whensleeperswakeup.com

Though long espoused as crucial for the development of young men, involvement in sports is highly beneficial for girls as well. Young women involved in sports are more likely to achieve academically, have increased self-esteem, experience a higher level of health and wellness, learn crucial skills for entering a competitive workforce, and enjoy the social rewards that accompany working as a team and having fun with others. With the availability of girls’ sports increasing, it is important that young women be encouraged to participate and enjoy the higher quality of life that sports help them achieve.

The most obvious benefit of involvement in sports is a healthier body. All children involved in athletics experience a decrease in the likelihood of developing obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and several other complications linked to a sedentary lifestyle. For young women, in particular, there is a strong correlation between adequate exercise and a decreased risk for breast cancer and osteoporosis, both diseases that typically affect women. Studies also reveal that girls involved in extracurricular activities are less likely to experience an unwanted pregnancy. Being physically active when young increases the likelihood that a person will live an active lifestyle as an adult.

Studies indicate that young people who are involved in athletic activities achieve higher grades and are more likely to complete high school and college. This may be because adequate exercise improves mental acuity. It may also be attributed to the fact that children in sports are less likely to abuse illegal substances, such as drugs and alcohol. Steering clear of these substances helps young people stay focused on their academics and free of dangerous distractions. There is also evidence that young people who play sports are less likely to start smoking.

Women who are physically active generally have higher self esteem. They experience a better body image than their sedentary peers and exhibit more confidence. They are also less likely to develop symptoms of depression. The feeling of accomplishment that athletics can garner, having a healthy body, and feeling strong and capable all help young women feel good about themselves and experience a higher quality of life.

As more women enter the workforce, there are many job skills they can acquire from participation in competitive sports. Young women can learn to work as a team, to value a person’s skills and abilities, to take orders from a captain or supervisor, and acquire the confidence in their abilities necessary to success in a competitive job market.

In addition to all the quantifiable and tangible benefits of sports participation for young women, there is also the immeasurable social reward. Sports offer girls an opportunity to socialize with people of varying abilities and experiences. Through sports, young women can find positive role models. They can learn the importance of working hard, working together, and being fair. Athletics offer children a myriad of social interaction and the delight that comes with playing a game and having fun.

With all the benefits of participating in sports for young girls, it is important to provide opportunity and encouragement to all young women to compete and play. Athletics and competition are an integral part of any child’s growth and development, and young women are certainly no exception.

Darla Blackmon writes for EverythingLongBeach.com ( http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/ ), a community website that covers news, the arts, entertainment and health. On weekends she can be found cheering the girls playing Long Beach soccer as they build the healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Career Development: A guide for your future!

Today it’s not uncommon for an individual to change their career choice or to move into another career entirely at least once in their working lifetime, and for many they may change careers three or more times. Career development, therefore, is important to know and understand.

Career development is the path an individual travels and the procedures they follow in choosing a career. A career is work an individual does or plans to do, for a considerable length of time, and something they plan on becoming good at.

The career development process is the examining of your basic skills, how well you handle stress, your abilities and interests in working with others, and schooling or training that you complete to enter the career. Career development is the plan you design to assist you in advancing through your career, to be flexible as needed and to be alert to trends and patterns to help further advancing your career.

Equally important is a careful examination of your current job and career situation. Did you jump into the job because you needed the money? Does the job have a future? Are you progressing in your career? Or are you unhappy, not motivated and burdened by stress or other job related problems? This situation may not be productive for the employee and even less so for the employer.

Now may be the time to do some study about the career field they have an interest in. Self-study, on the job training, traditional or online learning may be involved. In addition, the more you know about a particular career the more focused will be your career development plan.

Studying career development you will learn it isn’t just about education. Training and education will always help move you into the right direction and allow you to fine tune your career development plan.

However, you’ll learn through self-examination what your interests are, what you’re good at, how well you have the basic skills to perform at a high level in whatever career you choose.

Many educational institutions offer career development classes or assessment centers to help direct you into the right career. There is a plethora of free career assessment tests on the internet to help you define your interests and career goals.

From this wealth of information, whether you want to advance in your present career or make a career change, career development planning can be an important strategy to guide you in reaching your career goals.

John Groth is a former HR executive and career coach. Find Career Development Planning, valuable articles and a free seven day career planning guide. Discover up to date recruitment strategies at our Career Ideas web site all to assist you in advancing and managing your career.

It is hard to imagine many places a dog is happier than at a beach. Whether

running around on the sand, jumping in the water, digging a hole or just lying in the sun, every dog deserves a day at the beach. But all too often dog owners stopping at a sandy stretch of beach are met with signs designed to make hearts – human and canine alike – droop: NO DOGS ON BEACH. Below is a quick traveling tour of America’s beaches with each state ranked from the most dog-friendly (****) to the worst (*).

DOGS ON ATLANTIC OCEAN BEACHES (traveling North to South)

The rocky coast of Maine (***) is mesmerizing to look at but doesn’t leave much

room for sandy beaches. Dogs are generally banned from the beaches at the many

small state parks along the Maine coast, but dog owners will find more friendly

sands on the town beaches. Around Portland, the state’s biggest city, and the tourist

towns of the Southern Coast dogs are often allowed on the beach anytime Labor Day

to Memorial Day and in the mornings and evenings during the summer. The

spectacular Acadia National Park is one of America’s most dog-friendly national

parks but does not allow dogs on its beaches.

It is lucky for dog lovers that New Hampshire (*) has only 18 miles of coastline. State

beaches and parks don’t allow dogs on the sand at all. If you must stop in New

Hampshire, try the Grand Island Common in New Castle or Foss Beach in Rye during

the off-season from October to late May.

Around Boston, the beaches of the North Shore are off-limits to dogs during the

summer but other towns in Massachusetts (****) are more generous – dogs are

usually allowed year-round with restrictive hours in the summer. Cape Cod,

however, is the best destination for beach-loving dogs in New England. Cape Cod

National Seashore, America’s first national seashore, allows dogs on the beach

anytime outside the swimming areas (and not on the trails). The curviture of the

Cape limits sightlines down the beach and gives the park the impression of being

comprised of a series of dune-backed private coves. The two tourist islands off

southern Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, are both extremely dog-

friendly – on Nantucket, dogs can even take the shuttle to the beach.

The beaches of Rhode Island (**) are kept dog-free during the summer but if you

take the ferry to Block Island, dogs can enjoy the black sand beaches throughout the

year. In Newport, you can take your dog on the fabled Cliff Walk (poop bags are

provided at the trailhead) through the backyards of America’s rich and famous. The

hike begins at Bailey’s Beach, which welcomes dogs from Labor Day to Memorial

Day.

The sandy beaches of Connecticut (*) are not known for being dog-friendly. But

many aren’t that friendly to people either, with restricted access being common. If

your dog is hankering to try the benign waves of the Long Island Sound, stop in

Groton. Dogs are not allowed to experience America’s most famous beach at

Coney Island in Brooklyn.

The further east you go out on Long Island the more dog-friendly New York (**)

becomes but whether on the north shore or south shore you can find a place to get

your dog to the sea. Dog owners must pass on the prime destinations at Jones

Beach and Fire Island National Seashore until reaching the Hamptons, where the tails

of surf-loving dogs will start wagging. Many towns in the Hamptons offer dog-

friendly sand and at Montauk, on the very tip of Long Island, several beaches allow

dogs year-round, including Gin Beach on the Block Island Sound. The wide, white-

sand beaches of the Jersey shore are some of America’s most popular and there isn’t

much space for a dog to squeeze into in the summertime.

Most of the beaches in New Jersey (***), including the Sandy Hook Unit of the

Gateway National Recreation Area, open to dogs in the off-season. Summertime

visitors should take their dogs to Island Beach State Park, one of the last

undeveloped stretches at the Jersey Shore. Pets are allowed on the non-recreational

beaches in this ten-mile oasis. Dogs will never get to trot down the historic wooden

planks of the Atlantic City boardwalk, however – no dogs are permitted on the

beach or boardwalk of the Grande Dame of America’s seaside resorts. Dogs are also

not allowed anywhere in the Victorian village of Cape May but dog lovers can travel

south of town to Sunset Beach, a sand strip at the southernmost point of the Jersey

shore that is actually on the Delaware Bay. In the water offshore of “Dog Beach” are

the remains of the Atlantis, a unique concrete ship built to transport soldiers in

World War I.

Off-season, the sandy beaches in Delaware (****) are a paradise for dogs. Two state

parks, Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore, both welcome dogs between October

1 and May 1. During the summer season dogs can also share the beach with their

owners on select stretches of sand in Delaware state parks. In Cape Henlopen, the

80-foot high Great Dune is the highest sand pile on the Atlantic shore between

Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras. The concrete observation towers standing as silent

sentinels along Delaware beaches were built to bolster America’s coastal defenses

during World War II. Summer vacationers can take dogs on the Dewey Beach town

beach in the mornings and evenings. Along the Delaware Bay just north of Cape

Henlopen you can find several beaches that offer frisky wave action and wide swaths

of sandy beach – and best of all there are no restrictions against dogs on the bay

beaches.

The Assateague Island National Seashore is the prime destination for dog owners

heading for the beach in Maryland (***). The undeveloped dunesland permits dogs

year-round on the beach and in the campgrounds (but not on the short nature

trails). Keep your dog alert for the wild ponies that live on the island. Its neighbor to

the north, Assateague State Park, often celebrated as one of the best state parks in

America, is off-limits to dogs. If you are not roughing it on your trip to the Maryland

seashore, nearby Ocean City allows dogs on the beach and boardwalk between

October 1 and May 1. Traveling along the Chesapeake Bay, dogs are banned from

the thin beaches in Maryland state parks. Exceptions are the small beach in the

former amusement park at North Point State Park and the beach north of the

causeway at Point Lookout State Park.

There is plenty to like for beach-loving dogs in Virginia (***). Canine romps on the

clean, wide sands of Virginia Beach’s “Strip,” the commercial oceanfront from 1st

Street to 40th Street, can’t begin until the day after Labor Day but during the

summer dogs are allowed on residential beaches above 41st Street before 10 a.m

and afer 6 p.m. Dogs can jump in the ocean anytime at Cape Henry on Fort Story,

where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay. Fort Story is an active military

base, the only installation devoted to coastal operations, but its uncrowded, pristine

beaches are open to the public and dogs. Just to the west is First Landing State Park,

where canine swimming is allowed on unguarded sandy beaches. Check for seasonal

restrictions against dogs in these places. Just off-shore are views of the Chesapeake

Bay Bridge-Tunnel, one of the seven modern engineering marvels of the world. Each

span of the 17.6-mile crossing utilizes more than 2,500 concrete piles to support

the trestles.

Except for designated wildlife areas, dogs are permitted on the beach year-round

virtually everywhere on the Outer Banks in North Carolina (****). Cape Hatteras

Natonal Seashore has only four swimming beaches (in season) on its entire 70 miles

of protected coastline which leaves plenty of open sand for the dog to roam.

Seafaring dogs can reach Ocracoke Island and Cape Lookout National Seashore by

ferry or private boat for many miles of more undeveloped, dog-friendly beaches.

The northern part of the barrier islands has been rapidly developing in the past

decade but where you can still find access to the beach, unleashed dogs are sill

allowed year-round in towns like Duck and Corolla. Mainland North Carolina

beaches on Cape Fear are almost as dog-friendly; most swimming beaches restrict

dogs only during the day in the summer.

South Carolina (****) ranks among the most dog-friendly beach states on the

Atlantic seaboard. Get away from the people and commercial beaches and there is

plenty of unrestricted sand for dogs in the Palmetto state. Most of the smaller towns

allow dogs on the beach under voice control and only Myrtle Beach (from 21st

Avenue North to 13th Avenue South) bans dogs completely. One of the best places

to take dogs here is Hunting Island State Park. More than one million visitors

(human) come here each year, 85 miles south of Charleston, to enjoy three miles of

unspoiled beach.

Georgia (**) doesn’t sport much coastline and many of the beaches on Georgia’s

barrier islands and the Golden Isles are under control of resorts and most welcome

dogs except during the middle of the day in summer. Cumberland Island National

Seashore permits dogs but is accessible only by private boat. Savannah’s beach at

Tybee Island is closed to dogs.

Florida (*) ranks among the most dog-unfriendly of states. Entire counties and

regions ban dogs from the beach. There are so many prohibitions already against

dogs on Florida beaches that when they change, it is typically in favor of dog

owners. For the Atlantic beaches, the northeast part of the state around Jacksonville

(Amelia Island) offers some of the best beaches for dogs in the state but heading

south below Daytona, dogs are almost universally banned from the sand. Jupiter, on

the Treasure Coast, is one place you can find a break from the ubiquitous NO DOGS

ON BEACH signs. Fort Lauderdale has thrown dog owners a tiny bone – they have

set up a 100-yard long Dog Beach (at Sunrise and A1A) on Saturdays and Sundays

only from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

DOGS ON GULF OF MEXICO BEACHES (traveling East to West)

The Gulf Coast beaches in Florida (*) offer precious little for dog owners. Dogs were

once associated as closely with the Florida Keys as conch shells but today you have

to look hard for a beach to take your dog. Anne’s Beach in Lower Matecumbe and

Sombrero Beach in Marathon are two safe places. In Key West the “Dog Beach” is at

Waddell and Vernon avenues but there is really just enough sand to accomodate one

good beach blanket and the little amount of swimming available is treacherous over

coral outcroppings. On the Suncoast, seek out Bonita Beach Dog Park north of

Naples, the excellent Fort DeSoto Dog Beach and Park in St. Petersburg and the Dog

Beach on Honeymoon Island in the Dunedin area. Head for Franklin County, though,

where dogs are allowed on all the public beaches – and the only county in Florida to

allow dogs to run free. On the Florida Panhandle the Gulf Islands National Seashore

is the only national seashore that bans dogs completely. It is the same story in town

after town on the Gulf of Mexico across Florida. Near Panama City, dogs can reach

the water on Carrabelle Beach and Bruce Beach. At Saint Andrews State Beach, a past

winner of “The Best Beach In America,” dogs can hike the sandy nature trails and run

on the beach of the Grand Lagoon. It isn’t actually the Gulf of Mexico or the Best

Beach In America, but you can them from here.

For dog owners, Alabama (*) may as well not even have the few beaches it does on

the Gulf of Mexico.

In Mississippi (**) dog owners need to stay on the western coast in Hancock County;

dogs aren’t allowed around the populated Biloxi beaches.

People don’t seek out Louisiana (*) for its sandy beaches; most of the coastline is

made up of bayous. Grand Isle State Park is the only state park with access to the

Gulf of Mexico and dogs are allowed in non-swimming areas here.

In Texas (***), Padre Island is America’s longest barrier island and there is plenty of

room for dogs on its 113 miles of sand. At Padre Island National Seashore dogs are

allowed anywhere except on the deck at Malaquite Beach and in front of the Visitor

Center at the Swimming Beach. Galveston Island serves up another 32 miles of

mostly dog-friendly beach.

DOGS ON PACIFIC OCEAN BEACHES (traveling North to South)

Dogs on leash are allowed in all Washington (***) state parks, often on the beach,

but not in many swimming areas around Puget Sound. No dogs are allowed on

beaches in the city of Seattle. The uncrowded Pacific Coast beaches are some of the

dog-friendliest in America – even Olympic National Park, which bans dogs from

almost all of its 632,324 acres, opens some of its remote coastal beaches to dogs.

Dogs are allowed on almost all beaches on the Washington coast as long as they

remain out of the active swimming areas.

All of the beaches in Oregon (****) are public. You can step on every grain of

Oregon sand for 400 miles and, in the rare exception of a ban due to nesting birds,

your dog can be with you all the way. One beach dog owners won’t want to miss is

the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area with its 40 miles of sandy shore. These

are the biggest dunes in the United States – as tall as 500 feet and reaching two and

one-half miles inland at their widest point.

Northern California (****) would get plenty of votes from beach-loving dogs for

having the best beaches in America. Only a beach here and there restricts dogs from

its sand on the North Coast. Even in the highly populated areas, concessions are

made for dog owners. In Marin County a “Dog Beach” has been set aside on the

north end of Stinson Beach and many towns allow dogs on the beach under voice

control. San Francisco ranks among the dog-friendliest of beach cities. Take your

dog to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and have your pick of several

designated dog-friendly beach areas. At Baker Beach, dogs are allowed to romp off-

leash. Further down the coast, dog owners will want to visit the Monterey Peninsula.

Dogs are welcome to run on the Carmel City Beach and can slip into the water near

Monterey and Pacific Grove as well. At Big Sur dogs can enjoy one of the prettiest

secluded beaches on the coast a Pfeiffer Beach. Skip Santa Cruz and there are plenty

of opportunites to get your dog on the sand in California’s Central Coast, especially

on unnamed beaches.

Heading south on the California coast the water warms up and beach restrictions on

dogs increase accordingly. There is still sand time for dogs in Oxnard and Ventura

but things are getting bleak as dog owners reach Santa Barbara. In Los Angeles

County the beaches are for people. In Southern California (**), San Diego is the place

for sand-loving dogs. Several popular beaches have set aside “dog beaches” that

attract hundreds of dogs. Every day is a beach day for dogs in San Diego.

DOGS ON GREAT LAKES BEACHES (traveling West to East)

Possessing the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world, there is

enough water in Lake Superior (**) to easily fill the other four Great Lakes to

overflowing. Lake Superior is known for its cold water and rugged shoreline but

there are some sandy beaches scattered across its 300 or so miles of southern

shores. Other beaches are more of the cobble variety. Most of the shoreline is

sparsely populated which bodes well for finding a dog-friendly beach. In Michigan,

the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore allows dogs on the beach from Twelvemile

Beach Campground to Au Sable Lighthouse and at Munising, dogs can dig in the

sand at Miners Beach. At Sand Point, dogs can play on the beach until the trail

begins to climb the cliffs. In Wisconsin, dogs are allowed on the beach in Ashland

and in Minnesota, dogs can swim in Lake Superior at Duluth’s Park Point Beach.

Dogs will have to admire the spectacular dunes and sandy beaches of the eastern

shore of Lake Michigan (**) mostly from the car as dogs are not allowed on Michigan

state beaches and most county and town beaches. In-season, the metropolises of

Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin are even more restrictive. Chicago has recently gotten

its first official dog beach at Montrose Avenue. Belmont Beach is not an official

Chicago beach so dogs are allowed on this small patch of sand in a fenced area. In

nearby Evanston licensed and vaccinated dogs are allowed on Dog Beach but a

beach token is required for non-residents from May to October which costs $80 to

$100. Your best bets to dip into Lake Michigan, the only Great Lake totally within

the United States, are the national lakeshores and the state parks of Wisconsin’s

Door County. At the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore dogs are restricted to the

easternmost beaches at Mt. Baldy and Central Avenue until October when all

beaches open to our four-legged friends. In the Sleeping Bear Dunes National

Lakeshore, dogs can swim in the waves of Lake Michigan backed by some of

America’s larges dunes on all beaches except Platte Point Beach, the D.H. Day

Campground Beach and the Manitou Islands. Dogs also cannot make the Dune

Climb up hundreds of feet of sand.

Lake Huron (*) features 3,827 miles of shoreline, characterized by shallow water and

many sandy beaches. None of this will matter much to your dog, however, since the

Lake Huron beaches in Michigan are mostly closed to him. Alpena is a rare

exception. Dogs are allowed on the resort destination of Macinac Island, however.

Although its shores are the most densely populated of any of the Great Lakes, there

is plenty of opportunity for a dog to explore Lake Erie (***). The smallest of the five

lakes, Erie waters average only about 62 feet in depth and warm rapidly in the

summer for happy dog paddling. Ohio, especially around Cleveland, is the most

restrictive of the Lake Erie states. Try some of the smaller town beaches in Ohio and New York, most of which permit dogs outside of designated swimming areas. Some

of the best Lake Erie beachfront is in Presque Isle State Park, the most-visited state

park in Pennsylvania. Your dog can can hike the sandytrails past the swimming

beaches and enjoy the waves on the long, unsupervised sretches on the northern

end of the peninsula.

Not many people have settled most of the hundreds of miles of shoreline of the

south side of Lake Ontario (*) in New York. There aren’t many beaches and not many

bans on dogs – as long as they don’t try to swim with the humans.

Copyright 2006

I am the author of over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with your dog and the widely praised The Canine Hiker’s Bible. As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of canine hiking books found at http://www.hikewithyourdog.com. During the warm months I lead canine hikes as tour leader for hikewithyourdog.com tours, leading packs of dogs and humans on hiking adventures. Tours, ranging from one-day trips to multi-day explorations, visit parks, historical sites and beaches. My lead dog is Katie, a German Shepherd- Border Collie mix, who has hiked in all of the Lower 48 states and is on a quest to swim in all the great waters of North America – [http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Katies%20Blog/Katies%20Quest.html]. I am currently building a hikewithyourdog.com tours trailer to use on our expeditions and its progress can be viewed at [http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Teardrop%20Trailer/Building%20A%20Tour%20Trailer.html].

If you are considering entering a new target market, with an

existing or new product or service, it makes sense to first

systematically analyze the market in question via some

fundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not only

rational but most cost effective to determine if a new market

pursuit makes sense for your company before any significant

resources are further applied to the effort.

A “pass or fail” test of your targeted market is recommended

with your company’s core management team collective

involvement. Discussing the attributes of a given market and

further analyzing the business logic behind your intention to

participate in a new market will generate some very

enlightening conversation among your key decision makers.

Having various management functions present for the discussion

generates the most effective, broad base perspective,

appropriate “next step” for this strategic decision.

Besides further justifying or reducing your intentions to enter

a new market, weighing all the same attributes of any one

targeted market candidate against another target markets of

consideration can lead to a pivotal decision for the future

direction of your company. The opportunity cost of choosing

the “wrong” or “least rewarding” target market, given limited

corporate human and financial resources, can make or break

your collective ability to meet or exceed your company’s short

and long term growth objectives. Again, effectively utilizing

a simple, systematic evaluation checklist made up of some of

the market attributes listed below can be most time efficient

and cost effective.

Our list of market attributes cover various business sectors

and should not be considered a complete listing. To make this

evaluation exercise most productive for your management team,

first evaluate this list for relevancy and then add whatever

number of additional categories or attributes that correlate

to your company’s collective business priorities, resources,

risk/ reward tolerance levels and growth objectives.

MARKET PRODUCT / SERVICE LINE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market has a viable need for product application advancements or transitions

* Market is not dominated by short product life cycles

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary design, engineering or research cost

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary testing, certification or performance compliance issues

* Market offers opportunities for relatively high product / service gross profit margins

* Market does not require a large number of products or services to effectively compete

* Market share is gained more from product value or by high value service

* Market product/ service applications have worldwide demand

* Market product/ services are compatible with existing company core competencies

* Market product/ service offerings can be legally protected

* Market generally does not present extraordinary financial liability exposure

* Market demand is not extraordinarily seasonal or difficult to forecast

MARKET CUSTOMER ATTRIBUTES:

* Market offers a diversified mix of key customer product / service users

* Market offers financially stable customers

* Market offers relatively consistent purchase loyalty

* Market has existing product/ service users who will purchase other related offerings

* Market is supported long term by fundamental economic and demographic growth

MARKET SERVICE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market does not require an inordinate amount of after-the-sale service

* Market can be supported by a centralized customer service location

* Market does not require extensive service certification from 3rd party entities

* Market does not proliferate extraordinary product/ service warranties

* Market service requirements are not hazardous to company personnel

* Market does not require extraordinary distribution requirements

* Market share can be augmented with effective e commerce tactics

MARKET COMPETITION ATTRIBUTES:

* Market is dominated by well known competitors and suppliers

* Market is not dominated by one company (> 80% market share)

* Market has reputable competition, a quality image and history

* Market offers competitors that would be future acquirers or acquisition candidates

* Market is not targeted for international penetration via pricing tactics

* Market requires a reasonable level of financial and technical resource barriers to entry

MARKET GROWTH:

* Market has a proven history of growth

* Market has a high probability of long term future growth

* Market offers traceable causes of growth

* Market has worldwide growth

* Market has regional growth niches

* Market growth cannot be negatively affected by existing or pending legislation

Justification of entry into any new market or niche thereof

involves effectively identifying all viable competitors,

relevant market attributes, key market participants and their

market shares. Being able to strategically apply this

qualified information with respect to your known company

financial, technical and human resources can result in

extraordinary business growth opportunities.

If you want to further quantify this analysis you can

numerically weight each market attribute with your own

specific market attribute priorities and then give numerical

“grades” to any or all new market entry candidates to

calculate a weighted value for each new market opportunity.

Evaluating new business opportunities should be a well thought

out, straightforward, iterative process. Beginning the

evaluation process with a simple tool to justify further

analysis is a prudent procedure. The more effective your

analysis, the greater the probability your strategic decisions

will maximize return on investment.

About the Author:
Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.

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!

The idea behind a conventional, commercial blog is find a money-making marketing niche and then post large amounts of high-quality, original content related to that niche on a very regular basis. If you are an excellent writer who is an expert in the subject of that blog, you might be able to post new content on a daily basis. If you don’t do this, your blog will slip in the search engine rankings and no longer be a profitable venture. So, by starting a commercial blog, you have just signed up for a full-time profession as a writer and webmaster. It would seem that a single person, regardless of how much of an expert they might be, would run out of new ideas for posts at some time and then the blog would fail for lack of new content. At some point, you might want to think about adding posts from sources other than yourself, as long as the content is original. Original content that you did not write yourself is very difficult to find unless you pay other people to create it for you.

You must also monetize your blog, meaning that you must place banner and text ads for products closely related to your blog theme. The idea there is that you will have already attracted highly targeted web traffic to your blog for the very products you are selling.

In order to have this targeted traffic in sufficient quantities to sell enough products to make all your hard work worthwhile you must do the things needed to rank high in the search engines for the best keywords for your blog. Your blog should be optimized for the search engines and you must build as many quality backlinks as you are able in as many locations as possible, all of them pointing back to your blog.

This may include submitting lots of articles related to your blog theme to different article marketing sites. You should optimize your articles to contain your foremost keyword or keywords in a ratio of 1 to 4 percent of the total words in the article. The “self-serving” links you will be permitted at the end of your article will be converted into powerful backlinks for you in the years to come. You might also want to think about paid advertising such as Google AdWords but I would not recommend that because of the high “cost to result ratio,” particularly when you are just beginning with no profits yet to pay for the advertising.

You can also post positive and pertinent comments to closely-related blogs and forums. After all this additional work is done, you may want to think about adding a squeeze page to your blog, building an opt-in email marketing list and formulating email campaigns with the purpose of encouraging visitors to return to your blog and obtain your products.

If all this sounds like a lot of work, it is and I have simply been talking, so far, about keeping and promoting a single blog related to a single theme and selling only products closely related to that theme. Under the theory that more is better and pretending that you are some sort of gifted being with endless time on your hands, why not create another blog on another popular but different theme and double your profits. How about 4 blogs, thus quadrupling your returns or 7 or 16 or 32 or even 64 blogs and becoming staggeringly wealthy in the process?

I’m sure, by this time, you can deduce where all this is leading: How is a single person going to be ever able to achieve this? This brings me to the subject matter of auto blogging. Auto blogging software was invented to automate the process of periodic blog posting to numerous blogs. At first blush, it sounds like a miracle but it is, upon close inspection, far from a perfect solution. Auto blogging software goes out onto the web and locates articles and videos that can be legally reproduced and which match the keywords related to your niche. You input these keywords into the software during the process of setting up each blog.

After this is complete, you then have to decide whether to let the software robotically post up to a specified number of articles or videos on an hourly or daily basis. Alternatively, you have the option of simply collecting those prospective posts in a folder where they will wait for your personal review. You can then pick which articles and videos will actually be posted on the blog and which will be erased. Using this option will improve the quality of your blogs considerably. It will also take more of your time.

It is crucial not to have the software post automatically. If you automate the process, you will just get a lot of rubbish on your blogs, some of which does not even apply to the individual themes of your blogs. You will be creating a bunch of blogs that no one will want to read. To make matters worse, the search engines will never list your blogs high enough that they will be seen in the listings. In short, all of your blogs will probably fail and you will have wasted all your time and money.

The good news is that there exists a middle-ground alternative to pure auto blogging and that is to post all the articles and videos by hand. It should be understood that the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing are biased strongly in favor of blogs using purely-original, high-quality content. As we have already discussed, making such a blog is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming venture but it is frequently rewarded with listings on the first page of search engines in some of the niches that relate to your keywords. These keywords should appear frequently (up to 4%) in your posts to exhibit relevancy to your blog theme.

If you go the auto blogging route but thoroughly screen your posts before permitting them to appear publically, you will increase your odds of excellent search engine rankings. However, you will be still saddled with the search engines determining that your content is not original. The search engines will know that it has showed up elsewhere on the web previously to being posted on your blog. If you keep your content pertinent to your theme and of the highest quality and post systematically (preferably 7 days a week), you can still magnetize an abundance of traffic and fairly high search engine rankings. If you add in some absolutely original articles that you have written, your search engine rankings should go even a bit higher.

Admittedly, you are making a compromise here between top-quality content and saving time and work. Modified auto blogging provides you with a means of making up for using somewhat less-than-original content: You will now have the opportunity to build multiple blogs on different themes and hence promote different types of products in larger quantities. The perception is that while no one blog will perform as well as if it were made up totally of high-quality, original material, some or most of the blogs will, in due course, bring in some amount of cash each day. As an example, if you maintained 50 blogs averaging only $10 each in sales a day, you be raking in $500 each day, on average. That would equate to annual gross sales of $182,500 a year. If your 50 blogs averaged $100 each a day, the annual amount would be $1,825,000. No lone blog is going to provide that for you.

In actuality, you will soon discover that a number of your blogs perform very well in the long run while others bring in no income at all. Even with partial automation, posting to 50 blogs each day and promoting them all simultaneously is going to end up being more than you can manage if you hope to do the best possible job with each individual blog.

When you initially set up your blogs, take care that each is set up to be tracked by Google Analytics so that you can periodically observe and record the progress of each blog in terms of traffic. Keep a spreadsheet of these traffic results and update it frequently. After a couple months of systematically posting to all of your blogs, you will find out that some are beginning to perform very well while others are a big disappointment. You need to give this process sufficient time for your blogs to be discovered and followed.

At this point in time you must cull or get rid of all blogs that are performing below a certain standard while keeping the more lively ones. If you did away with twenty blogs out of your original 50 you could slash your total daily posting time considerably while giving complete support to just high-performing blogs. After a period of time, you might decide to remove even more and replace them with new blogs promoting new products and see how those perform.

Look at it this way: Which is better, 50 blogs bringing in $10 each a day ($500) or ten blogs earning $50 each a day ($500)? The answer is obviously ten blogs each bringing in $50 a day because the labor and time required to accomplish that is just 20% of the first option. Look at the entire process of arriving at that point like planting a garden, waiting for the plants to grow, finding the strongest plants and then weeding out all the lesser plants to provide the sturdy ones the best opportunity to grow while cutting your labor to the bone. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Bob Gillespie

© 2011 Robert M. Gillespie, Jr.

About the Author:

Bob Gillespie writes on many subjects including multi-blog marketing. He is a full-time Internet marketer and author who lives on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Learn more about multi-blog marketing online at Bob’s blog at:

http://multi-blog-marketing.inetwyoming.com

Another blog of possible interest:

http://niche-affiliate-marketing.inetwyoming.com

India’s US$40b education market is experiencing a surge in investment. Capital, both local and international, and innovative legal structures are changing the face of this once-staid sector

The liberalization of India’s industrial policy in 1991 was the catalyst for a wave of investment in IT and infrastructure projects. Rapid economic growth followed, sparking a surge in demand for skilled and educated workers. This, combined with the failure of the public system to provide high quality education and the growing willingness of the burgeoning middle class to spend money on schooling, has transformed India’s education sector into an attractive and fast-emerging opportunity for foreign investment.

Despite being fraught with regulatory restrictions, private investors are flocking to play a part in the “education revolution”. A recent report by CLSA (Asia-Pacific Markets) estimated that the private education market is worth around US$40 billion. The K-12 segment alone, which includes students from kindergarten to the age of 17, is thought to be worth more than US$20 billion. The market for private colleges (engineering, medical, business, etc.) is valued at US$7 billion while tutoring accounts for a further US$5 billion.

Other areas such as test preparation, pre-schooling and vocational training are worth US$1-2 billion each. Textbooks and stationery, educational CD-ROMs, multimedia content, child skill enhancement, e-learning, teacher training and finishing schools for the IT and the BPO sectors are some of the other significant sectors for foreign investment in education.

Opportunity beckons

The Indian government allocated about US$8.6 billion to education for the current financial year. But considering the significant divide between the minority of students who graduate with a good education and the vast majority who struggle to receive basic elementary schooling, or are deprived of it altogether, private participation is seen as the only way of narrowing the gap. Indeed, it is estimated that the scope for private participation is almost five times the amount spent on education by the government.

CLSA estimates that the total size of India’s private education market could reach US$70 billion by 2012, with an 11% increase in the volume and penetration of education and training being offered.

The K-12 segment is the most attractive for private investors. Delhi Public School operates approximately 107 schools, DAV has around 667, Amity University runs several more and Educomp Solutions plans to open 150 K-12 institutions over the next four years. Coaching and tutoring K-12 students outside school is also big business with around 40% of urban children in grades 9-12 using external tuition facilities.

Opening the doors

Private initiatives in the education sector started in the mid-90s with public-private partnerships set up to provide information and communications technology (ICT) in schools. Under this scheme, various state governments outsourced the supply, installation and maintenance of IT hardware and software, as well as teacher training and IT education, in government or government-aided schools. The central government has been funding this initiative, which follows the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and ICT Schools programmes. Private companies such as Educomp Solutions, Everonn Systems, and NIIT were among the first to enter the ICT market, which is expected to be worth around US$1 billion by 2012.

Recently, the central government invited private participation in over 1,000 of its industrial training institutes and offered academic and financial autonomy to private players. Companies such as Tata, Larsen & Toubro, Educomp and Wipro have shown keen interest in participating in this initiative.

Regulatory roadblocks

Education in India is regulated at both central and state government levels. As a result, regulations often differ from state to state. K-12 education is governed by the respective State School Education Act and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Rules and Regulations concerning affiliation and/or the rules of any other affiliating body. Under current regulations, only not-for-profit trusts and societies registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860, and companies registered under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956, qualify to be affiliated with the CBSE and to operate private schools.

While the K-12 segment accounts for the lion’s share of India’s educational market, weaving through the complex regulatory roadmap to qualify for affiliation poses serious difficulties for investors. The CBSE requires privately-funded schools to be non-proprietary entities without any vested control held by an individual or members of a family. In addition, a school seeking affiliation is expected to have a managing committee controlled by a trust, which should approve budgets, tuition fees and annual charges. Any income accrued cannot be transferred to the trust or school management committee and voluntary donations for gaining school admission are not permitted.

Schools and higher education institutions set up by the trust are entitled to exemptions from income tax, subject to compliance with section 11 of the Income Tax Act, 1961. In order to qualify for tax exemptions, the trust needs to ensure that its predominant activity is to serve the charitable purpose of promoting education as opposed to the pursuit of profit.

Alternative paths

Alternative routes do exist for investors seeking to avoid the web of regulatory barriers that constrain their involvement. Sectors such as pre-schools, private coaching and tutoring, teacher training, the development and provision of multimedia content, educational software development, skill enhancement, IT training and e-learning are prime sectors in which investors can allocate their funds. These areas are attractive because while they relate closely to the profitable K-12 segment, they are largely unregulated. As such, they make attractive propositions for private investors interested in taking advantage of the burgeoning demand for quality education. Companies such as Educomp Solutions, Career Launcher, NIIT, Aptech, and Magic Software, are market leaders in these fields. Educomp recently acquired a large number of educational institutes and service providers across India. It has also formed joint ventures with leading higher education groups, including Raffles Education Singapore, for the establishment of higher education institutions and universities in India and China. Furthermore, it has entered into a multi-million dollar collaboration with Ansal Properties and Infrastructure to set up educational institutions and schools across the country and closed an US$8.5 million deal to acquire Eurokids International, a private provider of pre-school educational services in India. Gaja Capital India, an education-centric fund, has completed the funding of three education services companies in India. NIIT and Aptech, meanwhile, are engaged in the IT training business.

Core Projects and Technology is also focusing heavily on India and is likely to bid to takeover, upgrade and run public schools for specified periods on a public-private partnership basis.

Higher hurdles

While state governments are largely responsible for providing K-12 education in India, the central government is accountable for major policy decisions relating to higher education. It provides grants to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and establishes central universities in the country. The UGC coordinates, determines and maintains standards and the release of grants. Upon the UGC’s recommendation, the central government declares the status of an educational institution, which once authorized, is entitled to award degrees.

State governments are responsible for the establishment of state universities and colleges and has the power to approve the establishment of private universities through State Acts. All private universities are expected to conform to the UGC guidelines to ensure that certain minimum standards are maintained.

Amity University in Uttar Pradesh is one of the private universities to open its doors. It was approved by the Uttar Pradesh state legislature on 12 January 2005 under section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission Act.

Not-for-profit and anti-commercialization concepts dominate higher education fee structures. To prevent commercialization and profit-making, institutions are prohibited from claiming returns on investments. This, however, does not pose a hurdle for universities interested in mobilizing resources to replace and upgrade their assets and services. A fixation of fees is required in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the UGC and other concerned statutory bodies. For this purpose, the UGC may request the relevant information from the private university concerned, as prescribed in the UGC (Returns of Information by Universities) Rules, 1979.

In line with the policy on Fee Fixation in Private Unaided Educational Institutions Imparting Higher and Technical Education, two types of fees are required: tuition fees and development fees. Tuition fees are intended to recover the actual cost of imparting education without becoming a source of profit for the owner of the institution. While earning returns on investment would not be permissible, development fees may provide an element of partial capital cost recovery to the management, serving as a resource for upkeep and replacement.

Legal precedents

In order to be awarded university status by the UGC, institutions must comply with the objectives set forth in the Model Constitution of the Memorandum of Association/Rules, and ensure that no portion of the income accrued is transferred as profit to previous or existing members of the institution. Payments to individuals or service providers in return for any service rendered to the institute are, however, not regulated.

In this context recent court judgments on private universities are relevant. The Supreme Court, in Unnikrishnan JP v State of Andhra Pradesh, introduced a scheme regulating the admission and levy of fees in private unaided educational institutions, particularly those offering professional education. The ruling was later notified in the fee policy.

Subsequently, in the case of Prof Yashpal and Anr v State of Chattisgarh and Ors in 2005, the Supreme Court assailed the Chattisgarh government’s legislation and amendments which had been abused by many private universities. It was contended that the state government, simply by issuing notifications in the Gazette, had been establishing universities in an indiscriminate and mechanical manner without taking into account the availability of any infrastructure, teaching facilities or financial resources. Further, it was found that the legislation (Chhattisgarh Niji Kshetra Vishwavidyalaya (Sthapana Aur Viniyaman) Adhiniyam, 2002) had been enacted in a manner which had completely abolished any kind of UGC control over private universities.

The Supreme Court concluded that parliament was responsible for ensuring the maintenance and uniformity of higher education institutions in order to uphold the UGC’s authority. Following the judgment, only those private universities that satisfied the UGC’s norms were able to continue operating in Chattisgarh.

Professional institutions

Professional and technical education in India is regulated by professional councils such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Established under the AICTE Act, 1987, AICTE gives recognition to courses, promotes professional institutions, provides grants to undergraduate programmes, and ensures the coordinated and integrated development of technical education and the maintenance of standards. The AICTE has recently exerted pressure on unrecognized private technical and management institutes to seek its approval or face closure.

A single bench decision of the Delhi High Court in Chartered Financial Analysis Institute and Anr v AICTE illustrates the far-reaching implications this kind of pressure can have on all institutions operating independently of the AICTE. The court found that the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, a US-based organization, was engaged in imparting technical education and that its charter, though not described as a degree or diploma, was nevertheless descriptive of the candidate attaining an academic standard, entitling him to pursue further courses, and achieve better prospects of employment in the investment banking profession. The AICTE argued that the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute fell within the ambit of its regulation and was therefore obliged to submit to the jurisdiction of the regulatory body. The Delhi High Court upheld the AICTE’s view that the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute did qualify as an institution imparting technical education..

This judgment may have emboldened the AICTE to proceed against a number of other establishments that are on its list of unapproved institutions. It holds particular significance since despite not granting degrees and diplomas, the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute was still deemed by the court to be covered under the description of a “technical institute”.

Enthusiasm grows for foreign participation

While regulators such as the AICTE continue to exercise influence in the Indian education system, the sector is expected to witness a surge in foreign investment and perhaps a reduction in the number of regulatory roadblocks as a result of the central government’s enthusiasm for overseas investors. Foreign direct investment in higher education could help reduce government expenditure and there is a general consensus that education as a whole should be opened for domestic and foreign private participation.

The entry of foreign educational institutions into India will be covered by the new Foreign Education Providers (Regulation for Entry and Operation) Bill. The bill seeks to regulate the entry and operation of foreign education providers, as well as limit the commercialization of higher education. Foreign education providers would be given the status of “deemed universities” allowing them to grant admissions and award degrees, diplomas or certificates.

Operationally, the bill proposes to bring foreign education providers under the administrative umbrella of the UGC, which would eventually regulate the admissions process and fee structures. Since these foreign institutions will have to be incorporated under central or state laws, they will also be subject to the government’s policies of reservations. The bill is pending approval from the Indian Parliament but it is unclear if it will be taken by the present government for a vote prior to the general elections in 2009.

Innovative structures unlock profitability

The regulatory restraints on running profitable businesses in the K-12 and higher education sectors have driven Indian lawyers to devise innovative structures that enable private investors to earn returns on their investments. These typically involve the establishment of separate companies to provide a range of services (operations, technology, catering, security, transport, etc.) to the educational institution. The service companies enter into long term contracts with the trust operating the institution. Payments made by the trust to the service companies must be comparative and proportionate to the services rendered by such companies. Furthermore, in order to qualify for tax exemptions, the expenses paid by the trust to the service companies must not exceed what may reasonably be paid for such services under arm’s length relationships.

Despite the regulatory constraints, the Indian education sector is on a path of exponential growth. A growing number of private companies are undertaking creatively structured projects in the education business and the level of investor confidence is demonstrated by the recent spate of M&A activity that has taken place.

With more domestic players emerging, the education sector is likely to witness consolidation, but at the same time, increasing foreign participation will drive competition and raise standards. Liberalization will continue to intensify as the government struggles to remedy its poor public education system and provide quality institutions to educate India’s masses.

Seema Jhingan and Dimpy Mohanty are partners at LexCounsel Law Offices. The firm is headquartered in Delhi and advises on areas including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, projects, telecommunications, software/information technology, education, media and entertainment, taxation, retail, licensing and franchising, insurance, general corporate and commercial work and international arbitration. Seema can be reached at sjhingan@lexcounsel.in

Areas of Practice:

Infrastructure, Telecommunications, Power, Mergers/Acquisition, Software/Information Technology, Business Process Outsourcing, Media & Entertainment, Private Equity and Venture Capital, General Corporate and Commercial, International Arbitration.

Professional Summary:

Seema Jhingan’s practice spans over fourteen years during which she has acquired substantial expertise in representing developers, sponsors/lenders, venture capital investors, international corporations, financial institutions, and other strategic investors involved in the establishment, development and financing of major infrastructure and IT projects in India.

Seema Jhingan is a Partner with a Delhi Based Law Firm LexCounsel, Law Offices and regularly contributes to journals and publications and often takes up speaking engagements.

As a responsible pet owner, it is a goal to always give almost everything that money can buy for your pets. Although doing this can be good for your pets, it would still not be practical especially now that everyone is experiencing financial crisis. I am not saying that you should stop buying pet supplies nor buy cheaper supplies that are of lower quality. What I am trying to say is that you should find a way on how to save money even though you are buying supplies with high quality. Providing your pet all of these things can really hurt your wallet a lot because most of his needs are very expensive. It is as if you are providing the needs of a child. But then you must not worry because you can still do something about it. If your problem is your budget, you can still provide your pet all of his/her needs through buying discount pet supplies.

Pets have different needs especially on spring. This is the time when they could go out and play. Because the weather is a bit warm, pets need to have cool clothes and cool dog beds. He /she can’t wear clothes that are intended for summer and winter because these are not appropriate. He/she can’t also sleep on warm beds so you must also change his dog bed so that it will be suitable for the season.

If you are really determined, buying pet supplies will not be a big burden to you once you have found the right place or the right means on how to buy discounted pet products. Thorough research can help you a lot because through this, you will be able to find out how you can purchase discount pet supplies.

The first thing that you can do is to search on magazines if there are any discounted coupons. These discounted coupons can help a lot in lowering the price of your pet supplies. Then visit some pet supply stores and see if they are offering discounts on some of their pet products. You can also try to log on the internet to see if there are any pet supply stores offering discounts online. If you notice, there are now loads of pet supply stores online and these stores are usually offering discounts on their products. Browse the internet and see which among these stores online are offering the greatest discounts. Yet, you must be very careful especially in the quality of the product. Always stick with the product that is suitable to your pets.

It is always wise to try the internet first. The internet can help you a lot because there are hundreds of online coupons that are available there. These coupons can be used when you are buying some supplies for your pet.

Moreover, spring is the time when pets can be attacked by different kinds of pests so he/she might need some medicines. You can also join some consumer clubs and discover how you can get discounts on pet supplies from them.

Always remember that buying discount pet supplies does not mean that you will buy the products with lower qualities just to save money. What you will do is to find a store that is selling quality products with discounted prices. Enjoy your spring season by not spending too much for pet supplies. You can still give all the needs of your pet without worrying about the money.

Joanne Delos Reyes writes for http://www.petitude.com.au, Australia’s premiere online pet store and 2008 eBay Australia Top Store awardee. Petitude offers quality, yet affordable dog clothes, dog shoes, dog accessories, pet furniture and more.

There is actually plenty of blogging advice offered on the internet regarding what we will need to do in order to operate our blog successfully. If you’ve been thinking about assembling a blog with regard to your business, this blogging advice detailed below is designed specifically for you.

Listed below are the very best strategies an online business blogger is able to use to seek out visitors. These tips tend to be especially for new bloggers, those individuals who have next-to-no market right now and would like to get the process started however if you have been blogging for a while you still might find some useful information in the list below.

It will help if you focus on this particular checklist from top to bottom since each and every strategy builds upon the prior strategy that will help you produce momentum. At some point when you create plenty of momentum you will get what is known as “traction”, which usually is a big enough market base (around 500 visitors per day is great) which you will no longer need to work so hard in acquiring new visitors. Rather your current faithful visitors perform the actual work for you by word of mouth marketing.

Be Efficient With These Top Blogging Tips

Create A Minimum Of 5 Main “Pillar” Posts

• A pillar post is actually a mini seminar style write-up geared to educate your target audience on a specific subject. Normally they’re longer than 500 words with plenty of really useful ideas or advice. This informative article you’re presently reading through might be regarded a pillar post as it is really helpful plus an excellent “how-to” training. This brand of writing offers lasting appeal, remains current (it is not information or time centered) while offering actual worth and knowledge. The more pillars you’ve gotten onto your blog the more effective.

Create One New Blog Post Each Day

• Not each post needs to be a pillar; however, you need to focus on having the five pillars finished all at once while you keep the blog refreshing with new information as well as short brief blog posts. The biggest thing at this point will be to show your new site visitors that your particular blog will be current on a regular basis so that they feel that if he or she returns down the road they are going to most likely discover something totally new. This will cause them to bookmark your blog as well as subscribe to your blog feed.

It’s not necessary to create one post each day at all times however it is crucial one does whenever your blog is completely new. When you receive traction you will still have to keep your new content coming however your faithful viewers may well be more flexible in the event you lessen the pace to a couple each week instead. The initial few months tend to be crucial therefore the more written content you are able to generate at the moment the more beneficial.

Have An Appropriate Domain Name.

• If you’re seriously interested in blogging for money get really enthusiastic about whatever you name your blog. As a way for people to help quickly spread your message regarding your blog you will need a simple domain name to remember. People today frequently discuss blogs that they like when they’re talking with friends that are within their business circle of friends, therefore, you’ll want to make this simple for these friends to spread the word and also give your Web address. Make an effort to purchase a.com if you’re able to and concentrate on small, simple, not difficult to memorize domains instead of worrying about getting the right keywords (keep in mind if you’re able to find excellent keywords as well as easy to remember keywords then you must have done a great job in researching!).

Here is a great tool to help you find that perfect domain name: Domain Samurai

Leave Comments

• Begin leaving comments on some other blogs. After you have your own pillar articles or blog posts as well as your every day new short article posts your blog is able to be presented around the world. One of the greatest techniques to discover the ideal kind of reader with regard to your blog would be to comment on other people’s blogs. It is best to make an effort to comment on blogs aimed at the same niche subject as your own because the readers there might be much more likely to be interested with the articles on your blog.

Many blogs that you leave your comments with will let you include your name/title related to your blog whenever you give a comment. This is one way people discover your blog. If you are someone who comments all the time and who usually has something important to say, other bloggers notice your comments and if this peaks their interest they will want to learn more about your business and therefore simply click your link to see your blog.

Trackbacks and Backlinks

• Trackback and link to other blogs and forums within your blog posts. A trackback is kind of just like a blog discussion. Whenever you publish a brand new article to your blog and it links or recommends another blogger’s article you’re able to do a trackback therefore to their entry. Exactly what this really does is actually give a short overview of your blog post in their blog entry: it is kind of similar to your blog informing somebody else’s blog that you had written a post talking about them. Trackbacks usually look like comments.

This is an excellent strategy because just like placing comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back again to yours for readers to follow, which will do something extremely important: this gets the interest of some other blogger. Another blogger will more than likely come and browse your post excited to view what you wrote concerning them. They will often later become a faithful reader of yours or at best keep track of you so if you’re blessed some time in the future they might create an article linking to your own blog attracting additional visitors.

Promote Comments On Your Own Blog.

• You’ll find the most successful strategies to encourage someone being a faithful reader is undoubtedly showing there are more faithful readers currently following your blog. When they notice several people leaving comments on your blog chances are they’ll think that the articles must be very good because you currently have readers so they really ought to stay on your site to see precisely what all of the fuss is about. To be able to really promote comments you may in simple terms present a question inside your blog post. Make sure to always answer comments to help you keep your discussion going.

Submit To A Blog Carnival

• Post your most recent pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is actually a posting inside a blog which summarizes an accumulation of articles or blog posts from a number of blogs with a particular subject. The objective would be to gather a few of the greatest content on a subject in a given week. Quite often a number of other blogs link back to a carnival host and therefore the actual people who have articles or blog posts showcased within the carnival often like an increase in new readers.

To determine the perfect blog carnival for your blog, perform a search at blog carnival.

Post Your Blog To Blog topsites

• To tell the truth this particular word of advice won’t generate a ton of new visitors nevertheless it really is simple to complete and just requires five minutes therefore it is really worth your time and effort. Visit Blog Top Sites, look for the suitable category for your blog and publish it. You need to copy and paste a few lines of code to your blog to help you rank then relax and see the traffic come in. In all probability you’ll basically acquire 1-10 incoming visitors each day using this strategy however with time it could increase while you climb the rankings. Everything will help!

Submit Your Main Posts To EzineArticles.

• This is certainly an additional suggestion that does not generate an abundance of new readers right away (even though it could in the event you continue to keep doing the work) on the other hand it really is beneficial since you only leverage whatever you currently have – your pillar articles or blog posts. Each week take one of the pillar posts and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your post now becomes accessible to several other people who can easily republish your article on their blog or inside their newsletter.

The way you profit will be by using what is known as your “Resource Box”. You will design your own private authors resource box that is similar to a signature file in which you have one to two sentences that link back again to your blog. Anybody who publishes your article is required to include your author’s resource box which means you get incoming links. When someone who has a significant newsletter posts your article you can receive plenty of brand new visitors at the same time.

EzineArticles has a WordPress plugin that is just excellent. I use it all the time. Experienced WordPress users will be able to submit their WordPress posts and blog entries right to EzineArticles.

Another great place to post your articles will be at Goarticles, Articlesbase and Worldvillage..

Create A Lot More Pillar Posts.

• Anything you choose to do that was previously mentioned will help you get blog visitors. Then again all of the strategies I have listed primarily work when you’ve got powerful pillars ready. Without having you choose everything previously mentioned you might attract visitors however they will not likely remain or even take the time to return? Strive for one strong pillar post each week and in the end of this year you’ll have a customer base well over 50 outstanding feature posts designed to work tirelessly so that you can attract increasingly more visitors.

I really hope you enjoyed my collection of blogging tips. Pretty much everything previously mentioned here are strategies I have put in place personally with regard to my blogs and has proved helpful for me personally; nevertheless it is most certainly not an extensive list. There are lots of additional steps you can take. Acquiring visitors is about testing to determine exactly what performs better for you as well as your market and I currently have little doubt when you decide to put some effort into this you’ll discover some sort of system which works for you.

Monique is an entrepreneur whose only goal is to help people succeed in business. If you would like information on attraction marketing, home business, internet marketing, leadership, personal development, or need inspiration? Then visit my blog at: Helping People Succeed In Business

I wanted to cover safety in deep snow today because skiers die unnecessarily every year from not being able to self-rescue in deep snow.

Today I skied Mammoth Mountain Ski Area just after they got 10.5 – 15.5 feet of new snow. I skied today because it is supposed to snow this afternoon and tomorrow. I skied about 6 runs this morning in mostly knee-deep, pretty heavy snow. And just when I thought my balance was perfect, I was 10? tall and bullet-proof, I did something weird and fell in the bottomless powder in the trees. I got snow in my mouth when I fell, and that always gives me a short-of-breath/claustrophobic feeling.

I fell softly with my skis to my left, and my body fell to the right. Suddenly, I knew it would be really difficult to get up and out of this bottomless powder. So I took a moment, took a few deep breaths, and accessed my situation. I was somewhere in the trees that someone was unlikely to find me.

I needed to self-rescue. I knew from experience that I was in bottomless powder, and my poles would be of little help. Some say to make a “t” with your poles and lean on them, but no way would that have worked. The powder was too deep, and deep powder provides unique, potentially life endangering challenges. So we need to be prepared. Larger baskets on your poles are helpful for pushing yourself on powder days, but do not provide enough resistance to aid you in standing up from a fall. Since my body is heavier than by boots and skis, the more I struggle and move, the lower my body will sink putting my feet be above my head.

In this case I was able to slowly over a period of about 2 minutes shift my butt to be more over my skis by pulling my body mass over the skis by pulling on my legs below the knees. The last part was hard because I had nothing to brace against, but I knew if I could make this one last move to get my butt over the backs of my skis, I could stand up. So I pulled on my legs one more time because I knew that would give me the resistance I needed.

I managed to stand up, now about 5 minutes after I fell. Both my skis were on, and sunk deep in the snow. I slowly pulled the right one up breaking the surface of the snow to get higher footing. Then I did the same with the left ski. OK, I was finally able to glide back out onto the groomed part of the run, and complete the self-rescue from bottomless powder.

In another blog post, I have detailed how to find a ski in bottomless powder which can be challenging. Search in the search window of this blog for “Lost ski” or “finding lost ski”, and it should come up. My method has always been able to find the lost ski quickly, so you no longer need to worry about that.

But I still want to cover what happened to me at June Mt. as a kid. It was a week with 8 feet of new snow at June Mt. I skied the face successfully, but fell and made a huge hole in the flat part at the bottom. At first I kind of panicked, and struggled to get to my feet. But the more I struggled, the more I sank down in the powder making the hole deeper. It got to the point where I was 8 feet down in this hole, and still could not get to my feet.

I knew no one was skiing the face that day. If a ski patroller skied by he would not hear my cries or see me unless he saw the track to my hole. I couldn’t count on that!

I was only about 11 years old, and I needed to get resourceful to self-rescue, or I could be there all night and freeze. I decided to take a break. I took out the camera I had in my pocket, and took a photo from the bottom of my 8 foot deep hole. I tried to push my poles to hit something solid, and I sank them all the way to my shoulder. I hit nothing that could support me.

I thought some more and finally I figured that I could take 1 ski off, and use it horizontally to be a form of support. I was able to take 1 ski off and holding the side of the ski and digging it in for grip, pull myself to a standing position this way. Then I pulled my upper body up, and stepped up sideways up the side of the hole. I kept doing this until I got to where I was only knee deep again.

I put the ski back on, and was able to break trail back to the chairlift. Please remember this technique if you get stuck in a hole in deep powder. This same self-rescue strategy could work to extricate yourself from a tree well, which can be fatal if you do not know what to do. More information about what to do if you get stuck in a tree well is located at: http://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com. There are some really good safety tips at that site that I have not covered here.

I can tell you from experience it is easier to learn these proven self-rescue techniques from some one else than to have to make up a rescue technique when you get stuck. People die from getting stuck in deep powder. I gave you 2 self-rescue techniques here. I also recommend you always carry a whistle when you ski the trees. It might give you the capability to summon help where you can not be seen. I also recommend you carry a fully charged cell phone with Mammoth Mountain’s ski patrol phone number programmed into your phone. This way, when you get injured, you can call for help and tell them where you are. You should program under ICE for In Case of Emergency, your person to be contacted in case of injury or emergency. Emergency personnel know to look in your cell phone for this, so you need to program your emergency contact phone number in there so they can find it if they need to.

Other emergency stuff I carry because I ski the trees are:

1) Small knife – Can cut you down from a tree, or filet a fish or squirrel if you have to.

2) I told you about the whistle – Can help ski patrol hear you when they are making their last sweep of the mountain at closing.

3) Lighter – If you had to spend the night, making a fire could save you from freezing to death.

4) Your cell phone programmed as recommended above.

5) Cliff Bar – These have a lower freezing point so you won’t have to chew on a rock-solid snack bar.

6) Fleece balaclava – Can really increase heat retention in winds, and if you get stuck overnight.

7) Ski helmet – Wear a helmet every time you ski. You cannot predict when a dangerous situation will present itself. 80% of fatal ski injuries could have been prevented by simply wearing a helmet.

I photocopy my driver’s license and medical card so if I am knocked unconscious they know who I am from my driver’s license. And they know my “ICE” In Case of Emergency person to call because it is programmed into my cell phone I have on me all day.

Being prepared and informed can save your life or keep you from being stranded in the woods for hours or overnight. If you just ski the groomed runs, you only need about 1/2 this stuff. But I like to duck into my tree powder stashes, so I keep this packed in my ski jacket at all time so I will have it if I ever need it. Please teach these deep snow self-rescue techniques to your family, friends and loved ones so they will know what to do in this potentially life-threatening situation. Be Safe On the Slopes!

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves Mammoth Mountain so much he moved there in 2005 after taking 2 years off work to “test-drive” living there. Now he is launching Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and Mammoth Lakes resort. Get your complimentary gifts, full color newsletter, and special report, “Who Else Wants Active New Affluent Friends of the Same Ski Ability Level, and a Lifetime of Great Memories?” by going to http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/

Fly fishing is an old exercise, over the centuries, the fishers and manufacturers have developed a lot of knowledge about the design of fly fishing equipments. This exercise beginning at the time of the Roman Empire, and till now the basics haven’t changed. The superior thing to do is to learn about fly fishing equipment and how all of the parts works before a person become one in the quest for catching variety type of fishes.

Using Fly Fishing Equipment

It is very important that you select equipment that is well fit to the particular fishing situation. While a particular fly rod might be used in different or special situations, its’ range of applications is very far narrower that a spinning rod. If one really wants to be familiar with about the equipment used for fly they should engage a fishing instructor or guide that is proficient in fly fishing equipment and have them teach the person what they need to know. By the ways, certain parts of the fly fishing equipment can be very costly but it’s a needed and part of learning to fly fishing.

More about Fly Fishing Equipment

When you want to try fly fishing for species other than trout, the rod and reel must be heavier but just as important is that the lure will be dissimilar. One can’t fish with spinner baits with a fly rod or plastic worms, but in the market there are baits that are sold for specific use with a fly rod. There are many smaller cork top water types of bait. Some look like a frog or other amphibians and aquatic reptiles. The difference between fly fishing lures and regular lures is easy to tell. The fly fishing equipment is a lot lighter than conventional baits. The action of the bait is imitated with the fly rod in a popping manner that will attract fish to the lure.

Following will explore some of equipment options. Although this may look quite basic, but I ensure you will learn something new and interesting.

Choose the Best Gear

With fly-fishing equipment, you have to choose the correct gear with the type of fishing in your mind. In order to do this, you need to study the basic gear that every fly fisherman, whether deep-sea fishing, going out to a local creek, lakes, rivers or streams, it is composed of the following components: the rod, reel, line, and of course the almighty fly.

The Rod

The rod is one of the most unique parts of fly fishing gear. It is longer and more flexible than your normal fishing pole, sometimes more than twice as long as the normal person high. The rods are sold by weight, the weights indicating a rod suitable to use in what type of situation. The higher number weights, its mean the rod is better for heavier game. For instance, a line weight of one to three is suitable to catch small trout. While a 15-weight line, is used for saltwater fishing for larger fishes. The material of the fly fishing gear is usually made of fiberglass or graphite. The graphite is the most common type. It is much lighter than the fiberglass, and it also casts line much better.

The Reel

The reel is used to store the fly fishing line and it has evolved so that mechanical improvements can make it an asset to your fly fishing experience. Now, the reels can help you catch fish more effectively, with drag systems that let you to better catch fish that pull a lot of line during the fighting. One thing you may want to take note is when you plan to go fishing in saltwater, you need to purchase a reel that consists of corrosion-resistant components like titanium or anodized aluminum.

The Line

When purchasing your fly fishing line, you need to consider the weight of your fly line; it must be match that of your rod for the best results. It is important to use the correct weight of fly line when fishing. These fly lines can be basically grouping them into two groups, Floating or Sinking Lines. The Floating Lines also call dry line are used for techniques that are require a top water lure or the fly just below the waters surface. The Sinking Lines are used for techniques that use a wet fly, which goes underneath the surface of the water, like when fishing a nymph or other under water bugs.

The Fly

It is important to use the correct files at the right places. You also need to tailor your flies to the fish that you’re trying to catch, whether wet or dry. Some flies, such as streamers, try to imitate and look like the small fish that make up the diets of other fish, while others, like midges and mayflies and attempt to resemble the surface insects that they take their names from. With this information and other pieces of fly fishing gear provided above, if you purchase based on what type of fish you trying to catch, it will definitely increase your successful rate.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Fly Fishing Women to learn more about fly fishing in Canada and fly fishing in Montana.

Auto repair scams and a dishonest auto repair shop are so easy to find.

First a few facts I dug up about auto repair rip-offs.

The Consumer Federation of America states, auto repair rip-offs are consistently one of the top five most

frequently reported consumer complaints. National figures indicate $20 billion is spent annually on unnecessary or faulty auto repairs.

The California Bureau of Automotive Repair receives around 25,000 auto repair complaints a year.

With that said, I have personally seen so many different ways to rip people off in the auto repair business that it is hard to pick out the most common scams because each auto repair shop has its favorite.

So I will concentrate on the most common scams and rip offs that I have seen and heard about in my 23-year career as a certified master technician in the automotive service retail business.

To get started on the most common scams we have to talk about a few different rip offs as related to the common brake job. Brake job scams are so popular that whole franchise businesses have been built around them and specialize in just doing brake jobs.

These companies have recognized the pure profit potential from performing brake service. Auto repair Brake scams are easily sold to the UN educated consumer do to the safety factors involved.

We all no the importance of being able to stop the vehicle in emergency situation.

Once again the auto repair shop uses this to their advantage and sells you unneeded services in the name of safety.

The most offten used brake service scam is the complete brake system overhaul. I will use a specific example to show you how this works. You go into a auto repair chain store to have your brakes checked. Maybe you heard some brake squeal or brake noise that concerned you.

So you bring your 1999 Chevy blazer that has 75,000 miles on it to an auto repair shop to have the brakes checked. The shop could do a standard brake job or a hang and turn as we call it. A hang and turn is replacing the brake pads and resurfacing the rotors. This service would retail for around $110.00 but the

auto repair shop would prefer to make more. So they recommend a brake system overhaul.

The brake system overhaul will mean different things to different auto repair shops. In most cases they are

talking about overhauling the brake calipers by replacing the seals in the calipers.

A caliper seal kit is very cheap in parts cost and very high in labor costs. The seal kit usually has about 3 or 4 rubber seals in it and cost the shop about $3.00

They then charge you $20.00 for the kit and another 2.0 hours per caliper to install the seals. But here is the scam part.

The caliper seals are internal and it’s hard to verify that they were actually replaced. The outer seal known as the dust seal is usually the only seal that will get replaced during this unneeded service.

The mechanic then throws away the remainder of the brand new seals. The shop usually includes a brake system flush in this service, which I will attack in a moment.

The first auto repair issue to address is do we really need a caliper overhaul. In most cases no we don’t. Why is this true? The manufacturers make fantastic calipers from the factory. The reason being it is an extremely important safety related part.

The manufacture must be sure their vehicle meets stopping distance requirements. They must also be sure that the calipers are over engineered to last for the life of the vehicle. The manufacture cannot afford to go to court for lawsuits on brake system failures.

Now with this being said do calipers ever need to be overhauled? Yes on rare cases this is the case. But

there are warning signs that the service is required. The Number one sign that a caliper is failing is a

strong brake pull.

To explain, this is when the vehicle pulls right or left during braking only.

The harder you brake the harder it pulls to one side. This is because a caliper is binding on one side or the

other. Equal braking force is not be applied. Tell tale sign # 2 is if the red brake warning light is illuminated on the dash. This can indicate the brake fluid is low and may be caused by a brake fluid leak from a caliper.

In any case the way the caliper service should be addressed by the auto repair shop is to replace both front calipers at the same time. I do not trust the individual mechanic to overhaul my calipers.

I would rather replace both front calipers with either new or remanufactured calipers.

This way you are assured you have reliable calipers installed. Some remanufactured calipers come loaded with new brake pads and now you have new calipers and brake pads that the auto repair mechanic can just bolt on.

This requires very little skill from the mechanic and makes for a very reliable auto repair.

Most auto repair shops will do this if requested.If they are not willing to do the repair the right way this should raise a red flag in your mind and moving the vehicle to another shop would be best. Remember That an educated consumer is the auto repair shop’s worst nightmare.

Mark Gittelman Is an ASE Certified Master Technician with 23 Years of front Line experience in the auto repair business. His Web site http://www.certifiedmastertech.com was created to help auto repair shop customers avoid rip-offs and scams. His new book A Mechanics Secrets Revealed is a shocking and in-depth look into the auto repair world. This new book is a powerful tool to help you fight against the dishonest auto repair shop. Visit the free blog spot at http://certifiedmastertech.blogspot.com/

Can ping pong help me learn tennis? Will racquetball hurt my tennis game? Can badminton help me play better table tennis? These kinds of questions about the transference of skills between racket sports come up all the time. The author has some unique credentials to help answer these questions. We will examine some of the mechanical similarities and differences between racket sports to help answer some of these questions.

To best compare the mechanics of tennis, table tennis, or other racket sports requires a bit of basic kinesiology. If you are standing relaxed with your hands at your sides, palms facing forward, you are in what is called the “Anatomic Position”. If you angle your fingertips away from your thighs, the max being about 45 degrees, that movement is called “Wrist Abduction”. Reversing that small movement is called “Wrist ADDuction”. Kinesiology students remember the difference by visualizing that this body part is being “ADDed” toward the midline, or long axis of the body and like to capitalize the first three letters for clarity.

Wrist posture is one very important difference between table tennis, tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton, and even fencing. Picture a fencer with a sabre or foil in their hand thrusting toward the opponent. In order to make the foil tip reach as far as possible, the wrist must be fully adducted. The wrist posture for table tennis is nearly the same but used for another purpose, not just for extending the reach.

In table tennis, the wrist is adducted to allow it to express whip during forward motion at contact. The legs, torso, shoulder, and arm start the movement and transmit momentum in what is called a “Kinetic Chain”. That chain of movement snaps the table tennis racket like a bullwhip at the ball. This kinetic chain of momentum from the ground, up through the body, then culminating at contact is actually common to most, if not all, contact/collision sports such as football and baseball. In contrast to table tennis, the wrist in tennis is usually “ABDucted”.

With the brief exceptions of reaching defensively to get to a ball or reaching upward for a serve or smash, the wrist posture in tennis is more like holding a hammer, much more “ABDucted”. This posture does several things for a tennis player. First, it makes bearing the extra weight and length of a tennis racket easier by it being above the hand vertically.

Second, an “ABDucted” wrist is a stronger, more controllable wrist posture. It is more able to resist the high impact forces of a tennis ball and also more able to resist the high twisting forces of off center impacts. Obviously, these kinds of impact forces do not exist in table tennis and learning this posture requires a great deal of practice and discipline. Unfortunately, as the author has found, that same “ABDucted” wrist discipline painstakingly learned to play better tennis is difficult to set aside when one tries to play ping pong with its “ADDucted” wrist.

This is THE main complaint of table tennis coaches, when teaching those who have come from tennis, that they must constantly remind them to “drop” or “ADDuct” the wrist. The author’s own ping pong coaches just smile and point now! In the authors theoretical and practical opinion, It appears that among racket sports, tennis requires the most discipline in terms of wrist “ABDuction”. Tennis, and perhaps ping pong, may also require more discipline in its strokes in general. Again, some additional basic kinesiology is useful.

From the “Anatomic Position” described above, if you bend your wrists so that your palms face upward, you are FLEXING your wrists. When you return your hands to the position in which your fingers point toward the floor, you are EXTENDING your wrists. When you rotate your forearms so that your thumbs are next to your thighs and your palms face behind you, you are PRONATING your forearms. The opposite movement is called SUPINATION. Both PRONATION and SUPINATION are defined by the two bones in the forearm rotating around each other, movements which are distinct but often confused with flexing the wrist.

Because the target for badminton, squash, and racquetball is so large, acceleration of the racket and contact speed is usually top priority. To do that, both flexion and pronation is used in the forearm to obtain the highest velocity. The target in tennis and table tennis is smaller than the other sports and maximum racket velocity is less often desired. The notable exceptions are the tennis serve and smash, but even those strokes generate racket velocity by almost exclusively using PRONATION, not FLEXION of the wrist. Pronation is also the dominant forearm movement in throwing a fast baseball.

What does this tell us about transferring skills from one sport to another? Does this make one racket sport easier to learn if you are already familiar with another? These are obviously difficult and complex questions even for a biomechanical specialist in racket sports, but if we isolate just the differences discussed here, one path to the answers can be found.

When it comes to the wrist and forearm discipline described above, we can assume that it is more difficult to acquire discipline than to suspend it. For that reason it follows that it is easier to learn racquetball, badminton, and squash AFTER learning tennis or table tennis. Conversely, it is more difficult to acquire the forearm discipline required in tennis and table tennis, AFTER learning the other sports which emphasize laxity of both forearm motions described here.

Beyond its biomechanical logic, this principle is born out in the author’s personal experience in racket sports and over 30 years of coaching. His tournament experience in racquetball followed that of tennis and it always seemed easy to relax the discipline of tennis to “snap” at maximum velocity at a racquetball. Over these years many students struggled to learn the additional discipline of tennis after the other sports. In short, the author recommends learning tennis and/or table tennis BEFORE branching out into the other sports that are dominated by whipping arm swings.

Jonathan Bailin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Biomechanics/Exercise Physiology while coaching tennis at the University of Southern California. He also taught racket sports to future coaches and broadcasters at USC and played in many handball, table tennis, racquetball, and college tennis events. Currently, Dr. Bailin operates a tennis coaching business in Marina del Rey, California, publishes research, consults for corporations in ergonomics, and enjoys recreational table tennis locally.

Dr. Bailin published TableTennisMenace.com when he rediscovered his first childhood passion, ping pong. On this site he uses his expertise to better guide consumers to only the best products for them. He pre-select only the best and most popular ping pong tables, table tennis rackets, ping pong balls, and accessories from the most respected suppliers and gives expert advice on product combinations.

Because of the sport’s universal appeal, modest space requirements, and potential to fight inactivity, he truly feels that whether you call it “Ping Pong” or “Table Tennis”, anyone can “Be a Menace” at http://www.TableTennisMenace.com.

A healthy dish is the first start to cooking a great meal and about finding the right balance of ingredients to create a succulent meal; which will leave your taste buds craving for more gourmet meals. If you have always dreamed of becoming a culinary chef there are endless possibilities in making your dreams come true.

You can take advantage of cooking schools located across the world which will provide you with the tips and pointers on how to make a great meal. It is about knowing how and when to baste turkey to make moist and juicy or how to sift your flour to get your biscuits nice and fluffy. All of this and more you can learn from an accredited cooking school based on the fundamentals of cooking to help master your culinary feats.

Most cooking schools will provide you with the understanding that getting started isn’t easy and will provide you with information and resource so you don’t feel overwhelmed about cooking. Cooking is enjoyment in life and indulging in fine foods that enhance your senses to a new level. You should love every minute of cooking and enjoy the time and preparation it takes to make the perfect meal.

A healthy dish is the first start to cook a great gourmet meal and will leave you feeling good about yourself after you are full from a dish of nutritious value. It is about taking the time to invest in the research to help you succeed in cooking in the right cooking school that will teach you the important basics to healthy eating. Cooking is a lifestyle and you should understand the basics of nutritious content in each meal you cook.

At the cooking school you select they should keep you motivated to explore new dishes and try new flavors in all of your meals. A great chef understands the value of a good recipe and the right resources to make you’re cooking great. It is about taking the time to learn the small tricks to enhance the flavors of your foods, and how to cook them slowly to bring out the best taste in aromatic spices.

Almost all cooking schools are accredited throughout the world and will train you to be the head chef of your own fabulous restaurant. They will not only teach you the necessary skills to making a great meal but also provide the basics to running your own business. If you are ready to make a career choice in cooking you need to do the research to decide which school is right for you and how it will help to be the best chef in your own restaurant.

The valuable resources you will learn from cooking school are priceless in teaching you about the necessary tasks to succeed at being a great chef in your own home or restaurant. They understand the importance of cooking and love to cook themselves which is why they provide you with the best resources to learn to cook satisfying meals.

A healthy dish is the first start to cooking a great meal and about finding the right balance of ingredients to create a succulent meal, which will leave your taste buds craving for more gourmet meals. If you have always dreamed of becoming a culinary chef there are endless possibilities in making your dreams come true.

You can take advantage of cooking schools located across the world which will provide you with the tips and pointers on how to make a great meal. It is about knowing how and when to baste turkey to make moist and juicy or how to sift your flour to get your biscuits nice and fluffy. All of this and more you can learn from an accredited cooking school based on the fundamentals of cooking to help master your culinary feats.

Most cooking schools will provide you with the understanding that getting started isn’t easy and will provide you with information and resource so you don’t feel overwhelmed about cooking. Cooking is enjoyment in life and indulging in fine foods that enhance your senses to a new level. You should love every minute of cooking and enjoy the time and preparation it takes to make the perfect meal.

A healthy dish is the first start to cook a great gourmet meal and will leave you feeling good about yourself after you are full from a dish of nutritious value. It is about taking the time to invest in the research to help you succeed in cooking in the right cooking school that will teach you the important basics to healthy eating. Cooking is a lifestyle and you should understand the basics of nutritious content in each meal you cook.

At the cooking school you select they should keep you motivated to explore new dishes and try new flavors in all of your meals. A great chef understands the value of a good recipe and the right resources to make you’re cooking great. It is about taking the time to learn the small tricks to enhance the flavors of your foods, and how to cook them slowly to bring out the best taste in aromatic spices.

Almost all cooking schools are accredited throughout the world and will train you to be the head chef of your own fabulous restaurant. They will not only teach you the necessary skills to making a great meal but also provide the basics to running your own business. If you are ready to make a career choice in cooking you need to do the research to decide which school is right for you and how it will help to be the best chef in your own restaurant.

The valuable resources you will learn from cooking school are priceless in teaching you about the necessary tasks to succeed at being a great chef in your own home or restaurant. They understand the importance of cooking and love to cook themselves which is why they provide you with the best resources to learn to cook satisfying meals.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Google Adsense, do please browse for more information at our websites.

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If you are considering entering a new target market, with an

existing or new product or service, it makes sense to first

systematically analyze the market in question via some

fundamental market evaluation criteria. It is not only

rational but most cost effective to determine if a new market

pursuit makes sense for your company before any significant

resources are further applied to the effort.

A “pass or fail” test of your targeted market is recommended

with your company’s core management team collective

involvement. Discussing the attributes of a given market and

further analyzing the business logic behind your intention to

participate in a new market will generate some very

enlightening conversation among your key decision makers.

Having various management functions present for the discussion

generates the most effective, broad base perspective,

appropriate “next step” for this strategic decision.

Besides further justifying or reducing your intentions to enter

a new market, weighing all the same attributes of any one

targeted market candidate against another target markets of

consideration can lead to a pivotal decision for the future

direction of your company. The opportunity cost of choosing

the “wrong” or “least rewarding” target market, given limited

corporate human and financial resources, can make or break

your collective ability to meet or exceed your company’s short

and long term growth objectives. Again, effectively utilizing

a simple, systematic evaluation checklist made up of some of

the market attributes listed below can be most time efficient

and cost effective.

Our list of market attributes cover various business sectors

and should not be considered a complete listing. To make this

evaluation exercise most productive for your management team,

first evaluate this list for relevancy and then add whatever

number of additional categories or attributes that correlate

to your company’s collective business priorities, resources,

risk/ reward tolerance levels and growth objectives.

MARKET PRODUCT / SERVICE LINE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market has a viable need for product application advancements or transitions

* Market is not dominated by short product life cycles

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary design, engineering or research cost

* Market allows for effective competitive advantage without extraordinary testing, certification or performance compliance issues

* Market offers opportunities for relatively high product / service gross profit margins

* Market does not require a large number of products or services to effectively compete

* Market share is gained more from product value or by high value service

* Market product/ service applications have worldwide demand

* Market product/ services are compatible with existing company core competencies

* Market product/ service offerings can be legally protected

* Market generally does not present extraordinary financial liability exposure

* Market demand is not extraordinarily seasonal or difficult to forecast

MARKET CUSTOMER ATTRIBUTES:

* Market offers a diversified mix of key customer product / service users

* Market offers financially stable customers

* Market offers relatively consistent purchase loyalty

* Market has existing product/ service users who will purchase other related offerings

* Market is supported long term by fundamental economic and demographic growth

MARKET SERVICE ATTRIBUTES:

* Market does not require an inordinate amount of after-the-sale service

* Market can be supported by a centralized customer service location

* Market does not require extensive service certification from 3rd party entities

* Market does not proliferate extraordinary product/ service warranties

* Market service requirements are not hazardous to company personnel

* Market does not require extraordinary distribution requirements

* Market share can be augmented with effective e commerce tactics

MARKET COMPETITION ATTRIBUTES:

* Market is dominated by well known competitors and suppliers

* Market is not dominated by one company (> 80% market share)

* Market has reputable competition, a quality image and history

* Market offers competitors that would be future acquirers or acquisition candidates

* Market is not targeted for international penetration via pricing tactics

* Market requires a reasonable level of financial and technical resource barriers to entry

MARKET GROWTH:

* Market has a proven history of growth

* Market has a high probability of long term future growth

* Market offers traceable causes of growth

* Market has worldwide growth

* Market has regional growth niches

* Market growth cannot be negatively affected by existing or pending legislation

Justification of entry into any new market or niche thereof

involves effectively identifying all viable competitors,

relevant market attributes, key market participants and their

market shares. Being able to strategically apply this

qualified information with respect to your known company

financial, technical and human resources can result in

extraordinary business growth opportunities.

If you want to further quantify this analysis you can

numerically weight each market attribute with your own

specific market attribute priorities and then give numerical

“grades” to any or all new market entry candidates to

calculate a weighted value for each new market opportunity.

Evaluating new business opportunities should be a well thought

out, straightforward, iterative process. Beginning the

evaluation process with a simple tool to justify further

analysis is a prudent procedure. The more effective your

analysis, the greater the probability your strategic decisions

will maximize return on investment.

About the Author:
Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.

My mother was of the idea that a man’s place was never in the kitchen, and this was ingrained into us as she shooed us out of the kitchen every time whenever we tried to get into the kitchen to see what was cooking. It might not have been the best or correct thing to do, and as a result, her children -the sons, including me, grew up not knowing how to cook until we were college going kids and had to live away from home and to start to cook and fend for ourselves.

Disadvantaged as we were in cooking for ourselves, it made us more aware of the beauty in mum’s cooking. Mum’s prepared food that was absolutely marvellous, both in taste and smell. Meals prepared by her were never ordinary. They were a delight to behold, a pleasure to consume – no matter how simple the dish was.

Now in her twilight years, mum can no longer cook for herself. She has bouts of amnesia, and old age has taken a severe toil on her. Dependent on others to cook and serve her meals, she can sometimes struggle to the kitchen and still manage to prepare a ten minute fast cooking instant noodle, much to our chagrin and anxiety. The doctor orders were not to let her near a stove for fear of a fit or a fall, lest she burn the house down.

Just yesterday, in the quiet of the night, I was able to recall times I had with mum when I was about to go to college. Vivid in my mind, as history started to flash back, I remembered words of wisdom from mum on cooking. We were always profuse in our praise and bountiful in our appreciation for mum’s fantastic cooking.And on one occasion, she revealed the secret formula that had always enveloped the food she cooked.

“In Chinese cooking,” she said one day,” the two most important things are to have a sharp knife and a hot stove. Always sharpen your knife so that you can slice through your veggie and your meat or fish. Cutting them up becomes a pleasure and not a task. Be sure to have everything prepared before you start cooking: the vegetables washed, drained and cut; the meat cut and marinated; the sauces prepared.”

“And get yourself a good wok – It is the one piece of cooking equipment you may want to purchase before you start cooking Chinese food. Always heat up the wok. When cooking meat or poultry, make sure that the wok is very hot before adding the food. If you are going to stir-fried meat and vegetables, stir-fry the meat first and set it aside. Then return it to the wok with a sauce during the final stages of cooking. And use a little cornstartch as a binder at the end of your cooking, if it calls for that. Just remember how the dish tastes like, the way I cooked it”, she said.

Throughout the years when I had to cook, her words of wisdom flashed back to me whenever I despaired over my cooking. I had seen my cooking improved, and had added more styles and recipes to vary my cooking in the later years.

“And the secret ingredient in all Chinese cooking is to add a little bit of inner joy to your dish as you cook. When you approach your cooking with this little bit of inner joy, you will have a song on your lips as you cook. Something mysteriously will spur you on to do your best and turn on the magic in your cooking,” she added.

That day, last week, when I recalled those words of mum when I prepared a meal for her, I could only add not just a little bit of inner joy, I tried my best to give her a physical massive hug of love.

“Vary your ingredients to add textures, colors and flavors.Then it is possible to find harmony and balance in your meals. This is an important principle in Chinese cooking.”

Mum may be frail and too old to handle a wok anymore, but her words of wisdom in Chinese cooking has helped us through the many years. Her simple tips for Chinese cooking may help you too.

In honor of my ailing mum who could prepare the best Chinese meals and dishes, a website providing free tips and cooking recipes with cooking videos, recipes and other resources is available for you. Visit Wok With Betty [http://www.wokwithbetty.com] to gain new skills in Chinese cooking and to obtain free cooking recipes covering the entire range of international cuisine.

When shopping for children’s furniture one has to take many things into account, the child’s personality being a big factor. Another is the item safe built for a child to use, no one wants to buy something that could accidentally hurt a child. Something else to consider is does this product have the potential to help my child learn as he/she plays and interacts with the item. Will it help in building a play full imagination is one way it can stimulate the mind. Another is will it help with motor skills also helping during development of your child. As your child grows and becomes more aware of he’s or her’s surroundings the things around them become more important to them. Try and surround your child with things that make them comfortable and happy.

Finding the right furniture to fit your child’s needs is a little tricky, but if you pay close enough attention to them they will lead you in the right direction. What do they focus on which colors draw their attention what do they play with? The answers to all these questions will lead you to the right types of furniture to buy for your child. Something else to keep in mind is they are a part of you so one can conclude that your child will share some of the same interest that you have. Try not to force any of these interest on your child but simple allow your child to grow. The older your child becomes the easier it is to fit a room around your child be patient and everything will work out. It can become a fun filled event for the whole family when designing a new room full of fun and bright furniture.

Make sure you check the furnishings you are going to buy for safety making your child’s new room is safe should be a top priority. Buying KidKraft products is one of the easiest ways to do this. Designed by engineers to be extremely safe all of KidKrafts products under go extreme measures insuring that they are very safe for all children.

Shopping for furniture and toys that are bright and fun will help them develop into great kids. Anything you can place around your child as he or she grows that stimulates their minds will help them develop. Toys that can stimulate their imagination help with an active mind the more they play and interact the more their minds grow. Its important to bring furniture and toys into their lives that help develop motor skills. Look at rockers in the shapes of animals motor bikes and others help in both mind and body. Leading your child to be active in mind and body should be an parents number one goal. We at Childrens Furniture Now have a great list of different KidKraft products that are designed just for kids. Stop by today and all childrens bedroom furniture ships free.

KidKraft childrens furniture is the leader in childrens bedroom furniture

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.