Cool DIY Wheel Alignment Tips!

Getting car wheels aligned looks like a real pain from both time and money standpoint. This is why, most of the car owners think of wheel alignment as a rocket science and keep on paying hefty amounts of money to professional shops and work stations. However things are not as complicated as they seem.

If not a perfect alternative against going for traditional wheel alignment checks at repair stores; at least knowing how to DIY, can add a lot of value to your routine drives and help you keep a check on the quality of the work delivered by the technicians. From the concept and logical perspective, alignment is a pretty simple and straight-forward process, which can certainly be turned into an expertise with timely practice.

The part that tests your patience, the most, is that of setting up your alignment structure to get precisely consistent accuracy. Finding a perfectly flat surface to work from is also very critical. However these things get a lot easy if you plan to set it all up in your own garage or shop.

Aspects such as measuring and adjusting bump-steer, scaling and corner-weighinging in order to enhance the performance of your car may cost a bit more than a regular wheel alignment setup. So, if you do not mind shelling out a little more, you could as well go for a proper hi-tech setup and get more control over your car's health and performance.

Alignment of wheels not only helps improve the vehicle's performance over the streets, but also helps reduce accidental risks and improvements the lifespan of tires.

Here's a quick guide for how to do wheel alignment on a car and become an alignment-pro in no time.

Terms:

Before undertaking an actual alignment in hands, it makes a lot of sense to have basic information of some key terms associated with the wheel alignment process.

Toe:

Just as a pigeon-toe acts as a fulcrum and helps the pigeon get more flexibility and shock absorption features; car's wheels also rest on toes that have two main sub-components, Camber and Caster.

Camber:

The vertical toe-in. If it points slightly inwards from the top to bottom, it is called 'negative' camber and if it points slightly outwards, it is considered 'positive' camber. Positive or negative camber adjustments help in fine-tuning wheel movements as per driver's expectations.

Caster:

The angle on which the wheel pivots, when handled with the camber. 'Positive' caster facilitates wheels in being centered in orientation during the drives.

Adjusting camber and caster with basic tools in your garage might not be an easy thing to do. Here, taking assistance from the repair shops is a better choice here.

However, most frequently needed alignments are to do with the toe, which can easily be managed with the basic tool-kits having jacks, open-end wrenches, measuring tape and pocket knife.

Toe Alignment Figures

Getting the right numbers in hand, in order to address the toe alignment is very important. This numeric data is easily available at some library of motor manuals or popular repair guides. Since these measurements are car-specific, there is no universally applicable combination towards getting the best result. Reaching out to an official factory workshops is also another option, if you do not mind getting extra-technical and spending a little more. Toe alignment settings are often expressed in inches, millimeters or angular minutes. Based on these figures, you can get a clear picture of what to aim at during the alignment process.

Health analysis

Before starting the alignment process, you must make sure that the front wheel components are in good condition. After jacking the front wheels over the jack stand, check the following:

- Wheel bearings are properly placed
- Ball joints are healthy enough
- Steering gear box is in place

If there is no feeling of looseness in the wheels, both vertically and horizontally, they are good to go for the actual alignment process.

Alignment Process

Once all the other prerequisites are sorted out, take the following 5 steps:

Step 1

Spin each tyre and mark a line along the center of the tread with a pocketknife. If the circumference is all covered with tread block, make a support for the marking device in order to avoid the undesired loading effect.

Step 2

Set the car on ground and push a few times on each fender to move the suspension and allow the car to rest on its springs.

Step 3

Free the steering wheel and move the car forward by 10 feet or so, letting the steering wheel go on its own.

Step 4

With the help from a friend, measure the length between the lines in the front of the tires, at points in line with the spindles. Then measure the distance between the lines on the backs of tires for the same height. The difference in the two measurements is called toe-in or toe-out. Smaller number in front indicates toe-in and larger indications toe-out.

Step 5

Release the lock nuts on the tie-rod ends, next to both spindles and adjust it equally on each side to keep the steering wheel centered.

Finally, after you lock it all down, you may repeat this process to get double sure of the adjustments made in the car wheel alignments.

How To Sell On Ebay: The Money Is In The Back-End

Many people who sell on eBay completely neglect the
follow-up process. They post an auction. Someone wins.
They send an automated message to the winner. They ship
the item. End of story. End of buyer-seller relationship.

. . .end of customer's total worth to the business
--and this is why so many people who sell on eBay
fail or make negligible profits: they have no idea
that the real money is actually in back-end and
follow-up sales.

In this article, I am going to go over one of the
tools you can use to make follow-up sales on
Ebay: autoresponders.

Autoresponders will allow you to automate the
follow-up and upselling process. You can subscribe
to an autoresponding service through a number of
different companies. Most will give you a free
trial that limits your abilities, but lasts indefinitely.

Getresponse (getresponse.com) is one of these
companies. It has a user-friendly control panel,
excellent customer service, and offers a free trial
version that will give you access to everything
you need for early upselling and follow-up.

You can use your autoresponder a number of different
ways to make follow-up sales, but you must start by
collecting names to load into your autoresponder.

You can do this by asking customers (after you've done it
made a sale) if they would like to join your mailing
list and receive special offers, discounts, and the
chance to buy items before they go on auction. Load
the names and email addresses of the people who respond
positively into your autoresponder.

Getresponse will send them a confirmation message.
The rest is up to you.

Come up with special offers, discounts, and
contests and send them out via broadcast to your
subscribers on a regular basis, but not too often.

Your customers have already a) purchased from you
and b) agreed to receive special offers. From here,
it should not be too hard to get follow-up sales.
They are already hooked - just give them a good offer.

For instance, you could send out special offers for
complementary products at certain intervals. You could
target people who purchased digital cameras and offer
them sticks of memory at a discounted price, but only
if they buy within a certain amount of days after the
close of the auction. You could do the same thing with
camera bags - and also set a specific date.

If you sell jewelry, you could offer customers a matching
set of earrings for a necklace at a discount. Or cleaning
tools. Or a jewelry box.

There are a number of different ways in which you can
structure your eBay post-sales follow-up with your
autoresponder. There are only two real rules you
should follow:

1) Do not, under any circumstances, add people to your
list who did not specifically ask to be added to it.
It is illegal and unethical, and it could land you
in jail; and

2) Make sure you are targeting the right people with
the right follow-up pitch. If you're trying to sell
discount plastic dinosaurs to someone who just
bought a case of motor oil, you probably wont get
the response you want.

. . .other than that, it is completely up to you.
Come up with some creative ideas; put them to work;
and you can easily double or triple the lifetime
worth of each customer who shops at your eBay store.

Heated Motorcycle Clothing - Not Just for Riders

Heated motorcycle clothing is not just for riders. Whether it's riding, winter hunting, snowmobiling, snowboarding, boating or outdoor spectator sports, heated motorcycle clothing can add comfort and pleasure to your activities and extend both the time and enjoyment of cold-weather recreation. Motorcyclists have known the benefits of heated gear for many years. Advances in technology, materials and design have allowed the production of heated motorcycle clothing that's not just for motorcycals anymore, but is sufficient for use in many situations where the elements have the upper hand - even if it's just your cold den.

Advances in technology have allowed for an ever-increasing number of ways to keep the cold at bay. Heated clothing now comes in many shapes - gloves and glove liners, socks and boot liners, pants and pants liners, jackets and jacket liners, scarves, heated grips and heated vests.

The heated vest has been one of the most popular articles of heated motorcycle clothing. The heated vest heats your core, which keeps the rest of the body warmer. With the introduction of lightweight, flexible fabrics and the advances in electrical circuitry, you can count on safe, windproof, waterproof, lightweight, stretchable garments without the downside of hot spots. One of the advantages of wearing a heated vest under a motorcycle jacket (or ski parka), is the elimination of layers of clothing and the additional flexibility of movement this allows. A warmer body and more flexibility add up to a safer riding (or skiing or snowmobiling or hunting) experience.

Heated clothing can be powered by a rechargeable battery pack, usually 7.4 volt, or the bike's motor, 12 volt. The various manufacturers offer lines of compatible battery packs, cables, connections and adapters. And many of these are interchangeable with the different different brands of heated clothing available. All heated motorcycle clothing will work with a temperature control module. One of the best known temperature control devices is the Heat-Troller, which works with most brands of clothing. In addition, there are many cable configurations which allow for the use of one piece of heated clothing - or several connected pieces - for total body comfort. Some dealers will offer a complete package for one price.

As heated clothing technology has advanced, more manufacturers have come online with heated gear. This has served to enhance and expand the range of heated gear available, while keeping the price affordable. For the most part, heated motorcycle clothing is priced between $ 60 for a pair of heated socks to $ 300 for a heated jacket with built-in heat controller. Considering the benefits provided by heated clothing - warmth, comfort, extended riding season, safety - heated motorcycle clothing is definitely a bargain. If you still need to be sold on heated clothing, for about $ 150- $ 200 you can purchase a top quality, very versatile heated motorcycle vest. See how this improves your life - and move on from there.

7 Tips for Learner Drivers

What is the most important thing that any learner driver should have in him / her: It is very much expected that if you are beginning to give your best because like anyone else, you also believe that driving your own car yourself gives a sense of independence and freedom. But, what most people forget that driving lessons are at the very least, humanly daunting and can break or shatter your confidence level in no time. Here, self-confidence is the most important attribute.

Few non-theoretic and experimental guides for any learner driver:

• Take it at a pace you can adapt to : There is no rush to get your driving license; rather you should take it one at a time. So why hassle yourself to get to the test stage faster than your friend and extremely fail miserably because in this chaotic hurry to learn fast, you forgot to pay attention to minute details.


• Practice, as much as it is possible for any human being : Do not push yourself to read the facts more and more, but push yourself to go out and actually become adept at small and easy drives on the road, be it a highway or near your colony. All you need is someone from your friend circle or family who holds a driving license to sit around you and guide you so that before taking the driving test and trying your level best to ace it, you actually have experienced real life driving lessons and boosted up your trust in yourself which will come handy in your foreseeable driving temperament.


• Stick to an instructor what you can respect: It is universally accepted that get an instructor who teaching style does not bust up your confidence. If you feel that the rapport you share with your driving instructor is not building up your self-reliance and fortitude, then do not hesitate to hire another someone. If your assertive and positive feelings about your driving skills are crumpled down before taking the test, then rest assured, not only you will fail, but that feeling of being a failure will stick around for years.


• Find out the way you learn better : Everyone is a different kind of learner. Someone is methodical; someone learns better when the tricks and tips are explained theoretically while someone might be the hippy who wants to just hit the road and experience bit by bit slowly. So it is your duty to find out how you will work out the steps that need to be learnt.


• Insurance coverage is essential : Advice is to avoid the big-budgeted premiums and opt for the learner driver insurance policy so that you stay protected and yet you do not have to spend a huge amount during the learning phase.


• Ignore the drivers who are nothing but impatient : When you are driving on a busier road, the most important thing that you have to teach yourself is not to get controlled by drivers who for no cause are determined to bother you inconveniently.


• Save yourself from unnecessary anxiety and be aware of traffic rules : This is something very basic and yet very much because because if and when people do not follow the traffic rules, the risks of occurrence of unwanted and unintentional accidents get up a notch.

Health Insurance Terms and Definitions

One of the biggest problems for most people is simply understanding the health insurance benefits that they have. For the most part, health insurance policies try to be user-friendly in their words, but many people are just not familiar with medical and insurance terminology.

Most health insurance policies also provide something similar to a cheat sheet which gives the basic outline of policy coverage and covers the most common medical services. However, you need to be sure that you understand the different things that are excluded under your plan. Many health insurance plans provide limited benefits for services such as mental health, chiropractic services, and occupational health. Even physical therapy and home health care are often limited to a certain number of visits per year.

Co-payment or Co-pay

A co-payment is a pre-determined amount that you must pay a medical provider for a particular type of service. For example, you may be required to pay a $ 15 co-payment when you visit your doctor. In this instance, you must pay $ 15 to the doctor's office at the time of the visit. Normally, you are not required to pay any additional fees - your health insurance company will pay the rest. However, in some cases, if your health insurance policy specifies it, you may be liable for a co-payment and then a percentage of the remaining balance.

Deductible

A deductible is the amount of your medical expenses you must pay for before the health insurance company will begin to pay benefits. Most health insurance plans have a calendar-year deductible which means that in January of every new year the deductible requirement starts over again. So, if your calendar year deductible is $ 1500, as long as your medical expenses for the current year do not exceed $ 1500 the insurance company pays nothing for that year. Once January of the new year starts, you have to begin again to pay for $ 1500 of your own medical expenses.

Coinsurance

Coinsurance (or out-of-pocket expense) is the amount or percentage of each medical charge that you are required to pay. For example, you may have a $ 100 medical charge. Your health insurance company will pay 80% of the charge and you are liable for the additional 20%. The 20% is your coinsurance amount.

Coinsurance accrues through the year. If you have a large number of medical charges in one year, you may meet the coinsurance maximum requirement for your policy. At that point, any covered charges will be paid at 100% for the reminder of the calendar year.

Stop loss or out-of-pocket expense limit

Sometimes you will hear the out-of-pocket expense limit referred to as your stop loss or coinsurance amount. Basically, this is the amount you will need to pay out of your own pocket per calendar year before the health insurance company pays everything at 100%.

You will need to check your policy because many policies that require co-payments do not allow these co-payments to go towards the out-of-pocket amount. For example, you may have reached your out-of-pocket maximum for the year, so if you are admitted to the hospital you may pay nothing. However, since you have to pay a $ 15 co-payment every time you visit the doctor, you will still have to make this co-payment.

Lifetime maximum benefit

This is the maximum amount that the health insurance company will pay towards your medical expenses for the lifetime of your policy. Typically, this amount is in the millions of dollars. Unless you have a very severe condition, you will not likely exhaust this amount.

Preferred Provider Organization

A Preferred Provider Organization (also known as a PPO) is a group of participating medical providers who have agreed to work with the health insurance company at a discounted rate. It's a win-win situation for each side. The insurance company has to pay less money and the providers receive automatic referrals.

In most health insurance policies, you will see different benefit levels depending on whether you visit a participating or nonparticipating provider. A PPO plan provides more flexibility for the insured person because they can visit either a participating or nonparticipating provider. They just receive a better price if they use a participating one.

Health Maintenance Organization

A Health Maintenance Organization (also known as an HMO) is a health insurance plan which restricts you to only using specified medical providers. Typically, unless you are out of the area of ​​their network, no benefits are payable if you go to a nonparticipating physician. Typically, you are required to select one main doctor who will be your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Any time you have a health problem, you must visit this doctor first. If they feel that you need it, they will refer you to another network provider. However, you can not just decide on your own to visit a specialist; you must go through your PCP.

Medically necessary

You will see this term in all health insurance policies, and it is a frequent cause of denied claims. Most insurance companies will not cover any expenses that they do not consider medically necessary. Just because you and / or your doctor consider something medically necessary, your health insurance company may not. For this reason, you always need to verify that any costs procedures you are considering will be covered.

Routine treatment

Routine treatment is generally defined as preventive services. For example, a yearly physical examination that you have on a regular basis is generally considered to be routine. Many of the immunizations that children and adults receive fall under this classification. Some insurance companies provide limited coverage for routine treatment; others provide no benefits at all.

Pre-existing condition

A pre-existing condition is a condition that you accepted and / or received treatment for prior to the effective date of your current health insurance policy. Health insurance companies vary on how they treat pre-existing conditions. Some companies will not give you coverage at all if you have certain chronic pre-existing conditions. Others will give you coverage but will not provide any benefits for a period of time - usually from 12-24 months. Still, other health insurance companies will specifically exclude a pre-existing condition from a policy and will never provide any benefits for that condition.

Be sure that you are very clear on the pre-existing limits of your policy so that you are not unpleasantly surprised when you visit your doctor.

Explanation of Benefits

This is the form that the health insurance company sends you after they complete the handling of your claim. It details the bill they received and how they processed it. It is commonly called an EOB.

Coordination of Benefits

If you are eligible for benefits under more than one health insurance plan, your various health insurance companies will need to coordinate benefits. This insures that no more than 100% of the total charge is paid. There are many variations on how this situation can occur. In general, the primary company makes their payment first. Then you file a copy of the charges with the secondary company along with a copy of the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the primary company. The secondary company usually picks up the reminder of the bill.

Participating provider

A participating provider is a medical provider who has signed a contract with a health insurance company or health insurance network to charge pre-determined rates to patients who are in the network.

Nonparticipating provider

A nonparticipating provider is a medical provider who does not have a contract with a particular health insurance company or network. If you use a nonparticipating provider, you will generally pay a larger portion of the bill. In some cases, you may be liable for the entire bill.

Limited benefit plans

These are not considered to be comprehensive medical insurance plans. Instead, they provide very specific, limited benefits for different types of services. For example, they may provide a flat rate for each day you stay in the hospital or pay a limited amount for each surgical procedure that you have.

Typically, they are marketed toward people who can not afford or are unable to obtain more comprehensive coverage due to pre-existing health conditions. Or, they may be geared toward people who have high-deductible plans. The good thing about these plans is that they generally pay in addition to any other coverage you may have. Therefore, no coordination of benefits is required.

If this is your only coverage, be aware that you will usually have to pay a large portion of any bill as these limited plans do not usually pay large amounts per day. For example, it may actually cost you $ 1000 a day to stay in the hospital. If your limited benefit plan pays you $ 200 a day for every day you spend in the hospital, you will be personally responsible for the remaining $ 800 per day.

Medicare supplement plans

People who have Medicare often choose to purchase a Medicare supplement plan as Medicare does not usually cover medical charges in full. Medicare continues to change and add new options but, in general, a supplementary plan pays the balance of the medical charges after Medicare pays its portion. For example, most Medicare supplements will pick up the Medicare deductible.

Some policies also pay for some of the charges that Medicare may not cover. There are many different policy variations. If you are not sure what you are purchasing, consider contacting a broker that assiors senior citizens.

Automotive Load Managers For Emergency Vehicles

Automotive load managers for emergency vehicles are designed to monitor and control the transfer of electrical energy in an automated system. The most advanced load managers will incorporate load sequencing and load shedding functions. These two functions will help maintain the vehicles optimal electrical state, which is paramount for any emergency vehicle.

The load sequencing function is used to turn all selected loads ON or OFF from on central switch. Loads can be anything from, emergency lights, sirens, A / C, radios, etc. When electrical loads of the type encountered in an automotive application are switched on or OFF they create large current and voltage fluctuations in the electrical system in which they are connected. The larger the current consumption of a load, the greater the impact the load has in the generation of electrical transients or line noise when the load is energized or deenergized (Turned ON or OFF).

These current fluctuations, in turn, contribute to the generation of voltage spikes of a magnitude that is high enough to damage sensitive electronic devices connected to the electrical system. This would be the last thing you want while riding in an emergency vehicle. The load sequencing function of a good load manager will allow you to turn all the selected loads ON or OFF from one location to minimize electrical disturbances and the effect this action may have upon the rest of the electrical system. The load shedding function is used to monitor the voltage level of the vehicles battery. If a decrease in the battery voltage is sensed, the load manager will start shedding loads. A good load manager will allow you to program what loads and in what sequence they will be shed. One the loads battery voltage returns to its normal value, the loads that were previously shed are switched on.

The examples in the previous paragraphs were for when a vehicle is in motion. If the vehicles alternator is not supplying enough power when the vehicle is idling, the load manager should have a high idle function which will send a signal the vehicles engine speed control to set the idle speed to a higher level. An action equivalent to pressing the accelerator while in park. The higher engine speed is maintained until the battery voltage returns to normal or until the engine is no long idling.

To learn more about load managers and their function in emergency vehicles visit www.ecxelectronics.com

5 Basic Skills For Driving Lessons

These are 5 very basic skills that everyone owns and when used help hugely on your driving lessons. Although some pupils may be better at using these skills than others, everyone is capable of using them, and how well you use these skills will depend on how quickly you learn.

1. Listening skills - This is the first one, and as said earlier everyone owns the ability to listen, but how well you use this skill will depend on how quickly you pick up learning how to drive. Been a better listener helps as you can listen to what your driving instructor is saying and implemented this into your driving. You may think you do this, though the more consciously you think about doing this the more you will do it and your driving will improve.


2. Communication Skills - It's not always about listening on your driving lessons, you have to communicate with your instructor and let them know what you are having difficulty with and they will explain further. Communication is vital and if you waste the time with your instructor by not communicating it it will take you longer to pass your driving test.


3. Planning skills - everyone can plan, some just are better at it than others. Planning and scanning is a vital part of driving, but the skill improves as you go on. You can improve this process and learn quicker by continuing to do hazard perception tests even after passing your theory test! As crazy as it sounds, these tests improve your planning and it's vital for you to be planning ahead on your driving lessons.


4. Hand-eye co-regulation skills - You do not need to be a table top tennis champion to be able to drive, however it does take some hand-eye co-ordination skills. You need to look at the road and tell the rest of your body what to do based on the situation ahead. There are the odd pups which struggle with this, but with practice they ever get it, to most however it is second nature and it makes your driving lessons a lot easier.


5. Organization skills - You do not need to hire a personal assistant if you have not gotten great organizational skills as it does not take much organization, even for an unorganized person. However there is a degree of organizational skills involved as far as booking your driving theory test and instructor is concerned.

These are the 5 basic skills which you have to hone in on to make your driving lessons successful. Be more conscious about the above skills and your driving tuition will go a lot smoother.

List of Ways to Save Money on Phone Bills

During these challenging economic times, the less money we spend unnecessarily, the more we are able to save for our priorities and future needs. One of the factors which sometimes contribute to our monthly expenses are the phone bills. Here we discuss a list of ways to save money on phone bills.

1) Specifically for International phone calls, try to go in for per second plans of the operators, where you get billed per second / per 10 seconds. This is way much cheaper than the per minute billing plan. Sometimes, it happens that your conversation is very brief and it is over in less than 30 seconds. If you have a per-second billing plan, then you pay only for 30 seconds and not the whole one minute. Moreover, sometimes, you call and the other person is not able to hear you properly. In that case, people generally disconnect within 10-12 seconds. So, why to pay unnecessarily for one whole minute when you have not been able to even initiate the conversation.

2) Always check your talk time. Are you spending too much time talking on phone ?. If yes, then, probably, your phone bills must be going way up.

During your conversation, if you keep an eye on how many minutes you have been talking, then you would want to talk only about the most important things and discuss the rest later, or maybe through Email. This will help you a lot to save money on phone bills

3) Also, try to use calling cards when you want to make international phone calls. Calling through cell phones can be pretty expensive. You can consult with your network operator for the applicable rates on calling cards when you call overseas.

If you regularly make international phone calls., Then the option of using calling cards should definitely be included in your list of ways to save money on phone bills

4) If you want ringtones / wallpapers, then try to download them from the internet, rather than sending a sms to your operator and then getting charged for it. After all, money saved is money earned.

5) Check out for the unlimited sms plans offered by your operator. This is particularly useful if you like to send a lot of text messages to your friends / business associates. Getting unlimited plans at discounted prices and so can certainly be counted among the list ways to save money on phone bills.

6) Regularly consult the customer care section of your operator to know about the current offers. You may be able to get some discounted airtime / message pack, if you ask for. After all, it is your money, and you are entitled to save it.

7) Furthermore, check wherever your operator is offering any special package for international phone calls., Specifically packages relating to specific countries. This will again help you a lot to save money on phone bills, when you are calling particular countries.

8) Be honest with yourself and do and examination of your phone services. Do you really need both landline and mobile phone ?. If having a cell phone serves all your purposes, then maybe you can go in for less rental plans of landline or maybe have it disconnected.

Here we have tried to make a list of ways to save money on phone bills, while making both domestic and international phone calls. Hope you are able to benefit from it.

Happy Calling ...

Interview With a Network Marketing Master

Christopher Terry. By day, stocks trader. By night, network marketing genius. Because of his second "night" job, Terry will be resigning from his primary day job. The really amazing part of that is he will have done this within 5 short months of joining his network marketing company.

Within the network marketing company itself, Terry is a leader and a mentor. He does not abandon his downline members. He keeps us informed of company events and policies on an almost daily basis. He lets us know he is here to support us; as long as we are willing to do the work, he will do anything within his power to help us succeed. He is a network marketer's dream upline sponsor.

How did he do it? What is his secret? I sat down with him to find out and share with you his ideas for success.

Denise: Thank you for granting me this interview, Chris.

Christopher: Thank you, Denise!

D: How long have you been working at your career as a stocks trader?

C: I have been a Stock and Futures trader since the mid 1990's. I owned a construction business prior to that. I wanted to be able work and make money from home. Although I started trading in 1995, it was not until 1998 when I was able to walk away from my construction business and trade full time.

D: How successful were you at doing that?

C: I have done very well. I find it fascinating that I can create wealth from home. I love the fact that a person can take a relatively small amount of money and create a growing stream of income; however, it's all based on your own efforts. For example, in my business if I don't trade, I do not earn income. Also, trading takes years of dedication, time and effort to become successful; in other words, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

D: I understand you became a leader and motivational speaker in your industry. Share with me how you rose to that level.

C: I was actually in Amway for several years in the 1990s. I was fortunate to hit levels of success here in the United States in that company. I then went overseas as Amway opened up new markets, which gave me the opportunity to have an international business. I owe my "positive thinking" to that network marketing experience, since the leaders in Amway always recommended we read positive thinking books and listen to positive thinking tapes. At the time many considered it "brain washing." Today it is called "Laws of Attraction." So, l was into positive thinking and Laws of Attraction before it was a cool thing to do. That time period in my life gave me the foundation to grow both mentally and financially. I started a business outside of Amway, and then I went into the trading business.

D: What qualities do you see within you that helped you achieve success in your trading career?

C: I would have to say vision and foresight. I look at the future of what things can be, not as they are, and then I take action. I have always taken action, I am not afraid of whether that action turns out right or wrong. The worst thing to do is to have an idea and a plan but never actually do anything to put that plan into action. It is better to do something and fail than to never have done anything at all. I have always had a drive for success once I realized I have the power and the ability to become whomever and whatever I want. There is a four-letter word to success, and its spelled W-O-R-K; the reality is anything worthwhile takes work, trading and network marketing included!

D: Do you think those same qualities helped you build your network marketing business?

C: Those, and also reading positive thinking books and books on success, as well as overcoming my fear to speak to people. I was very shy growing up, so I learned to say "Hi" and start a conversation, to truly become interested in other people and what they had to say. I also am not afraid to work; if I had to dig ditches for a living, I would be the best ditch digger I could possibly be. I believe once you get your mindset right and you learn to ask the right questions, the game is 90% won, and success will be yours.

D: Tell me how you got involved in network marketing.

C: Interesting story! I was dating a girl and she was bragging about how her boss was making $5,000 a month in some business and that I should talk to him, so I did. He signed me up, and then my girlfriend, the very one who told me to speak to him, wanted me to quit because it was Amway! I told my sponsor that I had some problems and I had to quit. He told me, "Get rid of the problems." So, I broke up with my girlfriend and built Amway, and as you already know, I became very successful in that business!

D: Were you familiar with network marketing before that?

C: No, I was not.

D: What were your thoughts and, perhaps, preconceived notions, about network marketing in general, prior to joining your first network marketing company?

C: I had no idea what it was, all I knew was I had to bring people in the business with me, sell some products and I would get rich. Unfortunately, though, it does not work that way!

D: Could you elaborate on that idea? Most of us are brought into this industry with that same notion, and we all eventually experience the same rude awakening that you just described, that it is not as easy as they make it sound. So please, for the people reading this who are not yet in network marketing and are considering it, as well as for those who have started and perhaps are failing, explain what you mean.

C: Well, of course you do not just get in and get rich, this is the most common misconception about network marketing. There are people who enter the business and think everybody they know will get in with them. Then there are people who come in saying they have this "one guy that if he gets in, he will make us all rich, he knows everybody!" and it is the furthest thing from the truth. This business is a numbers game. To be successful, you must expose people to the business every single day, to be consistently meeting new people and telling others about our dynamic opportunity. The more people you come in contact with, the more likely you will find people who want to become a part of your team and earn an income with you. This is true from day one; even though you may have a list of 100 or 500 people that you know, you still want to always be in the creative mode and working what I like to call the ABC's - Always Be Contacting. You do not know where the next million dollar earner will come from.

The hardest thing for me is I cannot take the feelings inside my heart and mind that motivate me and give them to someone else, although I wish I could. The truth is, everybody has to find their own will, desire, and hunger to succeed; without them, they will end up like the rest, having some success, but not truly creating wealth. We all know or have heard the hard, cold fact that 98% of the people in this great country are broke and do not have a backup plan; if they lose their job or business, they will be 90-120 days away from poverty. People can blame it on the government, but the responsibility ultimately falls on each one of us. We should be proactive when we do not actually need to be and start our own home based businesses, which will get us out of that 98% and into the 2% income earners.

One final thought on this topic: I think the reason most people fail in the network marketing industry is that they treat it like a job and not like their own business. When you act as if it is just another job, you do the least amount of work possible for whatever pay you can get. These people want to work very few hours and get rich right away. Unfortunately, this does not happen in network marketing. Those who invest their time and effort into growing the business, even if there is no income at first, can see the vision of the future. At the beginning they will work 20 hours a day for zero pay, because they see that putting in 20 hours will pay the equivalent of 2,000 hours' worth of work one day, and eventually zero hours will pay 10,000 hours. Fortunately, in our business the compensation for our work is amazing, but if you do not expand with people, you will not take advantage of the true income potential of network marketing.

D: Thorough and well said. I would like to add that when you said one should always be in the creative mode, in addition to working the ABC's, I think the creativity part should apply to marketing your business. Be creative in your marketing efforts. Think outside of the box and create many different marketing campaigns. Utilize technology and the internet. The more you put yourself out there, the more you achieve exactly what you are saying, Chris, which is maximum exposure of the business to as many people as possible so you can increase your odds of signing up significant numbers new members into your downline. I do this on a daily basis myself, and I also make it a point to talk to people every day to make new contacts, as you have recommended.

Getting back to my questions, what were your first thoughts when you were introduced to the specific business we are in together?

C: I was actively looking for an online business to get into. I was not looking for network marketing/multi-level marketing, I was searching for an online business that was cutting edge and in which I could earn a residual income. When I saw this business it was in a cutting edge industry, doing business in 170 countries, it offered a strong income opportunity without having to sponsor people, yet by sponsoring people, it offered the ability to create wealth and long term residual income. They say to be successful you need a product that people want, need and can afford, that will be used over and over and is desired in the market place. I found it!

D: As we already know, this is not the only network marketing business you have ever been involved in. Were there any others besides Amway and ours?

C: I looked at a few others along the way, but I did not join any.

D: Why not?

C: Well, I am a high income earner in the trading world, both as a trader and an educator. I have been doing this for 17 years, and nothing really struck me as good enough for me to give it my full attention. I have seen MANY companies, products and services. When I saw the opportunity in the industry you and I are in together, I saw an industry that was young, dynamic, and that people loved. It has a place in the market because it meets people's desires to find a bargain and/or make a deal. Also, it is VERY profitable, so I wanted to be a part of it. I got in first, and then I learned about it as I grew with it. I have not looked back. I have built an incredible team that's growing in leaps and bounds. You are a part of that team, Denise, an amazing student and downline member.

D: Thank you, Chris! How do the other network marketing companies you've analyzed compare to the one you and I are in together?

C: They cannot compare.

D: Besides what you have already stated about our company when you actually found it, what made you think that this was the company to join?

C: I have no products to carry around, no juices or vitamins to purchase or sell, I did not have to sneak up on my family and friends, and I do not have to sell expensive products that I can buy in the store cheaper. We get paid to advertise. Period.

D: Now, I would like to share with our reading audience your own personal tips for network marketing success. Please tell me, what works for you?

C: Relationships are everything; your network is your net worth. I am always in the creative process and always opening doors to new people, saying hello and breaking the ice to get a conversation going. In network marketing, our job is to leverage time and money; without people on your team it becomes impossible. I would suggest genuinely becoming interested in others, going to events, whether it is a show or a business event, or any gathering where good quality people who you may want to work with will attend. I also suggest speaking to people who you would not normally speak to and might even make you feel a little uncomfortable; those are often your best prospects. We tend to feel heroic because we got the number of the drive-through window guy at Mc Donalds; meanwhile, we get false impressions of success when we see somebody dressed in a nice suit and tie and just assume they are already successful, so we say nothing to them because we think they've got it all already and don't need a change in their lives. Both of these people may be your best prospect, or your worst, but you will never know unless you open up the door and say something to break the ice. With the "successful business man" (or so we assume) who we are often afraid to approach, you can start with something as simple as, "Hey, nice tie, where did you get it?" Then see where the conversation leads.

D: Is there anything that you've done that didn't work so well?

C: Yes. As I've mentioned before, it takes years to become an "overnight success." I have made, will make, and will continue to make mistakes. It is okay to fail; the more you fail the closer you will get to winning. Becoming immune to failing is the key to success. You may wonder why I say this. Well, if you have somebody who is not used to failing and thinks failing is bad, then when he/she hears "No" enough times, it damages his/her confidence, and that person is afraid to keep trying. However, if you are not afraid to fail, you will not let those "No's" stop you. Instead, you will become more motivated to find the people who will say "YES" to your opportunity or presentation. Become a failure to become a success. This goes for ANY business!

D: What is the ONE business building idea you can share that you think is the MAIN reason you are where you are today, about to retire from trading, and about to embark on some major journeys in life, both literally and figuratively?

C: First, let me clarify something very important. The word "retire" is loosely used in the network marketing industry. I have been trading for 17 years and it is time for me to take a break. Do I think I will stay out of it for long period of time? No, it has always has been and will always be a passion of mine. I have built my name and reputation as a trader and educator, so I will most definitely return to the industry; however, I welcome a break in the action right now.

I love to help and give to others, so this is my current mission. There is nothing better than creating a profit in network marketing and helping others create wealth in the same fashion. Then, bringing my profession back into the mix, profiting on those profits as a trader too is a home run! However, I really do have the freedom to either work or not work; that is how large the income that I have created in our network marketing business is already. The MAIN reason I am where I am today is I will do whatever it takes; I will work 100 hours in a 24 hour day until I make it. As I said earlier, the main ingredient for me is that four-letter curse word, W O R K... and I have a LOW "IQ" ("I QUIT") level!

D: Lastly, you are extremely jazzed about the network marketing company we are in together. What are the defining qualities of this company that makes it so good? Based on that, what should people look for in their own network marketing company or when deciding to actually join one?

C: Well, it seems lately I am sleeping no more than 3 hours per night! The energy of the team, of the company, and of the industry has taken the world by storm, and this keeps me "jazzed" as you say! I believe I had already mentioned earlier the reasons why I like our company, because there are no products to lug around and there is no trying to sell to friends and family a product or service they do not want. I have been approached by other network marketing companies that involve selling legal insurance, utility companies, juice companies, vitamin companies, weight loss companies, you name it! I have found that ours is so simple; our work is to advertise and it takes no more than two minutes per day. I am from the Amway world. I got my PhD in network marketing. In my opinion, the most ideal situation is the one that does not require a person to sponsor people to become successful, yet offers the opportunity to earn larger income because you do sponsor, train, and motivate others, and once you help them earn income, you earn additional bonuses. I come from a world where, when you help enough people get what you want, you in turn will get what you want. Everybody has their own version of what is best for them. Some may like a particular industry. My advice? Do your due diligence, figure out what you are passionate about, and run with it. That's all.

I want to thank Mr. Terry for taking the time to answer these questions so thoughtfully and thoroughly.

On a side note, Christopher Terry is one of the most benevolent and philanthropic men I've ever met, and he does it without creating great publicity or accolades for his generosity. He believes very strongly in the idea that "it is in giving that you shall receive." I am honored to know him and very glad we have gone into business together.

So there you have it. Christopher Terry's story and his tips for helping you create success in your own network marketing company. If you want have any questions or want to learn more, please email me at denise@bettermlmsuccess.com.

Leather Repair - How To Repair Torn Leather Seat

There are so many different types of automatic leather seat repair, all with different situations and applications. There are holes, scratches, gouges, cuts, scrapes, worn or cracked, and just down right grungy looking leather seats. I think I got them all covered, well in this article we're going to talk about how to repair a small hole in a leather seat lean back, for those of you who do not know what a lean back is well it's the upper part of the seat.

Now when I say small this can apply for a tear up to 1 1/2 "to 2", probably might go a little bigger, but lets not push it, if it needs to go to the upholstery shop for an insert then that would be better then a crappy looking leather repair on something that probably would not hold anyways. When in doubt, insert it.

Prepping a seat is the key to success in any leather repair, and a lasting leather dye job. So, prep the whole lean back, and while at your it just clean the whole seat, why not, but you do not have to, with your prepping solution removing all grease, dirt, and grime. You need a clean surface and a well prepped area to work with. When I prep, I use a solution of rubbing alcohol, acetone, ammonia, and a small amount of TSP substitute, with water in a spray bottle. Spray the seat with the solution and scrub with a scotch brite pad to scuff the leather seat for leather dye adhesion and remove any grime that's on the seat, then wipe clean with a clean lint free towel. Once your clean, apply a grip base primer to the seat, I usually in most cases will dye the entire lean back when I do a repair or the entire seat, but sometimes it's not necessary, so you may not need to prime the whole seat , but do clean the seat good this cuts down on the amount of leather dye used and the ending result will be a premium leather repair.

Now to the hole. Lets say it's in a V shape, just for example. Like where you've gott'n out of the seat with something in your back pocket, ouch! I know the feeling, back in college I had a 1986 Mustang SVO, very rare and nice car (I miss that car) and I got out to go to class with a pen in my back pocket and ripped about a 2 "V shape in the seat, I about puked right there, and of course at the time I did not know anything about leather repair.

Sand the area around the tear with a 240 grit wallpaper, this gives a little more for the low heat compound to grip to. Take a piece of underpatch material and slide the under patch under the tear with a pair of tweezers, allowing about a 1/2 "on the inside all the way around. easier to slide under. You can use different types of under patches, I like the kind that is covered on one side with a heat activated glue.

Now take a drop of leather glue and spread a thin coat on the patch on the underside of the leather repair area. If the leather will lay down smoothly and match up then great, but sometimes it just will not. In this case we will use combo of the glue and your low cure leather repair compound and smooth a small amount over the patch then lay the leather down. Spread a small amount of low heat compound over the area and smooth it out with your pallet knife, remembering to keeping your area as small as possible, the smaller the better. Now heat the area with your heat gun, hold the heat gun out away from the leather repair and slowly move it into the repair area, this will give you just a little more control of the heat, you do not want to burn and shrink the leather. The idea is to cure the compound and get it to adhere before you cook the leather, it's a skill thing, practice makes perfect. Once the compound is cured immediately press the grain pad in your palm onto the repair, do not press to hard, but firm.

At this time using a wet paper towel apply a small amount of grip base to the repair area and dye with your color matched water based leather dye. Dry thin coats of dye, not wet. Then reapply and smooth out another thin coat of compound. Heat again and grain then dye, get the idea, what you are doing is building the repair up. Thin coats of compound applied and cured then reapplied, are much better then one thick coat. Once you have it built up and looking nice, blend the repair into the rest of the seat if needed, by applying thin coats of leather dye to finish it off. Drying between coats of dye with a hairdryer, and one great tip is rubbing the leather dye with your hands to force the dye into the creases of the leather helps a ton, do not be afraid to get your hands dirty. I say that but I'm allergic to rubber gloves, it bites, so I come home every day with dye all over my hands, it's a pain, but I love the work and the job looks better with a little bit of love rubbed on those leather seat repairs. After the dye is cured, apply a top coat of satin or dull leather clear top coat mixed with a bit of slip additive added for the soft feel. Dry the seat thoroughly, then apply your leather conditioner to finish and give the seat the juice it needs and a great feel and look for you.

Now there are so many other variations to this fix, sometimes I will have to use an air dry leather repair compound over the top of the low heat compound to smooth out the leather repair. Sanding it with a 400 grit wallpaper until it looks right. You can also turn your air down on your paint gun until little droplets are coming out to give it a textured look, drying between coats. Texture coatings, can be used, but if you do it right the gun effect works great. When I do a leather repair I will not give up until it looks perfect. Patience is a value, right. Do not get in a hurry, this will only frustrate you more and then you really got issues.

Leather repair is a craft and profession. The dyes and compounds I use are top quality and are made to last. Giving you a lasting leather seat repair, and comfort knowing you have a leather repair that will last and look great for years to come.

I hope this was some help to you, in the coming months there will be more articles like this one but on different situations on leather repair, liked I talked about in the first. There are so many different ways that a leather seat can be damaged, we spend a lot of time in our cars and well "sh $$ happens", right. So check back to see my next article on automatic leather seat repairs. If you have anything you would like to ask feel free to shoot me some comments on Leather Repair - How To Repair Torn Leather Seat.

How to Ship Your Car Overseas

When shipping your car overseas from the UK, whether it is to Australia or to Spain, the major of car shipping companies will give you the option of how to ship your car, this will most likely come down to two main options for you to choose from, these are Roll on / Roll off (RoRo) or container shipping. While the two of these options offer relatively the same result of shipping your car from location A to location B they are in fact quite different and understanding which choice you should make plays a very large roll in terms of the price you will pay to deliver your car.

Roll on / Roll off shipping vessels are specifically designed for the transportation of cars and trucks and are usually the main choice of most customers as well as car manufacturers when transporting their vehicles all around the world.

Due to the sheer size of the modern RoRo vessels they are capable of holding up to a staggering 6,000 cars per sailing, and coinciding with how easy the vessels are to load due to them just having the cars drive up a ramp into the vessels and then having them park up and be secured for the rest of the journey, they are very much like a floating car park. The speed with which the vessel is able to be loaded and with the amount of vehicles that it can hold this usually makes RoRo shipping the cheaper option when deciding to ship your car overseas, the one major downfall to RoRo shipping is that you are not always allowed to ship personal items in your car when it is being shipped, this is due to the fact that the shipping company is not insured to ship your personal belongings just the vehicle itself, and with your vehicle having to be unlocked for the entire journey to Ensure that if anything does go wrong the shipping company is able to move your vehicle if it is required.

Container shipping may be able to provide you with a better solution if you have certain shipping requirements that just can not be met by RoRo shipping, this can be one of many different reasons like the type of vehicle you are shipping is not suited for RoRo shipping, or your intended destination does not allow RoRo services to be docked at the port.

Standard containers come in two sizes when shipping they are 20 'and 40' in length. While you are quite easily able to shipping one car or 4x4 into a 20 'container, you can have sufficient space within a 40' container to ship two average size vehicles so it may even prove to be more cost effective than that of RoRo in this circumstance. In addition to being able to ship multiple vehicles within large enough containers you are also allowed to ship personal items within the vehicles that you are shipping because saving yourself further charges again.

So when deciding how you want to ship your vehicle you need to look at what you are going to be shipping and whether or not you want to ship personal items with your vehicle as well, for your average Joe shipping their vehicle overseas they are going to ship their vehicle with RoRo giving them an easier time with shipping, but for somebody who is maybe shipping multiple cars or has personal items to ship along with their vehicle they are going to want to ship their vehicle within containers allowing them to save money since they are shipping in bulk.

If you would like to find out more about how you can go about shipping your vehicle overseas, then you can head over to http://www.firstbasefreight.co.uk , and you will be able to find out the majority of the information you require.

Flow Experience - A Key To Happiness

What is flow experience?

Flow experience is a concept defined by Csikszentmihalyi to describe those moments when you are completely and collectively absorbed in an activity. As such, everything else is forgotten. You have total concentration and nothing else matters. You are no longer aware of what is going on around you. The rest of the world is forgotten.

When you are in a flow experience, your focus is so complete that you forget about sleeping and eating. You are not even aware of yourself; you are immersed in the activity you are engaged in.

Sincemore, since you are so engrossed in the activity, your experience of time changes. You are so absorbed that the past and future are forgotten. Time absolutely flies by, although you are not aware of this at the time. It is only when you come out of the activity that you notice how much time has passed.

You can have a flow experience with any activity that is mindful and requires you to actively participate in it. As such, good conversation, reading a novel, playing sport, working on your hobby, letter writing, gardening, even cleaning the house are examples where you can experience flow. Passive activities such as watching television and sport are not conducive to a flow experience. You will probably know when you have had a flow experience as you will get that feel-good buzz afterwards of having engaged in something engrossing.

Whilst you are engaged in your activity, you will feel completely in control and are not worried about success or failure. The activity fees effortless but engaging. To the objective observer the activity may look risky and demanding (for example, surfing), but not to you, the participant.

We all possess the ability to engage in flow experiences and the more we have, the happier we are.

Why is it important?

• Flow enables you to focus and have total control and concentration during a particular experience.
• Understanding flow enables you to focus your attention at will, rather than waiting for something to come and grab your attention.
• Your skills are being used at their very best - you are giving your all.
• It can help you achieve your goals, since you are free from intrusive thoughts and events.
• It will enhance your well-being and happiness.
• Understanding flow can help you understand why you are procrastinating on a particular issue. Have a look at the conditions needed for a flow experience and reflect on them in terms of the task you are struggling to stay.

The three conditions to a flow experience

Csikszentmihalyi stipulates three conditions that must be met in order to have a flow experience:

1. Your chosen activity should have a clearly defined set of goals. This will help you focus your energy and give you direction.
2. You want a good balance between your perceived skills and perceived challenges. The important point here is 'perceived' rather than actual. It is a mind-state. If you believe your skills far surpass the challenge, you will become bored as it will be too easy for you. Whereas, if you perceive the challenge as being too hard for you, you will become frustrated.
3. Feedback is essential. It will enable you to modify your actions if necessary, to keep you in the flow. The feedback can be negative as well as positive. It can enable you to move on and progress (providing you have the skills to do so).
How to have more flow experiences Flow can occur with any activity, provided it is mindful. What is important is how the activity is carried out. Take a look at the following tips to help you towards engaging in regular flow experiences:

• Avoid multi-tasking. Trying to do two (or more) things at once is no way to achieve flow. It is not possible to give your all to two tasks at the same time. This will reduce your enjoyment and quite possibly the outcome may be compromised. Try to cut down on multi-tasking even for the most everyday chores.
• Try not to check your email every five minutes if you are working on a computer. Choose a time to read it and give it your full attention.
• Limit your distractions. Is there anything in your environment that is preventing you from achieving flow? Temperature, noise, layout, objects, other people, level of light can make a difference.
• Determine your goals and break them down into achievable chunks. Make sure these chunks are adequately challenging to keep your interest.
• Try new activities and develop new skills. The more your skills develop, the more pleasure you will receive. You may experience boredom or frustration early on. So take care to monitor your progress to check the activity is interesting enough and within your capability. Modify your goals if you need to.
• To keep experiencing flow with a particular activity you will need to increase the challenge - one that you believe you can meet. As your skills develop, the activity can become boring as it no longer requires as much attention. A new challenge will not only up your interest but enhance your expertise.
• How is your job? You spend a great chunk of your life in work, so you really want to obtain as many flow experiences as possible. If you are feeling bored, is there anything you can do to make it more challenging?
• Try to obtain regular feedback on what you are doing. It could be from yourself or another person.
• Avoid mindless activities which you do not actively get involved in - for example, watching television.

Read more

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991) Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience.

Painting Solutions - How to Correct Interior Paint Problems

Interior painting of residential homes is a remarkable way to dramatically change the look and feel of your rooms. Doing the paint job yourself is rather labor intensive but when done properly will look like it was done by a professional. If you are not a professional painter, you might make a few mistakes doing the job that will result in problem areas. This is very disheartening when you have invested your time and effort into your project and then end up with problems. To save some disappointments it is best to handle any potential problems before you even begin painting.

Mildew is a big problem in a lot of areas and needs to be handled before applying any paint. If there is already mildew present or to prevent this from happening it is just a matter of using a bleach and water solution to wash the surface. The solution should be a 3 to 1 ratio of three parts water to one part bleach. After applying the solution to the surface to be painted, let it rest for a good fifteen minutes and then rinse it thoroughly. Use a paint that is mildew-proof and use fans to keep the air circulating. The new lower VOC paint products are especially good for the environment and for preventing mildew. Check the labels before you purchase your paint.

Sometimes old paint will begin to blister or form little bubbles and these will need to be scrapped and sanded to smooth the edges before applying new paint. If the blistering has gone all the way to the dry wall or bare wood it means there is a problem with moisture and this needs to be addressed before repainting. To avoid this problem in the future just use a higher grade of paint and primer. Paint that is too thin or if applied too sparingly or if no primer was used on wood, the paint will tend to flake and crack.

Lapping of the painted surface is when a denser and darker color emerges any place two strokes overlap each other. A surface that is really porous must be primed before painting. Problems will arise if the primer coat is not given a chance to dry completely before the topcoat of paint is applied. Try working in one section at a time so that you are not painting over washed paint. Keeping a wet edge while you are painting will eliminate the problem of lapping.

Dull and shiny spots that form on the surface of the painted area can be prevented by using a quality primer before applying the topcoat of paint. These spots happen because there are places on the surface that are more porous than other places or denser affecting the appearance of the painted surface. The primer coat of paint will make the surface to be painted uniform and eliminate this problem.

Finally, one of the most common problems that can happen with the painted surface is the appearance of marks from the paint roller. The paint roller you use for your project should be of a higher quality to avoid this problem and the roller should be dampened slightly before you dip it into the roller pan for the first time. Try painting in the shape of a W and only working on square sections that are about 3 'by 3' at a time. Paint your W and then fill in the area using light strokes that are parallel. This should eliminate the problem with roller strokes appearing on your finished surface.

Money is a Mathematical and Sociological Anomaly

There are two kinds of people in this world, wolves and sheep. The Wolves are those that control the fluidity of money, the people that create money and opportunities. Equally, this power also follows a basic law in nature; "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction". Not to continue to sound too pompous ... this basically means those who giveth ... can also taketh away. World leaders, Large corporations and governments all have this power ... but is it their to behold? We are taught from a very early age in a system that is fundamentally bias. We are taught the skills to read, write and spel (yes, that typo is deliberate) ... and equally how to interact in basic social circumstances. But are we taught ... or are we trained? It is my belief as a UK citizen, that we are trained to act and react in a specific way that basically, after 12 years of compulsory education, makes us very good sheep indeed. I am not trying to start a debate on the educational system, because that would pointless ... those who teach were once taught ... and quite frankly, since money was invented as means of control long before you and I ... this debate would be never endless.

So what am I saying?

Money has shaped the world in every aspect of our lives. Money IS our lives, it is vital we have money to live ... but it is not given to us freely. We are victims to that which we desire most, we are stuck in a money driven culture that makes us crave it, long for it and extremely ... there is no easy way to get our hands on it. We have to earn money, which is fundamentally by behaving and working in the controlled ways we are pre-programmed to accept as "life".

Money has one very curious quality. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only entity outside of nature ... that may use itself ... another of its kind, to make more (inflation / interest). I have raised this point many times before and quite frankly, disclosed in the amount of disruption it causes amongst friends. Cruel I know. The ultimate point of frustration is that no matter how hard they try to be clever, it always ends up being a natural event ...

Money was invented. Let me say that again. Money was invented. It was invented around 1500BC by the Phoenicians to regain control of the bartering of goods. It was invented as a means of control, a linear trading platform, a means equaling all transactions of any particular item controlled by one and one only. So in a day and age where "freedom" is on the tongue of every world leader, why are we still governed by a means of control invented 1000's of years ago? Well, because there is no alternative for a start. Because it is all that we know and our entire civilization is based on the ever changing foundation of money. It is ever changing because by concept it is flawed. It is flawed because of the many reasons we have been taught over the years; economic turmoil, crashing prices, lost equity and revenue ... etc ... blah ... etc. These are merely descriptive words used to analyze what is happening around us (might I add, descriptive words invented and taught for the means of such its purpose). As far as I am concerned it is all a waste of breath ... as the people preaching it are the largest sheep of all!

The main flaw in money, is not what it now stands for, what it equates to abroad, it's value, it's ever evasive nature ...

The problem with Money is us. The squidgy organic bit that needs it or will will die. Why are we as a species subject to an apparent 'law of nature' that was created by man? Money is domination. Simple.

I wrote an article recently which talked about similar concepts only it is based in more real life situations due to the recent economic turmoil. What both articles point out, is that money can not belong to any one individual entity or unit ... because in doing so it simply does not work. The concept of money, does not work. But how so and what now? Well, unfortunately ... except you believe you can convince others that this is a viable explanation then there is nothing you can do. The only way in this world you may be really free from money is to not need it, therefore relinquishing the factor of control and necessity it has. You may do this by one of two scenarios. 1) You find a thriving ecological habitat in which you may live without any influence from the outside world (not my personal preference I must admit), or; 2) You become a wolf. Someone so rich no amount of negative events would ever be of significant effect.

In physics the theory of relativity is unshakeable and a proven mathematical certainty. I would like, like to make a minor addition to their law; "Every action, MUST have an equal and opposite reaction". Put simply, if there is no consequence, no reaction, then there is nothing ... you have created something from nothing ... and left nothing in its wake.

Now let's apply this theory to money. For an individual to become 100 units richer, another must become 100 units poorer. There can only be so many units in the world and as such, if we were all to have an equal amount it would be worthless. My point? The basic mathematical, logarithmic, algorithmic, and scientific plain unarguable relativity of the concept of money states;

"For those at the top of the pyramid to be rich by power; the rest of the people MUST be poor by default."

Want to make yourself richer? Or do you want to make the world fairer ...

Resume for Chief Auditor

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Why Is My Ex Girlfriend Still Texting Me?

So she dumped you. It hurts, it stings, it's the most crushing feeling in the world. You spend hours upon hours telling her how you love her. How much she means to you, and it only takes her seconds to tell you she's no longer interested. She's finished with the relationship, and she's moving on.

So why in the world is she still text messaging you?

When an ex girlfriend is still texting you after the break up, there's a definite reason behind it. Actually, there are several. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, but all of them can be used as indicators as to where she is mentally and emotionally.

And if you want to get her back? You'll need to know exactly what these texts means, and how each of them should be properly handled.

Reasons Your Ex Girlfriend Still Texts You

Let's get one thing straight: it's always hard to let go. Even if she's the one who broke things off, you and your girlfriend shared time together. You have memories, you share special feelings that still exist. Nothing can change that except TIME.

For this reason, time is certainly of the essence. The longer you wait before acting, the further away your ex girlfriend will go. Mentally, emotionally, she'll drift away if you do not do something to keep her interested, which is why moving quickly and acting properly is so vital to making her want you again.

Back to the texting ... an ex who texts you is still thinking about you. This is undeniable, but do not get excited just yet. There's no guarantee she's interested, or even thinking of wanting you back.

Yet your ex can not bury her feelings so quickly. Those feelings are still there, and there are specific reconnection techniques you can learn to bring those feelings back to the surface. This is one of the later - and most important - of the steps to getting her back.

So yes, it's good that she's texting you. But should you text her back? Well ... that's where things get sticky ...

What To Do When Your Ex Girlfriend Texts

An ex who keeps texting after the break up is leaving on your old relationship for support. She wants you to be "there" (in case she needs you), but not THERE (romantically). This does you absolutely no good, but it benefits her for several reasons:

• She gets the comfort of still talking to you
• By answering her texts she feels secure that you're still interested
• Your ex girlfriend gets to know exactly where you are (ie not going anywhere)

All of these things give her strength. They give her willpower. Worst of all, they give her the confidence to continue with the breakup .

This is the complete opposite of what you want. After a girl breaks up with you, her first priority is to make sure her decision was the right one. She'll attempt to justify that decision to herself, to friends, and sometimes to family. In short, she wants to know she DID THE RIGHT THING.

By seeing how much you¡¯re still into her, and by talking to you through text messages, she's rating that decision . The more you chase her by answering her texts, the easier it is for her to run. Why? Because she knows SHE HAS YOU. She can go out, see other people, and always drift away ... all with the confidence of knowing you're a fallback plan in case something goes wrong.

"But I do not mind being her plan B. I can wait for her ..."

That's what you're thinking, right? This is what you told her?

Well forget that. That type of thinking is lame and desperate, at a critical time when you need to be as strong and Alpha as you possibly can.

Best Thing To Do When Texting Your Ex

Want to know the greatest thing you can do when an ex girlfriend text-messages you? Totally ignore her. Yes, I know you want her back. And yes, I know ignoring that text will probably be the hardest thing you've ever done. But believe me, writing her back is onlyifying her decision to stay broken up.

She's pushed you away, but she wants to keep you at arm's length. She wants the comfort of realizing she can have you back at any time, but with that knowledge comes the authority to go out and give some other guy another try.

There are 12 irreversible mistakes people make when trying to win an ex back. Texting with your ex is one of them. Learn what the rest of them are, because the sooner you can avoid making these errors the faster you can put your girl back in your arms again.

Reasons to Choose Custom Boxes for Your Business

The most important factor that determinates the success of any business is your relationship with your customers. So, the more effort you put into satisficing your customers, the better your growth prospects will be. While the first thing that must have popped in your mind on reading the above lines is, beyond any doubt, the 'product,' there is another - often overlooked- factor, ie the way you deliver your products. Here are four reasons why you should consider packaging and delivering your products in custom boxes:

1. Solution to budgeting problems

As a matter of fact, your way of delivery not only affects your business-customer relationship but can also improve or deter your budget, since your profit and revenue graph; the reason being the freedom and ability to choose the appropriate, or to be more precise, the exact size of the box for each product. Think for yourself- suppose you sell five different kinds of products varying sizes and fragility, and ship them all in the same sized box, would not that cause you to put in more money into providing extra protective sheaths for the smaller, fragile ones to keep it in place and reduce the risk of any damage? However, if you use a custom box of appropriate size, you would use just the right amount of protective layering, like bubble wraps, thereby saving money in the process.

2. Customer magnets

Putting a little bit of thought into the packaging, itself, shows that you care, and it is a well-known fact in the business realm that what your customers feel matters. Think of it from the perspective of the receiver. Would not a good, unique packaging thrill you? Would not it heighten the excitation of getting your chosen product? Moreover, it creates a positive experience for your customers, especially for e-commerce businesses where physical interaction with customers is close to nil, which in turn increases the chance of being recommended. So, custom boxes can be used as an effective marketing technique to score more potential customers.

3. Unique Brand Identity

There are many businesses that are primarily known for their unique packaging boxes. For instance, Amazon or Origami Craft Box or John & Kira's. These boxes infuse a sense of passion and appeal to the customers by making the process of unboxing a little bit more rewarding. Secondly, it makes your business name and logo more identifiable. In fact, the more appealing your custom box's design is, more are the opportunities that your customers will keep it with them. Most people find it hard to toss out boxes that are too beautiful for trash. So, in a way, custom boxes help reflect and polish your brand identity.

Furthermore, if your custom boxes are also durable besides being eye-catchy, you can rest assured that your customers will keep them, and then you get the lifelong worth of continued advertising without any additional investment.

So, what's the wait for? Call in a meeting with your design and marketing team, and build your custom boxes to give your brand a new life.

Features And Advantages Of Frigidaire Refrigerators

When it comes to refrigerators, few brands are as respected and popular as Frigidaire. Starting off in 1918, Frigidaire has become an American symbol. The name Frigidaire itself is a pun on the word 'refrigerator'. The brand has managed to retain its significance and consumer base despite having been around for so long. In the 20th century, it was said that a Frigidaire fridge could be found in every second home. Although this may not be true because of the plethora of other companies, the quality and standard of the brand has not dipped.

Affordable, convenient and highly effective, the Frigidaire refrigerators remain a good choice for households.

There are several hundred models, designs and colors to choose from. It is known as the consumer's brand and holds true to the fact. You can find modern refrigerators like the side by side design or traditional "all refrigerators". There are many features which make a Frigidaire fridge stand apart from the rest.

Freezing

There are options for freezing and not freezing. If you are looking to get something frozen quickly, like ice, the Quick Freeze feature in your Frigidaire fridge will do the job for you. It works much faster than the usual freezer on top of the refrigerator. This way, you can freeze water into ice in a very short time. Frigidaire also offers models without the freezer included. The "all refrigerator" series includes only the fridge and is perfect for people who do not want anything frozen. You can use your Frigidaire fridge to freeze or not freeze any item.

Air Filter

Refrigerants tend to get musty and smelly if they remain closed or shut off for a long period. The air filters tend to get dirty which in turn makes the air inside the refrigerator stale as well. This is not good for the food or beverages you keep inside your fridge. Your Frigidaire fridge will alert you at the moment the air filter is dirty so that you know you have to clean it. This ensures that the air inside your fridge is fresh at all times and that the food you keep inside remains safe.

Water Dispenser

Some models of the Frigidaire refrigerators have a built-in water dispenser. A filtration system is installed to keep the water clean. If you buy a Frigidaire with a water dispensing system, you do not need to keep water bottles or a water cooler in your home. Their will be a dispenser in the door of the fridge which will give you clean and cool water at all times.

Energy Efficiency

Your Frigidaire fridge is an energy efficiency appliance. There is an energy saving mode installed. If you do not use your fridge for more than 24 hours, it will automatically shut down. Moreover, there is an alarm which rings if the door is left open or the fridge is getting too cold on the inside. Your Frigidaire fridge has been built to look after itself.

These features and many others make Frigidaire one of the best brands in the world of refrigerators. If you want to buy one for yourself, a Frigidaire fridge would make a good choice.

HEPA Vs. HEGA Filters - What's the Difference?

Many of us retreat to our homes for security and relaxation, only to find that our senses are constantly being attacked by a variety of asthma and allergy-related culprits.

The EPA has repeatedly warned the public of the dangers of poor indoor air quality, and unfortunately, even the most immaculate home can be teeming with pollutants. Virtually every home is affected by indoor particulates, and this is especially true if your home was built in the last 20 years or so, as energy-conservation efforts enacted in the 1970s required homes to be built especially air-tight. Common sources of indoor air pollutants can include dust, carpet, furnishings, household cleaning products, pets, and cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, exposure to these contaminants can result in a range of health problems such as asthma, allergies, respiratory disorders, and even cancer.

One way to combat these airborne irritants is to use a high-quality air purifier to clear the air. Air purifiers can also help remove vapors from carpets and textiles, cleaning products, and other pollution particulates that can jeopardize your health.

Studies have shown that clean air helps you sleep better and breathe easier, and looking for an air purifier may seem confusing at first. One of the most effective ways at controlling particulates is through the use of a high-efficient particulate filter, but finding the right kind of filter can even be difficult. Two popular types of air filters are HEPA and HEGA, and while these two terms may seem interchangeable, they are also quite different, as they are used to filter out different types of pollutants.

HEPA technology has been around since the 1930s and is essentially a type of filter media that allows air to pass through. This type of filter is highly efficient at particle abatement, and is 99.97% effective in capturing particles 0.3 microns or larger (including common pollutants such as dust, hair, dander, and pollen). HEPA technology was originally developed by the Atomic Energy Commission to create clean and safe environments for troops, researchers, and scientists.

Because of a HEPA filter's ability to remove particles from the air, it is the most common method of air purification. When purchasing an air purifier with HEPA filtration, look for True HEPA filters, as these must pass independent tests and perform at a certain standard to receive the distinction of a True HEPA filter. Also, when deciding on a HEPA air purifier, pay close attention to the filter's construction. Warm-roled HEPA filters are best, as these are not prone to cracking, and air purifiers utilizing warm-rolled and pleated HEPA filters also increase filtration efficiency.

On the other hand, HEGA filters serve a different purpose. HEGA stands for High Efficiency Gas Absorption, and this type of filter was developed about a decade ago by the British Army as a defense against chemical warfare. HEGA filters are composed of a carbon cloth and are considered to be many times more efficient than granulated activated carbon at adsorption of gaseous pollutants, chemicals, and odors. Because of their efficiency, light weight, and easy workability, air purifiers with HEGA filters are now becoming more popular, especially in air purifiers geared towards allergy, chemical, gas, and odor control. In fact, some air purifiers even use HEGA filters in combination with HEPA filters to provide complete air purification.

Therefore, by choosing a HEPA or HEGA air purifier, you can rest assured that you will get the same purification technology used by the government and have complete and thorough filtration of particulates, gases, and VOCs.

The Gold IRA Rollover: Learn How to Invest Like a Billionaire

It's been said that imitation is not only a great form of flattery, it's also the best way of learning and modeling on the success of others. If it's financial success you're looking for, what better role model could there be than a billionaire?

What Billionaires Know

Though their world views may have little in common, billionaires like George Soros, John Paulson, and Carlos Slim have all admitted to holding a part of their wealth in gold. Even Warren Buffet, who personally prefers what he calls "productive investments," admits that gold has served investors well especially during times of inflation.

Do you remember those dark, dark days of 2008 when the stock market's near crash caused retirement accounts to lose $ 2 trillion in a mere 15 months? Guess where your money could've been at that very same time gaining in value instead of losing it?

That's right, gold.

Had you purchased gold in 2001, by 2011 you'd have seen your investment grow by 700%. Let's say that again: a growth of 700%. This same decade was also one of the rockiest economic periods in human history. As the stock market fell, gold thrived. Why? Because when the stock market tumbles and big money investors look for other safer places for their money, precious metals is often where they go.

Could this all happen again? Well, today we're inside the largest stock market bubble in history. Many experts believe it's only a matter of time before that bubble bursts again. If you do not want to again see your retirement accounts lose their value because of another collapse of the economy, the time to change your investment process is now.

Why the Billionaires Own Gold

Gold is nature's hard asset. Gold has been civilization's store of value for thousands of years because gold is a tangible and finite resource with high intrinsic value. Gold is an alternate form of money all over the world. (It was mentioned in the Bible 417 times.) Gold is not subject to the sections of dilution and devaluations of other paper investments like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Neither is the value of gold at the mercy of governments or financial institutions. It can not be printed like money, and unlike stocks, it will not ever merge or split. Gold historically moves against the direction of the stock market. Billionaires know that gold is an excellent way to reduce the volatility and vulnerability in their capitals.

If you want to protect and preserve your wealth, there's no better place than gold.

When Is the Best Time to Buy Gold?

Many market oracles believe, at the time I'm writing this, that gold is in the final stage of a bear market. Some experts believe that at current prices gold is still undervalued by as much as 50%. This may be the epic rise that gold experts have been overing over the years.

But even if it does not experience an epic rise in value, gold is still a necessary means to protect the value and diversify the portfolio you've got.

The best time to buy gold may be now.

How to Bring Gold into your IRA

If you have a self-directed IRA , you can direct some of your IRA funds to be invested into gold. The only requirement is that the gold meets certain purity and refinement standards. The easiest way to invest in gold is through a self-directed IRA.

A self-directed IRA investment is like a regular IRA except that you the investor get to choose how your IRA funds will be invested instead of the trustees or custodian. This gives you flexibility to invest your money in whatever way you feel comfortable. It can also ensure that you are always aware of where your money is and how it is being invested.

In this IRA the gold does not get delivered to you once you purchase it. The reason for this is that delivery of the gold would be considered a disbursement of your IRA and you would probably be obligated to pay penalties. Therefore, once you've decided to put your money towards gold, you will then have that gold delivered and held for you at a designated depository. You will be informed when your gold reaches the depository and you will never have to worry about your gold ever being taken out of the depository or used by anyone but you.

Learn What the Billionaires Know

Billionaires may not have to worry about retirement 401 (k) s and IRAs, but the rest of us do. Now you can learn to invest like a billionaire by downloading our new FREE mini-course entitled "Essential Guide to Successful Gold & Silver Investing." This powerful course was designed to offer tips and expert advice appropriate for both the savvy investor and the beginner and could save you thousands of dollars in your own investing decisions. While you may not be able to live like a billionaire, at least today you can learn to invest like one.