Many modern gambling fans may recently have read the term “offshore sports betting”, but many might not be completely savvy what that implies. A foreign betting internet site inherently works out of the laws of any distinct land on the other hand it could be a live betting web site which locates its main servers inside the borders of a state in which world wide web based sports gaming isn’t disallowed. Briefly then, it’s best portrayed as a betting establishment functioning outside the state of the purchaser. Networked gaming sites are now regulated by three administrations. These are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and finally the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association FTGA.

The OSGA is an independent watch-dog bureau which presently keeps checks on the offshore betting trade in an attempt to also afford sports betting fans the capability to easily track down honorable organizations to play gambling games on, without anguish. It labors to maintain client’s rights, additionally they do not demand any association costs.

The association is a competent not to mention nonpartisan third party agency who assert objective impressions, based on your observations, unprejudiced study, calls, inside advice also offers inside gossip.

The Interactive Gaming Council is a not-for-profit organization. The organization has been designed to supply a platform for concerned people to talk about points and also to further mutual concerns in the worldwide web-based gaming industry, in an effort to establish civil not to mention sensible industry precepts and routines which enhance buyer faith in interactive sports gambling commodities and functions, also to aid as the sports betting trade’s global strategy interpreter not to mention the Interactive Gaming Council functions as an info center.

The IGC has established a name for encouraging safety, fairness and plausibility due to its exacting ideals, and its allure to honorable sports betting web sites. The Interactive Gaming Council monitors offshore betting through using a characteristic ten step series of standards and in addition bills sports gambling businesses license fees for displaying the council’s logo. Unhappy clients can, if they need to, recount any of their problems to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The Fidelity Trust Gaming Association has been set up in an effort to present a standard which will upgrade the policies of machine-accessible sports betting trading operations. The authority believe that through affiliating entirely with credible companies, they can fabricate a membership of the fairest and professional internet betting companies internationally.

To summarize, there are governing bodies who watch the dealings of networked sports gaming and which should function to mitigate a few of the trepidation held by detractors. Internet based sports gaming sites are actually dependable, beacuse private data are not required and in addition the remuneration not to mention the gaming odds should be equivalent to a common Vegas-style sports wager. They wipe out traveling, but still keep of a Nevada casino, however today you are able to wager in the comfort of home.

sports book bet

New Year’s is a good time for strategic planning or re-planning your business. But don’t think that’s the only time. If you feel the need to re-consider your strategic plan – by all means – go ahead.

Whatever time of the year it is, you have probably set a working direction for the rest of the year, including clear-cut objectives. Your first-iteration plan to reach them should be in place. This now (whatever time it is – if you are thinking about it) seems like an ideal time to rethink the whole thing, doesn’t it? In our sped-up 21st century world, plans are subject to change just as soon as – or perhaps even before – they are written.

If you haven’t already done so, now is an excellent time to review your company’s year-end results and plan for the coming year. If you’ve already created your annual plan, you may want to look at it in a new light.

A typical approach to planning suggests multiplying last year’s quantitative results by an acceptable growth factor. Industry standards vary, often from 5% to 25%. Add to that number scheduled enhancements to your product line plus solutions to key problems you’ve been meaning to address, and that’s your plan.

Those of you who’ve been following my articles know that I advocate a different approach to this process: Step 1) Learn whatever you can from last year’s results – something many of us forget to do. For example, make 1998 the year you act on the knowledge that it takes six months to train your field reps, not the six weeks you used to allocate. Step 2) Set targets which will excite you and your team and get you out of bed every morning; Step 3) Figure out how to reach the targets in Step 2.

A well rounded strategy which will provide a platform for continuous growth should impact these critical factors:

• revenue and profit
• product development
• customer satisfaction
• quality
• intellectual capital
• productivity
• strategic relationships
• new customer growth
• employee retention.

For each factor follow the three step analysis.

Step 1. What can you learn from last year’s experience in each area?

What did you do right – what worked – what should you do more of? What did you do wrong – what didn’t work – what should be stopped immediately?

Also, ask what is missing from this area. In other words, what could you add – or eliminate – which will make a big difference in your organization’s effectiveness. Random examples of what might be missing: an organizational knowledge manager, periodic competitive analysis, a report of market share, an employee training plan.

Step 2. What results are you committed to produce in each area?

Remember, these results should be bold and dynamic. They should inspire everyone responsible for making them happen to do whatever it takes to get the job done. These targets or measures work best when they are objective and quantifiable. They must be achievable, however difficult that might be. Some examples of bold results: a 50 percent increase in sales; top of the list in prospect mind-share; 100 percent customer repurchases; three new products shipped by June; customer problems resolved in half the current time, a career path in place for each employee, zero turnover.

Step 3. How are you going to achieve these goals?

Your implementation plan has a number of components:

Who is accountable for each factor? Which executive? Which managers? What department? Some factors map directly onto a functional department, like revenue to marketing/sales. Those are the easy ones. Less obvious are factors like intellectual capital or customer satisfaction – they don’t fall under one clear domain. Nevertheless, one person has to pick up the ball. Along with their teams, whoever accepts accountability for specific the targets and goals will answer the remaining questions.

What strategies and tactics have a good chance to produce the results? Remember, if you’ve set bold objectives, you probably do not yet know how to reach them. That’s what makes them bold in the first place. You are inventing the answers, making them up.

The approach to some targets will be simple, others more complex. While there are no guarantees of success, each target should have an identifiable path with a good probability of getting your company to where you want it to be. That path will define one or more initiatives to be put on a timeline. The path will also include milestones – checkpoints to measure the ongoing success of the initiative.

What structural and procedural changes will you make relative to this factor? Some examples are adding two salespeople, creating a quality czar, establishing new reporting lines, eliminating paper memos, making a large capital investment, acquiring a component vendor, or having a monthly new business quota. Each structural and procedural change will give birth to its own initiatives, which also need to be time-lined.

Does this initiative have any staffing implications? Do you need to increase headcount, create new job descriptions or add specific managers? Where a factor maps directly onto a department – such as revenue or customer service – what is the annual staffing plan? If there is a staffing increase, make sure the financial considerations are fed back into the budget.

Taken together, all the factors, targets, accountable parties, initiatives, structural changes, timelines, measures and milestones add up to a strategic plan for the year.

Can you live without addressing all of these factors?

Of course you can – but will you prosper, and for how long? Increase sales, but neglect quality – what will happen to customer satisfaction? Improve product quality but neglect employee retention? What will happen to quality next year? And then what will happen to sales? Focus on profits but not new customers or strategic relationships – next year’s sales (and profits) decline, and so on. Each factor’s improvement synergistically contributes to your company’s survivability and prosperity.

Last issue: Can you do everything at once?

You probably don’t have the resources for that. But the solution can not neglect any of your critical factors – we’ve just looked at the outcome of that approach. Instead, create another breakthrough. Create a breakthrough in planning which commits your company to some level of advancement for each of the factors. One that ensures they all receive some level of attention so that each is moving forward, although maybe not all to the same degree. To reuse a well-worn phrase, if you are not making progress in each area, you are losing ground.

—

© Copyright 2004 Quantum Growth Coaching. All Rights Reserved

Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include Paul’s name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul Lemberg’s clients call him “the unreasonable business coach” because he insists they pursue goals and take actions far outside their comfort zone to make more money than they previously thought possible. To get business coaching, tips, tools and strategies like these, visit http://www.paullemberg.com/execoach.html.

Most people seem to think that good public speakers are born not made. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most good public speakers have undergone significant training in public speaking.

Even politicians – those great natural orators – have all undergone public speaking training. In the UK Margaret Thatcher was known to use speech coaches. In the US President Bush has consulted actors to help improve his speech delivery.

Whatever your level of public speaking you can improve with a little help from the professionals.

If you do a quick search on the internet for public speaking training you will get thousands of hits from sites promoting everything from self study e-books to 14 day residential courses. It is difficult to decide which is right for you.

Here are six things that you should look for when selecting the training or help that is right for you.

1. Principles of public speaking

Everyone has their own ideas of the basic principles of public speaking. As a minimum look for some mention of defining your goals, researching and deciding on your content, and understanding your audience and their needs.

2. Body language

Body language is at least as important as the actual words you use in your presentation. Some experts claim that the way in which your words are delivered – your posture, stance, gestures and animation – does more to convey your meaning than any words that you actually say.

Body language is a huge subject. A course on public speaking must cover the basic principles.

3. Use of words

Having said that body language is more important than the actual words it is a fact that without the words there is usually no message. Obviously, researching and creating the content of your speech are vitally important. How to create and craft your content are essential in any training.

4. Preparation

If there is one key to success in public speaking it is “preparation, preparation, preparation”. How to prepare is pretty simple. Learning how to do it well and quickly is a key skill. Some topics to look out for include questions such as:

Should you write and use scripts?

When should you use notes and how should you prepare them?

Can you rely on your memory alone?

Should you use audio visual aids?

5. Delivery

Most public speaking training concentrates on telling you how to deliver. And this is probably the right emphasis. Just make sure that the principles of public speaking have been well covered so you know just what your delivery has to achieve.

Most physical courses well video your performance for you to review and critique. It’s a technique that has stood the test of time. If you put your faith in an e-course you should also look for mentor on whom you can practise your public speaking.

6. Conquering nerves

Show me someone who doesn’t feel some degree of nervousness before speaking in public and I will show you someone who doesn’t care about their performance. Nerves are natural and even help to improve our performance.

For many people there is little more stressful in life than the prospect of public speaking. I have known highly confident, articulate people be physically sick before speaking in public. Any course on public speaking is incomplete without some help and guidance on controlling or conquering nerves.

There are literally thousands of topics that could be covered in a course on public speaking. Depending on your own particular circumstances and needs the overall emphasis will change.

Ensure that the training you select covers these 6 fundamental pillars first. You will be surprised how much sub standard training it will help you filter out. You can then select the training that most closely m atches your needs from those that remain.

Keith Longmire specialises in helping small businesses achieve rapid sustainable growth. Public speaking is a pivotal concept. See more at The Public Speaking Blog.

Home Drug Testing Kit

Drug test has become a frequent phenomena around the earth. Some societies do drug exams on newly hired people or active employees to reassure a drug-free environment at workplace.

Insurance authorities and courts guide drug exams on a frequent basis on distrusted people. The key enquiry that comes to your head, when you go for such screen is how to beat a drug test?

Cyber sites such as Thc Drug Test offers up the most advanced cleansing products including permanent cleaners, phony piss products, and saliva clean products, detox drinks and home drug test kits.

Drug Homemade Pass Test Ways

Pass The Drug Test offers pro support for every product, with support brought home the bacon by drug test experts which are highly veteran with diverse types of drug testing types and issues. Support is available by email and phone. Transportation is quick, with complete privacy assured, using plain and discrete packaging materials to uphold utter client privacy.

Creatinine Drug Testing

Embedded on the new website is a large range of products for cleansing and examination uses. Permanent cleaners are provided in 3, 5 and 7, 10, 14, 21 and 30 day products, with a assortment of herbs, roots, barks and minerals that are acknowledged lipids destroyers which process to break down fat cells and eradicate toxins wholly. Synthetic urine is proposed, which contains all factors normally seen in piss, specially balanced for pH with specific gravity, creatine and other piss features. A saliva cleaning mouthwash is provided will clean toxins from your mouth with barely 3 minutes of use. We have a range of detox drinks, every bearing the best working herbs and fiber to help free the body of toxins that may have accumulated.

If you use Overture to explore the internet for us here are 10 Essential phrases to utilize to get hold of our internet site.

Hair Testing

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Sometimes bread machines can be tricky. We were trying to help a customer whose bread did not rise enough. It seemed that he did everything right. Come to find out, he had an older model and a brand that we were not familiar with. (Bread machines are becoming more standardized but there are still different requirements for different machines.) So we tried to help him fine tune his mix to work perfectly with his machine.

Fine tuning may be required either because the mix does not perfectly match the machine or because of environmental conditions in your kitchenhumidity, temperature, or altitude. (Since temperature is a variable, make sure that both the mix and machine are at room temperature before beginning.)

Bread machines work on a timer. They mix, allow time for the bread to rise, and then bake. If the dough does not rise fast enough, then the loaf is dense with poor volume. If the dough rises too fast, it collapses with a depression in the middle. To fine tune a mix, we want to adjust the rising so that it is at peak height when the baking cycle begins.

In fine tuning, there are two variables to work with. The first is hydration, the ratio of water to dry ingredients. A more hydrated dough is softer and will rise easier. If it is too firm, it won’t rise enough and will be dense. If it is too soft, it will rise too quickly and collapse as baking begins. A little difference in the amount of water added will change the loaf so measure carefully with a reliable measuring cup designed for liquids.

Check the dough ball at the end of the kneading cycle. Poke it with your finger. It should be soft but not too sticky. If you think it is too soft or too firm, pull it out of the machine, form a loaf, let it rise, and bake it in the oven. Then next time, add or subtract water. Usually a one tablespoon adjustment is all that is needed.

The other method for fine tuning is adjusting the temperature of the water. All of our bread machine mixes are developed with water at 80 degrees and a specified water temperature range of 75 to 85 degrees. As a rule of thumb, if your kitchen is chilly, use water at 85 degrees. If hot, use water at 75 degrees.

Increasing or decreasing the water temperature will change the rate of the yeast growth substantially. So if the dough ball indicates the right consistency, then you can speed or retard the rising of the bread quite handily by adjusting the water temperature–warmer water will speed the rising and cooler water will slow the rising. Usually an adjustment of ten degrees is adequate.

We hope this helps you fine tune any mix for your bread machine and the conditions in your kitchen. What works for one mix, should work for all mixes of that same brand. Once you find what works, stick with it. Consistently turning out perfect loaves is usually no more difficult than carefully measuring the water and controlling water temperature.

© 2004 The Prepared Pantry

The Prepared Pantry produces bread, cookie and dessert mixes. See their Bread Machine Mixes.

For more articles like this visit The Bakers’ Library.

Australian Bush Flower Essences. Just a drop under the tongue, or a thin cover of cream on your skin and you’re up for it! The supportive use of natural flower essences is a great one for creatives in the limelight.

Out and about, protected as you go about your creative endeavours, essential flower essences ‘clear the waters’ and ease the path. Creatives do powerful work in some very mucky places. Don’t go out alone without some extra, natural reinforcement of the body and soul!

There is a beautiful range of flower essences from the Australian bush that I love. There is an essence to help with every fragility and to draw out every type of strength required to live a balanced, calm life and remain centred when in the hotspot of giving a public presentation of any sort.

I recommend Australian Bush Flower Essences way above the more accepted self-medication methods of drugs and alcohol. D and A are fast relieving but the side effects both short and longterm are really painful. There isn’t a creative person alive who doesn’t have a tale of woe of a friend lost to bad behaviour through drugs and alcohol.

The beauty is that, at the very least, Australian Bush Flower Essences can do no harm. Try one for three days. You’ll feel the effects kick in very gently and begin noticing an easing of the symptoms that hold you back from joyful, easeful creativity.

Before going to a public presentation of any sort try placing a few drops of Australian Bush Essence of your choice (depending on what your individual issues are) under your tongue. They’ll help diminish the negative aspect and draw out the positive aspect of your energy.

Just as the build up to a public presentation is important so too is the wind-down. After a big event you might like to try a warm foot bath with the juice of two lemons in it to draw excess energy/over stimulation down away from your head. That way you can unwind, re-center and sleep easily after being so pumped by the adrenal ‘fight or flight’ rush that performance requires.

It’s worth the effort to take care of your own eco-system. Contrary to popular myth, the more solid you are the more creative. Let those whose job it is to destroy themselves in full public view play out their karmic debt. That’s not your job. Your job is to be well and nourish the world with beautiful material that heals.

Andrea rieniets is an Indie singer/songwriter/composer/producer/musical director/community artist in Australia. ‘A rarity amongst Australian musicians.’ Black and White Magazine. Her blog is
Crikeymoses! Tips and tools for Creatives – getting your expression and activism out into the world where you live! Andrea’s gorgeous music can be heard at gorgeousworld.com
‘Intensely tuneful songwriter with a swag of techno savvy’ Rolling Stone

“Similar to Medieval Inquisitions, judges have
been given the authority, in secret
proceedings… to investigate, prosecute, and
sentence men without any legal counsel”

The Victims

Extorting monies from one group and discriminatingly and disproportionately
distributing them to another does not constitute a legitimate solution. In the past,
whenever proof has been requested to support their claims of success – they
have been unable to comply. At best, they throw us a few bones, token
statistics with no confirmation (numbers most definitely can be used to lie).

In my particular case, I look at my innocent young daughter with such remorse
for the precarious situation I find both myself and, therefore her, condemned to
under current dictate. And of my beautiful wife, I can only apologize for my
mistake. The mistake I made was during a brief period of emotional decline
between my wife and I. “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23. In a brief relationship, a woman deceived me regarding her
fertility – not a first, I’m sure. And now, the State, with great pride, rewards her
deception by taking what my daughter has come to know as “her home” away”.
I can only feel contempt for this barbaric tyranny and a need to seek a legal
solution. This deceptive woman has chosen to keep the child and, given her
past, condemned that child to a life similar to her own. Despite formal and
substantiated reports of neglect and abuse, the State sees fit to ignore these
reports, condemn the child, and take the path of inaction. It’s as if the State is
purposefully breeding its future source of Federal funds, grants, and quota
incentives. There are so many qualified adoptive parent/s just waiting for an
opportunity to provide this child with a better chance in life.

Money from Child
Support has not provided this luxury of status nor will it ever. Our website will
include more examples in greater detail of “poor” State judgment.
In a recent Seattle Post report, a man was shot to death by police officers at
the Federal courthouse in Seattle. Though the man clearly went about fighting
his battle the wrong way, his actions are evidence as to the futility men feel.
After the incident, a local radio station stated that, “they were amazed at the
number of calls from area men who felt they had no voice and how they felt
there was nothing they could do”. In the day after his violent death, many non-
custodial parents felt his attempts over the past fifteen years for child support
reform where heroic. The Commissioner of the aforementioned States Division
of Child Support was quoted as “being proud of the strategies and tactics his
agency used” and that ultimately provoked this man to such extreme measures.
Under existing dictate, no regard in setting support orders is given to a man’s
existing debt. Regard is given however to the reality that he will most likely be
forced to declare bankruptcy due to the unrealistic financial burden and that he
will loose everything. To ensure their take, our greedy politicians, like vultures
hovering over a rotting corpse, have ensured, through passage of law, that
child support orders will survive bankruptcy. Unbelievable!! No regard is given
to the effects on his existing family or his existing children. They don’t care,
they don’t even ask!! The horrific result of these judgments is unconscionable.
Under any other circumstances, the emotional distress caused would result in
financial damage rewards.

And finally, what agency exists to protect my
daughter from these vultures dressed in shirt, tie, and/or robe? “If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.” 1 John 1:8.
Laws are of men and clearly can and do change, evident by the current fears
expressed by feminist groups regarding the future composition of our Supreme
Court. May justice once again prevail.

In the past tattoos were just for a small group of people like tribal groups. But the culture border was broken and in these days even the average Joe can have a tattoo on his back. Yes the young people really dig this.

The big stars supported this cultural reflux and besides tattoos the piercing were also introduced to the youth. All good and nice but beware. Recent studies from well knows doctors are warning people that this rebellion accessory could have a great risk on your health.

The needles are the main factors in contacting one of the worst diseases know under the name of hepatitis B. The risk of contacting this is higher in underground workshops and the youth that just wants a quick solution is really getting in something over its head. The truth is that the number of cases with hepatitis doubled in the last years and a big part in this are body tattoos. You should be responsible and don’t even consider making this changes to your body. There are always safer solutions like: stick on tattoo.

All that people want is to make money! What is the shortcut in this situation: reuse of needles and even skip the sterilization all together. Blood poisoning became a reality and even if I don’t want to give you names now, death cases have been reported. Because people don’t care about your health the cream and needles use in the process get infected with the blood of other patience. If you do this you have to make sure, look, ask don’t be shy, this is your life we are talking about.

Razors, unprotected sex and toothbrushes are ways of spreading the disease. The mother can infect the unborn child. The risk is so great that donating blood is banned for people that have a tattoo or piercing made in the last 12 months.

Of course the reaction from body artist came fast: they said this is perfectly safe as long as you take all the precautions. In response to the hepatitis they said that the hygiene 30 years ago was not at the same level as today and there was no worry of the disease back then. In their opinion we worry for nothing.

What we can recommend you is to research the studio before you do anything and check if the person with the needle has at least a license to do this. Maybe in the past the disease was not so spread but in this day the disease is real and it’s her to stay. The new era we live in is helping the disease to spread around the globe in a matter of days. And if we believe the studies that say the half of the young generation made a body piercing in the recent times we should be worried about the fact that 1 in 9 of them got some kind of problem or infection after they did so.

If you find this information useful you should visit the site Tattoo Motive or Aztec and celtic Tattoos where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic.

Test anxiety is at an all time high in light of the No Child Left Behind law regarding test scores. Pressure to score well has students and teachers stressed. Hey UGLY Inc., NFP, the 501 (C) 3 nonprofit that helps teens with self-esteem wanted to help students ease their stress over taking tests so they put together the following tips:

1. Prepare Your Body -

The best start to sharpening your mind is to fine tune your body. Peak mental performance starts with a body that is fueled with healthy foods, moderately exercised, and given adequate rest. An occasional candy bar or popcorn might be fine, but avoid filling your body with junk foods, which tend to give you a quick burst of energy that will run out before you need it most. Drink water and avoid extra caffeine. Take walks, shoot hoops, jog, laugh, dance, or take time for some other kind of exercise that gets your heart pumping. Start now or at least a week before exams, then keep it up. Your mind will thank you for it.

2. Collect Your Gear -

You wouldn’t try to play tennis without a racquet. Organize yourself early by collecting and inspecting your equipment. You’ll need tests and quizzes, notes, textbooks and workbooks, and copies of handouts from class. If you have lost your syllabus or course overview, ask your instructor for another copy. Collect review sheets and lists of vocabulary words, important names and dates, or theorems, laws and principles. Organize these materials into separate stacks so you’ll have all you need in front of you as you begin to study.

3. Map Your Route -

The best way to reach your destination is to plan ahead, and the first step is just getting started. You already knowor you may ask your teacher if you aren’t surewhen you’ll be taking your exams. Prepare a plan by scheduling time ahead to study for each exam. Avoid putting things off, as procrastination is not only one of the greatest contributors to stress, but also the choice least likely to lead to success. Prepare a chart or calendar that includes each test date, then plan backward to allow at least three and ideally six or seven days ahead of time to start studying.

4. Pack For the Journey -

Now that you have a plan, it’s time to start packing. Look back at major tests, vocabulary words, and important projects. Review lists of key points at the beginning and end of textbook chapters, along with the main headings in between. A good approach is to get a set of note cards, then write each major topic from these materials on one card. Next, go through your notes and add important points to remember under the major topics. When you get ready to study, you can focus on the cards instead of having to refer to different books and papers.

5. Break It Down -

Now that you have your information in a form that will literally fit in your hand, break the cards down into smaller stacks. Look at the chart or calendar you made and prepare one smaller stack for each day you have set aside for studying for that test. Put a rubber band around each smaller stack and commit yourself to mastering the material on each smaller stack on the day you have planned.

6. Take Time to Laugh It Up With a Friend -

So far, we’ve been focused on preparing to study. Now it’s time to lighten up and get some help. Call a friend or classmate and schedule some laughter and study time together. That’s right, laughing time. According to Steve Wilson, physiologist, and founder of the World Laughter Tour, “If you look at all the research on laughter, it strongly leads us to the conclusion that one of the main purposes of laughter is the discharge of tension. Laughter also energizes people. If you laugh long enough and hard enough you reverse the physiology of stress.” If you need help laughing try Laughtercising with the “Laugh It Off” CD. Once you and your friends are de-stressed, you can help one another by taking turns quizzing on the cards. It’s a lot more fun than doing all the studying alone. Plan some snack breaks or exercise sessions during your study time to break up the study time. Be sure your breaks don’t last so long that you fall short of what you planned to study. Some people like to set a timer or agree on a time to come back to studying as a way to make good progress.

7. Take a Trial Run -

Many famous athletes, entertainers and musicians, as well as very successful people in other walks of life, understand the importance of practice before a performance. Get out your note cards, a pen or pencil and some paper, and then cover up all but the headings. Write what you know about each heading on the paper. If you get stuck, just peek at the card and keep going. The act of writing out the answers will help you remember them later. You’ll gain confidence from knowing that you could remember what was on the cards before you actually take the test.

8. Visualize Your Success -

Another part of practicing is to picture yourself being successful on test day. Sit at a desk or table in a chair with a pen or pencil and paper in front of you. Close your eyes and picture yourself in the room where you’ll take the exam. Picture in your mind the instructor passing out the exams and you receiving yours. Next, take one or two deep breathsinhaling slowly for a count of three, then exhaling slowly for a count of eight. Notice how calming it is to breathe this way. Now imagine yourself beginning the test. Picture the questions on the exam, and visualize yourself confidently recalling the answers from your note cards. Watch yourself calmly answering the questions correctly, finishing the exam, and turning it in.

9. Stay Sharp -

Throughout the study process, as well as during your actual test days, take breaks to keep yourself sharp. Get plenty of sleep each night so you won’t be asking a tired mind to perform. Laugh, sing, exercise and eat healthy, especially on test days.

10. Reward Your efforts -

No matter what happens during your exams, reward yourself for the work you put in ahead of time. Remember that you cannot control what questions appear on the test or whether you understood or remembered everything. Sometimes students keep thinking about a missed question or two on a test, which keeps them from focusing on other questions. Give yourself a mental high five for the answers you know you got right, and skip over questions you don’t know until you finish the rest. Then come back and try those questions again. And once the test is over, let is pass. Look ahead to the next exam with the confidence that you have prepared yourself for success.

Hey U.G.L.Y. Inc., NFP is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse and suicide. U.G.L.Y. is an acronym meaning: Unique Gifted Lovable You. Hey U.G.L.Y. is founded on the belief that heightened self-esteem in today’s youth is vital to helping them cope and overcome day-to-day peer pressure and challenges. Their interactive website, www.heyugly.org, lists quotes about self-esteem and body image by celebrities. The site features self-esteem building articles, contests and exercises. Hey U.G.L.Y. created an in-school curriculum called “M-POWER.” It is available to middle and high schools across the country.

Betty Hoeffner has been writing articles for various media outlets for the past 30 years. She is currently producer of a patient safety film called Things You Should Know Before You Enter the Hospital and president of Hey U.G.L.Y., Inc. NFP, a 501C3 nonprofit organization that empowers teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse and suicide. U.G.L.Y. is an acronym meaning Unique Gifted Lovable You.

How to actually build link exchange e-mails – and be successful!

I get a lot of link exchange e-mails. If you’re a newbie at Internet Marketing, or simply have no idea what I’m talking about, these e-mails are from other webmasters who want to exchange links with you. Exchanging links helps promote both sites as search engines will spider these links and it will increase the link popularity of both sites involved.

I, however, seem to get the worst link exchange e-mails on Earth. When I myself send out link exchange e-mails, I receive a much higher return then any of these people ever will because they simply DO NOT KNOW HOW TO EXCHANGE LINKS.

When you’re sending an e-mail to an established website, which already has an income, and you are just starting your first site or putting another one online, it’s important to follow some simple rules.

1. Introduce yourself, your website, and what you do.

2. State you’ve posted a reciprocal link BEFORE e-mailing the webmaster for the link exchange.

3. KINDLY ask for a link back. And never forget – use spell-checked, easy to read plain English!

Those are the three golden rules of link exchanges. It seems so many people no longer follow the golden rules – they’re rude, they say nothing of what their website does, sells, or manages, and they NEVER post a reciprocal link beforehand.

Not to mention – some people say they post your link, then don’t and never get back to you! Or use a robots.txt file to block access to their link pages, so their links to you may BE there – but the engines will never see it.

Such sneaky SEO tactics should be spit upon. For instance, here is an example of a link exchange e-mail I received in my inbox today.

Dear SiteMaster!

Its not the spam. Its exclusive and limited in time proposal.

I have the site with stable PageRank5 over the long time, and this site takes one of the first places in Yahoo and MSN and has good position in Google.

I’m the editor of this site.

Subject matter of my site – Furniture.

I propose you to exchange links with my site because I think that both of us will be in profit from this.

If you are interested in my proposition – please, let me know.

I am waiting for your prompt reply.

Best regards!

(Name removed so sender will be less embarrassed)

This is awful. Pathetic. The webmaster doesn’t even post his website URL in the e-mail – so how the hell am I supposed to look for my link? No, of course. He didn’t post one before e-mailing me.

So obviously this guy will never get a link back from me unless he smacks himself in the head, and realizes how to actually use the proper link exchange e-mail format.
Not only will this guy get almost no links back – the ones he will get will be from websites he may not even want to associate with. But because this looks like just a bulk, random mailing to random people, this webmaster will likely never even check what websites he exchanges with.

This is called quantity over quality linking – and this is the WORST example of it I have ever seen.

I spit upon thee!

Next in the list – and oh buddy do I ever have a long list of spit-upon-thees – is the people who write a great letter but paste a link to some stupid form to fill out if you want to exchange with them.

These automatic scripts are annoying, time-consuming, and sometimes very useless. A lot of the time when I need to build new links to new websites (mine or a client) I’ll use a number of these forms in the same day to get some immediate links built. Yes, some of these scripts allow the link to be posted right away. But – a computer is only as smart as it’s maker. A lot of the time, the script might have trouble picking up the link (especially if the link is placed somewhere with dynamic content, or the link is on a forum like PhpBB). Other times the script simply comes back with some useless error!

Automatic linking scripts – I spit upon thee!

Next on the shit list is services that connect webmasters to each other to link (I cannot name names as I might get sued). Now, I have nothing against the service; nothing whatsoever. What I have something against is the people that peruse these sites looking for link partners. They’ll post your link, e-mail you for a link back, etc. I’ll post their link, say thanks, and they’ll never respond. So who’s to say that they keep the link up or not?

No one. Usually the link is pulled a week or two later, and good luck getting ahold of the person who e-mailed you.

More “automatic” link building services. I spit upon thee as well!

Do you all want a REAL taste of how to link? Let me show you. This is a link exchange e-mail I have used in the past to ask for links back – and had very good turn arounds with.

–THIS IS A TEMPLATE. DO NOT COPY THIS TEMPLATE PLEASE, ANY NAMES, WEBSITE NAMES, OR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FROM THIS DOCUMENT. WHICH INCLUDES THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT. I HAVE WAYS OF FINDING OUT THANKS TO GOOGLE FILTERS. THANK YOU. COPYRIGHT G3 NETWORK, 2005–

From the webmaster who brought you Computer Desk Info and Ceiling Fans N More, comes Lamp Info

Dear webmaster:

I am writing you because I have exchanged links with you in the past on one of my previous home related websites. I would like to exchange links with your site, insert website name here, on my new site, Lamp Info.

Lamp Info is a home decor related website that reviews and has useful information on floor lamps, table lamps, and designer lamps. Like my other websites, I hope to have this one on top of Yahoo soon, and start making some serious traffic. If you haven’t heard of my other sites, I hold respectable positions on the major search engines, and my link partners benefit from it. And you, as my link partner, are going to benefit from all of my projects as long as you are interested.

I have posted a link to your prestigious website at http://www.lampinfo.com/web-resources/link-catergory.php

If you could be so kind as to post a link back, here is the linking HTML:

Table lamps, floor lamps, lamp shades and more at Lamp Info

Check out Lamp Info for reviews on the industry’s leading lamps, as well as a selection of designer lamps and more. Lamp Info – for all your lamp and lighting needs.

Thanks very much for your time, and have a great day.

Sincerely,
Mark Berger
- G3 Network of Related Websites -
webmaster@bandwidthcrazy.com

Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a REAL link exchange document. Please, before you begin e-mailing useless crap to random people’s inboxes, next time, think of this and use some wit and intuition. It will get you a long way – and remember, if you link with higher quality sites instead of many low-key sites, you will rise up through the rankings faster. And ALWAYS check the site you’re linking with – they may have some content you disapprove of, or might practice shady SEO tactics like link farms. Any association with a link farm (or even some forms of black hat SEO) will get you banned from search engines – permanently!

I am a young, aspiring computer engineer into Internet Marketing, hardware, software, web design, SEO and just about anything related to computers. Please come check out my growing PC forum at http://www.markspcforum.com