Sunshine Blog

The safety of children on Myspace and other social networks is of growing concern in today’s online society. The press continually talks to issues regarding child stalkers and perverts waiting around every corner of Myspace. But how much truth and risk is really involved with Myspace or its social network counter parts, and what can you do to reduce any risk that might be involved with your children using Myspace?

In reality there is a concern for younger children who use Myspace, if they have no been properly warned. Children can easily stumble upon people posing as other children. It’s very simple for someone to create a false Myspace profile, from a false email address and connect from an anonymous or false IP address. This means they’re essentially untraceable… even by the FBI, despite what they may claim.

Myspace has had a lot of bad publicity recently over sexual assaults that may have originated from connections on myspace’s network. But can you blame myspace.com http://myspace.com for these actions of others? I lean away from thinking you can. The blame should lie more with parents then the connecting network. Myspace is only one of hundreds or thousands of networks and chat tools kids can use and sexual predators can take advantage of… Myspace is simply the largest and the best news story for media outlets to cover.

Parents should play an active role in monitoring their child’s internet usage, not just Myspace usage. There are monitoring tools to help keep an eye on what your kids are doing even while you’re away. Some of these programs will keep logs of every website your child visits and every chat session he or she has with friends. If your child is old enough to tell though you may want to warn him before hand as it can be a very sensitive subject for a parent to be monitoring a teenager who feels they can take care of themselves. Also these programs claim to be undetectable but keep in mind many teenagers today know more about computers than you could imagine and may be able to remove this software.

Keep an eye out on your kids and keep them safe!

Todd Dickerson is a full-time Web Developer and an authority in social networks. He has a large number of myspace resource sites such as www.everylayout.com http://www.everylayout.com .

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Just beneath the high mountain range of the African Atlas is the red city of Morocco known as Marrakech. With a culture that has grown to be so vibrant, free, and pure, who would have known that this imperial city only started as another pit stop for medieval caravans? However, regardless of its humble beginnings, you’ll still be bound by its magic spell with the warmth of its people, inspiring history, and colorful tradition. Standing in the middle of the red city walls, you’ll know for sure that you’re in for a timeless escape with Marrakech travel. But to make the most out of your journey to this spellbinding exotic destination, here are the top eight things you shouldn’t dare miss on your Marrakech travel:

1. Relive the memories of the old city.

The 13th century walls that surround the medina is reminiscent of ancient struggles and battles that took place in Morocco. A tour around the age-old fortresses, gates, and tanneries in your Marrakech travel is a good photo opportunity for tourists. Not only that, you’ll also enjoy the inviting spirit of the modern city amidst the well-preserved relics, natural wonders, and architectural pieces of the past. With friendly people and bustling activities around the corner, you’ll enjoy every minute of this experience.

2. Get lost with the crowd at Djemaa el Fna.

This large square that lies at heart of the old city is teeming with too many spectacles and surprises. From bargain shopping to snake charming, you’ll never have a dull moment in your Marrakech travel. Open your eyes to a lot of things, which include juggling acts, musical performances, as well as belly dancing. You don’t even have to worry about losing your way back to your hotel. As overwhelmingly large as it can be, the square offers a winding escape to interesting sites around the city.

3. Take a spiritual retreat.

They say that paying a visit to popular trails of mosques, churches, and other places of worship is a wonderful Marrakech travel experience that can be life-altering. However, for those who only wish to satisfy their curiosities, time is well-spent in admiring some of the most exquisite architectural designs in the world. You’ll be stunned how Marrakech was able to preserve the intricate details and premedieval style of these structures but much more, how it preserved its solemnity. The famous pilgrimage for the seven saints is also found in this city, while the Saadian tombs is highly recommended by most tourist guides.

4. Shop and explore its very best.

Popular market stands also known as souks offer the best treat for bargain shopping. The bazaar is usually filled with exotic finds such as metal works, wood pieces, baskets, and leather sets– some of which, you’ll only find in Morocco. You’ll also be advised not to end your Marrakech travel without a belt, jewelry, carpet, or any form of clothing that are found in the souk.

5. Take a journey to the past.

Marrakech is one of the best places to find age-old ceramics, paintings, mosaic, jewelries, and fabrics. Its museums house prestigious artifacts that date back to more than a thousand years. Manuscripts, contemporary arts, and traditional clothing are among the well-preserved collection. You may also take note in your Marrakech travel experience that museums here are not just brick-and-mortar structures but are also adorned with verdant gardens.

6. Stay in luxurious Riads in Marrakech.

Your Marrakech travel experience will not be complete without staying in the city’s famous Riads. These are residential facilities that top any 5-star hotel in modern cities. With luxurious rooms, overlooking views of the fountain, roof top terraces, and exquisite decorations, Riads are one of the best reasons to stay in Marrakech.

7. Experience the colorful tradition of Morocco.

Embrace the Moroccan culture through entertainment activities and festivals in Marrakech. The Popular Arts Festival is a good way to add more life to your Marrakech travel adventures. Have a great time with fortune-tellers, fire swallowers, and acting troupes in the culmination of this festivity. Apart from carnival spectacles, you’ll also witness the horse-riding parade known as Fantasia.

8. Treat yourself to fun-filled activities.

Popular streams of casinos, discos, and bars are found in the city. But remember, alcoholic drinks are not allowed. Chances are, you’ll have to stay sober all night. Apart from enjoying Western hits and Moroccan pop music, your Marrakech travel adventure can never be complete without experiencing a taste of its gourmet paradise. Most cafes and restaurants in Marrakech offer a fusion of flavors from home grown recipes to international dishes.

Rcon Franchesca Pascua is an in-house writer for the online media company Intelligraph Corporation. She enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and writing about her Morocco travel adventures. For more information on Marrakech travel, visit www.morocco-emotions.com http://www.morocco-emotions.com

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Once you have your book completed and out in the marketplace you cannot sit back and hope the sales will be great unless you have no desire or care to see it sell, YOU have to promote it. So, what can you offer that will boost customer confidence and promote additional sales? Of course there are the traditional promotion tools, e.g., advertising, blogging, banner cross-promotion with other websites with themes that you book can enhance, etc.

Publishing a newsletter is a great idea too, and a very popular way of supplementing the information that your book already provides, but the communication with your customers is still one-way. To really get your customers involved, you need a way for them to participate and contribute whether it be by asking questions, or by sharing their experiences and you providing validation of their efforts. With a newsletter this is difficult because customers do not want to submit a question or share an experience and then have to wait until the next publication to get a response. They also like to participate in near real-time. If you choose to set up a blog and allow customer/reader comments, you may find customers apprehensive about posting because there is no privacy to their post and their post itself is subject to public rebuttals. After trying both, I found very little willingness on the part of my customers to contribute or to supply content to share with other customers.

One of the things I found that is really appreciated is to set up a restricted access message board for customers only. This seems to be popular with customers for several reasons, including:

1) It gives them a place where they can communicate with other customers and discuss various topics of your book.

2) It allows them to share their experiences with each other as they work their way through what you have conveyed in your book.

3) It gives you a platform for sharing additional explanations or information that you may not want to share with the world by posting it on your website.

4) It gives your customers a place to ask questions that you can answer.

5) Access is restricted, so your customers get a sense of it not only being their special place, but that they are protected from the harassment and intimidation normally associated with open message boards.

6) The message board will allow you to answer common questions once rather than answering individual customer emails.

Besides being a way of establishing additional credibility, providing a message board for your customers is a great way to say Thank You to them and to let them know that you are not just interested in selling them a book, you are interested in making sure they are able to implement what it teaches. You will also realize, and very quickly, that your customers can teach you a few things about the very topic you wrote a book about. This is a good thing because learning a few things from your customers and accepting that you do not know everything about the subject gives your customers a feeling that you are genuinely interested in listening to them.

You might also consider inviting some other experts on the topic to join your message board. This will not only add to the content of the board, it demonstrates to your customers that the intent of the board really is to help them and that you do not feel threatened by having another expert involved.

I believe that if you opt to give this concept a try, and let your customers know before they purchase your book that the board is there for them, you will find the entire scenario to be a win-win situation.

Michael E. Mould is the author of Online Bookselling: A Practical Guide with Detailed Explanations and Insightful Tips, [Paperback ISBN 1427600708, CD-ROM ISBN 1599714876] and the developer of Bookkeeping for Booksellers [CD ISBN 1427600694], you can learn more about online bookselling at: www.online-bookselling.com http://www.online-bookselling.com .

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Vince Lombardi once said: ‘If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm’. To live life without passion is living the life of a zombie - forever wandering without purpose or zeal.

Passion is the fuel that fires up the engine of personal development and growth. If this vital ingredient is lacking in your life, then it’s just a matter of time before you become past tense - literally!

Internet marketing, and any other marketing for that matter, is all about being passionate about the products and services you are pushing. The cut-throat competition on the internet will annihilate you within seconds if you are not passionate about the internet business. The blatant in-your-face marketing techniques being used by internet marketers are bound to leave you stuck-in-the-mud, unable to decide whether to go home or hit the home run!

The famous artist, Michelangelo, when confronted with a piece of marble, saw an angel trapped therein. When everyone else saw an ugly piece of marble, Michelangelo saw a masterpiece of one of his best works of art. And so, slowly by slowly, he started chipping away at the rough edges of the rock to reveal the beautiful angel within.

The Internet is like that piece of marble. You are the Michelangelo of the internet. Whereas everyone else says it’s impossible to make money on the internet, your passion tells you that beneath the dime-a-dozen get-rich-quick scams on the Internet today, there is a real opportunity to make enough money to make you financially FREE! You may not have as yet figured out exactly how to do this, but there is this inner voice telling you there is a gold mine on the internet - all you need is to find it!

When I started dabbling in internet marketing, I knew almost nothing about how to do business on the internet. However, something kept telling me that there is a real opportunity to do business and make money on the internet. Being from a third world country, the possibility of doing business and marketing to anyone in the world made the internet look very attractive indeed. I had found my gold mine - all I needed was to look for the gold!

Before you engage in any venture, first and foremost establish whether you have the passion for it. You may not have all the facts or all the resources required, but being passionate about it ensures that you hit the ground running. If you don’t have the passion for it, don’t even start - even if you have all the resources!

According to ‘Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary’, passion is ‘an enthusiastic interest or direction of the mind’. Passion therefore has more to do with one’s state of mind towards something. If you are enthused enough to undertake a certain project, then it means that you have the passion to accomplish that project. Do you see now why I say that passion is not about resources or technical ability?

If you believe you can, you can!

There is no greater power in this world than the power of believing! The journey to success is first of all won in the mind - the rest is just technical! Walt Disney may not have lived to see the success of his Disney land empire, but, as his wife testified during the opening ceremony, he actually saw it! How? The whole Disney land idea was birthed and constructed in his mind. The rest was implementation.

Attaining success on the internet is not different. You must first of all see yourself as successful before you can become successful. Most people fail because they start off fearing they will fail. So, before you even start an internet venture, honestly establish the mental roadblocks which could be detrimental to your success. Once you establish these roadblocks, start removing them one by one and replace them with positive believe systems.

A paradigm shift: Changing your belief systems

Belief systems are those things that have for years been drummed into your mind - consciously or unconsciously - such that you now automatically accept them as absolute truths. Any other system of belief that flies contrary to your system of belief is automatically ejected (consciously or unconsciously) by your mind.

Before Christopher Columbus discovered that the earth was round, everyone else hitherto took it for granted that the earth was flat. With his momentous discovery, Columbus was able to effectively shift the people from their earlier system of belief (that the earth was flat), to the new-found belief system. I’m sure it was not easy to convince everyone that the earth was round! However, because he was passionate about his discovery, it was not difficult to demonstrate to all and sundry - the naysayer included - that the earth was indeed round!

If you are already fired up with passion, then you have already made the crucial paradigm shift. Now lay out a plan and get your tools out; and start toiling! Someone said ‘it will work if you work it’. Work it! However, if your mind is still etched in the realm of impossibilities and ‘I’m-not-sure-I-can-make-it’ syndrome, then it’s time to reevaluate your long-held values and start replacing them with the infinite possibilities of success. As you practice this everyday, you will soon realize that what you thought as unattainable is well within your reach.

Innocent Mwangi Gathungu is a motivational and inspirational writer and speaker. For more information and other articles like this one, visit his websites at www.ssmk.net http://www.ssmk.net and at www.realopportunity.org http://www.realopportunity.org .

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Bass Fishing in Shallow Water

Bass fish, including the largemouth are notorious for feeding in shallow waters. For this reason novice anglers will use contour maps, or depth finders to locate areas where bass flock together. Since bass will scatter in shallow waters, it is important to find structures where fish group. Novice anglers will avoid frightening bass in shallow water as well. The fish tend to fright easily. Moreover, anglers will move around the waters, scouting the areas. As well, novice anglers will use a variety of lures, particular the presentations (Lures) that retract swiftly. NOTE: When bass join in schools, it is easiest to catch more than one fish.

Anglers who hunt bass often return to locations where they had previously caught fish. For this reason, bass anglers will mark areas to reduce confusion. Take markers with you if you intend to head off on a bass fishing trip. Novice anglers also recommend that you avoid making noises that scare the fish. If you use a boat while fishing, make sure that you avoid running the overboard. In addition, cast your line in areas that do not shadow the fish. Furthermore, when you cast your line, make sure that you extend it away from the boat. The distance you cast often brings good results.

How to choose bass bait:

Anglers often use crankbait or spinnerbait to catch largemouth bass, or related bass. The bait is one of the easiest to retract, or replace quickly. Spinnerbait rotates in the water, especially when the line is reeled in. In brushy or weedy areas, anglers will use weed-less presentations to avoid entrapment, i.e. entangling their line. In brush clumps, anglers will use rods that are rigged with plastic bait, such as artificial worms. The rod and lures assist anglers in working sufficiently. Tip: In deep water, using bread dough, I have caught some of the largest bass in Florida waters.

Fishing:

Anglers will consider casts, fan-cast, spot-cast, position, movement, and lures when fishing. The lures are factored into the structure. For instance, if bass structure is shallow anglers will consider poppers, Texas-Riggs, Floating Weed-less lures, such as the artificial worms, buzz bait, etc. Anglers will also consider spinnerbait, crankbait, artificial minnows, spinners, weed-less spoon, and so on.

Holding your catch

When anglers cast spinnerbait in shallow structures, the angler will direct his catch away from the bushes, weeds, trees, etc, to avoid entwining. To fan-cast, anglers will direct their boat to flat waters. Anglers will gradually and quietly, use their troll motor to manipulate the boat to avoid disturbing the fish.

Boat position plays a part in bass fishing as well. Anglers will often quietly move their boat to the center waters, or channels of the creek before casting. The lure is retrieved at the point of drop off. In addition, the angler may move his boat along the channels and continue casting his line in various parts of the water. Use your maps, or depth finder for best results.

Areas in the water where the shorelines have slopes, the angler will move slowly. In addition, the angler will maintain his boat at a distance to avoid frightening the fish, as well as avoid weeds. During spot-cast, anglers will search for areas, such as flats, sunken islands, clumps where thick weed resides, single bushes or trees, etc. Bass tend to dwell in these areas.

NOTE: Always cast your line toward the wind for best results.

Shallow bass fishing structures differ from deep-water fishing. It is important to learn that deep-water bass fishing is more, extreme than common shallow water bass fishing.

Byron Branfield

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Xango Mangosteen Juice

The Mangosteen is a fruit that grows in tropical regions all over the world but is indigenous to southeast Asia. Known as the Queen of Fruits, it has been used in herbal medicine for many centuries by different cultures around the globe. The rind or pericarp contains xanthones that are proven to be 100 times more powerful as an antioxidant than Vitamin A, C & E.

There are over 40 different xanthones in the Mangosteen fruit. Each xanthones has a different health benefit. Xango can be used to treat inflammation, arthritis, IBS, sleep disorder, mild depression, diabetes, infection, cancer just to name a few. Xanthones have over forty research papers written about them, and plenty of medical doctors use Xango as a supplement in their practice. Please see the website to hear what the doctors are saying and do your own research at www.pubmed.com.

Xango is the only company that incorporates the entire fruit into their Mangosteen juice dietary supplement. The trick is to make it taste good while maintaining the medicinal benefits of the pericarp. While the pericarp is the part that contains most of the xanthones, it is also very bitter. The other Mangosteen drinks use only an extract or just the inner fruit.

The word Xango is a combination made up of two words. The first part Xan comes from xanthones, and the go comes from Mangosteen.

If you would like to learn more, try a bottle or sign up as a distributor for only $35 and get the product at wholesale price go to the website www.xmangosteendistributor.com http://www.xmangosteendistributor.com

Drink to better health and to more wealth.

Lukas L Rethke

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As a book marketing guy and book publicist it’s imperative for me to keep up with all of the great books and magazine articles being published on the topic of book marketing.

I’ve read dozens and dozens of books on book marketing and usually have found a morsel or two of useful information in each one. Here’s a list of my favorites. By the way, I’ve personally met or have spoken to each author and can attest to the veracity of the material they present and their credentials to discuss these topics.

PyroMarketing. Book marketing professionals know the secrets of success that drove the sales of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life to a chart-busting best-seller and Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” into a huge cinema phenom. Those of us in the business understand that sales of both blockbusters were driven by techniques outlined in a book called PyroMarketing by Greg Stielstra who gained fame in book publishing circles when he served as the marketing director for The Purpose Driven Life, the best-selling hardcover book in history.

PyroMarketing embraces an idea that really has been in use for some time - niche marketing. That tool is well-known and used every day by book promoters but Stielstra lays out the niche marketing principles with a new, crystal clear message that is so compelling that it is a must-read for anyone who wants to promote an idea, service or product. Read my in-depth review and watch a short entertaining video on the concept at: www.westwindcos.com. Buy it at: www.pyromarketing.com.

The Web-Savvy Writer: Book Promotion with a High-Tech Twist

This is an excellent “how to” book on the ins and outs of online book promotion and publicity focusing on the latest technology. Author Patrice-Anne Rutledge is a bestselling author, successful technology journalist, and online book promotion expert who has utilized online marketing techniques extensively to promote her books and writing career. Patricia plows new ground filling the gap in the book promotion marketplace with her highly focused book on bringing technology to the forefront in a book marketing campaign. “Web-Savvy Writer” is a MUST read if you want to utilize the most cost effective and viral methods in promoting your book like blogs, pay per click advertising, online reviews, ezines and more. After reading a few chapters you’ll soon realize what you don’t know about online marketing could fill volumes. She’s truly brilliant. Buy the online version of the book as it has hundreds of clickable links at: www.websavvywriter.com

John Kremer’s “1001 Ways To Market Your Books”

His 6th Edition published in 2006 describes more than 1000 ideas, tips, and suggestions for marketing books - all illustrated with real-life examples showing how other authors and publishers have marketed their books. John, who is a walking encyclopedia about book marketing says, “Eighty percent of all books are sold by word of mouth, but it’s publicity that primes the marketing pump. Remember that you cannot do everything, so hire the right persons to do the things you can’t do. If you’re not comfortable doing your own publicity, then hire someone who does it for a living. I could not have said it better. Be sure to check out his seminars on book marketing held around the U.S. too. Find out about that and his book at: www.bookmarket.com

Author! Screenwriter! How to Succeed as a Writer in New York and Hollywood

I always enjoy talking with Peter Miller, President, PMA Literary Film and Management, Inc. He’s one of the “big” agents in New York City. Known as ‘The Literary Lion,’ he has successfully managed over 1,000 books and dozens of motion picture and television properties. From big names like Vincent Bugliosi to the “next big star” he’s had eleven New York Times bestsellers and eleven produced films that he has managed or executive produced. He likes to do “three book deals” once he gets a writer he likes. In addition, he has a substantial number of film and television projects currently in active development. He divides his time between New York and Los Angeles, and frequently tours the country to speak at writers’ conferences and workshops. His insight into the publishing world and Hollywood is priceless. Buy his book, but if you can see him in person do it and tell him I said hi! www.pmalitfilm.com.

I strongly recommend the purchase of MAXIMUM EXPOSURE Marketing System Book Marketing Training Program for Publishers and Authors by Tami DePalma and Kim Dushinski. This is a very well written resource that teaches authors all about marketing their book. For example they have a complete list of reviewers you can send your book to, sample timelines, lists of distributors and much more. You can stay on top of the changes in the market too as they keep it updated on their web site and blog. Believe me, if it’s not in here it’s not important. Buy it at: www.MX-TheMatrix.com.

Since understanding all of the money making opportunities with your book can be a daunting task, I also recommend that you purchase Jim Donovan’s How to Write, Publish & Sell Your Book and Turn it Into a Never-ending Money Machine. His system will teach you the inner workings of the book business and how to leverage your books so they generate substantial multiple streams of income long after they’ve been published. Jim Donovan’s books have been published in eighteen countries and are being read by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world so he knows what he’s talking about. www.writepublishsellyourbook.com

Free Book! That’s right, Midpoint Trade Books, a major book distributor has published an excellent handbook which features seven keys that are important for independent publishers to understand and master. If you want a quick read on everything you need to know about publishing, printing, editing, marketing and distributing your book then this is the one. The importance of using a book marketing professional is stressed by author Eric Kampmann, President of Midpoint Trade Books. Says Kampmann, Of course, there are many reasons why a book might become a success or even a bestseller, but we believe that the single best investment for you is an effective publicist. The 7 Keys To Publishing Success can be downloaded at no charge at: www.midpointtrade.com

Here’s a Very Expensive Book… but well worth the price. Its called “The Insider’s Guide to Large Quantity Book Sales.” Quite literally exactly what the title implies. BTW, we’re talking thousands of books at a time! Do I have your attention? You’ll be very impressed by the insight provided in the material about selling your book in large numbers. You have useful contact information for book club buyers and more importantly how to pitch and position your book for consideration. It also has sample contracts and agreements which are easily worth hundreds of dollars in saved legal fees alone if you had your attorney draft the documents. Written and published by the Jenkins Group Inc, this book is the result of years of the author, Jerrold Jenkins, publishing and selling massive quantities of books. If you are serious about selling large quantities of books and want the inside tips from a publisher who does it every day, then make the investment and download the book at: www.specialmarketbooksales.com/ http://www.specialmarketbooksales.com/

Author 101 Bestselling Book Publicity: The Insider’s Guide to Promoting Your Book–and Yourself. One thing about the book marketing and book promotion business is that there are so many nice people in the business. I rank Rick Frishman as one of the top publicists in the U.S. not to mention he’s a nice guy too! His book, co-authored by Robyn Freedman Spizman and Mark Steisel, offers advice and insight about every stage of the publishing world. Using testimonials and commentary, this book lets authors, agents, and publishers alike show you the things you should and shouldn’t do in promoting your book. Buy it at Amazon

Brian Jud’s “Beyond The Bookstore” is a terrific book about selling your book to everyone else other than a bookstore. I met Brian while co-presenting on a panel at a Learning Annex seminar in NYC on the topic of book marketing. I covered the topic of book publicity, he covered selling books. Brian Jud says since more than half of all book sales come from outside bookstores it’s important to target these markets. Mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart or Costco, gift shops, airport stores, home-shopping networks, book clubs, libraries, network-marketing companies, catalogs, associations, government agencies, corporations, educational markets, retail stores and military branches all buy and sell books.

Brian walks you through creating a special sales plan, where to find the people you need to contact to make your pitch. If you really want to sell books outside the bookstore market then buy Beyond the Bookstore at: www.bookmarketingworks.com

Book Marketing A-Z by Francine Silverman. More than 300 authors, marketers and publicists, including yours-truly tell about their best promotional strategies with regards to book marketing. You’ll undoubtedly find several good ideas to implement. While you’re at it, check out Fran’s Book Promotion Newsletter which for $7.50 a year is the best value in book marketing in the USA. Buy her book here: www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

There are many books out there on the topic of book marketing, book publishing and just plain everyday business marketing in general. You can read the ones I’ve described above but unless you want to spend days and weeks learning about book marketing, you might find it useful to retain an expert on book marketing or hire an experienced book publicist. I am sure that after you read two or three of these you’ll seriously question the idea of self promotion.

Why? The reason is that today’s book market is extremely competitive. The world is awash in books. Bowker (The keeper of all ISBNs) says that in 2005 more than 172,000 books were published in the United States, plus 206,000 published in the UK. How can Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, your local library or anyone else effectively sell or showcase that number let alone the millions of previously printed titles? The answer: They can’t.

Furthermore, I do not recommend self-promotion, for the same reason you don’t cut your own hair. You can do it, but it’s not going to be that good. Book marketing and book promotion requires special skills and most authors simply do not know how to market a book nor do they have the time or, more importantly, the patience. A publicist develops and nurtures relationships with writers, editors and producers so they trust us when we give them a story idea about a book or author.

The bottom line: While I do recommend these books as a basis for understanding the book marketing and book promotion process a wise author would be even wiser to retain a book publicist to market and promote their book. If you come to the same conclusion please by all means give me a call!

Scott Lorenz is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in book marketing and author publicity. His clients have been featured by Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, CNN, ABC Nightly News, The New York Times, Nightline, TIME, PBS, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Family Circle, Woman’s World, & Howard Stern to name a few. To discuss how Westwind Communications helps authors get all the publicity they deserve and more call 734-667-2090 or email scottlorenz@westwindcos.com scottlorenz@westwindcos.com . For more information visit www.westwindcos.com/book http://www.westwindcos.com/book

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Is our nation’s water as clean as we would like to believe it is? The Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 to prevent the discharge of pollutants in surface waters throughout the country. According to the Sierra Club, approximately 70% of the nation’s waters were unsuitable for fishing or swimming in the 1960s. But has the CWA been effective at protecting and restoring our water resources?

Since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) feels that improvements have been made in the advancement of water treatment. Although America has one of the cleanest and safest water supplies in the world, the EPA agrees that water problems do exist in certain parts of the country. While most of our waters have achieved safe standards, more than 1/3 of the nation’s waters continue to fail to meet the standards for their designated use.

Recently, industry groups have continued to push for further leniency of the regulations that govern industrial pollution. For quite some time, dredge and fill permits have been issued for specific industrial projects. Although these permits are already allowing substantial damage to be caused to many national waters, these groups are seeking to gain nationwide permits, which would allow them to legally pollute waters throughout the nation by the means of certain industrial activities.

With the population of our country continuing to grow, so are the demands that we place on our water resources. As these demands increase, we must strengthen the importance of water protection and restoration in the United States; otherwise, legalized pollution may begin to affect our water quality more and more each year.

So how can you help to ensure that the water in your area is clean and safe? Take a step toward improving the water quality in your community by participating in the annual World Water Monitoring Day. The program seeks to raise public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources. By administering simple monitoring tests and reporting the data to the WEF, you can help to improve the water quality in your area. To learn more about participating visit www.worldwatermonitoringday.org http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org .

You can also help by informing your senators and state representatives that you want clean water by visiting www.cleanwateraction.org http://www.cleanwateraction.org . Let them know that you are opposed to weakening the safeguards of the Clean Water Act. Clean water should be available to everyone in the country. Do your part to ensure that water in your area as well as the rest of the country is clean and safe.

Elizabeth Catalanotto is a representative for Mid South Chemical, www.midsouthchemical.com http://www.midsouthchemical.com , a leading manufacturer of water treatment chemicals.

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Everywhere I go I am bombarded with messages of blame. Who is to blame for the war? George Bush, of course. Oh, but wait, it’s the terrorists. Who is responsible for global warming? Why it’s those stupid republicans for not paying attention to the environment. No, no, it’s the capitalist businessmen, for continuing to develop the world for their own profit. Whose fault is that I got fired? It’s that idiot boss of mine.

When something goes wrong, our human brains are wired to look for someone or something to blame. Our mammalian ancestors have left us with a remnant of a brain wired to respond to problems by assigning blame. It’s a survival mechanism that allows us to ascertain where the problem for something lies and then we can figure out how to solve the problem based on who is to blame. It’s an automatic reaction. The caveman bumps into a tree, “Oh, bad tree. Must walk around next time.” “Oh, bad tiger ate my friend. Must find new way to river.”

Obviously I am over simplifying here, but you get the idea. By knowing what the cause of a problem is we have a better shot at solving it, and surviving it. The problem is that our old brain mechanism of looking for blame doesn’t help in our more complicated modern world. Yet it is so automatic that it has become an accepted part of our way of functioning in the world, in spite of the difficulties that it engenders.

What blame does is to assign all responsibility for something on to someone or something in order to meet our survival needs. We either absolve ourselves of all responsibility for something by blaming someone else, thereby perpetuating the belief that we are blameless and innocent. Or we assume all responsibility for something in order to reinforce the idea that we are shameful, and bad. How does the latter help us survive?

Well, if the alternative is to blame someone that we think is perfect or at least too good to blame, we get to hold on to the fantasy of that person’s perfection by blaming ourselves. And, if we have spent our entire lives believing that we are no good, then we have to continue to keep up the appearance that we are no good or we will shatter our view of the world and ourselves.

Blame sets the world up into neat categories. There is a Victim, a Villain and a Rescuer. It’s all predictable and easy to understand. We can feel powerful and in control when we understand who is to blame and who are the victims. It’s all black and white and tied up in a neat bow that everyone understands. We can all get on board with the Rescuer and feel sorry for the poor Victim. We can all gang up against the evil Villain and feel good about ourselves because we are not the Villain; we are the Rescuer or even the innocent Victim, but not the evildoer.

After 9/11 all of the United States needed someone to blame for the horror. We needed an enemy to fight because we all felt so wounded by the loss of the twin towers and the thousands they held inside. We all felt completely helpless and out of control. Finding someone to blame helped us to shore up a sense that we were not helpless and that we could fight back. Attributing the blame for 9/11 onto Bin Ladden gave us a tangible “evildoer” that we could fight. It was easy for us to line ourselves up against the wretched Suddam Hussein with little evidence because we still needed an enemy. Afghanistan was under control, though we have yet to capture Bin Ladden, we could re-focus on the real cause, Suddam. Our need to blame and fight our persecutors led us into an ill-conceived battle that will not end any time soon. Yet our instincts told us to find someone to blame and to fight the evildoer (Villain).

Today, few of us believe that blaming Suddam for the Twin Towers makes any sense. But at the time, it was what our country impulsively did to try to regain a sense of control. Blaming Suddam was easy, he was an evil man who had tortured and massacred thousands of people. But he was not responsible for our victimization. In our instinctive, reactionary need to find someone to blame, we attacked his regime.

Now we find ourselves blamed for the miserable conditions in Iraq and find that we have only really hurt ourselves and not done much to resolve the issues that led up to the tragedy of 9/11.

When we apply blame, the result is always the same, misery and pain. Blame sets up a situation in which there is no hope of escape. We blame someone and then they blame us for our reactions. Suddam was seen as to blame for our misery, and now the US is seen as being to blame for the nightmare of Iraq as it is today. Blame has no end. It’s like the gangsters shooting a gang member in retaliation for the murder of one of their gang. The cycle cannot stop until someone discovers and alternative reaction.

We are mammals, but we do not have to respond with our mammalian brain. We do have an evolved brain capable of higher order thinking. We can see beyond our instincts and choose to behave differently than our mammalian brain would have us. We can choose to learn to take ownership of whatever our part in a conflict may be, to respect the others involved, and to have empathy for the situation of other person. This requires thoughtful consideration and not reflexive action. This requires an understanding of how our defensive mechanisms can fool us into thinking that the only way to survive is with blame.

Melody Brooke, MA, LPC, LMFT is an author, motivational speaker, workshop presenter and counselor. Melody holds an MA in Counseling and Guidance from Texas Woman’s University. She is also a Certified Radix Practitioner, Right Use of Power Teacher and InterPlay Teacher. Melody’s 19 years work with individuals, couples and families provides her with a unique approach to solving clients’ problems. Her life-altering book, “Cycles of the Heart: A way out of the egocentrism of everyday life”, is based on her experience helping people resolve their relationship difficulties with themselves and others. To find out more about Cycles of the Heart go to /www.melodybrooke.com http:///www.melodybrooke.com

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These power tools are mainly used to plunge-cut the slots for wooden biscuits that strengthen and align joints. Whether you’re at the wood working shop or the job site, biscuit joiners are one of the most indispensable for mitered window casings, face frames, cabinet carcasses and more.

Nine biscuit joiners were tested in a recent product review. All of the plate joiners were more than capable of creating tight, durable joints. However, the most vital features were proven to be comfort, dust collection, slot sizes, blade changes and of course, fences.

The fence is the most significant part of biscuit joiners. To cut a slot in an edge that’s angled or to center the biscuit in any size of board, a fence is a necessity. The basic styles of fence, two of them are those that incorporate the height adjustment and angle into one mechanism, and those with two mechanisms of adjustment. Fences normally have an adjustment of angle on the left side and a height adjustment directly on the right-hand side. The height adjustments range from approximately 11 3/8 inches to 2 3/8 inches.

The best overall choice for biscuit joiners is the Lamello Top 2053 for $800. Lamello’s fence does everything one asks from a biscuit joiner. Lamello’s height stop is versatile as it can reach 2 3/8 inches to center biscuits in 4 ¾-inch boards. The Top 2053 has a unique micro adjustment knob that affords you to slide the blade up or down 2mm for placement of precision. Although the Top 20 53 doesn’t contain any accessories, at $800, it is better constructed for a woodworking shop than any job site. This Appliance has a wooden case.

As for the best value, the Porter-Cable 557 is big, full of features and versatile for $200. This power tool comes with an extra blade for the cutting of mini-biscuit slots. The fence makes it simple to manage large angles as it reaches 135 degrees and easy to adjust to 90 degree angles. The tool is a tad heavier and larger than most biscuit joiners, but the handles are very comfortable for usage.

The internet great offers on the Porter-Cable. You may also shop around for online book stores that has a bit less for $199 and it’s suggested to go with the Bessey KBK2440 Cabinet Door Clamp Kit for a total price at $318.99. The biscuit joiner delivers quality performance with accurate, smooth cuts.

Leon Groom writes about www.powertoolsmall.com http://www.powertoolsmall.com , Electric Reels and Home Depot.

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