"Christmas For One: Mental Health Over the Holidays"

--> "Christmas For One: Mental Health Over the Holidays"

My dear friend, poet Dessa Byrd Reed, often spends holidays alone as a widow. However, she doesn't see this, as many people often do, as a depressing circumstance. In a November 2000 POETIC VOICES interview, she said, "Because I am single and live alone, I eat out a lot. I love to talk to strangers. That's one of my favorite things. I go out for breakfast and talk to people."

Another talented writer, Leslie Lafayette, dealt with being a childless woman by choice in WHY DON'T YOU HAVE KIDS?: Living a Full Life Without Parenthood. You can bet that because of her choice many people would pity her. She writes the "Alone Again, Naturally" column for the outstanding magazine THE DESERT WOMAN. Observers might conclude she's miserable on the holidays.

Both Leslie and Dessa have full lives and radiate Christmas cheer, not just in December but all year round. While we all need human contact, it's a mistake to conclude that people without the traditional family dinner are all on suicide watch. Anyone who has negotiated where to have Christmas and which family members can come when, not to mention refereed in-law and spouse disputes, knows that the allure of having a table for one at Christmas is powerful.

However, when people aren't alone by choice, Christmas can be lonely. In Michigan, I interviewed a woman, the founder of a divorced and widowed support group, who chose to have Christmas dinner every year for lonely widows, widowers and divorced people, usually from her support group. Her children understood that she needed to start this new tradition in her new life.

Similarly, having children around, even with the relentless gimmes and commercialism, lends a special magic to Christmas, which is why playing Santa appeals to so many.

The holidays can be joyous if you're alone, or they can be difficult. As with so much, your feelings depend on your personality, your circumstances, your childhood, and in many cases on medical or psychological conditions.

Some tips to remember if you're alone or without your support system:

• Take advantage of counseling services in your community, including from your local church, synagogue, temple or other place of worship.
  

• Take time out for spirituality. You might attend services just to experience human contact and community. People are generally nicer at Christmas.
  

• Do all the things you wanted to do but couldn't in your former life. Travel. Even in this post-9/11 world, you can visit faraway places. There are many tour groups for singles.
  

• Attend art walks, holiday concerts, lectures, and movie screenings alone. Or invite a friend you haven't talked to in a while.
  

• Volunteer

Living as God - the Divine Book Review

--> Living as God - the Divine Book Review From an esoteric invitation, Namaste Publishing presented me with P. Raymond Stewart's "Living as God - Healing the Separation."

Unveiling the mysteries surrounding the great "I Am," Living as God is the quintessential resource for the soul searcher and curious minds alike. Opening the heart and mind, this metaphysical novel adds fresh dimension towards uncovering hidden knowledge to the ancient, illusive question: "Who is God?"

A divine comparison liken to the Tree of Life and its intricate and ever-expanding branches, Living as God redefines the sacred realm of spirituality and offers impromptu revelation of spellbinding enlightenment.

After meticulously reading Stewart's original book, I felt an overwhelming sense of philosophical awareness and total inner peace. Living as God is the culmination of divine intervention and candid, human introspect.

I recommend Living as God to those who have reached a spiritual plateau in their lives...and to those who seek clarity and compelling understanding of God's true essence. Living as God is certain in becoming a classic addition to any literary enthusiast's collection.

To find out more about P. Raymond Stewart, or how to obtain your copy of Living as God - Healing the Separation, visit P. Raymond Stewart Speaks today.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2005 - Living as God - the Divine Book Review
by C. Bailey-Lloyd
aka. Lady Camelot

Read this and other literature like this at Holistic Junction

C. Bailey-Lloyd
aka. Lady Camelot
Public Relations Director &
Writer
www.HolisticJunction.com
www.MediaPositiveRadio.com

Legacy - the Power Within: Book Review

--> Legacy - the Power Within: Book Review Legacy - how does one define it? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Legacy is defined as money or property bequeathed by will. In Tony DeLiso's (Expanded Edition) Book, "Legacy - the Power Within;" we are immersed in the realization of all that was, is and has the possibility to be through ones' innate legacy of positive reaffirmation.

Legacy - the Power Within conveys a powerful life lesson on how to take life by the reigns, and how to manifest dreams into reality. Applying simple practices of thought retraining, affirmation and faith, Mr. DeLiso's book explains how to integrate his seven steps in goal setting, problem solving and decision making to bring forth positive end results in individual lives!

Legacy - the Power Within is a beneficial, mental tool that helps rediscover ones' personal power and how to use this power to reprogram thinking patterns into an overall, healthier state of mind. Renewed thought patterns can develop into progressive and positive life changes. Thus, Legacy - the Power Within is an effectual guide for those seeking positive and personally, fulfilling lifestyles. Are you looking for personal empowerment? Have you lost insight into how to succeed in life? Perhaps, Legacy - the Power Within is for you.

For more information , Tony DeLiso, or his book, Legacy - the Power Within, visit Power Legacy.com today.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 2005 - Legacy - the Power Within: Book Review
by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
Public Relations' Director &
Staff Writer
www.holisticjunction.com
www.mediapositiveradio.com

C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
Public Relations' Director &
Staff Writer
www.holisticjunction.com
www.mediapositiveradio.com

Your Name on the Line

--> Your Name on the Line I might be in "big" trouble. Because some persons hacked into my e-mail box. I don't know who they are. But I am worried. No! Scared. Because I know its implications. And these may be far reaching

Your First Step To A Digital Publishing Empire

--> Your First Step To A Digital Publishing Empire The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an
impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain ? step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead
of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you've gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook's working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you'll find
that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in
anticipating and answering your reader's queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books ? as long as it's not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem.
All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you've got your thesis statement fine-tuned,
you've built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don't, they don't belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We've all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night's sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?

* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader's attention?

* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you
will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction,
and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most
interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly
consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four
subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook "user friendly"

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader's respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader's eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as "negative space."
Reader's eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense,
your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that's easy on the eyes, and stick to that font
family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they've gotten past your
introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on
the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don't forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that's called a "comma splice.")

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That's it! You've written a book! Now all you have to
do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

Writing Fiction to Get Rich

--> Writing Fiction to Get Rich

WRITING FICTION TO GET RICH
Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca

Some of us write simply because we can't not write. Ideas grab us, move us, and demand to be written. We strive to make it as real as we possibly can, to improve at our craft every day, hopefully to make it into the realm of literature as well as entertainment. We want to craft an entire world where the places and people are so real that the reader doesn't feel like he's reading a book as much as he is going to another place. In the lofty world of literature that we strive for, the reader will still think about the book after reading that last page. It's our gift to the reader, something to take with him. Given sufficient skill, this can even happen long after we are dead.

Then we learn that doesn't sell. Oh, there are exceptions. Some novelists make a living by consistently writing quality literature. But, there are quite a few best sellers who have no such goals. They write for money, and they make it.

Even the writer who has written great literature has trouble marketing it that way. We have to look at our "target audience." Who will buy this book? Let me see, our heroine survived spousal abuse, so there's an audience. There's a suicide, so we can get the bereavement crowd. Where's the setting? We can get a local audience. The hero's a cop. Maybe the teen boys will go for that. Nah, too light on action. But there's a romance. Maybe we'll market to the romance readers. Give the hero bedroom eyes and pass him off as a romantic hero. Yeah, that might work.

But if you want to write to get rich, even that's not enough. Nah, the time to think about your reader is before you write the book, not after.

Throw in lots of gratuitous sex, preferably extramarital. One (and only one) character who flirts and is sorely tempted and walks away from "love" to remain true to his wife.

Use taboo words for shock value. Ram, hump, scream, oral sex, voluptuous, female orgasm (the great revelation). Make sure a lot of your leads enjoy sex. Horny women are a good way to pull in the readers you want. We all know men are horny, but most of your readers haven't discovered that some women enjoy sex too. Tell them this. Give the female readers a balm for their consciences and the male readers someone to dream about.

Your heroine should be tough, sweet, sensitive, and very horny, and has to think she's not attractive even though every guy in the book except her husband falls off his chair with a tent in his pants.

Don't let the length of a novel faze you. Just throw some people on the stage, move them around a bit, and get them into bed. Then, change the rules so they have to move around a bit again and get them back into bed. (It doesn't always have to be a bed. Office desks and car seats work too.) When the book's long enough, stop. Don't worry about the "climax," because people are climaxing all over the place.

Exotic locales. Foreign countries with beaches. Lots of rich people. Remember that you're writing for the lowest common denominator, because they spend most of the money that you're trying to reel in. Make it sleazy. No one ever went broke underestimating the public.

How to publish? To do it right, write the sales pitch before you write the book. Make sure the book follows the pitch and the formula. If your cover letter alone has eight typos, no problem. Nobody cares. The publisher will wanna rush this baby to print and get you, or an attractive stand-in, doing as many TV appearances as possible before the book reviewers have time to draw breath. Heck, your target market doesn't read book reviews anyway! Also keep in mind that once that reader buys your book, you've won. They won't get a refund just because you're illiterate. So don't worry about hiring an editor. Hire a publicist!

Think Hollywood. You want your book to become a movie. It doesn't have to be a good movie, because most of them aren't. It just has to sell, baby, sell! Write parts for all the hottest stars. True, today's hottest stars will have faded by the time they start filming your movie, but no matter. Someone just like them will replace them.

I've been doing it wrong for all these years. I started writing over 20 years ago, and the five books I have on the shelves are enough to make it a hobby that barely pays for itself. Meanwhile, I work at a job for my money. But if you follow my advice, you won't make the same mistakes I have. You'll get rich!

Michael LaRocca's website at http://freereads.topcities.com was chosen by WRITER'S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. He published two novels in 2002 and has two more scheduled for publication in 2004. He also works as an editor for an e-publisher. He teaches English at a university in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly newsletter Mad About Books.

Who is watching You?

--> Who is watching You? Which is your preferred reality TV show: Survivor, Real World, American Idol, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Big Brother, Dog Days, Starting Over, or Temptation Island? Or is it Paradise Hotel, Playing it Straight, Mad Mad House, Love Cruise, Last Comic Standing or Next Action Star? Would you prefer Road Rules, My Big Fat Fianc

When Internet Marketing Gurus Sell Their Soul

--> When Internet Marketing Gurus Sell Their Soul

If you're just getting started in Internet Marketing, you may be awed by the amount of "Internet Gurus" out there, each one making millions of dollars (or so they claim) and for some reason seem more than willing, for a fee, to teach you their biggest, most intimate secrets.

Well, I believe in one thing - "If it sounds too good to be true, it most probably is!"

While I have no doubt about the specialized skills and techniques used by these gurus, it can get a little too frustrating simply getting tangled and lost in all their hype, and find almost no value at the end of the day. Hype - that's one thing I agree these guru's are really good at. For some of them, unfortunately, hype is the only thing they're good at.

So the question, for those who are trying to master Internet Marketing, might be:

1. Can I learn anything from these gurus without paying money?
   

2. Who's real and who's not?
   

3. Whose Internet marketing methods should I follow?
   
   

   Question 1: Can I Learn Something for Free?
   

   Most Internet guru's have opt-in newsletters on specialized subjects like website marketing, Pay-Per-Click advertising, search engine optimization or whatever specialized skill they have "mastered". Almost all of them try to convince you to subscribe to their newsletter in return for some kind of "breakthrough" report, and promise to deliver "valuable information" weekly or monthly to your email address. Sounds great...
   

   Here's what happens 2 weeks later - You realize that the "breakthrough report" is the same old regurgitated information which you can find almost anywhere. You might also realize that the "valuable information" almost never comes without any hidden agenda. The "valuable information" usually turns out to be a soft-selling ad (sometimes even blatant advertisements) for the guru's latest products or paid seminars, or even worse, some other Internet marketer's products.
   

   I'm not trying to shoot down any marketer here, but the irony is in their teaching. Almost all internet gurus would advice you to offer valuable, free information that benefits other people. Profits, as they say, is secondary to actually helping people and making a difference in their lives. Give before you take....what a load of BS!
   

   How come they don't practice what they preach? Of is that how the "Internet Marketing Game" is really played? Surely, nobody minds receiving ads and promotions, as long as there is a fair deal of free information being offered.
   

   Fortunately, not all Internet marketers are the same. There are still some jewels to be found, and they offer some great information in their newsletters, which they unselfishly offer for free, such as:
   

   
   
   1. Vishal Rao (http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com) talks about starting and managing home based businesses.
      

   2. Mike Cheney (http://www.magnet4web.com) talks about building an effective and efficient business web site.
      

   3. Jill Whalen (http://www.highrankings.com) talks about Search Engine Optimization.
      

   4. Allan Gardyne (http://www.associateprograms.com) is the authority on affiliate programs and affiliate marketing, with an award-winning newsletter.
      
      

      Of course there are many more good marketers out there, and you'll have to get through several bad ones first before you get to the good ones. It is not necessary to subscribe to every Internet Marketing newsletter just to hope for nuggets of gold that may never come. Instead, give the gurus a "trial" month, and if you don't find anything of value from them, just unsubscribe from their mailing lists.
      

      It will only be a loss to them, not you.
      

      Question 2 : Who's Real and Who's Not?
      

      To answer this question, you really have to "get around" the Internet a lot. Take part in Internet Marketing forums where you will definitely find topics on info-products, seminars and software offered by these gurus, and see what others are saying about them.
      

      Forget about all those blaring testimonials that the gurus compile on their site. After visiting several guru websites, you may start to find the same faces and names, helping each other out by giving testimonials which are seldom backed by proof. Forums are where the real testimonials are.
      

      If you find yourself browsing the Internet a lot, trying to find good value for money, then you'll need the Alexa toolbar. What this toolbar does is that it gives you an idea of the popularity of the website you're visiting. Secondly, it allows you to see who the closest competitors are, giving you more alternatives to choose from. Besides that, it also displays reviews and ratings given by others who have visited the website or used any product being sold via the website. This is where you'll find the "not so beautifully polished" opinions and testimonials.
      

      - Alexa Toolbar : http://www.home-business-association.com/rd/alexa/
      

      (Alexa is owned by Amazon.com. If you're concerned about installing toolbars on your computer, make sure you adjust the privacy settings accordingly)
      

      You may also want to consider this site:
      

      - GuruDaq : http://www.gurudaq.com
      

      Taking on a Nasdaq-like approach, this site lists all gurus according to ratings and 'stock price'. Although I would advice you to take it more for its entertainment value than actual recommendations, perhaps this site will allow you to get a glimpse of "who's who" in Internet Marketing.
      

      Question 3 : Whose methods should I follow?
      

      Honestly, nobody's. At least not word-for-word of what is thought in their newsletters or ebooks. The important thing to realize is that you need to develop your own technique to be really successful. The guru's don't teach you everything, anyway. They almost always feed you the crop but keep the cream for themselves. In other words, no one really tells you the "hot money-making secrets". They only teach you their not-so-secret money making facts.
      

      There are many places you can get reviews on internet marketing ebooks, but be warned that most will be biased in one way or another. Here's a good downloadable PDF resource on ebook reviews, distributed with the permission of the author:
      

      - "Web Promotion Products Exposed" by Mike Cheney:
      

      
      http://www.magnet4web.com/WebPromotionProductsExposed.pdf
      

      Its really up to you to learn some tips and tricks of the trade from Internet gurus, but set out on your own course. In order to be successful in anything, you need to do your own thing. Be original in your approach, whether it's writing sales letters, doing email marketing, writing articles, pay-per-click or search engine optimization, and the world will take notice.
      

      It is also important to realize that before you go around shopping for all kinds of "how-to" material and software, you need to get a good grip of what your business really needs. You'll need to develop a strong, specific and detailed business plan before you set out on a quest to improve your knowledge on that are critical to the success to your business. Here are some good resources for writing effective business plans:
      

      
      
      • http://www.home-business-association.com/rd/bplans/
        

      • http://www.bplans.com
        
        

        When you know what your business truly needs, you're more likely to recognize the exact type of internet marketing method you'll need to study and master. Don't just look to someone who has sold their soul a long time ago to guide you to the path of success.
        

        That's just wishful thinking.
        

        Gobala Krishnan is an internet marketer and home business owner. Visit his site at http://www.sfidreamteam.com to start your own Internet based home business today, and get a free kick start package, one-on-one coaching and a clear, proven system to earn a six figure income. Article reprint info available at http://pub.gobalakrishnan.com

What Can I Do for You?

--> What Can I Do for You? FREE HELP FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS
Includes editing, reviews, publication, and help to start and develop your story.

EDITING / PROOF READING SERVICES
Any work, any length. Sympathetic to first-time authors.

GHOST WRITING
For books, scripts, including custom-written school essays, term papers and projects.

SCRIPT WRITING
Develop and edit your scripts and submit to Hollywood movie stars.

BOOK REVIEWS
Write a diagnostic evaluation of your work and submit to hundreds of search engines, web sites, and media outlets in any country of your choice.

PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
Run a story of your business or web site and submit to search engines and the media.

GRANT AND BUSINESS PROPOSALS
Do a successful proposal for your business to help you get money to finance your project.

SEMINAR AND BOOK EVENT SHOWS
Invite the controversial writer to speak in your seminar or book event.

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays, and poems, and ghost writes for others.
For his works, professional services, and FREE helps for writers, goto:
http://controversialwriter.tripod.com
mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com
Web search: Arthur Zulu

Arthur Zulu is an editor, book reviewer, and published author.

What Are Internet Radio Hosts Looking For In Their Guests?

--> What Are Internet Radio Hosts Looking For In Their Guests? Copyright 2005 Black Butterfly Press

http://www.maxinethompson.com

As an Internet Radio Host of On The Same Page on www.voiceamerica.com, over the past three and a half years, I have interviewed such illustrious guests as Haki Madhubuti of Third World Press, Dr. Rosie Milligan of Milligan Books, Celebrity Mother Love, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, (Chicken Soup For the Soul Fame), Dan Poynter, and other writing/publishing experts. From the experienced to the non-experienced guests, this much I have gleaned

Ways to Celebrate National Women's History Month

--> Ways to Celebrate National Women's History Month

March is National Women's History Month. Here are some great ways to celebrate with the family.
It's National Women's History Month and this year's theme is "Women Pioneering the Future". Here are some ways to join the celebration:

1. Order the official poster: http://www.nwhp.org/whm/themes/theme03.html .

2. Encourage your City Council to make a proclamation. Here's a sample: http://www.nwhp.org/whm/themes/proclamation-sample.html .

3. Order placemats, banners, buttons, balloons and banners: http://www.nwhp.org/new_catalog/womens-history-month/womens-history-month2.html .

4. Check out power contact websitesfor working women. Add yours! http://www.womenworking2000.com/power_contacts/docs/websites.html .

5. Read up on this year's honorees: Rebecca Adamson, Native American advocate; Rachel Carson, Scientist and Environmentalist; Linda Chavez-Thompson, Labor Leader; Mae C. Jemison, Scientist, Educator, and Former Astronaut; Yuri Kochiyama, Civil Rights Advocate; Tania Le

Variety...even children need it

--> Variety...even children need it

Books and children should go hand in hand. There are just about as many different books as there are different children. Variety is what everyone needseven children! Here are a few fabulously written electronic children's books from authors who are sure to become favorites in your household.

FLY & I by Bonnie Covel and published by StoryPlus.com is a book that teaches children about reputations, trust, friendship, kinship, and the importance of honesty through the sport of basketball. It is full of positive messages, and fun characters. Another creative book that teaches children an important lesson is IN A PARROT'S SHOES by Mindy Wilson, published by SynergEBooks. It is a story that any child or adult can relate to. The main character does not like being like everyone else she likes being unique. When a friend from class starts to mimic (parrot) everything she does, she seeks advice from her mother. Soon the little girl opens her heart and mind and she soon begins to appreciate her friend's differences.

If your child likes to hear folktales, then STONE SOUP by Alistair Scott is the book you need. Published by StoryPlus.com, this adorably illustrated and well-written storybook for children will delight its readers. The main character is Tyler, a starving tramp (homeless man). Using his wits, he tries to trick Farmer Skinflint, a mean old man who never gives anything to anyone, into giving him food for his stone soup!

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY BUILDS TRUST by Karen Sue Wiesner, published by Writers-Exchange EPublishing is a book aimed to provide parents with a simple and fun method of teaching their child about trust. The mascot is a raccoon named Reb he talks directly to the reader, giving them instructions on how to use the book, and adds a cool, up-to-date style to an instructive book. Planted within the book are sections that allow children to learn more about responsibility, and trust.

Do you read books to your children mainly at bedtime? Then THE EIGHTEEN STORY GINGERBREAD HOUSE by Jay Dubya (Cyberread.com) would make a wonderful book to read them, as it is a collection of eighteen exceptional stories in a wide range of subjects. Some involve magic, others include human-like animals, and some are just plain 'ole fun. These stories are diverse, entertaining, intriguing, and out of this world. They include culture, daily-life experiences, history and much more. I CAN GROW by Mrs. Mouse, published by Writers-Exchange EPublishing, makes for a fast read. It is a charming story about a little rock determined to grow and change into something spectacular just like the flowers, rain, leaves, worms, and grass around him. Written for children, this adorable book is perfect for anyone who enjoys dreams and life.

Remember, just because some books are electronic (e-book) books, doesnt mean they arent fantastic! Open up an electronic book today and get to know some talented new authors.

Off the Top of my Headtalented childrens authors to check out:

Charles Vald (http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/charles.htm)

Liam Maher (http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/liam.htm)

Judy Miller (http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/judy.htm)

Janean Nusz (http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing/janean.htm)

Jennifer LB Leese is a 34-year-old mother of three from Maryland. She is a published author of several childrens fiction books, one young adult fantasy book, and a paranormal romance novel. Leese also freelances children's non-fiction books for book distribution and packaging companies.

She reviews childrens books for several online magazines, including her own It's Only Ink! Children's Book Reviews, as well as for Fiction Forum, Preschool Entertainment, Gotta Write Network, The Best Reviews, and Midwest Book Review. Jennifer is also a freelance copyeditor for Writers Exchange E-Publishing, as well as for individual authors and publishers. Leeses experience comes from the above as well as from her published books and articles, and from her professional book reviews and columns.

As half of JV Harlee, Leese writes gothic, fantasy novels for teenagers with published author Valerie Hardin. Their first book is "Gargoyle Tears".

Leese lives in Maryland with her three children, Nicholas, Cameron, and Jordan. She volunteers regularly at her children's school where she heads the Bester Elementary PTA as Vice President. Married fourteen years to the love of her life, Jennifer knew she would marry Thom the moment she laid eyes on him.

jenniferlbleese@msn.com

Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress

--> Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress

What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L-L-Y to help you get organized.

1. H: Help

How many times have you tried to do the perfect turkey all by yourself just so your mother-in-law would be impressed? Here's a reality check: (a) If your mother-in-law is any kind of a real woman, she remembers that her mother-in-law put the exact same pressure on her, and (b) if she's the kind of person who complains because the cranberries come from a can, she's the kind of person who complains anyway and would be unhappy if she couldn't try to make you look like an incompetent nitwit, and how a woman like that could raise your wonderful husband is beyond everyone.

If that husband is such a great guy, get him in the kitchen. Sit down and plan what the two of you really want---he might not want a six-course dinner, which is fine, because you don't either. Get the kids involved. By now some of them are at that stage where they want to show off what they can do "all by myself," and you know that even though you hate your daughter's taste in music, she did make killer stuffing last Thanksgiving. And your son makes a great omelet for Christmas morning. Then there's your sister who loves to chat, so put her to work while you listen to her endless monologue.

Electronic help is great too---use a PDA or the family computer to keep a list of recipes and ingredients. There are many great, sometimes free, computer programs available.

2. O: Oh-No

Let's face it. You'll make mistakes. The sugar cookies will burn. You can always "eat" your mistakes and try again---just don't try a new recipe for the first time Christmas Day. In fact, plan for your mistakes. That's right. Most of us spend so much time agonizing over avoiding mistakes we forget that they are going to happen anyway, and not necessarily at our hands. So your best girlfriend Susan brought over deviled ham instead of double chocolate cake...there's a reason we have bakeries, right? Just cheerfully accept the mistake and move on. People can get over a slightly too well-done roast, but they will be downright uncomfortable if you spend the entire dinner moaning about it.

3. L: Love

You know Christmas is the season of love, and you can have as much fun with take-out pizza as you can with an elegant dinner if the company is right. One sure way to recapture love is to bake cookies together. There's nothing like the sight of kids rolling dough and decorating their works of art.

4. L: Let It Be

Sorry for the Paul McCartney overtones, but once you have your plan in place, stick to it---that doesn't mean you can't compromise slightly. Agonizing over turkey versus tofu causes you to lose your appetite, and is as harmful to your cooking as disorganization. Sticking to a decision and keeping your plan, no matter what everyone else thinks, gives you peace of mind.

5. Y: You

Remember that there will be stress around the holidays, but that your mind can choose not to give in. You can choose to refuse another beer because "I'm frazzled" or avoid inviting people you really can't stand just because your mind thinks you have an obligation to be popular and kill yourself feeding 25 people. You can throw snowballs, or, if you live in California, go throw some water on the wildfires...just take your mind off your cooking. You'll rediscover just why it is you're cooking and what you love about Christmas.

So that's your H-O-L-L-Y for a happy holiday. And when all else fails, there's chocolate.

Copyright Kristin Johnson.

Kristin Johnson is co-author of the "highly recommended" Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com.

kristin@poemsforyou.com

Traditional VS Modern Anniversary Gifts

--> Traditional VS Modern Anniversary Gifts Most people are familiar with the traditional materials list that good etiquette requires us use as a guide when selecting a gift to commemorate a wedding anniversary. If you are like most people, you might find it a bit challenging to convert the materials on the list into an acceptable gift idea. There may be more choices available to you than you realize. Do you know that an updated "modern" gift list is available which is becoming more and more popular? This article touches on the history of the traditional list, highlights the differences between the modern and traditional lists, and helps you decide which is right for you.

Parts of the traditional list have existed since medieval times. Historians can trace the origins of silver and golden anniversaries to medieval Germany, where garlands made of these metals were presented as gifts for the 25th and 50th years of marriage. The rest of the list may not be as traditional as you think. I was surprised to learn that the traditional list, as we know it today, did not exist until 1937. In that year, the American National Retail Jeweler Association published a list, which associated a material for each Anniversary up to the 15th year and then each fifth year after that up to the 60th Anniversary. The following is the materials list from 1937, through the 60th year:

* First - Paper
* Second - Cotton
* Third - Leather
* Fourth - Fruit/Flowers
* Fifth - Wood
* Sixth - Candy/Iron
* Seventh - Wool/Copper
* Eighth - Bronze/Pottery
* Ninth - Pottery/Willow
* Tenth - Tin/Aluminum
* Eleventh - Steel
* Twelfth - Silk/Linen
* Thirteenth - Lace
* Fourteenth - Ivory
* Fifteenth - Crystal
* Twentieth - China
* Twenty-Fifth - Silver
* Thirtieth - Pearl
* Thirty-Fifth - Coral
* Fortieth - Ruby
* Forty-Fifth - Sapphire
* Fiftieth - Gold
* Fifty-fifth - Emerald
* Sixtieth - Diamond

The modern anniversary materials list presents us with a contemporary, easier to use alternative. The modern list has no clear beginning, but like the original, each year's gift is more precious than the last. This arrangement is intended to honor the longevity of the commitment. The new list retains the spirit of the traditional list, but loses the some of the sense of etiquette in the original. Although more convenient, the modern list sacrifices the thoughtfulness previously required to make a good gift from the more mundane materials on the old list. However, the modern list is more extravagant (expensive) than the original, which in some cases may be more appreciated than a thoughtful but humble gift from the traditional list. The following is the widely accepted modern list, through the 60th year:

* First - Clocks
* Second - China
* Third - Crystal/ Glass
* Fourth - Appliances
* Fifth - Silverware
* Sixth - Candy/Iron
* Seventh - Desk Sets
* Eighth - Bronze/Pottery
* Ninth - Linen/Lace
* Tenth - Leather
* Eleventh - Jewelry
* Twelfth - Pearls
* Thirteenth - Textiles/Furs
* Fourteenth - Gold Jewelry
* Fifteenth - Watches
* Twentieth - Platinum
* Twenty-Fifth - Silver
* Thirtieth - Diamond
* Thirty-Fifth - Jade
* Fortieth - Ruby
* Forty-Fifth - Sapphire
* Fiftieth - Gold
* Fifty-fifth - Emerald
* Sixtieth - Diamond Jubilee

For most couples, I recommend using the modern list. When selecting a gift from the modern list you have the benefit of more specificity, for example a desk set is much more clear than copper/wool. With the modern list, you won't risk insulting your spouse by rewarding 10 years of companionship with a pitiful tin or aluminum gift. Believe me, she won't be satisfied with the excuse of tradition. Also, good luck finding the ivory candlesticks for year 14! Unless you really enjoy the creative challenge of using the traditional list, try the modern list this year.

Slade Hartwell, Webmaster at www.ezromantic.com

Romance Relationship Advice We offer tons of romance and relationship help such as: great articles, advice, love poems, book reviews, gift ideas, romantic travel guides, a relationships forum, and more.

Top 10 Secrets to Avoiding "Marital Money Chaos"

--> Top 10 Secrets to Avoiding "Marital Money Chaos"

Money can wreck a relationship. In fact, how they spend, save, and account for money is one of the leading sources of disagreements between couples. In almost every study, money ranks as the first or second most argued-about topic for couples and partners.

If you currently suffer from "Marital Money Chaos" you can follow these secrets and achieve more financial success together than you ever could have dreamed. If the two of you can improve your relationship with money, you will also improve your marriage. Money can be romantic!

Secret #1: Know your spending style and your partners'

How many of you are married to your "Financial Soul Mate"?

The most common spending styles are Spenders and Savers but there are also the Procrastinators/Avoiders/Deal with it Tomorrow types and the Money Meek/Humble/ personalities.

What are the benefits/good things about each style? What are the things you call your partner when you fight about money?

Find ways in which you can take advantage of your personality strengths and minimize the weaknesses of that style. In the best possible scenario, you will both acknowledge your differences and move to the middle.

Secret #2: Values Driven Spending

Values are different than goals.
Values: Creativity, Freedom, Friendship, Financial Security
Goals: Be debt free, get a new car, and give more to charity

Take some time to choose your top 5 values and define each of them in your own words. Share the definitions and use them to understand your partner and what is important to them. If your partner's money behavior confuses you, ask which value they are satisfying. They may be doing their best, but their definition is different than yours. If you both use the same value word but have different meanings, you'll have conflict.

Secret #3: Have regular Money Meetings or Money Dates!

How many of you think that money is romantic? Actually, since couples fight more about money than anything else (it is estimated that 80% of divorces are the result of money disagreements), having an honest talk about household finances might be better for your relationship than anything else you can do! Financial well-being and peace of mind are certainly romantic!

It doesn't matter how much money people have, money is a daily event. That increases the chance of it triggering arguments and tension. Use regular meetings as a way to avoid conflict.

Secret #4: Enjoy the present and save for the future

Everyone needs to have their own play money. Ideally 5-10% of your family's income should be set aside for play. What's the use of working every day if you don't get to spend some money on play?

Secret #5: Have a needs/wish list for each person and for the family

We all have things we wish we had and those we need to purchase. Check your list on a regular basis so your subconscious can focus on other things. It's also great fun to check off the things you take care of. Great place to go to find out how to spend bonuses or other windfalls.

Secret #6: Divide financial responsibilities between partners

Focus on each person's skills, interests and availability rather than relying on out-dated gender stereotypes or how much money one partner makes. Share what's going on with your partner during your monthly meetings and make big decisions together.

Secret #7: Each person has some money they do not have to account for.

This is probably one of the MOST important things you can do for your relationship. No grown up likes to have to ask for an allowance or justify every little expenditure they make. Determine in advance how much money each person can "do with what they will" and no questions asked. Savers can save, spenders can spend, procrastinators can leave it in a jar and the money meek can feel free to give it all away.

Secret #8: Take action, one step at a time

I can guarantee that you will save $1000 1 year from today if you put away just $2.74 per day. Where can you find $2.74 each and every day? Do the same with larger goals. If you want to go on a $2000 vacation next year, save $6 per day.

Secret #9: Learn something about money and finances every day

There are lots of good resources out there - websites, books, magazines, classes. You can start at my website: http://www.cindymorus.com where I have articles, calculators, book reviews and teleclass schedules.

Secret #10: Plan your spending and spend your plan

I know, no one likes the "B" word (I call them spending plans) because they feel restrictive. Instead, plan your spending ahead of time and give yourself permission to spend money in certain areas and get creative about the areas where you choose to spend less. When we feel like "going out" at our house, we have "no silverware dinner" of ribs, french-fries and artichokes. We spend the time enjoying ourselves and creating memories without spending a lot of money. I bet you can do the same!

(c) Phelps Creek Financial Coaching - All Rights Reserved
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cindy Morus (www.cindymorus.com) is a Certified Financial Recovery Counselor specializing in showing women and their families how to achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. She is also a Certified Credit Report Reviewer. Contact her at 541-387-2995 or cindy@cindymorus.com. Get a free copy of the "Secrets to lowering your Credit Card Interest Rates" e-book when you sign up for the "Women's Financial Freedom Monthly" newsletter at www.phelps-creek.com/newsletter.asp .

Attention Ezine editors/Site owners: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alter the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note (cindy@cindymorus.com) so we can take a look. Thanks.

To Do or Not To Do: Behavioral Books for Kids

--> To Do or Not To Do: Behavioral Books for Kids

If you deal with children on a regular basis, then you know that a great kid with a not-so-great behavior can disrupt activities. As a mother of three children, I understand. However, I didnt always. The Ugly Discipline Mommy Monster had to show up more than she wanted to, and usually during the most inconvenient times. Needing a new approach to dealing with my children, I had to find childrens books to help my children and me with their not-so-great behavioral problems.

Nobody wants to take out the trash in IT'S NOT MY JOB by Ted Lish, published by Munchweiler Press, http://www.munchweilerpress.com. After moving into their new home, the mother purchases beautiful trashcans and places one in each room. But what good is a trashcan when no one wants to empty it? Need-less-to-say, the trashcans quickly begin to overflow with trash, and as the weeks go by, the trash starts to spill out onto the floor. When an emergency occurs, because of them not taking out the trash, everyone decides to work together to clean up the house and find what they have lost. Lishs book would make a magnificent addition to school libraries worldwide. Children of all ages will enjoy this book and, with any luck, will learn an important lesson about cleaning up after themselves.

Have you ever tried to teach old dogs new tricks? Well, Alison has in Charles Vald's CANT TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS published by Writers-Exchange EPublishing (http://www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing). However, Tony the dog isn't interested, but Alison doesn't give up. Vald's story is inspirational, and is a great way to teach children to never to give up, and that looks can be deceiving. Also available from this publisher is CHIP'S SHARING DAY by Linda Derkez. Chip doesn't like to share anything of his, but in this delightful book, he learns that being 'kind and nice and fair' will take him much further than being selfish and rotten. Parents will enjoy reading this charming picture book to their children, as it teaches them the consequences of not sharing.

What about doing something that you know you'll get in trouble for later? Joel, his brother Ricky, and his cousin, Lisa find themselves in that exact predicament in WATCH OUT FOR JOEL: LONG SHOT by Sigmund Brouwer, after hitting a bull in the head with a rock shot from their giant slingshot. Will they lie about it? Find out by getting this book from Bethany Backyard (http://www.bethanyhouse.com). Another book on the horrible subject of lying is NO MORE GOOSEBERRY PIE by Dorothy Thompson. When the smell of gooseberry pies cooling on the windowsill become too much for one little boy to bear, he swipes them, eats them, only to have a tummy ache later, and then denies it. Children learn from the boy in the story when he tries to lie his way out of a sticky situation.

Off the Top of my Head talented childrens e-book authors to check out:

Sherry Baldwin, http://beecherbear.com/

Rick E. Patton and Katrina A. Patton, http://www.adnapnottap.com/HomePage.asp

Caroline Arnold, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1264/

Jennifer LB Leese is a 34-year-old mother of three from Maryland. She is a published author of several childrens fiction books, one young adult fantasy book, and a paranormal romance novel. Leese also freelances children's non-fiction books for book distribution and packaging companies.

She reviews childrens books for several online magazines, including her own It's Only Ink! Children's Book Reviews, as well as for Fiction Forum, Preschool Entertainment, Gotta Write Network, The Best Reviews, and Midwest Book Review. Jennifer is also a freelance copyeditor for Writers Exchange E-Publishing, as well as for individual authors and publishers. Leeses experience comes from the above as well as from her published books and articles, and from her professional book reviews and columns.

As half of JV Harlee, Leese writes gothic, fantasy novels for teenagers with published author Valerie Hardin. Their first book is "Gargoyle Tears".

Leese lives in Maryland with her three children, Nicholas, Cameron, and Jordan. She volunteers regularly at her children's school where she heads the Bester Elementary PTA as Vice President. Married fourteen years to the love of her life, Jennifer knew she would marry Thom the moment she laid eyes on him.

jenniferlbleese@msn.com

Three Ways to Add Versatile Content to Your Site or eZine

--> Three Ways to Add Versatile Content to Your Site or eZine ------------------------------------------
Introduction
------------------------------------------

If you run a content driven web site or eZine, then I think you will agree with me when I say that finding free, quality content on the 'Net is a pain. Sure, people are writing articles which they want published, but nine times out of ten, these articles are just "copy-pasted" or recycled from someone else's articles, and content like this wont give your site a particularly high profile.

There are heaps of ways to add some pizzazz and glitz to your site or eZines content that will keep your visitors coming back on a regular basis. In this article I will talk about three of them: Interviews, Reviews and Books.

------------------------------------------
Interviews
------------------------------------------
People like reading about other people: What they do, how they do it, and most importantly, why they do it. So do you, right? Well I know I do. Have you ever thought about emailing a specific person from a company and requesting a "virtual interview" with them?

When I say virtual interview, I mean conducting the interview via a series of emailed questions. I have, and every single person that I emailed was more than happy to give me the time of day to answer some questions about them, their job role, their history, etc. When you think about it, it's a win-win situation for both you and that person: You add more quality content to your site, and they get promos and links back to their site from your interview (This is a must, and can be the deciding factor in nailing the interview).

But just how would you go about asking for a virtual interview? And whom would you ask? Let me give you an example.

About two weeks ago, one of my editors (Tim Pabst) interviewed Markus Maki from MadOnion.com. This interview added value to our site, because in the interview Markus talked about his industry experience, the development of the 3Dmark series, as well as his opinions on technology, etc. No one else has this kind of "insider" information about Markus on their site, so it makes our virtual interview one-of-a-kind.

Here's the email that Tim used to ask Markus to participate in our virtual interview:

Hi Markus,
My name is Time Pabst, and I am one of the editors for http://www.devarticles.com. I have been a huge fan of MadOnion.com for as long as I can remember, and I was wondering if I would be able to conduct an email-based interview with you.

This interview would consist of you answering some short questions about your life, job and experiences and simply emailing them back to me. Your questions will be compiled into an article and posted on our site.

Your interview will also include several mentions of MadOnion.com, thus creating more links back to your site. Please let me know if and when this is possible.

I look forward to your reply.
Tim Pabst

Notice how the email was short and to the point? No marketing gook, no confusing sentences, just a quick description of the who's, what's, when's, why's and how's of the interview.

The email was a success, and the Interview questions were sent to Markus the next day. We had the interview on the site within a week. You can see it at http://www.devarticles.com/art/1/35

------------------------------------------
Reviews
------------------------------------------

Reviews are another great way to add some variety to your sites content. You don't have to be a professional to review a product or web site. Reviews are merely one person's opinion of an item with some technical babble thrown in for good measure.

I am currently in the process of reviewing Namo Web Editor 5. It is a complete web editing solution, similar to FrontPage. I decided to review this product because a lot of my visitors are newbies to the web, just learning how to start programming.

Product reviews can work well for you both content wise and financially wise: You get a new form of content on your site, but you can also link back to the product (from within your review) with your unique tracking ID. This means that for every sale that company gets from a visitor buying their product through a link from your review, you receive a percentage of that sale, usually around 5-20%.

Once again, it's a win-win situation. The key here is to review products that your visitors will find useful and exclude any marketing hype from the review.

------------------------------------------
Books
------------------------------------------

Everyone reads in some-way or another: conventional books, email, the daily newspaper, eBooks, articles, etc. People feel empowered when they have read something that provides them with useful, free information. A book review can do just that.

There are hundreds of online stores that allow you to link to their books section and receive commission on a per-order basis. The most popular one is Amazon, with over 500,000 members. Their associates program (located at http://associates.amazon.com) lets you enter a books ISBN code and spits out a link and picture right back to that book on their site.

Reviewing a book is easy, but either you or someone you know must have read the book beforehand. Don't fall into the trap of simply reading the books blurb and then writing a review on it, because you will get caught out and your visitors will loose trust in you.

When reviewing a book, let your visitors know your overall opinion of the book, as well as your favourite points and sections in the book. Include as many peoples opinion on that particular book as you can, whether they are positive or negative. Your readers will expect you to provide them with honest reviews, and there's no point lying just so they buy the book.

You may also like to include a sample chapter from the book in your review. This lets visitors have a read of the book without actually purchasing it. If they like the sample chapter, then there's a good chance they will click on your link to buy the book in the end. I like to review Wrox's series of programming books, because they let you publish a sample chapter from their book on your site, just like I have at http://www.devarticles.com/art/1/38.

------------------------------------------
Conclusion
------------------------------------------

Don't get stuck into the habit of posting the same type of content on your site. As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life, and this is true in the online world also. If you run a content driven site then have a brainstorm listing several companies, products and books related to your sites content that you could review.

For each company, compose an email to send using the format that I have outlined in this article. Start by writing to 2-3 companies requesting virtual interviews and see how you go.

For each product, write up a similar email requesting either a beta/full copy of the software you want to review. Because you need to actually spend time reviewing and testing the product first, you should start with just 1-2 emails and see how you go.

Books, on the other hand, are a different story. Goto http://associates.amazon.com and signup for free. Then, pick a couple of books (ones that you have read) and write a 1-2 page review on each one. Post them straight onto your site with the link provided by the Amazon associates program at the end of the review.

Until next time, I would recommend you experiment with the ideas outlined in this article. If you do everything right, then you can expect your visitor count to increase as a result.

Mitchell Harper is the founder of http://www.devarticles.com, which provides top quality ASP, C++, Java, PHP, Visual
Basic and .NET articles for the budding web developer! Looking for some
nitfy programming tricks and tutorials that you won't find anywhere else?
Then visit us now at http://www.devarticles.com/

The underlying belief system

--> The underlying belief system Copyright (c) 2005 Oyvind Hennum

Many of us do not consider the underlying belief system about money to be of any importance. You think it does not matter, because what matters is what you do now. Right, at one level, but not complete. All ideas that we have learned about money in the past are colouring our actions today.
These are ideas that you are unconsciously following, because you are not aware of them. It might be: "money is bad", "there is never enough money", "money does not grow on trees", etc. The list is long and painful to read, when you realize that this is actually a part of you. I was thinking: how come these beliefs are so strong? Why am I blocking myself from financial freedom? I have been working on myself for 6 years now, and the beliefs are still there! So I went looking for answers in self help books, personal development books, New Age books and financial freedom articles etc. I have also done Psychokineseology, past life sessions and been talking to a lot of people.
The answer that I come up with so far is: the underlying beliefs are coming in as all other conditioning, from our early years. Some people suggest that also past life experiences can have an influence. Our childhood conditioning comes mainly from our parents and then the rest of our family, and also from the environment around us. If the idea in the place you grew up is that money is scarce, you can be sure that this idea sneaked into your mind somewhere along the line and it is probably stuck there without you knowing it. You are just wondering why there never seems to be enough money around.
So if you now can grasp the idea of negative thinking patterns about money, I will tell you to move on. If it is difficult for you to accept this idea and you are now thinking that this does not count for you, because you have learned positive thinking, then stop. Look at the reality and do a little check up: is my positive thinking really working?
I am asking you to do this because my experience is that positive thinking and a YES! Mentality not always is enough. The negative thought patterns I am talking about are deep, you can call them "root thought" or "sponsoring thought", it is thoughts that are lying underneath and behind your conscious thoughts that you are thinking on an everyday basis.
They are very strong and strong enough to sabotage your new way of thinking that might be very positive and good. I point this out very strongly, because it is important that you are willing to look at your own thoughts and to work on them to change them into healthy sponsoring thoughts that are healthy for you and will bring you abundance and wealth instead of struggle and suffering.
To change these thoughts you have to be persistent, you will need a burning desire to train your mind into thinking differently. You will have to do a little brainwash and afterwards a lot of re-learning with your new and healthy thoughts. To train your mind
I will explain to you the concept "Act as if". "Act as if" works the other way round of the normal creation process, which goes like this: thought, word ,deed (action). An idea comes into your mind as a thought and takes shape and gets clear, that is the first step in creating.
Then comes the next step, which is the word. In the gospel of St.John in the Bible: "In the beginning was only the word", there is a great truth, only that in the very, very beginning there was also a thought - an idea. The word gets spoken out or written and makes the idea more strong, more solid. This is already a big accomplishment in the creation process, but the idea is still not physical reality.
This comes in the third step "Deed", or the action that you do, to give your idea physical form. Take a look at this practical example: I had an idea long time ago that it would be great to have a practical "how to do guide" on how to create financial freedom; initially I had the idea because many of my friends and people I met where complaining over the lack of money to do what they want.
As I talked with them it seemed that the reasons for these problems often were similar and I had a feeling that there had to be a solution for this. I wanted to find the solutions (ideas, thoughts, step one), write them down, make them clear and easy to understand, when spoken in a seminar or written down (word - step two) and then in the end to make this article and make it available for everyone who would be interested (deed, action, step 3).
As you are now reading this article, you can see the practical result of the thought - word - deed -process unfolded straight in front of you! Going back to where we started, with the concept of "Act as if", we have to look at why and how to do it. Why? It is because the process of creation does not only work with the conscious thoughts you have, but also with your sub-conscious beliefs. So if your underlying belief system always tells you that there is not enough money that is the reality you create.
To train your sub-conscious to think differently, you first of all have to become aware of when these beliefs kick in. For me it works like this: There is a Salvation Army officer standing in the street, giving out their magazine and collecting money. When I see him I immediately shrink and think: I hope he does not see me.
Now, of course, he sees me and gives me a smile, and I think, okay, I'll give him some money. After all I know that this makes me feel good. Then, for the same reason that I tried to avoid him, I also start having second thoughts about giving him the small donation.
The thought goes like this: I don't want to give away the money, because if I do, then I will have less and I do not have much at all. How can I just give away the little that I have (root thought = it's never enough money). In short term thinking it is right, I will have less money if I give some of it away. In longer term thinking, not.
What I do when I walk pass the Salvation Army officer without giving any money is to re-affirm to myself the idea that I can not afford to give him money, because there is never enough. So what I can do to change this root thought is to first give him the money I thought of, I know it is going to make me feel good, and then think to myself: WOW! I can afford to give him money, I know that there is more where it is coming from and I trust that this will end up in my pocket and on my bank account, so I can happily share it with more people.
This action will then affirm your new thought which is: There is always enough money! Now you might think, this is a lie, but then take the new thought you have learned by "acting as if" and look again on the thought, word , deed process. You might think this is extremely difficult and everything inside of you says NO! But still, try it out.
You do not have to give away all your money, that is not the point. The point is that you give yourself the feeling of abundance and that you can share. If you have very little money, you can give according to that. It is important that you get the feeling, so you can start believing in your new thought.
When you say to yourself that you always have enough money for everything you want and need, you will protest and say: "This is not true, fact is this, and that and blah, blah." You are right! Fact may be this or that, but if you want to change you better start here, right at the root cause of your money problems.
This is a little bit of "Fake it till you make it". You can make it easier for yourself by thinking thoughts that you can accept, like:" I know there is more money out there and right now I am figuring out how to get it to flow into my bank account".
Then you give yourself a feeling of security and that it is actually true: there is enough money! When you get your head around this one, you are a giant leap further ahead on the road to financial freedom.

Copyright (c) 2005 Oyvind Hennum

Oyvind Hennum runs the web site http://www.financial-freedom-made-simple.com

The site contains: Book reviews, articles, biographies, motivational quotes, affirmations, success tests, budgeting advice and practical tips.

The Waves Come and Go!

--> The Waves Come and Go!

The waves come and go
like the feet of an unsteady woman
in the house of an unfair lover.

The waves roar and clap their hands
like the protestations of a woman
in the hands of a Don Juan.

The waves wear down the shores
like a woman dissipating over unrequited love.

Yet, the woman is bound to the man
as the oceans are in covenant with the moon,
for a woman needs a man.

And the waves come and go
because the celestial body would not leave the seas.

That is why the oceans are full of tempests
as love is replete with broken hearts!

EXCERPTED FROM "BEAUTIFUL," A POETRY COLLECTION BY ARTHUR ZULU, TO BE PUBLISHED SOON. IF YOU ENJOYED READING THE POEM AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TOWARD ITS PUBLICATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE AUTHOR.)

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays, and poems, and ghost writes for others.
For his works, professional services, and FREE helps for writers, goto:
http://controversialwriter.tripod.com
mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com
Web search: Arthur Zulu

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays, and poems, and ghost writes for others.

The Top 6 Website Sins

--> The Top 6 Website Sins

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Your website then is the window to your business. What would a passerby think of your "window"? Would they want to stop and maybe come inside for a few moments? Or would they just pass by without giving it a second glance?

The goal of any website is to make the visitor stay. The desired visitor response might be that they make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, enter a competition or simply complete a survey. The end result is the same - you need the web surfer to hang around your website for as long as possible.

There are, however, aspects of your site which can stop visitors from staying. Some of these are:

Sin #1

Slow loading

The ultimate website sin. Your homepage must, must, must load in 30 seconds or less. This is not optional. If a visitor has to wait more than 30 seconds they will stop what they're doing and move on to the next website. Optimize your website to load quickly by using as few graphics as possible and then only use JPEGS and GIFS. Your website should be no more than 20% graphics and at least 80% text. Why? Text loads faster and also keeps your visitor reading about your site as it loads up.

Sin #2

Poor layout

A visitor should be able to find what they need on your website in 3 clicks of the mouse or less. Any more than that and you're losing valuable visitors. Your navigation menu should be easy to use and every single link must work properly. Make use of a sitemap. Do not use fancy cursors. Do not use complicated menu systems. Text should be legible but not too big. Keep it simple. Imagine how a new internet user would react to your website. Would they love it or hate it? Could a new visitor to your website easily find the information they're looking for?

Sin #3

Awful color schemes

There's nothing worse than searching for a website for hours only to find what you need and then realize that you cannot read the text on the pages because the owner though yellow text on a light blue background was cool. If you need guidance on how to choose colors for your website look at any magazine for examples. Black or dark blue text on a white background is the simplest and most effective color scheme.

For your menus and other background colours bear the following in mind:

Red is stimulating and agressive.

Blue is peaceful and tranquil.

Gree is calm and refreshing.

Yellow grabs peoples attention.

Purple is wealthy and luxurious.

Brown is solid and reliable.

Orange is bright and optimistic.

Sin #4

Poor spelling and grammar

If you're selling a product or service online and your website is littered with spelling and grammar mistakes then you're on a loser immediately. I recently reviewed an ebook that had 4 very bad spelling mistakes including the word business misspelled in the opening paragraph. Inexcusable. We all make mistakes but keep them to a minimum. A visitor may forgive one typo. You may not get a second chance.

Here's 3 tips for checking your webpages.

1. Use a spell checker. Every word-processor has one.

2. Proofread anything you write from bottom to top. You'll spot more mistakes that way.

3. Always proof read anything you've written 24 hours later. You'll be amazed at how many mistakes you'll spot.

Sin #5

Flashing graphics

Banners or logos that flash, spin, fade in and out and/or perform any other gimmick are a no go area. Don't use them. Flashing banners and logos say "I've never put together a website before. Cool, huh?" Any website with this type of graphic element turns me off. A website logo or banner should be a static graphic or text. Online marketing surveys consistently report that animated icons and graphics on a website are a major turnoff for visitors.

Sin #6

Hit counters

Only used by amateurs. Take them off your website. Please. Any decent webhost can provide you with traffic stats which will provide much more accurate information than a hit counter. Having a hit counter on your website was a good idea 8 years ago. The online world has moved on. You should too.

There's an old rule of sales:

"If I could see through John Smiths eyes I could sell John Smith what John Smith buys".

Design your website for your visitor and not for you.

http://www.affiliate-advocate.com is packed full of web marketing advice and ebook reviews. Niall Roche is the content author & owner of http://www.affiliate-advocate.com

The Seven Army Values - They're not just for the military

--> The Seven Army Values - They're not just for the military The Army defines seven values that soldiers should strive to emulate in their daily lives. These core values establish a standard of conduct; they form the foundation of personal behavior that defines the person, as well as the expectations soldiers have of one another. These values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.

Here's the thing. The Army didn't invent the values. There are many more than seven values that identify desirable human conduct and behavior (and plenty that define undesirable behavior as well), and they've been around for a long time. So, that said, it should come as no surprise that the seven Army values are not just for the military - they apply to each and every citizen...this makes perfect sense, as all soldiers are citizens first.

We all have positions in life...stations, if you will...and it matters not what your station in life happens to be...some or all of these seven values are tested as a matter of course, each day of one's life. The values are as applicable to the student as they are to the professor; as important to the patient as they are to the doctor; as challenging to the child as they are to the adult; and as attainable by the penniless as they are by the millionaire. In short, the seven values are for everyone. What are the values, and how are they applicable to everyone?

Loyalty - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. Be loyal to the nation and its heritage.

For the citizen, this means showing your faith in our nation, your elected and appointed leaders and your fellow citizens. People want to know they can trust you. And you want the same reassurances from others.

Duty - Fulfill your obligations. Accept responsibility for your actions and those entrusted to your care. Find opportunities to improve oneself for the good of the unit.

For the citizen, you've got a job to do and people depend on you to get it done. If someone needs help, give it to them. If you need help, seek it from your peers. Be consistent in action and deed.

Respect - Treat people as they should be treated. How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization.

Act courteously toward friends, acquaintances and strangers alike. If you disagree with an opinion or point of view, challenge the position, but avoid the personal attack. Remember that your actions speak volumes about yourself and your business or organization.

Selfless Service - Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service leads to organizational teamwork and encompasses discipline, self-control and faith in the system.

Take care of your children, your parents, your siblings, and co-workers. Go the 'extra mile' for your customers and clients, even if gains you nothing more than some personal satisfaction. Volunteer to take on the tough job, or the mundane job that others avoid.

Honor - Live up to all the Army values.

Live up to the values of your business, your community, your church, your family. Act accordingly, and others will recognize you as an individual of principled character. Don't fall into the trap of, "but I just did what others did before me". Given the choice, take the 'high road'. Distinguish yourself from those who would be satisfied to do less.

Integrity - Do what is right, legally and morally.

Ask yourself, "Is this the right thing to do? How does it reflect on who I am?" If your inner voice is sounding the alarm, it's doing so for a good reason. Avoid shortcuts, cheats, or otherwise doing less than what is expected. Don't compromise yourself, your friends, family or business for some short-term satisfaction. Integrity offers long-term rewards that can't be acquired any other way.

Personal Courage - Face fear, danger, or adversity with physical and moral courage.

Is a boss asking you to do something questionable? Watched the local bully pick on someone repeatedly? Been in a group that disparages a certain race or ethnicity? It may be safer to go along with the crowd, or do nothing at all. It takes inner strength to stand up to peer pressure, bullies, social challenges, and moral dilemmas. It's easy to be a follower...anyone can do that. True leadership requires all of one's audacity, nerve and 'guts' to negotiate the difficult roads that lie before us.

Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. These are values for everyone. No, they're not always easy to live up. Our standards are challenged all the time. We make mistakes. Hopefully, we learn from them, and over time, these values become a part of who we are.

The best news is that if we emulate these values singularly, we become a better people collectively. And that is why the values are so important. They set us apart from those who choose not to live up to them.

Joseph Yakel is Chief Warrant Officer 3 in the US Army, a freelance writer, and author of three books. His articles have appeared in numerous publications and Internet websites. Free chapter previews of his books are available at: http://www.lulu.com/yakel

Joe welcomes visitors to leave comments and book reviews, and is available for author interviews. Contact him at: armeuv1@yahoo.com

The Passion of the Christ: Who Really Killed Jesus?

--> The Passion of the Christ: Who Really Killed Jesus?

Imagine that a very kind father has a beloved son—his firstborn. Now, some criminals in a far away land have committed an offence deserving of death. This good man purposely sends his son to die for these criminals so that they would be saved. When his beloved son arrives, one of his friends takes money from some of these condemned criminals who had trumped up charges against the son. They take the son to their king, who instead of freeing him, hand him over to the hangman to be executed.

Now, who really caused the death of this son? Is the father not guilty of first-degree murder or at lest manslaughter? Can the son not be charged for second-degree suicide? Is the son's friend who betrayed him to blame. What about the criminals who framed up the charges against the son? Or is the king who played safe to be held accountable? Or do we blame the executioner who finished the dastardly act?

The kind man in this illustration is God, the son is Jesus Christ, while his friend who betrayed him is Judas Ischariot. The criminals who framed up the charges against him are the Jewish leaders, the cowardly king is Pontius Pilate and the executioner represents the Roman soldiers.

Passion stories of Christ, the greatest man, who ever lived, have always generated interest. But Mel Gibson's recent movie, “The Passion of the Christ," has ignited a controversy. Not only because of all the brutality but because it has resurrected the old question: Who really killed Jesus?

First, could it be that God killed him? Adam and Eve had sinned by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad in the Garden of Eden. Their sin constituted a rebellion against God and condemned their offspring to death. But God in his infinite mercy sent an equivalent of Adam, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world of mankind from death. So is God guilty of murder, manslaughter or conspiracy?

Next is Jesus Christ. He himself had admitted that he came to give his soul as a ransom for many. So he knew that he was sent to die, yet he accepted the assignment. He even personally chose Judas Ischariot and dismissed him to go and get his job done just before he instituted the commemoration of the Last Supper. So is Jesus to blame?

But what about this apostle, Judas Ischariot, who betrayed his master to the wicked Jewish leaders for thirty pieces of silver? Ought he to have done so? If he had to sell his master for us to be free, then did he do wrong?

Next are the Jewish religious leaders? They framed up charges, which included the serious charge of lese-majesty against Jesus. Could Jesus have died if they had not cooked up these charges? If these charges led to his death, are the Jews therefore culpable for his death?

And then comes Pontius Pilate who instead of freeing Jesus pardoned a criminal. Why did he give in to the demand of the Jews to impale Jesus? Could it be that he is not to blame as the washing of his hands suggests?

Finally, the merciless Roman soldiers who inflicted unimaginable wound on Jesus before nailing him on the torture stake. Was the treatment given to Jesus deserving? Or is everyone to be forgiven because they did not know what they were doing according to Jesus? Or are we to further probe the question: Who really killed Jesus?

To begin with, God is not to blame. The Scripture says that he sent his son to die because of the love that he has for mankind. (John 3:16) And Jesus obeyed his father and came to die because he too loved the world.—John 15:13.

That leaves the betrayer Judas Ischariot, the Jewish conspirators, and Pontius Pilate who was pressured to hand Jesus over to the guards who killed him. To find out the culprit, let us see a statement of Jesus to Pilate during his trial at John chapter 19 verse 11: “This is why the man that handed me over to you has greater sin." And another statement of admission of guilt by the Jews to Pilate at Matthew 27 verse 25: “At that all the people said in answer: ‘His blood come upon us and upon our children.' "

So the question arises again: Who really killed Jesus Christ? Answer: The Jews murdered him. And they paid for this in 70 C.E when Rome destroyed that nation. But even today, people are still killing Jesus Christ in ‘small' and ‘big' ways.

Consider one ‘small' way, the wearing of the cross. Jesus did not die on the cross (Latin ‘cruz') , but on a tree or pole (Greek ‘stauros'). See King James Bible at Acts 5:30; 10:39; Galatians 3:13; and compare Deuteronomy 21:22,23. The cross is a pagan symbol, the sign of the Babylonian god Tammuz, son of Astarte, the goddess of fertility, which some ‘Christians' celebrate as Easter. Besides, the Bible condemns the wearing of images.—Exodus 20:4,5; 1Corinthians 10:14; 1John 5:21.

Even then consider this: Imagine that a triple-edged sword has killed your best friend and you are searching for his murderers. Then you meet someone wearing that very instrument of death on his neck. What would you do to him? Strangle him! That is what should be done to those cross-wearing ‘Christians': hang them all!

What of in ‘big' things? Consider this quotation by ‘Chicago Tribune': “Every major religion preaches peace and brotherhood and mercy, yet some of the cruellest and most intolerant repressions in history have been committed in the name of God." And this one by ‘Waterloo Courier' of Iowa: “Nor have Christians ever been squeamish about waging wars on other Christians. If they had been, most of the liveliest wars in Europe would never have occurred. . . . World Wars I and II, which set the all-time records, for Christians killing Christians, could never have occurred."

Yet the teaching of Jesus on this is clear: he who lives by the sword would perish by the sword. And at Isaiah 2:4, it is stated that Christians should beat their swords into plowshares. But sadly, Christians are engaged in wars around the globe killing fellow believers and no-believers.

Military personnels and their commanders are slaughtering innocent people daily in the vain hope of stamping terrorism from the face of the earth and making the world a peaceful home for mankind. And the UN (called Talking Nations in my book CHASING SHADOWS!: A Dream), which has Isaiah 2:4 conspicuously written on the wall of its headquarters in New York, is shamelessly supervising all these pogrom The aggregation of these choreographers of genocide are killing Christ again.

ARTHUR ZULU, is an editor, book reviewer, and published author.
BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR
http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/21013
CHASING SHADOWS!: A Dream( A book that reveals the terrorists' master plan to finally set the world on fire.)
http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975
HOW TO WRITE A BEST-SELLER
For contacts, mailto:
mostcontroversialwriter@yahoo.com

Arthur Zulu is an editor, book reviewer and published author

The Opt-In Secret

--> The Opt-In Secret

Everyone knows that in order to be successful online you need build a large (quality) list through some type of Opt-In offer.

You see them now on virtually every site you visit on the internet, some type of form, whether from a pop-up window or directly on the site itself, that is asking for your name and email address in exchange for some type of offer (newsletter, e-course, free chapter etc.)

Unfortunately, many web site owners (yes, even the gurus) are not doing everything they can to maximize the number of people who opt-in from their website. In fact, many site's opt-ins may actually be hurting their sales.

Here are a few tips on what to do and what not to do with your opt-in offer:

- You should definitely have a pop-up window with an opt-in form. While you may hate pop-ups, the fact is they work. There is even software available that makes it easy to create pop-ups that can not be blocked such as Armand Morin's POPOver Generator. (http://www.money-teacher.com/popovergenerator.htm)

- Of course, you also need to place your opt-in on your web page. However, where you place it is extremely important. Your opt-in should be on the first fold in the upper left hand corner of EVERY page on your site.

- Always give a strong special bonus for people who opt-in. For example, "Sign up for my Teaching Newsletter and receive a free special report: How to Increase Reading Comprehension in the Classroom"

- DO NOT offer a free chapter of your e-book or even a free e-course. You may actually lose sales this way.

If you give away a free chapter of your e-book you are giving your customer the opportunity to not buy your book! Same is true with offering an e-course.

In both cases you may actually be providing enough free information so that the customer doesn't actually have to buy your product. If nothing else, you are putting off the purchase which only gives the customer more time to not buy your product.

Again, what you want to do is capture your customer's email address without giving them a reason to put off buying your product.

- DO offer something that compliments and is related to the product you are selling.

For example, it is fairly easy to create a newsletter about your niche market. Your can start by offering a monthly newsletter on tips, articles, Q&As, book reviews, web sites reviews etc. related to your niche market.

As you start to feel more comfortable, you can increase your delivery to bi-monthly, and eventually weekly. However, I would stay away from the daily newsletter. A daily newsletter is simply overkill and will decrease the value of the newsletter. Also, daily delivery will make broadcasts of special offers more difficult and less successful.

Many will tell you that it doesn't matter too much what your opt-in is, so long as you capture the customer's name/email. That's utter nonsense.

Basically, the newsletter gives you a chance to drop in on potential customers for as long as they subscribe to your newsletter without ever distracting the customer away from your product.

However, if you are giving away a free chapter of your e-book, or even a 5-day e-course, after the initial follow-up email campaign is over (roughly 1 week), every email you send is simply advertising and your customers will see right through that (maybe even accuse you of spam).

As a middle school social studies teacher, I created an e-book on teaching strategies. When I changed my original web site opt-in offer from a free e-book chapter to a free newsletter, I not only increased my list, but also greatly increased the sales of my e-book.

Copyright 2004 Adam Waxler

Adam Waxler owns and operates The Money Teacher web site and publishes The Money Teacher's Home Business Tips Newsletter teaching others how to reach online success. To get your free newsletter subscription send a blank email to: newsletter@money-teacher.com or visit our web site at http://www.money-teacher.com

The Messenger

--> The Messenger

I sent you to her to say,
"I love you."
And you come back and say,
"She wants a castle."

I dispatched you to my love to say,
"I dream of you."
And you return and say,
"She needs a flower garden."

Go, tell her I own no castles or flower gardens.
But I can write her sweet poems of those.
Don't tell me, "She reads no poems."
For castles and gardens perish.
But love never dies.
And poetry is love!

(EXCERPTED FROM "BEAUTIFUL," A POETRY COLLECTION BY ARTHUR ZULU, TO BE PUBLISHED SOON. IF YOU ENJOYED READING THE POEM AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TOWARD ITS PUBLICATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE AUTHOR.)

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays, and poems, and ghost writes for others.
For his works, professional services, and FREE helps for writers, goto:
http://controversialwriter.tripod.com
mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com
Web search: Arthur Zulu

ARTHUR ZULU is an editor, book reviewer, playwright, and published author. He also writes short stories, scripts, essays, and poems, and ghost writes for others.