Resolving Your Pain

I have a friend who is very wise, he works in the film business, his perception is acute. I asked what he thought the reason for pain was, as my life has been one of suffering injustice and low-grade agony for years on end. He told me that the pain we suffer today saves us from a worse pain tomorrow.

I was gobsmacked. "The world is about to fall backwards into a holocaust of pain," I said, "I don't think I could face it. Betrayal hurts me the most and the children about equal, I suppose. They seem innocent."

He said that betrayal and disappointment is part of our tears so we can learn how futile it all is. In that process, we see that futility is one of the important lessons we have to learn. Once we understand futility, we can appreciate real spiritual worth better when we see it. We are more grateful for it.

I explained I have been ripped off and betrayed by almost every single person that has ever gotten close to me, with hardly any exceptions.

The film man reminded me of a strange phenomenon, in that he said the light evokes the dark to come out. I told him I've had direct experience of this, as when I go into the Aluna Mirror World dimension, my light (little as it might be) is still enough to attract the ghouls to come out of the dark--and I then kill them. I've rubbed out 84,000 in one-on-one hand fighting since I started nine months ago. It must help a bit.

I told him I can see in the dark. The Sacred Beings manufactured some etheric glasses for me over a period of three years, like night visions glasses. And though I have seen the ghouls in night-vision green, I usually see them in the dark by the slight change or nuance their almost imperceptible movements make. Sometimes, if one is hiding deep in the darkness of the hell worlds, a purple dot flashes at its location to show me where it is. Then I get it.

My friend said it is the same process for the people close to me. Their dark comes out and they falter. That really moved my soul. I've seen it happen so many times in the past two years, maybe twenty times. Almost none stood to the task. All those endless pledges of love, bravery and loyalty--just hollow words and cheesy grins. And then there were a few that did stand their ground. Bless 'em.

Then one day four of us started to get what I call the Lamb of God pain. It is a deep etheric pain in one's energy field, like a pain in the bones for which there is no cure or medical remedy. It is excruciating, and when it gets really bad, I have to lie down and stay very still, or I'd pass out from it.

It comes from people in the street--feeling the pain of their lives--or the pain of mangled children in Palestine, or from war and people's hatred generally.

A friend told me to blow love on to the place in my body where it hurts from absorbing the pain. And that worked a bit. But then the Beings showed me another technique that really works that can also help you with all your emotional pain.

As a person passes me in the street and their pain hurts me badly, I say almost silently, "I offer you my piety". Not that I think I have any great piety to speak of, just to say I humbly offer you what I do have. I offer you my compassion. I offer you my love. I offer you my ability to see. I offer you my eternity. I offer you my courage. I offer you my tenderness, and so on.

It may sound grandiose, but if you do it from all humility, it is not grand. It is much like saying, "I don't have a lot of food, but I offer you what I do have."

Create a Family Journal

I'm thinking of a line that I heard in a movie, the name of which I cannot remember. In effect it stated that If you write a lot of letters, someone else will have the history of your life, but if you keep a journal, you will have the history of your life. This may not sound like an important concept at first, but think of the value your writings could have to a grandchild or a great-grandchild who never met you. I can only imagine how I would cherish a journal, a letter or even a note form one of my ancestors. I can find some of their names in family bibles or on public records but those documents reveal nothing of their character, their personality, their joys or the hardships they endured.

Being confronted with the task of helping one of my children with a school genealogy project made me keenly aware of my ignorance. I couldn't even spell genealogy. I knew only the name of my paternal grandfather. I could remember my maternal grandparents, but not even the names of my maternal great-grandparents. I had met one of my great-grandmothers when I was a small child and she was very old, but I knew her only as Granny. I knew nothing of their life, childhood, health, physical characteristics, philosophy, taboos, or politics.

We never think of these things when our grandparents are alive and able to give us some insight to our heritage; by the time we become interested it is usually too late. Fortunately for me, I was able to interview my mother and a couple of aunts for some names and a few personal glimpses into their past. With that information, the aid of Internet resources and some public records, I now have a well documented family tree with a lot of names. I know for instance that some of my ancestors fought in the revolutionary war, the Indian wars and the civil war. Some were married to Native Americans and most were modest farmers of European descent. What I would really like to know is how they lived, how they felt, what they thought and what they loved. It would also be helpful to know something of their health. What diseases were they prone to that may have been passed along? Were they diabetic or obese, did they have allergies, asthma, arthritis, heart disease or cancer?

Family lore, personal knowledge and public records tell me that there were no great literary minds in my family. To a person they were poor and uneducated if not illiterate. Estates were liquidated easily and heirlooms were poorly preserved. The Civil War was especially disastrous in that it left widows and children to fend for themselves while education took a back seat to survival. In today's world of technology, keeping and distributing a journal is a simple matter. Material is easy to come by and Internet venues are plentiful. A wellspring of resources are now available on the Internet in the form of email, blogospheres and social networking.

Rest assured that many of your descendants will not be interested, but those that are will be more than glad to know you by way of your journal. You can leave your descendants a legacy to build upon for generations to come. A personal journal or family biography may be the single most valuable thing that you can leave behind for your hairs.

Following Our Ancestor's Trails

Getting started following your ancestor's trails is the easiest part; you start with yourself. You can grow your research as large as you want, from simply direct ancestors to hundreds and even thousands of cousins. The more I research the more I'm convinced we're all related at some point. Actually we are, we're all part of God's plan from Adam and Eve on. A good genealogy computer program will help keep your research organized and easy to work with. A file box and folders for keeping hard copies of documents you have found is also a good idea. If you are lucky enough to still have your grandparents; great nobody better loves to talk about family than your grandparents. I unfortunately didn't get interested in genealogy till after my parents had passed away, so I had to get my information hunting through public records right away. I missed out on a lot of stories about my family that friends of mine had about theirs. After you've entered your direct information either in your computer program or in genealogy forms, (follow my link at the end and I'll show you where to get forms for free) it's time to branch out by exploring public records. The first place I started to look for records was at my local genealogy society. Your local public library might have a genealogy section or know where the nearest genealogy society is. There're two good places to start, most societies are very helpful and will direct you to other places to find records about your family. The next place I went was to the local court house, you'll find marriage, divorce, land, will, and trial records there. Go to the clerk of court's office and they will be glad to help, they handle the very sensitive documents for copying but you can usually search the records yourself. Next place I visited was the local Family History Center, they are operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints. The Family History Center has access to a large collection of public records microfilmed and held at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I have links with more tips and information on my website at http://www.ancestorstrails.yolasite.com to help you find your ancestor's trails.

Growing older gracefully

As people age, often physical mobility can become impaired or restricted. For those who experience unwelcome changes in their physical abilities, the prospect of moving to a retirement community can be unpleasant and even frightening. Luckily, there are a number of modifications that can be made to existing homes to make them much more accessible for those with limited mobility. This can allow older homeowners a greater measure of independence and safety while remaining in familiar surroundings.

An article published in 2009 in The Gerontologist, "Residential Modifications and Decline in Physical Function Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults", provided evidence that certain home modifications can have significant effects on the mobility of older homeowners. The results of the study showed that with appropriate modifications to accommodate the physical limitations of older residents, the progress of physical debilitation could be slowed or, in some cases, arrested completely. This is good news for aging homeowners who want to remain in their homes. A few simple modifications can provide extra help when it's needed most.

Installing grab bars in the bathroom can be a good first step in creating an accessible home environment. Most falls occur in the bathroom, so adding bars to the side of the bathtub and a railing alongside the toilet can assist older people in standing up or extricating themselves from the bath. Non-slip mats or decals for the bottom of the tub are also useful in preventing falls. If the homeowner is confined to a wheelchair, the door to the bathroom should be widened to allow easy access. Another option is to add or remodel a walk-in shower. This eliminates the necessity for stepping over a raised bathtub edge and rising from a sitting position, and with appropriate non-slip coatings on the floor and grab bars on the walls, shower stalls can be convenient and safe alternatives to traditional bathtubs.

Ramps or chair lifts are a necessity for those who are confined to a wheelchair, but live in a multi-story home. While ramps are usually installed outside, chair lifts are becoming more and more popular for indoor staircases since they are becoming less expensive and can even be rented in some instances.

The kitchen is a special area of concern for mobility-challenged people. Countertops will need to be lowered to accommodate the needs of those confined to wheelchairs. Special kitchen appliances are available to allow accessibility; while these are sometimes expensive, grants are occasionally available to pay a portion of the costs. Another solution is to build a raised floor area around the countertops and appliances, raising the wheelchair to the appropriate level; this is a temporary measure, but can provide a great deal of independence for older adults who want to continue living in their own homes.

Adjustable beds, while technically not a home improvement, can be of great assistance to elderly homeowners by reducing the risk of falls and allowing optimal position for fragile older spines. A restful night's sleep can help prevent accidents by ensuring that older homeowners are alert and at their best mentally and physically.

Scientific studies have shown that the right home improvements can help aging homeowners stay healthier, happier, and more comfortable in their own homes. By staying more active and involved in life, older people can actually slow physical deterioration and maintain more independence and autonomy in their golden years.

Fun Activities for Kids

I always favor toys for children that are open ended. By that I mean the results are not predetermined. For example on a television set the images and the story unfold instantaneously before your eyes and nothing is left to the imagination. Ever heard the old saying? "Yeah I like the movie but the book was better." Well these toys are the original stories behind the mass produced tripe that lines the toy aisles of department store these days!

Lego

This is amazing and ranks very highly for me in terms of creativity. Our top lego activities at the moment are all space based with rockets being the most popular. But we have had a lego bakery with an eskimo theme and a crocodile for the baker, many different zoos, castles, bridges, cars, houses, and even a lego rollercoaster!

Toy Cars

In the dirt, on the mat, in the sand, in the bath and even up the wall. Cars are busy everywhere in our house some days! Although there is often a lot of crashing going on my kids have recently discovered the joy of constructing jumps and once this happens, the play moves to a whole new level of exciting.

The Bug Catcher

Dun dun... Yep moving right along to scientific studies now and there seems to be nothing more riveting that the capture of an insect.

Puppets

I love the dialogue that sneeks out from behind the wings of the puppet theatre during rehearsals. Talk about giggle... but puppets don't have to be conventional, we recently made some very lovely puppets from brown paper bags and you know often the more restricted the materials the more imaginative you become.

Dolls

Well yes I had to mention it because they are quite open ended... Barbies. The activities that I love to see kids doing with Barbies are the role playing ones where the content is really positive.

How to find the right partner?

Unsure of what the future brings us, young and full of hopes and dreams, we step into the difficult life of dating and relationships without any experience. And then, based only on what we feel, we think the right partner is the person that gives us the biggest thrill, the one that first makes us feel an impossible to fight attraction.

So our first experiences of love are physical, and they can't always be the right choices. Among lots of sad love stories and many more disappointments one can find the right one that makes them complete and safe.

Maybe the word safe turns many hearts away, it may seem wrong to romantic persons, but that is the key that unlock the door to a perfect partner and a perfect relationship.

So, to find the right one we have to look deep inside ourselves and see what our most intimate desires are. We have to know ourselves at the highest level to discover what exactly we expect from others. Once we did that, then we are ready to explore, search the world for the one and if we're lucky we'll find our happiness. The first criterion one must rely on is the heart, of course, because where everything is perfect but there's no love, which is not a relationship, that's a friendship. So find someone you love and start a relationship. Then, after the first weeks when everything is perfect no matter what, the blindness of love will begin to disappear and you be able to see everything that makes your partner what he/she is: all the qualities and all the defects. Putting everything in balance is the key. Here's where the second criteria comes forward, a criteria that must be based on reason: here you must think hard and see if you can live forever maybe with the one you love. Most of the times, when nothing is wrong apparently, people go on and on with meaningless relationships that become a habit more that a love. You must, above everything, never do that mistake cause if you do you'll see the truth too late, when many disappointments changed you and made you more bitter in love.

In conclusion, finding the right partner is easy for everyone that knows hoe to use his/hers hearts and mind as one. If we suffer a little when we give up on a love that makes us sad and angry, we'll be plentifully rewarded when we'll find out we did a right choice and that choice was the one that allowed us to meet and keep the right one next to us.

Prostate Problems

The prostate is a gland located in the male reproductive system. It lies close to the rectum and wraps around the urethra (the tube that carries the urine from the bladder). Prostate problems can occur at any age, but men between the ages of 30 and 50 experience prostate problems more than any other age group.

Problems
Prostatitis: This is inflammation of the prostate gland, which is usually caused by an infection. Only 5% of the infections are caused by bacteria, the rest have an unknown cause. A bacterial infection can either be acute or chronic and can cause several different side effects. This is the most common prostate problem for men under the age of 50.

Enlarged Prostate: For men over the age of 50, an enlarged prostate is the most common prostate problem. An enlarged prostate is also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As men age, the prostate can keep growing. As the prostate grows, it can begin to put pressure on the urethra, which carries the urine. Problems with urination, stream flow, and even blood in the urine or back pain can occur.

You will want to contact your physician if you experience any of these problems. Other side effects include:
• Frequency of urination increases, especially in the middle of the night
• Feeling of urgency for urination
• Trouble starting a urine stream
• Weak stream flow
• Leaking or dribbling of urine
• Feeling like you still need to urinate even after you do
• Small amount of urine expelled each time you go

BPH does not lead to cancer but can lead to other serious problems, such as an infection. By itself, BPH is not a serious condition.

Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer is a serious condition. In some cases, prostate cancer grows very slowly and it is possible that one may never know that they have it or may never experience any problems throughout their life because of it.

There are several treatment options that are available for prostate cancer. They are:
• Radical Prostatectomy
• External Radiation Therapy (XRT)
• Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy)
• Hormone Therapy

The radical prostatectomy, external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy are all surgical procedures designed to remove and/or apply radiation to the cancerous cells, in an effort to possibly eliminate the cancer.

Hormone therapy is designed to slow the growth of the cancer but not remove it. Hormone therapy is more effective if it is used in combination with another procedure rather than by itself. There are side effects for hormone therapy and those depend on the type of medication prescribed by the physician.
Prostate problems can either be simple and not cause any trouble or be very serious. If you feel as though you may be experiencing any type of prostate problem, it is recommended that you contact your physician to determine the diagnosis.

Staying Happy in an Unhappy Time

There is no doubt that the present recession can cause many to forget what life is all about and ultimately some unrest with their life and situation but there are a number of things that you can do to improve your life and your level of happiness. And it all starts with realizing that in all likelihood the situation that you may be in that causes your unhappiness will not go on forever, that there is an end. Not all problems can be solved today and it isn't healthy to worry yourself sick over something that can be changed right away. There are a few simple ways to clear your mind and worry about each days ups and downs rather than everything all at once.

One way to increase your happiness is to get up every morning and decide that your going to make that day a good day. It shouldn't matter what yesterday was like and you shouldn't always be worrying about what tomorrow will be like either. By concentrating on the day that is beginning you can put those days you don't want to think about in the back of your mind and think about all that you can do to make this day so good that it makes up for the last bad day you had or even the one you think you're going to have.

Another way to improve your happiness is to not let the small things bother you so much. Do you ever go into a grocery store and get excessively frustrated over that person in the line taking to long to dig out exact change, or the person that brings up an item with no tag and you have to wait for a price check? Well, next time try to find something to occupy your time while your waiting. Take the time to make a mental to-do list or to brainstorm for a project you may have coming up, but most of think about that person and what kind of day they might be having. Sometimes that person you get so frustrated with is having a worse day than yourself, and besides is it really worth ruining your day over standing in line a few extra minutes?

Finally, one of the easiest ways to improve your happiness is to improve your perception of yourself. Those that love themselves often find the greatest happiness in life and will find it much easier to get over life's little speed bumps. There are a number of factors that contribute to our perceptions of ourselves and they shouldn't all have to do with the way we look. The way we feel is the most important contributer to how we look at ourselves. Getting the right exercise and eating the right diet can drastically change how we feel about ourselves. Many people do not even recognize the guilt that they feel by blowing off exercise and healthy eating because they have gotten so used to it but paying attention to this not so small detail can really make a difference in someones life.

Paying attention to these few simple things can put you on the road to true happiness even during a time when happiness has become a rare commodity.

Seven Simple Steps to Living a Happier Life

Happiness is that elusive thing we are all striving for and hoping to find. Everyone seeks to be happy and live a more fulfilling life.

Happiness is mostly an attitude, a feeling of satisfaction with yourself and your place in the world. Here are some tips for living a happier, more fulfilled life.

Learn to Relax: Take the time to enjoy the small things in life, don't rush or hurry, and just enjoy being. Work on reducing the amount of stress in your life whether it is work hours, time commitments, or other demanding situations.

Practice Forgiveness: People who hold onto anger and grudges tend to have more health problems and fewer friendships than those who have learned to let go and forgive. Old resentments and arguments only pull us down and hurt ourselves. You've heard the expression, "Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?". Choose to be happy and let the past go.

Experience Joy: Laugh more often, sing silly songs, put on some music and dance. Express the joy that is inside you physically. Create an atmosphere around you that is carefree.

Smile More: Not only does it make you look better but it helps your health too. Studies have shown that people who smile more often are healthier and more successful. Grin and show it.

Focus on the Future: Set some optimistic long term goals for yourself and then pursue them with passion. The effort that you exert toward these long term goals will bring you satisfaction with every bit of progress that you make.

Be a Friend: Strive to develop happy positive relationships with people who have common interests. Get involved with activities with those who share your hobbies. Take the time and the effort to establish good relationships with people by supporting them and giving them your attention. Surround yourself with people who are positive and beneficial to your life and your goals.

Give to Others: Oftentimes when we are struggling it is hard to see the world outside our own sphere of anguish. That is why it is important that we take the time to help other people out of their despair and assist them in getting their lives back on track. Whether you are helping a friend with their home improvement project or helping a stranger by donating your time to their charitable cause, giving back to others helps everyone involved.

Prostate Cancer, Men's Silent Killer

Cancer of the prostate is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of death in North America. It is a primarily a disease of older men, increasing in incidence with age, with the majority of cases diagnosed in men older than 65 years old. It is eliminated that each year, approximately 189,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 30,000 will die of it.

The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, although androgens are believed to have a role in its development. Almost all primary prostate cancers are developing in the peripheral zone of the prostate gland. This location increases the risk of local spread to the prostatic capsule. As the tumor enlarges, it may compress the urethra, obstructing urinary flow.

Men with early-stage prostate cancer often in pain with the initial manifestation noted. Urinary manifestations depend on the size and the location of the tumor and the stage is malignancy. Death usually occurs secondary to debility cause by multiple site of skeletal, especially to the vertebrae. It may eventually involve in bone marrow, resulting in severe anemia and impaired immune function. The definitive diagnosis can be made only by biopsy. However, other test may suggest the presence of prostate cancer.

The treatment is complex and depends on the grade and stage of the cancer as well as the age and health of the person. Treatments for prostate cancer include surgery, radiation therapy and hormone manipulation but has limited life emergency. In some cases, when the patient with a slow growing tumor is elderly watchful waiting is the treatment chance.

Prostate cancer is very dangerous, but having a discipline lifestyle and proper balance food in our body we can still have a safe and happy life. All men should take good care of their body in order to live healthy and it is the best way to treat them to become worthy. Life is to short that is why we must always learn how to treasure it, God created man to use his wisdom properly.

Coaching For Teen Girls

Do you know how special you are? Do you feel blessed? Have you ever imagined what heights you could reach? You are special more than you may want or care to know. You are one of a kind, you are gifted and talented beyond your wildest dreams.

As a teen girl you have super intelligence, you are young and impressionable. What you see in yourself will reflect on who you become. Look at yourself through the eyes of your maker. You have been placed here on earth to leave a mark. Aspire for greatness.

My passion as a coach is to see teens realise their full potential, their dreams and create their own success stories in every area of their lives. I live especially to see teen girls come to realise their self-worth, build their confidence levels and come to know without a shadow of doubt that the sky is truly the limit. It is always a defining moment for me when a teen who was self destructive comes to finally appreciate that there is more to them than meets the eye. Also that it does not matter about their looks, whether or not they can afford the next fashion trend and how they cannot be influenced negatively by peer pressure.

As a teen girl, your self-respect should be number one on your list. Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, do not let anyone tell you otherwise, not your friends, your family, siblings, teachers or yourself. For any teen with self respect, they conduct themselves in a wise manner and it shows in their choice of friends and relationships with others. Love and adore who you have been created to be.

The next on your priority list is to set goals. I must admit I did not set goals as early as I should have, due to a lack of guidance, but once I understood the concept I started setting goals for every area of my life from my health to how I was going to make my wealth. It has been incredible ever since.

Goal setting is a must if you want to achieve results in your life. You need to set long term goals and short term goals. You have to set academic goals like what grades you want, what profession, career or business you are interested in, which should help you to make the right choices in your field of studies.

One teen girl I coached, revealed how as soon as she learned to write, her mother asked her what she wanted to be in the future in terms of career, she replied at the age of six that she wanted to be a medical doctor to help the sick. Her delighted mother made her write it down on a piece of paper and together, they sealed it and placed it away for safe keeping. That was this tender aged, barely out of pampers girl's goal, a long term goal indeed, but today in spite of taking a few wrong turns along the way and with coaching she is now in her final year of medical school. You will always propel towards your goals.

Start writing your goals immediately and place them where you can see them. Some people place theirs where they are not reachable and when they eventually pick them up, they would have become what they planned.

You should also teach yourself to be expectant of the best. After all you always stand a better chance of winning when you are optimistic than when pessimistic. In life I have come to see that people who always expect good things in life seldom get disappointed. The universe reflects back to you what you are thinking and will make you attract the very things that you are constantly thinking about. It has been said that the universe can be likened to a movie camera. When you feel and think something, the universe will pick it up and project it.

Learn to have and add fun to whatever you do, it is vital. If you do something that does not make you feel good then think twice about it and readjust your attitude. The more fun you have in doing something, the more you will find yourself doing it the more. My advice is, add fun to your studies and you will find yourself studying more. You are responsible for making life fun or boring. Add as much fun as possible even to the most tedious of jobs and you will begin to see drastic results in your life.

Listen to this story about two men who were cutting out stones. A passer-by asked the first man "What are you doing?" His reply was "I am cutting these hard, boring old rocks which are breaking my back" while wiping his brow off his sweat. When he saw the second man and asked him the same question, he lifted his face up with bright eyes, smiled and said delightfully "I am building a Cathedral."

What a big difference between two men working on the same thing. A fun attitude and mindset will make your life a joy.

Above all give God first place in your life. Your life will definitely be one of sheer bliss. You are and deserve the best My Super Teen girl.

Thirteen Strategies For Making Great Decisions

Often we are not very aware of the decision-making strategies we use, or of what other strategies are available to us. Below are 13 common decision-making styles or methods. Use this list to help coachees identify the strategies that are most comfortable and familiar, and what new strategies they might want to explore. Running a major decision through several strategies can be very revealing!

Rational
"What are the pros and cons for each option?" Which is most advantageous?"

Intuitive
"What is your gut saying? What feels right to you?"

Relational
"How will this course of action affect the people around you? Who will benefit, who will be hurt?"

Principled
"How do the key principles and priorities you live by apply to this decision?"

Alignment
"How well does decision align with your passions, your values, and your calling?"

Decisive
"What approach would most quickly lead you to a decision here?"

Adaptive
"What things could be left open to allow for new information or options that don't appear today? What thing must be decided now, that you cannot put off for later?"

Counsel
"What does your spouse think? How about some key friends or advisors?"

Team
"What your team members think? What would happen if you decided as a team?"

Spiritual
"What decision would best align with your faith? What is God saying to you on this?"

Negative Drives
"What fears or inner drives are influencing your response? How could you remove those things from the equation so you can make a better decision?"

Cost
"What would it cost in terms of time and resources to do this? What would it cost you if you don't do this? What's the cost if you don't decide or let circumstances overtake you?"

Risk/Reward
"What is the payoff for each option? The risk? Can you live with the worst-case outcome? What steps will minimize risk and maximize the chance of success?"

Tony Stoltzfus is a nationally-known Christian life coach and trainer. He works with senior leaders worldwide through Coaching Pastors to help them engage God in difficult circumstances, clarify their callings and craft convergent ministry roles that maximize their impact in the Kingdom.

Can College Students Make Money Online? See the Amazing, Critical, Free Tips to Success

Imagine waving good bye to your child heads off to college, questions running through your mind. My son will be heading off to college at the end of the summer. I'm worried about how he can enjoy the college life, do his school work and hold down a part-time job, all without getting burned out and letting his grades slip. This was not going to be a problem before my husband got laid off, but now I'm afraid my son will have to pitch in and get a job to help with daily expenses. Perhaps the added responsibility will be beneficial but I'm not so sure.

My neighbor down the street has a son in college a year ahead of our boy and I know he was doing something on the internet to make extra money while in school... he even bought his own car. So, I headed down the street to ask my neighbor how can college students make money online, and can they do it for free.

• Very Profitable Online- it is possible to make good money online. She shared that her son's "used" car actually cost more than our new one! Some kind of classic sports car or something; anyway, I asked him what in the world he was doing to make money and did his mother approve? I just knew it had something to do with objectionable material or gambling maybe.

• Affiliate Marketing, turns out, he was doing something called Affiliate Marketing. He showed me how he would find groups of people that had a problem and he would match them up with someone who could sell them a solution. He never bought anything to resell rather he was an affiliate for the person who owned the product and his job was to send interested people to his sales page. If they made a purchase he made a commission.

• VERY BIG thing right now on the Internet because there are even independent third parties that handle all the transactions so the people get their product, the owner gets his money and the affiliate gets his commission.

He told me that you really need to know what you are doing but once you learn all the secrets it's like taking candy from a baby. I asked if he would teach my son how to do it and of course while my husband is out of work I'd love t be able to pitch in so he is showing me not only how college students can make money online for free, but mom's with out of work husbands as well.

Summing it all up for Affiliate Marketing:

Affiliate Marketing-This program works with online products, a lot of things are of course sold online now and the demand for these are typically high. This includes anything from computers, and clothes to kitchen appliances and e-Books or other products which can be downloaded (digital Products).

Locate the best products and drive qualified, highly motivated buyers to the sales page. At this point the merchant takes control and completes the sale. Then of course you get the fat check, which is typically 50-75% of the price,and repeat the process as many times as you can.

Why the Best Money Making System is So Hard to Find

Almost everyone promoting online today thinks that they have the best money making system. Obviously, they can't all be right, just by definition alone. The truth is, most of the people saying that are not making any money at all. I'll tell you how I know this and why the best program is so hard to find.

First of all, if someone really does have the best money making system, they don't have to use hype to get people to look at their offer. They simply have to plug into the system and let it go to work. The results will speak for themselves.

Second, when someone claims to have the best money making system, they are usually talking about one income stream. What they don't realize is that in order to really make a lot of money, you have to have several things working for you at the same time.

It's the whole concept of having multiple streams bringing in money. That is how fortunes are made and empires are built. Not by doing one thing over and over again.

Third, the best money making system would have to be something that does not take a lot of time to maintain. Otherwise, it would be a pain in the neck.

But if you have been around the block a few times, you know that no one ever tells you everything involved in their programs. That is until you spend all of your time setting everything up. And by then it is too late.

Fourth, for it to really be the best money making system, it has to be simple enough for anyone to do. Again, not a lot of programs out there even come close to being anything short of complex.

So how do you find the best money making system then? What it boils down to is this: the best money making system is the one that really works for you. I know, it sounds crazy.

Let me put this into perspective for you with a real world example.

My neighbor invited me to a party at her house where a salesperson would be demonstrating kitchen tools. I happen to love this particular company's products, so I went and purchased several items from the consultant.

Afterwards, my neighbor told me that she is going to go into business doing the same thing. Now even though I have my own home based business that may have worked for her, I expressed excitement at the prospect of her getting her started with that company. I mean, who am I to tell her that she would not make money at it? She may end up loving it and making more at it than anyone else in the history of the whole company!

Now to my knowledge, this company has never created any millionaires. However, it has given a lot of women (and possibly a few men) the extra income they were looking for at a particular time in their lives.

Yes, but isn't that time consuming you ask--having to go to people's houses for several hours to make a hundred dollars (if that--I was the only one who showed that night)?

Sure it is. But when you love doing something it doesn't feel like work at all.

Now, I am not advocating that you go out and sign up with the next party plan that shows up at your door. However, I am suggesting that you open your mind up to the possibility that there may be a lot of things that will work for you.

And better yet, there may be a way of putting them together to create the best money making system you could ever hope to find anywhere.

Business Online

What is the purpose of your life? most people would say it is to love, be loved and to grow, which is great, we all want that, but when it comes to business we must define a greater purpose set some goals and targets to reach. One of the hardest challenges in life is to make the right choices. We choose and make decisions daily, all decisions we make will affect our lives one way or another.

Choosing the Right New Business Opportunity for YOU.

You must first make a list of what's most important to you in your new business. Is making a lot of money the most important? Is helping other people in need the most important? only you can decide this but you must be honest about your choices, because it will affect your business and your life.

Now that you have decided what the most important focus of your new business will be, you now need to make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.

Do you remember growing up? believing that deep down in your soul you had a special gift and wanting to make the world a better place. For many, those dreams have dissipated through the years and they got accustomed to their daily routines, lost all hope, thinking that perhaps they do not have that special gift after all.

That's also a choice you have made, you chose your routine life, whether consciously or unconsciously, at some point in your life you decided to settle for what you currently have.

You have everything you need within you to change and make new choices for your life, like starting a new business.

Make a list of your strengths, are you good with people? do you enjoy working with people? you have a knack for selling? You must be honest with this list so you may make the best choice for your new business.

Make a list of your weaknesses, perhaps dealing with people is one of your weaknesses, you are too shy or you feel intimidated. List all your weaknesses so you may make the correct choice when choosing your new opportunity-business.

For example, if your biggest weakness is fumbling your words when speaking to an audience, then you certainly wouldn't want to start up a seminar business on how to? (example). If you're prone to feeling ill when changing a baby's diaper then you certainly wouldn't want to start an elderly care business and having to clean up the elderly. These are all important factors to incorporate into the business choices you need to make.

Making a true decision means cutting off any other possibility, there is no alternative.

When you truly decide that you are going to follow your dreams and start up your own business, then that's it....it's over, there is no alternative. Once you've made this tough decision you may actually feel a tremendous amount of relief.

You now have a clear unquestioned objective. This clarity gives you an incredible amount of strength, decide what to focus on every minute of your life.

What should you do now? Chose the business you would like to get into, learn everything you can about that new opportunity, and focus on what it will take to make it happen. Do not deviate, do not get discouraged if you run into a wall (trust me you will) and most importantly think about what accomplishing these goals will do for you and your family. How happy do you want to be? It's a choice only you can make!

We all have the power within us to achieve great things, only those who make that choice will reach their final destination.

Dare to Dream!

Did You Know That Drinking Water Stations Can Endanger Your Health?

While there has been concern over tap water for many years, it has become apparent that what comes out of the faucet is contaminated and often, very dangerous. Obviously, with water containing a variety of dangerous chemicals and parasites, many people are now choosing drinking water stations. These systems are commonly found in businesses, schools, medical facilities, and even homes. However, what you need to know is that these systems are actually contributing to the problem.

Unfortunately, most stations are unsafe. The reason is that the water is actually contaminated, coming straight out of the tap. Unfortunately, unsuspecting people take a nice, long drink as an alternative to tap water, believing they are taking steps to a healthier life. However, unless the station is from a reputable company, one that guarantees that only 100% filtered or mineral water is used, chances are people are drinking nothing more than tap water that is loaded with chemicals, parasites, and other dangerous contaminants.

The only filter these drinking water stations have is the basic carbon system. Yes, this type of filter can eliminate some of the harmful chemicals found in standard tap water but the truth is, they are not sophisticated enough to filter out everything. That means harmful chemicals, parasites, and other contaminants are being consumed, such as chlorine, lead, parasites, and more.

Even worse, these special water systems are designed with polycarbonate containers. This means in addition to the carbon filter eliminating only some of the dangers, the plastic container itself promotes additional health risks. New studies have shown that plastic, which is made from chemicals, can be very hazardous. For instance, when food is heated in a plastic container in a microwave, chemicals are released into the food. The same is true for these stations in that water being stored within plastic containers only further promotes contamination.

Okay, if you are like other people, you want to know how to eliminate dangerous chemicals, parasites, and other contaminations altogether. The answer is actually quite simple. The key is to avoid water from stations and choose only what has been filtered at home with an installed purification system. In this case, you could easily take fresh, clean, and safe water to work, while also having confidence that you and the entire family are consuming something at home that is pure and safe.

The good news is that filtration systems on the market today are beneficial for purifying contaminated water. Of course, you want to choose the right system, not one that uses a simple carbon filter. These systems come in three primary options that include the faucet system, the countertop system, and the under-counter system. Choosing a filter system that uses a high-density ceramic filter ensures that even the smallest contaminates are trapped. That way, contaminated water is a problem solved. You should take time to learn about the actual dangers found in what comes from the tap, as well as details on the top of the line filtration systems so you stop the danger!

How Emotional Hunger Leads to Bad Eating Habits

Negative Eating Habits
Many people adopt bad eating habits which are based primarily on feelings and emotions. Depending on what's bugging you or keeping you happy at the time, you could quite easily make a food choice depending on your present state of mind.

The decrease or improvement of one's appetite can be influenced by a number of factors, including health problems, job loss, relationship problems, and the like. In fact, the slightest change in a person's routine can cause some changes in his or her daily diet.

Some people seek comfort in food, whenever something gets them down. This is primarily referred to as emotional or bad eating habits. Since some foods are known to boost mood, people have become more dependent on emotional eating.

Emotional eating however is not always healthy, which is why there are effective ways to deal with this type of behavior. Before you gorge on anything, it helps to identify if you are really hungry at all.

While losing weight can be done through a number of ways, including the consumption of diet pills, effectively recognizing emotional hunger can help you deal with weight gain early on.

Emotional Instability

Emotional instability tends to brings about emotional or bad eating habits, even when the person is not hungry. He or she feels the need to consume food, simply for comfort's sake. This is why it is so important for you to differentiate between physical hunger from emotional hunger.

If you know you have just eaten a few hours ago and feel hungry all the same, you might think twice about grabbing that next meal. This could merely be a compulsion to feed your emotional hunger or to use an appetite suppressant like Proactol Pills to curb physical hunger.

You need to find other ways to comfort you when you are feeling down, and not focus solely on the comfort provided by eating your favorite food. Find other avenues to use or release your energy by instead focusing your attention on other areas of interest. You can go for a short walk, read a book or a magazines or simply watch a funny movie.

The emphasis here is to distract your mind away from food as the means of satisfying your emotional stress or needs.

Focus instead on more positive ways to overcome your emotional hungers needs and instead lead a more healthy lifestyle.

Best Bread Mixers

For baking enthusiast, nothing beats a good mixer. Baking, like cooking is an art. Many would say cooking is for everybody but best cooks are of limited numbers. You have to possess an inner passion within to create a good meal. Same with baking, you have to have an enormous passion within you to begin with. Let say when you have the best mixer, you got everything covered. Bosch mixers are one of the best inventions of all time. The Bosch Company has been making precision tools, appliances, and engine parts, since 1886.

The newsiest addition, their very own Bosch Mixers are specifically designed help bakers from all over the world to have ease of mixing. In the market today, you can find numerous brands for baking aids however Bosch Mixers are designed to give more power, efficiency, and of course, durability. Bosch bread maker is another good deal. This piece of heaven is perfect for personal or professional use. They have designed the motor for efficiency and durability. No wonder professional bakers prefer Bosch mixers to aid their baking and pastry needs.

Good news to all baking devotees, The Bosch Company's best seller, Bosch Universal is on sale. Best deal ever! This generation of kitchen machine offers added power, improved safety features, and updated styling. The powerful 800 watt motor provides four speeds plus impulse, and all of the machine's components and accessories are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. Bosch Universal Sale is still ongoing until supplies last.
Prices:

In the USA: Regular Price: $539.99 USD Sale Price: $399.99 USD

In Canada Regular Price: $649.99 CAD Sale Price: $499.99 CAD

Prices include shipping.

Bosch Universal Mixers is another good piece of investment. The Bosch Universal Mixer is perfect for preparing both quantity and quality foods. The system includes a plastic bowl; dough hook, whips, splash ring, & cover, blender is optional. The New Bosch has a powerful 800 Watt motor. Mixing bowl capacity is 15 lbs. of dough, or 6.5 Quarts. Four controlled speeds plus a momentary switch for pulse operation and, comes with the best warranty in the business, including a 3 year motor warranty.

Ten Tips to Fat Loss Success

There are lots of tips and advice when it comes to fat loss, here are ten top tips that helped many members of my family on their weight loss journey.

1. Making time to eat breakfast. If you don't eat breakfast then this will slow your metabolism down and your body will store calories rather than burn them.

2. Eating at regular intervals. If you fail to eat at regular intervals then your body may go into starvation mode which means it will store any food it gets later in case it happens again.

3. Try to do some aerobic exercise early in the day. This will up your metabolism for the remainder of the day. Examples could be cycling or walking to work, using an exercise machine you have at home or a fitness dvd.

4. Build muscle. Weight training or resistance exercises will help you build muscle which burns more calories than fat even when you are not exercising!

5. Eat smaller meals more frequently rather than 3 large meals. This keeps your body fuelled throughout the day and means you are less likely to snack.

6. Drink plenty of water. In addition to helping your body flush out toxins, water is a naturally appetite suppressant as well as helping the body metabolize stored fat.

7. Physical activity. Improving your lifestyle and adding more physical activity to your routine will dramatically aid your weight loss plans.

8. Get enough sleep. Research has shown that there is a relationship between insufficient sleep and weight loss. Sleep loss affects the way we metabolize carbohydrates resulting in glucose intolerance and possibly increased hunger and a slower metabolism.

9. Decrease alcohol consumption. Alcohol dehydrates the body and it may affect your body's ability to burn fat efficiently.

10. Green tea can improve your overall health and body functions.

Having Fat in Your Diet Plan is Healthy

Lots and lots of people who are trying to lose weight, think that eliminating fat from their diet plans is a good thing. They couldn't be further away from the truth. An healthy diet should contain some fats and healthy fats such as omega 3 which are found in oily fish, will give our bodies the essential nutrients that they need to operate at an optimum level.

Going overboard though on the amount of fats in our diet plans can cause you to gain weight fast. This is because one gram of fat equates to a whopping 9 calories, which when you compare it to one gram of protein & carbohydrate which only equates to just 4 calories. You can understand why most dieters try to eliminate fat from their diet plans.

A healthy ratio of fat to eat in your diet plan is 10%. With you getting the rest of your daily calories from 50% carbohydrates and 40% protein. The best way to get these 10% healthy fats in your diets is just by eating oily fish like salmon and mackerel. The added bonus to eating this type of fish is the high quantity of protein which is contained in it. Which as we all know is an important part of our diet for building lean muscle.

If you want to lose weight successfully and keep it off eat fat in your diet, but healthy fats at around 10% of your daily calorie intake and you will be surprised at how much more energy you have got to complete your workouts and more energy throughout the day. If you compared it how you felt on a diet plan that contained no fat in it at all.

Life Insurance Annuity

The smart investors enjoy the Life Insurance Annuity benefits to the maximum extent. Many investors, in addition to their portfolio, find it terribly lucrative. Despite these lucrative benefits, most of the people wish to know more on the option of investing, and would like to be briefed, in detail, about the annuity rates of Life Insurance. If you are very keen to obtain this information, consult insurance provider of your choice, who will make you understand how your guaranteed financial payout can change with different annuity options.

The assured income received by you for the rest of your life is the greatest benefit to a Life Insurance annuity. This form of investment is usually chosen by most of the investors for provides the management of simple and effective ways, after their retirement. In the absence of regular source of income, you are assured of a guaranteed monthly income to meet your budgetary needs after you superannuate.

Every month, the investors receive their Life Insurance Annuity rates which rests on the mode of investment chosen by the investor. If you want assurance for the life of the contract of the insurance, this can be guaranteed by annuities that are fixed deferred. But the same cannot be guaranteed in case of variable annuities, but can have extra income more than the premiums which are beneficial financially for the investor.

The annuity rates will also be influenced the investment terms, and the rates versus an annuity supporting the recipient and his/her spouse differs. The annuity rates change upon the demise of the recipient or continuance of the same for spouse/heirs. However, in respect of some investors, if they feel this type of annuity is sensible considering your financial situation or for investment, this choice will be very lucrative.

Before your commitment to any annuity of life insurance, ensure the rates and confirm about the income that will be assured every month. You should know that since the annuities cannot be en-cashed later, some sane investors know the significance of knowing the rates.

Not Blogging Yet? Why Not?!

If you're in the network marketing industry and you haven't started a blog yet, then what are you waiting for!?

Especially in today's extremely competitive market place, a blog is one of the most important marketing tools that you could possibly have in your marketing arsenal. The one main thing that a blog does, is it ties all your marketing campaigns together to one single location which I call your "central hub".

This is where people can go to find out more about you. And the great thing is, this is your chance to shine and really show the world what you are about. It's all about customization folks. Unlike other social sites like Facebook and Youtube, where you are bound by the limitations of the programs, you can actually customize your entire blog. From the colour of your borders to what funky plug-ins you want for functionality, to the different menu tabs you want to navigate people to.

But besides being able to fully customize your own site, why blog?

Well, these are the main advantages of having your own living website.

1. Self Branding

By having a blog (especially if it looks professional) you will be branding YOU and will automatically position yourself as someone of authority. You also get to tell people your story and this allows them to connect with you as a real person which is so important. This is a people business. The more people know you, the more likely they are to like you and eventually join you.

2. Educate & Inspire

Since you will have to write articles and posts, this is how you can educate and inspire all your readers. Writing strong and compelling content will further solidify you as an authority in this industry and will position you as the expert that people will turn to when they need help. But the great thing is, you really have the freedom to write about anything! It doesn't always have to be about your mind blowing marketing tactics. Sometimes it's just enough to write about what's going on in your life. Again, the more you share, the easier it is for your readers to get to know you and like you.

3. Generate Leads

Yes! Your blog is a marketing tool. And like most marketing tools, it should be generating leads for you. If you already have a blog and it's not doing this for you, then you got a little tweaking to do tonight. The great thing is, you can add this tactic to your list of free strategies. We all love free strategies and this is definitely one that you should be taking advantage of.

So a having your own blog allows your prospects to get to know and trust you, builds up your credibility and industry authority and generates leads into your business?? What could be better?

Blogging For a Successful Website!

Regardless if you are thinking about setting up a website or already have a great one up and running there is one very powerful thing you can do to generate traffic to it. You need to begin blogging about your website. Even the giant companies and websites are now catching on and setting up there own blogs to compliment their websites and businesses. It's not difficult to learn and can make you and your website tremendously successful if done properly. There are currently many people who blog for a living and it's a very nice living they make.

Most blogging platforms will come free with your web hosting package. If not then consider something like WordPress. They are probably the best in terms of usability and design. Keep your company or business brand in mind when naming your blog. Keywords in the name are always better for driving traffic. After you sign up take some time to learn and read about their product and the different plugins, utilities, themes and tools that are offered. As soon as you feel you understand everything then dive right in.

Create your theme and decide on your first post title. Try to make deciding your titles a project by themselves. A great title with the proper use of keywords in the title as well as being sprinkled through the article itself can get you tons of visitors. Go ahead and write your article related to your website product or niche but keep your readers in mind.

Do not publish too soon! Take your time and don't be hurried. Sign up for Google Adsense and some other affiliate programs to monetize your ad. You might as well share some of your advertising space and get paid for it right? Utilize the posting tags for each page. These will help search engines find you and drive more traffic. Create a link or two to your website so people know how to get to it. I personally would have links from both pointing to the other. Remember to utilize good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques on your articles and your pages. Test your work and your links.

Finally when you feel that you have done everything possible and you're ready to show you article to the world then go ahead and publish. As you write more and more it will get easier and easier. Try to connect with your readers. Enjoy yourself by meeting new people and networking. Keep this up for a bit and you'll be surprised at how much more traffic your website will get. You don't need to overdue it either. Maybe just write once or twice a week with some great fresh content.

Note: Due to time restraints I haven't been able to tell you everything. These are some standards.There's a great deal more. Nothing too difficult but like any other successful business it requires your love, attention and hard work.

Blogger Post Via Email - How to Do Mobile Blogging From Your Blackberry or iPhone

Google's widely popular free blogging service, Blogger, provides the option to create blog posts via Gmail or any other email service. This option, called Mail2Blogger, enables users who have email capable mobile devices, like the Blackberry or iPhone, to add new blog entries remotely--and not just text posts, but multimedia ones showing photos and videos, along with some basic HTML formatting.

Don't have a Blogger account? No big deal. If you already have Gmail, then register with your user name at the Blogger homepage. Setup is simple.

Setting Up the Mobile Option

Once in, click Settings on your dashboard, then the Email & Mobile tab. Here are the necessary steps to activating the option, then creating the posts:

1. The "email posting address" is the one to which you will send your email post; it follows the form username.secretword@blogger.com, where the user name is your Gmail handle and the secret word is the one you pick for security purposes, so that no one else will be able to post to your blog unless given your authorization.

2. Choose your posting option, either to draft or directly to publish. I'd recommend the former if you're intention is to lay the groundwork for a later post, which you'll revisit from your computer to further edit before publishing. If you're looking to immediately make public your live blogging at an event, go for the latter.

3. Once these steps are completed, click Save Settings, and you're ready to begin blogging via email.

Creating the Post in Email

To field: Make sure to put in the posting address, the one with your user name and secret word. For ease of use, I recommend creating a contact for it.

Title: The subject for the email will be used for the blog's title.

Body: The text entered into the body will become the writing for the post. If HTML is enabled within your email service, then you'll be able to do some formatting. Gmail allows you to choose font size, align the text, create lists and, importantly, add links, among others.

Multimedia: Include photos and videos by adding them as attachments. They will appear in the post between the title and the text entered into the body. If attaching a video, count on more time before it publishes due to processing.

Ending: To avoid having additional text normally appended to your emails also included--like your work signature or the "sent from iPhone" message--add #end at the designated ending point in the body.

Using the Blogger via email option is a handy way, if attending an event or conference, to do live blogging, where you're making updates to your blog in real-time, on location as happenings unfold--all from your mobile phone, without having to lug around your laptop. It's as simple as snapping a photo of of a speaker, attaching it, then writing in the body of your email the nugget of wisdom he or she just dropped from the stage, in turn unveiling it on your blog's stage for the rest of the world to witness.

Top Five SEO Planning Tips For 'Green' Businesses

1) Positioning

Whilst a lot of communication with a customer in the green and mainstream space is now about authenticity, a lot can be achieved by first looking at positioning in this space to kick start Search Engine Optimisation work. One of the main decisions about how an eco or ethical business markets itself offline and online is whether to lead with the eco ethical message or position in the same space as other companies. This clearly has implications for content and SEO.

If your business is 100% about ethical or green products it is natural to think I should position and market myself as "ethical" or "green". But should you? If you are an ethical fashion retailer, for example, should you position yourself:

A) from an ethical position (more niche) B) get in the mix with the other fashion retailers (more competitive) C) a bit of both.

When considering potential traffic on the web C) may be a better option for some companies, using green/ethical as a USP, rather than the core of any SEO optimisation. That said, it really does depend on your business.

Another example, is a local courier service operating as green/eco courier. Based on adword volume estimates, negligible amounts of end users currently search "eco courier" or "green London courier" or "eco London courier", however, 200,000 local searches are made for "London courier". The decision of positioning seems obvious if you wish to acquire some customers through the web. You will see how positioning decisions are tied in with considering long-tail and short-tail keywords later.

2) Understand your "search" customer

The search customer takes a much more direct personal approach to finding products than a customer on the high street. For a green business it is imperative that there is an understanding of who their customers are on the web and what their key motivators are. Who are your customers? What search terms do they use? Does eco, ethical, green really mean anything to them? What are the most popular search terms?

Search is a closed decision making environment where the only influence you have is knowing the search terms the end user is selecting and knowing how to optimise your site for those search terms. In the information pull and push world of the search engine, your weapon to reach your customers is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

3) Words, words, words (and meanings)

Let's take an example of say adili.com ascension an ethical fashion etailer in the UK. Title - AscensionOnline.com: Ethical Fashion, Organic, Fair Trade, Green Clothing Keywords - Ascension,Ethical Fashion,Organic Clothing, Fair Trade Clothes, Green Clothing, Vegan Shoes, Natural Skin Care, Eco Friendly Products.

Green clothing (165,000) and organic clothing (18,100) both provide a healthy part to estimated search volumes here. Although there is muddiness as to the motivators for the green clothing search; how many of the searches are for the colour green?

The worrying thing is that it seems searchers do not identify particularly with the term "ethical fashion", which only comes back with 5,400 estimated local searches from the adword tool. The reasons for this could be debated, however it is a suggestion that consumers are actually more concerned with the green attributes of fashion in their search lexicology.

Ethical could be considered to be attached to the production of a product (fairtrade) whereas eco has more affinity with the ingredients and distribution (e.g. recycled, organic, low carbon emissions distribution). However, eco can also be ethical - sustainable rubber sources for trainers (a twinned eco ethical decision), organic cotton protecting the environment and also assisting in reduced pesticide exposure for workers - however, due to the merging of meanings there is ambiguity.

Clearly there are always going to be issues with how the fashion industry operates as essentially it is high consumption and high waste and not currently really eco or ethical. Hence possibly western consumers are now identifying more with the green organic elements of the industry (recycling, upcycling, re-fashion, organic) rather than the ethical elements. The word ethical can be too much to digest or even think about when you are lavishly adorning yourself with fashion and it is too tinged with philosophical leaning for consumerism.

One idea I have always struggled with is how fair is 'fairtrade' and does it really make a big difference. At its worst it could philosophically be described as 'just' a gesture against dictatorial neo-imperialism pandering to a guilt purchasing western society (and that the only people to profit truly are at the end of the supply chain), but at best it helps individuals work in a fairer environment and for more money. Some projects I have become aware of have clearly made a big difference to workers and their communities and predictably most appear to be on a smaller scale with real community objectives at the fore rather than big business objectives.

This is probably an extreme example, but it can just show the importance of word choice (and play) in positioning, branding and SEO. This is why keyword research is another crucial area that should be used at the conception of an internet and marketing strategy and not as an after thought.

4) Authenticity of content

Seeing as 'Green' is being rammed down everyone's throat at present this is a pertinent question. Does it mean anything? Has it been de-valued? Are customers confused or can they spot "green" washing a mile away? Are the real green companies suffering? Is the content authentic anymore and how can I tell?

Perhaps we should not undervalue the word 'authenticity'. In this space customers are more attuned than ever with regard to styles of marketing, ways of selling, and it could be argued, slightly more cynical. So keep your business authentic, displaying the facts, providing good products and useful information in an honest efficient straightforward manner.

5) Long tail it

If we have decided not to be overtly ethical with our search lexicology then we have to be a little bit different and offer the consumer a different product and a different experience when they find it. And that is true with SEO, be a bit different in your SEO.

Long tail your keywords, and widen the battlefield where appropriate. You can get lots of easy traffic if you optimise pages separately with long tail phrases. You can also use this increase in traffic to leverage short tail keywords on other pages.

There is nothing stopping you trying to compete in mainstream areas where you can and where there is a clear driver for it - focus in on real high traffic terms where you think you can compete and use green as your competitive advantage. If you can long-tail your keywords effectively and optimise fully you should also start to optimise your conversions.

David Hoffmann is a web and SEO specialist with a strong interest in green eco businesses.

SEO is Like Dating and Nice Guys Finish Last

By Dan C. Rinnert

Search engine optimization, or SEO, sometimes seems a lot like dating in high school. The roughish brutes that can scarcely speak in complete sentences will often date the pretty girls, while the bookish types end up alone on Friday nights.

Maybe someday those girls will opt for a headier man, but that's hardly comforting to the guy that spends his Friday night alphabetizing his geode collection. And, should the guy compose a heart-felt poem to the pretty girl of his dreams, he is more likely to be tossed aside as "weird" than appreciated as the girl turns her attention to the underspoken ruffian who says to her "You're hot!"

Search engines are a lot like those high school girls. They'll give keyword-infused but fantastically awful websites high rankings, while the sites with quality content get lost somewhere on page 42 of the search engine results pages.

Why is that so? It's because the smart website owners aren't as smart as they need to be. Sure, they may know their content well, but they haven't learned how to flirt with the search engines and give them what they want.

There will be plenty of crummy websites competing over popular keywords. It becomes a numbers game. And, many of these websites will focus more on gaming the search engines than on building a quality site.

Thus, it is not uncommon to spend time building a quality website, only to have it never be noticed, because all these crummy sites are duking it out in a battle over the top spots. So, the ones in the fray, even if they don't get the number one spot, will at least grab another high spot.

Meanwhile, the site owner who put together a quality website, expecting that the search engines would recognize its quality, ends up home alone with nary a visitor to his site.

The answer would seem to be to toss quality aside and jump into the fight with the others, but that would be wrong. What you need to do is take a two-pronged approach. You need to hook the search engines with a "You're hot!" while battling off the other suitors while at the same time providing quality content so that, once the search engine (or girl) gets to know you, she'll want to keep you around.

And that's why the quality-minded website owner must learn search engine optimization to makes sure the site gets found. Otherwise, like those nice guys in high school, the quality sites may finish last.

How to Start a Blog With Great Keywords

By Andrea R. M. Scott

You've decided to start a blog because you know that blogs are an important way to market your business. You've created a WordPress.org blog hosted on Hostgator. But you're feeling frustrated because you've made several posts but you haven't seen any increase in sales. You ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong?"

Don't blame yourself. Recognize that you're learning a new skill and it takes the time to master the skills you need to build a successful online business. Begin by evaluating your use of keywords in your blog. You may ask "What are keywords?". The American Heritage Dictionary defines a keyword as a word used as a reference point for finding other words or information". The search engines use keywords to find your blog post.

Keyword research will help you identify the keywords that your customers use. Google has an extensive free keyword tool that can help you find good keywords. It indicates the number of people who searched on a keyword the previous month. Use keywords with a search volume of several hundred people a day.

The Google keyword tool also indicates how much money is spent through Pay Per Click (PPC) on your keyword. The more money is spent on a keyword the more money is probably made from it. If little money is spent on a keyword, it won't produce the results that you want.

The Google tool will also give you some ideas on similar keywords to use. For example, if you enter "start a blog" in the Google tool, it will indicate that "how to start a blog" and "starting a blog" are other options that you could use. So choose good keywords, keywords that pay.

Use your keywords in the title of your blog post and indicate the keywords in the tags on your post. You can also refer to a previous blog post on a similar topic. Use a hyperlink to the previous post with the keyword phrase as the anchor text. You can also use keyword phrases in the headlines in your post. Breaking up a long post with headlines will make it easier to read.

Finally you can turn your blog post into an article and submit it to the article directories. Put a link to your blog in the resource box. You would also put a hyperlink to the blog post on a similar topic. Use a hyperlink to the previous post with the keyword phrase as the anchor text.

You could also create a video from the content in your blog post and submit it to the video websites. Videos are ranked higher on Google and if you choose your keywords wisely, your video could be ranked on page one of Google.

Apply these tips to your posts so the search engines will find your blog posts, articles and videos. As more people find out about your products, the more sales you make. Know that you are creating a profitable online business that generates the income live your dreams.