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It is indeed surprising that when polled almost 35% people could recount at least one incident when they went on a date to a lonely place in a vehicle that was not their own with a person they were dating for the first time. Most are plain lucky to have got out of those situations unscathed, what with incidents of robbery, stalking and date rape increasingly hitting the headlines. When danger is ever present why don’t people play safe? Marion Keyes, who runs a security agency says that it boils down to psychology. In our minds we don’t equate caution with fun and dating is supposed to be fun. In a bid to enjoy ourselves we often take risks and do things we would not normally do. As a result we expose ourselves to danger.
While dating is about having fun, it is extremely important to stay safe while dating. Safety, however does not have to be a spoiler. You don’t have to arm yourself with a gun or be accompanied by an army of bodyguards, nor do you have to necessarily get a private detective to screen every prospective date. Just follow the ‘precaution list’ our set of experts has come up with and you will be ready to swing around the town without landing into situations that could get you robbed, maimed or killed!
Tell Someone
This is the most important rule, and yet the one that most people ignore because they are too embarrassed to tell someone to look out for them says Sharon Marlow who runs a dating agency. If you are going out on a date make sure someone knows your itinerary and calls you at your home or your office (not on your hand phone), at the time you are scheduled to be back, to ensure you got back safe. This includes dates set up through friends and people you met at a party earlier, and not only dates set up online. Strictly speaking the level of risk is the same and just because you said hi to a bloke/ babe at a party does not mean you know him/her.
Drive your own vehicle
Arrive in your own vehicle. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, it helps you to not give out your address to someone you don’t know. Secondly, it ensures you won’t be driven off to a lonely corner of town and ambushed. If that is unmanageable ask a friend to drop in and pick you up. Seeing that you have people around you whom you can trust often fends of people who may not have the best intentions.
Set a start and an end time
It is imperative that you have a set start and end time for the date. If you don’t like the person it will be a relief to walk away without spending interminable hours with them. If you like the person it will keep you from looking desperate and ignite greater interest from your date. From the safety perspective it will keep you to a known schedule and will enable a friend to track you easily.
Meet for lunch at a public place
Never agree to meet anyone at their house for the first few dates. Meet at a public place. Also try to meet for lunch as it is much safer than the dinner alternative and much quicker too. A short meeting for coffee is equally good.
Watch what you eat and drink
It is important be alert to what you are eating and drinking especially if your date is serving you. Do not drink alcohol and do not leave the table with your drink still filled. If you have to go to the washroom, ask for a fresh drink when you return. Unfinished drinks are the easiest to pour drugs into. Remember that paranoia may be what keeps you from becoming unconscious and being mugged in the process.
Watch out for Red flags
If you listen carefully red flags are easy to spot. If there are inconsistencies in what the person told you online or on the phone and what they are saying now don’t take time to be nice. Just make an excuse and leave.
‘You are in control’
If you feel uncomfortable remind yourself that you are the one in control. At no point should anyone be able to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do. Safety is not as much about logic as it is about comfort. If you think you are uncomfortable but can’t pinpoint the reason, your sixth sense may be trying to tell you something. Listen to that voice in your head telling you to scoot. It will rarely lead you down the wrong path!
Follow these precautions for the first few dates with anyone and you’ll never land up in a sticky situation!
Scrabble, besides being a game that needs skills in strategy, it also calls for good memory to win the game.
Therefore, this word game can be used to help improve one’s memory.
As you know very well, the key to the achieving of high points in this game is by forming words that contain a specified letter, such as “q” or “z”.
To train your memory, try to remember the words contain the letter.
As tips, to make it easier, try to associate the word with something, such as your experience, friend, favorite movie, etc.
For example, to remember the word ‘quiescent’, you can associate it with one of your friend, who is quite by nature.
You can apply this technique to remember things in your daily life.
Another technique, which is my favourite to remember a list, is by combining the words together. For example, to remember some words which begin with ‘z’, try to memorize this sentence:
“The zany zebra in the zoo runs zigzag zealously and meets zookeper, zoologist and zoombie.”
Notice that by combining them, at least you have memorized eight words that contain ‘z’ letter.
A research showed that memory can also be improved by doing light activities that stimulate thinking power. The examples of such activities include playing scrabble.
Scrabble, as you know, needs a right strategy to win. Besides having to think about your next move, you also have to think to block up your opponent’s move.
Concentrate better so your memory will improve more.
Happy playing this exciting game…
(c)David Foard - All Rights reserved http://www.online-jewelry-appraisals.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As crime and drug use increases, the risks involved in having Antique and Estate Jewelry just lying around your home seem to treble. It becomes a nightmare and you find you are just not sure what to do.
Here are some timely pieces of advice, but by no means comprehensive. If you have special circumstances, it may pay you to go one step further and get some professional advice.
BALANCE AND COMMON SENSE…
If you collect Antique Jewelry and your collection has grown to more than ‘Just a couple of Rings’ you will have a double edged sword to handle. In the first place you have two problems.
* You are an active buyer, so people know who you are.
* Insurance has put ‘Premiums’ through the roof.
Personally, we just Hate to see items collected and never worn. Jewelry was made to adorn, so if you can, wear them. But remember this is an open advert to the whole world that you have ‘Got some Jewelry’ at Home. It pays to be just a little aware!
YOUR INSURANCE POLICY…
Your Home and Contents policy ‘GENERALLY’ does NOT cover your personal Jewelry over a certain amount (this varies from company to company). Plus if you had to claim, the Insurance company may take a ‘premium’ from you (say $100) which they would DEDUCT from the final payout.
The remaining value may not cover one item in your collection, yet alone the ’sentimental’ value associated with your personal favorites.
So you will have to list all of the items individually and get an Insurance Valuation Appraisal Certificate as well.
Because ‘Sentimental’ value does not apply, only the replacement costs, you will have to ensure your qualified gemologist/jeweler/valuer understands why you are having an appraisal done in the first place.
This can get expensive as professional appraisals typically cost a flat ‘Take-in’ price of around $20 to $30 dollars plus a sliding scale fee of approximately one percent of the final value.
In an item is valued around $1000 dollars, that fee is $10 + $20 take-in or $30 plus (sometimes much higher).
This is just for ONE item. Valuation Appraisals can cost up to $60 dollars or more so if you have a small collection, you may need a small fortune just to keep up with current prices.
The BIGGER your collection - The B I G G E R your cost!
But if you don’t want a great outlay, you might just take advantage of the useful ‘Do-it-Yourself’ Online Jewelry Self Appraisal Kit at the Online Jewelry Appraisal Center at the address shown below, which is a great alternative.
This ONLINE database system calculates everything for you and prints out a descriptive Certificate and is hundreds of times more accurate and thorough than your local high street jewelers’ scribbled letterhead.
At such a low fee it’s money well spent. Indeed, if you just purchased something on eBay or Yahoo auctions, for example, you might wish to just confirm an approximate value by using this easy to use DIY Jewelry Valuation Appraisal Kit. Suppose you recently bought something from a local Dealer, on the Market or Antique Fair, why not get it checked. What’s the worst that could happen? For less than the price of a Big Mac and Coke it’s a Bargain, plus there are many other advantages to having your Jewelry done at the Online Jewelry Appraisal Center.
Your appraisal valuations should be re-done every couple of years as the price of Gold and Silver changes, as does the price of Diamonds and Gemstones and Antiques in particular.
We do offer an excellent reminder service to anyone who completes a ‘Do-it-Yourself’ Online Jewelry Self Appraisal Kit with us. This alone is worth the small fee as it relieves you of the problem.
But remember that if your Jewelry is lost or stolen, the insurance cover will only help replace your treasure with something of ‘COMPARABLE’ value.
It can’t buy you ’sentiment’ and it can’t buy you another Georgian Chatelaine to exactly replace the one you had. You may be able to get another ‘Similar’ item though, and that is better than the few dollars or so, you may have received from the Homeowners policy.
It pays to have an up-to-date Certificate. I can’t stress that enough.
If in doubt, talk with your trusted Insurance Company.
But even if it’s just for ‘Peace of mind’, the small price (less than a Cinema Ticket) is well worth the effort.
It’s a No-Brainer really.
There are several other SPECIAL REPORTS available through our eMail-on-Demand subscription box at the website, so please take some time to visit.
There is a timely warning on Security issues. It’s good advice, plus there is some great tips on Investing in Jewelry, Insurance guidelines and other notes on selling, Hallmarking tips etc, and they are being added to all the time.
And the best bit is they are FREE….
Thank you for taking the time to read this special report. If you thought it interesting, useful or found it helped you in any way I would appreciate your comments via email at the address shown below.
This is my personal email address and I read every comment - good or bad.
Alternatively: why not pass it on to a friend. I’m sure you can think of someone who might benefit from this useful information. Treat it as doing me a big favor. I will certainly appreciate it.
Thank you. As usual…. Take care and watch the road.
kind regards. David Foard F.G.A.A.
resident gemologist/valuer at the Online Jewelry Appraisal Center.
P.S. There are many other complimentary Reports available to you at our website, or if you haven’t yet done so, you may like to subscribe to our email-on-demand Newsletters - the Antique Jewelry Guide - full of Hints - Tips - Secrets and Articles in every issue.
P.P.S. If you administer a website or publish an ezine, please feel free to use this article as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed below. Just send me an email at gemmo1@online-jewelry-appraisals.com and let me know if and where you used it. If you need other great content - complimentary of course - then drop me a line at the email address given - ’cause I’ve got Gallons of the stuff….
No matter how tough you appear on the outside, dealing with criticism is hard. If you’re the victim of a harsh critique, whether justified or not, here are five ways to keep your cool and diffuse what could spiral into a heated situation!
1. One of the toughest kinds of criticisms to handle is an unjust accusation. Even though it’s tempting, don’t stage a comeback with equally defensive, biting or embarrassing personal remarks. The accuser may have just been misinformed. Instead, ask the criticizer questions and probe into their comments. Often, there is some underlying cause for their accusation. If it’s truly unjust, you’ll be able to mend the problem and state the facts right there on the spot.
2. If you immediately assume the defense, your critic will feel as if their message just hit a brick wall, and they’ll keep trying to insist and focus on the problem. By listening constructively, you’ll indicate that you’ve heard their criticism and that you intend to follow up on the problem. Even better, ask the critic what THEY would do differently if they were in your situation. Chances are, you’ll get a lot of feedback and perhaps some solid ideas and suggestions as well.
3. If the discussion becomes heated, lower your voice for every level your critic raises theirs. This shows not only that you’re calm and collected (even if your blood is boiling underneath), but puts the spotlight on the other person, embarrassing them to some degree because they were unable to maintain a reasonable tone and temper.
4. Show that you’re more interested in solving the problem than arguing for your point of view. Sometimes, an honest critique can be a delicate way of informing you of a particular problem that no one else notices or wants to share. Don’t be too quick to defend yourself or judge your accuser, and take the complaints and suggestions in stride. Chances are, it will give you some insights into improvements you can make that you ordinarily may have overlooked or not even considered.
5. If the issues begin to get out of hand, and you feel yourself starting to lose your cool, take a deep breath to gather your thoughts and ask your accuser for specific details and points that led them to bring this item to your attention. You may uncover the heart of the real matter and the real reason for their biting remarks, and it may even be something totally unrelated to the matter at hand!
Remember though, you can’t please all the people all the time. Some people are simply never satisfied. Overlook these shortsighted individuals and know deep down that you are making positive progress despite their attempts to drag you down. When you know that you’ve done your best, the bitter pill of criticism will feel more like a hearty dose of good medicine, and that makes all kinds of criticism easier to take. John Higginbotham has been on the internet for over 6 years and has extensive knowledge on internet marketing. He writes to motivate his audience as well as educate them on various subjects. You may visit his website at http://www.degree-online.info/.
What can you learn about business from a children’s movie? You can learn some great entrepreneurial lessons from the recent film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” starring Johnny Depp.
WARNING -Spoiler Alert- If you have not seen the movie (or the older version) yet, this article may give away a few elements of the story that could reduce your enjoyment of the film. You can always come back and read it after you have seen the picture.
Marketing
“Find 1 of 5 Golden Tickets in a Willy Wonka product and be one of the first people in a long time to visit the magical chocolate factory. Also, one kid will win a special prize that will exceed your wildest imagination.”
This is an excellent promotion. It sparks interest in Willy Wonka products, builds brand awareness, and most importantly; it significantly increases sales. The media picks up on the promotion and generates a tremendous amount of free publicity. Word of mouth referrals help spread the promotion to areas that were untouched by newspapers and television.
Positive Thinking
There are many “naysayers” who discourage the main character, Charlie, from getting his hopes up about finding one of the lucky Golden tickets. Negative thinking can be devastating, especially to a child. However, Charlie does not take heed of the negativity. Supported by his Grandmother’s constant reassurance, Charlie keeps a positive outlook and believes that he has as good a chance as any other kid to find one of the five tickets.
Don’t Quit
Charlie refuses to give up on his dream of finding a ticket. After he doesn’t find one on his first, and probably only, attempt - he doesn’t quit. Charlie believes that he will get one of those tickets. Providence provides two more opportunities and amazingly, Charlie finds the last ticket! This is especially significant because it had been falsely reported that all of the tickets had been found.
A Good Support Network
Charlie has an excellent support network. Although very poor in financial terms, Charlie is very rich in family. He lives in a loving environment and appreciates every member of his household. He selflessly offers to sell his ticket to provide some much needed cash for his family, instead of taking the special chocolate factory tour. His family will have nothing of it and encourages him to pursue this once in a lifetime opportunity.
When Willy Wonka offers to make Charlie his heir, Charlie refuses because accepting the offer would mean that he probably would never see his family again. Willy Wonka later makes the offer again, but allows Charlie to bring his family this time. Charlie’s family then extends its hospitality to Mr. Wonka and he ends up gaining the positive and supporting network that he had needed as well.
Four Good Lessons
If you are an entrepreneur or are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, remember these lessons from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. It takes good marketing, positive thinking, and a good support network to get started. Most importantly, don’t quit - your success may be only one candy bar away.
It is great that the phrase blog floats around the net day in and day out, but what if you have no idea what a blog really is? Is this going to be helpful to your web site? No, not really. Here we will offer the skinny on the phrase blog, and you can decide for yourself if it may or may not be useful in your web pages. This way you will not be wasting your time on something you may not need, and the energy can be put to something you find more useful for yourself.
The term blog refers to weblog and it is in every fashion not a commercial or professional site. It is more of the personal nature, for comment or web site material. Generally the most recent information on a blog is kept at the top of the page, as blog’s are dated log formats. Often they will have commentary of other sites or links directing you to them. Many times the site is dictated by group links and the log is updated frequently. The opinion is this is the very first weblog was back in 1993 it was the Mosaic. This was generally a compiling of links that where kind of disregarded. It took until 1998 for they’re to be a mere handful of these so called blog’s in existence. The blogger all knew each other and were swapping the links between each other.
By the year 1999 this term blog was starting to pick up pace, and as a result became a phenomenon. Once it became free to the public, it really took off and was a pastime that was enjoyed by many. Web logs were hand coded by developers on the web before the software became available. The use of html was the main coding for this program, and the web designers at the time were pretty much the only ones that knew it. Now that this new software is available to the general public, anyone is capable of making a blog. The moment blogger was released in 1999 it became a huge success with the public. Now people are not restricted on what kind of weblog they make, fast-forward to the year 2000 and people are making as many as 300-350 new blogs daily. There is actually a directory for all these blogs, and it contains as many as 5,500 entries. This is now a craze with over 750,000 blog users; this was not merely a passing trend obviously.
There are multiple tools these days for the people that are truly interested in blogging, this software can be found online and has become extremely popular. Check out the craze for yourself, and see what you think of it you may just enjoy it yourself.
*****
I am internet entrepreneur, who is thriving to make it out there in the world just like everyone else.
Of course, what we require to create a better living is to make money. There are a lot of things you can plunge into along the digital highway. When you are online, there are a glut of ways to get your pockets full of money, but of course, you want to do it the way it’s meant to be. They all say it’s hard, we understand that so here are a few pointers to keep you on track in making money, particularly in eBay.
What are the basics of selling on eBay and what does it mean to “run your business like a business?” Let’s grab a look:
Set up and structure your business like a professional business because it is. If you take shortcuts and try to operate on the cheap, you will on not be taken seriously. The internet is still a scary scene for a lot of folks. Take the time to brand your work. Produce a look and feel that your clients can relate to and one that creates a sense of trust.
Invest in Automation early. Whether you use an online set-up such as Vendio, Mpire or eBay’s Selling Manager or offline software such as those made by Blackthorne, Marketblast, or others, you want to automate from the beginning. Automation saves you time and makes your operation appear and function, more professionally.
When you make some money, don’t rush out and spend it. Always reinvest in your business and keep reinvesting in it.
Time is your most irreplaceable resource. Anything you can do to automate functions and get others to perform simple operational tasks will free you to do the management and creative tasks that will build your business.
Every listing is an image of you and your business. Each listing ought to look professional and contain keyword-rich headlines, good photos and item descriptions that are error-free, unabridged and that sell.
Establish sales, payment, and shipping and return policies that are both congenial and yet support your business model. Don’t be totalitarian. EBay is a community built on trust. If you trust others to do right they usually will. The percentages that don’t are quite small and you should deal with it as a cost of doing business.
Build and preserve an exceptional feedback status. Feedback is the window be means of which others see you. You can have great products, overwhelming product descriptions and superb photos –but if you have a miserable feedback score, your business will suffer.
Great feedback is built by providing great customer service. Handle every customer as you would like to be treated and you will always have a high score.
Abide by the rules. A lot of new sellers become disheartened by eBay’s complex listing regulations. You can’t fight city hall. EBay is like the government. Some of the rules may seem trivial and unfair, but it is their platform, their business and they make the rules. EBay has been pretty good over the years of responding to member feedback. If you think a rule is stupid or unworkable, don’t push the envelop and don’t get into a fight with eBay –you will lose. Instead post your opinion on the message boards. EBay members are on the boards and they look for common threads and opinions from their members. An insightful post will get read.
EBay is one of the most competitive marketplaces on Earth. Learn and remain on top of your competition constantly –and be prepared to react to changes in the marketplace. I study my competitor’s auctions at least once a week.
Experiment, test, and innovate. Experiment with new tools and software when they become available. Test different listing and pricing strategies, new products and sales strategies. Test headlines and various features. Innovate constantly. Always look for new ways to solve old problems.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of resources for the entrepreneur. Amazingly the best source of help is often other eBayers. Your direct rival may not want to help you, but there are plenty of others who will. A post on any of the eBay related forums message board will bring dozens of responses. Once you are a seller, you’ll need all the resources you have to keep your business flowing and in good shape.
Stuart Perryman
How to be an EBay Power Seller
http://ebay.alluneedtoknow.info
fosters glenn
Foster’s Glenn is one of the newest gated communities found on Johns Island, South Carolina. It’s an extremely exclusive gated community for you can experience customized estate style living. The housing development features large estate sized lots and an exclusivity found only in an intimate community.
In Foster’s Glenn, there are only 23 estate size home sites available. This means that Foster’s Glenn is exclusive. It also means that you can find the most special home site and have a customized home that you’ve always dreamed of. This is what you can find at Foster’s Glenn.
While Foster’s Glenn is an exclusive gated community, it’s not short on amenities. There are many different amenities available inside this community. There are wide open park like areas where you can enjoy all that the great outdoors offers. There’s a beautiful lake inside the community. Oak trees abound creating an ambience not found elsewhere. Fosters when is a secure community were children can still enjoy being kids.
Since the lots are quite large, you have plenty of breathing room. This means that you can create the perfect house that it’s your needs and your desires, but most of all your dreams. Where else can you create your dream home other than on Johns Island South Carolina?
Many people are looking into the lifestyle and amenities found in Foster’s Glenn. This is hardly surprising since it’s the newest gated community on one of the most popular islands in South Carolina. Foster’s Glenn offers a rule I style, but it’s only 15 minutes from beautiful downtown Charleston. No wonder why Foster’s Glenn is attainable exclusivity.
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But the one problem with trying to find a wholesale or dropshipping product is the prevalence of scams. As a result, many people risk getting ripped off by websites that offer bogus merchandise.. Get Wholesale Botton Charms at Salehoo wholesale directories and help your business. So what is drop shipping or wholesaling? If you were to start a home based business today selling pens you would need to stock lots of pens to sell right? Not necessarily. Read on about Wholesale Botton Charms and Salehoo Wholesalers. The purpose of establishing a direct contact with a drop shipper aside from the convenience and the win-win situation it entails is to keep the price as low as possible. More on Wholesale Botton Charms at Salehoo wholesalers.
Like every business, wholesale and closeout businesses understand the basic science of establishing pricing for their wholesale and closeout merchandise. The most widely used pricing formula is based on factoring in fixed and variable costs, and then adding in the mark up. But while this formula is true for all business markets, it needs to be modified for the wholesale and closeout business. Just like on shoe cannot fit all feet, one pricing formula cannot be used for all business markets. Read on about Wholesale Botton Charms. A fulfillment house will store your inventory and run the fulfillment system for you. More on Wholesale Botton Charms
Find out more about Wholesale Botton Charms and how Salehoo directory can help you start your own business from home. Wholesale Botton Charms: ” For online merchants return rates can be as high as 25% because customers can’t try on apparel or examine merchandise before making a purchase he adds.
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Experts have anticipated that Europes biggest 670 snowboarding areas could be brought down to 415 by 2045. Adelmio Li Fonti announced that ski resorts will notice the pain earlier than that date, not due to a decrease in the amount of snowfall just from a universal reduction in buying might coupled with the cost of oil. And what about global warming? Experts have shown that a twofold increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will augment floor temps by 5 to 7 Celsius. Nonetheless there remain several open queries. The acceleration of climate change and the aftermath on climate. A few degrees warming last century hasn’t been recorded in the last one million years. During the end of the ice-age 19000 years ago the warming up of 4 Celsius was over a period of 5 to 10 thousand yrs. Prior to that Les Houches and Les Gets were covered with ice and La Grave was similar to Siberia.
So what does the future hold for low level ski towns areas? Energy troubles will start to be keenly felt by 2016 - 18, resulting in increased costs for a catered chalet, ski taxi businesses and skiing lift firms alike. One half of our economy hinges upon crude oil and France buys 80 %. Currently the bill amounts to 5 % of GDP. When the cost of crude grows as predicted it’ll represent 40 percent of GDP, you can guess the economic downturn. The Alps will see the cost of agrarian goods increasing, plant life species will vary thanks to a adjustment in rain patterns. Lots of people will depart the locale because of the summertime higher temperatures, although it may be better for Chamonix summer holidays. Hydro power will be a useful resource but it isn’t clear whether it will be a boon given that there will be a lot less rainfall, a lot of water in the wintertime and less in the spring.