of children’s books concentrate on the publishing series, beginner and second language readers.

The change in government in the country and the elevation of the African languages to official status, one should have expected would have led to the development of children’s literature in the African languages, but for several reasons this has not yet occurred. The rise of African consciousness and nationalism in the battle against apartheid has rather led to the identification of English as the language for education and freedom. For many African children prefer to read in English, and many African authors prefer to write in this language. Also only a small minority amongst African children read for recreation. Some publishers nevertheless try to publish children’s books of a high quality in African languages, but due to a shortage of indigenous writers most books are translations from English or Afrikaans.

This suggests the problem of language as another factor hindering the rapid development of children’s literature in Africa. The language problem posed by writers being forced to write in foreign languages which they have not really mastered raises the issue of writers being trained to write in their indigenous languages. But then this creates yet another problem as some of the authors of books written in African languages cannot distinguish between concepts for adults and concepts outside the experience of children. Similarly they use an off-putting adult language.

There is also an imbalanced attention to the various ages of childhood. For far more books are being written for the middle-aged (8-12) while very young children remain largely neglected. Very few books for adolescents have been written. One is Angi Ossai’s Tolulope (1979). Another is Joined by Love by Joy Ikede. The Kenyan Asenath Odaga’s work Jande’s Ambition is about choice of career which should be a prime concern at that age. Macmillan’s Pacesetter Series also appeals to young adults but their works are said to be of varying quality, featuring crime, espionage and love tangles.

There is in addition the chronic absence of children’s magazines in most parts of Africa. In Sierra Leone the attempt by The Sierra Leone Writers and Illustrators to establish one did not survive its second issue. But the invaluable role they could play in inculcating the reading habit in the child because of their wide variety of subjects, the form of presentation and the fact that children love to read what their peers have written and thus start having similar creative impulses is recognized.

Most parts of Africa are not book-friendly for there are few if any bookshops where the African child can buy books. Neither is his access to libraries especially so in rural areas easy. School libraries are a phenomenon of a distant past. Where public libraries are still available and functioning their children’s sections are poorly housed, poorly furnished, poorly ventilated, poorly equipped, poorly staffed and poorly sited. There is therefore an obvious need for thorough overhauling of library services in Africa. And efforts should be made to make it an essential public service from the central on to local government levels so as to give every community the opportunity of accessing and growing on books. Similarly every school should have a library that is well stocked and well-equipped.

The distribution of books is another area of difficulties. For this is usually left to private enterprise although some governments purchase textbooks in bulk to distribute to schools. Wholesale bookselling is best handled by private entrepreneurs trained in the discipline. But the main problem hindering this is that the book distributors tend to restrict themselves to using distribution methods more suited to countries with a high level of literacy where the wider citizenry is already converted to books. In Africa, publishers and book distributors cannot afford to wait for buyers to come to them. They must rather take their products to the people wherever they are. In Tanzania, therefore, enterprising publishers take books to the local markets. There shoppers mingle with books and enjoy lively discussions with the publishers on all aspects of books. The huge sales at these exhibitions have proved the usefulness of such innovative activities. This kind of promotion will no doubt create in adults an awareness of the need for literature.

Efforts made to promote and sell books in the West could be extended with adaptations, if necessary, to intra-African book distribution so that print runs will be longer for the prohibitive costs of books to be brought down. Why cannot children in Nairobi, for instance, read literature published by an indigenous publisher in Nigeria? Much is lost through the compartmentalization of African children’s literature. In 1976 an attempt to sell African books from all parts of the continent at the Second Pan African Trade Fair in Algiers collapsed when 4,000 such books had to be brought back because the Algerian government’s imposition of a 120% tax on the books had made them too expensive. Such tariffs need to be removed with communication and transport systems improved to facilitate trans-African movement of books.

The situation however seems poised for major changes with the intervention of a series of bodies and institutions thus complementing the efforts of others such as UNESCO that had been working assiduously in the field. There is a wide network of organizations geared towards supporting the growth of publishing in Africa. One of them is APNET which network exists to help strengthen book publishing by Africans in Africa. APNET has been working closely with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and has been supported by Bellagio. The Bellagio Group of donors has been exploring ways of improving support for a number of cultural industries, which it is hoped will eventually include African books for African children as there is now recognition among policy makers that culture of which books are an integral part is much of a key to development.

Book Fairs in Africa have been fastly becoming established institutions with a concerted series of initiatives to redressing the otherwise parlous state of books in Africa. The Pan African Children’s Book Fair (PACBF) started in Nairobi, Kenya in 1991 through the initiative of the Foundation for the Promotion of Children’s Science Publications in Africa (GHISCI). The fair has been trying to stimulate a learning environment that captures and nurtures the African child’s inherent qualities of imagination, curiosity and creativity. It has created a dynamic atmosphere to enhance the preciousness of books in the learning life of the child. Through a variety of activities such as art, toys, fun with science, debates, quizzes, creative writing, story-telling, and reading aloud, Kenyan children have come to love and comfortably identify with this event with increasing numbers thronging it every year. In 1994 a children’s library introduced within the fair further whet the children’s appetite by enabling children who could not buy books to have the opportunity to read a couple of books at the fair. Since 1994 the Reading Tent has been a major attraction to all children visiting the fair. This has resulted in other African book fairs widely emulating this innovation. Exhibitors also have been steadily improving their marketing skills thus reaching out to the children in more proactive ways, engaging them into books with new titles introduced. The 1998 PACBK had a spectacular advance with each stand becoming a mini library. Yet another innovation – A Children’s Home Library Campaign – was launched with children responding with tremendous enthusiasm, buying books and promising to start their own home libraries.

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair has been another important stimulant for the development of the book industry in Africa.The1998 fair was of especial significance because its theme and that of the accompanying Indaba was ‘BOOKS AND CHILDREN’

At the sessions of the inaugural Indaba it was emphasized that up to the 1990’s book production for children has been weak if not non-existent in some countries. But since 1987 spectacular growth in children’s publishing, in both European and African languages have been reported. In Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria production has notably increased in the last ten to twenty years. Print runs have also increased significantly averaging 3,000 to 5,000 copies per title with possibilities of frequent reprinting.

This progress has been attributed to the following:

1. The creativity of African publishers enabling them to produce well-made children’s books in terms of content, production quality and price.

2. Continuing increases in state purchases of books for schools and libraries.

3. Appreciable support being provided to publishing and book acquisitions by development agencies, international organizations and N.GO’S.

4. Noticeable increases in sales resulting from efforts publishers are making to promote their books nationally and internationally.

5. Co-operation between publishers and distributors enabling the development of export sales.

But in spite of this difficulties still remain or have been created in the following areas:

1 Wide differences between countries. The situation in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania is very much better than in other countries in their regions. In francophone West Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Togo stand out clearly.

2 Difficulties in finding good authors and illustrators still persist.

3 Readership is not sufficiently developed, given the level of illiteracy and the lack of a reading culture or habit.

4 Even where a readership exists, its purchasing power is limited. For books is not as high a basic priority as basic needs.

5 The library network is not developed, especially in the rural areas.

6 The distribution network is not developed.

7 The intense political situation in Zimbabwe has negatively affected the most favorable climate created there for the growth of books not only there but the whole of Africa and has robbed The Zimbabwe International Book Fair of its international flavour.

Arthur Edgar E. Smith was born, grew up and was schooled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.. He has taught English since 1977 at Prince of Wales School and, Milton Margai College of Education. He is now at Fourah Bay Collegewhere he has been lecturing English, Literature, as well as Creative Writing for the past seven years rising to the rank of Senior Lecturer.

Mr Smith is widely published both locally as well as internationally with his writings appearing in local newspapers as well as in West Africa Magazine, Index on Censorship,Focus on Library and Information Work amongst others .

He was one of 17 international visitors who participated in a seminar on contemporary American Literature sponsored by the U.S.State Department from June to August 2006. His growing thoughts and reflections on this trip which took him to various US sights and sounds inLouisville,, San Francisco, Cincinnatti and Washington D.C. could be read at http://www.lisnews.org

What would your score be if you could bowl, all the time, with that same feeling? Pretty good? What would you say if we promised you that high score? Unbelievable? Incredible as it may seem, that is exactly what we promise.

If you are willing to keep an open mind for a new concept while you read this article, we can point a way to help you improve your bowling score immeasurably as well as your enjoyment of the game.

Have you ever rolled a gutter ball while concentrating on the theories of the proper stance, delivery, slide, release and follow through? You know all there is to know about the mechanics of the bowling delivery and can recite the theories forwards and backwards.

The only thing you don’t seem to understand is your score. It seems the more you know and the harder you try, the worse you get.

If it is true that you know the fundamental movements of the bowling delivery and yet fail to bowl well, your failure must be in your mental play.

Here is a promise for better Bowling. Our new bowling book is dedicated to the mental side of bowling or, more specifically, to the use of self-belief for control of the mechanical action of the bowling delivery. The use of self-belief is a new concept and one that will help the bowler with all phases of His or Her game. The reader will learn about the simplest, most effective technique ever devised to help him bowl consistently high scores.

What will they think of next. Your first reaction to the use of self-belief for improving your bowling game will probably be a big smile followed by the comment, what rubbish, its all been tried before, ahh, but not the way we’ll teach you! The way we instruct is by self-hypnosis. Let us examine some interesting facts. Bookstores and libraries have racks filled with volumes on the physical side of bowling.

Autobiographies by professional bowlers reveal, with the frankness of confession story writers, how they “feel” during every moment. Endless “tips” appear in newspapers and magazines aimed at improving the game of the average player. Yet, why are there so many players seriously seeking improvement when the bowling delivery has been completely revealed, charted and plotted with the thoroughness of a geographical map?

The average player knows the fundamental movements of the bowling delivery, yet fails to play well. It must follow that his failure is in his mental play. Through hypnosis, the way to obtain a mental effect may be explained, understood and put to use. It reveals the mental side of bowling with the clarity that high speed cameras disclose the physical movements of the delivery. Here’s the Secret. Self-hypnosis helps the bowler to attain “the subconscious feel” which is imperative to good bowling. The subconscious feel has been described as the rhythm you have during a practice delivery, or that “sweet feeling” when a ball is thrown correctly. Any conscious effort usually produces muscle tension. This is what is meant when you are told “you are trying too hard.” Your conscious mind is so concerned with the mechanical movements and your desire to spill the pins that it repeatedly produces muscle tension.

Use Your Practice Game In League Play. Keeping that important feeling is what you are going to learn from using self-hypnosis. It is the secret of the champions and high average bowlers who have discovered the means of taking their practice games into tournament and league play.

It is known as “the subconscious feel’. Once you have learned how to activate this subconscious feeling and to bowl with the timing, relaxation and coordination possible in practice while under the tension of competition, most of your problems will be solved and you’ll be well on the way to the high average you are capable of carrying.

The Experts Agree. Take it from Hank Marino, world champion, named bowler of the Half-Century and a member of the Bowling Hall of Fame. Hank said, “it isn’t until a bowler enters a tournament of competition, no matter how small it may be, that the mental side of the game asserts itself.

“The one thing that is impressive is the incredible change of temperature. This change of mental attitude almost makes a bowler a stranger to himself”. The great bowling master, Joe Falcaro, explained it as, being “The kegler who feels he has a 300 game in the offing after two or three successive strikes will discover that every delivery gets tougher.

His relaxation turns into tension and his muscles tighten. The ball seems to get heavier and more difficult to release. That’s the mental side of bowling. Every star writing on bowling or lecturing at clinics stresses that form is a highly individual matter. The only thing that really counts is being able to relax tension for a smooth delivery.

Carmen Salvino, who started bowling at 12, was in a classic league at 17 and at 19 was the youngest American Bowling Congress (ABC) titlist, states: “I practice until the game becomes automatic. I don’t have to think about what I intend to do with the ball, so I can be completely relaxed and natural when I am in competition”.

Here’s more Proof From The experts. You could go right through the Bowling Hall Of Fame and get identical advice from each of the greats. Ed Lubanski, Bowler of the year in 1959, said, “Think what you are going to do as you take your stance. Then don’t think about anything in particular and just learn to spill the pins”.

Only the phrasing changes as each of the champions gives advice. Buzz Fazio states it as, ‘timing can make or break a bowler. The path to the fowl line is short but is strewn with pitfalls if your timing is off. Avoid stiffening. Be calm, relaxed and don’t hurry your delivery”.

The application of hypnosis to your bowling game was explained by Joseph Whitney in his popular King Features syndicated newspaper column, “Mirror of the Mind”. He wrote: Properly performed, hypnosis is capable of changing mental attitudes at the conscious level. If faulty mental attitudes are responsible for an athlete’s inadequate performance, a change wrought by hypnosis could improve his skill”.

You can Use Your Subconscious Mind For Better Bowling. Should the term hypnosis connotate mystery, black magic, stage trickery or fear, disregard it. Upon closer examination, you will find you are not only familiar with it, but you have been using it while thinking of it in other terms such as self-discipline, positive thinking, automatic response, muscle memory, suggestion or unconscious desire.

Hypnosis is not a new phenomenon. Its recorded history goes much further back in time than that of the ancient and honorable game of bowling. The only new thing about hypnosis is when you, yourself, become aware of it. Then, it’s great power to influence the mind becomes known to you. You will learn to use it effectively, because you will understand how to channel it’s forces to tap the hidden resources of your subconscious mind.

With the proper application of self-hypnosis, you will be able to bowl the best game you are physically capable of playing. The method of accomplishing this will be as normal as the automatic response while walking.

We know you may be hesitant about tying this new approach and because of this we make the following statement: See for yourself the unbelievable results. If you don’t score higher, bowl consistently better and derive greater satisfaction from your bowling game – simply click on my picture at the top of this page and receive FREE one to one coaching, to help you score higher! Fair Enough?

The sound, authoritative instructions for using self-hypnosis to improve your bowling are presented in clear, logical sequence and packed with new bowling aids.

You have absolutely nothing to lose! Act Today! From The Sports Hypnosis Coach.

These Total Success Mind – Science “Mastery of Life” Strategies and Techniques Give You The Power To Succeed!

Unlock Your Power Force. Hidden in the deep recesses of your mind is an awesome source of power that can quickly transform your life and bring you everything you want. This amazing Force is within all, but only a few are consciously aware of it and know how to use it. Your new mastery of life coach clearly explains what it is, how it works and how you can use it.

You will discover and master simple, yet extremely effective Mind Science methods to improve you life. Mind Science will allow you to control and direct your goals and make your life a rich, and rewarding experience. This incredible success program can and will positively change your life forever.

Erase The Fears That Control And Bind You. This amazing mind – science techniques will allow you to control your life, and everything in it. This is vital knowledge for any person who wants to “get high on life, and live the life that is free, rich, whole, healthy and happy. Now you do not have to settle for less. You can have it all! The Mind – Science success principles will erase fear, doubt and the subconscious negative programming that has restricted you.

Nothing Is Impossible. How to achieve total success is truly a miracle – multiplying coaching course, you can’t miss if you will work with this system. Tools that will make you successful:- Goal achieving made easy; the dynamics of Scientific Affirmations that will deliver the results you desire. Act Today! From The Sports Hypnosis Coach.

Trevor Dalley has been helping many people with their Sports Health and Fitness over the last 30 years and would like to help you. More information on The Ultimate Bowling Guide and regaining the desire for a fit and outgoing life can be found at The Mental Side Of Bowling See our website packed with wonderful and proven remedies for surviving modern life.

According to the United States Department of Education, 92 million adults took part in some type of formal education to accommodate new job requirements, earn an advanced degree, keep their skills current or simply to attain a higher education. The education specialist degree program is intended for teachers, supervisors, administrators and counselors in elementary and secondary schools. This degree program offers specialization for teachers who have completed their master’s degree, along with in-depth opportunities for enhanced professional growth.

The minimum educational requirement to pursue an education specialist degree is 60 hours of graduate credit, which might include a master’s degree. A candidate for the program should have a minimum 3.0 grade point average on their previous graduate work. Furthermore, many educational specialist programs require at least three years of successful teaching in the field, standardized test scores, writing samples and recommendations. Since a specialist level teacher is considered an instructional leader, the education specialist degree program builds upon the teacher’s prior education and professional experiences to accomplish this. The specialist program ensures that a teacher who completes the course is particularly knowledgeable about current theory and practice in education.

Specific areas of study can be pursued within the education specialist degree program. Such areas of include curriculum and instruction, administration and counseling.

Curriculum and instruction: Teachers pursuing an education specialist degree with a concentration in curriculum and instruction are involved with the teaching, supervision and curriculum of discipline-centered areas of study.

Administration: Those educators seeking an education specialist degree with a concentration in administration can seek licenses for advanced administrative positions within public and private schools, such as building administrator, administrative specialist, vocational director and district administrator.

Counseling: Teachers taking the education specialist degree program with a concentration in counseling have the opportunity for advanced training and study in specialized areas of interest, such as individual, group or family clinical counseling.

Specializations within each of the three segments of the education specialist degree include literature, art, English, foreign language, science, social education, mathematics and special education. The education specialist degree program encompasses 30 semester hours.

An education specialist degree is intended to develop proficiency and professional among teachers already in service. By earning an education specialist degree online, working teachers are afforded the flexibility to attend classes around their own schedule. Online education makes it easier for teachers to pursue higher education while keeping their current positions and maintaining tenure. Thus, attending an education specialist degree program online enables teachers to remain in the classroom with students while they learn how to enhance the educational experience. Teachers who attain an education specialist degree are useful in imparting leadership skills to other teachers, administrators, colleagues and students. Many such teachers implement school improvement plans, developing and using unique teaching practices right in their own classroom.

So are the longterm benefits of pursuing an education specialist degree online worth balancing time between earning and learning? The U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2006-07 Edition states that 1 in 4 Americans are enrolled in educational institutions; this makes the educational services the second largest industry in America. About 13 million jobs exist in education services today and most of them require at least a bachelor’s degree. The Guide further offers that, “Wage and salary employment growth of 17 percent is expected in the educational services industry over the 2004-14 period, higher than the 14 percent increase projected for all industries combined. The number of teachers retiring is expected to remain a record high over the 2004-2014 period, so there may be a lack of students graduating with education degrees to meet this growing industry’s needs. This makes job opportunities for graduates in many education fields good to excellent.”

Education remains an important part of life and school attendance is compulsory the United States, so there are numerous educational establishments to teach at. As technology expands and the economy changes, there will be an increased need for skilled teachers with an innovative approach to dynamic classroom situations. People holding an education specialist degree will have increased opportunities to advance into positions as administrators, specialized counselors or even assist in developing cutting edge curriculum for students. In a Report released in July 2006, The U.S. Department of Labor reveals that school districts report difficulties in recruiting qualified administrators and teachers, especially in urban and rural areas.

According to the Distance Education and Training Council, over 4 million students are enrolled in online universities and schools and that number is growing by 30 percent each year. The convenience of pursuing an education specialist degree online enables teachers to learn while they earn, as well implement the skills they attain in their own classrooms as they go. Thus, education specialist degree online programs are beneficial to both teachers and their students.

SummitLearners.com [http://www.summitlearners.com] is the leading website for people looking to learn online. We have resources for people looking to get an Early Childhood Education Online Degree [http://www.summitlearners.com/early-childhood-education-online-degree]

Please let me tell you about the Internet marketing

systems I use and find helpful. This information may be

of some benefit to you, especially if your goal is to

monetize your site or earn an income from your online

marketing.

My name is Titus Hoskins and I own and operate a very

modest marketing website called http://www.bizwaremagic.com

I have been designing web pages and sites since 1998.

I have an Art/Education background but in the last

couple of years I have been studying online marketing

systems and using them.

Yes, studying them, since I have an art background I like

to examine beneath the surface of things or structures in

order to get a clearer picture. I like to see the whole

picture. The big picture. But the underlying elements behind

these complex systems interests me the most. What’s beneath

the surface excites me, the structure holding everything

in place. How they are designed, the methods and tools

used to make these marketing systems work.

Keep in mind, I still feel a bit funny calling myself an

Internet marketer. Last week my marketing efforts make me

around a thousand dollars; don’t know if that qualifies me

as an Internet marketer or not. Probably not. Most of the

people I associate and have contact with, usually make that

in a day — the real smart ones make that in an hour.

A thousand dollars in one hour?

How is that possible? Well, the marketing experts who

earn the big d’s — usually have complex automated marketing

systems set up and operating on the Internet. These systems

start with their own products but quickly expands and builds

with large opt-in lists or ezines, 1000’s of affiliates,

large JV networks, multi-sites, viral marketing, membership

forums, brandable ebooks, online marketing tools/resources

and the list goes on…

No doubt you may have stumbled across some of these

marketing systems on the Internet… one of the first

I really encountered was Internet Marketing Center run by

the late Corey Rudl who died tragically in a car crash at

the young age of 34. I made my first affiliate check

through Corey’s system and it changed the way I looked

at the Internet forever. And the check was only $5!

What made me earn that $5 was not only my own efforts but

more importantly the whole marketing system behind IMC.

It took an ordinary webmaster and showed him how to market

on the web. It showed me the way. More importantly, it

also taught me Internet marketing is a skill anyone

can learn.

These marketing systems can be good places for the

beginning marketer to learn those skills. There are many

marketing systems quietly working the Internet. Some of

best (in my opinion) are Ken Evoy’s whole Site Sell system,

Marlon Sanders Higher Response Marketing, John Reese’s

Traffic Secrets, Bryan Winter’s PushButton Publishing, Jeff

Mulligan’s CBmalls, Nitro Marketing…

These Internet marketing systems are all different, yet

they all have common elements or features that make them

very effective and very powerful marketing systems. A close

examination of the different components or parts might

give you a better understanding of what makes these

Internet marketing systems work.

Here’s a list of different parts of an effective Internet

Marketing system:

* Founder or Helm: All these marketing systems have a strong

leader or founder at the helm. A very vocal and forceful

communicator or spokesperson is needed as a focal point.

And like any company, its only as good as the person leading

it. Because the Internet is still a very ’scary’ place for

the average user; a friendly outgoing spokesperson is

needed to break those barriers (real or imaginary) down.

* Unique Product or Products: Most of the effective

marketing systems have their own products to market.

These can be digital info products, web building/hosting

packages, or even self-contained marketing systems. Or all

of the above. Some popular products that come to mind would

include Ken Evoy’s whole Site Sell and SiteBuildIt line,

or Jeff Mulligan’s CBmalls promoting the well known digital

download affiliate site ClickBank.

* Databases or Lists: All these systems collect and keep

large databases or opt-in permission contact lists of

customers and potential customers. The real net value of

any marketing system is in the quantity and more importantly

the quality of its lists. All deliver a weekly or daily ezine

or ezines to these lists. Consider these Databases as the

engines that empowers any Internet marketing system.

* JV Networks: Most have large Joint Venture Networks or

contacts that will kick-start any new product. Momentum and

sales are created with these JV partners. An ideal JV partner

is a well respected online marketer with very responsive and

very large opt-in lists. If Databases are like engines, JV

networks will fill those engines with the fuel they need.

* Affiliates: The best marketing systems use 1000’s of

affiliates to promote and market their products. This is

usually done in-house with their own affiliate program or

onsite software set up. Some use third party affiliate

programs like ClickBank, 1ShoppingCart, Commission Junction,

LinkShare, or Shareasale. Your ignition.

* AutoResponders: One of the most effective marketing tool

these systems use, autoresponders are essential for delivering

the sales. A series of follow-up e-mails will increase those

sales dramatically, studies have shown that it takes 6 or

7 follow-ups before someone purchases your product. Consider

the autoresponder like a fuel injection system.

* Tracking and Marketing Resources: All have extensive

tracking and marketing resources, usually located online

within a membership site. An easy to use and accessible

tracking system for affiliates is needed. So too are

marketing resources such as banners, links, coupons,

graphics, seo tactics, landing pages, lead capture pages,

brandable reports, articles and ebooks. Obviously, your toolkit.

* Viral Marketing: All great Internet marketing systems

use viral marketing techniques. This can be as simple a

brandable reports, articles, software or eBooks. Affiliates

can embed their own IDs and pass these viral products along

to their friends and visitors, these useful viral products

then get passed around all over the web. Creating links,

contacts, buzz and funneling prospects back to your

marketing system. Consider it your Turbo Charger.

* Online Forums: Many of the better Internet Marketing

systems will have an online forum where members can network

and interact. Offering workshops and tutorials. This is a

vital community building tool that must not be overlooked

or underestimated. It will greatly enhance the effectiveness

of any marketing system, building a foundation and launch pad

for any new products. Your gas station.

* Cross Promotion: These marketing systems can become very

complex: promoting programs within programs, cross networking

whole systems within systems, joint ventures within joint

ventures… Marketing seminars, conventions and workshops

are other lucrative features these systems use to market

their products and to network with other marketers. Hybrid fuel.

* Corporate Blogs: Most have company blogs or a network of

members’ blogs. Realizing the importance of these relatively

new mediums for getting the word out. RSS feeds are also used

to syndicate your sales message and content. That would be

your satellite radio.

* Affiliate Incentives: The better marketing systems have

affiliate incentives and contests to motivate the sales force.

From cruises to Ferraries…

* They Pay Their Affiliates On Time: Might seem trivial, except

for the affiliate. The best Internet marketing systems pay

their affiliate regularly and on time. They are trusted and

respected by affiliates and online marketers. This trust have

been built up over many years of good solid business

relationships. The best marketing systems are the ones that

can harvest and develop those relationships with thousands

or even millions of affiliates. Your accelerator.

* Automation: The one key element that makes all of the above

possible. These Internet marketing systems are automated to

the highest degree possible. Without automation these large

marketing networks could not function. Therefore, almost all

the day to day running of a marketing system is automated and

can run smoothly without much work or maintenance. The grease

that makes everything run.

* Internet: These marketing systems have taken full advantage

of the world wide web and used it to their benefit. It permits

global marketing with affiliates in every country around the

world. A large multinational marketing force that is made

possible only with the creation of the Internet. Consider it

the clue that connects the whole system.

The computer and the Internet make these whole automated

marketing systems possible. Closely studied and dissected,

these systems are complex, intricate creatures solidly

embedded into the Internet and the lives of millions around

the globe. Enabling lifestyles that offer mobility, freedom

and enrichment never before seen this side of a PowerBall

win!

When you picture these complex marketing systems, don’t think

of computers, databases, autoresponders, wires…

Rather, picture a sun drenched tropical beach with a light

breeze and a clear blue sky. Picture a person sitting to one

side, checking daily sales stats on a cool sleek shinny laptop…

don’t forget to zoom in real close and you will notice a slight

smug smile. But don’t stop there, if you stare really hard and

think about what you have just read, you will have a clear view

of an Internet marketing system.

…..
The author runs a modest Internet Marketing web site where you will find helpful online guides on RSS/Blogging, SEO, Affiliate Programs, List Building, Laptops, Internet Fax and quite a few Internet Marketing Tools. Including the very popular Free Desktop Calendar & Planner Copyright © 2006 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Your resume will generally receive a 15- to 30-second scan upon first review by an employer. With that in mind, it is critical that your resume — your “paper handshake” — makes a positive first impression and compels the reader to put your resume in the “yes” pile and possibly call you in for an interview.

Before you circulate your resume, you will want to ensure it incorporates the basic characteristics of a powerful, interview-generating resume. When evaluating your resume you can follow the same basic steps as professional resume writers. This will increase the chances not only of having it placed into that “yes” pile, but also of helping it rise to the top of the stack.

STEP 1: Ask yourself, “Is my resume in the correct format to best showcase my career history?”

Is your resume the appropriate length, format, and formality for the position you are targeting?

Length: For someone with five or more years of experience, a resume will typically be one to two pages. It isn’t at all uncommon for executive-level resumes to be as long as three or four pages. If you are a recent college graduate one page may suffice, but don’t be afraid to go two pages, particularly if you have some work, internship, or volunteer experience under your belt.

Format: There are three common types of resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. A chronological resume calls attention to your employment history in reverse chronological order. It is most effective when your job listings are notable (position titles and/or company names) and are directly relevant to the job target.

A functional resume de-emphasizes positions, job descriptions, and employment dates. It organizes qualifications by related skills or experience. Job seekers who have gaps in employment or who are making a career change commonly use functional resumes. Think carefully before using this format as feedback from hiring authorities suggests that they don’t like them — they know that functional resumes can be used to minimize, or even hide, periods of unemployment and other flaws in your history.

A typical combination resume is just that — a blend of the other two formats. It begins with a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile that clearly communicates your functional skills. This allows your resume to be focused toward particular positions and/or industries, and provides a platform to communicate the your best qualifications. A reverse-chronological listing of employment experience (including responsibilities and, more importantly, relevant accomplishments) follows. The combination format is a popular choice among professional resume writers as it is particularly effective in selling their clients to employers.

A fourth type of resume, which won’t be discussed at length here, is the Curriculum Vita. A “CV” is a conservatively written and designed document that emphasizes educational credentials, academic research and projects, publications, presentations, awards, and honors. This format is typically used in scholastic, medical, and scientific fields.

Formality: A good rule of thumb is to write using the same level of language that you would be expected to use in the job you are targeting. An entry-level resume can include brief sentences. If you are a manager or executive your resume will be more narrative — to draw a complete picture of your career successes and contributions — and include vernacular expected at your level of accountability.

STEP 2: Ask yourself, “Is my resume visually appealing and easy to read?”

Have you incorporated appropriate font type and size selections throughout your resume? Depending on the font choice, the size should fall somewhere between 9 and 11 point, 12 point at most. Section headings can be larger, of course. As for font type, the higher your level of responsibility, the more likely it is that you will use a serif font (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino). It is acceptable to combine fonts, but never more than two (for example, Times for the section titles and Arial for the content).

Does your resume contain sufficient white space? Your challenge is to draw the reader’s attention to essential information. Using white space effectively can help you do just that. You’ll need to become familiar with some features of your word processing software that you might not normally access (such as the paragraph, line-spacing, and tab settings).

Does your resume implement appropriate design elements? Conservative use of lines, bolding, italics, and bullets can be very effective. When used consistently, they will help the reader along in your thought process and crystallize the organization of your resume.

For great ideas on contemporary formats, check out one or more of the recently released resume resource books at your local bookstore. One of the best out there is Resume Magic–Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb (JIST Works). For executive-level ideas, Wendy Enelow’s Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs (Impact Publications) or Donald Asher’s Bible of Executive Resumes (Ten Speed Press) are both outstanding.

STEP 3: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain a powerful opening section that draws the reader in?”

Is the most relevant information you want to communicate showcased in a powerful Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile in the top 1/3 of your resume? At a minimum, you’ll want to include your total years of experience and encapsulate your core competencies and related hard and soft skills. Keep in mind that the remainder of your resume must substantiate what you include in this section.

Does your resume make clear what position, industry, or career you are targeting? Employers don’t have time to guess what you want to be when you grow up.

Step 4: Ask yourself, “Does my resume effectively communicate my value to the prospective employer in one or more of the following ways?”

Does your resume demonstrate how you can help an employer make money? Save money or time? Solve a specific problem? Make work easier? Build relationships? Be more competitive? Attract new customers? Retain existing customers?

Regardless of your level of accountability or industry these are things that all organizations want their employees to help them accomplish. Communicate your abilities to contribute in one or more of the areas mentioned and employers will want to talk with you.

Step 5: Ask yourself, “Does my resume contain powerful, concise, accomplishment-oriented writing designed to increase the reader’s interest and stimulate a request for a job interview?”

Is your entire resume targeted? Does it support your job or career goal? Does it speak the reader’s language with relevant industry-specific keywords? Did you use persuasive, high-impact statements that sell your qualifications as a superior candidate? Does your resume include specific accomplishments that highlight challenges, action taken, and results (quantifiable, if possible)?

Most importantly, do the accomplishments support your target? In other words, do they represent observable behaviors that are associated with the best in your field?

Step 6: Ask yourself, “Is irrelevant information excluded?”

There is no need to include any of the following: personal information (e.g. marital status and age), full address of employers (city and state is sufficient), personal pronouns (“I”, “He” or “She”), reasons for leaving jobs, reference information, and unrelated hobbies or interests.

Step 7: Ask yourself, “Does my resume present relevant content in an organized fashion?”

As a general rule, you’ll only need to cover the last 10 years of employment in detail, 15 years at the most. Anything prior can be summarized, but do attempt to keep the information relevant and accomplishment oriented.

Are your employment dates presented appropriately? There is no need to get specific — months and years are sufficient in most cases.

Did you include more than one source of contact information? At a minimum, list your home phone number and e-mail address. By the way, if you don’t have an e-mail address, get one…now! Listing it on your resume tells employers that you are technologically savvy.

Is your experience arranged in reverse chronological order? Are all other sections of your resume applicable to the types of positions you are pursuing?

STEP 8: Ask yourself, “Is my resume free of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammatical, and syntax errors?”

Feedback from hiring authorities is unanimous — a resume with errors is likely to be immediately discounted. They assume that your performance on the job will be sloppy and that you don’t pay attention to details. Proofread your resume. Ask a friend or colleague to proofread your resume. Ask your mother to proofread your resume.

Step 9: Repeat step 8.

Step 10: Repeat step 8 again!

Your resume is a material representation of you. It is a marketing document — not a simple work history — that tells organizations how you can contribute to their success. Ask yourself the questions above as you review your self-written resume. If you’ve covered everything, you are well on your way to getting companies interested in you.

© Copyright 2004 Peter Hill, CPRW — Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

About The Author

Peter Hill is a Certified Professional Resume Writer. He owns and operates Distinctive Resumes, a Honolulu-based consultancy for managers and executives. Peter can be contacted via his website, http://cbmallone.blogspot.com

I couldn’t maintain my little farm without the help of my New Holland Compact Tractor, a TC29DA Boomer. This tractor is just the right size to maintain my farm and allows me to do many things that I could not otherwise do. She makes all my tasks easier and a lot more fun!

As my son said to me, “A Boomer for a Baby Boomer”! Yes, he was right, although he had a lot of fun on it also.

Several friends and acquaintances have asked how I made the decision to purchase my New Holland Boomer, instead of one of the other popular brands, and if she really has enough power to do anything besides mow the fields.

My compact tractor, Blue Bessie, is a workhorse that made the following projects possible:

• helped put in a new septic system
• built a road
• dug the foundation for a house
• dug the ditch for the power
• dug ditches for foundation drains
• spread 450 yards of soil
• dug drainage ditches and filled them with gravel

Then she has her regular jobs:

• mowing the fields
• moving fallen trees
• re-doing the gardens
• moving shrubs and plants around
• grading the driveway

Twelve years ago we down sized to a little 6 acre farm. My husband maintained our farm with his two Ford tractors a 1939 9N and a 1942 8N. We looked at new tractors and decided to keep the old ones running as they did what was needed.

After my husband passed away, we were unable to get his old tractors going; spring was upon us and the fields were growing and needed to be cut. I made the decision to buy a new tractor.

My husband had told me when it came to machinery always talk to the people in the service department. He said you’ll probably have to go through a salesman but then talk to the service department and find out which models are the most reliable, what are the usual problems one can expect to run into, and then the parts department, basically get all of your questions answered. He also said to research at least three different brands.

I took the tractor folder out of his desk and looked at the fliers for the New Holland. He had also noted on the flier that the salesman, Brent, was a good man, no double talk. My decision was made to start there.

We had looked at the New Holland Boomers 3 years earlier. The salesman, Brent, whom we had talked with, was still there and was now the sales manager. He also remembered us, the size of our farm, and what we would be using it for.

Brent showed the model to me that he thought was right for my farm. He then went over everything on it as I knew nothing about tractors and had never been on one. He explained the benefits of the HST, hydrostatic transmission and the HST foot pedal, the 4WD, the clutch pedal, differential lock, dashboard, and all of the gears. As well as the front loader, the snap release hoses, the PTO, 3-point linkage, and the seat; if you get out of the seat while the tractor is running, the tractor will stop. Brent also went over the importance of wearing the seat belt when the Roll bar is in the up position.

After showing the tractor to me and answering my questions, he introduced me to the Service Manger, Tom, and the Parts Manager, Dan. He also had me drive one in the parking lot. When I asked about trading in the two old tractors, Brent said no problem. We went over what attachments I had to make sure they would work with the new tractor. I left with my head swimming with a new education on tractors.

Next was the Kubota dealership. The salesman was nice and showed comparable models to me. He thought I should have a smaller tractor; no offer was extended to drive one. He couldn’t take my old tractors in on trade but offered to consign them. The service manager was at lunch and I didn’t get a chance to talk with him.

The third dealer was John Deere. This was the first place where I had trouble just getting a salesman to talk with me. When I tried to talk with anyone in their service department, they suggested I come back with my husband. A salesman finally talked with me, acted offended when I asked if they would take my old tractors in on trade, and gave me the ‘dumb woman’ treatment.

I then did my research online for a complete comparison of the three tractors. The price was about the same. All three had the features I was looking for and were the top 3 brands. The most important feature to me was who was going to be there when I needed help, who had the best support. That was Brim Tractor Company, the New Holland dealership.

I went back and talked with Brent two more times and the last time my son went with me. He talked with Brent and agreed with everything Brent had to say. He test drove the tractor and felt it was a safe machine and that I would be able to handle it.

I purchased the New Holland TC29DA Boomer Compact Tractor with front loader and a backhoe. When it was delivered my son and son-in-law were here to give me lessons on it. My husband wouldn’t let me drive the old tractors; I never knew driving a tractor could be so much fun! It gives one a whole new perspective on tasks that need to be done. The tractor has replaced the wheelbarrow and given me a new freedom.

The New Holland service department is always there for me. I can call up and explain the problem I’m having and they will walk me through the solution. I am treated with respect, courtesy, and they answer all of my questions. When a service man comes out to service the tractor they explain what they are doing and why.

Tips in purchasing a tractor:

• Do your research: be prepared to tell the dealer why you want a tractor, what kinds of work it will be performing, how much land you have, and what the terrain is like.
• Research the brands you are going to look at so you are familiar with them and can get your questions answered.
• Learn the terminology before you look at tractors.
• Test drive the tractor, just like you would if it were a car.
• Talk with the service department as well as the salesman.
• Go with the dealer that spends time with you and has a good support department that is willing to give phone support.

Once you have purchased the tractor:

• RTM: Read the manual, make notes in it. Take it out and go over the different parts of the tractor with the manual.
• Become familiar with the correct terminology so when you call support they will know what you are talking about.
• Familiarize yourself with the different sounds it makes so you will know if something doesn’t sound right and can describe it to support.
• Keep the maintenance up on it.
• Even though it seems like a toy, its not, it’s a machine; stay alert and aware so you don’t get hurt.

Enjoy yourself and have fun!

I am an herbalist and have grown and used herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes, along with making herbal wines for the last 30 years. My tractor is one of my gardening tools. Please visit my website for tips on growing and using herbs. http://www.homeherbgardenanswers.com

Singapore has excellent tennis centres and coaching facilities. Learning tennis in Singapore is easy. I found that tennis lessons or tennis coaching can be arranged from the following entities:

1.Private Tennis Lessons

There are various levels of tennis qualifications offered by the Singapore Tennis Association (STA). Go for someone with at least a Level 1 qualification. Most would charge a basic fee of $50 per hour, excluding court booking fees, if needed. There are group classes as well, usually, not more than 3 persons. Try looking for at least 3 of your fellow friends who wish to learn to play tennis and get an individual tennis coach. It will save you some money while still being properly trained.

2.Group Tennis Lessons

Group tennis classes are found at the various public tennis centres. These classes are for both children and adults. The benefits of such group classes are that they tend to be cheaper. However, the class size tends to be larger and therefore, you may not pick up the skill as fast as you would have wished. It would be better to have a combination of group and private individual lessons. You will get the best of both worlds, playing with others and also being coached more effectively.

3.School Tennis CCA

Tennis is a CCA for some primary and secondary schools. Again, the class size tends to be quite big but it is a good and fun way to learn your tennis amongst your peers. It is also subsidized and is therefore, cheaper. Some schools make CCA compulsory and therefore, if tennis is something you child likes, make tennis his or her CCA then.

4.Tennis Sections and Clubs

Unfortunately, there are not many purely tennis clubs in Singapore. However, there are many country clubs with tennis sections. Tennis sections are a good way to start improving your tennis once you are able to play fairly well. Nothing beats playing more and more against someone of your level or higher.

5.Tennis Academies

Unlike the more established tennis playing nations, we do not really have a successful and quality tennis academy. Tennis is not even featured in the South East Asian games for Singapore. Hence, tennis is not one of those preferred sport which is earmarked for further development unlike its sister sport of table tennis. However, one can always head north to Malaysia or Thailand where they have various tennis camps which cater to all levels of play. It is an intensive and highly effective way of improving your tennis as you do nothing but eat, sleep and breathe tennis for a few days!

As an avid tennis player, I had my fair share of experiences in trying to find out which are the best ways to learn tennis in Singapore. I hope this article will provide some guidance for all would-be tennis players! If you find this article useful and would really wish to learn tennis, please check this out http://www.1sports.asia/

Happy Learning & Playing!

Mario Uribe Escobar, the president of Colombia’s cousin and leader of the Colombia Democratica political party, announced the removal of two Congressional candidates, Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, from his party on 2 February for their outward support of paramilitary organizations. His announcement comes on the tail of a purge of a limited number of political candidates known to be supportive of Colombia’s paramilitary organizations.

These two candidates belong to a long list of politicians that in private will admit to close contact with paramilitary chieftains. Arias and Pineda are considered the most public faces of a wide-reaching and deep-pocketed effort to increase paramilitary political control on the national level through the upcoming congressional elections to be held on Sunday, 12 March.

A much smaller, more organized, and influential group of former paramilitary war lords has emerged. As a group, they began to exercise power within the realms of politics on a municipal and state level years ago. Their efforts were first recorded in the 2002 congressional elections. In these elections, paramilitary-supported candidates won with over 90 per cent of the vote in many cases because there was no opposition candidate on the ticket and voters were scared to abstain.

Through these strong arm tactics, paramilitary organizations have begun to increase the number of politicians they control in the Colombian congress. This time around, they look set to further increase that power. If they succeed, they will work to ban extradition, eradicating their worst fear, while solidifying their positions of power across numerous Colombian departments. It is a reality that severely hinders democracy and sets Colombia and the region on a path to less stability into the foreseeable future.

Paramilitary politics

Colombia’s departments, stretching from Panama to Venezuela along the country’s northern coast, have long been held by paramilitary commanders who act both publicly and behind the scenes to control political candidates on the municipal, gubernatorial, and national levels. Their heavy handed political influence in coastal departments such as Cesar, Guajira, Atlantico, Magdalena, and Cordoba, is most evident, according to German Espejo, an analyst with the Bogota-based Security and Democracy Foundation.

Espejo agrees that the paramilitaries fund and support congressional elections. “In addition to financial support, it is possible that the paramilitaries use their influence to obstruct the campaigns of candidates that do not support them,” Espejo told ISN Security Watch.

Claudia Lopez, Colombian journalist and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) consultant, completed a study published in December 2005 that took a close look at the intersection between paramilitary control in Colombia’s northern departments and the indices of landslide victories of political candidates from those areas. Her conclusions revealed atypical electoral behaviors in the 2002 Congressional elections where areas that had experienced high levels of paramilitary-related massacres, and thus presumed under paramilitary control, had produced unopposed political candidates who were elected with over 90 per cent of votes.

The Colombian daily El Tiempo has reported that in the paramilitary-dominated department of Magdalena, mayoral candidates ran unopposed in 14 of the department’s 30 municipalities. The tendency for candidates to run without opposition, winning with inflated percentages of the vote, has been repeated in numerous Colombian departments. The trend, referred to as “paramilitarization”, has been documented in the Colombian press and noted on the floor of the Colombian congress.

Alvaro Sierra published a column in El Tiempo on 25 September 2004 in which he stated that Colombia was becoming aware of the fact that “a substantial portion of national territory, of the daily lives of millions of people, of politics, of the economy, and local-government budgets, and an unknown amount of power and influence at the level of central-government institutions like the congress, is in paramilitary hands”.

Colombian Senator Carlos Moreno de Caro, vice-chairman of the Senate’s Peace Committee, was highlighted in the Colombian press in March 2005 when he defended the a move to give paramilitaries lenient treatment in the disarmament negotiations, arguing “the thing is, half the country is theirs”.

Adam Isacson, director of programs with the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, said Senator Moreno de Caro’s statement was an exaggeration but not a wild one.

“Salvatore Mancuso’s statement that the paramilitaries control over 30 per cent of the Colombian Congress was probably inflated,” Isacson said. “But after the upcoming elections, it’s possible to be closer to the truth,” he told ISN Security Watch.

Ineffective pre-election purge

Relatively few candidates will publicly admit to their alliances with the paramilitaries, yet many will admit such ties in private. This has created a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation that has made it difficult for President Uribe to act on the opposition’s claims. Many fingers are pointed in public but little evidence substantiates claims.

Paramilitary control of politics is a reality that some can stomach and others cannot. In the lead up to the 12 March elections, many opposition candidates publicly demanded that President Uribe do something to purge the lists of political candidates, removing those individuals thought to be in close cooperation with paramilitary leaders.

A great purge of political candidates suspected of paramilitary ties was most likely on US ambassador William Wood’s mind when in December 2005 he publicly stated: “Corrupt electoral practices may occur in the elections of 2006, notably by paramilitaries.” Uribe told him to stop “meddling” in Colombian affairs.

Weeks later, at a meeting in Cordoba on 9 January, Uribe found himself audience to a very heated discussion between two senatorial candidates in the paramilitary-controlled department. Each claimed the other to have made political pacts with paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso. Days later, Uribe asked the Colombian attorney general to investigate the senators’ ties to the paramilitaries.

That same week, Gina Parody, a Bogota congresswoman, declined invitations to run as a candidate for one of the two largest pro-Uribe political parties, Partido de la U and Cambio Radical. She explained that her decision not to run with either party was based on the fact that both parties include candidates “with paramilitary links”.

She named Dieb Maloof and Habib Merheg, both running for re-election as candidates of the Partido de la U. Maloof is believed to be an associate of Jorge 40, leader of the Northern Bloc, one of the largest and most powerful paramilitary organizations. Merheg has been suspected of paramilitary ties since 2003. Both were elected to Congress in 2002 as members of the Colombia Viva party, a political organization thought to be close to the paramilitaries.

On 18 January, the tide of accusations and investigations came to a head. Both Partido de la U and Cambio Radical expelled a total of five candidates from their ranks. But these candidates were quickly absorbed by smaller, pro-Uribe political parties, much to the disappointment of opposition candidates who supported the purges. Even after the very public removal of Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, both candidates were absorbed into smaller, pro-Uribe political organizations.

Power over extradition

What has US ambassador Wood – and many others in Colombia – worried is not just pre-election purging and increased paramilitarization. The 2006 Congressional elections may place in power enough pro-paramilitary politicians to make extradition unlawful.

A law that bans extradition represents a de facto victory for Colombia’s paramilitary organizations. The US has made nine extradition requests for paramilitary leaders. All are immune to extradition while under the protection of the disarmament process, but currently have no definitive guarantee that they will not be extradited.

Banning extradition is the focus of every paramilitary leader’s political power play.

If the Colombian government were left without the negotiating leverage of extradition, the matter of ultimate justice for human rights atrocities, drug trafficking, and other criminal acts would be left in the sole jurisdiction of the Colombian justice system, one not known to have much success with Colombian criminals in the past. It is a system that would certainly be manipulated again in the future and one paramilitary leaders are willing to take on.

Paramilitary influence in Colombia’s congress ultimately goes beyond extradition. It places Colombian organized crime one step closer to the ultimate tool to protect itself – control over the legislative process.

With control over the legislative process, legally protected paramilitary leaders will contribute to massacres and escalated conflict with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Their positions as regional warlords will be solidified.

Increases in drug and gun trafficking are ensured. Exploitation of Colombia’s rural poor in the name of making the landed elite class more wealthy and powerful will grow.

Such a reality concentrates wealth in power in the hands of a few, exploiting the rest. It would consolidate many more years of insecurity for both Colombia and the region. And it promises a future where security – Uribe’s number one goal – in Colombia becomes a mirage. Paramilitary “king makers” will rule from regional outposts contributing to a de facto “Balkanization” of the country and a weakening of state sovereignty and democracy. If the paramilitaries come to control the legislative process in the Colombian Congress, a country ruled by warlords is a reality that may come to pass, and there is little the Colombian government, or any other government, can do to prevent it.

Sam Logan (http://www.samuellogan.com) is an investigative journalist who has covered business, security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism, and black markets in Latin America since July 1999. He has reported from Caracas, Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. He currently reports from Rio de Janeiro.

You’ve performed three of the most important tasks for a dog owner: decided if you were right for a dog, determined what dog was the best for you and taught your best friend some manners. That should be about it, right? Wrong!

You have an ongoing relationship with your pet, just like you do your children or your spouse. It’s important to maintain the relationship if you want it to be fruitful. If you don’t, all of that training you’ve done so far will be for naught.

Sometimes, though, like all relationships, the one with your dog can be rocky. Even well-trained owners have dogs with behavior problems when things change. Dog have been known to act out when their owners being working more hours, go back to school, have a baby or get married. Dogs aren’t themselves when they are ill or in pain. Some dogs are just never quite right because of problems inherited from poor breeding.

Here are nine things you can do to make sure your well-behaved dog stays that way.

1. Don’t forget that you are leader of the pack. Remind yourself that your dog is genetically programmed to be part of a group and to obey the leader of his pack. If you don’t provide him consistent strong, yet fair, leadership, he will try to become the leader. If he becomes the leader by default, behavior problems will increase exponentially. Here are some tips to make sure he remembers you are his leader:

- Don’t let him pull on his leash.

- Don’t put the leash on your dog until he sits quietly.

- Don’t let him get away with bad behavior.

- Always eat before he does.

- Don’t chase or play rough games like tug-of-war with your dog.

- Don’t allow him to bite anyone.

- Always go through doorways before him.

- Try to always be calm, fair and confident when dealing with your dog.

- Don’t give him anything – attention, food, play – without him doing something for you first, like sitting on command.

- Don’t allow your dog on furniture without your permission.

- Protect your dog from other animals or people who try to harm him.

When you are a strong leader, your dog will respect you. With this respect comes an innate desire to please. He will love you and want to obey your every command!

2. Train with your dog every day. Just like with humans, any behavior you train your dog to do will be forgotten if he doesn’t practice it. Work with your dog at least 15 minutes a day on an aspect of his behavior. This is important, also, to remind your canine that you are the leader of his pack. Try to teach your dog something new every month or two. This will keep him challenged and give you both a sense of accomplishment. Most dogs were bred to do some kind of work, and if you don’t give your dog purpose, he’ll become bored and develop behavioral problems.

3. Make sure to give your dog treats and praise. Continue the technique you’ve used to train your dog. People tend to get complacent, and before you know it, Spot is hogging your bed and dragging you down the street by the leash. To make things worse, he won’t listen to your commands any more. To prevent this, make your dog perform an act of obedience to earn praise, petting or a treat.

4. Never strike or yell at your dog. Hitting or kicking your dog will have about the same effect that it would on a spouse or a child – it ruins the relationship and breaks down all the trust your pet had for you. Some owners use physical abuse to train their dogs to fight for money. Others believe, erroneously, that abuse will make them become better watch or attack dogs. Statistics show that thousands of dogs are killed or injured by people every year. No matter how frustrated you get with him, never, ever strike your pet.

Dogs don’t respond well to yelling. All it does is get your dog more stressed, which will more than likely make his behavior problems worse. Everyone loses their patience from time to time, but remember that your dog only responds to fair leadership.

5. Get your dog proper medical care. Your dog needs a checkup at the veterinarian annually to make sure he’s in top form physically and to receive yearly shots to prevent rabies and other diseases. It’s important to go to the same vet every year so he or she can monitor your pet and notice any evidence of problems. All dogs need a teeth cleaning from time to time, too, to keep them healthy. If your dog is injured or sick, he needs to get proper medical attention. Your veterinarian can also give you advice on behavior as well as diet, breeding, training, and puppy selection

6. Attend obedience training. As an absolute necessity for getting a good to a positive relationship with your dog, be sure to take him to a six-to-eight-week-long obedience class, before his first birthday if he’s a puppy, as soon as possible if he’s an adult dog. A good trainer will teach you the basics and what a good dog/owner relationship is.

If you have an adult dog, don’t worry. That old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is not true! A dog of any age can learn good behavior. Both you and your dog will benefit. He will learn some good behavior and to respect you, the leader of the pack. You’ll learn the subtleties of your dog’s behavior and how to act in a fair, yet dominant, manner. Obedience training is great way to teach an “only dog” how to properly socialize with other dogs and people. Whether you are alone with your dogs or in a group of people and animals, your dog will learn how to behave.

Here are some tips to help you determine what obedience class is the right one for you and your pet:

- Ask your friends, family members, vet or groomer for

recommendations.

- Be sure the trainer uses positive reinforcement and no methods that hurt or frighten the dogs.

- Choose a trainer that focuses primarily on group classes. Although it may seem like one-on-one training might be best, group classes give both you and your dog to observe other people and their pets. Your dog will also focus on your commands, not just those of the trainer. Some owners do both individual and group classes.

- Make sure there are separate classes for puppies and adult dogs. Dogs between eight and 16 weeks should be in puppy classes. You may also feel more comfortable with a trainer who offers beginning, intermediate and advanced obedience classes.

- Ask the trainer you are considering if you can watch a class. While you watch, note some of these details: Notice if the class is small enough that everyone can get some individualized attention. Watch to see if both and dogs and owners are having fun. See if the trainer provides lesson handouts. In a good class, you’ll hear plenty of praise and commands in upbeat, yet firm, tones. Does the trainer give the owners other information about health, grooming or specific breeds? You want to make sure your trainer is knowledgeable about the whole dog, not just obedience training techniques.

- Ask your trainer if he or she knows several different techniques to work with dogs. This can come in handy if your dog doesn’t always respond to the tried-and-true methods.

- Make certain that the trainer requires that dogs be vaccinated and certified healthy by their vet before enrolling in classes.

- Be sure to get a list of equipment you’ll need to bring with you to your first class.

Once you find the right trainer and obedience class, make sure both you and your dog are prepared. Be sure to bring all the required equipment. Don’t feed your dog before class – since treats are part of the reinforcement of good behavior, you want him to be willing to eat the treats, which he might not want if he has a full belly. Don’t forget to do your homework! Practice between classes is essential to reinforce your dog’s behavior.

7. Lean all you can about your dog, his breed, and canine care. You can never know too much when it comes to your dog. Learn all you can from books, television and magazines. Be sure just to take the time to browse at the pet supply store or your favorite online pet supplies merchant to see what kind of new products are on the market. A new toy from time to time is a new adventure for both you and your pet.

8. Keep your dog’s home safe and stimulating. Giving your dog a fun, secure place to live will help to prevent bad behavior and may even prolong his life. Always have a number of fun toys available, including balls, chews and squeaky toys. Be sure to play with your dog daily to give him the necessary exercise he needs, to help you bond with your pet and to just have fun!

If no one is home during the day, leave a talk radio station on. Keep your pet out of areas of your home where he might eat something toxic or injure himself. Keep your fence well maintained.

If your dog starts to have behavior problems, don’t despair! There’s nothing to say that you can’t start training him to change his behavior! With a little patience and perseverance, you will be able to eliminate most bad behavior. In the most extreme cases, you may not be able to stop the behavior, but with training your dog will show improvement.

Some problems won’t be entirely eliminated, especially if you chose a dog that doesn’t have the temperament for your lifestyle. But even some of these dogs can change if you have a good dog/dog owner relationship. Now we’ll look at some of the most common behavior problems and how to re-train your dog to behave appropriately.

Marilyn Burnham

Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’

The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!

For More Information On Dog Training

Marilyn Burnham was the owner operator of 4 successful dog grooming stores in British Columbia, Canada for more than a decade. To spend more time with her children Marilyn made the decision to sell her business in the mid 90’s. Get a copy of her book: ‘Dog Owners Boot CampÂ’ The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers DonÂ’t Want You To Know!