Why Entrepreneurs Fail

 


In my 25 + years working with professionals in Business Development, universally I've discovered that they have learned to think like entrepreneurs. This is what has allowed them to rise to the top of their profession. Each would tell you that along the way they have learned how to think differently.

True entrepreneurs struggle with their business opportunities for a variety of reasons. Among the most obvious are a lack of capital, lack of understanding about marketing, and personnel issues. However, from my own entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of others, there are three major reasons individuals fail in entrepreneurial ventures.

They tie the success of their business with their own self worth.
They neglect to set realistic goals and plans for themselves and their business.
They are not prepared to pay the price of success.

True entrepreneurs with the right thinking prevail over a period of time. They have learned to understand the axiom Roles, Goals, and Tolls.

Roles
Successful entrepreneurs, in contrast to those who struggle, have learned to separate their roles in life from their self worth or self-identity. They understand that role performance or failure with their own venture is not a judgment of them as an individual. People who tend to equate their self-worth to their composite role identity are inherently risk-adverse and look to maintain the status quo. Being able to differentiate these two identities allows them to be risk prone vs. risk adverse, a key ingredient to success as an entrepreneur. Individuals who have risked failure, experienced it, and learned from it, have not only learned how to differentiate their role identity from their self-identity, they have learned the lessons of risking and failing. They understand that early failure in ventures is a natural part of successful startups. They are able to embrace those experiences, learn from them quickly and move on. This is critical to success as an entrepreneur. They must be willing to face and deal with early failures in order to prevail over time.


Goals
Even though much is said and written about goals and plans being necessary for success as an entrepreneur, few people learn the mechanics of successful goal setting and planning. It's not the plan but the planning that is important, and the goal setting process allows them to develop the confidence to take risks and fail. Successful entrepreneurs are not only goal driven and goal oriented; they have learned to execute the process of strategic and tactical goal setting and planning. Visualizing goals, writing them down and putting together a detailed plan for achievement provides the confidence and motivation to prevail. More than just business or operational plans, they have goals and plans for all the important roles in their life. They have learned early that if they aren't working their own plan they are probably part of someone else's goals or plans. They chart their own destiny, embrace risk-taking leadership positions, make adjustments as required and prevail over a course of time.

Tolls
Finally, entrepreneurs understand that there is a toll to pay. To be successful in any role in life you must be prepared to pay full price one time. There are really no overnight successes as an entrepreneur. In fact, I've heard it said that overnight success generally takes 15-20 years. One of the early tolls that entrepreneurs are quite often forced to face is the "re-making" of themselves that can include growing beyond their current circle of contacts. Since most people tend to stay within their own psychological comfort zone, they begin to lose identity with the risk taker. They are comfortable with the type of person who is more like them. Quite often the entrepreneur moves on to a different circle of associates who understand the journey. Stepping out, being your own person and venturing into the risk prone unknown is lonely by itself. Consequently, there can be a newfound stress in old relationships. It's been said before that pioneers get shot in the front and the back, and only through a process of differentiating role performance from self-worth, being risk prone, prevailing through adversity, sticking to your goals, and adjusting your plans will you be prepared to pay the daily toll.


An entrepreneur has much to learn in order to be successful, including the day-to-day mechanics of running a business, producing products, delivering services, making money and dealing with people. The biggest challenge of all is developing an understanding of themselves. They come to grips with what they want and what motivates them; this sustains their willingness to prevail over the long term against adversity. Successful entrepreneurs have learned to transform their thinking, allowing them to prevail where others fail along the way.


Bill Scheessele is the President, Founder and CEO of Mastering Business Development, Inc., a 25-year Business Development consulting and training company. MBDi consults with firms in the energy, nuclear, engineering, pharmaceutical, IT, and other highly technical service industries helping them build proactive Business Development teams.

Free Affiliate Programs - how students or anyone can work part-time at home

 
Are you a college or high school student who only has time for a part-time job but can't find one that pays enough? Hate your boss and/or can't stand your co-workers? Have you been searching long and hard for a route to financial freedom that doesn't involve any bosses except for yourself? Do you have a web site? If you have a web site with some traffic (or even if you don't, on my blog you can learn how to make an online living without one), you can make money by having links to online merchant shops appear on your web site. When a visitor to your site clicks on the link pointing to the web site of the merchant you are affiliated with, and then proceeds to buy something, you get a commission of that sale. Depending on the merchant, this can range anywhere from 5% - 75% of the sale. There are also some merchants who will pay for each click or each lead generated from your site. A lead is a new visitor to the site or shop that inquires about information, prices, or prize/coupon offers.

By having these links on your web site, you are called an affiliate, and the links are called affiliate links. An affiliate program isn't literally a program it's a business arrangement or agreement. Affiliate programs are also commonly known as associate programs, associates programs, partner programs, referral programs and sometimes bounty programs.

For anyone new to Internet marketing and work at home businesses they provide an excellent, high value opportunity in that it's a way to earn money without producing your own product!

To register into an affiliate program is almost always free, and through the affiliate program merchants control panel all you need to start making an income is the linking code, a way to monitor the traffic through your links, and to see what commission you have earned. Visitors who click your link to the merchants' site are called "click-throughs" and the percent of click-through visitors that purchase something on the affiliate merchants' site are called your CR, your Conversion Rate. Likewise, your CTR, or Click-Through Rate, is the percent of visitors to your site that end-up clicking on an affiliate link An affiliate program is not a MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) program, since the affiliates only earn from sales, leads or clicks. Some affiliate programs offer what is called a "Two-Tier" program and this is in most cases not considered a MLM program. MLM programs are sometimes called a "Matrix" or "Downline" program and often have an unlimited number of sub-affiliates you can sign up under you. Your downline is everyone who has signed up under you and likewise your "upline" is everyone who signed up above you.

There is also networks operated by third-party companies and individuals where multiple merchants and affiliates use a common software and administrative infrastructure (usually just a simple admin section of a web site) to recruit affiliates and monitor the traffic from their sites. These types of networks are often called affiliate networks. Both the merchants and the potential affiliates need to register with the network. Usually most affiliate networks are free to join because they get a part of the commission but some do charge a fee. Affiliates can find links to the online shops of hundreds of merchants to use on their affiliate driven web sites. Examples of affiliate networks are Commission Junction and ClickBank. You can find links to affiliate networks on my blog (link at end of article).

I am of the opinion that the best affiliate web sites are the ones made from a high demand, low supply niche dedicated to one of your hobbies or interests and something you know a lot about and can provide good value to your visitors. However, if you are not great at writing articles you can find article directories and content sites. Visit my blog to find links to article directories and content.

What will work best for you wont necessarily be the same thing that works for others, you have to experiment and diversify your methods. The most important factor will however depend upon the kind of traffic you have and can generate and the interests of the individuals visiting your site.

Himalayan Goji Berry

 
Goji Juice, believed to be the most nutritionally dense food on our planet, was formulated by Dr. Earl Mindell himself with the same ethereal signature of the original Himalayan berries used by ancient healers for centuries.

The Miracle Well

Beside a wall near a legendary Buddhist temple during the Tang Dynasty (around 800 AD) a well covered Goji vines has been dug. Over the years, numerous Goji berries had fallen into the well. Those who meditated there had the gleaming complexion of good health, and even at the age of eighty they had no white hair and had lost no teeth, merely because they drank the water from the well.


Why the Himalayas?

The Himalayas are a mountain range that extends along the boundary between India and Tibet. This remarkable mountain range was created when the continents of India and Eurasia collided in extreme slow motion. Since the two continents were composed of rock that was approximately the same density, neither border scraped beneath the other, as usually happens when large landmasses start to move together.


Instead, both edges were shoved towards the sky at the rate of a few centimeters per year. Mount Everest, the highest peak of the Himalayas and the tallest mountain in the world, is more than 29,000 feet high, and it is believed that some 40 peaks in this mountain range are higher than any other spot on earth. They continue to rise a little bit higher each year.

More than 18,000 species of exotic plants grow in the regions in and around the Himalayas. Many are found nowhere else in the world. The hardy, long-lived people who inhabit these mountains-living and working in extremely high altitudes and extreme temperatures-have found that around 8,000 of the plants unique to their ecosystems have healing and health-sustaining properties.

It is believed that the Himalayans were the first natural healers, sharing their knowledge with the ancient herbalists of China, Tibet, and India. One of their most valued secrets was the fruit of the native Goji vine, which had been thriving in the Himalayan valleys since the beginning of time. Those who came there to gain knowledge took the Goji home with them and planted it in their own valleys, thus disseminating the legend of this most spectacular and healthful fruit.

Since it is unearthing in the Himalayas, those who learn of the remarkable Goji berry are impressed by its unmatched health-promoting powers.


Wolfberry

The term goji berry technically refers to the Tibetan goji berry, also known as Lycium Barbarum (its Latin name). It is a member of a family of flowering plants known as the Solanaceae, a plant family which also includes within its ranks potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes. Roughly eighty different varieties of lycium berry exist, including the Chinese Wolfberry (often touted by Chinese healers as a cure for male sexual dysfunction). It is a deep-red, dried fruit about the same size as a raisin. The Goji berry tastes to some extent like a cross between a cherry and a cranberry.


However, the Chinese Wolfberry is only considered a genetic cousin of Lycium Barbarum and not a true goji berry.

Goji berries thrive in confined valleys in million year old soil in wild and cultivated areas. Like bushes with vines, the plant reach over 15 feet. They are members of the Boxthorns, in the taxonomic family Solanaceae that also includes the Potato, Tomato, Eggplant and Tobacco plants. The southern variety has the Latin name Lycium Chinese while the northern species (Lycium Barbarum) grows wild in the sheltered mountain valleys of Tibet and Mongolia. It is the northern species that most of the commercially available Goji juice is derived from harvesting the berries which can be difficult since they are so sensitive. If touched while fresh, Goji will oxidize and turn black. Instead of touching, they are shaken onto mats, then dried in the shade.

The unique properties endemic to the Tibetan goji berry makes it one of the more fascinating fruits on Earth. As our knowledge of the goji berry is to increase, the consumption of the plant itself grows in popularity in other parts of the world. Until the, do yourself a favor and enjoy a delicious goji berry.

Shopping On-line - safely.

 
There are thousands of online stores selling everything, and giving you access to a wider range of goods and services than ever before at your finger tips - and at way lower prices than your corner store. But as the number of on-line shops grow - so does the number of people trying to make the "fast buck".

While the majority of stores offer a great service, consumers should exercise care when shopping on-line with a new site for the first time. There are a few simple guidelines to follow which should make your shopping experience rewarding and profitable.

If you are dealing with a company for the first time make sure you read the terms and conditions of the on-line store.

Also check their web site for a postal address and a telephone number - most genuine companies have no problem publishing their postal address on their website and should have a contact page with their address and company details on it.

Also read their privacy policy carefully.

Within the European Union, customers are entitled to a full refund when shopping on-line, if the goods are returned within seven days of purchase and the seller must state this on their on-line store. If a company does not state this, a customer is entitled to a full refund if they return the goods within thirty days.

The safest way to buy on-line is by using your credit card or paying by cheque. Cheques must to be lodged into a bank account to clear, and credit card payments can only be made into a company's bank account. If a company seeks payment by any other means, be wary - when you buy on-line you want your payment to be traceable.

Most reliable retail sites offer a ten to thirty day, full refund, but postal charges are normally not included in this. Standard practice is that the customer pays for the postal charges if they are returning an item.

When you do shop on-line, check your credit card statement. If you do notice unauthorised transactions, notify your credit card company. Credit card companies will follow-up your complaint and refund your card.


Every day there seems to be new reports of shoppers getting ripped-off when shopping on-line. A common way is where someone transfers money through a cash transfer company to pay for an object; the seller receives the money but fails to send the buyer the item.

Be very wary of these rogue scams. A reliable shopping site will have a credit card billing system, such as Paypal built into their website.

Tireless Servant Protects Your Car While You Sleep...

 
So here I am at the dealer about to purchase a brand new vehicle. My old car was a good one, but after being having it's frame and axle bent in a car accident, (that by the way wasn't my fault, but that's another story...) my old car was just never the same. It was about time I moved on, and got myself a brand new vehicle.

So I'm going through the usual list of standard options, and things I just got to have in this new car, when a guy car browsing next to me says, "Nice vehicle. Going to keep it on the street, or in your garage?". I said "Well, in my development, we have assigned parking spots, so I will keep it as close to my unit as I'm able".

He replied back "You better consider a custom car cover then, you want to protect your investment." A car cover, I thought to myself, I wouldn't have even considered that. I thanked the gentlemen, and continued with signing the papers for the new car.

I asked the dealer what he thought about car covers, and he said "They are a great investment if you don't have a indoor place to park your car. They help protect your vehicle from the elements, not to mention, other people." Seems I hit on a topic he knew about because he kept on talking.

"You're going to need a custom car cover for this vehicle, being it's a SUV, and there are plenty of places you can find that make them" he replied. He then went on to explain that not only will it help to retain a higher value of the car, but it will have less wear and tear, and it would help to avoid the usual nicks and scratches you get.

Most of the time you speak to people in casual conversation, you either forget what they were saying, or you just brush it off as nonsense, but I have to say, this time I sure am glad that complete stranger mentioned this to me. Protect what you have, get a better return on your investment, and keep your car looking newer, longer, with a custom car cover.

Building Solid Web Site Strategies Aside from SEO

  We often hear people griping and lamenting about how Google, Yahoo, or MSN reduced their site's rankings, causing a huge loss of profits and business. These people surrender to the fact that their favorite search engine failed them and their business and are resigned to finding another search engine to advertise on, not realizing the real fact that they may just be committing another mistake waiting to happen.

Aside from pitfalls of the site itself, the most common mistake in this type of scenario is simply relying too much on a search engine to rake in the customers. This blatant fact of ignoring other avenues of online marketing is a common practice that leaves many companies and webmasters looking for other full-time employment at more established companies.

This type of "SEO is everything" perception is most prevalent in businesses that are new to Internet marketing. It should be avoided at the onset and throughout strategies and business plans to attract customers and leads, and Internet marketing and e-commerce should really be separated from other, more established ways of acquiring leads or sales.

Two simple reasons could be pointed out why over-reliance on SEO and search engines will kill your business:

First, search engines aren't doing business for you. They're doing business for themselves and for their owners. They would not care if your business took a sudden plummet because of your web site's loss of rankings. It happens by the thousands each day and search engines really could care less.

Secondly, if a search engine vanished or completely changed direction you'd be left with nothing. At this point you would've lost valuable time and money in focusing all your advertising efforts in that one single search engine.

The bottom line is to diversify your business strategy. You should always have a fallback or contingency plan. If you keep and follow other business tactics aside from SEO, a negative hit on your SEO arsenal will hurt you, but not completely cripple your business. There are other techniques such as e-mail marketing, banner ads, affiliate programs and direct marketing that can play an integral role in your marketing success. These techniques can prove to be as useful or, depending on your exact industry, even more useful than search engine advertising alone.

Some techniques to help you diversify your marketing plans are:

1) Try an offline contact building or ad mailing campaign. Prominently display your website's URL on printed materials. This would lead people to check out your site, and if they like what they see or find what they need, they may buy from you. Isn't that what you're after in the first place?


2) Don't focus all your strategies on one single technique, such as SEO. As the old adage goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket. The basket may fall and you'll break all your eggs. Diversity, diversity, and diversify some more.

3) Never under estimate the power of well-written press releases. There are many excellent online news submission sites that are being monitored by the major search engines. If you have a good press release with a healthy density of those all-important keywords, your press release (and hence your website) will appear on all search engines' news features.

4) Depending on your specific field of business, there may be online directories or vertical niche sites that cater to your industry. Seek them out and submit articles or press releases to them. Customers looking for information in your industry will find your site if the location is well targeted.

5) Keep your site updated. You may have regular news or features that search engines will quickly pick up. If you syndicate parts of your site, you'll reach a wider audience. A blogging or comment-type area of your site is good because it allows customers and visitors to write about your services or products, thus increasing content for your site and improving your search results. There's nothing better than free content, right?

6) Always keep an eye out on the competition. Learn from their tactics. See how their tactics are hurting you or giving you opportunities to offer something more. Then go back and revise your strategies based on what you find out from your opponents.

7) When all has been said and done, it would all boil down to having a website that has keyword-rich content and relevant incoming and outgoing links. Long-term ranking rely on this factor more and more with each passing day. Even if it means hiring a good writer to build your content, do it. The payoff is priceless.

E-commerce, Internet marketing, web business, whatever you may want to call it, might not necessarily be and easy or quick method. In fact, just like conventional avenues of business, it requires as much planning, thinking, and foresight to get the results you are after. The general rules we've discussed would go a long way to helping your online business prosper and profit.

Eulogy For A Good Book: PowerPoint and the Two Reasons You Need to Understand it

 
Good bye Moby Dick! Farewell Crime and Punishment! Adios National Geographic and Readers Digest!

PowerPoint and the generation of the 7th Millennium rules.

If you're a "Baby Boomer", PowerPoint will likely not appeal to you. Perhaps you will even feel it is evil. But I'll give you two good reasons you ought to understand and appreciate PowerPoint. Your children and grandchildren.

PowerPoint is the way the Generation of the 7th Millennium and beyond will cope in this fast-paced, frenetic world of iPods, search engines and micro-minute attention spans. (If man came on to the scene in the year 4026 BCE then 1975 would mark the beginning of the seventh Millennium

Yes, if you were a teen in '75, you remember reading novels and composing essays for your teachers and professors. On the weekends, you caught movies like Dog Day Afternoon, Mahogany, The Man Who Would Be King, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Love Story, The Stepford Wives, Three Days of the Condor and Monty Python and the Holy Grail ("Sir, by what name be ye known?" …reply? "Some call me Tim?")

A good plot, drama, and wit (ok, we weren't perfect then either) ruled the big screen.

But times have evolved. What was a "New York Minute" back then is a New York milli-second today.

The big screen stars born in that notable year include Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, and Kate Winslet.

In '75, there were five notable deaths -- Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle), Susan Hayward, The Three Stooges' Larry Fine and Moe Howard. The fifth death at the birth of the 7th Millennium was not noted for almost 20 years.

The death of which I am speaking is the death of reading and comprehension skills.

Many college professors trace the decline of student reading and retention to 1975, or the beginning of the 7th Millennium.

This is manifested by students who take no notes, wear stylish headsets that re-play lectures which were recorded by professors.

Look at how many professors today use PowerPoint presentations and give copies of the slides to their students to use as a study guide.

Do you really think students have time to read when the Internet furnishes information in lightning-quick fashion?

Why are newspapers folding, libraries closing and reader's club subscriptions falling? Perhaps the biggest indictment is the Internet. Yes, the industrial age has died and the information age is alive and well. That is, if you like looking at pictures in shades of PowerPoint blue


Delivering and receiving information has changed. There are a new set of rules for writing and reading on the web.

One sentence paragraphs are acceptable. None are longer than three sentences. On the better sites, articles are generally no longer than 750 words. That's because reading is done by scanning.

To engage a reader (or scanner as the case may be), psychological tricks like connectives are used to tie one paragraph to the next.

There are two kinds of copy on the Internet. One appeals to traditional readers, the other to the newer generation of the 7th Millennium.

The key to educating 7th Millennium students is PowerPoint. The challenge facing educators, speakers and presenters is creating a lecture that can stand on its own merit, utilizing Power Point as a visual aid rather than making Power Point the presentation.

The generation of the 7th Millennium becomes easily bored. Stimulating students' grey matter neurons requires using our own little grey box of tricks, using word illustrations and probing questions to elevate thinking. Power Point presentations combined with effective speaking tactics are a dynamic one-two punch in the lecture hall.

The future will remember non-predictions of the past as was the case with Jules Vern's novel conception of a facsimile machine several decades before its creation.

Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and The Max Headroom Story will be 'novel' predictions of the future.

Moving forward, we will no longer look for 15 minutes of fame. No more New York minutes. On the web, things happen in seconds. Our future will soon become our past.

Perhaps the best we can hope for is that everybody will be somebody for 27 seconds. In a world of sound bites, images flashing before our eyes and action movies, the reality is that 27 seconds is an eternity on the net.

Capturing the attention of the generation of the 7th Millennium requires pictures, images, and attention-grabbing devices. PowerPoint is the solution. It is the salvation of tomorrow's classroom.

May we use Power Point Presentations wisely.

Slip Into Greece

 
If you're looking to travel, may I recommend Greece? Scanning through some picture on the internet today, I was amazed at just how much there is to see. The ruins, the culture, the landscape.... everything! It is a beautiful country, which fits well in beautiful Europe.

There is something like 15,000 kilometers of coastline to view in Greece, which also includes numerous islands such as Rhodes, Crete, and Kos. Although the edge is at sea level, approximately 80% of the land is made up of hills and mountains. Maybe this isn't a perfect destination for a walk, but what do the hills and mountains contain?!

Sights to see! Things to experience! If you are into the picture taking and the sight seeing, Greece is the place for you. The ruins of Ancient Greece are incredible. The architecture, and the sheer amount of work involved in building these buildings isn't the only incredible part. The amazing thing is that they are still standing this many years later!

And the culture of Ancient Greece, which is a period of about one thousand years, is really something to sink your energy into learning about. Their schooling, their housing, their cooking and food, and their arts are all very interesting to take a look at or to read about. Most historians believe Ancient Greece to be the foundation of western civilization. It heavily influenced our government, education, architecture, and language!

Greece has a little something in store for all of it's visitors, everything from history to the beach! Now for planning next years summer vacation...

Air Purifiers and Filters Guide

 
Have you ever wondered what is floating through the air in your home? Just because you can't see something doesn't mea n it isn't there. Millions of particles, pollutants, gases, bacteria, and allergens are roaming your house with no way to get out making the air inside your home up to 100 times dirtier than outside air. Sure, opening a window to let in fresh air may get that stale smell out, but it is only an open door to invite more particles inside your home.

This contaminated air circulates through your home and either settles on flat surfaces in the form of dust or is breathed in by you and your family.

Fortunately, your house does not have to fall victim to these airborne pests. Air purifiers are more common and affordable today than ever before. If you do not have an air purifier, knowing the different types of air filtration devices will help you before you buy your own.

1. HEPA filters: Short for "High Efficiency Particulate Air filters", these devices use a cloth-like filter which can trap more than 99.97% of particles in your house. The filter lasts a couple of years depending on the condition of the air and can actually trap more pollutants than other filters. The downside is the HEPA filter is noisier than its competitors and does not eliminate gases or odors

2. Ionic Filters: Ionic filters purify the air by sending our ions which oppositely charge the particles so they stick together and collect on magnetic plates inside the filter (much like how your hair sticks to a balloon after it has been rubbed on your head). These devices are often a favorite among customers because of how silent they are. They are even effective enough to clean viruses, gases, allergens and bacteria out of your household air


3. Carbon air filters: These devices are, by far, the most effective odor removers on the market. They work though a system of highly absorbent pores which trap molecules by forming a strong chemical bond. They don't, however, trap any airborne allergens or germs.

4. Ultra-Violet Light filter: Ultra violet light haven been proven to sterilize micro-organisms if they are exposed to the right amount of light for a certain length of time. Alone, there is some doubt to the effectiveness of these filters because micro-organisms may not be exposed to the light long enough while they are passing though the air. In order for ultra violet work to be successful, HEPA is used to capture the air long enough to be sterilized by the light. While ultra violet kills microorganisms, HEPA can rid your house of allergens.

5. Hydroxyl Radical filter: Hydroxyl radicals occur naturally in the earth's atmosphere and are powerful cleansing agents. They are, in fact the most powerful method of sanitizing mold and other harmful bacteria.

These five types of filters are the most popular and dependable on the market. Now that you have a firm understanding of how these filters work and what exactly they clean out of household air, do your homework. There are many great filter providers online which can lead you to the best filter for your budget.

Caring For Mom And Dad As They Grow Older: What Baby Boomers Need To Know About Geriatric Health Care

 
I often get letters, like the two below, from Baby Boomers who are caring for aging parents and trying to find health care that meets the unique needs of older people. Finding the right kind of care can seem daunting, but a little information and some key resources can help tremendously.

Q: My 81-year-old mother recently fell and was rushed to the emergency room. The doctor who saw her suggested that she start seeing a geriatrician. What is a geriatrician and why should she see one?

A: A geriatrician is a physician with special training and expertise in caring for older adults, especially those with complex health problems. Like children, older adults have unique health care needs. As we age, our bodies change in many ways that affect our health. Among other things, we're more likely to develop chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, and to need multiple medications (all with potential side effects). About 80 percent of adults 65 or older have at least one chronic health condition and 50 percent have at least two. As we grow older it's also harder for us to recover from illnesses.

Q: I've tried to find a geriatrician for my parents but haven't had any luck. Why aren't there more geriatricians? What should I do?

A: Today, there are fewer than 7,000 practicing geriatricians in the U.S. That's about one geriatrician for every 5,000 adults over age 65. Finding a geriatrician is likely to become even more difficult over the next 20 years, as the nation's 77 million Baby Boomers reach retirement age. To prepare for this "Aging Boom," we need to support programs that both train geriatricians and better prepare all health care providers to care for older adults. Until recently, the federal government's "Title VII" geriatric health professions program did just that, by supporting geriatric education centers and young medical school faculty who trained medical students, primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other providers to better meet the health care needs of older adults. Unfortunately, Congress eliminated all funding for this program in late 2005. We need to restore this funding--for the sake of all older Americans.

Benefits of Being an Online Affiliate Marketer

 
Affiliate marketing has become one of the most effective ways to advertise online. It is also one of the easiest ways for anyone with a website to make a profit online. Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between a merchant and a website owner. The website owner, or the affiliate, allows the use of their site for the promotion of the merchant's products by linking to the merchant's website. In exchange, the merchant pays a commission to the affiliate on all sales generated by the affiliate. Every time someone clicks on the link on the affiliate website and proceeds to make a purchase, the affiliate gets a commission. The merchant will pay the affiliate only when a customer clicks on the product link and makes a purchase.

Affiliate marketing programs are described as a win-win situation for both the merchant and the affiliate because of the pay-for-performance scheme. Both the merchant and the affiliate enjoy some benefits in affiliate marketing. There are many benefits on the merchant's side. It gives the merchant a wider market in which to advertise a product or service. Affiliate marketing will give the product or service the maximum exposure that it may not get with other traditional advertising techniques. The more affiliate sites a merchant has, the higher the traffic, which can convert to sales. Affiliate marketing is the equivalent of having an army of sales people who will do the advertising and will only get a commission if a customer purchases.

Meanwhile, since an affiliate marketing relationship is a win-win situation, the affiliate also enjoys many benefits. Foremost among these is the easy way to make a profit. The affiliate can earn by having an ad or link to the merchant's website, which prospective customers will hopefully click and proceed to make a purchase. As soon as the customer clicks on the ad on the affiliate's site, is redirected to the merchant's website and goes on to buy that particular product, the affiliate earns a commission. The more referrals there are the more profit for the affiliate.

Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to earn money while at home. There are virtually no production costs. The product is already developed and proven by the merchant, and all you have to do to find, as many prospects as you can that will bring in the profit for both the merchant and the affiliate. Affiliate programs are usually free to join, so affiliates do not have to worry about start-up costs. There are thousands of products and services you can choose from. You can find affiliate programs for every product under the sun. Surely, there is a product or service out there that is relevant to your website.

In addition, there is absolutely no sales experience necessary. Most affiliate programs offer excellent support when it comes to providing marketing material. The simplicity of affiliate marketing allows you to be an affiliate marketer at the least cost and the most comfort. You can even build a successful affiliate marketing business right in the convenience of your own home. In affiliate marketing, your responsibility is simply to find prospects for the merchant; you do not have to worry about inventory, order processing, and product shipping. These, along with customer service support are the duties of the merchant.

Because of the global reach of the internet, you can easily find thousands of prospects. You can intensify your advertising campaign by exploiting more aggressive and productive strategies such as viral marketing. By attracting more prospects, you also maximize your potential to earn. Another benefit of an affiliate marketer is the minimal risk involved. If the product you are advertising is not making money then you can dump it and choose another. There are no long-term binding contracts tying you to products that are not making enough money.

All the same, the best benefit of being an affiliate marketer is the opportunity to increase your income; and you can make a profit even if affiliate marketing is only a sideline business. With your own affiliate business, you can earn easily earn extra income, although you do have to exert effort and use your imagination to maximize your earning potential. Indeed, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most effective business opportunities on the web today.

Blogging Going Forward

 
Blogging is your online diary of events, thoughts or for the business person a reserve of articles and comments directed toward your business. That definition is just the beginning of what blogging is becoming -- it's becoming much more.

Since Google Adsense has allowed Google Ads to occupy a place on your blog -- additional revenue, is at your disposal. "Oh", you say, "is that all?" No way. There are some individuals that do not have a website, but are utilizing their blog or multiple blogs to create an income, even testing the waters before a website goes up, and again, creating a presence on the web. And as for advertising for your blog -- take a look at BlogSnob at http://blogsnob.simpleads.net.

Your Blog, Your Website

For those who have a website, your blog can help you with your SEO process. As your readership increases so will your ranking -- what is dependent on that, of course, is the quality of the content. Content and search engines are extremely compatible as you know -- thus, your search engine ranking can take a big jump.


If you have a website, here are some ways to getting noticed:

1. A remotely maintained blog or one on your own server, place a link on your website. This can help you to increase traffic to your blog.

2. When you make an entry into your blog, try to make reference to something on your website -- this creates an inbound links. In addition, I would use absolute links -- which will enable you to place a couple of keywords in the title.

3. Be keyword aware -- and relevant to your website. This helps your SEO process as well.


Blogging Accessories and Necessities

After you have written your quality content -- get it out to the masses -- have it pinged by Ping-o-Matic (http://pingomatic.com/)-- again, it's free. Pinging gets your blog out to the masses, letting them know that you have updated your blog and it is ready for them to read.

As your readership increases you may feel the urge to create a blog forum -- a tagboard services, which enables your readers to interact, as if in, a forum. If you are on blogger.com they have several free tagboards that you can use -- look under "Third Party Add-ons", or do your own search in Google.


Will there be Misuses with Advertising?

Will there be and misuses with advertising in blogs? Yes. People have different agendas, priorities and scruples.

You will probably see article misuse as well as, reader frustration to advertising if it is overkill. Thus, first and foremost, the blog must give potential readers quality content, and as to advertising -- it must be appropriate without overkill, or your reader will just simply click the blog away.

For example:

1. If you have more advertising then content -- you've lost the premise of a blog.
2. And if you put links to your own products within the body copy of another person's article, this, in my opinion, is changing copy, and saying that the author endorses the product. (article misuse)

Blogging can be a positive addition to your website or even to your first attempt to gaining a presence online. But with everything, there is a right way and a wrong way of presenting your product, service or views on line. Remember, to always keep your reader in the forefront -- by asking yourself -- if I was reading a blog, what would I want to see -- and most importantly, what would annoy me the most.

To conclude, blogging is beginning to grow, and its uses, are only limited by an individual's imagination, and of course, the search engines rules -- and I might say, individual readers tolerances and your ethics.

The History of Personality Disorders

 
Well into the eighteenth century, the only types of mental illness - then collectively known as "delirium" or "mania" - were depression (melancholy), psychoses, and delusions. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the French psychiatrist Pinel coined the phrase "manie sans delire" (insanity without delusions). He described patients who lacked impulse control, often raged when frustrated, and were prone to outbursts of violence. He noted that such patients were not subject to delusions. He was referring, of course, to psychopaths (subjects with the Antisocial Personality Disorder). Across the ocean, in the United States, Benjamin Rush made similar observations.
In 1835, the British J. C. Pritchard, working as senior Physician at the Bristol Infirmary (hospital), published a seminal work titled "Treatise on Insanity and Other Disorders of the Mind". He, in turn, suggested the neologism "moral insanity".

To quote him, moral insanity consisted of "a morbid perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, moral dispositions, and natural impulses without any remarkable disorder or defect of the intellect or knowing or reasoning faculties and in particular without any insane delusion or hallucination" (p. 6).

He then proceeded to elucidate the psychopathic (antisocial) personality in great detail:

"(A) propensity to theft is sometimes a feature of moral insanity and sometimes it is its leading if not sole characteristic." (p. 27). "(E)ccentricity of conduct, singular and absurd habits, a propensity to perform the common actions of life in a different way from that usually practised, is a feature of many cases of moral insanity but can hardly be said to contribute sufficient evidence of its existence." (p. 23).


"When however such phenomena are observed in connection with a wayward and intractable temper with a decay of social affections, an aversion to the nearest relatives and friends formerly beloved - in short, with a change in the moral character of the individual, the case becomes tolerably well marked." (p. 23)

But the distinctions between personality, affective, and mood disorders were still murky.

Pritchard muddied it further:

"(A) considerable proportion among the most striking instances of moral insanity are those in which a tendency to gloom or sorrow is the predominant feature ... (A) state of gloom or melancholy depression occasionally gives way ... to the opposite condition of preternatural excitement." (pp. 18-19)

Another half century were to pass before a system of classification emerged that offered differential diagnoses of mental illness without delusions (later known as personality disorders), affective disorders, schizophrenia, and depressive illnesses. Still, the term "moral insanity" was being widely used.

Henry Maudsley applied it in 1885 to a patient whom he described as:

"(Having) no capacity for true moral feeling - all his impulses and desires, to which he yields without check, are egoistic, his conduct appears to be governed by immoral motives, which are cherished and obeyed without any evident desire to resist them." ("Responsibility in Mental Illness", p. 171).

But Maudsley already belonged to a generation of physicians who felt increasingly uncomfortable with the vague and judgmental coinage "moral insanity" and sought to replace it with something a bit more scientific.

Maudsley bitterly criticized the ambiguous term "moral insanity":

"(It is) a form of mental alienation which has so much the look of vice or crime that many people regard it as an unfounded medical invention (p. 170).

In his book "Die Psychopatischen Minderwertigkeiter", published in 1891, the German doctor J. L. A. Koch tried to improve on the situation by suggesting the phrase "psychopathic inferiority". He limited his diagnosis to people who are not retarded or mentally ill but still display a rigid pattern of misconduct and dysfunction throughout their increasingly disordered lives. In later editions, he replaced "inferiority" with "personality" to avoid sounding judgmental. Hence the "psychopathic personality".

Twenty years of controversy later, the diagnosis found its way into the 8th edition of E. Kraepelin's seminal "Lehrbuch der Psychiatrie" ("Clinical Psychiatry: a textbook for students and physicians"). By that time, it merited a whole lengthy chapter in which Kraepelin suggested six additional types of disturbed personalities: excitable, unstable, eccentric, liar, swindler, and quarrelsome.

Still, the focus was on antisocial behavior. If one's conduct caused inconvenience or suffering or even merely annoyed someone or flaunted the norms of society, one was liable to be diagnosed as "psychopathic".

In his influential books, "The Psychopathic Personality" (9th edition, 1950) and "Clinical Psychopathology" (1959), another German psychiatrist, K. Schneider sought to expand the diagnosis to include people who harm and inconvenience themselves as well as others. Patients who are depressed, socially anxious, excessively shy and insecure were all deemed by him to be "psychopaths" (in another word, abnormal).

This broadening of the definition of psychopathy directly challenged the earlier work of Scottish psychiatrist, Sir David Henderson. In 1939, Henderson published "Psychopathic States", a book that was to become an instant classic. In it, he postulated that, though not mentally subnormal, psychopaths are people who:

"(T)hroughout their lives or from a comparatively early age, have exhibited disorders of conduct of an antisocial or asocial nature, usually of a recurrent episodic type which in many instances have proved difficult to influence by methods of social, penal and medical care or for whom we have no adequate provision of a preventative or curative nature."

But Henderson went a lot further than that and transcended the narrow view of psychopathy (the German school) then prevailing throughout Europe.

In his work (1939), Henderson described three types of psychopaths. Aggressive psychopaths were violent, suicidal, and prone to substance abuse. Passive and inadequate psychopaths were over-sensitive, unstable and hypochondriacal. They were also introverts (schizoid) and pathological liars. Creative psychopaths were all dysfunctional people who managed to become famous or infamous.

Twenty years later, in the 1959 Mental Health Act for England and Wales, "psychopathic disorder" was defined thus, in section 4(4):

"(A) persistent disorder or disability of mind (whether or not including subnormality of intelligence) which results in abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the patient, and requires or is susceptible to medical treatment."

This definition reverted to the minimalist and cyclical (tautological) approach: abnormal behavior is that which causes harm, suffering, or discomfort to others. Such behavior is, ipso facto, aggressive or irresponsible. Additionally it failed to tackle and even excluded manifestly abnormal behavior that does not require or is not susceptible to medical treatment.

Thus, "psychopathic personality" came to mean both "abnormal" and "antisocial". This confusion persists to this very day. Scholarly debate still rages between those, such as the Canadian Robert, Hare, who distinguish the psychopath from the patient with mere antisocial personality disorder and those (the orthodoxy) who wish to avoid ambiguity by using only the latter term.

Moreover, these nebulous constructs resulted in co-morbidity. Patients were frequently diagnosed with multiple and largely overlapping personality disorders, traits, and styles. As early as 1950, Schneider wrote:

"Any clinician would be greatly embarrassed if asked to classify into appropriate types the psychopaths (that is abnormal personalities) encountered in any one year."

Today, most practitioners rely on either the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), now in its fourth, revised text, edition or on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), now in its tenth edition.

The two tomes disagree on some issues but, by and large, conform to each other.

The Best Online Internet Business Opportunity

 
f you're thinking about an easy way to generate income online quickly, legitimately and with very little cash outlay affiliate marketing is your best bet. Affiliates are making lots of money these days because affiliate programs are a win-win for the merchant and affiliate.
What is affiliate marketing?

Very simply, affiliate marketing is based on the sharing of revenues between the website owner and an online merchant who actually produces and sells a tangible product.
This is accomplished when you, the affiliate (who markets and advertises the merchant products or services) refer visitors to the merchant website who then ends up making a purchase. Merchants love affiliates because they provide free advertising and marketing. Affiliates love merchants who offer these plans because it allows them all the benefits of earning great income with none of the headaches of owning a typical business.
Here is an example:
The majority of affiliate websites are information based – not hard sell product advertisements. Say you have a website all about guitars. People will search for all kinds of guitar related stuff, "guitars", " guitar accessories", " guitar repair" , "guitar strings" etc.. You get the picture. People visit your site filled with great information – people trust you – you are giving them what they want and you're recommending guitar products you feel highly about.

You may have an affiliate link that leads to guitarstuff.com ( merchant site ) where your visitor ends up buying a box of strings. You just made the commission. It's awesome..

So what are the main advantages of affiliate Marketing?
1. You don't need your own products to sell
2. You don't have to process any payment
3. You don't have to handle or ship the products
4. You don't have to handle any complaints
5. You don't have to pay anything to join
6. You can get started immediately, part-time and if you want, gradually go full time..
So now that you understand the basics lets get this understood. It takes knowledge, study and patience. Anyone that tells you any different is dead wrong. Fortunately, if you do study and persist you will make great money. It does work. The nature of affiliate sales marketing is based on doing all the heavy work upfront, which basically requires learning some basic marketing techniques and how to promote and pre-sell products. Once that is done much of the business virtually runs itself.

If you hate working for someone else and want to gradually become independent, affiliate marketing is the best online business opportunity out there. Start learning as much as you can now! .. and be willing to spend some time studying. I'm sure you'll find it truly exiting when you log into your paypal or click bank account and see commissions generated by people you've never seen, many while you were probably asleep! Here are some great resources ( see the author bio below ) :

The Hidden Art of Digital Photography

 
Computers and cellular phones, mobility and microchips – these are the trademarks of the world today. We live in a world continually changed by technology. Even the arts have continually changed due to technology. Think of it: from charcoal drawings to painting to photography to digital photography, we have come a long way in the visual arts. We have used various methods in capturing life and freezing time. New technology is continually being developed to make art easier and more fun. However, you should know that the art of digital photography is not as simple as aim and shoot.

The art of digital photography needs skill in order to pull off properly. Although some people may reason out that digital photography art can always be edited, many people do not really know how much work editing can be. Oh sure, we can say that technology has reached a level wherein a person needs to do practically nothing in order to achieve a great photograph, but of course, you need to know how to use the tools properly in order to do that.

The art of digital photography, in order to be truly mastered, needs three T's: Time, talent and tactical placement of equipment. No, that's not right. You need time, talent and treasure. Just what does this mean?

1) Time – one cannot be an instant expert in digital photography. You need to take the time to learn all about it. Even though you are some sort of protégé who has the talents of a genius, you actually need training to hone that talent. Remember that for all its power, a steamroller cannot be used to do the work of a hammer. There is wisdom in harnessing power properly.

Taking the time to train your self in the art of digital photography is something akin to sharpening a knife using a grindstone or forging a fine katana (that's the Japanese samurai sword) by heating it and folding it over a thousand times –it may be painful, but it is necessary to produce the best.

2) Talent – of course, you need a bit of inherent talent in order to be truly great at the art of digital photography. You need to have an eye for the subjects that would make a great photograph. Otherwise, you will only end up being mediocre in a field that requires greatness.

Of course, the proper training can actually enhance your inherent talent and help you sharpen your skills in the art of digital photography.

3) Treasure – as said before, you will need the proper tools in order to be successful in the art of digital photography. This means that you will need to invest a lot of cash. Although there are a lot of digital art photography equipment that can be bought at inexpensive prices, the best equipment needs some serious pocket digging. This, of course, tests your courage because there's nothing scarier to a man than having to pull out his wallet in the name of an untested interest.

Once you have invested money in the art of digital photography, there's no turning back.

The art of digital photography may seem like it requires a lot. However, in order to be truly successful in something you need love and love always requires sacrifice. You should keep that in mind.

Commit To Be Happy

 
Today, why not made a personal commitment to be happy, in spite of what life hands over to you. You have to admit that there are too many things over which you have no control. The only thing you can do is to stop allowing them to make dents in your spirit.

Happiness is not something that others can take from you. It's something that you would have to throw away on your own.

There will be times when things don't turn out the way you want them to. Your best friend at work may turn out to be a power-hungry corporate animal that backstabs you at every opportunity. The promotion you worked so hard for may go to someone else. Your partner might decide to leave me, a day before we are due to go for a vacation together. You may lose most of your savings in a market crash.
These are things that can happen to the most loving, compassionate, careful and reasonable person. But after the initial pain and shock, the decision whether or not to let yourself languish in despair is entirely up to you. You can allow misfortune to form the bulk of your life, or you can choose to leave what's past in the past, and move on.

One's friendly and caring behavior towards others should not be motivated by the thought of equally kind and affectionate responses. You understand yourself best, and regardless of how reasonably and responsibly you live your life, there will be people who won't see your point of view or share your motivations.

People have the right to act in any way they see fit. I don't have the right to judge whether their behavior is acceptable or not. They have to bear the responsibility for their own actions, and so do you. By feeling sorry for yourself, you are simply continuing the work for them, long after they have dealt their blow. You have to decide that, as far as possible, you will not allow these people to disturb your mind.

There are many things for which you can be grateful. There are yet unexplored experiences in which you can find enrichment and meaning. There are yet others who will like you for who you are, and in spite of who you are. If you spend my time being resentful and miserable, you are denying yourself the satisfaction of enjoying what this life has to offer.

There are enough unhappy people in this world who punish themselves and others constantly in a bid to find redress and compensation. But there is no satisfaction in retaliation and revenge. It's a waste of time and spirit.

"To be happy we must not be too concerned with others."

Albert Camus

3 Sure Fire Ways to Generate More Power off the Tee

 
Power can be elusive to golfers. Is true power generated through technique, strength or something more? Every golfer wants more power, more distance, more consistency. Here are 3 ways to generate the kind of power you have only dreamed of…until now.

1. Spinal Rotation. Every time you swing the golf club, you rotate around your spine. So, what does this have to do with power? Power is generated every time you stabilize your hips to make a full backswing with spinal rotation. Most golfers have heard of the X factor. This, of course, refers to the differential between the movement in your hips and your spine. Increase your spinal rotation and a new sense of power will be released.


Power can be elusive to golfers. Is true power generated through technique, strength or something more? Every golfer wants more power, more distance, more consistency. Here are 3 ways to generate the kind of power you have only dreamed of…until now.

1. Spinal Rotation. Every time you swing the golf club, you rotate around your spine. So, what does this have to do with power? Power is generated every time you stabilize your hips to make a full backswing with spinal rotation. Most golfers have heard of the X factor. This, of course, refers to the differential between the movement in your hips and your spine. Increase your spinal rotation and a new sense of power will be released.

2. Core Based Exercises. Your body's "core", the area around your trunk and pelvis, is where your center of gravity is located. When you have good core stability, the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony. They provide support to your spine. The core is the power zone. It is where all movement begins. A well-developed core allows for improved force output, increased neuromuscular efficiency, and decreased incidence of overuse injuries. A weak core can make you susceptible to poor posture and injury.

3. Plyometrics. Plyometrics are any exercise where the muscle is contracted eccentricly then immediately, concentricly. Put simply, the muscle is stretched (i.e. loaded) before it is contracted. A good example is medicine ball horizontal twists and standing golf swings. According to a recent study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's (NSCA) journal, amateur golfers significantly increased their driving distances after just eight weeks of strength training while incorporating plyometrics. Mean driving distance increased 4.3% for the combined training group, with mean club head speed increasing 1.5%.

Once you incorporate these 3 techniques into your exercise program, you'll never be disgruntled about driving distance or power generation again.

Can You Overcome Time Poverty? The Real Possibility of Achieving More while Working Less

  There is no question about it - Americans are running out of time. Family dinners are a thing of the past. We run from appointment to appointment, take work home, and cram leisure time into short bursts of stress filled moments. The question is, how did we did get into this predicament? It certainly isn't because we are inefficient. In the past 25 years, economists estimate that productivity has increased by 70% or more. We have overnight delivery, cell phones, fast food, and instant messaging. Shouldn't our ability to get more work done give us more time? Where does all this "extra" time go?

According to Dr. Bill Quain, we are spending too much time at work, and not enough time on the things we really want to do. Americans in the 21st century work more hours than peasants did in the Middle Ages, and spend less time at home with their families because of it. We are busy staying busy, but all that work doesn't always translate to a better lifestyle. Our debt is up, and our leisure time is down. In fact, we don't even take the leisure time we've earned. More than 25 percent of Americans will take no vacation days at all next year.

Dr. Bill Quain, an experienced author, businessman, university professor and speaker prescribes a cure for the whole treadmill syndrome. Dr. Quain, known as "The Time Doctor," says he is the first person to really solve the time problem. His book, "Overcoming Time Poverty: How to Achieve More by Working Less", doesn't cost much or take much time to read. But it explains a system for gaining not only more free time but also more wealth, with less work.
While many popular authors and business experts recommend taking more time off from work to improve your quality of life, Dr. Quain says that can be a prescription for disaster. "Most people trade their time for money," says Quain. "If you work less, you make less! Then, your quality of life suffers." In his book, he describes a simple, five-step process to create more leisure time, with the money to enjoy it.
According to Quain, the process of overcoming time poverty is different than for overcoming financial poverty. Financially poor people don't have money, but time poor people do have time. "We all get the same – 24 hours per day. It isn't a lack of time, it is the way we use that time that matters," says Quain.

How should we use our time? "Don't just trade your time, hour by hour, for a paycheck," he says. "Use some of your time to create equity, and then let the equity make money for you." In his book, Quain shows readers how to develop five kinds of wealth-and-time generating equity. Instead of working more hours, people can now increase the value of each and every hour – giving them more choices as to how they spend their time.

Quain says that most of us are just playing the wrong game. We work hard to make money, and then work more hours when we want more money. Soon, we have money, but no time.

It is time to play a new game -- make more money in less time. Take a job you like, but get off the "fast track" at work. Then, leverage your time equity outside work to combine the income of a CEO with the leisure time of a retiree.

And that sounds like a perfect prescription for coping with the time challenges of the 21st century.

Poker Chips ON Sale! AmericanGamingSupply

 
When it comes to Poker Chips they are many different options to choose from. Most people want a poker chip that is like casino quality but they don't want to pay the price. The most common poker chips are the dice poker chips which are 11.5 grams in weight. The reason why they are called dice chips is because of the edge design is in dice format. The most common poker chip weight is the 11.5 grams that is not to heavy and not to light. Most of these chips have metal inserts which gives them more weight and not necessary more feel. The poker chips that have the metal inserts usually have a clinking sound to it when they are played or tossed around with. These particular chips starts around between $.07-$.15 per chip depending on the outside design. Some other designs in the 11.5 category might picture of aces or kings or even different suites. What makes them more expensive is the rarity and multicolor on the chip and if the poker chips have denominations or without denominations.
My favorite chips are the pro clay 13 grams poker chips. These chips are the best chips for the price and quality. To most amateur players a poker chip is a poker chip. You will start to notice a big difference one you play with these clay 13 grams chips. Not because they weight 13 grams but because the feel and the sound and they way the chips stack up makes a huge difference. These particular chips don't make a clicking sound. NO. They sound just like the chips you play with in the casinos. YES, in the casinos. And these chips cost about $.21 per chip. If you want to change your table and bring some real chips to your game and you want to add some professionalism then these are the perfect chips. Now there are some other clay chips in the market that are more expensive. The Paulson Poker Chips are the best chips in the market and their popularity is growing every day. However, there's been some bad reviews as far as the chip having led. But these are the same poker chip manufacture who makes chips for the Las Vegas Casinos. If these chips had led in them we would of heard something or illness from players and casinos. Paulson's have a few different kind of designs for there poker chip line. There is the Top Hat and Cane, Pharoah's, World Top Hat and Cane, and the Non Denomination Paulson's.

Most of the casinos are also using ceramic poker chips. These ceramic chips have full color and it covers the entire chip. Ceramic chips also have edge spotting on the side of the chip to distinguish the chip colors when stacked. Ceramic chips start at $.35 per chip and go has as $1.00 depending if you want to customize or if you want a know brand such as Nevada Jacks or the Desert Sands. I like the ceramic chips myself because how they stack and they are easy to shuffle and they sound like chips.
Just remember you can't have a real game without a real nice poker table. AmericanGamingSupply.com has nice tables at a discounted price. They are a wholesale company and selling wholesale prices to the public. They have folding poker tables, racetrack poker tables, pedestal poker tables and furniture tables as well. They also sell poker supplies, poker chips, and accessories for you poker games. Check them out and you will not be disappointed.

Inexpensive Gifts

 
By Jeff Kennedy

Is an expensive gift more valuable than an inexpensive one?
When you are considering a gift, what do you settle for-an expensive gift or something special that conveys a message? Does the price of the gift really matter? The thing to remember is that gifts are meant to convey a message that you care. They need not be expensive, but they need to be special. There's nothing wrong with an expensive gift, but what is much more important is a demonstration of affection and care. As Shakespeare says in Hamlet, "Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind." An expensive gift can become "poor" and an inexpensive gift can become "rich" depending on the way you give it. So, it is the message that you convey rather than the value of the gift that matters more.

What happens to expensive gifts
Let's look first at what happens when you present an expensive gift. In these days of affluence and consumerism, most people have almost all the things they need. Unless you are thinking of something like jewelry, there's a good chance that the item you gift is already available to the person to whom you are giving it. In that case your item, if given, may not be used at all.

When you gift an expensive item, the focus is more on the item than on the act. In addition, if the expensive item that you give is not to the taste of the person receiving it, both of you are going to be disappointed. So whichever way you look at it, it's not the price of the gift, but its utility to the person and the spirit in which it is given that are more important. That seems to clearly show that the value of the gift itself is secondary. A bunch of flowers, a kiss on the cheek or even a good word may bring more happiness to the person than an expensive gift.


A thoughtful gift can be richer than an expensive one
A gift that helps someone really needy and aids a charitable cause may often come with exotic handmade items that are made in far off places. That might be a comparatively inexpensive gift, but it does a lot of things, especially if the gift is intended for children. It shows the value of caring for others. And it adds a certain novelty to the exercise.

A place for expensive gifts
We must remember that there are occasions when an expensive gift is appropriate. There are certain special occasions when the gift of something that is really needed, though perhaps expensive, can make a big change in the life of the person receiving it. And such a gift can sometimes show care and concern. If you look closely, you will notice that even in these cases, the expensiveness of the item is incidental. What really matters is that you have recognized a need and are trying to fulfill it.

Can you "say it" with inexpensive gifts?
The next question that arises is whether you can "say it" with inexpensive gifts. The answer to that question in most cases is an emphatic "yes". Not only can you say what you want to say through an inexpensive gift, you can also fail to say it through an expensive gift. Think of that for a moment. Look at the quote from Shakespeare at the end of the first paragraph. You will see that an inexpensive gift can convey the message as well as an expensive one can. It's the spirit in which you give, and not what you give that really matters.

Considerations while selecting a gift
Here are a few things to consider when you select a gift.
Does the person really need this gift?
Will he or she value and cherish it?
Does it bring forth fond memories, a feeling of bonding or togetherness?
Does it say, "I love you, and I care"?

The answers to these questions are far more important than how expensive the gift is. If it weren't so, neither the giver nor the receiver deserves the gift.

Choose The Right Stand For A 42 Inch LCD TV

  Unless you're mounting your new 42 inch LCD TV on the wall or on the ceiling, you'll need a solid and reliable stand to support it. Many TVs come furnished with an appropriate stand, but some require that the stand be purchased separately. If the manufacturer furnishes your 42 inch LCD TV stand, and it meets your needs in terms of styling, you're in great shape. Because your 42 inch LCD TV could become an integral part of the room's decorating scheme, though, you may choose to purchase a stand that matches the needs of your viewing habits, your home, and your sense of style.

Because a 42 inch LCD TV is reasonably heavy, the most important requirement is that any stand must handle the weight of your particular 42 inch LCD TV and must provide a stable base in case it's bumped or jarred. For that reason, make sure the stand you purchase meets the unique weight and strength requirements of the 42 inch LCD TV you purchased. The last thing you want to have happen is for your new TV to become damaged simply because your stand wasn't up to the task. The owner's manual for your 42 inch LCD TV will specify all the requirements of a suitable and effective TV stand for that model.

There are a few other considerations besides strength, though. Let's look at a few other decisions you'll want to make to ensure you get the maximum enjoyment from your 42 inch LCD TV.

1. Determine if the stand needs to hold other audio-visual equipment? If you own a DVD player, use a cable converter, have game systems like an Xbox or a PS2, and/or have a home theater system, you may want your stand to house that equipment as well as support the 42 inch LCD TV itself. Make sure you pick a stand that has shelves or compartments for the equipment you own, or even may someday own.

2. Determine if the stand will position your TV at an optimal viewing height. The height of the TV is an individual choice – make sure the stand you select will place your 42 inch LCD TV at the height you want. If you can, find an adjustable stand that gives you some flexibility. If not, determine the right height for you and select an appropriate height stand. An easy way to calculate your optimal height is to sit in your favorite chair or couch and determine how high your eye level is. Once you've determined eye level, make sure your 42 inch LCD TV will be centered at that point.


Many stands are pre-engineered to approximate an appropriate viewing level for the average person, but make sure you're comfortable with that height before you make a purchase. Some pedestal stands are adjustable; if you don't need storage space, check out a pedestal stand.

3. Check to see if the stand has integrated cable management. If you're buying a cabinet with a closed back, cable management probably isn't an issue, since you'll have plenty of space to hide cables. If you're interested in a pedestal stand or a stand with an open back, make sure there are provisions built in to hide all the cables you may have. If you have a home theater, video gaming system, DVD player, and other components, you'll have a large number of cables running from component to component – make sure the stand gives you plenty of room to store those cables out of sight. The stand shouldn't just house your 42 inch LCD TV – it should handle all the cables and components, too.

Once you've found the right 42 inch LCD TV, finding a stand suits your needs and fits you're your room's décor and design is important, too. Make sure you can enjoy your TV while it's turned on, and how it looks when it's not turned on.