ELFIS BLOG

President US (America) : George Bush Dodges Shoes Thrown by Iraqi Journalist

2008-12-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

Wow..........George Bush Dodges Shoes Thrown by Iraqi Journalist

The world was shocked - while the Muslim world rejoices - to see an Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi threw a pair of shoes at President George W. Bush during a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Nour Maliki. Although the man did not hit his target, the act alone hit the heart of the freedom-living citizens of the world.

To the Arab world, throwing of shoe on another person signifies the lowest form of contempt against the individual. This avowed declaration of personal sentiment against another person was best caught by television footage during the invasion of Iraq. Hundreds of Iraqis hit the fallen monument of Saddam Hussein with their shoes after the American forces had captured Baghdad in 2003.

It is incongruous for Zaidi to show his utter disdain to a president who had liberated 28 million Iraqis from a despotic leader that murdered millions of his people. One wonders what would happen to Zaidi had he thrown his shoes at Hussein during his college days. For sure, Zaidi along with his family, relatives and community will be terminated with extreme prejudice.

The throwing of shoes at President Bush is symbolic in nature. The left shoe thrown really meant declaration of hateful sentiment to the members of the United States armed forces who are serving in Iraq and to those who died to free it from tyranny. Similarly, the right shoe thrown at President Bush pronounced scornful attitude to his fellowmen who now embrace freedom and enjoy the benefits of a democratic society.

The sentiment espouses by Zaidi mirrors those of the hundred millions of Muslims in the Middle East who would rather submit to a strong-fisted ruler than accept a western-style democracy. This is a case of pathological hatred of everything that comes from the west. From the slums of Sadr City to the fortified streets of Gaza, Zaidi became a household name and regarded by Muslims as a hero.

The left-leaning Los Angeles Times even equate Zaidi with Joe the Plumber - the rallying name of the Republican Party during the 2008 US presidential election. The Times also reported that Zaidi has his room decorated with a picture of Che Guevarra, the communist revolutionary who fought with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the 1950s. It is no wonder why the leftist media heralded the action of Zaidi as victory against the "imperialist United States." Just ask Tina Susman of the Times.

Zaidi, a correspondent with the Cairo-based TV channel Baghdadiya, is now in the custody of Iraqi security unit and is waiting for his appearance in the criminal court. Is not it ironical for a man who loathes the democratic system now enjoys the egalitarian process that he opposes of? He will have his day in court and his counsel will defend his action and seek absolution for his deed. Ah, what a democracy.

The fact that Zaidi was able to express his animosity and attempt to inflict harm towards the most powerful leader in the world and still given the chance to defend himself in the court of law speaks volume of the positive changes that permeate the Iraqi society nowadays.

The left-leaning mainstream media reported the shoe-throwing incident to mock President Bush. It highlighted the antagonism of the individual to a foreign leader rather than significance of the event that night. Bush had a press conference with Maliki on December 14 in Baghdad to accept symbolically the US-Iraq security agreement that provides for the US troops withdrawal in Iraq on 2012. The agreement was approved by the Iraqi parliament and will be finalized by the Iraqis in a referendum next summer.

20 years from now, history would judge if the bold action of President Bush to infuse democracy in the Middle East had brought positive results or not. However, the way it goes right now, Iraq has never been freer since the time of its existence thousands years ago. One thing is sure also, President Bush's legacy will always be remembered along with the flying freedom-shoes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jos_Ilagan

Antivirus F Secure : The 4 Effective Anti-Viruses For Mobile Phones : e

2008-12-07T20:01:00.001-08:00

There are more than forty mobile phone viruses and threats that have been reported. Apparently, these viruses can badly damage your phone and can cause it to be of no use at all. Therefore, getting an anti-virus is vital to keep your mobile running well and efficient.
Zebra Virus Cleaner One of the most effective anti-viruses that you can implement on your mobile phone is the Zebra Virus Cleaner for Symbian OS Smart Phone. This is a dependable anti-virus software that can protect your mobile from being assaulted by malevolent programs. Zebra Virus Cleaner can identify and clean rootkits, Lasco, Cabir, Skulls, plus nearly a thousand of viruses including Trojans and worms from your smart phone. It also provides security for all your personal files and information. Zebra Virus Cleaner scans quickly and gets rid of viruses completely in real time, easy to adopt and has a friendly feature. The users can set the time to scan and update automatically.
The Kaspersky Anti-Virus With the growing recognition of smart phones and communicators, your phones may not be safe from malicious programs that were increasing both in numbers and variety. The Kaspersky Anti-Virus is the appropriate and reliable solution that will keep your mobile phones from such programs that affect the mobile platforms. It was developed and combined the latest technology of the Kasperky Lab technologies, experts in the antivirus field. Their solution offers competent armor for your smart phone and personal files.
Commander Mobile Anti-Virus One of the most effective defends against mobile phones harmful content, unwanted messages and malfunctioning applications is the Commander Mobile Anti-Virus. With this anti-virus, you can scan both the principal memory and memory cards, thus providing an absolute and prompt protection. It can detect viruses such as Cabir and thoroughly remove them from the system. All files are automatically inspected when they are copied, synchronized, modified, saved, or downloaded. This will definitely put off corruption of your mobile phone files.
F-Secure Mobile Anti-virus F-Secure Mobile Anti-virus is uncomplicated to adopt and does not need excess device resources or pointless user interaction. By design, it examines all files both in the device and on the memory cards. When a corrupted file is found, it is directly isolated to protect all the other data in the system. When the data connection is applied for emails and web browsing, the anti-virus database is updated unnoticeable in the background. F-Secure anti-virus also safeguards mobile computing by bringing together an integrated anti-virus and firewall. This platform makes available a remedy and automated security thru real time. The F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus scans both the incoming and outgoing internet packets to thwart malicious, unsafe, or possibly destructive packets. F-Secure is also uncomplicated to apply.
These mobile software anti-viruses help us to stay composed and prepared for the attacks of malicious programs that can virtually impair the system of our phones. The defenses that they build into the network layer are the most valuable system of protection. In selecting mobile antivirus solution, look for the one that supports your device as well as its operating system. Also, the anti-virus software should be trouble-free to use, has over the air updates and a real time virus scanning and should scan all attachments for viruses. Although anti-viruses may significantly decelerate your mobile phone but it is beyond doubt the best protection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Urmann

Antivirus CA : CA Antivirus Survey - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly About CA Antivirus : e

2008-12-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

CA Antivirus by Computer Associate has been around the anti-virus software business for quite some time. But with so many other anti-virus programs on the market, it is very hard to know whether CA Antivirus should become your choice when it comes to protecting your computer. In this article, we would take a look at what current CA Antivirus users have to say about their purchase.

The Good:1. You have a choice on what feature YOU want to use in the CA Antivirus program. You can, for example, turn off the Automatic Email Scanning if you don't feel that you need it. There will not be any graphics and messages on your system tray that would "warn" you that you don't have all the features turned on.
2. It won't slow down your PC. This is a common problem among anti-virus programs. A slow PC is the last thing you want while having your computer protected and CA Antivirus is well-known in occupying very few resources.
3. Fast Scanning speed. CA Antivirus has been praised for its fast scanning speed. The time it takes to scan the entire computer is lower than most major competitors in the anti-virus market.

The Bad:1. Lack of technical support. The CA Antivirus website seems to lack detailed information for troubleshooting the software. Some users also experienced difficulties talking with the troubleshooting staff from CA Antivirus.
2. One user experienced instability in the initial installation when used with Windows Vista. But CA Antivirus seems to work fine for other Vista machines.
The Ugly:Some people criticize CA Antivirus for its lack of graphics, dull interface, and lack of blinking messages. However, others seem to find that welcoming with less disturbance from their anti-virus program and a user-friendly interface.
Overall, though it appears that CA Antivirus could improve its technical support and perhaps some instability issues in the past, it could be a solid choice for anti-virus protection. Read more reviews and decide for yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_S_Anderson

Antivirus agnitum : Security and Internet Browsers – Firefox vs Internet Explorer : e

2008-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Introduction
The Internet is becoming a more and more dangerous place to be, due in no small part to the inherent security risks posed by viruses and spyware. Additionally, applications that access the Internet as part of their normal operations may have errors in their code that allows hackers to launch attacks against the computer on which those applications are running. The safety and integrity of digital assets is further compromised by the fast-growing threat of cybercrooks who devise and implement large-scale hoaxes such as phishing and ID theft.
In the light of all this, it’s clear that users need a reliable and secure web browser between them and the Internet, which will be free of these problems and won’t let harmful content invade the computer.
The web browser industry continues to be dominated by the Windows-bundled Internet Explorer, with an 85% market share, but in recent years a new breed of free, more functional and resilient browsers has appeared – the most popular being Mozilla/Firefox and Opera. All have received serious security upgrades to help protect against recent scares and safeguard users online.
Internet Explorer is at version 6.0, essentially the same product that was included with Windows XP in 2001. Eighteen months ago, the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 substantially increased IE safety; however, it did not eliminate many of the loopholes exploited by hostile program code. At present, Firefox is at version 1.5, but its very different development history (see next section) means that it can be considered at a similar level of maturity as Internet Explorer.
Currently, Microsoft is preparing its next-generation browser, Internet Explorer 7.0, which it plans to introduce sometime during the first half of 2006. The company has stated that it intends to make the browser stronger and more secure to help protect its users against the many problems that have dogged the software over the years.
We, along with Internet users everywhere, await the final results with interest. In the meantime, we decided to undertake our own security evaluation of both IE 7 (beta) and its closest rival, Firefox 1.5.
History and overview
Internet Explorer is a proprietary graphical web browser developed by Microsoft. In 1995, the company licensed the commercial version of Internet Explorer 3.0 from Spyglass Mosaic and integrated the program into its Windows 95 OSR1 edition. Later, it included IE4 as the default browser in Windows 98 – a move which continues to raise many antitrust questions.
Firefox is an open-source browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation; anyone who is proficient enough can collaborate in writing and improving its program code. Mozilla is known for its stringent approach to security, promising a bounty of several thousand dollars for any major vulnerability found in the product.
Security incidents and threat response
While no browser is perfect, major security lapses happened rather more frequently with IE than with Firefox. To be fair, Firefox has less than a 10% market share and is thus a rather less enticing target than IE; that’s probably also why security researchers focus much of their attention on the vulnerabilities of Microsoft’s browser, not Firefox’s. Some people have argued that if the market shares were reversed, bugs in Firefox would start appearing on a more frequent basis, as has recently been the case with Internet Explorer.
The open-source architecture of Firefox contributes to the overall safety of the browser; a community of skilled programmers can spot problems more quickly and correct them before a new release is available for general use. It’s been said that threat response time for Firefox averages one week, while it may take months for Microsoft engineers to fix critical bugs reported by security analysts – an unacceptable situation for users who remain unnecessarily vulnerable to exploits (hacker attacks) during that time.
From the threat response standpoint, Firefox is clearly the winner.Security features
Phishing safeguard New protection against financial fraud and identity theft has been incorporated into the new IE. A so-called “phishing filter” now appears on the Internet Options menu, which is intended to protect users against unknowingly disclosing private information to unauthorized third parties. Here’s how it works:
If a user visits a spoofed site which looks exactly like a genuine one – usually as a result of clicking on a link in a fraudulent email - the browser senses a phishing attempt and compares the site against a list of known phishing sites. If the filter finds the site is a phishing culprit, it blocks access to the site and informs the user of the danger of leaving his/her personal details on sites like this. The database of known phishing sites is updated regularly, and users have an option to report a suspected phishing instant to Microsoft for evaluation.
We’re pleased to report that, even in beta, the filter appears to work quite well, correctly identifying half of the test sites we visited as phishing sites.
In Firefox, phishing protection is delivered through third-party extensions such as Google Safe Browsing (currently in beta for US-based users only (see http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/safebrowsing/index.html); this can be plugged into the browser’s extension menu.
As additional protection against accidental phishing, the authors of IE have stated that they plan to make their product display the URL of every visited site. With IE 6, this capability was not available and many pop-ups appeared without displaying an address in the previously non-existent address bar. Unfortunately, in neither browser were we were able to achieve more than a fifty percent URL display ratio; we trust that this percentage will increase as the release of IE 7 approaches and Mozilla continues to work on improving its functionality in this area.
Restriction of executable Web content
In the current version of IE, suspect websites have been free to install almost any software they want on visitors’ machines. While XP SP2 has dramatically reduced this possibility, many unnecessary add-ons and toolbars can still be easily installed by inexperienced users. IE 7 should provide more protection for naïve users, as it will offer to run in protected mode, thus restricting access to the host OS files and settings and making these critical elements of the computer inaccessible to malware.
The default setting for Firefox 1.5 is to have installation of extensions and add-ons disabled; the user must manually change settings in order to enable adding extensions to the browser.
There will always be a tradeoff between security and functionality, but security experts always maintained that letting websites unrestrictedly launch executable code within the browser creates unlimited potential for exploitation. IE 7 will offer much greater flexibility in configuring which external code will be permitted to run within the browser and what impact it would have on the OS.
ActiveX restrictions
Aside from some graphics enhancement of web pages, in most cases ActiveX is more damaging than beneficial. Many sites that serve up spyware and pop-up ads use ActiveX scripting technology, and ActiveX scripting in the Windows environment can be allowed to run unrestrictedly with administrator (root) privileges. Firefox 1.5 does not support Microsoft’s proprietary ActiveX technology and so the Firefox browser is more resilient against spyware infection.
In IE6, even with SP2, ActiveX is allowed to run by default, which automatically renders IE users less protected against the threat of spyware. In the upcoming IE 7, it is not yet known whether Microsoft will continue this approach, but early indications point to this being the case. This would be unfortunate, since the current approach is a clear security vulnerability.
Of course, IE users can manually disable ActiveX scripting on a particular website and let ActiveX be started automatically on all other sites visited. Or, vice versa, they can disable ActiveX scripting on most of the sites visited and permit it to run on a particular site. All this can be configured under the Security tab in IE’s Options menu. However, it is hardly realistic to expect Internet novices, who need the most protection, to do this.
Java, JavaScript and Visual Basic components
Java and JavaScript can be enabled and disabled by both browsers. Firefox allows users to specify permissions for particular actions performed by these scripts. IE 6 allows users to create a group of trusted sites to which global limitations on these scripts will not apply. In IE 7, more flexibility will be added that will lead users toward a more customized display of web pages belonging to a particular site; it appears Firefox also plans to introduce more flexible parameters.
Internal download manager
IE 7’s download manager will be revamped, and feature an option to pause and resume downloads - a feature not available with the current version. Specific actions will be able to be defined following the completion of a download, and users can check the newly-downloaded file with their anti-virus before running it. This approach is already in place with Firefox, so Microsoft appears to be playing catch-up here.
Encryption of data on protected sites
When you submit sensitive information, such as transaction details to a bank or financial institution, it travels in an encrypted form through a secure HTTP (SHTTP) connection. The information is encrypted by your browser and decrypted at the receiving end. The new version of IE will use stronger encryption algorithms to reliably transfer your data without the risk of being intercepted and deciphered by someone in transit. A padlock icon indicating that a user is on a secure site will be placed in a more obvious place than currently, and more detailed information will be provided to help visitors check the authenticity of such sites.
Firefox currently has a better-organized display of security certificates for its users, so clearly Microsoft has a room for improvement.
Updating
Both browsers are updated automatically when new code is ready. Firefox has this update mechanism already in place, and for IE 7, it is expected that updates will be provided through Windows update technology.
Privacy enhancements
IE 7 will have the ability for users to flexibly set what private data will be saved and can be applied to different sites; users will be able to easily remove browsing history and other private details such as passwords, cookies, details submitted on web forms, download history, and temporary files. In IE 6, these files were stored all over the place and users have complained that there is no clear way to delete this information. Firefox 1.5 already provides this capability.
Conclusion
IE 7 promises a lot of interesting security and privacy enhancements that will help users stay more secure. With the final release users will receive a good, solid browser that, if Microsoft promises are fulfilled, will help it to compete well on the security front. As we have seen, Firefox 1.5 is already a role model, and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for this talented challenger.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Igor_Pankov

Anti virus Bit Defender : Bit Defender - The Latest Release is Packed With Promising Results : e

2008-12-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

What does a person look for in a Security Suite? Anti-virus utility, anti-phising, Anti-spam and Anti-spy ware, name a function and the latest release of Bit Defender has it all. The latest version of Bit defender, Internet Security v 2008, is packed with some excellent features that are required to secure your internet and computer usage.
To get into details, Bit Defender has mainly 4 major categories. They are Network Security, PC security, Identity Control and Parental Control. PC security checks the regular PC updates, anti spamming, the updates that happen on regular basis and also secures the Peer 2 peer file sharing within communities.
Network Security has two features called the Stealth Mode and Firewall. These features block intruders in getting access to your computer information on network or internet. The security feature has three levels which makes it a very secure application. Any slightest out of the way activity is immediately reported to the computer administrator.
Identity control feature is pretty good. It monitors and checks the changes in your identity as user so that your private data is secure. Any suspicious move in changing identity is blocked and user is locked out. Only administrator can then unlock the same. You may set some rules so that it is easy for you to prove your identity online.
Parental control is something that has become an essential feature in all security suites. Now you can track, check and record the usage of your children. It gives details of which site visited, what stuff was downloaded and shows you the entire data. It also blocks any information accessed with a particular word. This can be enabled by adding a couple of Keywords. Any explicit content would immediately raise an alarm.
All features of Bit Defender are very good compared to other Security suites in the market. The only disadvantage about this software is that the scan speed is very slow and this software occupies lot of physical memory.
Well, not everything comes packed in one box.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Schavo

Antivirus Norman : Top 10 Computer Virus Protection Reviews : e

2008-12-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Below are my top 10 computer virus protection reviews:
1. Bit Defender - This newly updated version of Bit Defender for 2008 has a new Gaming mode to ensure protection while not allowing pop-ups during game playing. They still offer all the services that they have been known for such as privacy protection and web scanning. It was awarded the top spot in the computer virus protection reviews because it is easy to use and install; it's overall effectiveness, can be updated regularly, and has great support.
2. Kaspersky - Kaspersky has received top ratings for the same above-mentioned aspects such as effectiveness and support. This software has received many awards from top organizations. It is one of the most advanced products available on the market today; it would be an ideal choice to protect your computer.
3. ESET Nod32- This is said to be a simple, but very thorough security protection solution. They scored highest on effectiveness, support, and easy installation. In 2008, the ESET Nod32 received major updates while maintaining the high standard of security protection it has always provided.
4. AVG Anti-Virus- This year two previously separate products were merged with their award winning antivirus software to ensure improved overall protection for your home computer systems. They have also improved their scanning engine which should cut down on time taken to complete a virus and spyware scan. They also reported an overall decrease in overall system resource usage.
5. F Secure Antivirus- The security protection suites offered by F-Secure are used by both home computer users and large corporations on their massive networks. They strive to ensure that the internet user understands general online security safety measures and precautions, along with the potential threat caused by an inadequate security setup. Overall F-Secure offers an excellent package.
6. Trend Micro- Although this software may cause a slight decrease in performance of some basic home PCs,Trend guarantee that the security level provided by their software will more than make up for any slight decrease in performance that may be experienced. This software is aimed directly at the home internet user rather than larger corporations and receives high scores in all areas. The lowest score is attributed to the help/support section. Trend Micro is used by many people and is a viable security solution.
7. McAfee VirusScan - McAfee is a leading antivirus software provider. This software now comes equipped with extra features including an email scanner. It is not the best security option in my opinion but very popular none the less.
8. Norton Antivirus- Norton Antivirus is a widely known antivirus scanner and has been around for many years. It is the choice of many computer manufacturers who install it as part of their normal PC or laptop setup. The 2008 version is equipped with antivirus protection as well as anti-spyware detection. It is not one of my favorites as in my personal testing I have found it to be a resource hog and some end users have found it difficult to remove from their systems. Symantec are a well respected security software provider and constantly strive to update and improve the software they offer to their customers.
9. CA Antivirus- If you are looking to only detect and remove viruses on your computer then this may an option you would want to consider. This is the primary function of this product and it does not contain additional detection capabilities.
10. Norman Antivirus and Antispyware- This software is good at detecting spyware and viruses that may be lurking on your home computer. Again some users have reported a slight decrease in computer performance as a result of installing Norman AV.
The idea behind writing the top 10 computer virus protection reviews was to offer what I consider a "taster" if you like on what is available, how effective it is, and how easy it is to use. Armed with this information my hope is that you will be in a position to more easily choose a security solution that fits with your individual needs and level of security required.
If you feel that you need more specific information on any of the top 10 then just head over to the company website or type (name of software) "computer virus protection reviews" into your search engine of choice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hugh_Duddy

Anti virus Trendmicro : Top Ten Anti Virus - A Must Have Protection For Your Computer : e

2008-12-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

It has been determined by those using anti virus software which programs work and which programs don't. Or which software programs actually deserve to be in the top ten in the Internet world. You would be surprised to know that there are a few sites that were checked and the top ten differs. This is not unbelievable considering the reviews taken into consideration are in many cases undecided. So as a result, the designers and creators rely on positive feedback.
Supposedly, the following were rated as the top ten beginning with #1 and ending with #10, although depending on what review or comparison you might go to, the list might vary in some ways.
Trend Micro Antivirus/ providing fast detection and real time protection as well.
CA Antivirus 2008/ with an improved user interface and real time scanning. Additionally capable of removal tools.
Panda Antivirus 2007/ making protecting your personal computer as easy as possible. Free automatic updates. Powerful blockage from hijackers, keyloggers, intruders, and hackers.
Cyberscrub Antivirus Lifetime Edition/ installed correctly can initially provide up to five years of protection. Able to check for viruses at the users command. Firewall protection also included.
PC Tool Antivirus/ Able to detect and quarantine most viruses. Performance in real time for threats against many Trojans, viruses, and worms.
Protea Antivirus Lotus Domino/ a package of software full of tools that are capable of scanning user databases. Detects infected email as well as monitors for potential threats.
Z onealarm Pro/ Great firewall protection as well as secure any private information. Frequent scans to remove viruses from your computer.
Trend Micro 2008 edition/ Able to automatically scan, update, and offer more alerts. Designed to give users reassurance of the protection from malicious applications.
Internet Security Suite 2008/ Scans protecting against viruses before they have a chance to damage your computer. Capability to actually verify the authenticity of sites and programs.
Norton 360 Security/ Major personal computer security as well as an automated backup system. Removal of dangerous threats from the files you download.
This list is as accurate as it can be as far as the search results shown. All of these software programs that are among the top ten antivirus applications come with a price attached to them. All additionally have web sites where they can be reviewed in a more detailed description and also listing price. Keep in mind that there are free software products available. However, those listed above usually are not tampered with in the sense that the software has been altered or corrupted.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Synder

Antivirus Sophos : Why Should I Use Data Backup and What is It? : e

2008-12-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Data backup is a way of the storing of files from on your computer in a different location. In this particular way, if there is a loss of data on your first machine, you will still have all your data in backup device / area in order to retrieve those files.
In the world of computers data, a loss of data can be stressful, and while there are ways for recovery of data after a disaster it is a lot easier to retrieve your files from a previous backup than to attempt to find your data on a crashed drive.
I have heard stories in the past of hard drives going down (failing) with very important data on them and the companies involved having to resort to going to a data restoration company. The price that the data restoration companies can quote is much higher than you'd expect - many hundreds of pounds in some cases.
I have even heard of antidotal stories where a data recover company will tell you what files they can retrieve (actual file names) but not until you pay the large amount of cash involved. It pays dividends to be able to store your data correctly in the first place.
Before you get to the stage where you have to call a data recovery company, take some steps to back up your data on a regular basis. There are just too many horror stories regarding lost data and in this day and age of cheap storage, it should not be an issue.
Sophos Anti Virus
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Schofield

RAV antivirus : Viruses and Worms, Protection from Disaster : e

2008-12-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

Virus damage estimated at $55 billion in 2003. "SINGAPORE - Trend Micro Inc, the world's third-largest anti-virus software maker, said Friday that computer virus attacks cost global businesses an estimated $55 billion in damages in 2003, a sum that would rise this year. Companies lost roughly $20 billion to $30 billion in 2002 from the virus attacks, up from about $13 billion in 2001, according to various industry estimates." This was the story across thousands of news agencies desk January 2004. Out of $55 billion, how much did it cost your company? How much did it cost someone you know?
I. The WhyThere is an average of 10-20 viruses released every day. Very few of these viruses actually make ?Wild? stage. Viruses are designed to take advantage of security flaws in software or operating systems. These flaws can be as blatant as Microsoft Windows NetBIOS shares to exploits using buffer overflows. Buffer overflows happen when an attacker sends responses to a program longer then what is expected. If the victim software is not designed well, then the attacker can overwrite the memory allocated to the software and execute malicious code.
People make viruses for various reasons. These reasons range from political to financial to notoriety to hacking tools to plain malicious intent.
Political: Mydoom is a good example of a virus that was spread with a political agenda. The two targets of this virus were Microsoft and The SCO Group. The SCO Group claims that they own a large portion of the Linux source code threatened to sue everyone using Linux operating systems (with "stolen" programming source). The virus was very effective knocking down SCO's website. However, Microsoft had enough time to prepare for the second attack and efficiently sidestepped disaster.
Financial: Some virus writers are hired by other parties to either leach financial data from a competitor or make the competitor look bad in the public eye. Industrial espionage is a high risk/high payout field that can land a person in prison for life.
Notoriety: There are some that write viruses for the sole purpose of getting their name out. This is great when the virus writers are script kiddies because this helps the authorities track them down. There are several famous viruses that have the author's email in the source code or open script
Hacking Hackers sometimes write controlled viruses to assist in the access of a remote computer. They will add a payload to the virus such as a Trojan horse to allow easy access into the victims system.
Malious: These are the people that are the most dangerous. These are the blackhat hackers that code viruses for the sole intention of destroying networks and systems without prejudice. They get high on seeing the utter destruction of their creation, and are very rarely script kiddies.
Many of the viruses that are written and released are viruses altered by script kiddies. These viruses are known as generations of the original virus and are very rarely altered enough to be noticeable from the original. This stems back to the fact that script kiddies do not understand what the original code does and only alters what they recognize (file extension or victim's website). This lack of knowledge makes script kiddies very dangerous.
II. The HowMalicious code has been plaguing computer systems since before computers became a common household appliance. Viruses and worms are examples of malicious code designed to spread and cause a system to perform a function that it was not originally designed to do.
Viruses are programs that need to be activated or run before they are dangerous or spread. The computer system only becomes infected once the program is run and the payload has bee deployed. This is why Hackers and Crackers try to crash or restart a computer system once they copy a virus onto it.
There are four ways a virus can spread: 1.) Email 2.) Network 3.) Downloading or installing software 4.) Inserting infected media
Spreading through EmailMany emails spread when a user receives an infected email. When the user opens this email or previews it, the virus is now active and starts to immediately spread.
Spreading through NetworkMany viruses are network aware. This means that they look for unsecured systems on the network and copy themselves to that system. This behavior destroys network performance and causes viruses to spread across your system like wildfire. Hackers and Crackers also use Internet and network connections to infect systems. They not only scan for unprotected systems, but they also target systems that have known software vulnerabilities. This is why keeping systems up to date is so important.
Spreading through manual installationInstalling software from downloads or disks increase the risk of infection. Only install trusted and scanned software that is known to be safe. Stay away from freeware and shareware products. These programs are known to contain Spyware, Adware, and viruses. It is also good policy to deny all Internet software that attempts to install itself unless explicitly needed.
Spreading through boot sectorsSome viruses corrupt the boot sector of disks. This means that if another disks scans the infected disk, the infection spreads. Boot sector viruses are automatically run immediately after the disk is inserted or hard drive connected.
III. Minimizing the effect of viruses and wormsWe have all heard stories about the virus that destroyed mission critical company data, which cost companies months to recover and thousands of dollars and man-hours restoring the information. In the end, there are still many hours, costs, and would be profits that remain unaccounted. Some companies never recover fully from a devastating attack. Taking simple precautions can save your business
Anti-virus SoftwareAnother step is to run an antivirus program on the local computer. Many antivirus programs offer live update software and automatically download the newest virus definitions minutes after they are released (Very important that you verify these updates weekly if not daily). Be careful of which antivirus program you chose. Installing a PC antivirus on a network can be more destructive on performance than a virus at work. Norton makes an effective corporate edition specifically designed for Windows NT Server and network environments. When using antivirus software on a network, configure it to ignore network drives and partitions. Only scan the local system and turn off the auto protection feature. The auto-protect constantly scans your network traffic and causes detrimental network issues. Corporate editions usually have this disabled by default. PC editions do not.
Email Clients Do not open emails from unknown sources. If you have a website for e-commerce transactions or to act as a virtual business card, make sure that the emails come up with a preset subject. If the emails are being sent through server side design instead of the users email client, specify whom it is coming from so you know what emails to trust. Use common sense when looking at your email. If you see a strange email with an attachment, do not open it until you verify whom it came from. This is how most MM worms spread.
Disable preview panes in email clients. Email clients such as Outlook and Outlook Express have a feature that will allow you to preview the message when the email is highlighted. This is a Major security flaw and will instantly unleash a virus if the email is infected.
It is also a good idea to turn off the feature that enables the client to view HTML formatted emails. Most of these viruses and worms pass by using the html function "<>" and run the attached file within the email header.
We will take a quick look at an email with the subject header of "You're now infected" that will open a file called readme.exe.
"Subject: You're now infected MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related;
type="multipart/alternative";
boundary="====_ABC1234567890DEF_====" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Unsent: 1 To: undisclosed-recipients:;
--====_ABC1234567890DEF_==== Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="====_ABC0987654321DEF_====" *** (This calls the iframe)
--====_ABC0987654321DEF_==== Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<> <> < / H E A D > < r =" 3"> < c =" 3" height="3D0" width="3D0"> *** (This calls readme.exe) < / i f r a m e > < / B O D Y > < / H T M L >
--====_ABC0987654321DEF_====--
--====_ABC1234567890DEF_==== Content-Type: audio/x-wav;
name="readme.exe" *** (This is the virus/worm) Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 Content-ID: <> *** (Notice the < c =" ?">)
PCFET0NUWVBFIEhUTUwgUFVCTElDICItLy9XM0MvL0RURCBIVE1MIDQuMCBUcmFuc2l0aW9u YWwvL0VOIj4NIDxodG1sPg08aGVhZD4NPHRpdGxlPldobydzIHRoZSBiZXN0LS0tLS0tPyAt IHd3dy5lemJvYXJkLmNvbTwvdGl0bGU+DQ0NDTxzY3JpcHQgbGFuZ3VhZ2U9amF2YXNjcmlw dCBzcmM9aHR0cDovL3d3dzEuZXpib2FyZC5jb20vc3BjaC5qcz9jdXN0b21lcmlkPTExNDc0 NTgwODI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+DTxzY3JpcHQgbGFuZ3VhZ2U9ImphdmFzY3JpcHQiPg08IS0tDWZ1 bmN0aW9uIE1NX29wZW5CcldpbmRvdyh0aGVVUkwsd2luTmFtZSxmZWF0dXJlcykgeyAvL3Yy
*** Broken to protect the innocent. (Worm is encoded in Base64)
aHJlZj1odHRwOi8vY2l0YWRlbDMuZXpib2FyZC5jb20vZmNhbGhpc3BvcnRzZnJtMT5Gb290 YmFsbDwvYT4NIA08Zm9udCBjb2xvcj0jRkYwMDAwPiAtIDwvZm9udD4NDTxicj48YnI+PGJy Pjxicj5Qb3dlcmVkIEJ5IDxhIGhyZWY9aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lemJvYXJkLmNvbS8+ZXpib2Fy ZK48L2E+IFZlci4gNi43LjE8YnI+Q29weXJpZ2h0IKkxOTk5LTIwMDEgZXpib2FyZCwgSW5j Lg08L2NlbnRlcj4NPC9ib2R5Pg08L2h0bWw+DQ0NDQoNCj==
--====_ABC1234567890DEF_====--"
Email Servers The first step to minimizing the effect of viruses is to use an email server that filters incoming emails using antivirus software. If the server is kept up to date, it will catch the majority of Mass Mailer (MM) worms. Ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) if they offer antivirus protection and spam filtering on their email servers. This service is invaluable and should always be included as the first line of defense.
Many companies house an internal email server that downloads all of the email from several external email accounts and then runs an internal virus filter. Combining an internal email server with the ISP protection is a perfect for a company with an IT staff. This option adds an extra layer of control, but also adds more administration time. Sample specs for an internal email server are:
Setup #1* Linux: OS* Sendmail: mail server* Fetchmail: Grabs email from external email addresses* F-prot: Antivirus* SpamAssassin: Spam Filter
Setup #2* Win 2003 Server: OS* Exchange: Email server* Symantec antivirus: Antivirus* Exchange Intelligent Message Filter: Spam Filter
Software Updates Keep you software up to date. Some worms and viruses replicate through vulnerabilities in services and software on the target system. Code red is a classic example. In august 2001, the worm used a known buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft's IIS 4.0 and 5.0 contained in the Idq.dll file. This would allow an attacker to run any program they wanted to on the affected system. Another famous worm called Slammer targeted Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000.
When updating your software, make sure to disable features and services that are not needed. Some versions of WinNT had a web server called IIS installed by default. If you do not need the service, make sure it is turned off (Code red is a perfect example). By only enabling services you need, you decrease the risk of attack.
Telecommunications Security Install a firewall on the network. A firewall is a device or software that blocks unwanted traffic from going to or from the internal network. This gives you control of the traffic coming in and going out of your network. At minimum, block ports 135,137,139,445. This stops most network aware viruses and worms from spreading from the Internet. However, it is good practice to block all traffic unless specifically needed.
Security Policies Implementing security policies that cover items such as acceptable use, email retention, and remote access can go a long way to protecting your information infrastructure. With the addition of annual training, employees will be informed enough to help keep the data reliable instead of hinder it. Every individual that has access to your network or data needs to follow these rules. It only takes one incident to compromise the system. Only install proven and scanned software on the system. The most damaging viruses come from installing or even inserting a contaminated disk. Boot sector viruses can be some of the hardest malware to defeat. Simply inserting a floppy disk with a boot sector virus can immediately transfer the virus to the hard drive.
When surfing the Internet, do not download untrusted files. Many websites will install Spyware, Adware, Parasites, or Trojans in the name of "Marketing" on unsuspecting victims computers. Many prey on users that do not read popup windows or download freeware or shareware software. Some sites even use code to take advantage of vulnerability in Internet explorer to automatically download and run unauthorized software without giving you a choice.
Do not install or use P2P programs like Kazaa, Morpheus, or Limewire. These programs install server software on your system; essentially back dooring your system. There are also thousands of infected files floating on those networks that will activate when downloaded.
Backups & Disaster Recovery Planning Keep daily backups offsite. These can be in the form of tape, CD-R, DVD-R, removable hard drives, or even secure file transfers. If data becomes damaged, you would be able to restore from the last known good backup. The most important step while following a backup procedure is to verify that the backup was a success. Too many people just assume that the backup is working only to find out that the drive or media was bad six months earlier when they were infected by a virus or lost a hard drive. If the data that you are trying to archive is less then five gig, DVD-R drives are a great solution. Both the drives and disks have come down in price and are now a viable option. This is also one of the fastest backup methods to process and verify. For larger backups, tape drives and removable hard drives are the best option. If you choose this method, you will need to rotate the backup with five or seven different media (tapes, CD/DVD, removable drives) to get the most out of the process. It is also suggested to take a "master" backup out of the rotation on a scheduled basis and archive offsite in a fireproof safe. This protects the data from fire, flood, and theft.
In the Internet age, understanding that you have to maintain these processes will help you become successful when preventing damage and minimizes the time, costs, and liabilities involved during the disaster recovery phase if you are affected.

Adware: *A form of spyware that collects information about the user in order to display advertisements in the Web browser based on the information it collects from the user's browsing patterns.
Software that is given to the user with advertisements already embedded in the application
Malware: *Short for malicious software, software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus or a Trojan horse.
Script Kiddie: *A person, normally someone who is not technologically sophisticated, who randomly seeks out a specific weakness over the Internet in order to gain root access to a system without really understanding what it is s/he is exploiting because the weakness was discovered by someone else. A script kiddie is not looking to target specific information or a specific company but rather uses knowledge of a vulnerability to scan the entire Internet for a victim that possesses that vulnerability.
Spyware: *Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.
Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party. Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads sometimes warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested software, but the licensing agreements may not always be read completely because the notice of a spyware installation is often couched in obtuse, hard-to-read legal disclaimers.
Trojan: *A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive. One of the most insidious types of Trojan horse is a program that claims to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer.
The term comes from a story in Homer's Iliad, in which the Greeks give a giant wooden horse to their foes, the Trojans, ostensibly as a peace offering. But after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their compatriots to pour in and capture Troy.
Virus: *A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are man made. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Since 1987, when a virus infected ARPANET, a large network used by the Defense Department and many universities, many antivirus programs have become available. These programs periodically check your computer system for the best-known types of viruses.
Some people distinguish between general viruses and worms. A worm is a special type of virus that can replicate itself and use memory, but cannot attach itself to other programs.
Worm: *A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down.
* Definitions provided by Webopedia

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_Martin

Antivirus PC Tools : Modern Diseases: Computer Viruses and Antivirus Treatment : e

2008-12-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

See, once your computer gets connected with the global net it faces various threats and attacks from unfriendly microelements walking freely through the cyber space and seeking for new victims. It doesn’t help if you wash your hands before touching the keyboard; the little monsters called computer viruses could be defeated in their own methods. This is where the sword and shield aren’t able to help your romantic tendencies and the only way to eliminate this gross injustice is to accept a battle with electronic weapons!
While computer viruses behave pretty much like biological ones, they need special treatment that admits no analogy in biological terms. As insidious as their biological correspondents, they infect every living cell and spread around in record time. Thus, if you really need a functional pc, you should procure some electronic pills to get your work safe.
In this case you cannot become a faithful guardian to your machine until you have installed an antivirus program skilled enough to detect viruses, worms and Trojan horses - all “trustful” members of a happy family! It is important to keep clear about the differences between these sorts of malware, in order to protect your computer from them all. Viruses, as we used to know them when first dealing with a computer are no more that widely spread since the Internet became popular. Once again: you need an antivirus that helps against viruses, worms and Trojan horses (not only viruses)!
See the slight differences in methods and effects: Viruses intend to destroy your data. They act in sly movements and this is how the predominant negative effect of viruses is their uncontrolled self-reproduction, which wastes or overwhelms computer resources, until your cyber work space doesn’t leave you room for your actions.
But since we’ve got Internet connection we have to deal with the most popular visitors from “out there”! Introduce yourself to malicious worms: worm uses a network to send copies of itself to other systems and it does so without any intervention, thus, you stay helpless face to face with it. In general, worms harm the network and consume bandwidth, whereas viruses infect or corrupt files on a targeted computer. Viruses generally do not affect network performance, as their malicious activities are mostly confined within the target computer itself.
And here is the moment when the masquerade starts: Trojan horse is a malicious program that is disguised as legitimate software. Trojans use false and fake names to trick users into dismissing the processes. In most cases the program performs other, undesired functions, but not always. The useful, or seemingly useful, functions serve as camouflage for these undesired functions.
While some of them are particularly benign or simply annoying, others are extremely harmful and deadly dangerous. In analogy, just compare a regular cold with pneumonia… no need to mourn for you computer! What it really needs is an anti-virus protection. Remember, they are active in this certain moment, when you’re peacefully typing. Hurry up to get protected and try out PC Tools AntiVirus 2.0 as a fair suggestion.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Peterson

Anti virus comodo : Best Free Antivirus Software : e

2008-12-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

The debate goes back and forth as to whether antivirus or firewall software are more important. In terms of what you need to add to your system many computer users will find that in a real world situation their choice of antivirus software is the most important. The reason for this is that many systems are already protected to some degree from outside intrusions by routers that have powerful firewall capabilities and also Windows XP and Vista have limited firewall capabilities built in. For those systems that are not behind a firewall router or are without the firewall feature of Vista or XP then adding a software firewall is just as important as adding a good antivirus application.

There are a number of very good free antivirus programs available from a variety of sources. When considering free antivirus software be sure it is as good as a paid program or look elsewhere, because free does not have to mean low quality or limited features as you will see from the following selections.

Comodo AntiVirus (Comodo) This great free antivirus application can eliminates viruses, trojans and even worms from both desktops and networks. It offers constant protection with on-access scanning working in real-time. A powerful feature is the proactive heuristic analysis that can even intercept unknown threats. Updates of virus definitions are provided automatically on a daily basis. Any suspicious files it identifies are isolated in quarantine thereby preventing infection. This antivirus software is very easy to install and use. We have used this on all of our test systems and currently use it on a number of our computers! >> Windows XP(SP2) / 2000(SP4)

PC Tools AntiVirus Free Edition (PC Tools) This is a new free antivirus application from PC Tools. It can detect, quarantine, disinfect and destroy viruses, worms and trojans. This free edition even includes real-time protection and comprehensive system screening to keep your system running safe and virus free. >> Windows Vista / XP / 2000
McAfee Security Center (AOL/McAfee)This free product is offered free by AOL. You need to complete a free registration to get this product but the few minutes spent are well worth it. This is a multi purpose suite that includes antivirus, firewall and antispyware components. >> Windows Vista / XP / 2000

AVG Anti Virus Version 7.5 Free Edition (Grisoft)Download the new version 7.5 of this top free antivirus product. This new version has an improved virus detection engine based on more accurate heuristics and NTFS data stream scanning. It also has a smaller installation 'footprint' and an improved user interface. >> Windows Vista / XP(SP2) / 2000(SP4) / NT(SP6a) / ME / 98SE

avast! 4 Antivirus Free Home Edition (Alwil)This antivirus program is available free for home users. It is a complete antivirus solution and will do a great job protecting your computer from viruses. This newest version features better detection levels, together with higher performance. You can expect 100% detection of 'In-the-Wild' viruses (viruses already spreading between users) and even excellent detection of trojan horses. >> Windows Vista / XP / 2000 / NT(SP4) / ME / 98 / 95

AntiVir PersonalEdition (Avira) Use this antivirus download free! It can reliably protects your private computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers. This program uses very few computer resources so is especially good for older computers. AntiVir can run in Windows Safe Mode so can be helpful if you are unable to get Windows to boot! >> Windows Vista / XP / 2000 / ME / 98

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Jacobs

Anti virus : ClamAV & MailScanner - WARNING - Your ClamAV Installation is OUTDATED! How do I fix? : e

2008-12-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

This article is for more advanced hosting administrators who have shell/root access to their Dedicated Server or Virtual Dedicated Servers and have MailScanner installed.
When MailScanner Logwatch reports:
WARNING: Your ClamAV installation is OUTDATED!
WARNING: Local version: 0.90.3 Recommended version: 0.91.1
DON'T PANIC! The injunction not to panic would be a lot less daunting if the information at the ClamAV support FAQ was more clear for users with a MailScanner setup.Here is a step by step guide to completing a ClamAV upgrade. You can copy and paste the commands into your Telnet/SSH Client. The commands are prefixed with "#" - this only for clarity and should not be copied with the command.
1. The first job is to back up your configuration files - I stick the copies in the backup folder for convenience,# cp /usr/local/etc/clamd.conf /backup/clamd.conf# cp /usr/local/etc/freshclam.conf /backup/freshclam.conf
2. In the directory in which you placed the tar-ball, you need to expand the distribution,# tar -xzf clamav-xxx.tar.gz (the xxx is replaced by the version of the distribution 0.91.1 here giving tar -xzf clamav-0.91.1.tar.gz)
3. Go into the expanded directory and run the install,# cd clamav-xxx (this version cd clamav-0.91.1)# ./configure --disable-zlib-vcheck (parameters are not always needed - include them just in case)# make# make install
4. Copy your configuration files back,# cp /backup/clamd.conf /usr/local/etc/clamd.conf# cp /backup/freshclam.conf /usr/local/etc/freshclam.conf
5a. (If you are using the perl clamav module (that would be unusual with a mailscanner install), update it now# /scripts/perlinstaller --force Mail::ClamAV 5b. Otherwise, run freshclam to get up to date definitions,# freshclam
6. Restart MailScanner,# service MailScanner restart
Your logwatch will report the outdated warning one more time as it appears to give the version details from the last time it was run (at the top, it states "Date Range Processed: yesterday"), but after that you will only see the main.cvd and daily.inc status messages.
I suggest you bookmark or save this article as ClamAV is regularly updated and having the commands immediately to hand is a great time saver...
I am the founder & CEO of Diamondrack and NameServerHosting.
I am a fully qualified computer engineer with City & Guilds Industrial Electronics (grade III) to back up those skills. I worked for a computer services multinational called Getronics (formerly Wang Global) as a senior field engineer. I handled Level 3 Support for large corporations such as EMC², Dell, Motorola and Telecom Eireann. I worked on contract support & installation roll-outs for 8 government departments, the Irish Postal Service (An Post), the Irish Police (Garda Síochána), the army & navy, several hospitals and health boards, and several banks and financial institutions.
I have also involved myself in the programming side of computers and have created several desktop programs, server scripts, software and operating systems patches, and some web design.
I now work full time on my hosting businesses. This means my time, and the benefit of my experience, is yours.
Colm Butterly
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colm_Butterly

Anti virus : Symantec Norton : e

2008-12-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

Symantec Norton 360 (2.0) is a product that aims to strengthen Symantec's position as a leader in the field of online security. Up till now the market for online protection has been fragmented at best with vendors simply sticking together products into a bundle at best. Norton 360 changes this all of this. It is fully functional out of the box and requires little of no tinkering to get the maximum protection from it. It protects the user from A to Z.
A typical web-connected user can fall victim to viruses, worms and Trojans both in the traditional and the more complex and advanced rootkit incarnation. Such malware can arrive as an email attachment, secretly hidden within a program, or it may be downloaded by clicking a link on a web page. Norton 360's arsenal to cover this front consists of Symantec's tried and tested Antivirus solution.
Spyware is another area taken care of by Norton 360. In its simplest form, spyware is malicious software that peeks at what a legitimate user is doing on his computer and sends that information to a master without the user's consent or knowledge. For example, it is known that this is the way some spammers harvest email addresses. As you complete an email address in the send to box, that email address is transmitted to the person who controls the spyware.
In its more visible form, spyware will hijack a user's browser and would direct users to pre-programmed web sites rather than those the user wants to see. Some spyware variants use popups to show advertising content without the user's consent. Norton 360 detects and eliminates such threats using the same efficiency users have come to expect from the Antivirus module.
Norton 360 protects users against identity theft. In this type of crime, information about the victim are stolen and utilised to by the criminal to perform something while pretending to be the victim. The repercussions of such crimes are enormous. Norton 360 includes a feature that manages user names and passwords. Therefore the daunting problem associated with having to remember a different username and password for each site becomes a non issue since Norton 360 automates the process. This takes care of those situations in which the username and password for one site is repeatedly used across multiple sites. Without such software is becomes practically impossible to remember on username and password for each and every visited web site. To make life easier, Norton 360 automatically completes forms on trusted Web sites with stored data. One does not even have to fill in forms second time round.
One way to get people to hand over confidential information about themselves is to get them to fill in a form. This is known as phishing. An email claiming to be from a legitimate organisation informs the recipient that because of a technical quirk, he must fill in a form on the company's site. When the link is clicked, the page that comes us is identical to the legitimate site the only difference being that the web address is slightly different although many-a-times barely noticeable. The form will request many of the details necessary to gain access to the account. Once the form has been filled in and submitted, the people running the phishing scam would have the details necessary to gain access to the web site of the original owner and perform any action granted to the person whose details were nicked. With Norton 360 this type of crime is protected against. When you attempt to log in to such a page, you will get warning that tell you that web address is that of a phishing site and that you should not proceed to it. As an added safeguard, Norton 360 automated form filling mechanisms will fail to work on the fake web site.
All the crimes mentioned above necessitate some action on the part of the user. For example, the user would have to download a file, click a link or run a program. Norton 360's firewall is a program that also guards against anyone trying to hack into a user's computer. Hackers usually look for weak spots in the computer's defences through which they can gain access to your computer. Once inside they look for the goodies.
Norton 360 has not stopped at events that have a malicious origin. Something as simple as hard disk wear and tear can take away massive amounts of important data. So Norton 360 included an automated backup program that copies important data (including form passwords and a data) either to your local computer or to a remote storage site. A 2 GB offsite storage box is included with a subscription. With the latter option, if anything happens to the computer, the important data is safely stashed on a secure server thousands of miles away.
Norton knows its origins in PC optimization products and Norton 360 comes with PC performance tuneup software that ensures that the computer operates at its best. Any residual junk that may slow a computer and prevent it from operating at peak performance is adjusted in real time.
Also included in Norton 360 are monitoring solutions aimed at those who utilise wireless networks. This module will help with securing a router as well as to alert a user if any part of the wireless network is not secure. Using Norton 360 one can view all devices attached to the network thereby getting a clear idea of whose plugged in.
Norton 360 will update automatically to implement new mechanisms to counter act new threats. Norton 360 includes On-click support which allows users to access expert support from within the program as well as Auto-fix, a system that quickly detects and fixes known problems. Symantec allows you to take Norton 360 on a 15 day trail; enough time to same its protective functionality before you decide to buy. What more can you want?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_C._Bonnici

Anti virus : Keep Your Computer Safe With McAfee Anti Virus : e

2008-12-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

McAfee is one of the well known and the oldest computer protection services available. Site Advisor and the VirusScan are some of their recent antivirus services released in the market. This antivirus service is designed to protect the computers from any spyware, hacking, and viruses. This software will warn the users before accessing any web pages that are high risk. Once you install this software in your computer system, it will update on its own. It offers a free technical support to all the users. They also offer 30 days money back trial offer. If you surf the web, shop online and communicate online then you might consider getting some security for your computer. McAfee is an excellent virus scan plus that is sure to keep your computer free from viruses.
Features: McAfee Virus scan provides with various features in one single pack. It offers virus protection. It will protect by removing, blocking and keeping the viruses in the computer system. All your personal and important information will be protected from any spyware threats as it block away those programs from accessing on the computer. You can keep away others from operating your computer. There is an increased crime in identity theft crime these days. If your identity is theft, repairing all the incurred damages could take time also cause damages on the credits.
More beneficial features: This anti virus software ensures hacker protection. The access to the computer will get limited. Thus, all important information will be secured also limit the usage of Internet on your computer. With this software you can browse Internet without worrying the viruses attacking your computer. Moreover, there will be continuous updates. The software will also help improving the health of your computer.
The McAfee subscription offers the customers with one year of protection from the spyware, hackers, and viruses. This protection program is simply fantastic. Get this software today and safeguard your computer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Buenaventura

Tutorial visio : Working With The Visio Diagram : e

2008-12-07T02:47:00.000-08:00

If you are in charge of a project at work, you know that one big and important part of your job is coming up with project reports. This is especially true if you have a grant, or are working on a project through an educational institution where your funding is dependent on regular and thorough reporting. One way you can make sure that your reports shine is by using Microsoft Visio. Visio adds a professional visual element to your documents, and your project reports can be improved when you use a Visio diagram to present important data.
Chances are, your project utilizes complex project data and jargon, especially if it is involved with the sciences. You need a user-friendly software program that can add a visual touch through diagrams to make your report easier for laypeople, who might be in charge of your funding, to understand. Visio adds that capability to your project report. When used in conjunction with Microsoft Office Project and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, you will have an interconnectedness that will make tracking your project's tasks and ownership structures effortless.
You also need reporting capabilities that allow you to keep an eye on project tasks, to make sure they are being accomplished on time and according to plan. You will want to be able to visualize who on your project team is in charge of which aspect of the project, and their roles and responsibilities through to the completion of your task. Microsoft Visio can offer an easy way to picture all of the myriad details, so that not only you but all of the members of your team can stay on top of deadlines. In this way they can also understand the work flow of the project visually, so they know who to talk to when they have specific questions, and know where to turn when they need help or want to collaborate to make their part of the project better.
If you have a need to share your project with a large audience, you will be happy to know that you can import Visio diagrams into Powerpoint presentations and Word documents. Pictures in Visio can communicate your message in a way that pages of text and numbers sometimes fail to do. You can, for example, use data from Excel spreadsheets and import it into a Visio diagram. Visio is used in order to easily compare and contrast data, and show trends based on the work you have done on your project, and actions you are taking based on your analysis of the trends, by using appropriate Visio diagrams and shapes that have been customized as needed to appropriately represent your project in its best light.
Jonathon Blocker uses microsoft visio for his business reports and documents. He has found Visio diagrams to helpful in conveying important concepts and has been impressed the ability of the Visio software to integrate visual elements into visio diagrams.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Blocker

Tutorial autocad : Drafting Tools in AutoCAD - Snap and Grid : e

2008-12-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

We've got snap and grid in AutoCAD. Let's talk about snap and grid. Let's see how we can use it and why we would use it.
Snap restricts the cursor movements to specified intervals. That is handy. Lines will have a specific length.
Still. If you're using object snaps than you can pick a point that is not on an interval that has been specified. We'll talk about object snap later.
With grid switched on dots are displayed in the screen. The dots help to visualize distances. Often the grid interval is the same as the snap interval.
That is important. You can have grid dots displayed in the screen. Now you want to print your drawing. The dots are not printed.
OK. We know what snap and grid are. But we want to know more. We want to know how we can set the intervals and how we can switch it on and off.
Let's start with setting the intervals. There are two ways for doing that. Whatever way you choose. You do it over the Drafting Settings dialog box.
Click on Tools in the menu bar. A pull down menu shows up. In the pull down menu click on Drafting Settings. The Drafting Settings dialog box is displayed.
There are four tabs in the Drafting Settings dialog box. The Snap and Grid tab is in front. That's exactly what we want.
In the dialog box we see two check boxes and we see four areas. The checkboxes can be used for switching on or off snap and grid.
Let's have a look at the Snap area and the Grid area. First the Snap area. In that area you can enter values for the spacing.
You can enter a value for the X spacing and you can enter a value for the Y pacing. The spacing set the interval I was talking about.
There is more you can do in that area. You can enter an angle, an X base, and a Y base. The angle gives the angle of the snap intervals.
Most of the time you do not change the angle. You leave the angle at zero. But the X base and the Y base. What's that?
The X base and the Y base gives the starting point of the snap. As before. Do not change it. Leave it as it is. At zero.
You now know how you can do the settings for the snap. You do it in the Snap area of the Drafting Settings dialog box.
But we can also do something with the settings of the grid. That is done in the Grid area of the dialog box. This time we can do less.
We can only change the X spacing and the Y spacing. We cannot change the angle or the X base and Y base of the grid.
This is what is done most of the time. Most of the time the spacing for the grid is the same as the spacing for the snap.
That is what is happening. The grid follows the snap settings for angle and the X base and Y base. So there is no need to change those settings.
This is what we now saw. You can do the settings of the snap and the grid in the Drafting Settings dialog box. And you can switch them on and off.
Before I continue. I must tell you about the third area in the Drafting Settings dialog box. It is the Snap style and type area.
For the snap type we can set Grid snap and we can set PolarSnap. If we go for a Grid snap type then e can select a rectangular snap or an isometric snap.
If you're creating isometric drawings, then you want to go for an isometric snap. The snap will have the isometric angles.
I'm not going to talk about PolarSnap now. I will do that later. I will do that as we're talking about Polar Tracking. In the next article.
But there is another way. Look at your screen. Do you see the status bar? In the status bar there are two buttons.
In the status bar there is the Snap button and there is the Grid button. You can click on the buttons. To have snap and grid switched on and off.
Something else you can do with the buttons. You can right click them. If you do a short cut menu is displayed.
If you right click the Snap button then you'll find the following options in the shortcut menu:
- PolartSnap On- Grid Snap On- Off- Settings
If you right click on the Grid button then you'll find the following options in the shortcut menu:
- On- Off- Settings
You can imagine where the on and off options stand for. Those options can be sued to switch snap and grid on or off.
But we already saw. There is a quicker way. We can also click on the Snap and Grid buttons in the status bar. In fact. There is another quick way.
You can press the F7 function key to switch grid on or off. And you can press the F9 function key to switch snap on or off.
Oh. In the shortcut menu under the Snap button you also see the PolarSnap On option. As I said before. We'll talk about it alter.
But there is the Settings option in the shortcut menus under the Snap button and the Grid button. Click on that option.
If you do the Drafting Settings dialog box is opened. We already have seen what can be done in the Drafting Settings dialog box.
But this is what we now know. Using the shortcut menu under the Snap and Grid button. That is a quicker way to open the Drafting Settings dialog box.
This is it for today. Now you know everything that you need to know about snap and grid. Tomorrow we're going to talk about polar tracking.
See you tomorrow.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jos_Van_Doorn

Tutorial free : Quick and Easy Product Development With Camtasia Studio : e

2008-12-07T02:28:00.000-08:00

The Camtasia Studio Suite provides an elegant way to rapidly build a variety of products based on screen recordings (and even integrated video sequences.) This makes it an ideal product for creating top notch training CDs for complex software products and tutorials for web applications.
What is Camtasia Studio?
Camtasia Studio by TechSmith is a suite of tools designed to create a professional level "video." Through its powerful screen capture technology and its ability to work with any type of avi file, it allows you to seamlessly integrate screen captures (with a variety of special effects) with video clips (if desired) to make crystal clear, stunning productions. Camtasia Studio is comprised of the following tools; Camtasia Recorder, Camtasia Producer, Camtasia Effects, Camtasia MenuMaker and Camtasia Player.
Each part contributes in its own unique way to a professional level production. And the learning curve is quite light to get you started. There are a variety of advanced features that can be learned as you use the tool more but the basics, which you can master in less than an hour, will produce an excellent tutorial, product CD, etc.
Each of the tools in the Camtasia Studio Suite performs a specific set of functions.
Camtasia Recorder - Allows you to capture all or just a portion of the computer screen, record mouse clicks and keystrokes, record an audio narrative and much more.
Camtasia Producer - Allows you to tie together any number of avi clips on a storyboard, build transitions between clips, publish the finished product in a variety of industry standard formats (Macromedia Flash, AVI, Microsoft Windows Media, RealNetworks RealMedia, Quicktime and their own TechSmith Screen Capture Codec), record and edit audio, add a second audio track (great for music) and much more.
Camtasia Effects - Allows the addition of a variety of special effects to your video clips both during their recording with Camtasia Recorder and afterwards. Allows the addition of freehand drawings, shapes, etc. in specific positions and timelines of your avi clip.
Camtasia MenuMaker - Allows you to create a CD-ROM menu of your files sort of like a DVD menu that lets you choose the particular place you want to go. This is a great feature for a training CD as each lesson can be a menu item and allows the viewer to take breaks and get back to the next lesson quickly and easily.
Camtasia Player - A tool that can be included with the finished product to allow others to view it. This is not needed as you can store the clips in a variety of formats but it integrates smoothly with the other tools and makes for a cleaner presentation, especially when used with the Camtasia MenuMaker.
Why it is idea for training CDs for software
It seems that every day software is growing more and more complex and the software creators continue to to their typical poor job at teaching you how to use their product. This has spawned a wide variety of third party training products for complex software packages - with prices running up to several hundred dollars per training module.
Camtasia Studio allows you to create a training CD that can take a person from the very basics of working with one of these software packages to using advanced features. And it can do it in a show all manner. In other words, you actually create the CD as you do a project. This allows you to show the viewer the exact steps that you are taking to perform a specific task or series of tasks with that software package.
By creating training CDs to teach specific ways to used complex software products, you are satisfying a great want provided your tutorials target the right information. Once you step outside the realm of basic tools - like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. (i.e. Video Professor type training materials), there are a huge number of products the people need to know to perform their jobs well. These software products can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. And anything that can cut down on the learning curve or teach a new way to use the product (which can mean a new way to make money with the product) becomes very valuable.
Just to offer one example. Suppose you are a licensed professional engineer (PE) in the construction industry. Chances are very good that much of your time is invested in using building design software to calculate all sorts of variables in the construction, stresses of joints, material thicknesses, etc. and since you are a PE, you are personally liable for any errors you make. To you, knowing exactly how to use these computer programs is critical to you doing your job. So when someone offers a training program to teach you how to use your suite of tools more effectively and accurately, you tend to become very interested.
Product Ideas
What software products would be ripe for tutorials? The best guideline is to find software products that require a substantial investment (say $400 and above) and are probably used by self employed individuals and small companies. This profile works much better than "corporate" level software because the people using this software have much more motivation to use it as effectively as possible than corporate workers who are often paid regardless of productivity.
Here is the best way to research these products AND figure out what type of training people are seeking on this product (i.e. where is the unfulfilled want that you can fill.)
Choose an industry and learn what tools are used in that industry. For instance, the small video producer may use Sonic Foundry's Video Vegas, Sound Forge and Acid Music products to create videos (which could be anything from wedding videos to corporate seminar videos to How To videos.)
Find out where people who own these products congregate on the web. There will generally be a variety of discussion forums available where people discuss these tools and how to use them.
Find the common themes in these discussion groups; the questions that get asked over and over again. For instance, with wedding video products, it may be asking how to create certain special effects. Remember that for everyone who actually asks a question, there are probably a hundred or more who do have the same question.
Build a training product that teaches how to solve the problem in number 3 above.
By following this formula, you are sure to make a training product that will sell well. Just be sure that it is produced with quality. In other words, be sure that you know the product well enough to make a meaningful training video for it. Or find someone who uses the product and partner with that person to make the training video.
Take action now!
Combine Camtasia Studio with Public Domain materials to build your own unique set of training materials.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Chabotte

Tutorial free : How To Edit A Video In Minutes Using Ulead VideoStudio 11 : e

2008-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

1. Connect your DV camera into the PC. It should make a noise and tell you it’s recognizes your camera.
2. Open up ulead video studio and click on the video editor.
3. In the video editor click on the capture tab. The program should now recognize that a camera is connected. Click on the capture video and away u go.
(TIP: if that doesn’t happen don’t worry. Close the program and click on the program widows movie maker. Inside movie maker click on capture video and that should do the trick)
So back to video studio
4. Now once you have up your video loaded on the PC the editing can start. Click the edit tab.
5. Once there load your video by clicking on the load video button which look like an open folder logo next to the word video.
6. Find where your video is and open it.
7. Next drag and drop your video in to the story board at the bottom of the screen, it’s written “drag and drop video clip here”
8. Now click on the little button that says multi trim video. This will enable you to edit your video (i.e. cut out the bits you want).
9. Now in this screen you can use the F3 and F4 key to put markers as to the sections you want.
10. Press the play button, and then click F3 when you want to start (i.e. the part of the video you want to keep).
11. When you get to a part you want to stop press F4
(TIP: Use the jog wheel next to the video time – this will help you move the video much slower)
12. So now you’ve collected a group of little video from your big one.
13. Click ok and they will all be put together as one big video.
14. You can now watch your video if you click on play with is located underneath where you can see your video.
15. So you’ve got a video but only people can only watch it on your PC. So hit the share button.
16. I’ve found that if you first create a video file then use your regular burn software to burn the disc. BUT you can simple choose create disc and follow this to make your DVD disc.
Joe Rayand is an internet entrepreneur specialising in helping ordinary people with their computer related problems.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Rayland

Tutorial free : Basic Photoshop CS2 Tools : e

2008-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Ok well let’s start with the basic tools, first if you haven’t got a tools box then go Window then tick tools. In the box that will appear on the left of your screen will be all the tools you will need to make anything you won’t. At the top of the box is a feather, clicking this takes you to the Photoshop website incase you have any major problems, Under that we have 2 icons first icon is a rectangle box (m), with this box you can do things like highlight certain parts of what your making and move them about. Second is the Arrow icon (v), this is used for moving things that you have pasted onto the screen, and also moving text once you have added text. Then under these two icons we have the Lasso tool (l), the lasso tool is used for feathering an image pasted onto the screen or careful drawing round an image.
Next icon is the Magic Wand Tool (w). This is used for highlighting round an image E.g. a warrior in the middle of your banner click on the Magic Wand tool and then click next to the picture, this will highlight all parts of what you pasted that has no part of the image then press delete this leave you with just the picture (Better used with a render). Next tool is the Crop Tool (c). This too allows you to crop thing such as an image used in the same way as a screen shot you’ve taken and posted in Microsoft Word. Next is the slice tool (k) the slice tool allows you to take what your doing part by part. Next is the spot healing tool (j), this tool allows you to mend a part of a broken picture. E.g. you accidentally removed part of a picture or color background select this tool and click on the part that is wrong and it will fix it. Brush tool (b) the brush tool is used for making good backgrounds and also on new layers they have different types so that you get a different effect with every brush you use.
Clone Stamp Tool (s), this is used for taking a certain part of what’s on the screen (what ever you click with this tool) and will clone what you click. History Brush Tool (y), this tool is used in the same way as undoing something on Microsoft E.g. you drew a bane out of place go over that line with this tool and it’ll undo it bit by bit ( does the opposite to the brush tool).Eraser tool (e), Used for rubbing out anything on the background. Gradient Tool (g) this allows you to click and drag a line on the banner. Select a color gradient at the top and click and dragon on the banner as this goes along the color will match the gradient type that you choose at the top. Blur Tool(r) this blurs what ever you blur with this tool. Right click the tool and you can also get the smudge and sharpen tool. Dodge Tool (o) This tool is used to change the background effect and any other layer, Right clicking this gives you a dodge, sponger and burn option. Path Selection Tool (a) Allows you select another path to what you’re looking for. Text Tool, This allows you to add text to your project, you can change the text style by clicking Style at the top once Text has been tool has been selected.
Pen Tool (p), allows you to make lines that change color and shapes on the project. Rectangle Tool (u), This is like the other rectangle tool but when click and dragging rectangle size it fills with the color selected at the top. Notes Tool (n), Allows you to attach notes to your project. Eyedropper tool (I) This tool allows you to select a certain color by clicking on the color that you won’t on the Project. Hand Tool (h), when zoomed in this tool allows you to move around the project E.g. if you need to move to one side and you’re in the middle using this tool lets you move the project over. Zoom Tool (z) this zooms in on anything your making, to zoom back out keep clicking the zoom tool. Color boxes, Foreground and Background the top color is Foreground this is anything you do say getting a brush what ever color is in this section will be brushed on, Background when starting a new project what ever is in this section will be the background color. Bottom picture in the tool bar will switch what you’re doing to Image Ready instead of Photoshop, and vise verse.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ashley_Peach

Tutorial Free : Learn How to Edit Digital Photos In A Jiffy - picasa : e

2008-12-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

I usually keep my digital camera with me wherever I go. I love to click. When I' m holidaying with family, partying with friends or when I' m out on special occasions, I look for a chance, click, save, and share memories with my friends. After checking out the pics, I lookout for some of the best pics, edit them and share it on my blog or keep them with me. Everyone has a unique purpose for editing pictures. Whatever it is, I will show you how to edit digital photos better and for free.
First of all you you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars behind costly photo editing softwares like photoshop and corel draw.
Go for free softwares like Picasa. Picasa is my favorite free digital photo editing software as no other rival offers so much. Moreover, it also manages your photo album and you can share your digital photos on the web. Click on link at the end of the article to learn more or download Picasa. Now, how to edit digital photos using Picasa? In this, you have the crop image feature. Crop images using that. You can change the temperature of the scene. You can lower the temperature which gives the picture a bluish effect. You should play with it and see the nice effects coming in.
Just play with the picture, use different options under effects and have fun. Give the pictures brightness or reduce it. Put a light and enlighten only your face in the pic and see how cool it looks!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kris_Foster

Tutorial free : Tips For Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations : e

2008-12-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

Make use of the slide master feature to make your presentations in a simple, attractive and most importantly, consistent design. While there is nothing wrong with varying the presentation of content (e.g - text in one or two columns, bullet points, images and so on), the other elements of your design such as color, background and font should be consistent from slide to slide.
Limit the amount of text per slide. Pare it down to the essentials and use key phrases.
Don't go overboard with punctuation and definitely do not use ALL CAPS. Leave empty space on the side to make your presentation more readable.
Make your text easier to read by using contrasting colors for the background and text. A light background and dark text is best; avoid patterned backgrounds, these make your text very hard to read.
Don't be tempted by gimmicks like text fly-ins. These distract your audience; who are likely as not already tired of them anyway.
Going overboard with sounds and animation may make for a very flashy presentation, but looks less professional and can result in your presentation not being taken seriously.
Use high quality images which will appear clear even at the resolution required for projection. Good quality images will enhance your presentation, while poor quality, fuzzy images will detract from your message.
If you do use builds, make your content appear in a simple, consistent fashion - for instance, from the top or from the left. Only use these slides when absolutely necessary to drive a point home; otherwise, they needlessly slow down your presentation.
Limit the number of slides per minute. If you rapidly transition from one slide to the next, you can easily lose the interest of your audience. One slide per minute is a good rule.
Be ready to navigate through your presentation in a non-linear way if needed. PowerPoint allows you to jump ahead or back without having to flip back through the slides in between.
Be prepared to move forward and backward through your presentation; your audience may ask you to repeat a slide.
If possible, view your slides on the screen you'll use in your actual presentation. Be sure that they can be read from any seat in the room. Make sure that your text and images are large enough to be easily seen but not so large as to be distracting.
Always have a backup plan in case that something goes wrong in your presentation. Keep in mind that your animations will not be visible in handouts or transparencies.
Show your presentation ahead of time to someone who has never seen you present. Ask them for their honest opinion about the content, the colors and graphics, along with anything else they may have noticed.
Do not read from your slides. Your slides are for the audience, not you. Have your own talking points prepared before your presentation.
Talk to the audience, not to your slides. A lot of presenters make the mistake of speaking towards the screen, rather than to the audience.
Don't apologize for anything in your presentation. If there's something in your presentation which you feel may be difficult to read or understand, it's best to take it out of the presentation altogether.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Horner

Tutorial free : 5 Ways to Put PowerPoint Presentation on Web : e

2008-12-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Want to share your original and creative presentations with others all over the world? Putting PowerPoint presentation on Web sounds a good idea. Especially in this era of Internet on which everyone can view various resources using their computers.
Here are 5 different ways to put PowerPoint presentation on Web. Each way has its cons and pros.
Method 1 Upload and link PowerPoint File directly
Yes, you could just upload PowerPoint file to your web site and link to it. Visitors click and download the file to view the presentation on their computers.
ConsVisitors should download the presentation before viewing. Visitors should install PowerPoint app or PowerPoint viewer to view it. The presentation file may have a big file size.
Pros
Just upload your presentation to your Website and link to it.
Share your presentation with all the animations and special effects.
Method 2 Share presentation on Slideshare.net
Slideshare.net is a famous presentation sharing website. Think of it as something like YouTube for slide shows. You can upload your presentations in PPT, PPS or POT formats to SlideShare and they're converted into shared media.
ConsAll the animations, multimedia files in the presentation will disappear.
ProsThe presentation can be viewed on any computers.
Method 3 Publish as HTML web page
PowerPoint lets you save your presentation as HTML, as a web page (Office button -> Save As -> Other Formats, and then choose Web Page in the "Save as type" pull-down menu).
ConsEach slide is saved as a separate image, with its own page, so you have to upload an entire folder of files to your server. It will not display properly for website visitors who aren't using IE.
Free open source software may be a stronger choice in this instance. OpenOffice Impress, the PowerPoint look-alike from OpenOffice.org, lets you create a PPT presentation from scratch, and it will also convert an existing PowerPoint presentation to HTML in a form that's compatible with a broader range of browsers.
Method 4 Flash it using Wondershare PPT2Flash
Actually, OpenOffice even offers to export your presentation as a Flash (SWF) format, but animations will disappear.
Wondershare PPT2Flash ,an add-in of PowerPoint, lets you convert PowerPoint presentation to Flash with one-click.
3 steps to convert your presentation to Flash: Download and install PPT2Flash -> Import PowerPoint presentation -> Click "Publish" to convert.
ProsHas up to 90% reduction in file size after conversion. Flash can be shown properly on any computers. The conversion retains all the animations, hyperlinks, multimedia file in your presentation. Flash is difficult to modify.
Method 5 Record it using Camtasia Studio
Download and install Comtasia on your computer and then follow the steps below. Step 1, save your PPT file as PPS file. Step 2, Set Camtasia studio to record the whole screen. Step 3, Play your PowerPoint PPS file and Press F9 to start recording the screen. Step 4, when you reach your last blank slide, Press F10 to tell Camtasia Recorder to stop recording. You will be prompted to save the captured slideshow, so choose a directory and enter filename. Step 5, save your capture in SWF format.
ConsIt will a little time-consuming if there are many slides in your presentation. Best way to publish your presentation on Web
If you want to make animated and protected presentation on Web in minutes, converting PowerPoint to Flash using Wondershare PPT2Flash sounds downright elegant!
Showing a Flash movie on web is most often as easy as uploading your SWF file to your web space and using a few lines of object/embed code to embed the file on your page.
Camtasia can record the screen and sound when your play your PowerPoint, but should pay $299 to buy which is higher than PPT2Flash ($59.95). For Mac users, you can upload your presentation to slideshare.net. If you only want to create static presentation on web, using OpenOffice to export your presentation to HTML or Flash would be better.
I hope you can use these 5 methods to share your presentation on web easily. Of course, if you have any other good methods, please let me know. Thanks!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunny_Qing

Tutorial free : Why Do I Need to Use Access? : e

2008-12-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Access is not an easy piece of software to learn and some people find Access courses to be frustrating as a result. The question some of them ask is whether Access might be overkill for what they are doing. Excel has simple database functions, so couldn't you just use that instead? The answer is a definite "maybe".
Relational vs. Flat File Databases
An Excel database is a flat file database. All of your information is kept in rows and columns as though on a piece of paper. The classic example of a flat file database is a list in which each line contains name, address, and phone number. This could be customer records or an employee internal extension list.
If this is all you need from your database then Excel will work just fine. You can even perform simple database functions like extracting a list of all of the customers who live in a certain city for targeted mailings.
Access is a relational database. The structure of a relational database is more complex. It consists of several tables, each like a flat file database, but the tables are linked to each other by common identifiers.
Most businesses need to keep track of more than just customer addresses. A second table of all orders placed would link to the customer address table by means of a customer ID. This would allow you to perform searches such as people who ordered blue widgets in December 2006 or who ordered more than $500 in one month.
Keys that You Need to Consider Access Courses
Often our databases grow over time and projects that worked in Excel two years ago need to be converted to Access now. How do we find these? Here are a few clues.
- When you add or change information, do you have to do it in multiple places in a workbook or even across multiple workbooks? - Do several people need to view and change the data simultaneously? - Is the project becoming so large that it is hard to find the data you want? - Are you printing mailing labels or generating reports based on the data?
These are the major reasons the people decide to take the plunge and enroll in Access courses. Once they convert the project to a relational database, they find the work flows much more smoothly and fewer errors are made.
The Transition to Access
As mentioned above, some people are scared off by Access courses so decide to stay with their inefficient Excel databases.
If that has been your problem, find a vendor who customizes Access courses to your needs. The instructor can use your Excel database as an example and can show you the specific steps you need to take to convert the data. You will get the tools you need for your specific application.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Harrell

Tutorial free : What is Microsoft Excel and How Do I Use It? : e

2008-12-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

When you start Excel you see a page with 'cells'. Each cell can be identified by a column and a row number. The normal view is where you see the columns with A, B, C, etc as headers and the rows are numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4. You can also have the view where you see the columns and the headers with numbers starting from 1. In this case known as the 'R1C1' reference style view each cell can be identified with numbers. The columns are numbered from 1 to 256 in Excel 2003 and the rows are numbered from 1 to 65536. In Excel 2007 the rows are numbered from 1 to 1048576 and columns from 1 to 16384. For example, the 4th row and the third column cell would be identified as 'R4C3'. Mostly Microsoft Excel uses the 'R1C1' reference style when recording macros. Most people, however, work with the default alpha-numeric style.
You can now enter text, numbers, currencies, dates, formulas and functions in the cells. It is a good idea to apply the proper formatting on the entered data. For example, we may want to enter the salaries of employees as whole numbers and the prices of items in decimal format. Calculations in Microsoft Excel are performed by using the 'cell addresses', i. e. we do not use the values in the cells. For example, let's say, we have the whole number '10' in cell A1 and the decimal number '5.6' in cell B1. Now we wanted to display the sum of these two numbers in cell C1. We would use the formula '=A1+B1' in cell C1. So you see, we have not used the formula '=10+5.6' in the cell C1. Text in Excel can not only be formatted in Excel but it can also be manipulated in interesting ways. For example, you entered 'Andy Davis' in cell A1. Now you want to separate the first and the last names. That can be done easily in Excel.
Date and times are entered into Excel cells in special formats and they be manipulated using formulas and functions. This can be very useful in project management or time management. Formulas and functions form the heart of Excel. You can use simple in-built functions like 'sum', 'average', 'maximum', 'minimum', etc or you can create your own complicated functions and formulas to perform interesting and difficult calculations.
Next you have to decide where and how you wish to place your data in Excel. A good design helps in the ease of calculations later. Empty rows and columns between data should be avoided. If the data we enter into Excel cells spans a very big range and we need to keep the headers in place while we scroll up and down or left and right, we can freeze the column and/or the row headers. This 'freezing' helps us to see which data belongs to which item.
Once the data is in place, we need to get information out of our data. Microsoft Excel provides excellent tools to sort, filter, format and analyze data. Using these tools you could, for example, easily find out which salesperson is performing well or which product is selling well or how much money people owe your business or the other way round. Sometimes we may need to know quickly whether we have an item in stock or not. The 'scenarios' feature in Excel helps understand worst, normal and good situations.
You may also need to present your data to your boss or another company. Microsoft Excel's charting and Pivot tables and reports provide an excellent way to present your data. After familiarizing yourself with many of the lovely possibilities of using Excel for your business, professional or personal needs, you may try your hand at 'macros'. Macros help you to automate many calculations and data entries. You will need to learn Visual Basic for Application (VBA). VBA is easy to learn and the Visual Basic Editor comes free with Excel.
We have created more than 90 free Excel training videos to demonstrate the above concepts. These videos are freely available via the link given below.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dinesh_Takyar

Tutorial : Microsoft Word 2003 – Create a Table in a Second :

2008-12-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

To create a table from scratch:
Select Table > Insert > Table from the main menu. Select the number of rows and columns and click OK. Select the default “Autofit Behavior.” Don’t worry about making mistakes. You can easily change the number of both the rows and columns later on.
Or, click the “Insert Table” icon on the Toolbar. Drag your cursor to determine the number of rows and columns. Don’t worry about making mistakes. You can easily change the number of both the rows and columns later on.
To insert a row or column to the right or left of a row or column:
Place your cursor in the row or column (any cell).
Select Table > Insert > Columns to the Left (or, Columns to the Right, or Rows Above, or Rows Below).
To merge 2 cells, select the cells with your cursor and then select Table > Merge Cells from the main menu.
To split a cell into multiple cells, place your cursor inside the cell. Then select Table > Split Cells from the main menu. Select the number of rows and columns you want to see after the split. Click OK.
If you have a long table that will straddle across multiple pages, and if you need to see your column headers on every page, then select Table > Heading Rows Repeat.
If you need to convert your table into text, select your table (the most guaranteed way – especially if you have a huge table -- is by selecting Table > Select > Table from the main menu). Then select Table > Convert > Table to Text.
Usually selecting Tabs as a text separator is a sufficient choice but you can select other separators as well in the “Convert Table to Text” dialog box.
Click OK when finished.
Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation. He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.
In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugur_Akinci

Choosing the sex of baby | Baby gender : e

2008-12-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

Choosing the sex of baby ( Baby gender )

1. After copulate oblique wife to right until morning.
2. Copulate from back ( style doggy )
3. Deep penetration when orgasm
4. Wife take vitamin of B 3 times one day 2 tablet, since pregnancy one month until 8 months.
5. Husband have to eating many flesh.
6. Copulate after a period ovulation. ovulation is a period of mid of day clear of menstruation.
7. Wife have to reach “ orgasm” ahead.
8. Before copulate, wife clean vagina with ¼ litre water mix with 2 tablespoon soda.For optimal result select technically number 4, 5, 8

Technique planning Gender (sex) baby (girl/female)

1. After copulate oblique wife to left until morning.
2. Copulate from front ( stand )
3. Skin-deep penetration when orgasm
4. Wife don't take vitamin of B since pregnancy one month until 8 months.
5. Husband have to eating many vegetable.
6. Copulate before a period of ovulation.
7. Husband have to reach “orgasm” ahead
8. Before copulate wife clean vagina with ¼ litre water mix with 2 tablespoon vinegar.For optimal result select technically number 4, 5, 8

source : downloadfreecenter

Baby Gender Selection - Three Things You Absolutely Must Do to Conceive a Baby Boy : e

2008-12-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

Are you desperate to conceive a baby boy but don't have the thousands of dollars going spare that would be needed to pay for the services of a baby gender selection clinic? Or perhaps you are simply overwhelmed by the amount of information available on the Internet today that claims to show you how to choose the sex of your baby? Well read on and I tell you the three most important considerations for ensuring that you conceive a boy.
One of the most well known scientific methods for determining the sex of your baby is called the Shettles method. Over the last twenty five years or so may thousands of couples have been successful applying the techniques required for this method. It reportedly has a success rate of 75% although some researchers put it as high as 90%, which is pretty impressive stuff. The Shettles method is based on the fact that the Y chromosome sperm ( boy sperm ) are smaller and less hardy the larger and more robust X chromosome sperm ( girl sperm ). However they may be smaller but they're a lot quicker!
How to Conceive a Baby Boy Tip 1 - Know When You're Ovulating
First off you simply must determine the time of ovulation. Baby gender selection relies heavily on this information. Knowing when you ovulate is vital when you are trying to conceive a boy. There are three ways to do this which I will not go into great detail here but basically they involve:
Charting body temperature
Charting cervical mucus
Using ovulation prediction kits
How to Conceive a Baby Boy Tip 2 - Timing and Frequency of Intercourse
Shettles recommends that to increase your chances of conceiving a boy you must have intercourse from 24 hours before ovulation to no more than 12 hours past ovulation. If you have sex too far in advance of ovulation then the 'boy' sperm will be long gone leaving the slower more resilient 'girl' sperm to hit the target at the right time. Intercourse closer to ovulation ensures that cervical mucus present at ovulation is less acidic and slippery enough to help the 'boy' sperm reach the egg more quickly. This timing is vital.
How to Conceive a Baby Boy Tip 3 -Position During Intercourse
Shettles suggests that if you are trying to conceive a boy, a position that involves deep penetration from your partner will deposit the sperm closer to the cervix giving the faster and more aggressive 'boy' sperm a head start at getting to the egg and fertilizing it first.
Finally, another tip is to get your partner wear boxers. Tight fitting underwear will increase heat levels around the testes which can lead to a lower the sperm count. Wearing loose fitting underwear helps keep the testes cooler.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Curtis

Can I Choose My Baby's Gender? : e

2008-12-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

There's no question we have many more fertility and conception options available today. Couples who could not conceive twenty five years ago need not worry now. This same technology allows couples to chose their baby's gender, but at a very high financial cost. Simply put, gender selection using a clinic isn't cheap, and the higher the alleged success rate, the more you'll pay. However, if you can afford to have a clinic biopsy your viable embryos and then implant the desired sex (PGD / ICF), then yes, you can definitely chose. The cost of this can be well over $10,000 (approximately $3,000-$5,000 for the biopsy methods plus the fertilization costs).
However, in today's economy, few couples can afford or justify such a high cost. Most couples need this money to raise the child, not merely conceive it. So, this article will focus on all natural methods you can complete at home to choose your baby's gender. To do that, in the simplest terms, you'll need to be able to:
Know Exactly When You Ovulate: To conceive the sex of your choice, you'll need to conceive either before (for a girl) or during (for a boy) ovulation. This is because X (girl) sperm are much more hardy than their male counterparts and can survive for much longer. There are many ways to chart ovulation, but there is very little room for error, so it's important you chose an extremely reliable method.
Have A PH Conducive To Your Desired Gender: Simply put, to stack the odds in your favor, you'll need a vaginal and body PH that is friendly to the sperm or your desired sex and more hostile to the sperm you'd prefer not to encourage this time out. There are a couple of ways to do this. One is by avoiding or consuming certain foods and another is by douching with specific solutions based on which gender you're trying to conceive. Clinics can charge up to $450 for these douching solutions, but with careful planning, you can have the same results at home on your own.
Complete The Correct Positioning: Intercourse positioning is probably the most widely discussed gender selection variable, but it is only one small piece of the puzzle. For optimal natural gender determination, you need to deposit sperm further away from the cervix (shallow penetration) for a girl and closer (deeper penetration) for a boy. This is the easiest variable to control, but it alone is not enough because you could still have a hostile PH and / or be conceiving on the wrong day. To get the results you want, all three variables need to be firmly in place, but this is easily achieved with a bit of planning.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Dean

How Gender Selection Works - A Look at Choosing Your Baby's Sex at a Clinic Or at Home : e

2008-12-06T15:39:00.001-08:00

As science becomes more and more advanced with fertility methods, gender selection is becoming more socially acceptable and more widely available. But what does this phrase really mean? One hundred years ago, it would've meant trying to conceive at a certain point during the month or day, but today it typically means something else entirely. Currently, selecting your baby's gender is either performed through a clinic or on your own, trying all natural methods. Here's a look at a few of the more popular methods couples use to determine the sex of their baby:
With Help From Clinics: There are a variety of methods that fertility clinics use to have you determine the sex of your child. Prices vary greatly depending on the service, but usually run in the thousands of dollars. IVF / PGD (described below) is typically $3,000 - $4,000 plus the cost of implanting the embryo, which is in the $10,000 range and up.
Sperm Sorting By Travel Speeds: This is among the oldest and least accurate of the techniques. The theory behind this is that X and Y sperm travel at different speeds. In this method, the couple's sperm is placed in a solution. The male sperm are said to travel to the bottom first. So, sperm which seemingly match the couple's preference is collected and implanted into the female.
Sperm Sorting By Laser / Flow Cytometry: This method sorts the sperm with a laser and then stains it with a dye which is supposed to indicate differences in DNA. This method is said to be around 90 percent accurate for a baby girl and about 75 percent accurate for a baby boy.
IVF Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD): By far the most expensive, IVF is also the most accurate. Once the egg has been fertilized by sperm in the laboratory, doctors can distinguish male and female embryos by biopsy and replace only embryos of the desired gender into the womb. If this results "take" and result in the birth of a baby, this method can be nearly 100 percent accurate.
Natural, Inexpensive Methods At Home: Because of the high cost of clinic procedures with no real guarantee (except with PGD/ IVF), many couples opt for natural methods that combine diet / PH alterations, ovulation / conception timing and intercourse positioning that favor the conception of the desired gender. Depending on compliance, the quality of the program, and the ability of the couple to determine and alter the factors involved, in my experience, these natural methods can also work.
Gender Selection Resources is a website that offers tips, information, how tos and resources for couples wanting to use natural methods to chose the gender of their baby.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Dean

Choosing Baby's Gender - Why You Don't Need PDG Or Sperm Sorting : e

2008-12-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for information on gender selection, you already know that choosing baby's gender isn't just a pipe dream. These day's several clinically proven and accepted medical procedures are available to let you choose the sex of your baby. What many couples are coming to realize, though, is that the most media-hyped methods may not be the most successful.
The methods most parents-to-be come across first are PDG (preimplantation diagnosis) and sperm sorting. Unfortunately, these techniques have more than a few drawbacks. The first is that they're unnatural and risky. They both require invasive IUI or IVF procedures for the woman to conceive and these increase your risk of miscarriage and premature delivery.
Another barrier for many couples is the fact that these procedures aren't exactly free. Sperm sorting can cost a minimum of $1000, while PDG will run you between $18000 to $20000.
To top it off, medical gender selection methods aren't nearly as effective as many couple believe. For sperm sorting, the success rate for conceiving a baby boy is around 80% and 70% for a baby girl. With PDG it's up to 100%, if you can shell out the 18 grand. Of course, rates vary from couple to couple and from clinic to clinic. But that's if you get pregnant at all. These procedures generally take a few tries to get the egg to implant and you'll have to pay for each attempt.
If you're thinking "Well, hey, a 75% success rate isn't bad," think again. You're paying for an uncomfortable, risky procedure that, expect for PDG, actually has a lower success rate than natural methods of selecting a baby's gender. That's right, completely natural methods have a proven higher success rate. You're not going to find that in any clinic's patient handouts, though.
A lot of people pass up natural gender selection methods because they assume it's all a bunch of myths and old wives' tales about what to eat for breakfast or what point in the cycle to try to conceive. While a lot of the gender selection advice you find online is just plain silly, some of it really will tip the odds in favor of one gender over another.
The problem is you can't take a hit and miss approach to choosing baby's gender. You've got to work with a complete system. One thing increases your odds by 5%, another by 7% and so on until with all the methods combined you've got up to a 94% chance of getting the little boy or girl you're dreaming of.
Interested in a system for choosing baby's gender that has a proven 94% success rate (higher than Shettles), but that's completely healthy and natural? Get a started now at my blog about how to choose the sex of your baby.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Stevens

Baby Gender Selection - The Simple Science of Choosing Sex of Baby : e

2008-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know how you can manipulate that science to your advantage to conceive a baby boy or baby girl? Are you searching the information about Baby Gender Selection?
Why sex at certain times in your fertility cycle is almost certain to result in a baby girl or boy?
Do you know that you can make easy changes to your diet that stack the odds of conceiving the baby of your dreams? Do you want to know more about diet gender selection?
What positions are best for the conception of a boy or a girl?
Determine the sex of baby:
The sex of a baby will always be determined by whether an egg is fertilized with either sperm containing the "x" chromosome or sperm containing the "Y" chromosome. Sperm that contain the "x" chromosome are female. Sperm that contain the "y" chromosome are male sperm.
This would suggest that when a male sperm(y) fertilizes the egg then a baby boy is the end result . Then it is true to assume that when a female sperm fertilizes the egg that a baby boy will be the end result.
Knowing the difference between each type of sperm helps you to plan to have intercourse during the time that would best facilitate each type of sperm. Believe it or not you can also manipulate your sexual positions during intercourse to determine the sex of baby.
Male and female sperm are also different from each other in there makeup. Male sperm are always smaller, faster and more fragile. Female sperm by contrast are larger, slower and tougher.
It's important that you have a good understand about the difference between "X" and "Y" chromosome sperm. Knowing these differences will allow you to pull odds in your favor to determine the sex of baby.
Baby Gender Selection depends on three easy steps:
Step #1: Timing & PH Levels
Step #2: Minor Diet Adjustments
Step #3: Intercourse Positions
This Baby Gender Selection method is guaranteed, effective, natural and easy-to-follow. The only variable factor is whether or not you follow these 3 steps.
LEARN more about this successful method: Baby Gender Selection and reveal how to conceive baby boy or how to conceive baby girl.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karel_Micek

Choosing the Sex of Your Baby : e

2008-12-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

If you've found this article, I have to assume that you're trying to conceive and have definite opinions about whether you want a baby boy or a baby girl. Modern technology has made gender selection very possible. However, this article will not focus on choosing your baby's sex in a clinical or sterile environment. Instead, I'll discuss how you can greatly increase the odds of getting the gender you want using natural methods at home.
Understanding The Differences Between Sperm That Produces A Boy Or A Girl: A man's sperm contains chromosomes (X and Y) which will, depending upon which fertilizes the egg first, result in the birth of either a baby girl or baby boy. Both have different characteristics which it's important that you understand.
The girl producing sperm (X) are very strong and hardy, but are slower moving.
The sperm that produces a boy (Y) are weaker, but much faster.
Therefore, depending on whether you want to conceive a boy or a girl, you can manipulate several different variables to greatly increase your odds of achieving this goal.
Timing Conception (and Predicting Ovulation) For A Boy Or Girl: One important thing you can do to chose the sex of your baby is conceive during a specific time in your fertility cycle based on the gender that you want.
For a girl, you should conceive well before (about three days prior to) ovulation. This is because the girl sperm can survive for this long period of time while the boy sperm can not.
For a boy, you'll want to conceive no earlier than the day of ovulation. This will give the girl sperm time to begin dying off and will ensure there are plenty of fast, viable boy sperm in the vaginal tract ready to race for the egg.
Obviously, you need to know exactly when you ovulate. There are many ways moms -to- be can predict this, but I believe the easiest, most reliable way is using a saliva ovulation predictor. They are reusable, very accurate, and inexpensive. (Saliva is so reliable it is used for DNA testing.)
Changing Your Acidity To Get A Girl (Higher PH) Or Boy (Lower PH): The acidity and PH of your vaginal tract is very important in choosing the sex of your baby. A highly acidic environment will greatly favor girls as these surroundings are too hostile for boy producing sperm. You'll need an alkaline PH to conceive a boy. It helps to know your PH going in to this process. You can test this easily with vaginal PH testing strips.
Once you know where you fall, you can raise or lower your PH by either avoiding or consuming certain foods (an acidic diet for a girl, an alkaline diet for a boy) and / or by douching with specialty solutions based on how much you need to alter. Clinics sell these food lists and douches depending on your PH, but there are resources that allow you to replicate these results at home.
Positions To Influence Your Baby's Gender: Hopefully, I've already established how you can create a friendly environment for the specific sperm (boy or girl / X or Y) that you're trying to deliver to the egg. Another way to do this is by using sexual intercourse positions that make the trip to the cervix longer or shorter. If you're trying to conceive a girl, you want to make the trip longer (since the girl producing sperm can survive this), so you'd use shallow penetration. If you want a boy baby, you'd go with deep penetration to give the weak boy sperm a short, safe trip to the egg.
I've put together a few websites to take a lot of the guess work out of choosing your baby's sex. You'll find resources for the food lists, specialty douche recipes, saliva ovulation predictors, and PH testing strips discussed in this article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Dean

Simple Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender : e

2008-12-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you've found this article, I have to assume that you want to get pregnant sometime in the near future and have a very definite idea of whether you want a girl or boy baby. You probably already know there are a couple of methods to make this goal come true. Choosing your baby's gender using artificial measures is obviously the most sure fire way to go if money is not an issue and you don't mind taking the natural, intimate contributions from the mother and father out of the equation.
In today's economy, the group of people who are in this situation is probably shrinking rapidly. Few can afford thousands of dollars for this process. So, this article will focus on easy, natural ways that you can influence or choose your baby's sex or gender yourself without ever setting foot in a clinic.
First, Understand Exactly What You Need To Do To Get The Gender / Sex You Want: Some people think natural gender selection is complicated or multi - faceted, but this doesn't have to be true. It can be quite easy if you understand your real objection. To put it in the most simple of terms, to have the gender you want, you have to make sure that the sperm which fertilizes the egg that has the chromosomes of your desired gender. For example, if you want a boy, you want the Y sperm to fertilize the egg because this will result in a boy. If you want a girl, then you're going for X sperm, which will produce a daughter.
So, to choose the sex of your baby, you need to diminish the numbers of the sperm containing the chromosomes of the gender you don't want, leaving room for tons of those that you do want. If you want a girl, then you want to clear the reproductive tract of boy sperm as much as you can and vice versa.
To take this a bit further, Y sperm (boy) has different characteristics than X (girl sperm.) Boy producing sperm is much faster, but it is weak. Girl sperm is poky and slow, but extremely hardy. Keep this in mind throughout this article.
Timing And Your Baby's Sex And Gender: When trying to conceive, keep in mind how hardy and long lived your desired gender is. If you want a boy, then understand these sperm can't live for long. Therefore, you need to conceive as close to ovulation as possible - giving these little guys the best chance you can. If you want a girl, you can afford to conceive earlier (three days before ovulation). The girl sperm won't be affected, but the boy sperm will start to diminish as your egg becomes ready.
Want to make this even easier? Use ovulation predictors that take all of the guess work out of the "right day."
Intercourse Positions That Favor A Girl Or A Boy: Again, consider your desired gender's characteristics before you conceive. Since boy sperm are so vulnerable, place them right where they need to be so that they don't have far to travel. Use deep penetration to place them at the base of the cervix.
For a girl, use shallow positions that place the sperm far away from the egg. Luckily, the slow girl sperm will live long enough to make the trip, while the boy sperm often won't.
This is probably the easiest of all of the variables and most people don't have a problem with this one.
The Final Consideration: Your Vaginal Environment: So, we have these two sperm chromosomes that are getting ready to race for the egg. One is fast but vulnerable (boy) and the other is slow but strong and unyielding (girl). So, depending on which racer you are rooting for, you can make the environment one that is going to be friendly to your desired gender.
If you want a girl, you should shoot for a highly acidic environment because this will help diminish the boy sperm. They can not withstand a high PH. But, if you want a boy, you need to alkalize your vaginal because this will make it much more friendly to the boy sperm, who need a low PH to survive.
Want to make this even easier? You can actually test your PH with testing strips (available at health food stores and online) to see where you are. This will tell you exactly how much work you need to do before you get to the PH that will produce the gender you want.
Depending on your reading, you can change your PH with a special diet (acidic foods for a girl and alkaline foods for a boy) or by douching with ingredients based on your reading.
There is an easier route for this one as well. Gender selection clinics sell these douches and will also supply you with food list, but you can get these and make them yourself at home.
I've put together a few websites that take a lot of the guess work out of choosing your baby's gender. You'll find step by step instructions, resources, tips, support, and examples of ovulation predictors / PH testing strips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Dean

Choose Baby Gender - Gender Selection Before Pregnancy - Is it Just Another Scam? : e

2008-12-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Do you already have a girl or boy and you wish to choose baby gender for your next baby? Would you like to know what is the best time to conceive a baby boy or baby girl? Does there really exist any diet which can help you to conceive a baby girl? Is it even possible to determine the sex of a baby? You are not the only one who would like to choose baby gender before pregnancy. There are a lot of myths promising to determine the sex of baby.
Although most experts insist urban conception legends are false, there is really no harm in trying some of the following tips.
How to conceive a baby girl?
- Make love in the afternoon.
- Schedule your lovemaking for the even numbered days of the month.
- Try to have sex during the full moon.
- Eat lots of fish and veggies, following by a chocolate dessert.
- Surprise your partner! Legend says women who initiate sex are more likely to give birth to daughters.
How to conceive a baby girl?
- Change your diet to include lots of red meat, salty snacks, and cola soft drinks.
- Let your partner initiate sex and focus on his pleasure. Legend says if the man climaxes first, you'll conceive a baby boy.
- Schedule your lovemaking sessions for odd numbered days of the month.
- Have sex at night, preferably when there is a quarter moon in the sky.
- Have as much sex as possible, since many people believe more boys are conceived during the "honeymoon" phase of a relationship.
- Have the man drink coffee before sex, since this causes the sperm with Y chromosomes to become more active.
But can those techniques really work?
How To Choose Baby Gender - How To Find Natural, Easy-to-Follow, Proven Method
I was also looking for as much free information as possible to determine and choose baby gender. After giving birth to three little boys I wish to have a girl.
I researched other well known methods of baby gender selection ranged from the Shettles Method, the Ericcson Method, Dr. Jonas' Method to the Microsorting Method. Many of these methods have achieved moderate levels of success.
Then I discovered the method 100% based on sound scientific evidence: Choose Baby Gender with the 94.8% Success Rate!
Discover the 3 easy steps of successful baby gender selection: Choose Baby Gender
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karel_Micek

How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby Naturally : e

2008-12-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

If you've been wondering how to choose the sex of your baby naturally, you're probably getting a little frustrated with lack of proven techniques out there.
Usually the first methods those hoping to conceive a baby boy or girl specifically come across are medical procedures like PDG (preimplantation diagnosis) and sperm sorting. These aren't exactly natural and even worse, they can be fairly expensive. Costs range from between $1000 for sperm sorting to $20000 for PDG. A lot of clinics claim to "guarantee" you'll get the baby boy or girl you're dreaming of, but in reality the success rates are only between 75% to 90%.
But there's a dirty little secret the medical industry's been holding out on you. The fact is certain natural methods of gender selection have exactly the same success rates as medical methods (apart from PDG), but without the risks. There are one or two scientifically designed systems out there that have endorsements from doctors and thousands of couples behind them as proof of their success.
Just be aware that not all "natural" methods are really all that natural. Take the popular Shettles method for example. Did you know it recommends techniques like douching, drinking coffee and other things that can actually decrease your overall fertility?
There are other methods that are 100% natural and won't do anything to your body that could lower your fertility or create an unhealthy environment for your developing child.
Also, whatever you do, please do not rely on the free tips scattered around the Internet. While a lot of them are harmless (although useless) old wives' tales, some of them can adversely affect your health to the point where it could harm your baby.
Healthy, natural gender selection is possible-there's plenty of proof of that-but to seriously tip the odds in favor of a certain gender you need to religiously follow a complete system. Just following a couple random tips on how to choose the sex of your baby naturally, like what foods to eat or what positions to use, won't get you there.
Interested in a system for how to choose the sex of your baby that has a proven 94% success rate (higher than Shettles), but that's completely healthy and natural? Get a started now at my blog about choosing baby's gender.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_Stevens

Choose Sex of Your Baby Using Natural Methods - Help For Couples : e

2008-12-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Having a healthy baby is what every expectant parent wishes for. Secretly though most of us do have a preference when it comes to whether we want a baby girl or a baby boy. Many of us simply leave it to fate, but there is another way. If you have your heart set on a newborn son or daughter there are a few things you can do to help sway Mother Nature. You can help choose sex of your baby if you understand what factors go into determining whether you have a boy or a girl.
Timing your lovemaking is one way to help choose the sex of your baby. If you have your heart set on a new son you should focus on having intercourse as close to the moment of ovulation as possible. That's because the male sperm are quicker than the female sperm and will reach the newly released egg sooner to fertilize it. Couples who want a daughter are better off trying to conceive a day or two before ovulation as the female sperm stay alive longer.
You can predict ovulation several methods. The most inexpensive is to chart your basal body temperature for a couple of months before you start trying to conceive. This is an easy process and involves taking the woman's temperature each morning before she gets out of bed. You can also invest in an ovulation kit which is simple to use and will tell you precisely when the right time to attempt to conceive is. Either approach will help you chart when you are fertile and with the right timing you can help choose the sex of your baby.
There are other specific methods that do work when it comes to choosing the gender of your baby. For more suggestions, including a method that is 100% guaranteed to help you conceive either a baby girl or a baby boy, visit this informative site
Don't let nature decide the gender of your baby. If you have your heart set on a boy or girl, find out what you can do to ensure you get the little boy or girl you desperately want. There are proven ways to pick your baby's gender that are guaranteed to work.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gillian_Reynolds

More spending on Palin revealed : total fashion bill for Sarah Palin's $180,000 :political

2008-12-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

Spending on Palin's clothes, makeup and hair made headlines during the campaign.

The Republican National Committee's total fashion bill for Sarah Palin's nine-week stint on the GOP presidential ticket is in: $180,000.
That's $30,000 more than the RNC previously disclosed it had spent outfitting and styling the Alaska governor and her family, according to Politico and the RNC's latest filings with the Federal Elections Commission.
The latest filing, which includes the final 3 weeks of the presidential race, shows the committee directed close to $55,000 to Palin's fashion stylist, New York-based Lisa Kline.
The RNC also spent close to $24,000 in several high end stores, including Ann Taylor, Bloomingdales, Brooks Brothers, Neiman's, Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, Target, and Victoria's Secret.
The RNC has said all the clothes purchased will be donated to charity.
Meanwhile, the McCain campaign paid a total of $110,000 on Palin's traveling hair and makeup stylists, according to the New York Times and the McCain campaign's latest FEC filing.
News surfaced shortly before Election Day that Republicans had shelled out more than $150,00 on Palin and her family in clothing costs — a revelation that posed an unnecessary distraction for the struggling McCain campaign, and undercut Palin's hockey-mom credentials.
Filed under: Sarah Palin

source : CNN

A Summary of the Novel "The Green Mile" : e

2008-12-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Any summary of the novel "The Green Mile" by Stephen King has to include a bit about the famous horror novelist, himself. He published this novel in 1996 as a serial novel, and the first edition actually came out in six small, paperbacks, which were later made into one novel. King is most well known for his horror novels, so as this summary of the novel "The Green Mile" shows, this book, set in the 1930s, is a departure from some of his other works.
Plot
The summary of the novel "The Green Mile" includes the plot and setting. The story takes place in 1932 on the E Block (Death Row) in Cold Mountain Penitentiary in Georgia. It is narrated by the main character, Paul, who is the captain of the prison guards who preside over E Block. "The Green Mile" of the title is the corridor between the cells of the cell block that leads to the execution room. The corridor is covered in green linoleum, hence, the "last" or green mile the inmates take to their death.
The story follows John Coffey, a large, black inmate convicted of raping and murdering two young white girls, and the other two inmates on death row, along with the guards who watch over them. Coffey is special, as Paul discovers, and he has magical healing abilities that become apparent. He befriends a small white mouse, who he names Mr. Jingles, and heals the mouse when the brutal guard Percy Wetmore tried to kill it. He also heals Paul's kidney infection, and later, Paul spirits him out of the prison to heal the warden's wife's brain tumor. Coffey "transfers" this brain disease to Wetmore, the sadistic guard who the inmates and staff dislike. Wetmore never recovers and spends the rest of his life in a mental institution.
Eventually, Paul discovers that Coffey is exceptional in many areas. It turns out he did not murder the two girls, another inmate (William Wharton) did. Coffey does not want to be pardoned, and dies in the electric chair because he cannot bear the cruelties of real life. After his death, Paul discovers that each of the people Coffey has healed live extraordinarily long lives. Paul is 108 at the end of the book, and Mr. Jingles is 64. They have no idea how long they will live, and the novel ends.
Characters
A summary of the novel "The Green Mile" includes the characters in the novel.
Paul Edgecombe - Paul is the main character of the novel. A prison guard, by the end of the story he is an old man narrating this part of his life to a friend who is writing his memoir.
John Coffey - A nearly 7-foot-tall black man, a convicted murderer awaiting his death sentence on death row in the prison. He befriends a white mouse and heals people of their diseases.
Percy Wetmore - A sadistic prison guard who everyone dislikes. He torments the prisoners, tries to kill Mr. Jingles, the mouse, and deliberately botches an execution where the inmate suffers terribly. He keeps his job because he is related to the governor.
Eduard Delacroix - A Cajun man convicted of arson, he is essentially a coward. He is the man who dies a horrible death at the hands of Wetmore.
William Wharton - Another convict, it turns out he is the one who actually committed the murder attributed to John Coffey. He is wild and frightening, and attempts to disrupt the prison as much as he can before he dies.
Mr. Jingles - The white mouse that lives to be 64 and is befriended by John Coffey.
Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Pan

The Three Stages of Commercial Film Production : e

2008-12-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

The methods that each individual film producer uses may vary but in the end, for the most part, all commercial films are made by the same three stage process. Inevitably production will be broken up into other sub-stages but in the end everything that is dome will fall into one of three categories.
The first stage of any commercial film production will be the planning stage. It is during this stage that a script is prepared and edited and any research that is required for the film topic takes place. It is important that this stage be completed thoroughly before the film producer advances to the next step of production.
This would be the actual production stage of the commercial film. However; this begins with designing and creating the set according to the budget that is allocated for the film. It is not hard to see that once production begins, the first stage must be completed in its entirety to facilitate the actual problem free production of the film.
Post production is the third and final stage of a commercial film production. This is the stage when the film is edited and any special effects are added. Also, quite often sound work will take place during this third and final stage.
Shooting a commercial film is a risky financial proposition at best, so therefor it is crucial that everything be completely organized properly to produce optimal results. Attempting a commercial film production in any other manner will almost virtually guarantee that the end result is a financial failure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Yonatan

Foto Facial - Quick Health Facts : e

2008-12-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Want to treat your freckle, age spots, dark skin marks, acne scars and fine lines? There are a number of treatment options that dermatologists can utilize to help keep your skin looking its most beautiful, yet one treatment in particular is not invasive, allows for gradual skin shedding, and use the latest in light technology.
The foto facial treatment, or ipl fotofacial, is a skin care treatment option which dermatologists can utilize to help the outer layer of skin shed old marks. For those that have been affected by the weather and the elements of the environment over time, this treatment offers the ability to keep the skin looking radiant. The foto facial is best for those who wish to have a more gradual skin alteration, as opposed to other treatments which are meant to remove unsightly marks in a drastic way, and thus require a longer healing time. It is important to be aware of how the body responds to new types of treatments and to discuss how this particular treatment may affect your skin. This is of course true with any treatment.
By using intense pulsed light, this treatment allows the skin on the face to fade. More than one treatment is often required to get the skin at an optimal and desired shade. What is very important during and after treatments is to avoid direct and heavy sun exposure. Not only will the skin be more prone to sun damage during treatments but the marks that are being removed will become more difficult to remove and will be encouraged to return if exposed to the sun. It is thus best to avoid the sun as much as possible, or to at least wear protection and a hat. There are a number of highly effective sunscreen options available that are mineral based and highly effective at blocking different rays.
Every treatment option meant to help with skin rejuvenation has benefits and risks and it is the patient's responsibility to come to a complete understanding of the way the treatment may affect their skin. A trained dermatologist can discuss this with the patient but the patient may also wish to do some of their own research. This can help the patient to formulate any question they may have regarding the treatment. The skin is the most visible organ on the body and so it will be subjected to the most damage over time. It is thus always a great idea to protect it as much as possible from the wear and tear of the elements. This also involves what is ingested, such as foods, alcohols, and drugs. It is important to know that the skin is just as affected by external forces as it is internal. Using the foto facial treatment as a means to undergo skin rejuvenation is the patient's decision. Since the effects are more gradual, the skin is sloughed off and faded in a more reasonable manner with less recovery time. Understanding how the recovery time must be handled is a great way to better understand one's own body and the skin's healing process.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elisa_Cruz

How to Answer Common Job Interview Questions : e

2008-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

So you have been invited to a Job Interview? Well done! You are halfway to finding your dream job. The next step in the job hunting process is preparing for the interview itself. After being invited to a job interview candidates need to knuckle down and practice ahead of time to knock the interview process out the park.
It is vital that you have prepared answers for frequently asked questions that you may be asked to answer. Frequently asked job interview questions are used to establish whether or not the job seeker does indeed possess the required skills set and experience relevant to the job vacancy.
Familiarise yourself with typical job interview questions as well as prepare appropriate answers to these questions in order to secure the ideal position. Common interview questions are also asked for further insight into your personality, ability to integrate into a new team as well as your business ethics and values. There is no specific structure in which such questions are administered, be sure to go though the following list of frequently asked job interview questions and answers to best prepare for your job interview.
INTERVIEWER QUESTION: Tell me about yourself? Job Seeker Response:
Although your first instinct might be to start by describing your interests and hobbies, remember where you are. You are in a job interview with the sole purpose of being hired. The information that you should detail when asked this question is to begin by describing yourself in a work situation. Prepare a summary of your work experience as well as your career achievements. Briefly detail your education accomplishments as well as any other accomplishment or transferable skills that are relevant to the job vacancy. Only once you have discussed information that is specific to the available position, should you then give a short explanation about your interests and character traits.
INTERVIEWER QUESTION: Describe your working experience?
Job Seeker Response:
Study your CV prior to your job interview and identify areas of your work experience that is specifically relevant to the job that you are being interviewed for. Search the job advert itself for hints and traces of details about what it is the employer is hoping to find in the ideal Job Seeker. Your answer should be concise and relevant; the recruiter has already seen your Curriculum Vitae and already has a good idea of your experience. Try to get the recruiter to specify what areas they would like you to discuss so as to avoid digressing off the topic with long winded explanations. The reason why the recruiter is asking this question even after having seen your CV application is because they want to hear how you would describe your experience verbally and to ensure that your verbal explanation is consistent with the information detailed in your CV.
INTERVIEWER QUESTION: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Job Seeker Response:
Although this question may seem as though you should answer with a positive answer for your strengths and a negative for your weaknesses, try to give two positive answers. When discussing your strengths highlight roughly three positive attributes or strengths that specifically apply to the available post based on what you consider to be the recruiter's specific requirements. When indicating your weaknesses, never detail a character defect or poor performance areas that have no opportunity to be improved on. Rather, try to explain where you identified a problem area where you were able to remedy this and explain how you did so.
JOB SEEKER RESPONSES: Most common and typical job interview questions
How do you deal with conflict or criticism?
Always answer this frequently asked question with a positive approach. Explain where you may have experienced conflict in the workplace in the past and how you dealt with it. Explain in a positive light, how you managed this conflict and what you learnt from the experience. The job interviewer is looking to identify areas where you may experience a problem when working with difficult personalities and how well you handle negative situations and reverse them into positive ones. Never say never and always be open to the idea that you are willing and able to learn from each working experience - whether positive or negative.
What do you know about our company and why do you want to work here?
You will need to prepare for this typical job interview question far in advance in order to ensure that you are comfortable discussing the employers company. Don't be a know it all, you are talking with someone who may have been part of the company for several years and will know greater detail that you will. Never argue about details and be open to correction should you have interpreted research information incorrectly. When answering the reason for you wanting to join their establishment specify what interests you about the industry or company and how you feel you could contribute to its longevity. Express admiration and respect for the company and include an explanation as to what value you feel you will be able to bring to the company that other candidates may not be able to. Try to get a good understanding of the company's objective as well as their vision and mission and how you plan on sustaining this or improving on it, based on your relevant skills and attributes.
Describe a short term goal you have set for yourself and how you intend on achieving this goal?
A short term goal generally falls within a one to two year delivery period. The goals that you describe should be career focussed, based on areas where you would like to improve on a skill or achieve a qualification that will boost your career growth. When answering to how you intend on achieving these goals to the employer, never leave a door closed. Opportunity and drive is your number one objective in order to achieve any goal and this is why your explanation needs to be realistic and attainable within this short period. By displaying your enthusiasm and desire to succeed, this will indicate to the employer that you are a motivated and inspired employee.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When answering this typical job interview question stay focussed on career goals and aspirations. Potential employers don't want to hear about your plans to 'Take over their company' nor your desire to become a pro golfer. Keep these career aspirations realistic and attainable within a 5 year period. Discuss ways in which you anticipate attaining your career goals as well as steps you have already taken to reach these career goals.
What are you looking for in a job?
This may seem like an easy common interview question to answer, it is in fact a tricky job interview question. While the interviewer is asking you what you are looking for in a job, in actual fact they want you to answer with what they are looking for from you. Again when preparing for this question, be sure to have the job ad close at hand in order to assess in precise detail what the recruiter is looking for in a candidate. Answer this question the way you think the interviewer wants you to answer it, by describing desires that the job you have applied for will be able to deliver to the candidate.
What are your salary requirements?
Prepare ahead of time prior to your job interview on how you intend on answering this question. A good place to start is to research the industry standard or market related salary that employees in similar roles are earning. Generally this information can be found on the internet or alternatively recruitment agents will be able to give you a good indication of your market related salary. In your interview, try not to discuss exact figures but rather give a ball park figure that you will be able to negotiate on later on should the employer makes you an offer. Never discuss your salary goals unless asked by the interviewer.
Do you have any questions?
When asked if you have any questions about the role or the organisation, always have a few questions prepared to ask the interviewer. By asking the interviewer well thought out and relevant questions, Job Seekers display eagerness and a keen interest in joining the organisation. As with the other typically asked job interview questions, research and prepare some typical interview questions for the recruiter. You will find tons of content and guidelines to assist in preparing ahead of time to ask the interviewer and display your interest in the company as well as joining the team.
As mentioned before there are no set structures to any job interview and every interview will be completely unique and different to your last. Preparing in advance and familiarising yourself with frequently asked job interview questions will give you the confidence you require in order to outshine any other candidate by emphasising your skills and accomplishment relevant to the job. Try to relax and remember to be yourself and the very best of luck in securing your dream job.
Copyright (c) 2008 Camilla Patten

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Camilla_Patten

Great Ideas For Your Christmas Office Party : e

2008-12-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is the perfect time to take sometime out to thank your employees for their hard work. A great way to do that is to throw a party where your employees can kick back and celebrate together. They will have the opportunity to get to know each other and you better, and that will help you create the teamwork that you need to have in a great work force. However, it can be tough to come up with a party that will please everyone. When planning your party you will want to keep in mind Christmas party ideas that would involve the whole office and that would entertain the whole office equally.
A traditional office Christmas party idea is to have a sit down dinner at your home. Sometimes it is great to invite your employees into your home where you can drop the boss act, and simply enjoy some time with your coworkers. You will want to make sure that you chat with everyone and have fun!
Another great Christmas party idea is to rent out a room at a restaurant to host your employees. Having a private room will give you an intimate and cozy feel while not having to invite everyone into your home. Perhaps your home is not large enough, or you simply do not have the time to get everything cleaned the way that you need to. Whatever the reason, hosting a night out at a great restaurant can be an easy solution to your holiday party dilemma.
If you are looking to create a great experience for your staff to enjoy then you might want to look at taking your office staff and their spouses to a local dinner theater to take in an evening of culture. Most theaters have some sort of holiday themed show running during the Christmas season. It can be a great night out that will encourage conversation and entertainment.
Another great office Christmas party idea is to take your staff to an amusement park, or mini golf course. Getting your workers out there having fun doing something together can be great. They will have the opportunity to blow off steam and simply laugh together. In fact, what is better than laughter during the holidays?
A traditional part of any office Christmas party is a gift exchange. What you can do to make it really fun is to first set a price limit. You do not want your employees to feel like they need to break the bank on a gift. Secondly, it would be great to set a theme for the gift exchange. It can be as simple as a gag gift theme, or you could do something more difficult like "the one thing you need if you are stranded on a desert island." That will encourage a sense of fun for all of your employees.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_M._Earl

Top 10 Best Home-Based Businesses For Women to Run in 2009 : t

2008-12-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

Below is a top ten list of popular home businesses, especially among women.
1. Business or Career Coach
A business coach helps small business owners develop and advance their business. Most business coaches specialize in a particular area, such as online marketing or team building. Others help certain types of business owners, like consultants or event planners. These are the most lucrative areas of the coaching field.Career coaches assist individuals in making transitions with respect to their job or career. Some focus on a particular area of career coaching, such as professional development, or assisting lawyers.
2. Web Design and Maintenance
If you know how to develop websites, you can offer your services to businesses. Typically you would design as well as keep the website updated and maintained. Many decide to specialize in developing websites for certain kinds of business owners, such as consultants and coaches.
Lots of women are opting to stay home these days. They either want to spend more time with their families or just want to provide their children with full-time love and support. For most, it's about having more flexibility and freedom. However, making the choice to work at home is just the beginning. The difficult thing for many is deciding which kind of business to run.
3. Pet Services
This includes: pet grooming and sitting. Many pet owners hire sitters to come into their home to look after their pets, especially if they are busy or travel a lot. You can even decide to provide specific services such as, cat sitting or a grooming mobile for dogs. There is a service in my town that even offers pet taxi services.
4. Concierge Services
Concierge services are a one stop shop for errand running: personal and gift shopping, making entertainment or travel arrangements, housecleaning, organizing parties and various business services. Many decide to focus on a specific market, such as hospitals, lawyers or the elderly.
5. Tutoring
If you are particularly proficient in certain subjects, topics or activities; you can provide tutoring services to others. College students struggling with certain subjects, or parents looking for someone to teach their child how to play piano, or success skills hire tutors. Some popular subjects are: mathematics, sciences, arts and crafts, music reading or instrumentation.
6. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants help others keep their otherwise hectic life in order. Many small business owners hire them to do all kinds of tasks from personal errands, to maintaining web sites and internet marketing activities. A virtual assistant helps free up time for the business owner. You can even create a team of assistants to offer services, with each person specializing in a certain type of skill.
7. Catering or Personal Chief
Like to cook? Offer your services as a personal chief! You can make hot, delicious meals in your home and deliver them. Busy professionals who don't have time to cook, or those who travel use these services. And to separate yourself out from the crowd, decide to specialize in a certain type of cooking, such as vegetarian or healthy cuisine.
8. Technical Writer
A technical writer maintains or develops documents written on specific subject matter that needs explaining to a particular audience. They tend to write on specialized subjects such as science or engineering. Many are either experts on their subject or seek out experts to gather information and conduct further research.
9. Event Planner
An event planner is someone who organizes, orchestrates and plans parties, fundraisers, weddings, receptions, baby showers, open houses, etc. The list is certainly exhaustive! You could get even more creative and specialize in, say wedding banquets and receptions. I have a friend who plans tea parties for children.
10. Copywriter
Copywriters specialize in a particular kind of writing: sales. Businesses hire copywriters to develop promotional materials to help sell their products or services. These may take the form of web sites selling a product or service, brochure, or an email marketing campaign.
Regardless of which kind of business you decide to offer, one of the principle ways to stand out from the whole crowd is, specialize, specialize, specialize.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aunice_Reed

Nintendo Wii Top Games - Download The Top Games Now : e

2008-12-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

Downloading the top games for the Nintendo Wii is awesome. Especially, when you can get all of your favorite games. So, what I'm going to do is share with you a list of Nintendo Wii top games that you can download for your game system.
That way, you can get all the games you want for your Wii.
The list of Nintendo Wii top games that you can download are:
1. Super Mario Galaxy. This is one of the best Mario games to ever come out. If you have played Mario Bros. before and liked it, you will love this game.
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This is another top Nintendo Wii game that's fun. If you like any of the other versions of Zelda, you will definitely like this game.
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When you play this game, make sure you play it with other people. It's fun if you play it by yourself, but it's much better if you play it with multiple players. If you don't have anyone to play with, you can find someone online to play.
4. No More Heroes. This game is awesome. If you like gory games, you will like this one. I highly recommend this game.
5. Wii Fit. This is another top Wii game. If you want to workout and have fun at the same time, you will love this game. It's a lot of fun to play.
This is a small list of Nintendo Wii top games that you can download. There are actually thousands of games that are downloadable.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_B._Smith

Top Easy Internet Businesses - It All Depends on You : e

2008-12-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Top easy Internet business are all around you if you know where to look. You do not need to know how to build fancy websites or even understand how the Internet works in order to start an easy Internet business. People from all backgrounds and all ages have started their own easy home base business with very little money and little computer knowledge.
If you find the right resources, you can find out what the top easy Internet businesses are very easily. Start doing some research and ask others, you will be amazed to learn that there are great opportunities all over the place. Some opportunities may sound more attractive than others depending on what your likes and dislikes are, but more than likely you will find one that perfectly suites you.
Ask yourself the following questions in order to determine the top easy Internet businesses would be for you.
- Do you like to work with deadlines?
- Do you need some type of interaction with the outside world?
- Do you like making your own schedule?
- Do you mind working for other people?
Top easy Internet businesses can be found specifically to your liking no matter how you answered the questions. These are just some of the questions that you need to ask yourself in order to find your top easy Internet business without feeling like you just took on another job. People have different likes and dislikes, so there is not one single cookie cutter type of top easy Internet business that will satisfy everyone.
Anyone can start a business at home. If you have more time than money, you are the perfect candidate for starting a home Internet business. Joy Swearingen writes on a variety of topics mainly focusing on how to start an easy at home business. You can read all about my adventure of getting my easy at home business started at Top Easy Internet Businesses and learn how to take a much easier route than I did.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Swearingen

Top Car Buying Tips : e

2008-12-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Buying a car can be exciting and daunting. It's a major purchase that people on average do about 10 times in their life. There are so many new cars to choose from, in fact, Australia is one of the most competitive car markets in the world. You've got a choice of over 40 brands with over 300 different models, not including the model variants. So if you've got your heart set on a Volkswagen Golf, you then need to decide which of the 14 different variants is the one for you!
We've put together this guide to help you through the stages of the car buying process to make it easier and faster for you.
Research - You know it's time you deserved a new car and you have a budget in mind. (Don't worry if you end up going over your initial budget, most people do!) The best starting point to find out what's available is to have a look on the road and talk to your friends, family and work colleagues about their cars. Also have a look online.
Create your short list - Once you've had a look around and found out how far the budget will stretch it's time to create your short list. It's always good to compare at least 2 models at dealerships so that you can weigh up the best option for you. One will usually just "feel" better than the other. Also, when looking at the cost, it's good at this stage to find out ongoing costs such as fuel, insurance and servicing.
Test drive - Not everyone chooses to test drive, but it is a good idea. You'll be able to assess visibility, zippiness and ease of parking. You can also have a good look at storage, seat functionality-are they split fold, can they be removed completely to put in your skis, bike or luggage for long trips? Have a listen to the sound system and see whether you can plug your iPod straight in.
Finance - There are many ways you can pay for your car. Cash/cheque, personal loan, lease or dealer finance. If you are borrowing the money (lease or loan) compare the interest rates and application fees. It's good to have an idea of how much you can borrow and repayments before you start to negotiate.
Negotiate - Cars prices are negotiable. Sales Consultants are well versed in negotiation strategies. Before you go into the dealership, check out what deals are currently advertised. Deals can include free on road costs (registration, CTP green slip for NSW and stamp duty), free leather seats and free air conditioning. Some offers will be supported by the manufacturer and others will be at the dealer's discretion. You can usually get a good deal on a car in stock at a dealership, an old model or when they are overstocked with a colour or transmission type. Whilst prices are negotiable, dealer profit on some models can be quite small. For example, cars around the $15,000 price tag may only net less than $1,000 to the dealership. Once you've agreed on a price you may be asked for a holding deposit and to confirm your order by completing the necessary paperwork. Don't feel compelled to sign anything on the spot. Sometimes it's good to sleep on it!
To Accessorise or Not? When buying a new car, most dealerships will introduce you to add-ons including window tint, fabric protector, alloy wheels, headlight and bonnet protector and much more. If you are anticipating normal suburban driving there really is no need to add anything to a new car as most are built well enough to endure these conditions. However, if you wanted to make your car look more sporty you can 't go passed alloy wheels and a darker window tint!
Melissa Pye is an Australian pioneering the way women are valued in the automotive industry and works with leading auto brands to educate them on the needs of women. Her site, Her Car, is the only site in Australia where all of the new car reviews are written by women!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Pye

Best California Auto Insurance : e

2008-12-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Auto insurance with optional coverage is required to meet the vast expense of money involved in accidents. In California, auto insurance for drivers is required by the law. Through the best California auto insurance, a driver or car owner gets proper protection against liability for bodily injury and other property damages.
The primary consideration in choosing the best California auto insurance is the insurance price. An inflated insurance rate will increase expenses and may prevent you from purchasing a new car. The best California auto insurance offers good coverage at an affordable rate. It offers comprehensive service over inopportune auto incidents, fire, theft and natural disasters. In addition, the best auto insurance has the credit for handling all types of auto claims fairly and quickly, and shows good financial stability of A+ or above. The best California auto insurance is capable of covering almost all insurance aspects, including the liability and uninsured motorist coverage for $100,000 or $300,000 or $100,000, medical payments for $5,000, collision coverage for $500 and comprehensive coverage for $500.
As auto insurance is mandatory by California law, the demand for auto insurance is high. There are a number of auto insurance agencies with a range of insurance schemes. So, drivers should be careful when selecting their auto insurance. A thorough search of more than 25 auto insurance agencies is essential to choose the best auto insurance. In addition, you can gather information from the online quotes of different insurance companies and from auto insurance specialists. Individuals can evaluate rates and services with different insurance providers and decide on the company that provides the best auto insurance.
A leading auto insurance vendor in California, Progressive Auto Insurance offers the best auto insurance for commercial and non-commercial automobiles. Having a customer base of more than 12 million, the provider is at the top in supplying insurance products into newer territories. California auto insurance is also available online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Morris

All About The American School Of Dog Training - e

2008-12-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

When it comes to dog training, there are two different types of training methods that are very popular. These methods are inducive training and conducive training. Inducive training refers to positive praise of desired behavior, and the only negative reinforcement is withholding that praise. Conducive is a more aggressive approach, where force and/or negative verbal abuse are used when the dog has done something wrong. At the American School of Dog Training, a mixture of both inducive and conducive training is used.
The fact is that inducive training can be quite effective. The only drawback is that it is a slow process, and something that only the most patient individuals can follow through with. However, over emphasis on punishment and conducive training gives you the effect of having the dog obey you, but only with the attitude of "I only do this because otherwise I will be punished". Most people do not want their dog to have this type of attitude.
The American School of Dog Training has followed the latest advancements in how dogs process thoughts, and use that to train the dogs that come to them. What they have found is that too much negativity when training a dog is counterproductive to getting results. However, using the least amount of negative reinforcement seems to be necessary for training the dog effectively. Of course, the amount of punishment administered varies greatly from dog to dog.
In other words, this school differs from other training schools who take a more cookie-cutter approach to training, and do not engage each dog on an individual and personal level.
By using a personal approach of mostly positive conditioning with a little bit of negative conditioning, the school has found an effective method of training.
In their normal training program, they work to establish 13 to 21 different obedient commands for the dog to follow, and also work to correct behavioral problems, as they are observed.
Additionally, they offer specialized training for protection training. A guard dog is trained to protect an area, whereas a personal protection dog is trained to protect the family. Personal protection training is the type of training used at their facilities.
In conclusion, the American School of Dog Training offers a good opportunity to the dog owner who wishes to train their dog to be more obedient or to protect the family.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Edwards

First Muslim Elected to Congress Used Koran Owned by Thomas Jefferson When Sworn in - e

2008-12-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Keith Ellison was elected to Congress, a Muslim and when he was sworn in they used the Koran that Thomas Jefferson had in his library. Will President Obama, opt to use this same Koran when he is sworn in as President of the United States of America. The reason folks are sworn in is so that we know that we can trust them, as they swear on there religious doctrine.
Obama is a Muslim Name, whereas no one could really tell with Keith Ellison. Some are surprised that Thomas Jefferson had a Koran, yet any learned man with a library the size of Jefferson's would have. Indeed, I have one too in my library of 3500 books too. Anyone who is a studier of intellectual pursuits or has a philosophy that education is a lifetime of learning owns one of those book, why wouldn't they?
Obama is a Muslim name so obviously, and if you want a Muslim as your President or the closest thing to it, then vote for him, if not don't, No big deal. Anyway, this quaint history lesson or trivia might be perfect when talking to friends or if you are a professor while giving your next politically correct lecture. Some say that Obama being a Muslim would make hum unelectable, but the Democrats, do not see things that way.
Obama is a Muslim sympathizer to Muslims who wish to come to America and set up Islamic Cities here that do not follow our laws, in fact, he stated that he fully understands their issues in places like Dearborn MI. Others say he is not a sympathizer, he just wants everyone's vote so he cannot take a stand too much on any political issues until after he is nominated. Some decry this lack of response as he refuses to take a stand on anything, typical product of a political correct society in decay.
America doe need a fresh of breath air and Obama is new to politics in a way. He is not in denial of his Muslim upbringing is wrong or portions of it, just like he has not tried to hide the fact that he did lots of drugs in High School, so he is pretty honest in those regards. There are many critics of Obama, such as his "photo-op" visit to the Kibera Slum, his healthcare plan, his naïve international politics comments, but still some of his supporters just love him.
It might be nice to have a Black Muslim President or a Woman President wouldn't it? But we could get both those by nominating Condolessa Rice and one has to ask why Oprah will not run herself? Obama's reputation is on the line, so he will have to work twice as hard to earn our respect. If people think that the media destroyed President Bush's reputation over a 5-year period, well just wait, because if the Dems put up Obama, who knows what the media will do in the the first week against the Republicans.
Some think Obama is a lousy debater and maybe he is up against more seasoned political veterans, but does one need to be a good debater to win an election? Once elected, if elected, could he handle it as a President? If no one respected him, we would still be stuck with him for another 4-years. No need to worry because right now at least Obama does not have broad base support in the Democrat party. One local man from Illinois who is a political pundit in all respects stated:
Ironically it's his profound lack of experience in anything that is keeping him in the race. He has no record on anything and can therefore say anything. I want him out as our senator too. He's done nothing but cut deals for himself and run for president. He's done absolutely nothing for the people of this state except flirt, smirk and strut his way to power and wealth.
Another political critic and analyst we talked to stated;
Can you imagine Obama taking a leadership position or handling this Subprime Lending Crisis?
Well this will be the year that the voters decide who will be the next President of the United States of America. Something Serious to Contemplate in 2008.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Lake Placid New York White Chocolate Espresso - Do You Believe in Miracles? Make This at Home! - elfis

2008-12-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. Lake Placid is certainly best known as the two-time site of the Winter Olympics. In the United States, the serene village is especially remembered as the site of the 1980 USA-USSR hockey game, the "Miracle on Ice," when a group of American college students and amateurs upset the heavily favored Soviet national ice hockey team 4-3 and two days later won the gold medal. This hockey victory is often ranked as the greatest in American sports history. It is also the site of the Olympic Oval, where Eric Heiden won his five Olympic gold medals. Since 1999 it has been a site for the annual Ironman Triathlon, one of only six official Ironman Triathlons to be held in the continental U.S. The next scheduled race will be on July 26, 2009. Athletes will be competing for a Pro Prize purse of $50,000 and 80 qualifying slots to the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship.
In honor of that wonderful time in our recent past history, I would like to share a wonderful espresso recipe that can be made at home when winter does finally roll around!
Lake Placid White Chocolate Espresso
Makes 4 Servings
3 cups milk
6 ounces white chocolate baking squares (with cocoa butter), chopped
1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until steamy, stirring frequently.
2. In a blender, combine white chocolate, coffee powder, and vanilla. With blender running on medium speed, gradually add hot milk through hole in lid, blending until smooth and foamy.
3. Serve immediately. Makes 4 (7 oz.) servings.
I am the editor of a website devoted to all aspects of food and the creation of great food. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allen_Wheeler

Notebook or Desktop Computer, What is the Best Buy? - e

2008-12-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

The idea of purchasing a personal computer may be appealing to a lot of people, however they may feel undecided as weather to go for a traditional desktop computer or for a light weight portable notebook. Several aspects should be taken into consideration as for the purposes of such acquisition. If the main purpose of buying a computer is for occasional use, regardless if it is for work or entertainment activities, one may consider buying a traditional desktop computer taking in consideration that its price is usually lower than the portable version.
The maintenance and eventual upgrade of a desktop computer is also much easier to perform and less costly. If the buyer is looking to spend the least amount of money, definitely the desktop computer models offer more choices of finding better deals weather it is used or new. One may look around the local computer stores for special deals or may consider browsing the many possibilities offered online stores.
Perhaps the greatest feature a desktop computer has is the fact that quite often it can be upgraded and personalized to suit the user needs without having to be sent back to the manufacturer. In most cases a local authorized computer store can perform the technical changes or upgrades to satisfaction. The desktop computers are meant for work and leisure as well and regardless of its configuration or how fast it can perform, it seems that it became an everyday tool of modern times.
On the other hand, if the main reason for the purchasing of a computer is portability, then in this case the notebook will be the right choice. There are several brand names available on the market offering all kinds of configurations, from very basic up to the most sophisticated and powerful late models of notebooks. After a careful research on which model will better suit your needs, then you will still have the option to choose to buy a new, reconditioned or used unit for the sake of saving some money. Keep in mind that a reconditioned laptop purchased from a computer store, usually comes will full warranty, just like as if you had purchased a brand new model but for a much less cost.
Just like any other purchase, it is important to do a careful research to find out what exactly your needs are and what are you going to do with it. The lightweight and portable notebooks are much nicer to carry around even though they are usually more expensive. Also the lightweight models almost always have a smaller screen and a more compact keyboard than traditional models of notebooks. So, in this case if weight is not a critical issue, than you may just consider to purchase a traditional regular-model notebook as long as it meets your requirements. If you choose this later option you will certainly be saving a great amount of money.
If you are the kind of person who feels skeptical about purchasing a reconditioned computer, because it has been previously returned from the manufacturer, relax, some times there is absolutely nothing wrong with the returned unit. It may have just been a matter of model preference or some minor detail that didn`t quite match the previous owner`s preference. Keep in mind that a reconditioned notebook with a full warranty is just as good as a brand new one and maybe even better for the great discount it usually offers.
Also you may find some good deals in refurbished notebooks. Beware that the difference between refurbished and reconditioned notebooks is that the former is usually an older notebook that has been used and then reconditioned, often by a third party, and the later usually means that it had some problem, went back to the manufacturer, got fixed and now it is available at a fair discount price with full manufacturer guarantee.
The right solution for one`s computer related tasks, whether desktop or notebook, will depend mostly on one`s working or leisure needs. Search carefully for the best deals and avoid paying extra for accessories you will hardly use. Also take a look at reconditioned (full warranty) computers. The price will certainly surprise you. And the performance might too!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roberto_Sedycias

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - The Most Accurate Physics Yet Seen In A Racing Simulator? - top games

2008-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Racing has always been a strong passion of every guy out there, it even appeals to girls. The need for speed is something all car lovers have, the exhilarating emotion of racing against several competitors to the rhythm of your favorite tune can sure take things to a whole new level.
Racing games have undergone quite a few changes in the past decade, the early versions of "Need for Speed" were quite popular because this game introduced quality racing to computer systems and stand alone consoles. Later on more racing games emerged which had a few innovations but failed in several aspects, "Gran Turismo" is one of the games which needs to be mentioned because it was created to be the best car racing simulator ever.
Changes in technology have taken this game from earlier versions to what it is today, Gran Turismo 5. GT5 is a high definition game which is shipped in Blu-Ray format for PS3 consoles, the detail level is amazing, this is really as close as a player can get to the real thing, but besides the visual effects the technology and physics involved in the game is so remarkable it needs to be mentioned, the physics engine allows you to handle your car just like you would in real life, the response and performance of each of the vehicles used in this game is also incredible, however there is little DLC or no car damage. Developers of the game responded to several questions regarding this matter but they said that since the game is still being developed the Prologue version won't have car damage, because designers are very picky when it comes to this game they want to make sure that when "damage" is introduced they will do it as realistic as possible, just like they did with the physics engine which powers the game.
As far as the amount of cars featured in the game there is quite a few discussions being held because it is said that the game will ship with 60 vehicles and 14 tracks, others claim that GT5 will have around 340 vehicles at launch out of the 10,000 projected vehicles, yes! you read that right and it has been said that the game can even be expanded with several other vehicle models which can be bought by individual clients from Polyphony Digital. The projected lists of car models found in GT5 is amazing, you can literally find anything you want in there and with the expansion capabilities the sky is the limit.
When it comes to system requirements, Gran Turismo 5 (Store version) requires around 2.2GB of disc space but the Blu-Ray version might bring this number down. The demo of this game was launched in Japan during October, 2007 and it only featured the Suzuka race track along with 7 cars. If you are wondering what the "Prologue" in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue means, it is there as a self- reference to GT4 Prologue which was launched before GT4 for PS2, of course things have changed for the better since previous versions.
The multiplayer online interface is awesome, players will be able to compete against 15 other racers which certainly takes things up a few notches from the previous Gran Turismo HD. Along with GT5 players have access to "Gran Turismo TV" channel through PSN to keep racers updated with motor sport news, talk about added value. If you like the videos you have seen then hold on to your seats because Sony announced that this is just the beginning since the full version of Gran Turismo 5 launches in 2009.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ivan_A_Cuxeva

The Transit Of Pluto In The Chart Of U.S.A. - e

2008-12-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

If we look at the U.S.A.'s national chart, cast on July 4, 1776 for Philadelphia, we find, since 2003, the transit of Pluto in her seventh house. This is a pivotal moment for all the world's affairs.
The chart of U.S. shows the sun in the sign of Cancer and her rising sign 20 degrees Gemini. In 2004, Pluto, being 20 degrees Sagittarius, made an exact opposition with the conjunction Mars and Ascendant in the national chart. With Mars in this position, the chart shows a strong martial, aggressive attitude, both at home and in foreign affairs. It attracts wars, strikes, riots.
Pluto rules psychotic outbreaks in the collective unconscious. This can bring an obsession with wars, because the seventh house depicts, traditionally, the open enemy. This area, in Mundane Astrology, rules relations with other countries, all foreign relations, treaties, alliances, wars and all related aspects of national affairs.
With the position of Pluto, in the chart of U.S., we can see the type of projected enemies. Enemies which are lived out as “scary shadows” for the whole nation. Psychologically this configuration powerfully indicates anxieties and deep rooted fears of destabilization. Because projected enemies are a psychological projection, as when the nation perceives threats from other countries, it attracts, magnetically, what is feared. To identify with our own national fears, can be a very difficult task, because the nation must assume, in the end, their own fears.
Threatening issues from foreign countries are dealt with deep paranoia, whenever this astrological configuration appears in a “mundane chart”.
But the Plutonian energy, when positive and harmoniously dealt with, brings purification and fresh starts in life. Pluto ends old schemes which stand on the way to evolution, and clears the way to reforms.
This aspect is still active right now, because the effect of Pluto is very deeply ingrained. We can say that, realistically, Pluto is pushing the U.S. capacity to regenerate human relations. If we can turn this opposition into a more harmonious aspect such as the trine aspect, we might learn an “interpersonal“ way to deal with world-conflicts.
Pluto in opposition to Mars suggests a tendency to use more power than necessary to accomplish goals. If we turn it into a trine aspect, we can find creative ways to use vital energies: transforming energies. A trine can also transform the national drive to win at all costs, into a regenerative dialogue between the two countries: finding a healing synthesis.
Between 2009 and 2010, Pluto will cast again, another opposition: from the first to the seventh house. This time Pluto will be opposite to the conjunction Venus and Jupiter in Cancer, in the first house.
Which could result in ending relations, philosophical and religious mass-persecutions. Again, if we are able to turn the opposition into a trine, the problem can be partially solved by using profound understandings among the opponents. The contributions of past lessons can bring light in this shadowy projection.
Instead of violent ends, a larger and intense sense of beauty, along with a sense of interaction, can release a “fusion-quality”, which is Jupiter main task. New avenues to find diplomatic intercourse.
A regenerative way of developing fraternal relations in the U.S.'s chart, is around the corner which not only will be a benefit for the rest of the world but also for their entire nation. Pluto is slow moving planet, but restless in reforming old conditions.
From separation to fusion: this is the planetary task!
The ladder of evolution is endless, as the minds and hearts of people, their potentials are infinite.
Leni provides a large variety of astrological services, workshops, readings and is an accomplished lecturer and writer, in both English and Italian. She has appear on television and radio, and is much in demand for the both traditional and soul centered astrology.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leni_Sibilio

Rebuilding Your Credit in 2009 - A Skill For the New Economy - e

2008-12-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

2008 has been quite a year for the real estate industry and housing market. Unfortunately, most of the news was bad. We saw record numbers of home foreclosures, financial institutions failing, and credit drying up to the point that only the "chosen few" can qualify for a home loan.
So in 2009, many Americans will focus on rebuilding. And what better to start with than your credit score?
Make no mistake about it. In 2009, and into the foreseeable future, consumers will need higher credit scores to do just anything that requires a loan. Lenders are nervous these days (the ones who are still around, anyway). They will scrutinize your financial background, your credit, your debt-to-income ratio and other factors to see what level of risk you bring. If you fail to measure up, you can kiss that mortgage or car loan goodbye. Like it or not, this is the reality we will face for the coming months and years.
So if you are one of the thousands of Americans who will need to rebuild your credit in 2009, here are five steps to success:
1. Identify the Source of the Problem
Credit problems are a symptom of a financial "disease." So to get rid of the symptoms, you must first determine what is causing them. You may not have to look very hard to find the source of your financial woes. Perhaps you've gotten behind on paying your bills, or maybe you have a bankruptcy in your past. These are scenarios where the core problem is fairly obvious. And in that case, you can move on to the next step in the path to better credit.
2. Review Your Credit Report for Errors
In a perfect world, the three companies who maintain credit reports in this country (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) would never make mistakes. But this is not the case. While I wouldn't say that mistakes are common, they do happen quite a lot. So the next step in the process is to order copies of your credit reports from each of the companies mentioned above. You can do this for free by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com, a website that is jointly owned by Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.
It's important to do this as soon as possible, because it can take a long time to get corrections made to your reports. If you find errors, you can submit a request to have it corrected through the website of the company that produced the report. Visit their website and look for a link that says "disputes." There are laws that require these companies to process disputes in a timely fashion. But unfortunately, these laws are toothless and rarely enforced. So you will have to be persistent and stay on top of the company until your report is fixed. The last thing you want is for erroneous information to drag your credit score down lower than it should be.
3. Pay Down Your Credit Card Balances
Financial "experts" love to disagree on things. I guess it makes them feel smart to dispute what their colleagues say. But this is a topic that many of them agree on. Paying down your credit card balances is one of the best things you can do to boost your credit score -- and your financial health in general. When you combine this with item #4 below, you will be on the road to recovery in no time.
There are good kinds of debt and bad kinds. A mortgage loan with a reasonable interest is a good kind of debt. It actually helps you build strong credit to make mortgage payments over time. But those high-interest credit card balances don't do you any good. So work out a budget that allows you to start paying them down. You'll have to pay more than the minimum amount due each month, and you may have to scale back on certain luxuries ... but nobody ever said this process would be easy.
4. Pay All Bills on Time
This is one of the most common reasons for bad credit situations -- falling behind on the bills and missing payments. Think about it from a lender's perspective. Why would they want to loan money to somebody with a clear history of not paying things back? When you look at it from this angle, it's easy to see why this can hurt you so much when applying for a loan.
If you are missing payments because you can't afford to pay them, then you have a budgeting and debt problem. In this case, you should try to reduce your spending as much as possible, or perhaps consolidate your debt into a lower rate.
If, like a lot of people, you simply forget to pay your bills, then you need to create a system that makes it easier for you. Instead of putting bills aside when you get them from the mail, handle them right away. Better yet, get set up with auto-pay so you don't even have to think about making the payments on time.
5. Get Your Spending Under Control
When you spend more than you earn, you acquire debt. It also makes the other steps listed above much harder to manage. You can't get caught up with your finances until you get your spending under control. And in this context, "control" means having a clear picture of your monthly spending, your monthly income (after taxes), and how the two of them relate. Develop a budget so you can see where your money is going each month. Then look for items that can be eliminated.
Improving a credit score is all about discipline and awareness. You must have the discipline to make payments on time, reduce unnecessary spending, and pay down your credit card debt as much as possible. It's hard work. I'll admit that. But it can seriously improve your financial picture ... and your life in general.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Cornett

Welding Wages - e

2008-12-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

There are a variety of jobs where metals need to be welded together to make a variety of different products from shipbuilding, to automobiles to buildings. Welding is a career where the demand outweighs qualified candidates.
When people go into welding they have to be ready to work long hours and to be in a profession that can be dangerous to their health and to their wellbeing at times. However, it is also a job that pays well and regularly.
Welding is skilled trade and the better the welder the more money they can make. According to the 2008-2009 Occupational Outlook Handbook welders can expect to make anywhere from $10 an hour to $25.44 an hour depending on where they work and their skill levels.
Usually, these salaries are for those people who operate the machines like welders, brazers or solderers. Welders also belong to unions (some of them) which would possibly make their wages a bit higher. Also, an apprenticeship in some cases may make welding wages lower or higher, depending on experience and what they do.
The top wage earner categories annually for welding seems to be electric power ($51,640) both transmission and generation, Federal branches ($49, 600) and pipeline transportation ($47,890). These earnings were current to 2007 and were found through a survey by the Occupational Employment and Wages office.
There are other factors that can make welding salaries higher. Some of these factors include certifications, specialties and the ability to do more than one type of welding. As an example, an individual who has a current commercial diving certificate, has the qualities of endurance and has dexterity that is above what people generally have, could become an underwater welder and earn between $20,000 and $100,000 a year, depending on their experience and set of skills.
According to a Wall Street Journal article, there is more demand for welders than there are welders to fit the jobs, especially when they have an education . The reason is because there has been a resurgence of the need for welders especially in the manufacturing trades. Also, there are a new group of welders who realize that although the job can be a dirty and dangerous one, a person who is willing to work can make a decent living.
As an example, this articles states that an individual graduate of a university who completed a 4-year welding degree, was offered a job just before graduation of $55,500 annually, and they would pay for his relocation and also give him a bonus for signing of $2,500.
Another reason why welders are currently in demand is because many are retiring. The article states that most welders are around 54 years old and will eventually leave the trade.
Welders typically work 60 or 70 hours a week which means they will get overtime pay and there may be bonuses along the way. Someone who has experience and is highly skilled in this trade can make about $60,000 per year. When you add dangerous situations like oil rigs on the ocean or out of the way places, a welder can receive more than $100,000 in welding wages.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Walley

The Effectiveness of Revivo Herbal Tea in Treating HIV - e

2008-12-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

The HIV-1 virus infection which is responsible for AIDS is as virulent as ever and continues to evade both a cure or even a vaccine for which billions of dollars of research money has already been spent. In the meantime the treatment options though life-saving leave much to be desired in terms of their side effects and relatively high cost. Herbs, however may hold the solution....
As with conventional pharmaceuticals it cannot be said that any herb has been found that is a cure for AIDS or that can destroy the HIV virus completely, There are however compelling studies that have shown many herbal medicinals and their chemical constituents to interfere with the replication of the virus, and hundreds more than can deal with the associated symptoms and other side-effects of conventional AIDS drugs.
In one such study two researchers, one at the University of California at Davis and another at the Chinese University of Hong Kong screened 27 herbs against the HIV virus which are generally used within chinese medicine for the treatment of infections. Out of these 27, 5 almost completely stopped HIV in laboratory cells and 6 others showed significant inhibiting activity.
Enter Revivo, Revivo is a name given to the herbal formulation developed by Aconite Herbals based in South Africa and comprising the best of these 11 medicinals together with a host of other medicinals which are regarded as "assistants" in the formula that treat other symptoms of HIV infection and also reduce the side-effects of ARV therapy.
The Revivo formulation is a trademark of Aconite Herbals and contains the following medicinals:
Arcitum Lappa
Coix Seed
Momordica Charantia
Hypericum Chinensis
Nelumbo Nucifera
Prunella Vulgaris
Zizyphus Jojoba
From the above medicinals Nelumbo Nucifera, Arctium Lappa and Prunella Vulgaris are among the 11 that showed significant activity against the HIV virus in the laboratory study conducted by the two researchers. (R. Shihman Chang and H.W. Yeung, "Inhibition Of Growth Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus By Crude Extracts OF Chinese Medicinal Herbs", Antiviral Research, 9 (1988), pages 163-176.)
The same three medicinals have been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat the following:
Infections
Sore throat
Lumps and nodules
Skin rashes
Diarrhea
Bleeding
Dizziness
Pulmonary TB
Infectious Hepatitis
The remaining medicinals have been used in Chinese Medicine for treating:
Insomnia
Muscle spasm
Diarrhea
Pulmonary abscesses
Por circulation
Abdominal pain
General pain
The herbs in the formula work by various means, some contain specific chemicals such as MAP30 and betulinic acid which interfere with HIV replication, others are used based on their understanding within the Chinese Medicine framework such as Coix Seed which is known as being Cool, sweet and bland and having the function of strengthening the digestion, clearing heat from the lungs and draining dampness. The framework of Chinese Medicine has been developed over a period of 2000 years and based on that empirical knowledge makes for a wonderfully effective healing methodology which has also been shown effective for HIV.
Users of Revivo report inceased CD4 counts, decreased viral loads and general decrease of symptoms such as night sweats, insomnia, pain etc. Though no full clinical studies have been conducted the results so far are encouraging and because of the low chance of side-effects with this herbal formula it comes as a recommendation from many complementary medicine practitioners to make use of such a formula to assist in the fight against HIV.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Feroz_Osman-Latib

Hindu Weddings - e

2008-12-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Marriage is one of the most significant events in one's life and the sanctity that is associated with it is unparalleled. While religious rites, functions, ceremonies, hulla balloo are there in every marriage, it is more so in the case of Hindu marriages. A traditional Hindu wedding is an elaborate affair and lasts for five to six days. Hindu marriages connote elaborate rituals, customs and colorful celebrations. Every wedding ritual is immensely significant and is followed with much dedication. The function comprises three parts: pre wedding function, wedding day function and post wedding function.
Pre wedding ceremony
Barni Bandhwana: This is a ritual that is performed 15 days before the main day wedding. In this ceremony prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha to invoke his blessings for the marriage to happen without any obstacles.
Byaha Haath: During this ceremony a paste of sandalwood powder, rose water and turmeric is applied on the face hands and feet of the bride and the groom. After this ceremony the bride and the groom are not allowed to go outside of the house.
Sangeet Sandhya: This is one of the most important events before the marriage day. It is an evening of lively entertainment. The event is celebrated amidst much song and dance by the family and friends of the bride and the groom.
Tilak Ceremony: Tilak is an auspicious mark that is applied by the male members of the bride's family on the groom's forehead. This is followed by giving gifts to the groom.
Mehendi: This event is celebrated by applying Mehendi (Henna)on the hands and feet of the bride. It is believed that the deeper the color of the mehendi is on the hands of the bride, the luckier she would be after marriage.
Wedding ceremonies
Var Mala: This is the exchanging of the garlands between the bride and the groom. It signifies the acceptance of each other a husband and wife. It starts the other rituals of the wedding day.
Havan: This is the most important ritual of the wedding day. The priest ties the end of the bride's saree to that of an end of the groom's dress signifying holy wedlock. The bride and the groom then take seven rounds around the sacred fire chanting marriage vows for a happy married life.
Kanya Daan: This ceremony is usually performed by the bride's father wherein he gives the hand of his daughter to the groom asking him to take care of her. The groom recites hymns and asks for blessings.
Post wedding ceremonies
Vidaai: This is an emotional occasion when the bride takes leave of her parents' house and proceeds towards her husband's house. She is given a tearful farewell by her family and friends.
Griha Pravesh: This is the rousing welcome that is given to the bride at the house of the groom. The bride kicks a vessel full of rice and coins symbolizing wealth and fertility and enters her new abode.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sat_Bhatti

Tutorial Using Microsoft Office in Windows Vista - e

2008-12-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

Windows recently released their new operating system called Vista. It is quite different from Windows XP, 2000, and the others and it does take some time to learn all that it offers as well as how it is different from your previous OP. Additionally, you will need to learn how to use Microsoft Office within Windows Vista and a Microsoft Office training course for Vista may be especially helpful.
There is a new Microsoft Office called Office “12” that will really help computer users take advantage of their computer and really enjoy software that can do practically everything. Some other versions of Microsoft Office will work with Vista, but they won’t work as optimally as would the new Office “12.” With this new Office out MS Office training will be a necessity because it is completely new and updated not to mention Vista is completely new making for a potentially difficult transition for computer users. Of course, Office “12” is not the real name; it’s just code until the real name is revealed. The new Office will allow people to work they way they want to without focusing on how they are working, which is something completely new in the software industry. The Microsoft Office CBT will also be different and require a new approach.
If you are planning on becoming Microsoft Office certified then you will definitely need to learn all you can about the program as well as how it works within Vista. It really is comparable to unchartered waters because it is so different than the Windows and Office systems we were so accustomed to before. Things change and that is good for technology however it makes learning the new technology just a bit of a hassle sometimes. Nevertheless, Vista is the new operating systems and the new Office are paving the way into a new experience on the computer. .
Everyone interested in being certified in Microsoft should really focus on learning the new Office as well as Vista an dhow they interact together to offer the best services. There will certainly be a need for trained professionals in both Vista and Office with so many new features. So go ahead and start learning all you can about Vista and MO in order to pump up your portfolio and get more business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caitlina_Fuller

Free Mp3's, Free Lyrics and Free Chord Charts For Singers, Rock Musicians, Pop and Jazz Vocalists - e

2008-12-05T10:21:00.001-08:00

I have researched the following FREE RESOURCES on the Internet to help you achieve your success as a vocalist and a consumer.
The first resource I want to share with you is LimeWire. This is a Free (basic service) Music, Video, Images, Document and Computer Programs sharing service. It is different from Napster or itunes in that you are sharing and not making a purchase.
I can't count the number of times that LimeWire has been able to locate music files that I would probably never find in the marketplace. Further, I got them for free. When you take into consideration all the other types of files that you can search for other than music, this site is an incredible resource.
LimeWire is a fast, easy-to-use file sharing program that contains no spyware, adware or other bundled software. Compatible with all major platforms and running over the Gnutella network, LimeWire's open source code, is freely available to the public and developed in part by a devoted programmer community. LimeWire is offered in dozens of languages and is available in LimeWire BASIC, a free version, or LimeWire PRO, an enhanced version with personalized technical support offered at $21.95.
Why Should I Use LimeWire?
LimeWire is the fastest, easiest, most advanced file sharing program available and it's completely free of spyware, adware and any other bundled software. Find out more about LimeWire's features. For the ultimate Lime experience, LimeWire PRO features access to optimized search results, faster downloads, free updates and personalized technical support for up to six months. Get your copy of LimeWire PRO today.
What's new at Lime Wire?
Lime Wire is introducing a filtering system to encourage safer, more responsible file sharing. Copyright owners interested in blocking their files from being downloaded, uploaded and shared are invited to learn more and register here. LimeWire users can learn more about responsible file sharing in Copyright Information.
About LimeWire LLC
Lime Wire LLC is a New York City-based company founded in 2000. We develop innovative, sophisticated applications of file sharing technology. Industry experts Mark Gorton (Chairman) and Greg Bildson (COO, CTO) lead an international team of professionals from the world's most prestigious academic and professional institutions. Find out more about Lime Wire LLC.
The latest and greatest new additions to LimeWire
> Protection Against Identity Theft(New ways to control your sensitive material.
>Even Better Control Over Shared Files(Easily see and control what files you are sharing.
> Built-In Browser*(Browse the Web, right from LimeWire! (Windows users)only
And LimeWire still has all of these great features:
> NO BUNDLED SOFTWARE OF ANY KIND!(No spyware. No adware. Guaranteed.
> Firewall to Firewall Transfers.(Since about 60% of users are currently firewalled, this feature greatly increases the amount of content on the network.
> Faster network connections.(Using new "UDP Host Caches", LimeWire starts up and connects faster than ever before!
> Universal Plug 'N Play.(UPnP support allows LimeWire to find more search results and have faster downloads.
> iTunes Integration.(Windows and Mac users can now take advantage of LimeWire's iTunes integration.
> Creative Commons Integration.(LimeWire now recognizes OGGs and MP3s licensed under a Creative Commons License.
> "What's New?" feature.(Users can browse the network for the most recent content additions.
> Search drill down results.(Searches in LimeWire now immediately display information that fully describes files.
> Proxy support. Users can now use web proxies to route their downloads to protect their identity.
> Support for International searches and International groups. Users can now search in any language, and LimeWire ensures that a user will be connected to other users with their own language to aide international users to receive search results in their native language and to find content from sources that are close to home.
Free Song Lyrics
The next Free Resource is Song Lyrics. There are numerous websites that have collectively compiled the lyrics to most songs ever written. In my private studio, I use these services constantly. I have listed below five important ones.
Here is the best way I know to find lyrics. Just put the Song Title followed by the word Lyrics in the search box of any search engine and numerous listings will come up after you initiate the search. You will likely find one of the websites listed below.
Here is how you can import the lyrics into your computer. Create a new Word Document, Highlight the lyrics you want, Copy them and them Paste them into you Word Document. Free Chord Charts/Guitar Tabs
Here are some more valuable and Free resources. There are many instances where I just want the chord structure to a song or the Guitar part written in tablature. The websites listed below are excellent resources that I have used on numerous occasions through the years.
Just like the method above for finding lyrics, you can put the Song Title followed by the word Chords in the search box of any search engine and numerous listings will come up after you initiate the search. I hope that you will find this information very helpful. We often hear stories of how the Internet is being used to accomplish negative and harmful things. Here are many examples of how it can be used for incredible personal benefits.
I wish all of you the best of success!
Jonathan Morgan Jenkins
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Morgan_Jenkins

New Year Astrology - e

2008-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

Astrology is an essential component of our social system. Every society believes in the astrological order and the calculations thereof. Astrology helps in predicting the events, occasions and the consequences of the life term of human beings, their personality as well as other terrestrial bodies. New Year Astrology mentions in great details about the position, movement and influence of the sun, planets and other celestial bodies and their effect on us, on the forthcoming year.
New Year Astrology is popular among people from all age groups and walks of life. Nothing can be more ideal than beginning on a New Year packed with complete astrological information as per the sun sign/ horoscope. New Year Astrology will help you to not just keep a tab of the events predicted to be encountered by you, it will also help you by suggesting remedies in case something not so pleasant is in store...
People who are waiting major surgeries, investment in properties and also by people wanting to change their jobs, are seriously referring to New Year Astrology. This piece of article/ literature is also significant for people wanting to start a new business venture as well as for people wanting to go on a long holiday. Yes! People also refer to the astrological calculations before planning on a holiday to exactly plan for the vacations coinciding with their best dates and days to bring in better luck.
New Year Astrology and its various calculations can be based on the Indian astrological calculations, the western methods or the Chinese estimations. Calculations as per these distinct categories have been proved to be precise and their credibility guaranteed.
Astrology is referred to as superstition by many and science by the rest. Whatever may be your view on the genre; New Year Astrology will nevertheless offer you interesting facts and figures of your life and the year ahead. Believe it or not, the calculations will definitely amaze you and surprise you with its vast sphere.
Weekly horoscopes are the best versions of astrology one could refer to. These variations offer weekly updates for each of the 12 sun signs on a variety of subjects, career, health, property, love and relationships and so on... Weekly horoscopes also offer information on your lucky day, lucky numbers and also lucky colors you could sport in the coming week. Online weekly horoscopes provide you with significant details and can be subscribed from various well-known portals. Several portals also offer for weekly horoscopes free of cost.
For people already in the way of making new plans and resolutions for the upcoming year, 2009 horoscopes are the best options to consult and refer to. There are several variations of 2009 horoscopes already available in the market. In case there is a wedding in the family, a house warming ceremony, a christening ritual or an inauguration of your business venture, refer to the 2009 horoscopes for great results. The 2009 calendar mentions the various significant days in the upcoming year. One could refer to it before finalizing on any major event of ones life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kunal_Khati

USA Golf Holidays - Top 5 Courses - e

2008-12-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

France and Portugal may be the most popular destinations for UK golfers looking to play abroad but golf holidays in the USA have an appeal all of their own...Great courses, great service and a very attractive exchange rate are just three reasons why.
Most of the best courses are concentrated on the East and West coasts but you are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where to go. The USA is so vast, it's like 50 different countries all rolled into one! And every state has its attractions (and super courses). Here's my list of the five finest golf courses in America - each has its own standout feature; whether it's the ocean or course condition or brilliant design or service.
So, if you do go on a golf holiday in the USA, make sure you play a round or two at one of the following courses...
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach in California is perhaps the most iconic golf resort in America. The main course, Pebble Beach Links, overlooks the ocean and is a "must play" for anyone on a golf holiday in America. With astonishing views and a variety of challenges offered on every hole, it definitely shouldn't be missed.
A less well-known course in the resort is the superb Spyglass Hill, believed by those in the know to be one of the best courses in the world. Each hole is named after a Treasure Island character but don't be fooled into thinking that this isn't a serious golf course - this beautiful and brilliantly laid out course can cause problems to even the very best of players.
The Boulders
The Boulders is a truly unforgettable place to visit on a golf holiday in America. There are two courses, North and South. They aren't the most intricate or lengthy of courses, but both offer a good challenge (with South being the superior course in my opinion) and it's all about the setting here. Located in the Arizona desert, both courses offer amazing desert views and a liberal scattering of boulders and cacti around the course. It isn't often that desert cacti are one of the hazards that you'll face while playing a round of golf!
CordeValle
Another great Californian golf course, Cordevalle was designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and features many of his trademarks - protected, undulating greens and the perfect placement of trees and fairways. A nice twist on this course is the unusual hazard at the 7th hole - wine tasting! It makes for the perfect refresher (or much needed solace!). Trent Jones says this is his best piece of work - and that is saying something.
The Seaside Course
On what is voted the Best Golf Resort in North America, The Seaside Course is Sea Island's "piece de la resistance!" There are plenty of highlights awaiting you on a golf holiday to America's East Coast but this is the one you must not miss. If ever a golf course deserved to be called a work of art, it would be this one. Immaculately laid out with a brilliant design and impeccable condition. Simply breathtaking.
The Ocean Course
The Ocean Course in South Carolina is another East Coast highlight to visit while on a golf holiday in the USA. It's best to forget about your score as every hole presents a serious challenge to even top professionals and the direction and force of the wind can make things even tougher! But if you put those worries aside you can enjoy a round of golf on a truly legendary course, rated in the World Top 100 and one which has hosted five US PGA tournaments. It has a bright future as well, as it is set to host the 2012 US PGA Championship.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Morgan_Clarke

Wedding Bouquet - Choosing The Best Flower - elfis

2008-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Flower bouquets are always an attraction at every wedding. Bouquets are a vital part of the wedding traditions in all races. The bouquet symbolizes the blossoming bride and reflects the emotion that she goes through. Hence, wedding bouquets require the same care, attention and planning that you put for your bridal gown. Listed below are some tips to help you while selecting the perfect bouquet for your wedding.
1. It is suggested that you select flowers that are easily available in the season so that you may save time and money. Otherwise, you will have a hard time ordering the flowers you need.
2. As an alternative, you could make use of silk flowers, in case the flower you like is not available at present. Besides, silk flowers suit formal occasions whereas fresh flowers do not fit in to a formal reception.
3. The bouquet must not drown you. Make sure it does not cover your structure. If you are slim, the weight of the bouquet may be too heavy for you to carry, affecting your posture and the way you carry yourself. Ensure that the bouquet is not too large that it covers your wedding gown and it must be rather easy for you to carry around.
4. The flower that you choose must remain fresh throughout the day. Remember to check if your bouquet will hold up and remain fresh even towards the end of the ceremony so that you manage to look beautiful when pictures are clicked. A bouquet holder is probably a good way to keep the flower vibrant throughout the wedding. Also, go to your florist for advice on flowers that dry up quickly, so that you may avoid using them.
5. Do not allow your florist to assume a flower design that you would like. Take a printed copy or a picture of the bouquet that you prefer. Remember to take a sample of your wedding gown fabric so that your florist can select the right shade of flowers that will go with the gown. There are some bouquets that are richly decorated with lace, ribbons and silk. You could mention the specific designs that you would like on your bouquet.
6. Why don't you select a flower that possesses a special significance? This is not particularly difficult because most flowers have a specific meaning. Roses stand for love and true relationships, Tulips for declaration of love and perfection in love, and Stephanotis symbolizes happy marriages.
7. One of the most important things to remember while choosing a bouquet is its style. Select a bouquet that matches your style and personality. Bouquets have become a personal issue these days as they appear to reflect the personality of the bride. Nosegays are flowers that are clustered in a round design, which varies in sophistication and fits any personality. Flowers are arranged in descending order in Cascade bouquets. Such bouquets are seemingly voluptuous and steal the spotlight.
These are popular in traditional wedding scenarios. There are some flowers whose stems are tied with ribbons and these are referred to as Hand-tied bouquets. They possess a casual aura, and they are commonly used in garden weddings. The Contemporary bouquets are arranged with no specific geometry. Such arrangements symbolize the individuality of the bride and are used mostly in sophisticated marriages.
8. The most popular wedding flowers include Lilly, Hyacinth, Rose, Tulip, Daisy, Orchid and Stephanotis. Follow the trends and choose one of these for your wedding bouquet.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abhishek_Agarwal

2009 Horoscopes - Get Free Weekly Horoscopes For All Zodiac Signs and Calendar 2009 -- elfis

2008-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

The Greek word 'horoskopos' is believed to be the base from which the modern word horoscope has been derived. It generally refers to a diagram or pictorial depiction that displays the position of the Sun, moon and the other planets of the solar system. Horoscopes play a significant part in the astrological calculations and are held in very high regard in several communities of the world even today. Especially in matters like birth, marriage and death, astrological interpretation of this chart is referred to and followed religiously as well.
In eastern cultures, Horoscopes depict the placing of planets at the time of a persons birth and all major decisions in his/ her life like marriage, property, investments and the like are taken after consulting it. Chinese astrological calculations and the Indian methods and techniques of consulting the horoscope are key examples of its popularity in the eastern societies. In the western society, horoscopes are made depending on a great deal on the time and exact location of a person's birth other than further factors that are kept in mind.
Weekly horoscopes are not only famous among the old; the young generation also refers to it times and again for their share of astrological calculations. Weekly horoscopes are featured in newspapers, periodicals and journals and they carry comprehensive information for all the 12 sun signs across the various aspects of love and relationship, property, investments, health and well-being and career prospects as well. Today, online weekly horoscopes are also available that provide one information on a particular sun sign or birth date/day, just at the click of a mouse. These articles also offer predictions and forecasts and in many occasions than one also provide remedies for any unhealthy developments, if required.
2009 horoscopes offer foretelling of the various bases related to a subject's life that are predicted to take place in the year 2009. All the 12 sun signs have been predicted to encounter distinct experiences whether in career or on a personal level and in-depth insight have also been specified in these horoscopes across the various other aspects of life.
Love horoscopes foretell instances and probable experiences you may encounter that matters to your relationships and love life. From hinting towards selecting your mate and beloved to offering you the right dates to propose your woman/man of dreams, love horoscope is there to guide you always. What more? It also offers practical solutions incase you may come across a problem in this domain...
Free horoscopes can be subscribed from the various horoscope and astrology portals that offer predictions for every sun sign and every birth date, free of cost. Subscribers can opt for daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly free horoscopes that are sent via e -mail. Yearly subscriptions are also available in several portals.
Birthday zodiac cards are the best gifts to be given to a friend/family member. They depict the peculiar elements of particular sun sign and other than the images depict the sun sign, they also carry fascinating quotes and thoughts to complete the theme. Interesting flash and animated cards are available online too and they can be gifted to the near and dear ones located far away...
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kundansingh_Khati

Therapy : Massage Therapy Practice Building Made Easy

2008-12-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

You decided to become a massage therapist because you have a genuine passion for helping others. You have a vision for offering a powerful service to the world. But you probably were not ready for the reality of owning your own business. You were hoping that your passion would enable you to magnetize innumerable clients to you, only to discover in frustration that something is missing in your efforts to get and stay busy.
If this is the current trend of your massage practice, rest assured that your situation is far from unusual. In fact, most massage therapists feel this way. The average massage therapist makes less than $30,000 per year. Yes, you love what you do, but you would also like to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle doing it, right? With this kind of income, you will always struggle and wonder if you made the right choice. The good news is that you can indeed triple, even quadruple your income. The problem is that you have been approaching your practice as a healer, not as a marketer. The passion you feel for helping others will only be allowed its full expression if you learn how to effectively market what it is that you do.
Now, did you immediately feel a sense of aversion when I mentioned that dreaded word? Marketing. It conjures up images of the aggressive used car salesman or the multilevel person bombarding their friends and family to buy their products. Trust me, it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, marketing should be an enjoyable aspect of your practice. Why? Because it is simply a way to educate people about the benefits of what you offer. That's it. No hype. Just clearly conveying all of the wonderful things you can do to help others. The chances are that, if your practice is suffering, you have not fully leveraged your innate ability to authentically sell what you do.
Marketing your practice has two components, both of which are essential to your success. The first is the inner dimension of marketing, which means your emotional and psychological relationship with your practice. Can you visualize success right here and now? Can you feel it in your being? Do you emit an energy of abundance to the universe? Are you truly open to attracting wealth and success back to yourself based on the energy you are conveying most of the time? To actualize your dream practice, it is imperative that you give yourself the permission to feel it within you already. Use your imagination to make this as real and as powerful as you can internally, even if the outer world doesn't quite match up yet. It will sooner than later if you use your mind as an ally.
The second component is effective action. As a massage therapist, you have to find creative ways to get your name out there and share with others the passion you have for what you do and all of those benefits you can provide. Your marketing ventures should be a natural extension of your personality, values, etc. There is a way you can do this, even if you are shy or introverted. When your marketing strategies and your inner vision are aligned, you will become unstoppable. You will be booked out weeks in advance and seeing all the clients you can handle. You really can do this, no matter where you live or how well other therapists are doing.
The key is to align your inner and outer reality toward success. Cultivate a prosperity mindset and embark upon marketing your practice in ways that excite you. Make marketing fun. This is what I have done to build a thriving acupuncture practice. The same principles apply for massage therapists. This is the quick path to your practice success.
I invite you to get a FREE copy of my Conscious Practitioner Starter Kit with a practice building audio and a bi-monthly practice building ezine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Doherty

Anti virus : Kaspersky Anti Virus 2009

2008-12-03T05:26:00.000-08:00

A few months ago a very popular anti-virus software came out with their most recent edition. This article will be a Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 Review. I spent the $40 bucks to get a copy not only to test it but what I thought was going to be my Virus Software for the year to come. I might have been counting my eggs before they were hatched if you know what i mean. I installed this program on my backup Dell laptop computer running Windows XP.
Just like all of the previous, non beta, releases of Kaspersky Anti-Virus, this version was very good at detecting malware and viruses of the sort. I would systematically go to websites I knew contained viruses or spyware and I would purposely let the computer get infected. I noted all the sites and in what order so that I could run comparison tests on other anti-virus softwares like AVG later on.
Once I finished installing Kapserky Anti-Virus 2009, which was not such an easy task. After installation it would tell me I had a conflict with another software that we all know as Norton. This software had not been on my computer in a very long time and not sure why it was still installed, probably something in the registry. Needless to say, a false alarm. It made me manually enter the product key that they emailed to me by hand, not the worst thing in the world but just very annoying. I am a big fan of the copy paste for these types of keys for various programs.
Moving on in the Kaspersky Anti-Virus review, lets discuss how it performed in the actual scanning for malware or viruses. I was pleased with the time it took to do a quick scan, but I was not pleased with how was notified of these results. I really was not notified of the results whether they were cleaned or sent to the vault. I later learned I had to click a very small button called "Reports" which would tell me all of that information. I would of liked to be notified on each removal of a piece of spyware, maybe one piece I wanted to keep, the point is I just like being in control and choosing what goes on my PC.
Like I said it did the normal full scans and quick scans rather quickly like the old versions of the software. It did remove all of the infections that was able to get while browsing lets say not G rated sites. So it did perform well in that regard.
In all it is a very solid working anti-virus software for most people. However it does need some work to its actual functionality and usability. Many computer users are not as technical savy as some others, and they need to remember this when they start to develop their next years software. After this Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 Review I will be doing a complete comparison to AVG Anti-Virus so we can know what to use in the new year.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Travis_Klein

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2008-11-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

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2008-11-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

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Jews Should Follow Judaism to Israel! : Jewish Religion

2008-11-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

http://jewishcenter000.blogspot.com

Imagine if America's 5 million plus Jews suddenly decided to follow their religion back to the Jewish homeland, return to Zion, make aliyah ("emmigrate") to the Promised Land of Israel, putting their faith and prayers into practice!
Religious Jews pray daily for the return of the exiles and "Next year in Jerusalem" at Passover. Imagine if American Jewry repented of their hypocritical prayers and put their hearts into such prayers and were moved to actually move to Israel and pray in Jerusalem THIS year!
Imagine if America's many rabbis and Jewish "leaders" would suddenly lead by example and move to the Jewish homeland.
From Israel's national anthem, Ha-Tikvah (the Hope):
As long as deep in the heart,The soul of a Jew yearns,And towards the East,An eye looks to Zion,Our hope is not lost ...
From the ADL's Yearning for Zion:
The two-thousand-year-old daily prayers continually refer to the return to Zion, such as this one from the thrice-daily silent devotion: "And let our eyes behold Thy return in mercy to Zion. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who restorest Thy divine presence unto Zion." Among other numerous examples, the return to Zion is included in the grace after meals and Passover Seder tables resonate every year with the refrain "Next Year in Jerusalem."
The seventh blessing of the weekday Amidah prayer is called Ge'ulah ("redemption") and appeals to the LORD for redemption and deliverance.
Behold our affliction and champion our cause, and redeem us speedily for the sake of Thy Name. Blessed are You, Lord, Redeemer of Israel.
The Jewish homeland is today in peril. As Gaza goes (with the illegal expulsion of 8500 Jews from their homes, property and businesses), so goes Israel. Dictator Sharon trampled democracy and despised the Jewish inheritance of the Promised Land of Israel and the defeatist Kadima party continues his Judenrein policies. The secular intensify their campaign to further cut Israelis and Jews off from their Hebrew roots and biblical lands, slitting Israel's throat for sworn enemies who vow genocide against the Jews and plan to pervert Israel into "Palestine!"
Why Do So Many Religious Jews Live in America? is a must read!
I encourage every American Jew to follow their religion back to the Jewish homeland, fulfilling the mitzva (command/good deed) out of loving obedience to our Great Creator God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, and empowering themselves to fulfill many more within the Holy Land, and to help save Israel from self-destruction from those anti-democratic and anti-Semitic men and measures with their love of freedom of speech and religion, having been raised in these Lands of the Covenant (the United States/Menashe) to cherish such God given rights.
May faithful Jews not confuse Ersatz New York with Eretz Yisrael! Israel needs American Jews and American Jews need Israel!
Let OPERATION SAVE ISRAEL begin immediately and make history and answer prayers and stop the madness in the Jewish homeland! Such a great influx of American Jews into Eretz Israel could help sweep away the suicidal peace process and restore Israel to its right mind!
Let the blessings begin!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when? ~ Rabbi Hillel -
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Ben-Ariel

Buddhism Religion Being Adopted in Many Facets : Budhist religion

2008-11-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

http://thebuddhistcenter.blogspot.com/

The Buddhism religion is growing in popularity. Many people are turning to Buddhism as a way of bringing peace and happiness into their lives. They enjoy the ritualized chants, meditations and lifestyle practices that the Buddhist religion offers.
The real secret to Buddhism, for those who are not aware of the faith, is that anyone can practice it. You can certainly enjoy and employ certain aspects that could enhance your life. Many people utilize Buddhism in some way every day but just do not realize it. It may be Buddhist art, meditation, a visit to a Zen garden or even yoga.
Yes, most Buddhists have a Buddha statue to look to for guidance and as a way to keep in touch with the Buddhism religion. Many people find the Indian and Tibetan artwork very relaxing and have incorporated it into their decor for their homes. With very pleasing color tones and a sense of tranquility, the Buddhist art is transforming many bedrooms and work places into Zen meditation retreats.
Speaking of meditation, the art of meditation practice is one that everyone should learn. It is a way to clear the mind and rid the body of stress. If you have had a bad time at work or you are under considerable family stress, meditation may be just what you need to find relaxation and a way to work through those problems. You do not have to assume some of the more traditional poses for meditation. Simply sit in a chair with your back straight, shoulders squared and your feet planted firmly.
You will then take in deep breaths through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. While performing this breathing exercise you should begin working on clearing your mind. This mini "meditation retreat" can help you relieve the stress and tension in your body. If you devote just ten or fifteen minutes a day to this when things get stressful, then you will be able to tackle those touchy situations in no time at all. It will give you the time you need to think clearly.
One aspect of the Buddhism religion that is practiced in gyms across the world is yoga. This form of exercise allows you to assume different positions and relieve the stress and anxiety that may be plaguing you. If you need help getting started or simply want more information, then there are many books on Buddhism for sale in your local bookstore or you can check them out at your local library.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon

Christmas - The Celebration of Jesus Or Satan? : Christian Religion

2008-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

http://jesuschristiancenter1.blogspot.com/

Many people in the world celebrate Christmas at or around December 25th as being the birth of Jesus Christ. However, how does Santa Claus, the Christmas tree and gift giving fit into the celebration of Christmas? What is the true meaning of Christmas that many people celebrate? These answers and more will be exposed in this article.
Regardless of what date many people think of as being the birth of Jesus Christ, it really is not the reason why Christmas is celebrated. Nowhere in the bible will you find the exact date of Jesus birth or any references to it being celebrated because God did not want us to remember his birth and celebrate it but he wanted us to think about his death, resurrection, his future coming and the reason he was sent to earth. Jesus and his apostles never celebrated his birth anywhere in the bible and not even after his death was his birth celebrated by any of his apostles or believers. However, there are clues in the bible as to the approximate date of Jesus' birth and with a little work it can be calculated. A whole book could be written about all the evil associated with Christmas so this one subject will not be discussed in much detail except to say that Jesus' birthday is not on December 25th. However, regardless of when people claim Jesus birthday was, Jesus told us to remember him by the eating of the bread which signified his body and drinking the wine which signified his blood. This was to be celebrated as the remembrance of him and not by the celebrating of Christmas on December 25th! The Christmas holiday and the dates that have been chosen to represent Jesus birth is an abomination in God's eyes and actually have pagan roots. Nobody who can do research can deny this. Therefore, all people should be remembering Jesus the way he told us to and should be thinking about the reason God sent him to Earth and the good news he brought to us all.
So why is almost all Christmas almost always about Santa Claus? The bible teaches that there is a subtle, clever, deceiving and evil being called Lucifer, the Devil, the Ancient Serpent and Satan. We can learn from the scriptures that he is like a lion who is seeking those he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We can also learn that Satan is very subtle and deceiving in his ways and he goes after the most vulnerable first. An example of this can be found at the very first book of the Bible at Genesis chapter 3. He did not go after Adam first but he went after Eve first, the weaker of the two. Another example of how Satan is can be found in Jesus own words at Luke 10:19. There Jesus says, "I saw Satan as lightning fall from Heaven". Lightning just like Satan goes to the path of least resistance first. Now what better way would Satan have to deceive and attack humans than to go after our weakest, most vulnerable and least resistant which are our children? This is where Santa Claus fits into the pagan and false holiday of Christmas. Santa Claus seems so loving and harmless who brings gifts for the good. This is exactly what Satan wants us and especially our children to think.
In the book of Genesis, Satan in a very subtle and deceiving way came to Eve when she was alone and got her to eat the forbidden fruit. The fruit looked good and pleasant but it was against what God told her she could eat. The same goes for Santa Claus. Satan is using Santa Claus and Christmas to lore our children and us away from serving God and remembering Jesus, the very person who is the reason why Christmas is supposed to be here in the first place. Satan tricks people very subtly into worshipping him by disguising himself as Santa Claus and comparing Santa Claus to both Jesus and God and connecting Santa Claus into Jesus birthday. He sets Santa and Christmas up to look good and pleasant to all people but actually they are against God. Anyone who listens to the Christmas music or reads the childrens books or watches television can see that Santa Claus flies through the sky and goes to every house and rewards those who were good by giving gifts. Just like Jesus will be coming from the heavens in his future coming and rewarding those who chose him and worshipped God (Revelation Chapters 2-3). Santa Claus is also said to be able to deliver gifts to everyone in the world in a single night. Just like God is the all powerful and almighty God and nothing is impossible for him (Luke 1:37). Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and rides from the north on a flying sleigh and he also sits on a throne. God also is described as coming out of the north seated upon a throne (Ezekiel 1:4-28) Santa Claus is also said to always know when we have been good or bad. Just like Jesus and God always know when we are bad and good (Proverbs 15:3). Santa Claus is also said to know when we are sleeping and know when we are awake. Just like God and Jesus know when we are sleeping and when we are awake (Psalms 33:13-14). Santa Claus has white hair. God and Jesus also are also described as having white hair in visions (Revelation 1:14; Daniel 7:9).
Santa Claus came from Old Saint Nick who supposedly helped a few people and performed a miracle. Jesus Christ performed numerous miracles and helped many people. Santa Claus has his reindeer and elves as helpers just like Jesus had his apostles and followers. Santa Claus has a carpenter shop at the north pole where he and his elves build toys. Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3). Santa Claus is also sometimes referred to as "Kris Kringle" which means Christ Child. Santa Claus is not Jesus and there was only one christ child who was on this earth (Matthew 1:23). Santa Claus also sits in the malls and people bring their children to him. People also brought their children to Jesus (Luke 18:15-17). Children are told to believe in Santa. All God's people must believe in Jesus (John 14:1). Santa is said to live forever. God is eternal, he always was and he always will be (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 90:2). These are all ways that Satan is trying to replace Jesus in the Christmas holiday with his Santa. He is comparing himself to both God and Jesus and trying to lure us and our children especially into celebrating Christmas and worshipping Santa Claus instead of God.
Another twisted aspect about the false holiday of Jesus Christ's birth is the displaying of the Christmas tree along with the star on top of the tree. The Christmas tree, stars and pictures of Santa Claus can be seen everywhere around the time of Christmas. They can be seen hanging from walls, ceilings, in windows, on people's porches, etc... When they are displayed in this manner they are considered as man-made idols in God's eyes. The ancient people from the bible also had similar idols and also worshipped false gods. Jeremiah 10:2-4 states, "This is what the Lord says: Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with a chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter." Throughout the Bible God commands us many times not to make or worship idols and false gods. The making or worshipping of false gods and idols is actually a violation of the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:1-4). The Christmas tree has a proven and well documented Pagan history and origin. So if you think that the Christmas tree is all fun and games and harmless then please think again. This is exactly what Satan wants you to think.
So what about the giving of gifts on Christmas? How is this a bad thing? Well, all year children all over the world cannot wait for Christmas time because it is a time that they know they will receive the gifts. Now there is nothing wrong with giving people gifts. However, when gifts are dedicated at a certain time of the year at Christmas time and placed under a Christmas tree and given by "Santa" then this is wrong. This also promotes materialism and greed in young children which they will end up having the rest of their lives and spreading to their own children and so on. Throughout the Bible God tells us that he hates materialism and greed. The gift giving also turns people's attention away from God and Jesus and focuses it on Santa and the gifts. The gift giving is just another way Satan is making Christmas to look irresistible to humans. Satan will do whatever he can to mislead people and turn us away from God. So by celebrating the Pagan holiday of Christmas and worshipping Santa Claus, Satan is actually rewarding everybody with gifts. Instead of dedicating a certain time of the year to give gifts, why not give gifts at random times throughout the year?
Much more can be said about all the evils in Christmas and Santa Claus but this is all the general truth. If you are feeling close-minded to the truth about Christmas then please do more research on this subject and learn the truth for yourself. However, if you do know the truth and continue to celebrate Christmas and accept the replacement of Jesus with Santa Claus and accept all the other evil then God counts this as a sin towards you. Be strong and stand up to Satan and all his evil.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Eshleman

Prophet Muhammad | My View of Prophet Muhammad Pt 1 : Islamic Religion

2008-11-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

http://islamiccenter1.blogspot.com/

Who is the man who has over a billion followers in the world today? Who is the great man who was ranked #1 in a list, penned by a Christian, of the 100 most influential persons in history? Again who is the man who raised his contemporaries from a life of sin and vice 1400 years ago? The man is none other than Muhammad ibn Abdullah(Peace be upon him) the prophet of Islam.
All Muslims, regardless to sect, believe in this man named Muhammad and the book he presented to us, from the Lord of the worlds. If we accept this book, called in Arabic the Qur'an, as being revealed from Almighty God ALLAH then we must re-view deeper the great man through whom the Qur'an was revealed. We cannot accept the book(Quran) and deny the man through whom the book was revealed. What was the heart and character of such a man that ALLAH would let his precious word come through? The same must be done with any servant of ALLAH, but as Muslims we believe that Muhammad(PBUH) is the last of ALLAH's prophets and the Holy Qur'an the last revealed book to this world. So, we as Muslims, must look deeper into the inner sanctuary of Muhammad and discover deeper understanding of not only the book(Qur'an) but of the man.
The Man
A few days after the death of the Prophet some men came to his wife Aiisha bint Abu Bakr and inquired about Muhammad. They put questions to his wife concerning his character and other aspects of his life, and she replied have you ever read the Qur'an? The men replied in the affirmative, then she replied: "Muhammad was the living embodiment of the Qur'an." What a description of this Prophet of ALLAH from one who was most privy to his private character and morals. What his wife was saying is that all the good teachings of the Holy Qur'an were reflected in the man named Muhammad; from the Quran's teachings on beneficence and mercy, to love, forgiveness and brotherhood, and even warfare when it is acted in self-defense, Muhammad excelled in all of these Quranic teachings.
The Holy Qur'an our most accurate portrait of Muhammad says of him:
"Certainly You have in The Messenger of ALLAH an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in ALLAH and the latter day, and remembers ALLAH much."(33:21)
Also
"By the inkstand and the pen and that which they write! By the grace of thy Lord thou art not mad. And surely thine is a reward never to be cut off. And surely thou hast sublime morals. So thou wilt see, and they(too) will see."(68:1-5)
Some critics of Islam and the Prophet of Islam have claimed that Muhammad didn't bring any special "miracles" like we read of the prophets of old in the Bible. Prophet Muhammad claimed that his "one" and only "miracle" was The Holy Qur'an and the work of reformation he produced in his countrymen and women. Many have written that what Muhammad produced in Arabia, 1400 years ago, with his Holy Qur'an was nothing short of a miracle itself. The country of Arabia was renowned for its sin and evil. The abuse against women and girls, the drinking orgies, warfare, materialism also filthy and foolish song and dance is well known.
Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ali speaks of the savage condition of Arabia prior to its "savior".
"At the time of his birth Arabia was steeped deep in the worst form of idolatry that has ever prevailed in any country. The Ka'ba itself was full of idols, and every household had, in addition, its own idols. Unhewn stones, trees and heaps of sand were also worshipped. In spite this vast and deep-rooted idolatry, the Arabs were, as Bosworth Smith remarks, materialistic. "Eat and drink is," as he says, "the epicurean tone of the majority of the poems that have come down to us." There was practically no faith in the life after death, no feeling of responsibility for one's actions. The Arabs, however, believed in demons, and diseases were attributed to the influence of evil spirits. "
"Ignorance prevailed among the high as well as the low, so much so that the noblest of men could boast of his ignorance. There was no moral code, and vice was rampant. The sexual relations were loose obscene poems and songs were recited in public assemblies There was no punishment for adultery, nor any moral sanction against it. Prostitution had nothing dishonourable about it, so that leading men could keep brothels. Women were "in the most degraded position, worse even than that in which they were under the laws of Manu in Hindustan." Woman was looked upon as a mere chattel. Instead of having any right to inheritance of property, her own person formed part of the inheritance, and the heir could dispose of her as he liked, even if he did not care to take her as a wife. There was no settled government, no law in the land, and might was practically right.
The Arabs belonged to one race and spoke one language, yet they were the most disunited people. Tribe made war on tribe, and family on family, on the most trivial excuse. The strong among them trampled upon the rights of the weak, and the weak could not get their wrongs redressed. The widow and the orphan were quite helpless and slaves were treated most cruelly."
"Amongst this people was born Muhammad."
In a short period of "twenty three" years Muhammad wiped away these evil practices. This reform by Muhammad was seen as a miracle, because all previous attempts at the reform of his land failed; the Christian failed, indigenous movements failed, Jewish teachers failed they all tried but nothing worked except "The Man and The book."
Muhammad's Sunnah(way)The word Sunnah is translated as meaning mode of life and specially the course of The Holy Prophets life. Another word Hadith meaning news is another source of knowledge of Prophet Muhammad and the God he represented, ALLAH.
Muhammad is reported to have said in his last speech to his followers,
I leave you two things, which if you follow you will never deviate, "The Qur'an and my Sunnah"
As I have pointed out earlier Muhammad was voted "The most successful of all religious personalities". Also his wife spoke of him as being a living Qur'an. Considering these facts it would be incumbent upon us to follow the way established by Muhammad ibn Abdullah. There has been a misunderstanding among Muslims, both common believers and scholars, concerning what is the true Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. There has been in some quarters a tendency to attach more importance to the Sunnah than The Qur'an, while others reject the Sunnah all together. What was the source of Muhammad's teachings other than the Qur'an? The Qur'an says of itself that it is the "Best Hadith". I remember reading The Prophet once said: "Islam compels us to take the middle course in all things". If we adopt this advice we as Muslims will accept the Qur'an(First) and then naturally accept the man of God's explanation of the book.
When we say of ourselves that we are following Muhammad's Sunnah we must be careful to not make a superficial example of him, like having a beard as the prophet or dressing like the prophet. These things in and of themselves are not bad, but Muhammad didn't make a change in the world because of facial hair or his dress style. Muhammad's Sunnah to me is Belief in ALLAH, prayer, fasting, giving in charity, doing good to others, respecting women and living a clean life.
Muhammad's disciples
After twenty three years of his office as Prophet of ALLAH Muhammad's life came to an end like all other men of God who went before him. The Holy Qur'an reminds us that,
"Muhammad is but a messenger---messengers have already passed away before him. If then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your hills? And he who turns back upon his heels will do know harm at all to Allah. And Allah will reward the grateful."(3:143)
Many didn't want to believe that The Holy Prophet was dead. Some Muslims threatened to kill anyone who would say that Muhammad was dead. One of Muhammad's trusted friends and earliest converts, Abu Bakr, rose to the occasion to address the mourning crowd. His famous words were:
"All that worship Muhammad know that Muhammad is dead. But those that worship ALLAH know that ALLAH lives!"
What a soothing affect these few words had on the crowd. These simple words reminded the crowd that ALLAH is the ever living and is present.
The death of Muhammad ends one chapter in the Muslims history only to open another called "Khilafah Rashidah" or the "rightly guided companions." A great man is not only known by the wisdom that he imparts during his life, but also the wisdom that comes through his students or disciples. Four men stand out in this period after the death of Muhammad. These four men names were Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khataab, Uthman and Ali ibn abu Talib. Much like the Disciples of Christ before these men had a duty to continue the message and work of Muhammad. These four men carried the message of Islam far into the world and helped continue the revolution started by their master-Muhammad ibn Abdullah(Peace and Blessing be upon him).
Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is in the Mosque.
He has been featured on the Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty God's plan for salvation.
Mustafaa is involved in community activity. He believes that our faith must inspire us to greater service to humanity or we may be making a mockery of the purpose of faith. Contact him @ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mustafaa_Muhammad

Free MP3 Downloads : Download MP3 Free

2008-11-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

http://downloadmp3freetop10favouritehotbest.blogspot.com/

Several websites on the Internet allow users to download MP3 files for free. Since it is not illegal to share music which is not copyrighted, free downloading of MP3 files is becoming increasingly popular amongst music lovers. This way, they get to listen to music almost free of cost. Some of the widely accessed free download sites include Bearshare, Winmx, Napster among others.
However, unauthorized downloads of copyrighted music is deemed illegal. Unauthorized downloads of music is termed music piracy. It is responsible for the music industry losing millions of dollars each year. The artists also suffer because the royalty which the artist receives on the sale of their music gets drastically reduced. It is always advisable to purchase copyrighted music in MP3 format from authorized music or online stores that sell the music singles or albums at reasonable rates.
Free MP3 downloads are a good option for upcoming artists and bands who can promote their music by uploading their music to their own websites or to websites that promote new talent. Such websites are frequented by a large audience of music lovers and allowing free downloads can help a band reach a huge audience at a very low cost.
Free MP3s can be downloaded from a large number of sites and a consumer can choose from a wide variety of songs and artists that are offered. However, most of these downloads often have a very slow transfer rate or they are not by original artists. The time required to download MP3 files mainly depends on the server on which the files are hosted and the speed of your Internet connection. Broadband users can typically download a song in MP3 format in a couple of minutes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristy_Annely

A Brief Introduction To Panda Antivirus 2008 : download free antivirus panda

2008-11-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

http://antiviruspanda.blogspot.com

"Malware" means "malicious software" - viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware and adware - with varying degrees of potency, but all of which is undesirable. "Phishing", on the other hand, is a fraudulent attempt to gather sensitive personal, or financial, information, perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals, or organised groups. Panda Antivirus 2008, thankfully, provides maximum, automatic protection against all forms of malware and hacking, with a reinforced security model which is surprisingly light on system resources.
Panda Antivirus 2008 Features & Benefits
Panda Antivirus 2008 features a new, and exclusive, security model - known as "MegaDetection" - to provide protection against over 1,000,000 known virus threats. In addition, viruses attempt to hide from the operating system, or other virus protection software, by operating at a low level - in so-called "stealth" mode - can be detected, and eliminated. Even so-called "rootkits", the most sophisticated of the hidden threats, cannot avoid detection. MegaDetection therefore offers a level of protection that is far higher than some other antivirus protection programs. Furthermore, a "heuristic" approach means that, even if a virus definition, or signature, does not exist, suspicious activity - indicative of a potential virus infection - can be isolated, and prevented. Virus protection extends to file attachments on email messages, and incoming files from any other source.
Spyware is another form of malware which can cause frustration and anxiety for computer users. Spyware typically hijacks, or changes, Internet browser settings, redirecting the user to websites from which various scams are perpetrated, and may cause a computer to perform poorly, or erratically. In the worst cases, spyware may also attempt to harvest, for example, bank account, or credit card, details which are used for fraudulent purposes, including "identity theft". Panda Antivirus 2008 identifies and removes all forms of spyware, along with its associated effects, such as spurious entries in the Windows registry, so that your computer continues to function correctly, and securely.
Phishing is a potentially much more damaging activity, if a computer user is "duped" into revealing his, or her, financial details to a fraudster. Suspicious, or dubious, email messages, and websites are immediately recognised by Panda Antivirus 2008 - as is the presence of other potentially malicious items, such as "rogue" Internet dialers - so that any form of financial transaction can be performed with complete confidence.
Conclusion
Panda Antivirus 2008 is straightforward to install, and use, with the facility for automatic, daily updates via the Internet; once the software is installed, you can forget about it, to all intents and purposes, and simply rest assured that your malware protection is always active and up-to-date. Panda Antivirus 2008 is easy on system resources - recommended memory, for example, is just 64MB - and is compatible with Windows XP, and Windows Vista, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Technical support, if required, is available 24 hours a day, via email or the Internet, from Panda Security.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Taylor

Free Virus Protection Software From Google : download antivirus free norton symantec

2008-11-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

http://antivirusnorton.blogspot.com/

One of the biggest announcements from Google at the beginning of 2006 was a collection of free software called "Google Pack." Google Pack was developed in order to provide computer users with essential software which Google felt every user needed for their new or current PC. One of the programs in Google Pack was free virus protection software.
The virus protection software in Google Pack was provide by Symantec the vendor behind the popular Norton Antivirus products. The Norton Antivirus products have continuously received excellent reviews from independent testers and still remain one of the leading anti virus products. For Google Pack to start with Symantec supplied Norton Antivirus 2005, although not the latest version, a more than capable anti virus program. The only limitation was that Symantec would only supply 6 months of virus definition updates after that the user would need to upgrade.
At the beginning of 2007 Google persuaded Symantec to provide a virus protection program which the user would not have to upgrade from. Norton Antivirus 2005 was replaced by "Norton Security Scan." Despite the name Security Scan both scans for AND removes virus threats. The product is based on the same award-winning virus scanning and removal technology found in the Norton Antivirus range of products. More importantly the virus definition updates are not limited to six months.
There are a number of other good reasons to download Google Pack. For starters, Google Pack now includes a Starter Edition of Spyware Doctor which is based on one of the best anti spyware programs on the market today. There is also an excellent photo organizer software called "Picasa."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Jones

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 Review : download antivirus free kaspersky

2008-11-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

http://antivirusnorton.blogspot.com

few months ago a very popular anti-virus software came out with their most recent edition. This article will be a Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 Review. I spent the $40 bucks to get a copy not only to test it but what I thought was going to be my Virus Software for the year to come. I might have been counting my eggs before they were hatched if you know what i mean. I installed this program on my backup Dell laptop computer running Windows XP.
Just like all of the previous, non beta, releases of Kaspersky Anti-Virus, this version was very good at detecting malware and viruses of the sort. I would systematically go to websites I knew contained viruses or spyware and I would purposely let the computer get infected. I noted all the sites and in what order so that I could run comparison tests on other anti-virus softwares like AVG later on.
Once I finished installing Kapserky Anti-Virus 2009, which was not such an easy task. After installation it would tell me I had a conflict with another software that we all know as Norton. This software had not been on my computer in a very long time and not sure why it was still installed, probably something in the registry. Needless to say, a false alarm. It made me manually enter the product key that they emailed to me by hand, not the worst thing in the world but just very annoying. I am a big fan of the copy paste for these types of keys for various programs.
Moving on in the Kaspersky Anti-Virus review, lets discuss how it performed in the actual scanning for malware or viruses. I was pleased with the time it took to do a quick scan, but I was not pleased with how was notified of these results. I really was not notified of the results whether they were cleaned or sent to the vault. I later learned I had to click a very small button called "Reports" which would tell me all of that information. I would of liked to be notified on each removal of a piece of spyware, maybe one piece I wanted to keep, the point is I just like being in control and choosing what goes on my PC.
Like I said it did the normal full scans and quick scans rather quickly like the old versions of the software. It did remove all of the infections that was able to get while browsing lets say not G rated sites. So it did perform well in that regard.
In all it is a very solid working anti-virus software for most people. However it does need some work to its actual functionality and usability. Many computer users are not as technical savy as some others, and they need to remember this when they start to develop their next years software. After this Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 Review I will be doing a complete comparison to AVG Anti-Virus so we can know what to use in the new year.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Travis_Klein

Top 10 Computer Virus Protection Reviews : download free anti virus eset nod 32

2008-11-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

http://nod32esetantivirus.blogspot.com/

Below are my top 10 computer virus protection reviews:
1. Bit Defender - This newly updated version of Bit Defender for 2008 has a new Gaming mode to ensure protection while not allowing pop-ups during game playing. They still offer all the services that they have been known for such as privacy protection and web scanning. It was awarded the top spot in the computer virus protection reviews because it is easy to use and install; it's overall effectiveness, can be updated regularly, and has great support.
2. Kaspersky - Kaspersky has received top ratings for the same above-mentioned aspects such as effectiveness and support. This software has received many awards from top organizations. It is one of the most advanced products available on the market today; it would be an ideal choice to protect your computer.
3. ESET Nod32- This is said to be a simple, but very thorough security protection solution. They scored highest on effectiveness, support, and easy installation. In 2008, the ESET Nod32 received major updates while maintaining the high standard of security protection it has always provided.
4. AVG Anti-Virus- This year two previously separate products were merged with their award winning antivirus software to ensure improved overall protection for your home computer systems. They have also improved their scanning engine which should cut down on time taken to complete a virus and spyware scan. They also reported an overall decrease in overall system resource usage.
5. F Secure Antivirus- The security protection suites offered by F-Secure are used by both home computer users and large corporations on their massive networks. They strive to ensure that the internet user understands general online security safety measures and precautions, along with the potential threat caused by an inadequate security setup. Overall F-Secure offers an excellent package.
6. Trend Micro- Although this software may cause a slight decrease in performance of some basic home PCs,Trend guarantee that the security level provided by their software will more than make up for any slight decrease in performance that may be experienced. This software is aimed directly at the home internet user rather than larger corporations and receives high scores in all areas. The lowest score is attributed to the help/support section. Trend Micro is used by many people and is a viable security solution.
7. McAfee VirusScan - McAfee is a leading antivirus software provider. This software now comes equipped with extra features including an email scanner. It is not the best security option in my opinion but very popular none the less.
8. Norton Antivirus- Norton Antivirus is a widely known antivirus scanner and has been around for many years. It is the choice of many computer manufacturers who install it as part of their normal PC or laptop setup. The 2008 version is equipped with antivirus protection as well as anti-spyware detection. It is not one of my favorites as in my personal testing I have found it to be a resource hog and some end users have found it difficult to remove from their systems. Symantec are a well respected security software provider and constantly strive to update and improve the software they offer to their customers.
9. CA Antivirus- If you are looking to only detect and remove viruses on your computer then this may an option you would want to consider. This is the primary function of this product and it does not contain additional detection capabilities.
10. Norman Antivirus and Antispyware- This software is good at detecting spyware and viruses that may be lurking on your home computer. Again some users have reported a slight decrease in computer performance as a result of installing Norman AV.
The idea behind writing the top 10 computer virus protection reviews was to offer what I consider a "taster" if you like on what is available, how effective it is, and how easy it is to use. Armed with this information my hope is that you will be in a position to more easily choose a security solution that fits with your individual needs and level of security required.
If you feel that you need more specific information on any of the top 10 then just head over to the company website or type (name of software) "computer virus protection reviews" into your search engine of choice.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hugh_Duddy

Tips to Keep Adware and Spyware Away : download anti virus free avira antivir

2008-11-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

http://aviraantivir.blogspot.com

If you use the Internet regularly, the chances are that you will definitely get infected with adware and spyware. Here are some tips to keep your computer safe from adware and spyware:
Stay away from adult sites and sites related to warez, cracked software, etc.: Most adware and spyware programs spread through these sites. They use browser exploits or ActiveX to install adware and spyware programs.
Use a secure browser: Adware and spyware programs (and also many trojans and virus programs) often make use of browser vulnerabilities to infect and spread. If you use a secure browser, you can stay safe. Use Mozilla Firefox or Opera or Google's chrome or Apple Safari instead of the default Internet explorer.
Be careful when using torrents, and p2p software: Malware often spread through peer-to-peer networks. Whenever you download any file using torrents or other p2p networks like LimeWire or Ares Galaxy, scan the file throughly using a virus scanner and open the file only after you know it is safe.
Never open email attachments with scanning them using a virus scanner. Malicious programs often spread through email.
Never click on banner advertisements which say "Errors detected on your computer", "Your computer has been infected with spyware", etc. These will redirect you to the sites of rogue spyware removal tools. These software report false positives and force you to buy their "full version".
Install an anti-virus scanner with realtime protection. Also install a firewall and spyware scanner for optimum protection. The best free antivirus available is Avira Antivir. Spyware terminator is a good choice when it comes to spyware removal tools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Browning

The Best Free Anti Virus Software : download anti virus free avast

2008-11-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

http://avastbest.blogspot.com

Those terrible and damaging little files known as viruses can easily be protected against. There are many free anti virus software programs available for you to download that can detect viruses as well as other malicious software on your computer. Here are some options I think you should take the time to strongly consider.
AVG Anti-Virus is a particularly good bit of free software. They have a commercial version with upgraded features of course, but the free version is adequate enough to do most minor and some major jobs. They their database of virus information regularly and there is an automatic update feature that helps to make it a low hassle product. It supplies you with a scan history, and it also archives unwanted files for you. The overview page that they have gives a listing of security options and the status overview of your computer's health. AVG has many features available to you. These features are: anti-virus, anti-spyware, e-mail scanner, link scanner, resident shield, as well as the update manager, respectively.
Avast! is another free anti virus software program that is worth mentioning. It is said to be one of the greatest free anti-virus software programs in circulation today. The snag is that you need to register for services after 60-days. It has components that are comparable to AVG, but it uses a different interface. Avast! offers GUI skins, for interface customization abilities. Its features list boasts a standard shield, an anti-rootkit, an anti-spyware component, and neat audio alarms, also a script blocker and a network shield.
AntiVir has features and effectiveness results to rival the above mentioned free anti virus software programs. It is totally user-friendly, and has really awesome detection rates that could very well be superior to that of AVG and Avast! Even better yet it has the ability to work with several platforms. PC Pro is quoted as saying it to be: "The most effective free anti-virus package we've seen."
So, as we see, there are at least a couple of good free anti virus software program options. If you are looking for free anti-virus software, then AntiVir, Avast, and AVG come with high recommendations. They all have download sites in which to acquire these products, or you can also download from Cnet, which has links connecting them. Though these free versions may not be as broad as other commercial anti virus software program titles, such as Norton Anti Virus, they do at least offer reasonably solid anti-virus software programs and at a better value as well.

Download : http://avast.com/

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AVG Free Downloads - Don't Blindly Download Or You May Regret It : Download antivirus free

2008-11-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

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There are factors to initially deem an AVG free download as being safe, and the top priority is if the web site itself can actually be verified or confirmed. If the website is unknown it is best to find one that has more traffic and positive feedback offered as far as the download application is concerned.
Most verifiable sites will offer user comments or forums where the satisfaction of the user can be posted. If you can see this, then in most cases the application should be all right to download. However, there are web sites that offer the same thing and don't use comments or profiles of the users that have downloaded it, and for good reason to their knowledge, the program is corrupted and they don't want others to know it. Then once it is installed on your computer then the website and who created it has control or access to information from your computer.
These people unfortunately are smart. They have the ability to be discreet and lure those who are looking for something to protect their computer to actually load their computer with corrupt programs and they steal your information from you or this in turn causes your computer to not function in the right way.
Many users who have access to the Internet and the ability to download as well often fall victim to these sites. This is why it's a good idea to try every means possible to make sure that the website is on the up and up. The site shouldn't be afraid to offer the information users want to see. If you don't see any I would advice that you leave the site as soon as possible. Simply because some of the sites can exploit security holes in your web browser and install attachments onto your computer just by you clicking the link that leads to their website. So you know it's not a bad thing to be "just too cautious". In the users realm of things it just means bad news if you don't exercise an extreme amount of caution when it comes to unknown web sites.
More advanced AVG programs that are offered will cost you, so if you happen onto a website that you see this and the free version is available you still have a sense of caution to think about in case the advertising for the free version is being offered by a site that isn't consistent with other web sites that might offer the AVG free download.

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