03.19.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:28 pm by internetckq
I’d been living in Japan for a few years after giving up my Police career as a Detective in Melbourne, Australia. I was fluent in Japanese and had done a number of TV programs here in Japan, when my future turned from TV to Radio.
One day I bumped into a guy who I went to school with when I was an exchange student for one year here in Niigata, Japan. He’d gotten into the dating business and asked me if I would be the MC at the dating parties which are where guys and girls come together and exchange profiles and get to meet each other. It’s good because it gives them an opportunity to meet others.
Unknown to me, a female spy from one of the other dating groups in town had joined the party to see how we run our parties. Luckily I was the MC at that party. She turned out to be a high spirited person, and a person who was to be my partner for 18 months on radio. Her name was Ryoko Mizobuchi.
Ryoko whilst now working for her dating company had previously worked on radio as a DJ and wanted to return to radio. A new radio station covering the whole of the Niigata Prefecture was about to start and was advertising for staff. Without phoning the station for an appointment she went to the station burst through the doors and asked for a job as a DJ.
Ryoko got the job and the owner of the production company for the radio station asked her if she knew any foreigners that spoke Japanese well. She told him of me and one other guy. Now the guy I was doing the MC dating work for rang me and said, “I’m going to do a dating corner on this new radio station called FM Port, Niigata. The corner will be about love and dating and I want you to do the corner on the radio, so come with me to FM Port to talk with production company boss.
I went with him to FM Port and for the 30 minutes we were there the boss of the production company spoke to me about lots of things. I didn’t think it was an interview so I just talked and joked with the boss. I was then offered a job as a radio DJ, 4 hours on air everyday except Sunday! The boss told me to come back the following Tuesday for a final interview and test. Heck I didn’t even know that our chat was an interview. Read on:
Read the rest of this article at http://mlmbuff.com
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If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Sicily region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.
Sicily is the football kicked by the Italian boot. It is an island in the Mediterranean Sea located off the southwest tip of Italy. Sicily was first inhabited about ten thousand years ago. Agriculture and animal raising date back well over four thousand years. Its rulers have included the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, and Spaniards, among others. This mountainous region is prone to volcanoes and earthquakes; in 1908 an earthquake and subsequent tidal wave killed eighty thousand people in the coastal city of Messina. Sicily’s population is about five million, with an additional ten million people of Sicilian descent around the world.
Agricultural products include wheat, barley, corn, olives, citrus fruit, almonds, and, of course, grapes. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are prominent in local cuisine. Sicily is Italy’s second region for organic food. Many think that the Arabs introduced pasta to Sicily, which subsequently introduced it to the rest of Italy. Cattle, mules, donkeys, and sheep are raised. Sicily claims to have invented meatballs, The seas surrounding Sicily are bountiful, favorites include sardines, tuna, and swordfish. Sicily is famous for desserts, including frozen treats made with snow from Mount Etna.
Sicilian heavy industry includes petro-chemicals, chemicals, mining, and electronics. Tourism is a major factor in the Sicilian economy. Did you know that the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento on the Mediterranean Sea has some of the finest Greek ruins on earth?
Palermo, arguably the world’s most conquered city, is Sicily’s capital with a population of a little under seven hundred thousand. It is a definite tourist destination, with its numerous historical churches, museums, theaters, and Italy’s largest botanical garden. Another urban tourist destination is Syracuse, dating back to Ancient Greece. The Greek writer Cicero described it as “The greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all.” Both earthquakes and World War II caused heavy damage, but many of the most interesting sites have been reconstructed.
Sicily devotes about a third of a million acres to grapevines, it ranks first among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 213 million gallons, also giving it first place. If Sicily were an independent country, it would rank seventh in the world for wine production. About 54% of its wine production is red or ros? (only a bit of ros?), leaving 46% for white. The region produces 19 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. Only a little more than 2% of Sicilian wine carries the DOC designation. Sicily is home to over three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, with more white than red varieties.
Widely grown international white grape varieties include Malvasia and to a lesser extent, Chardonnay. The best-known strictly Italian white varieties are Catarratto, Grecanico, Inzolia, and Grillo. The first three of these varieties are blended in the wine reviewed below.
Widely grown international red grape varieties include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The best-known strictly Italian red varieties are Nero d’Avola, Frappato, and Nerello Mascalese.
Before reviewing the Sicilian wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.
Start with Insalata di Finocchi, Arance Sanguigne de Olive; Fennel, Blood Orange, and Olive Salad.
As a second course try Pollo con Prosciutto e Melanzane Fritte; Braised Chicken with Proscuitto and Fried Eggplants.
For dessert indulge yourself with Cassata; Candied Fruit and Chocolate on Sponge Cake.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Tasca d’Almerita ‘Regaleali’ Blanco 2005 IGT Sicilia 12.5% alcohol about $13
We’ll start by quoting the marketing materials. “Made with the local grapes Inzolia, Greciano, and Catarratto, this wine is matured only in stainless steel and is not put through acid-softening malolactic fermentation. The producer chooses this approach to retain the bright fruitiness and racy crispness of the wine. Enjoy with steamed mussels, chicken or summer salads.” And now for my thoughts on the wine.
I first tasted this wine with broiled chicken burgers accompanied by a hot pepper relish, and red peppers. The wine was light, perhaps a bit intimidated by the relish. It was delicate, but not weak. When I finished my glass with the red peppers, the wine was quite fruity and sweet.
I next tried this wine with fillet of sole poached in an onion sauce, accompanied by brown rice and okra in a tomato sauce. The wine tasted light and citrusy in the presence of the fish, and was more powerful when facing the rice and the okra. I finished that meal with fresh pomegranate. The wine became sweet and acidic, but did not take on new flavors.
Isola is a Sicilian fresh cheese made from sheep’s milk. The Isola cheese was powerful, strong smelling and strong tasting, especially when you crunched into a peppercorn. Unfortunately, the cheese overpowered this relatively light wine. In contrast, when paired with an Asiago cheese from northern Italy, the wine became quite full bodied and fruity. Sometimes rules such as local wines with local cheeses are meant to be broken. I had a bit of wine left over and finished the bottle with out-of-season strawberries. They brought out the wine’s complexity and softness.
Final verdict, in spite of its low official rating, I found the wine pretty good. I would buy it again, but avoid pairing it with strong-tasting food.
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com.
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03.18.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:39 pm by internetckq
I Love NASCAR, what is behind this crazed movement? For those who don’t understand NASCAR’s unprecedented explosion in popularity, they would ask…What is the big deal about NASCAR?… Well…you have to love fast cars…and who doesn’t love fast cars? Once you have become infected with the fast-car bug, you have to see a race, and not just on television. Attending a NASCAR race is a total-body sports’ fan experience. Engines roaring! Cars zooming! Adrenaline pumping!
There is a huge thrill in trying to pick out your favorite driver as the field of cars zoom past your range of sight at 180mph! NASCAR racing is also more than just fast cars going around in circles. It is about common folk, getting together as friends and family, and sharing exciting memories…every weekend! …And that is why racing fans all say “I love NASCAR!” And then there is the NASCAR drivers, the most fan-friendly sports stars of any sport!… They take time out of every race, every weekend to talk to fans, sign autographs and take pictures.
The drivers all come to the races with their families in tow, and camp out in trailers…just like the commoners… And that is also why racing fans all say ‘I love NASCAR!’ On the track, drivers have 2 goals..win points and win the race. Like the skillful warriors they are, they defend their positions and play every advantage that presents itself. NASCAR drivers’ ability to use the draft from cars in front of him to gain more speed takes great skill and feeling. In races where it is difficult to pass, drivers will attempt to cause the car in front of him to “get loose” by positioning himself so close to that car that he “steals the air”, causing that car to wobble and allowing him to pass.
These kinds of skills are almost beyond comprehension! In the pit area, crews are constantly working and moving, preparing for the next pit stop. During each pit stop every person has his place and job to do. If they work together well, their performance will have serviced the car, filled the tank with gas and changed tires in 14 remarkable seconds or less. The crew chief and technicians determine precise calculations throughout the race to determine if fuel mileage will be a factor in winning… This is why racing fans all say ‘I love NASCAR!’
The NASCAR recipe is one that no other spectator sport matches. Weekly, the top teams (drivers) are competing directly against each other. Unlike, for instance the NBA, where you may have to wait weeks for that big contest, at a NASCAR race, you can follow number 1 battling number 2 every week. It’s almost like having the Championship of this sport each and every week. There’s simply nothing like the excitement of a live NASCAR race. The sights, earth shattering sounds and gritty smell of burned rubber and gasoline will leave a strong and lasting impression on even the most casual sports fan… and for most saying ‘I love NASCAR!’
This article was written by Dan Dydyk sponsored by 1. http://www.nascar-memorabilia.com/. Searching for unique quality NASCAR memorabilia and apparel? Shop marqueeprosports…the only game in town and the web for authentic, licensed pro sports memorabilia and apparel http://www.marqueeprosports.com/.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 5:27 pm by internetckq
As a PI, eventually you’ll be hired for a case that traverses state lines. When that happens, while you may be qualified and permitted to carry in your state, you may not be allowed to carry in other states your cases take you to.
The first thing you will need to understand is a bit of legal jargon, the difference between the terms “shall issue” and “may issue.” “Shall issue” simply means that issuing officials need to have a good reason in order to deny a permit. Otherwise, you are issued the conceal and carry permit by simply going through the application process and meeting the state requirements. Thirty-nine of the fifty states have the “shall issue” law.
“May issue” laws require that the applicant show a need to carry a concealed weapon which leaves things pretty arbitrarily open to come up with reasons to deny permits. That is indeed what happens in those states.
Two states (Wisconsin and Illinois) don’t allow any kind of permit to carry for someone who is not a law enforcement officer. I suppose to counter that backward thinking, two other states (Alaska and Vermont) allow anyone over the age of 16 and 21 respectively who is not a felon, to carry a weapon without any kind of permit. Of the “may issue” states, Maryland rarely issues permits, while Hawaii never issues them. Now that you have some background on which states allow what in terms of permitting CCW, now lets discuss where you can travel with your weapon without being accosted by local authorities.
The answer is, it depends on which state you live in and received your permit from. The Mountain West and Southern States are all pretty lenient with each other. For the western, mid-western and north eastern states, it’s pretty much a crap shoot. I like to use the reciprocity map at http://handgunlaw.us to let me know where I can bring my weapon before I travel. If I’m just driving through a state, I like to refer to my copy of the “Guide To The Interstate Transportation of Firearms.” on the NRA-ILA website.
Just because a state will allow you to carry a loaded firearm into their state while driving through doesn’t mean that the city you’re driving through doesn’t have laws against it. Crazy, I know, but you will need to brush up on the requirements for any city you plan to drive through. And certain states will allow some firearms but not others. You know, it’s kind of like needing to get a Trip Tic from AAA before traveling. Find out what you need to know before you go and you’ll avoid trouble.
If you are flying, the FAA has rules about firearms on a commercial aircraft (no issues on a small aircraft unless it’s a charter). You may not carry a loaded weapon in the cabin with you. Rather, you must place it in your checked baggage unloaded, and you must tell the security folks who are scanning your luggage BEFORE they scan your suitcase and throw you up against the wall spread-eagle.
There is a movement afoot (which I hope continues to grow) to create a standard federal law that will take it out of the hands of the states entirely and allow conceal and carry just for the asking and cause all states to be reciprocal with one another. The current laws make it confusing to go from state to state and municipality to municipality. Citizens have the right to arm and protect themselves and it seems foolish to keep weapons out of the hands of law-abiding citizens when criminals apparently have such easy access. Already, with the number of states allowing CCW, violent crime is down. Let’s hope that trend continues.
Brad Hansen writes articles for http://www.be-a-private-investigator.net.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 11:10 am by internetckq
When a woman has the honor of being asked to be an attendant at a wedding, probably the first thing that pops into her head is the bridesmaid dresses. There are a whole bunch of horror stories about nasty looking dresses that were chosen as bridesmaid dresses. I have seen tons of awful looking gowns, the ones from the 80s seem to be especially hideous. There are still plenty of fine looking bridesmaid dresses out there, so be warned bridal attendants.
I had the honor of paying the maid of honor for my best friend’s wedding and we recently checked out a bridal store to try on our gowns. The bride chose a few bridal gowns and she chose a few bridesmaid dresses in advance. It’s always a smart thing to do when you can take care of everything in advance because you never know it’s going to come up that it’s really great to have time to adjust for those surprises.
I tried on three bridesmaid dresses and I was relieved and impressed with the bride’s excellent fashion sense. When she told me that she wanted the bridesmaids to wear pink, strapless gowns, my heart may have stopped. I imagined a shocking pink flamingo look, form-fitting dress, that would point out every single flaw on my frame - yuck. We’ll actually found or three lovely bridesmaid dresses that were complementary to any type of figure and you can’t beat that.
The tough thing was actually willing down my choices to just one. The bride and I agreed which bridesmaid dress looked the best on the Internet, but we were pleasantly surprised to see that her number two choice, we liked even better. When I tried it on it felt comfortable and I felt at ease with that particular bridesmaid dress.
The bridesmaid dresses or a whitish-pink, and though they are strapless, not my favorite choice, the bride decided to incorporate short jackets as an accessory for those of us who prefer not to attend church looking like Madonna. The jacket is clean and elegant, just as the lovely pink gown was. I think that I will be very happy with the bride’s choice.
This choice was really a no-brainer for the bride and I was relieved that I only had to try on three bridesmaid dresses. You won’t believe this but sometimes I have tried and dozens of dresses for a single wedding. I actually think that she knew which one I preferred and chose that one. I tried to keep my opinion to myself until after she made her choice. It was after all her wedding and her decision and I didn’t want to influence her in any way just to please me. She may have regretted being swayed and it’s really not worth doing that. Fortunately for both of us she chose a great gown.
I saw many other gowns that were nothing short of horrendous. There were bridesmaid dresses that ballooned at the bottom like something out of Cinderella. There were bright orange dresses that made us look like the great pumpkin. I actually saw a gown, and I’m not making this up, that was strikingly similar to a ballerina’s tutu and I thanked the stars above that the bride in the wedding I’m attending or smart enough not to go for a number like this. Although the final decision has back treatment may get and she hasn’t ordered the bridesmaid dresses yet so you never know…
Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding wedding. You can get interesting and informative information here at http://www.weddingsparks.com/weddings/weddings/bridesmaid-dresses.html
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Posted in Uncategorized at 1:58 am by internetckq
This is my own theory one I’ve developed and produced myself. It reflects my own approach to writing and to the marketing of writing. I’ve seen other writers speak of some of the individual approaches I’m discussing here, but none to my knowledge have worked it into a formulation for success such as I use.
I call this the M.O.R.E. theory of writing successfully for money. I have used these four points of “attack” when writing for money in my own businesses, and without fail, the use of these have paid big dividends.
My approach stems from four distinct points that should be met in all our writing, no matter what market we’re seeking to reach:
1. M: Motivation: Definition according to Webster’s: The act of impelling. This simply means that when we see a subject that we feel needs writing about or addressing, we take the initiative and just write about it. At this point, I seldom worry about the market it will reach or even IF there is a market. I find that if I have “thought” of this others have as well, and therefore will welcome my “take” on a subject (eventually).
2. O: Origination: Definition according to Webster’s: The act of bringing or coming into existence. This is the actual writing of the piece. This is the first time I take into consideration the actual market and I try to write “to” this perceived market throughout the piece.
3. R: Rejuvenation: Definition according to Webster’s”: The act of making as if young again. This is where I market the piece as if it were the only piece of its type in the world, even if it is not. I show great faith that others will accept that my “take” on things, if not entirely original and that they will consider something worth “purchasing” (my favorite part).
4. E: Exploitation: The act of utilizing or turning to one’s own use. Let’s face it, much of what we write is not accepted by the first publication or market we approach. I then market it to what I consider “lesser publications”, or “lesser markets” or I use it myself, in my own publications, and sell reprint rights.
In a nutshell, I believe that any subject, at any time, has great possibilities. I also believe that some day, somewhere, no matter what I have written, eventually I will find an audience for it (a case in point is a report I did for a police department, which ended up YEARS later in a newspaper). I continually regurgitate my work, either into samples, into reprints, into rewrites, into anything and everything that sells.
Nothing is wasted with me, and nothing is ever considered “sub par” writing. Using the above formula has kept me on the track to monetary gains and I hope by sharing, it will help struggling writers everywhere.
M.O.R.E. power to everyone!
(c) Copyright: 2006 PL Rights Articles
Katheryn Labonsky and Ken Leatherman are professional writers for http://www.PLRRightsArticles.com & http://www.klr-marketing.com providing high quality original articles. See more articles here.
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03.17.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:42 pm by internetckq
By 1989 G.I. Joe was the best selling action figure in the United States and was being marketed in other countries around the world. Not bad conquering the world by the age of 25, but the producers at Hasbro were not ready to settle there. COBRA, was G.I. Joes greatest competition and the dynamic of good and bad made for a more interesting story line to the G.I. Joe, Real American Hero plot.
By the early 90’s G.I. Joe found himself in a battle with COBRA who’s main goal was to destruct the Earth’s environment. The action figure boxes even came with eco-facts for the young audience to read. This was done in an attempt to heighten youth awareness about important issues such as the environment.
G.I. Joe was also conducting new marketing strategies in the early nineties with live action commercials and a partnership with Target stores across the United States to help boost the brand. The attempts were successful. When the original 12 inch G.I. Joe was reintroduced in a marketing test with Target stores, the entire shipment of 25,000 figures sold out in one day.
In keeping with tradition of using G.I. Joe to heighten youth awareness about certain topics, G.I. Joe took on his next adversary in 1992. It was that year that G.I. JOE called in to help the Drug Elimination Force (D.E.F.) to combat drugs. Hasbro even went as far as coordinating in school teaching programs to warn children of the dangers of drugs.
The popularity of the 12 inch G.I. Joe action figures also prompted Hasbro to manufacture 12 inch Duke, Stalker, Cobra, Commander and Snake Eyes action figures. They were also a huge success.
In 1993 G.I. Joe is broken into separate armies including Battle Corps (military), Star Brigade (space), Ninja Force (martial arts), Hall of Fame (12-inch figures), and Mega-Marines (Monsters). This was also the same year that G.I. Joe was introduced in a video game.
G.I. Joe turned 30 in 1994 and Hasbro celebrated their soldier’s birthday with commemorative figures, new characters in the Battle Corps, Star Brigade, Hall of Fame and Ninja Force. As well as a full fledged advertising campaign including television, print and a mail in promotion.
John Gibb is the owner of Action Figure resources, For more information on Action Figures check out http://www.Action-figures-guides1k.info
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Posted in Uncategorized at 1:30 pm by internetckq
I found myself having to catch a bus last week, the second week of the children’s school summer holiday. I was instructed to take my son to his Grandma’s house and with my wife having the car it left me with no choice but to do something that I hadn’t done for over twenty years - take the bus.
The 188 from Weymouth to Poole. I was to get on from the stop at the end of my road which wasn’t too far away from the town but a little too far to walk.
My son and I reached the stop ten minutes before aforementioned bus was due. Forty minutes later it still hadn’t turned up so I got on the number 92 which stated, Poole. On we jumped - I asked if he went all the way to Poole. No, he said, I don’t. Well it says “Poole” on the destination board, I stated. It says India on the tyres, he replied, but I’m buggered if I’m going there (Okay, the old ones are the best) - yes, of course I’m going to Poole. ?1.35 for you, half fare for the boy.
It was just 14 pence the last time I went on a bus, shows how I’d lost touch.
I think I started to enjoy the ride more than my seven year old son, who always got excited during the odd bus trip, especially if it was an open top bus and he would be ‘allowed upstairs’.
Then my enjoyment started to fade as we had to actually stop to let some people get on. After using my own transport for so many years this was a nuisance. They fumbled with their change and took ages to sort out a ticket. The time, the time, what are they doing?
Off we went, when a kind driver eventually let us pull out. Ah yes the memories of busses was coming back to me.
I read the same few adverts over a few times and moved from a draughty vent. I couldn’t help but listen to a stupid conversation that some teenage girls were having in front of my new seat. Boyfriends, who’d have them, eh?
My boy was grinning from ear to ear, obviously enjoying seeing something from the bus window, everything seemed to please him but here was I getting totally fed up with the slow, noisy and frustrating bus ride into, Poole. Going to Grandma’s in the car took seven minutes but here on the bus, only half way there, had taken an hour already.
We stopped at a bus lay by but there weren’t any passengers to pick up, so why stop? Ah, yes, I remember now - the driver has to ‘do his books’. He clicked a number of coins from his cash dispenser and wrote a few notes in his book, messed about with some tickets and timetables and put the engine in gear. Not wanting to hurry, he wasn’t fussed that nobody would let him pull out onto the highway again, choosing to wait instead until there was a huge gap in the traffic before he even attempted to pull away.
Sadly, in Poole, we have a thing called a lifting bridge. It is for the boats in the harbour. The main road in and out of Poole is built over, Poole harbour, and the road has to lift up in order for shipping to go through to the other side of the lifting bridge. Now the bridge lifts up at certain times - called the ‘rush hour’ and ‘when anyone’s in a hurry to get to Poole’. It is the biggest black mark in the history of Poole. All traffic comes to a stand still once the lifting bridge is up and allowing the boats to sail through.
Judging by the queue of traffic that the bus joined after we left the last stop, we had hit such a time. Off goes the engine and silence falls on the neighbourhood - it’s quite eerie really and also bloody annoying.
Anyway, after around an hour (fifteen minutes actually but it felt longer) off we went again, very, very slowly as the bridge isn’t very wide and certain vehicles can only go through single file, meaning one driver has to wait for the other. If we are lucky it won’t go up again before we get our chance to cross to the other side.
It didn’t and the bus station, our destination, was getting nearer. But wait, the driver was turning off the main road and going a different way than I expected.
Oh yes, another ‘bus thing’, it may have to pick up passengers from that bus stop about two miles up that odd road that nobody ever goes along but ‘just in case’, buses must go that way. Nobody was at the stop - the driver waited there anyway (just to annoy people like me, of course) and then off we went again -.”Look daddy, a train is at the station”, be quiet, I replied.
The queue into the bus station was long as cars were in the bus lane, cars who’s drivers didn’t realise that the lane for the multi-storey car park was the other lane, not this one, this one was for buses.
At last we were at the bus station and parked up. Now, had we have caught the 188, or rather had it turned up, we would have been dropped outside of Grandma’s but, as this was the 92, it took us to the station and we had to catch another bus to go to a road near Grandma’s.
Stand by for Mr. Grumpy. Yes the 101 to Bournemouth was late. If a driver is late he is very grumpy and snaps at all passengers along the way - that’s if he actually stops to pick them up. Many ‘would be’ passengers are left stranded with their hand sticking out to stop the bus only to see it sail on by…in Poole that means you’ve got a late, grumpy driver.
After queuing for a while I stated where I’d like to go. Seventy two pence, the driver snapped. Why the odd two?, I thought. Anyway I thought it would be good to give him the correct change as they always seem to not be able to change a fifty pence coin if my memory served me correctly, so to cheer him up I placed some coins on his counter and looked in my pockets for the odd two pence coin. He tutted and groaned and looked at his watch in annoyance followed by a look over my shoulder at the queue. He tore off my ticket and told me that I should tear my own ticket off. I said, “well, the other driver tore it off for me”, but he didn’t seem to care. This was all new to me.
My son was getting fed up by now - all his playtime would be used up on the bus trips. Past the first two stops without stopping (I told you, didn’t I?) and picking up a few other passengers then on to our stop.
Off we jumped and walked the rest of the way to Grandma’s. Grandma was pleased to see us. My boy played with some toys and then we were invited to stay to tea. Mummy came to Grandma’s from work and we all had a lovely time…apart from the bus trip. I am having the car next week, no, I said, I AM having the car next week!
©2006 Martyn Brown: Writing for home business publications for UK and beyond. On occasions, though, looks on the lighter side of life.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 7:14 am by internetckq
It’s an iridescent, “hot” pinkish-purple, speckled sphere sort of thing; it’s become the bane of my existence! And, it’s making my chiropractor verrrrrry happy!
I’d recently read several conversations about using a hula hoop for exercise in the Virtual DiVAs Yahoo Groups Digest; it sounded so much like fun and like something I could easily tackle. Next thing I knew, I was walking from the store with a hula hoop secured firmly on the store cart I was pushing in front of me. A lady passing by wondered if I “remembered how to use it”. Humph! Of course; I’d made sure there were explicit directions securely attached.
A dilemma is already brewing, alas.
I haven’t figured out where I can use the darn thing. Its circumference is enormous. Even when I’m inside! In fact, it’s “big around” is more so than the “sonic” hoop I originally considered; but then decided against. The “sonic” hoop had flashing “somethings or other” located on the hoop opposite each other. They were a bit annoying.
Besides, in the event I decided to use the hoop outside in the dark, it seemed like the flashes would easily draw attention (much like June bugs to zapper lights) to that “crazy neighbor lady over there with the hula hoop”. At the same time it might annoy the neighbors. Or would that be just me?
Have you noticed where I’m going with this?
A “plan”. “You gots to have a plan”. For whatever you do! Many times things just come so naturally you do them without thinking. I don’t suppose you gave much thought to putting on your socks this morning. (If you did put them on, that is.) You just did. However, subconsciously, getting dressed is a “plan”. We just don’t talk or think much about it. Unless you’re three, and your mother’s trying to coax you into quit playing with whatever it is that has your concentration at the moment-and pay attention to getting ready for, say–church.
If you genuinely want to “dress up” your business, make it work, and take it to where you really want it to be, to where it ought to be-you must have a plan. A well-thought out “business plan”!
Where do you start?
The library? The book store? Google, Yahoo, Lycos? Use a search for “business plan”. Try “Business Plan for Virtual Assistant”. Or, pose your question at several Virtual Assistant forums; you’ll discover you can get a sample plan in sizes varying from a simple one-pager to one with 12 or 21 pages. Or more!
When I personally Googled my way around the web in pursuit of topics one might include in a Business Plan, I discovered the result can be many and varied. Because of this, it seems a “simple start” perhaps using the “5 Ws & an H stand-by (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How)” can also help you get your groove on. Here goes:
Who: An Introductory Letter - tell us your intentions
What, Where: Title page; include the name of your business, address, contact information
Why: Executive Summary (short and sweet) summarizes the key components in your plan
How: How are you going to get there from here?
You can then segue into a good round of 20 questions:
What are your Vision and Mission Statements? Why are you in business? What are your business goals-as in what does your company look like?
Who do you want for alliances?
Marketing and Sales Plan: What are your products or services? How will you use to set your prices? What are the demographics of your target market– age, income, occupation? Who is your competition? How will you become visible to your target market? Will you use a Web site? Will you advertise? What and how much promotion will you do? How are you going to build your company? What do you have to do to get you where you want to be 1 year, 3, 5 years from now?
Operations Plan: Will you be a single entity, or in a partnership? Will you incorporate?
Financial Plan: Project your actual Income and Outgo flow
Action Plan: How are you going to accomplish what you set out to do?
Contingency Plan: What will you do for a “rainy day” If the money isn’t there to pay your bills?
That iridescent, “hot” pinkish-purple, speckled sphere sort of thing may look pretty good on a rainy day.
As a gifted Virtual Assistant, Karen McGreevey, owner and President of Konceptuality, http://www.konceptuality.com, specializes in facilitating editorial and administrative support services to small business owner Writers/Editors, Coaches/Speakers. Contact her at kmcgreevey@konceptuality.com to find out how! “We fuel your words to make you a force to be reckoned with”.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 1:01 am by internetckq
This last weekend, I met with someone who I haven’t seen for 8 years or so. This person, a quiet and very kind man, was my training partner for my first marathon 12 years ago. It was great to see him - not only because he looks so fit and healthy at age 57, but also because it was only this weekend that I truly felt the way that he “touched” my life so many years ago.
You see, training for a marathon is a long journey. So many hours and months my partner and I spent running, thinking about running, planning for running, eating for running….do you get the idea? Of course, achieving the goal was that much more sweet because of how hard the journey was. That one journey got me hooked and I have done many more since. But the first one remains the most special.
My marathon partner was 45 when he ran his FIRST marathon. He is quite an inspiration!
As a person who is “into fitness” I have many friends and colleagues who are sports people. Not only that, but most of them (me included) are now of the age that they are called Master Athletes. What is a master athlete? This is someone who competes in the older age categories of a sport.
So, most of my friends and I are masters in our sports. Among my peers, I hear a lot of moaning about how we are getting older and just don’t feel able to compete with the youngsters. To that, I say…. Experience and science is starting to show otherwise. Have you noticed that there are a lot of professional and amateur athletes that are still getting better at their sports even though they are also older than they are “supposed” to be?
There are many reasons for this phenomenon, but training methods, nutrition science and just plain old determination not to retire is fueling much of this.
The activities of these older athletes and the fact that there are so many now have some important lessons for those of us who feel that old age is a reason not to be fit and/or enjoy whatever sport we choose.
We can excel at sports or be as fit as someone much younger, so long as we keep some basic ideas in mind:
The decline in fitness is very gradual as we age. In other words, there’s no reason to stop JUST because of age. Recovery from intense training slows as we age, not the ability to train intensively. Muscular strength, flexibility and quickness (power) require extra attention to maintain, to keep us in the game and injury free. Eating right helps recovery. Adequate sleep is important for recovery. Let’s look at these ideas individually:
The decline in fitness is really just a de-training effect. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Age has much less to do with this decline than inactivity does. When you were 20, if you didn’t exercise, what happened? Probably, you got weaker and put on body fat. Is there much difference now years later?
Recovery time has to do with the body’s ability to regenerate. Of course, the body adapts to the loads placed on it at any age; so if you GRADUALLY begin to train your body more often or more intensively, it will adapt to this training and “learn” to recover faster.
Muscular strength, flexibility and ability to respond quickly diminish without training. The lack of muscular strength causes the joints to carry more of the load. When the joints carry the load instead of the muscles then the joints tend to break down in a variety of ways. So, it’s important to build all the muscles of the body no matter what sport you are involved in.
The tensile strength of muscles, or their ability to stretch, lessens when they are not regularly stretched, so it’s important to take extra care to stretch the muscles when they are warm. A tight muscle leads to muscular imbalances which again can cause joints and the back to carry loads in a way they were not designed to.
Joints tend to deteriorate with age. They lose the collagen matrix and “squishy stuff” that lubricates them. Keeping the muscles strong and flexible, so that they themselves do the work instead of the joints, is the best way to slow this deterioration. Also, if you already have joint pain, strengthening the muscles will lessen the load on the joint…and hence lessen any pain and stiffness.
Nutrition science has come a long way in recent years. Nowadays, athletes are using nutrition to aid in recovery. The crux of this is that eating lots of antioxidant rich foods (fruits and vegetables), protein (meat, fish, dairy, beans, eggs) and lots of water help the muscles rebuild and alleviates oxidative stress from exertion.
There are many supplements that have been proven, such as glucosamine for joint health, that can help with individual issues. So, if you are training hard and feel that your nutrition is less than optimal, it might be beneficial to consider supplements. It’s a good idea to study up on anti aging supplements and general nutrition guidelines to see what might benefit you.
The body uses sleep time to recover and build. Enough said on that.
The moral of the story? Age by itself is not a good excuse for doing the things you love to do. If you have always dreamed of running a marathon - GO FOR IT!
Copyright (c) 2006 Ainsley Laing
Ainsley Laing, MSc. has been a Fitness Trainer for 25 years and writes exclusively Body for Mind eZine. She holds certifications in Group Exercise, Sports Nutrition and Person Fitness Training. Read other articles by Ainsley at http://www.bodyformind.com.
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