The Clever Apprentice

Most of us have seen the newest robotic fish and some of these organic fish replicas are very proficient in the water. In fact they can almost wiggle-swim as fast as normal fish. The have cool names like “RoboTuna” and such, but they are assisting scientists in studying fish schools, habits, migration and fish behavior; sounds fishy? Indeed, but imagine what we will learn from these newest robotic fish replicas.

The Military is interested too, as they can be used to inspect ship hulls, hunt for sea mines and make great surveillance autonomous underwater vehicles or AUVs. They blend right in, as they look just like a fish. Spying on the enemy or locating sea mines so our “blue Forces” will not hit them. Saving lives of Navy Seals teams, sailors and marines landing in the region.

The Department of Homeland Security can use them to check out merchant ships from foreign shores, inspect Oil Tanker hulls for leaks, even make sure cruise ships are safe from harm. No enemy will be able to enter the harbors or ports of our nation, sneaking in from underwater.

But I propose another commercial use for them; saving lives. Let’s split the rear tail fin and put an extendable rope or cable of very strong material with a handle on it. If someone is drowning or gets carried away from a riptide at the beach the lifeguard would send out “RoboFish” to the rescue and then tow the drowning victim to safety. Think on it, it could work?

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

What fairy tales of enchanted princesses and legendary lore of the Arabian Nights does not the mere mention of the ruby conjure up to our imagination! No stone has been more intimately connected with poetry and romance, and few gems can compare either in beauty or value with a perfect ruby. When Solomon exclaimed that “a virtuous woman was more valuable than rubies,” and Job, that “the price of wisdom is above rubies,” they both mentioned what to them was the most valuable thing in existence. And its value and rarity have not decreased since their time. Today a perfect ruby of five carats will fetch at least five times the value of a diamond of the same size and quality, while rubies without flaw or blemish, and of the true pigeon-blood variety, weighing as much as ten carats, are so rare and valuable that ten times the value of a perfect diamond would be considered a very low price to pay for so perfect a gem.

The ruby is the oldest or first known of all precious stones, dating far back in the early history of Chaldea and Babylonia. The finest specimens, as well as the largest quantities, are found in Upper Burma, and at the present time over one-half of the world’s supply comes from this locality. The rubies found in Ceylon, Siam and Australia have not the deep rich color of the Burmese ruby which is a shade of red slightly inclined to the purple and is often called “Pigeon Blood Ruby.” The value of rubies depends upon their color and transparency.

The red sapphire or ruby is the most valuable of the corundum family, and when found of a good color, pure and brilliant, and in sizes of one carat and larger, it is much more valuable than a fine diamond of the same size.

Rubies and Sapphires are scientifically the same stone, differing only in color. Corundum, the predominating mineral of both, is composed of nearly pure alumina. The coloring substance, which differentiates rubies and sapphires, is believed to be chromium. In the scale of hardness the gem ranks as No. 9 and is thus the hardest of all substances excepting the diamond. Color is the most important factor in determining the value of the ruby. The gem is always more or less imperfect, but its freedom from bad imperfections is also important. Since fine rubies of all sizes are extremely rare, the price increases very rapidly with an increase in size, and a fine ruby of more than four carats commands an extraordinary price and can be said to be the most valuable of all gems, exceeding greatly a diamond of equal weight. The color of the ruby varies from the lightest rose tint to the deepest carmine, but the rarest and most valuable shade is known as Pigeon Blood. This is the color of arterial blood. The ruby has always been greatly admired, and many say that the ruby in the British Crown is the most beautiful gem they have ever seen.

The ruby is found in limestone deposits on side hills, but the largest quantity is found in alluvial deposits of gravel and clay in riverbeds. These deposits are about fifteen to twenty feet below the surface and from a few inches to five feet in thickness. This material called “byon” is mined or removed and put through a washing process by which the rubies are recovered.

The genuine ruby is gotten from the mineral known as corundum. Emery, so much used, is an impure form of corundum. The superbly blood-red color of the perfect ruby is produced by the very tiny portions of impurity in the substance after they have been crystallized by Nature’s wonderful processes. All genuinethat is natural stones, contain certain tiny flaws and blemishes and characteristic peculiarities. The fewer these flaws the rarer the gem. Imitation stones get their imperfections during manufacture, and as the chemists are more careful than Nature, these imperfections are less noticeable. By the following differences between the real and the artificial, you can test your ruby. A real ruby contains irregularly shaped bubbles; the imitation ruby contains bubbles that are perfectly round. Natural rubies all have a silky sheen, due to a number of tiny parallel lines going in three definite directions; imitation stones never have this characteristic.

While lab-created rubies and sapphires have a distinct use in jewelry, they can never affect the sale of the real gems any more than is the case with imitation pearls. Aside from the fact that the imitation can always be ultimately detected, the person desiring to purchase a ruby, as a ruby, and as a work of beauty and distinction wants a gem which he knows is one of nature’s rarities and is therefore possessed of intrinsically great value. A good illustration of this fundamental feeling is given by Mr. Zell a noted mineralogist, who says, “Many perfect copies of the Sistine Madonna have been made by good artists, the original is priceless, the copies at the most are worth a few hundred dollars, this is the relation of a gem made in nature’s laboratory to one produced by the chemist.”

Today, the ruby is still considered one of the most valuable and beautiful of the precious stones. Artisans of fine jewelry throughout the world continue to utilize this fine gem in their creations. Ruby is the birthstone for the month of July.

For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of “How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.” This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com

When my friend Sid was small he used to get pimples. His brothers used to get acne pimples as well but they were lucky because their acne used to disappear quickly. He was the unlucky one because he used to get a new one almost every other day. Everyone told him that once he will reach the age of 25 they will go away, and they did but unfortunately he contracted with rosacea, i.e. adult acne.

He used to get patchy-redness and sudden flushing all the time, sometimes he had a pimple or two but his skin used to remain oily all the time. He used to wash his face every couple of hours with medicated soap but his face used to get oily very quickly.

The problem was that he didn’t even realize that he had rosacea for the first few years until his skin specialist diagnosed him with rosacea. He became self-conscious and used to avoid gatherings. He tried many different treatments and medicines antibiotics, Retin-A you name it he tried it including herbal treatments. Even used gram flour and orange peel, which his grandma prepared and forced him to used but nothing worked for him.

First I had Acne and now adult acne, what is the problem with me? The question he used to ask himself and to everyone else almost everyday for which the answer we still don’t know. He tried different creams and changed his skin specialist again and again to find the right one. But unfortunately nothing and no one could help him. This is because what causes rosacea is still unknown. It is still a mystery even for some doctors that which rosacea treatment is actually right for someone who has rosacea. It’s not that treatments do not work with rosacea, some treatments work well, but which one is the right one is a million dollar question. Until one day when his mum’s ever increasing criticism became unbearable he stopped using soap, drinking more water and he started washing his face only with warm water. In his own words the first 3 weeks were terrible for him. He could not go out, he could not face anyone. I think it was just his imagination that he looked awful but after that his face accepted water and the oiliness of his face started to decline. It took about 2 months before his face started to remain dry and he got rid of oiliness.

The flushing was still the big problem for him. Even though he promised himself that he will not used any new treatment but a sudden flare-up still made him look around for treatments. Then he discovered Jojoba Oil, which was a turning point and a true-life saver for him, that’s what he says about the oil. It took about a week before his face actually accepted the oil. The best thing was the application of Jojoba oil was simple, just warm water a drop of pure jojoba oil every morning and evening and his face redness started to decline. Nowadays he doesn’t get sudden flare-ups.

I hope that some people who are suffering from acne rosacea, if increase the use of water and use jojoba oil instead of experimenting on new medicated soaps and creams then they might help them with their rosacea problem.

As a graphic designer, I can tell you something right here, right now, right off the bat without blinking….the graphic design process is a pain in the butt. From the graphic designer point of view, here’s what it looks like.

1. Client meets graphic designer to discuss elaborate plans to market, advertise or promote their products. Potentially, there’s a chance that the client wants (needs) the graphic designer to ‘revamp’ the whole image and identity of the client company. Client gets all hyped up about the potential mullah that will roll into their bank account. Graphic Designer hyperventilates and salivates at the imagined amount on the invoice

2. Graphic Designer proposes some concepts and ideas. Client says that it’s not EXACTLY what they had in mind and asks the graphic designer to come up with more ideas. For the graphic designer, this is like being handed a really enormous machine gun to just shoot around in the dark, hoping to hit the target on the dot, you get what I mean?

3. The process gets dragged on. Graphic designer gets frustrated because client is not able to dispense of his idea because he doesn’t KNOW what he wants but knows it only when he sees it.

4. Client consults other people in the company and a whole bunch of people gets thrown into the picture with their own ideas and proposals.

5. Graphic designer and client sit down in a limp heap of entangled flesh, not knowing what to do now because months have been wasted testing and trying. Now, we start all over again…..

Knowing what you want right from the start is important. If you have no idea what it is that you want to achieve with your new marketing stuff, sit down with your staff BEFORE you get the graphic designer to do any work. Now, this is a very important point, so, let me say it again….CONSULT WITH YOUR PEOPLE BEFORE YOU GET YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGNER TO DO ANY WORK!

Next, get it all down on paper. Even if you have no intention of passing that piece of document to the graphic designer, at least, you have a clearer vision on what you want. THEN speak to your graphic designer to explore ideas and possible changes to your original idea.

Once the graphic design process has begun, pick and choose the people you consult with with care. Too many cooks DO spoil the broth! Only people who can and SHOULD make or help make the decision should be consulted at this very point in time.

However, as any client will tell you, the graphic designer has a huge and major role in ensuring that they understand the client’s instructions, takes the initiative to research and explore other ideas. When the client tells the graphic designer what he/she wants from their new marketing stuff, it’s not set in stone. The graphic designer SHOULD present his/her own ideas as an alternative. If not, what’s the use of the graphic designer? Why not just get a clerical or the secretary to just learn how to use the appropriate programs/softwares and come up with something that the client wants?

Being a graphic designer is a pain in the butt….and working with a graphic designer is also a stab in the rear end but at the end of the day…when you see that your effort and all those frustrations results in a smashing success, you can sit back and admire your (and your client’s handiwork) over a cup of cappuccino.

Marsha Maung is a freelance graphic designer and copy writer who works from home. She designs apparel and premium items at http://www.creativejooz.com and http://www.allmomstuff.com and is the author of “Raising little magicians”, and the popular “The Lance in freelancing”. More information can be found at http://www.marshamaung.com

My son and his bride had four natural children but they wanted to help other children. To their four, they added nine for a total of thirteen. Four are of mixed race born of unwed teenagers. The other five are black Haitian children.

I am a product of the public school system as are my five children. I was surprised to learn that thirteen of our 32 grandchildren were being home schooled. It seemed strange to me. For one, a young mother needs some time to herself. Teaching all day does not fulfill that idea. My son’s wife can not boot the kids out the door and sit back and watch television.

Moving to Idaho and being much closer to our son and his family I soon learned that my son and his wife do not trust the school system. The other day I heard my son say, to my surprise, that the current system was not designed to develop every child to his or her highest capabilities. Rather there is to be an elite class and workers.

My son and his wife also do not appreciate the negative influences in the public school system. My wife and I think that children should face those influences, being corrected if they error by teachers and parents. Be that as it may, home schooling is the best situation for my son and his wife here in Idaho.

My Haitian grandchildren cover ages from under eight to eighteen. They have had to overcome both physical and cultural problems. Raised on the streets of the Haitian capital, the older ones are street-smart and they can be secretive or self-protective.

Most of the children learn at a normal rate. Some don’t. I don’t think that all of the children would be successful in the public school system. The children adopted at a younger age would adjust rapidly to the public system.

All of the children, except the four youngest, play the piano, the violin, and some play the guitar and other instruments. The two oldest girls of natural birth are in the adult symphony. Three play in the youth symphony (two adopted). One granddaughter plays in both. Our oldest granddaughter here in Idaho is on a full scholarship in music at the local college.

The family together has formed a musical group that sings and plays here in Southern Idaho. They take donations for baby formula for an orphanage in Haiti. If you want to contribute to that cause please email me.

All of the older children (over eight) are good cooks, know how to clean house, and perform outdoor chores. Most all of them are doing well in home school as tested by the State of Idaho.

Our other grandchildren are all in public school systems. We have one autistic teenage son who was brought up in the public school system. Fortunately for him, his school system has an effective program for autistic children. It is not a segregated program. Autistic children attend the same classes as the other children, but special assistants keep things in order and educational.

My son and his wife are effective in educating their very gifted (adopted and natural) and not as gifted children. To do that, they use home schooling.

Copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success.

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

With the downturn truly upon the place of London, will the city’s likeable theatre productions keep the musical ticket sales coming in? Over in New York, the musicals can be found being hit with poor musical ticket sales as many theatre lovers are picking to stay at home instead of head out into town. Abounding people, usually couples and families are staying in watching the very latest blockbuster movies than going out to watch a theatre production. The Broadway theatre shows have responded eagerly by minimising musical ticket prices to increase theatre show goers back, so far with fantastic results. Infact, Shrek the Musical is offering a family musical ticket bundle of two adults paying entire price with up to two kids under sixteen attending the show for free. With the popularity of the Shrek blockbuster films, the status has furthermore forwarded to the Broadway adaptation.

Over in London’s Theatre Land, the ticket sales have additionally noticed a slump. The UK recession has caused innumerable musical shows to track their profits even more. And with some musical shows having high priced stars, like Nicole Kidman and Sienna Miller, the theatre production companies need to recoup this cost. Luckily for the capital city and of course the theatre shows there are half price ticket booths that allow theatre goers to purchase tickets for top musicals and plays at a small fraction of the ticket value. These famous show ticket booths have registered a boom in ticket revenue ever since the recession and this allows the musical lovers of London and its fantastic tourists to be able to actually afford to buy their preferred west end shows without spending too much money.

As the economic crisis continues, we could find that a multitude of theatre productions may begin to offer similar show packages to that of Broadway with family show ticket bundles. Still, there are a handful musicals and plays that will stand the test of time - shows like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables have been around for loads of years and show no indicators of lower tickets sales.

Use any of the 10 following ways to become financially free. In an informative article, find pro’s and con’s for taking any of the “10 routes” and practical advice for doing so.

THINK BIG AIM HIGH!

10. WIN A LOTTERY - okay,okay I know a lot of Internet Guru’s, life-skill advisors and writers who will cringe when they see this. But there are ways of increasing your chances. At the time of writing, the odds of winning the U.K. lottery are around 14- million to 1.

There are a number of ways to improve your chances of winning -

1. Play regularly, the more you play, the better your chances.
2. Join a syndicate, the more lines you cover the better the odds.
3. Use the same numbers, a great number of people who win cash in the lottery use a fixed set of numbers e.g. birthdays of family members, memorable dates, phone numbers etc.
4. Try wheeling pairs, you can find more information about this technique at http://www.thelotterysite.com/predicting.htm.

Pro’s -

You can become extremely wealthy or be a Millionaire overnight.

Con’s -

The cost, each line has to be paid for, the odds are still very high. If in a syndicate you will have to share your winnings.

This shouldn’t be viewed as a good route to take for anyone that wants to be financially free, but if you have a few quid spare, you can be lucky. Maximum return for a minimal investment. Somebody wins every week, you are as lucky as anyone else.

9. MARRY FOR MONEY - Oooh, that’s gonna go down like a fart in a lift! Highly unethical, not recommended, but are you dating?

Does it matter how much your partner is worth? 70% of people end up in dead-end relationships, unhappy and broke. You have the choice of marrying anyone you decide to. 37% of people marry for convenience, children, because they get pressured or for legal reasons.

Before you marry anyone, find out if they can support you. Don’t just settle for second best, if you are NOT totally in love with the person you choose to marry, make sure they are loaded. That way at least whatever problems you have to put up with in your marriage, money won’t be a worry. If you get divorced, you can expect to receive a reasonable settlement figure that will help to insure that you are catered for financially.

Pro’s -

If your partner is elderly you are likely to receive a majority of your spouse’s estate, Money makes Money, if you marry a wealthy person the chances are you’ll have good opportunities to make your own fortune.

Con’s -

You make your bed you have to lie in it, whatever happens you are responsible for the decision you made. You may be pressured by family members if they “get wind” of what you are doing. You may be asked to sign a pre-nuptial agreement voiding your stake in any fortunes.

8. SECONDARY INCOME - These days it’s not uncommon for people to have a second job in order to boost their income. Most people struggle to pay every day bills and expenses let alone afford to have savings or money to spare. Your second job should also generate a large enough income to justify the extra hours you work, but not effect your main income source.

” I had a good friend who worked 2 shifts daily at a paper factory, at the end of each month he took home over double a normal wage”. “I also used to be a retained firefighter and in a month could earn anything up to £1000.00 in addition to my normal monthly wage”

Pro’s -

With a second income, you should earn enough to ensure a financially secure future and be able to afford a few luxuries.

Con’s -

How long you can keep a second job going. You will be exhausted And have very little spare time at all. You could be liable for higher taxes which would not make it viable. Your employers may object to you having 2 jobs, you may loose one or both of them.

7. AIM HIGH - You want to be the boss, are there promotion prospects at work? You could work every extra hour available, be dedicated and if you are successful you may even be head-hunted.

” I employed a sales rep for £18,000 per annum, after 2 successful years he was headhunted by a competitor who eagerly paid him £25,000 per annum + car + bonuses + pension. Another year later he was promoted to assistant manger earning over £35,000 per annum + bonuses etc”.

You should be frugal with your money and invest in multiple pension plans over the next few years. You should pay off your mortgage early (if you can afford to pay a little extra each month you will pay less interest) and be more financially secure by the time you retire.

Pro’s -

If you are headhunted, you can expect higher wages with superior benefits, e.g. company car, pension, bonuses etc. If you work your way to a top position within a large corporation your remuneration package should be substantial enough to make you financially free.

Con’s -

There will be strong competition from colleagues, by the time you are in that sort of position you will be highly stressed, burnt out and will have had to sacrifice most of your spare time and family life.

6. BECOME SELF EMPLOYED - How well do you know your job? could you do it better on your own? Your bosses have a lot of every-day overheads, any profits are for them or the company’s development.

You can give their customers the same service for less. There are many organizations set up specifically to help people get started in business for themselves (this helps your government keep unemployment figures down)

e.g. ” I left a company I worked for after 14 years, became self employed and at least 20 of the company’s customers gave me their business after only one phone call, because they already knew me and it cost them a lot less for my services”.

Pro’s -

You will be your own boss. You will keep all profit. You work the hours you want, overheads can be minimal, you only have to work with who you want to.

Con’s -

The buck stops with you, it can take a little time to adjust and establish your business, If you don’t work you don’t get paid.

5. START YOUR OWN COMPANY - Once you are self employed or, you have some capital (e.g. inheritance, lottery win etc) why not employ others to do your work for you. You may reach a point where you have too much work and you will have to choose to turn down addition work or take on more staff. Run properly, a larger company can provide comfortably for you and your family for the rest of your lives. Once established with a good customer base, it can be sold for large sums of money.

Pro’s -

Successful business can result in almost anything, e.g. look at Richard Branson’s empire or Stelios from Easy Jet.

Con’s -

There are many con’s against running a larger company. ” In the 14 years I worked for the same company, 1 employee left, setup on his own and took clients TWICE , the company secretary was stealing from the business for over 5 years, Your employees do not have the same interests as you in your company and you will have to clear up any problems they create. You will need to be the first one in and the last to leave and work every hour you can if you want to be successful.

4. INVEST IN PROPERTY - This can be in your country of residence or overseas. In the U.K. alone at least 35% of people have considered or are actually purchasing investment property.

In today’s unstable investment market, property can be one of few proven methods for a good return on your money. Many overseas locations offer the chance for second homes at reasonable prices. e.g. “At the time of writing, it is still possible to purchase a property and land in France for less than 20,000.00 “. In the U.K. you cannot even expect to buy a small building plot for less than £50,000.00.Prices are still rising which makes it possible, for anyone, with money to invest, to reap substantial rewards.

Pro’s -

You have the chance to own a permanent holiday residence in a desirable location which can generate a good income if you rent it out over the holiday periods. Development potential, many landlords in the (U.K.) buy large townhouses and convert them to flats and bedsits. Houses rarely lose value. You can purchase property at auction and resell making good profits just by being in the right place at the right time.

Con’s -

There are many things to consider before purchasing property. If you are buying overseas, ensure you are aware of all the red tape and bureaucracy. You can be misled by estate agents, If you do not know the area in which the property is located you may have problems selling. If there is civil unrest in the location of your choice, you may lose everything. e.g. recent problems in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

3. BECOME A WRITER - There are many people today making huge amounts of money writing. You do not have to be Jeffery Archer, Barbara Cartland or an award winning journalist in order to make a living from writing.

Anyone has a number of things to write about, life experiences, work related topics, sport, hobbies etc, etc. Again there are literally hundreds of articles and good resources on this subject available on the internet. Author J.K. Rowling is now amongst the richest women in the world due to her Harry Potter novels. She has been writing since the age of six, but never actually published the first Harry Potter novel until 1996. Somewhere, someone will be interested in what you have to say.

Pro’s -

Both fame and fortune could come your way, you can earn from many different sources including magazines, newspapers, news- letters, television and radio.

Con’s -

It can take years to be recognized, writers block can be a, a, a uhmm, a oh you know what I mean!! Knock backs can be very disheartening and regular. You must persevere.

2. MULTI LEVEL MARKETING BUSINESSES- Why is it, MLM has such a bad reputation? In Japan over 40% of all business is carried out using MLM techniques. Just type in Multi Level Marketing in your search engine and there are currently 2,840,000 listings on the subject in Google alone. Here’s a quick idea of how it works.

e.g. Normal business. Manufacturer sells product to Distributor Distributor sells product to Wholesaler Wholesaler sells product to Retailer Retailer sells product to Consumers

Lets say the product costs the manufacturer £5.00 to make. The distributor pays £8.00 but must buy in lots of 1000 units. The wholesaler pays £12.00 each in lots of 500 units. The retailer pays £14.00 and can buy in lots of 50-100 units. The consumers normally only want 1unit and pay £20.00 for it.

Obviously if the manufacturer wants to increase sales he can Sell to more distributors who in turn sell to more wholesalers who sell to more retailers etc, etc.

MLM principles are very similar but without middle men, wholesalers or retailers it is possible for an agent to buy directly from the manufacturer in low volumes at the same price as a distributor (e.g £8.00) the agent sells direct to the consumer and makes a good profit.

If the agent decides, they can “sign-up” people to mirror their business and the company will pay commissions to the original agent on any sales made by their downline. This means you can be earning money without any effort on your part, other than enlisting other agents. Imagine introducing 2 agents who in turn introduce 2 agents who then introduce 2 agents, you get the picture? It is possible to build enormous downlines of agents all earning you money, almost with unlimited income possibilities.

Pro’s -

It is possible to build an almost unlimited income from a MLM business opportunity. MLM techniques can be used to market an existing product being distributed by “normal business” means. Overheads are low, agents are self sufficient businesses themselves, not employed.

Con’s -

There are hundreds of different types of MLM opportunities. Some work, a lot don’t. If you want to market by MLM, you must fully understand the techniques and procedures involved.

1. HOME BASED INTERNET MARKETING BUSINESS - This is without any doubt the best proven method of attaining financial freedom. It is easily possible to build a hugh network of automated websites, have hundreds of top quality products without even spending a penny. Some of the top “Internet Guru’s” are earning six figure incomes and have army’s of affiliates all selling their products. Once established websites can generate “multiple streams of income” 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year from a customer base of approximately 600 million people. There are unlimited resources and support from experts all over the world to help you advertise for free and guide you to successfully reach your ultimate goal and be financially free for life.

Pro’s -

Ever increasing customer base, endless availability of powerful tools and products. You can start an internet business on a shoestring budget in your spare time as a secondary income, be your own boss, all the advantages of an MLM company, few small overheads, almost unlimited streams of possible income. Free advertising, Free Websites, Free products.

Con’s -

It takes time and effort to build an internet business, In the early stages development can seem slow, you will need to become computer literate and learn as you go. It can seem daunting but if you take your time and go step by step the results can be unbelievable. There are initial costs with any business but these can be kept to a minimum if you are careful with your choices.

Copyright © 2004 Lee Coleman The Home Biz Wizard

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Google has just sent the Search Marketing world into a frenzy of hair pulling and nail biting. Its latest shake up of its algorithm has put paid to unrestrained link swapping. It had gone overboard like Meta tag stuffing before it. Even before this latest revision, all signs indicate that the Search Engines were beginning to devalue reciprocal links and forum signatures in their SERP’s .So what is a harried webmaster to do? Are backlinks still relevant to search rankings? If they still count, how do you acquire them without running afoul of the SE’s?

The answer to that is Link Trading. Link trading also known as Link Renting, is simply paying to have a link pointing to your site from another site, usually, with a high or higher page rank. In essence you are buying the linking site’s traffic and, if your own site is related, its search relevancy.

Link trading came into vogue even before the current SE upheavals because it was often the only way a new or lowly ranked site could get any links from authority sites. Its principle advantage from a search rankings point of view is it is a one-way link - the most valuable kind - and thus constitutes a high quality link.

Secondly, link trading or renting if well executed can pull in significant amounts of traffic. If you target a site with relatively high traffic, you are likely to benefit from the overflow - obtain traffic you would not otherwise have gotten.

Link trading also has a viral or branding effect leading on from its traffic-generation benefit. More web surfers get to see your link and if you properly optimize the link’s anchor text, your site profits from the resultant visibility. You also profit from being associated with the site hosting your link, and if its reputation is good, this will yield a powerful networking advantage. The downside is clear - a site may have negative connotations for your visitors, so researching them thoroughly before buying your link space is critical.

As link renting becomes more popular, the number of sites willing to sell link space increases. Given that the purpose for most webmasters is to gain links from sites with relatively higher PR, you should consider only sites that rate as authority sites in your category. Over and above that, the usual factors for quality linking should be taken into account. Briefly these are:

1. Visitor Profile - choose only those sites that get the type of surfer you are targeting.

2. Page Relevance - make sure that the title and body content of the page hosting your link is relevant to the linked page on your site.

3. Optimized Anchor Text - it is imperative that the text in your link is optimized for your web page, as well as being curiosity arousing.

4. Text Link Placement - wherever possible determine the placement of your link - you are paying for it. Links within body text (usually in your own distributed content) are the most effective. The rule of thumb is that the higher up the page the link is placed, the better its click-thru-rate (CTR).

5. Quantity of links on page - in a link trade set up, the hosting site usually guarantees the number of outgoing links - 3-5, and never more than 10. The fewer links there are, the better your CTR. Too many (6+) will erode the link PR you acquire as well as create distractions to your link.

6. Design - again you may not have control over the design of the text link ad, but it is worth checking to see whether you have any options. A simple link will generally maximize your CTR. Dynamic urls are not spidered by the SE bots, so any ad tracking scripts will do nothing for your link popularity, only boosting traffic your site.

How to Buy Links

Many sites readily link sell space on their pages. Due to the fear of SE blacklisting, some sites are reluctant to openly advertise the fact that they will sell you link space, and with these, it is often best to approach 3rd party link brokers. This will generally not cost you more as the linking sites’ pays the brokers’ fees, but it will give you more options to choose from. The leading link brokers are Text Link Brokers and Text Link Ads. The caveats for quality linking still apply, and don’t plunge in if you are not sure.

It is usual for linking sites to charge a monthly fee for each link with the possibility of getting site wide links or links on specific pages. However site wide links tend to be more expensive and may not achieve any higher PR than single page links although they may generate more traffic. Typical charges would range from $15/month for PR3’s to +$400/month for PR7’s with wide variation in between. I do not think there is anything to be gained in linking with pages with less than PR5, principally because the PR they would pass on would be minimal.

Hosted Marketing Pages

A variation on the theme coming into fashion is Hosted Marketing Pages also known as Content Hosting or Pre-sell Pages. In this method you arrange with the site that you want a link from, to have a highly optimized, timely and relevant article that you provide, hosted on that site for a fee. You of course will have embedded all the relevant links in appropriate content that you control. Its main advantage is to allow you to advertise more links than a straight link trade, and with links that rate more highly in SE algorithms for relevance. On the other hand you lose out on PR because the article would most likely be on a brand new page, and anyway you don’t want your material competing with other similar editorials. Hosted marketing pages will I believe replace reciprocal linking as the leading SEO technique, especially to establish new sites.

HMP’s are one way of paying to syndicate articles relevant to your web site or page. Paid article syndication is not a new SEO method, but as part of a link trading strategy, it takes on a new dimension. Like with HMP’s you would distribute optimized articles, in order to acquire inbound links to your site. One can either issue press releases through agencies like PR Web, or have article directories do so. Either way you would pay for prioritization and for wider reach. Just as with HMP’s apart from the exposure your site gets, you retain control of your links’ anchor text. According to research conducted by the Marketing Experiments Journal, paid press release distribution has for traffic generation purposes, a better ROI than traditional PPC, with an added SEO benefit. (http://www.marketingexperiments.com/see/1122).

Link Trading or Link Renting differs from straight advertising in having an SEO focus that in the longer term obtains more valuable organic traffic from high SE rankings than the direct traffic generated by PPC or any other type of advertising. The latter is only effective for as long as you are shelling out money to fund it, and most advertising experiences diminishing returns, whereas an SEO technique like link trading gains momentum from its viral effect such that in time you can curtail the amount of link renting you are doing with only a marginal effect on your SE visibility.

It is debateable whether Link Renting amounts to SERP manipulation. By the reckoning of some, all SEO is just that - Search Engine manipulation. However even the SE’s are aware that SEO hones their own search results by forcing webmasters to focus more acutely the type of traffic their sites attract, based on existing search queries and extrapolating for future ones. In a hypothetical world, if all web pages were adequately optimized, even the most incomprehensible search query terms would return relevant and usable results. This is surely the holy grail of Search.

You need to decide before you start researching sites to buy links from just why you want to trade - for traffic or PR. Some research suggests that PPC has better and more controllable returns than Link Renting for traffic conversion (traffic that buys or takes some other specific action). If your aim is to boost your own site’s PR, be careful about how much you pay. Tony Simpson of Webpageaddons has written an informatively about this in a two part article. He concludes that you are much safer bidding for link space on the basis of traffic generation than PR. Either way, buying links, if properly executed, enhances the prospects for a new site, and is set to become part of the internet marketing mix for most webmasters.

Happy Link Trading

A new study revealed the fact that significantly fewer than half of British adults own life insurance policies. At the conclusion of the day making the wise decision to invest in term life insurance is usually one thing which regularly seems to wind up at the bottommost of your to do list. Nonetheless eventually arranging your comprehensive cover may provide your dear ones with additional financial self-confidence. And so when is the standard instant to peer more carefully into fully comprehensive life cover? Online life cover is much more accessible and straightforward than it used to be.

The most straightforward riposte is the faster the more benefit. Taking out comprehensive life cover is counted amidst one of the most dependable activities folk might well do to look after your children’s financial prospects. It significantly helps your spouse money-wise in the tragic event of the unfortunate loss of an individual who contributed to the household income and provides and method whereby income should be made obtainable for closest loved individuals, sometimes even in the occasion of an incurable ailment. Still fully comprehensive life cover isn’t primarily just about safe-guarding your offspring’s financial prospects, those people who do not currently have kids can decide to purchase term life insurance with a mind to verify their companion is taken care of economically in the incident of their fatality.

There are 4 prime life moments that usually trigger someone to purchase term life insurance cover. The 1st is getting a brand new habitat.

Obtaining a brand spanking new abode is certainly a highly nerve-racking period, especially if it’s your families 1 st footstep on the properties ladder. The weight of having yours and or sometimes your partner’s fiscal future tied up in real estate might be overwhelming. Consequently this might often be an ideal - & reassuring - point to acquire term life insurance, which might well be put to good use to pay off your mortgage payments if something happen to you or your spouse. It of course means your cherished family should not at present have to face up to the tragic double trauma of losing both a family member and the newly acquired family habitat.

The second trigger occurrence for purchasing term life cover policies is certainly cementing a lasting relationship through getting married or a civil partnership. If you have a short time ago sworn your undying love to someone, it goes without mentioning that you’d wish to make sure they will be money-wise set in the occasion that something occurs to you.

Sterling silver jewelry is synonymous with class and style in the world of fashion. Its versatility and flexibility make it a welcome and useful addition to any person’s wardrobe. Sterling silver jewelry epitomizes classic simplicity in itself, but as the setting for gemstones or combined with other precious metals, the aesthetic value it lends to the wearer is inestimable.

Pure silver by itself is too soft and would not be practical for jewelry and other ornamental objects. Sterling silver is made when another metal, such as copper, is added to the silver to make it hardy and tough. So while it is not as sturdy as stainless steel, sterling silver jewelry is nonetheless very durable and long-lasting. That is why a wide array of rings, necklaces, bracelets, cuff links, belt buckles, body jewelry and more are made from sterling silver.

All sterling silver jewelry is marked as such, and sometimes the name of the designer or manufacturer is engraved on the piece. It is a highly reflective precious metal whose simple yet elegant look is appreciated by both the young and old, the famous and not-so-famous. Some celebrities adorned with sterling silver jewelry on television or in magazines include actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristin Davis, musician Sheryl Crow, and hotel heiress and budding thespian Paris Hilton.

Certain maintenance measures need to be taken to care for sterling silver jewelry. To prevent unsightly tarnishing, it should be washed with water and a mild detergent after it is worn, and since it is softer than some other precious metals, abrasion and shock to the piece should be prevented to avoid scratching or marring its surface. In the event that tarnishing does occur, sterling silver jewelry can be polished to restore it to its former sheen.

Whether your dress of choice be casual jeans, practical office attire or a slinky, little black dress for a night out on the town, sterling silver jewelry is the perfect accessory. It adapts easily to all fashion trends without sacrificing the wearer’s personal sense of style. Its allure remains undiminished as it continues to evoke the idea of simple luxury.

Sam Serio is an Internet Marketer, musician and a writer on the subject of jewelry and gemstones. For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of “How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.” This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at www.morninglightjewelry.com.