Archive for May, 2008

Taking Charge of Your Career Development

Taking Charge of Your Career Development

By Alisa Blum, MSW

How often do you work day in and day out without thinking about what you like or don\’t like about your job? Are you working in areas that maximize your strengths, develop your skills, and ultimately lead you to your goals? Most people don\’t give conscious consideration to these aspects of their work and find themselves dissatisfied and unmotivated.

When we raise our career development needs to a conscious level, we can figure out how to make our careers more satisfying.

Here are some tips to evaluate your career development needs:

? At the end of each day, make a list of what you liked and didn\’t like about your job. After one month, read your daily lists and look for common themes. Brainstorm how your can do more of what you like and less of what you don\’t like to do.
? Ask yourself the following: In what areas do I feel the most successful? What am I naturally drawn to do? What activities make me the happiest? What activities make me feel the most satisfied? Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
? Envision what you want to be doing in the next 5-10 years. What can you start doing now to move toward your goals for the future?

After you have completed this self-evaluation, plan a meeting with your supervisor. In this meeting it will be important to communicate the following: How do your career goals fit with your organization\’s vision and mission? How can you do more of what you want to do and make your organization more successful and/or profitable?

As you make time for an in-depth reflection about your career development needs, you will be able to articulate your needs and ultimately have a satisfying and productive career.

? 2008, Alisa Blum & Associates

Alisa Blum is President of Alisa Blum & Associates, training and consulting company specializing in helping organizations develop a motivated & productive workforce. Training programs are offered both live and via webinar. More information can be found at http// http://www.retentionsolutions.org Alisa can be reached at (503) 524-3470 or alisablum@earthlink.net.


The Benefits of Adding Green Tea to Your Diet

You may have heard about supplementing your diet with green tea in order to lose weight. But in addition to losing weight, green tea users tout its other benefits such as lowering bad and increasing good cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and even fighting colon and bladder cancers. But other than carrying around a bunch of tea bags and hoping to find some boiling water, how can you get green tea into your diet? Most people have started turning to green tea extract supplements in pill form.

Besides their ease of use, supplements also take care of the complaints some people have when taking green tea in its more traditional brewed form. Those complains include the tea\’s somewhat bitter taste as well side effects from its caffeine content. One six-ounce cup of green tea contains approximately 30 mg. of caffeine, so people who are caffeine sensitive should take green tea supplements instead of brewed tea. In addition, more than six cups of green tea a day can lead to sleeplessness, irregular heart beat, diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches. Taken as a dietary supplement, green tea extract generally comes in 500 mg. capsules taken two or three times daily.

Green Tea is also widely recognized as one than can protect you against lots of different cancers such ovarian cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, as well as cancer of the colon, mouth, breast and cervix. Advocates claim that a diet supplemented with green tea or a green tea extract in supplement form may actually delay the onset of Alzheimer\’s disease. One study from Great Britain found that green tea inhibited three chemical culprits associated with breaking down brain cells and producing plaque and protein deposits in the brain.

Although green tea has been considered a medicine for 4,000 in China, only recently has Western medicine recognized its curative properties. In 1994 an article was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that a normal diet that included green tea could reduce the risks of cancer of the esophagus by up to 60%. The study found that compounds in green tea had a tendency to inhibit the growth of cancer cells along with reducing total cholesterol levels, increase the ratio of good cholesterol and decreasing the level of bad cholesterol.

Finally, according to research, green tea contains a substance known as L-theanine that triggers a body\’s T cells to secrete as much as ten-times their normal output of virus-battling interferon, so incorporating a green tea supplement into your diet may be a key flu-fighting strategy.

The Author is a long-time student of health, fitness and bodybuilding. You can read more free information about health, fitness and bodybuilding as well as where to get Green Tea supplements at his website http://www.ultimategreenteaweightloss.superfood-reviews.com


Renegade Network Marketer - The Truth About Attracting Targeted MLM Prospects

People crave proof and credibility in the network marketing business. Ann Sieg has given network marketers the blueprint for using online attraction marketing principles in The Renegade Network Marketer.

Using the power and leverage of the internet to attract prospects into your business funnel is the new wave of MLM prospecting.

One of the concerning aspects with online marketing though is chasing an automated way of building a network marketing business without interacting with prospects.

This is a recipe for certain business failure because no matter how powerful an attraction vehicle the internet is for bringing targeted prospects into your business, unless you take the time to interact with your prospects, then you will suffer a very low retention rate.

Just because you move your prospecting online, it doesn\’t mean the same rules of relationship marketing offline don\’t apply online.

Relationship Marketing

Using automation is fine. For example, promoting your articles online and posting them to article directories to attract people into your prospecting funnel works well. It\’s a solid and gradual way of getting your message out to a targeted audience.

You write your content around selected keywords and when someone types in that keyword there is a chance they will eventually come across your article.

Articles once written, will be working for you for a long time and people will find you by clicking through the links in your resource box. If you have a report for them to download then they opt in to your list. But does this mean your job is done? Do you just sit back and wait for them to join your primary business.

It ain\’t going to happen. Why? Because they still don\’t know who you are. This is when you follow up with more training and advice. You gently break down that barrier of skepticism that exists and let them know you are a real person.

The truth is, people want to connect with other people and establish a level of trust before they even think about doing business with them.

They are looking for more proof and credibility. You provide this with your follow up training and information. This is one of the powerful concepts of attraction marketing a Renegade Network Marketer applies and gets results with.

Grab your free copy of The 7 Great Lies Of Network Marketing today! Dramatically increase your sponsoring rate. Put your network marketing lead generation on steroids and your network marketing business into pro


Why You Should Clean Your Windows Registry

Windows Registry: Introduction

The Windows registry is a fundamental component of all Windows operating system releases after Windows 95. It is a central hierarchal database repository that stores hardware, software, and user profiles configuration information of your Windows system. To view the registry of your Windows system, run the Regedit command from Start > Run to open the Registry Editor. You will see a folder structure that is quite similar to the folder structure displayed in Windows Explorer.

The registry is comprised of five root keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY-CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, HKEY_USERS, and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG. All information related to user settings and preferences, hardware, software, operating system configuration, and file associations are stored in these keys. Any activity that you perform on your Windows system, either makes an entry in the registry or accesses information from it. If you monitor your registry using a registry monitor tool, you will see that the registry provides hundreds of values to your system in just a few seconds.

Due to its extensive use and need in operating your computer, there are a large number of reasons why errors occur in the registry. Let\’s now have a look at what causes registry errors and the methods to repair registry errors.

Registry Damage: Causes
Registry errors usually occur due to the accumulation of unwanted, obsolete, redundant, and invalid information within it. Frequent install and uninstall of applications is one of the major causes of registry errors. Whenever you install an application certain entries are added to the registry. These entries are required for the application to function properly on your PC. When you uninstall this application the entries are removed. However, the uninstallers of many applications fail to remove all the entries from the registry. The situation is worse if you do not follow correct program uninstall steps and just delete the application folders from your PC. These left over registry keys clog it and cause it to grow at an uncontrollable rate. Many times, when a registry entry is removed, it leaves behind vacant spaces or registry holes. These registry holes fragment the registry and make it unstable.

Viruses and spyware are also a major cause of concern because the malicious entries added by them affect the file associations within the registry and damage it.
A damaged registry generates frequent system errors and may even render the system unusable. To prevent this situation it is very important for you to perform a regular registry clean up in order to keep your system error-free.

Registry Repair: Methods
Although you can perform a certain amount of registry maintenance using the Registry Editor, it is not a very easy method. Even the most experienced technicians are uncomfortable when using the Registry Editor to perform a clean-up.

The main reason behind this is that all changes done using the Registry Editor are permanent and cannot be undone. And, if you forgot to make a backup before proceeding with the changes, then any mistake could make your PC unbootable.
To overcome this problem, it is recommended that you opt for a registry cleaner software. You can search for a registry cleaner over the Internet and download the one that best suits your requirements.

A reliable, efficient, and advanced registry cleaner software provides you with the following benefits.

? Enables you to scan and clean up registry errors in just a few mouse clicks.

? Makes both a complete and selective backup of your registry that helps you restore the entire registry or just rollback certain changes.

? Helps you defragment the registry to make it compact by removing registry holes, and reindex registry files to increase the data access speed.

? Enables you to perform a deep scan and remove any malicious entries added by malware.

? Provides you with an easy to use graphical user interface that even a novice user can easily use to perform regular registry maintenance.

? Includes many other system management utilities, such as startup program manager, BHO manager, and orphans files manager to keep your system at its best working condition.

To sum up, we can say that if you want to keep your PC in a good operational condition, perform regular registry scans to
remove all unwanted information and errors from it. To perform the activity, you may opt to use a reliable registry cleaner software. Registry cleaners provide you with a safe, easy, and efficient method to get rid of accumulated junk in the registry and keep your PC at its best performance.

Visit Repair-XP.com for more information on Windows XP Registry Repair and to download free tools

Ken Morris
Repair-Xp.com
http://www.repair-xp.com


More on the Health Benefits Of Green Tea

If you have been searching around the internet for a natural weight loss program you have probably been confronted by an overwhelming amount of information as well as countless products each claiming to be better and more healthful than the next. But have you found anything that is completely natural, has a 4,000 year history and has been touted by Oprah Winfrey as a weight loss phenomenon? Now you have. It\’s good old Green Tea. And even if you don\’t like the taste, which many don\’t, you can get the weight loss and other health benefits that green tea has to offer by simply supplementing your normal diet with one of a number of green tea extract supplements that you can find in pill form.

So, why does green tea prove to be an effective weight loss supplement? Simply stated, green tea stimulates the body\’s metabolism, thereby increasing its burning of calories and fat.

How much green tea is right for you? Well, it depends on who you\’re talking to. While some say ten cups a day is best, others say two or three will do just fine. But rather than carrying your teapot to and fro and guessing about how much to drink, you may want to consider one of the many supplements on the market today. One of the more popular supplements is that produced and marketed under the name Avatrim with Green Tea, but there are plenty of others as well that you may want to take a look at. (Be sure to check that the supplement you are considering is Ephedrine free. Some companies spike their green tea products with dangerous amounts of Ephedrine to increase the body\’s metabolism. Research has shown that any amount of Ephedrine can be dangerous. For your information, Avatrim is Ephedrine free.)

In addition to its weight loss potential, you will benefit by adding green tea to your diet because of its other healthful properties. Specifically, green tea is high in an anti-oxidant known as “epigallocatechin gallate,” (called EGCG for short) which clinical tests show not only inhibits the growth of new cancer cells, but kills some existing cancer cells, all without harming normal cells. EGCG reportedly also prevents the formation of blood clots which have been known to cause thrombosis, one of the leading causes of heart attacks and stroke.

As with all weight loss regimen, this one has to be evaluated by each person based upon his or her own goals. However, since it has been around for so long, is natural in all respects and is so easy to use (especially in supplement form) it appears to be worth a try in the battle of the bulge.

The Author is a long-time student of health, fitness and bodybuilding. You can read more free information about health, fitness and bodybuilding as well as where to get discount Green Tea items at his website http://www.ultimategreenteaweightloss.superfood-reviews.com


What\’s The Best Penis Enlargement Method? Ready To Begin But Aren\’t Sure How?

First of all, congratulations! Just deciding to start a penis enlargement program is a BIG step some men never even take. It shows that you are a man of action. You realize that if you don\’t do anything at all then nothing will ever change in your life.

The male enhancement method you choose will depend on a few factors. Of course, it all boils down to what penis enlargement method looks best to you. Remember, permanent male enlargement will require commitment on your end, so the amount of free time you have will matter more than anything else in the method you choose.

If you work at home or have a lot of free time, then an extender or traction device is the best penis enlargement method. Just apply the device & let traction take its course gently increasing your penis size permanently. Traction devices provide fast gains with high-gain potentials (inches). Any sit-down type job is a good candidate as the medically approved device can be discreetly worn under loose clothing.

Penis enlargement can still work for you even if you have an active job. In that case, you may want to try a different combination of methods. A penis pill can be used WITH clinically proven penile enlargement exercises or a high-quality traction device.

How I would approach that is take the pill daily & then use the device and/or exercises in my spare time.

A brief note about (penile) exercises: Penis enlargement exercises have now been clinically proven, but they require a dedicated effort to achieve solid size gains. It takes longer to achieve gains than you would using a traction device since traction really is the best penis enlargement method.

However, penile exercises have been determined to provide permanent size gains for motivated individuals & can provide a solid entry point to male enlargement.

The best penis extenders will have an exercise program included with their “system”. If you don\’t have to take a pill then you shouldn\’t because there may be unseen side effects with prolonged use. There are now all natural systems that are the best penis enlargement method because they work quickly & without any potentially harmful side effects.

Again, congratulations on being an action taker! I wish you the best of luck with your penis enlargement endeavors.I hope that you achieve permanent size gains like I have using the best penis enlargement methods - the penile traction device & exercises.

For more information about the best penis enlargement method (the same one I use) please check out http://www.biggerpenis4ever.com This article is copyright(c) by John Marshall & this resource box must be fully included when reprinting this article.


Homework - Should it be Banned?

Let us ponder first that what does homework result in? Overworked children. Less outdoor activities. Dropping results. Lack of interest. Is this what homework was meant for? Wasn\’t it supposed to do the opposite?

These are not just the adverse effects of homework, but keeping the present scenario in mind this is the only effect of homework. If a question raises more questions that it can answer, the question\’s root should be eradicated.

Now-a-days homework is being applied not only in high schools but also in secondary and primary schools so much so that it has acquired the manifestation of a horrendous monster. Homework, as a concept in high schools, was introduced so that kids revise whatever was taught in the class. This basically, was to register the topic(s) into the child\’s mind so that he can perform better.

But today it has become a hard and fast rule that books need to be filled with homework whether or not it pays off.Not only high school kids but secondary and primary schools kids aren\’t spared from it. Whatever the age of the child is, he is often seen carrying a schoolbag much heavier than his own body-weight!

Initially, when the concept of homework was launched, there weren\’t any homework documents maintained. The performance of the child spoke for him. Also, teachers have also found a way out. If the student doesn\’t perform, and out and out, their all time favorite quote has become that the child doesn\’t do homework properly!

Today however the concept of homework is completely twisted, whether or not the child needs it, he is loaded with bagful of homework. This has resulted in outdoor activities of children reduced nil.
Keeping all this in mind, homework should be restarted with the concept that it was introduced with.

Read more articles: http://www.HomeSaaz.net

Tarang Bhargava is the CEO of Vexat Inc. and has an affiliate marketing experience of six years. The website http://www.earncashonline.in is Affiliate Marketing invitation that provides an opportunity to Indians to make money through internet using his experience.

Read articles by him at http://www.ArticlesDirectory.in


Flat Fee Real Estate

Flat implies a constant figure. Certain industries such as traffic attorneys or amusement parks have for many years utilized some sort of flat fee price to increase sales volume and customer satisfaction, to calm people\’s fears about the potential for a large bill after the service has been provided, and to give assurance that all customers will be treated fairly since they are all generating similar revenue for the business. In flat fee real estate, sellers are truly able to achieve a listing fee that stays constant regardless of the sales price of their home. If that figure were $995, for instance, a true flat fee listing would cost the seller no more and no less, regardless of whether their home\’s price were $1,000,000 or $100,000. For many sellers, flat fee real estate is a refreshing relief. Traditionally, most commissions were based on a percentage. So a seller might pay ten times more to sell a million dollar home as they would a one hundred thousand dollar home.

A number of listed brokers have instilled some type of flat fee pricing. The range is all over the map. One broker might charge three hundred dollars, another might charge three thousand dollars. The services one receives may be the same or different. In some cases there may be different levels of fees, such as a bronze, silver or gold package that would include increasing prices that were nonetheless not based on a percentage of the eventual sales price of the home. Others charge a flat fee plus a smaller commission based on a percentage of sales price that includes additional components such as negotiation or advisory services. A few others actually have two flat fees with a break point coming at a particular sales price. So regardless of the fee structure selected, it is important for the homeowner to examine exactly what is being offered for a particular price and whether the flat fee price includes everything they need or if they need to pay extra for additional services.

It is important to note that while many listing brokers have taken on a flat fee structure, most buyer\’s agents are still compensated on a percentage amount that varies with the sales price of the home. It is not uncommon to see three percent of the sales price being offered to a buyer\’s agent. Sellers often are not as concerned that the buyer\’s agent commission is not a flat fee but instead percentage-based, because of the fact that they want their property to offer competitive compensation compared to other homes and because they generally perceive that buyer\’s agents provide an extremely valuable service in delivering qualified buyers to a home seller. Flat fees to buyers\’ agents may gain traction in the future, however, today they are somewhat uncommon. During certain periods of an extremely hot seller\’s market, some homeowners and builders have moved to the flat fee structure for buyers\’ agents, however, the trend generally has not lasted long. As the Internet and other disintermediation continues, however, it would not be a surprise for even more flat fee real estate to take place with all sorts of brokers.

Donald Plunkett is a real estate broker with Congress Realty, a flat fee listing company which serves Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Washington. He has received the top ranking in MLS listings sold from The Business Journal.


Start Selling Online - It\’s Easier Than Ever

According to recent publications, consumers spent more than $100 billion online at U.S. based e-commerce sites last year, which does not include online auction sites, travel spending, or corporate purchases. That\’s a significant increase over last year - more than 20%. There has never been a better time to be on the receiving end of that spending pattern, and the market keeps improving.

Many people start an e-commerce site as their primary business. If you have a brick and mortar store where you sell products or simply operate a business from home, starting an e-commerce site can provide an additional sales channel for you.

Creating a Web site for the purpose of selling products or services online entails a large amount of research and planning. When you start an online business, forgetting one simple step can make the difference between success and failure.

Here are 8 steps to help you get started:

1. Create a business and marketing plan. Schedule a time to meet with your business partners or team members. Brainstorm together and lay out all of your plans in one document. This plan should incorporate all startup and recurring costs. Set up an overall expense budget and sales forecast.

2. Choose a good Web site address (domain name) to help customers find you. You will need to select a domain name for the site that accurately represents what you are selling and helps brand your business. However, did you consider that the search engines will also be using your domain name as a symbol of what you sell? Give some thought to an appropriate URL and go shopping for one.

3. Select the right e-commerce software with a shopping cart. In order to sell products on your Web site, you have a few options. You can hire someone to develop custom online storefront functionality. However, most small businesses who are looking for more cost effective solutions purchase e-commerce Web site hosting software. This allows your customers to select products from your Web site, put them into the shopping cart on your site, and then checkout using their choice of various payment methods.

4. Apply for a business account (merchant account) for processing credit cards. It is critical to give your customers multiple payment options on your Web site. Most customers are accustomed to paying for goods and services online using their credit card. In order to accept credit cards as payment for your products, you must apply for what is called a merchant account. If you do not accept credit cards on your Web site, you are doing a great disservice to your site\’s potential for success, so make sure you apply.

5. Secure your site to let customers know it is safe to do business with you. As an online merchant, security is a key consideration for you. If you are going to accept consumer financial information such as credit card payments, you are responsible for ensuring that data is protected and secure and that you meet credit card company security requirements.

6. Design your site to be user-friendly. Once you have all of the products uploaded to the
Web site and you can accept credit cards it\’s time to work on improving the site\’s appearance before you go live with your new online storefront.

7. Test the site. You only have one chance to make a first impression with each visitor, so be sure that you test and tweak your site before going live with it. Plan at least a few days or weeks to do this. Make sure everything is working properly or all of your efforts can be for naught.

You might try inviting a few friends to help you test the site. Ask them to visit your Web site while you watch their browsing behavior. Try not to say anything as they click around. Give them fifteen minutes, and then ask them about their experience.

8. Promote your site online. Promoting your site on the Web can be expensive and complex, but taking advantage of search engine behavior to drive targeted traffic to your site can result in a favorable long-term return on your up-front investment, whether that investment is your time or money.

Using these tips, you can quickly and easily start selling products online. It may seem a bit daunting at first, but is actually quite simple. There are many vendors who can help fulfill the needs laid out in each action step. Simply visit Google and search for a place to buy a domain name (eg. GoDaddy.com), an e-commerce platform, and so on. Follow these steps and in no time at all you\’ll be up and running.

Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert with more than 12 years of marketing experience. He has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Michael is also a Search Engine Optimization Specialist. Learn how to improve search engine rankings by reading Michael ebook, The Webmasters Book of Secrets.


Degenerative Discs Are Reversible

Degenerative Disc Disease is the deterioration of the fragile and thin cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine. Degeneration of the disc, medically referred to as spondylosis, can be notes on x-ray tests by the narrowing of the normal disc space between adjacent vertebrae, thereby causing pain (from mild to severe depending on the amount of degeneration) by the rubbing or touching of the vertebrae bones. This loss of cartilage can be caused by loss of water in the cartilage and usually, but not always, occurs with aging.

However, degenerative discs are reversible. You will probably not hear that from your health care professional. When degenerative discs are detected, the doctors immediately prescribe pain medication and cortisone to reduce the inflammation. However, continued use of cortisone has many serious side effects such as increased appetite and weight gain, water and salt retention, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, cataracts, and/or stomach ulcers, just to name a few.

The next step following the cortisone is spinal fusion. The goal of spinal fusion is to eliminate the motion of the vertebrae at a spinal segment, thus reducing pain caused by the motion. This is done by one of two ways, either by using metallic screws and rods/plates or inter-body cages to immobilize the spine, which can loosen, break or pull out of the bone. Plus, more pain could result if the operation is unsuccessful, thereby leading to additional procedures and subsequent pressure placed on the neighboring discs, and the progression is repeated.

I suffered from degenerative discs and through exercise was able to reverse it. The bones that were degenerative were at my waist and developed because I did not have curvature in my lower spine, thereby making the cartilage between the bones in the lumbar region degenerate. By exercising to open up the degenerative discs, I was able to build up the discs and even lost ? inch in height because the curvature was put back into my spine. By working with my chiropractor on a regular basis to keep my spinal cord aligned and in correct adjustment, exercising my back by specific exercises targeting the area of disc degeneration, and wearing either a back belt and/or using special seat cushions and pillows, the degenerative discs were reversed.

The exercise the worked for me because of the specific area of my spine (the lumbar area) that degenerated was the yoga cobra pose. This exercise is great for people with lower back pain and decreases stiffness in the lower back, enlarges the chest and strengthens the arms and shoulders.

To perform the cobra pose:

Step 1: Lie on your belly while your head rests on your lower arms.

Step 2: Raise your forehead, look upwards and stretch your hands backwards. Let your weight rest on your chest.

Step 3: The head falls a little backwards towards your back and the backward movement proceeds from the neck and the chin. Move your belly further backward as if someone is pulling your arms. The weight is more and more shifted towards the belly and the lower back does the real work.

This exercise opens up the space between the vertebrae, thereby building up the cartilage between the discs. Also, drink a lot of water to hydrate the body, but more specifically the cartilage.

The reversal of the degenerative discs does not happen overnight but takes time and consistency. However, the result is pain free with no adverse side effects.

http://www.spineshoppe.com