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Paraben is often used to preserve the 'freshness' of skincare products which thus increases the expiry date of skin care products. Think of it as a preservative. Therefore, paraben-free products generally have very short lifespan and comes with higher price tag.

Paraben-free products generally spoil within 3 months. If you have very sensitive skin, you might consider trying paraben-free products, people having sensitive skin have reported very good results with them. Paraben-free products are known to be kinder and healthier to the skin.

Researches have shown that these preservatives used in skin care products like SLS, ALS or parabens are known to be cancer causing ingredients. However, the researches done on SLS and parabens are not intensively substantiated to prove whether these preservatives can actually cause substantial damage to our health. SLS (sodium laureth sulphate) itself is a foaming agent. It is practically an ingredient in all our shampoos, bath foam and facial foam. Ir exists in our everyday common skincare and cosmetic products. It might not be so comfortable to use a SLS free product as its not so smooth to use due to the lack of foaming properties that SLS provides.

Brands like Vitasence, Jurlique, Fancl, Avalon, Haba and Miessence do not contain paraben. Be careful to check the ingredients for paraben as some brands tend to call their products organic even though they might contain paraben.

Many people have reported that after switching over to paraben and SLS free facial prodcuts, they have less skin clogs and thus lesser blackheads and whiteheads. Other girls have seen a huge improve in their skin conditions and texture and also gives a better glow to the skin in about a month or two upon usage of paraben free products.

If you have extra budget to splurge this month, why not try out the really true natural products?

More articles available at http://secretsofmodels.com

When your child has a birthday, it can be loads of fun! The cake, the gifts, the gueststhe party! But if you dont plan ahead, the party planning might just overwhelm you. With these helpful childrens birthday party ideas, we try to make it a little easier on you. With the right planning, youll be able to pull off a star quality birthday party for your little celebrity.

One popular childrens birthday party idea today is to theme a party around your childs favorite television show. Using Sesame Street or Barney and Friends as a guide, you can plan a party your child will love. With a Teletubbies cake and cardboard cut-outs of the characters, your little one will enjoy turning three. Or get Ninja Turtles plates, pizza and green punch to thrill your older child. You can even hire someone to dress as the characters from the show!

A great childrens birthday party idea is a pirate themed party. Pirates are very popular these days thanks to pirate-themed movies and television shows. A cake made in the shape of a pirate ship will thrill the buccaneers at your party. Swedish fish and fish-shaped sandwiches are just a couple of fun foods you can have to go with the theme. And a delightful treasure hunt ending in chocolate gold coins is a great pirate-themed birthday party activity.

Another fun childrens birthday party idea is a party that is themed after a location. A fun island party can be planned using Tiki Torches, glasses of Hawaiian punch with umbrellas, and shell necklaces. Or plan a fun Mexican fiesta with tacos, a piata, and paper sombreros. A French or Italian party can be a lot of fun as well. Serve food typical of the region and find music and decorations that represent the culture.

The most important thing when choosing a childrens birthday party idea or theme is to consider the childs personality. Try not to get too caught up making it gender-specific or showy. If the child is old enough, consider including them in the planning. As long as your child enjoys the party, then it is a big hit!

For more fun ideas for kids visit http://www.jmgkids.org - resources, tips and reviews for parents of toddlers and school aged children.

For fun gift ideas visit http://www.mybabyrocks.net - the coolest selection of rock and roll inspired baby and toddler gifts and apparel.

The student loan consolidation program is a loan repayment program designed for students with multiple loans from different lenders, to make the repayments easier for them. When you were in college, you took loans to finance your studies and now you may be facing difficulties to keep track of the different loan repayments. You might be paying too high an interest or may be missing the payment deadlines due to late payment or payment defaults.

In this case, you should consider student debt consolidation loan. Here, if you have three different government educational loans, you can combine it into one single loan. Technically speaking, all these 3 loans will be considered fully paid and you will be taking one new loan of the same amount. These means that instead of having three different loans with 3 different repayment amounts and due dates, you will now have one loan with one repayment check to make and just one due date to remember. Thus, the student loan consolidation program has made repaying the loans easier for you. For deciding on which lender to choose for consolidation, you may take help of organizations who specialize in student loan debt counseling.

What Are The Benefits Of Such Programs?

As we saw above, the first benefit of the student loan consolidation program is that, it is more convenient. You are less likely to miss the due date for monthly repayments, thus improve your credit ratings.

Next is the more important factor that is money. The student loan consolidation program may be able to negotiate your new consolidated loan at a much lower interest rate than your previous loans.

Another benefit of taking student debt consolidation loans is that they offer flexible repayment plans. You may opt for different repayment schedules available. If you are new in your career, not earning much, are unemployed for sometime or are facing financial hardships, then under the student loan consolidation program, you have different options to repay the loans at your convenience.

Why Is Student Loan Debt Counseling Important?

If you are a novice at the loan sector, all student loan consolidation programs will appear the same to you, you may be confused as to which suits you best. For this, take help of student loan debt counseling. A counselor will help you plan a good repayment scheme with better terms and fewer burdens on you. The problems which most of the students face while looking around for a suitable student loan consolidation program can be taken care of by the counselor.

Student debt consolidation loans are a good way to go if you are facing problems with multiple loans and higher monthly payment amount. Choose the right student loan consolidation program which is in line with your financial requirement and meets your goal.

You can combine your multiple student loans in one by choosing the right student loan consolidation program. While deciding on how to go for the student debt consolidation loans, take help of student loan debt counseling. It would be a good idea to compare different student loan debt consolidation options before selecting one for you.

Jaques Tissot was born in 1836 and died in 1902. He lived a full life and was usually surrounded by one controversy or other. The controversy usually related to his art although there were a few personal controversies. He loved to paint women in costumes, and many critics thought this was simply a bad reflection on the nouveau-rich. These criticisms did not seem to matter to him. He was an enigmatic man who made friends easily and an excellent host who entertained often. His shrewd commercial instincts that he learned form his father stood with him all of his life. He was able to produce an income almost anywhere.

The following is a date listing of some of Jaques Tissots works:

1878October.
1869At the Rifle Range.
1872Autumn on the Thames.
1881Quiet.
1878In the Conservatory.
1878Spring.
1877The Widower.
1879By the Thames at Richmond.
1881Goodbye, on the Mersey.
1885Letter 'L' with Hats.
1874On the Thames
1879Orphan.
1879Going to Business.
1885The Shop Girl.
1885The Political Lady.
1862The Return of the Prodigal Son.
1885Women of Paris: The Circus Lover.
1877The Gallery of H.M.S. 'Calcutta' (Portsmouth).
1874The Ball on Shipboard.
1875The Bunch of Lilacs.
1876The Picnic.
1882Hide and Seek.
1882The Garden Bench.
1885The Traveller.
1885The Artist's Ladies.

He was from a devout Roman Catholic family and when he met and fell in love with an Irish divorcee, and lived openly with her, the tongues wagged. He was totally committed to Kathleen until she committed suicide after a prolonged illness. He was devastated and even his painting style changed to more religious works.

His paintings hang in galleries around the world. Many of his paintings have been produced as prints or cards and are available from many places.

The possibility of obtaining any of the great artworks by this artist is quite small, although from time to time they become available, but usually one needs to bid against international galleries for the artwork. Prints and cards have been produced by many suppliers of these works and other masters. For more information on the old masters and painters of the 18th century, go to http://uniquevintageprints.googlepages.com

When it comes to Christmas and the holidays, nothing quite gets you in the mood to celebrate the way that music does. All it takes is that certain song to trigger a memory and you're back in the kitchen with Grandma making sugar cookies or helping your Dad tug the pine tree through the door that seems to get smaller every year. What about the year that Brother buried himself and his sled into that huge snowdrift? They were all good times filled with hot chocolate and Christmas music shared in the kitchen and around the fireplace.

Christmas music is at the center of all of our celebrations. It is warm, inviting, celebratory, and alive. Music identifies us and the season in a way that nothing else can. When searching for Christmas music, you have many options. There are those Christmas special CDs that are offered during the season on every other TV commercial, and there is no limit to the amount of generic Christmas music that you can buy in the store. You can also download Christmas music online and play it directly from your computer, cell phone, or iPod.

Granted, there is a lot of free Christmas music to be found online, but free is not always a good thing. A great deal of the music that is downloaded at no charge online is not done legally. Some sites may offer you free, legal downloads, but the files are often riddled with spyware and adware. These can wreak havoc on your operating system and may even corrupt your hard drive. If you do happen to find a legal site that is free of adware and spyware, the music is often not of high quality. The tinny, generic sound of the music is guaranteed to quickly overwhelm the joy that you felt when you first learned it was free.

Fortunately, I found a place to get all of my Christmas music for free online. I dont have to worry about downloading viruses and other nasty bugs, and the music is of the highest quality. There are four categories to choose from including traditional instrumental, traditional vocal, contemporary instrumental and contemporary vocal. I can download the music to my pc or attach it to an email or greeting card.

In addition to great free Christmas music, the site also offers holiday clip art, coloring pages, Christmas stories, greeting cards and recipes. All free of charge. It is really a place that I enjoy visiting and browsing for the majority of my Christmas entertainment needs. You may enjoy it too.

You can find all this great free Christmas music at: FeelsLikeChristmas.com

Lynn Williamson is a full-time freelance journalist, blogger, and copy editor. She lives in Cincinnati with her family.

Writing a business plan is an essential part of the initial strategic planning of any company. One thing, which seems to hang up most entrepreneurs, is figuring out what kind of data and information goes into the Market Analysis section. So often entrepreneurs will attempt to bluff or BS their way thru it. Often you find those with MBA write meticulous Market Analysis sections and although they may have little if any true entrepreneurial skills going into a new business, their business plans are sure to impress. But you need not be an MBA to write a proper Market Analysis section in your business plan for your next business.

Below please find a generic sample of a Market Analysis, which you can use to help you do yours. You may wish to print this article and then apply your own analysis to your particular area and business model. I recommend that you read it and think on it for a day and then write a few things in the margins and take a legal pad and write out your thoughts in paragraph form and then go collect the data you need. It is not a difficult exercise and you should be able to do this quite stress free. Now then remember this is only a sample and it is something we used for a Franchised Outlet for a mobile car wash business, which is probably about the most simple business in the world and why we chose it to simplify your process. Keep it simple and use factual data and you will have a first class business plan with an excellent Market Analysis to help you impress bankers, investors and the capital you need to succeed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Market Analysis

Please refer to our feasibility study for in depth demographics analysis. Our chosen city study proves conclusive; a mobile car wash company will thrive and prosper under these ideal conditions. Although we will have a quicker return on investment than most The Car Wash Guys franchisees, we will not take our marketing plan lightly. It is our intention to absolutely conquer our market rather than simply possess a large percent of market share. We will follow the franchisors marketing plan to accelerate projected gross sales from our initial opening through the five-year renewal date.

Target Markets

Our target markets for personal car washing are:

Large Corporate Offices

Large Manufacturers

Multi-Tenant Businesses

Retail Centers

Strip Shopping Malls

Upper Class Residences

Our target markets for fleet sales, rideshare consumers, etc. are:

Bus Companies

Construction Companies

Corporate Offices With Sales Staff

Distribution Companies

Government Agencies

Large Companies With Pool Cars

Material Companies

Rent-A-Car Companies

Small Package Deliverers

Taxi Cab Companies

Trash/Refuse Companies

Trucking Companies

U.S.P.S.

Utility Companies

Warehouses-Wholesale

Our target markets for industrial cleaning include:

Amusement Parks

Cities-Sidewalks, Etc.

Government (Graffiti)

Heavy Equipment Companies

Horse Stables

Park Playground Equipment

Parking Structures

Property Management Companies

Railroad Yards

Retail Stores (Holiday Window Paint Removal)

Schools, Universities

Shopping Centers (Concrete)

As we solicit these types of accounts we will secure a large percentage of them. We will impact many of our competitors, both fixed and mobile. This will make them go on the defensive. One instinct of business owners that are backed into a corner is to attack. Often these competitors will call in favors from local politicians. They will try to pull rank because they have been in the community longer. The more money they have and the longer they have been established, the more weight they can pull.

It is important to know exactly how much the fixed site car wash owners participate in the community. Since you can never know too much about your competition, we will create a database in Microsoft Excel of all detail shops, car washes, mobile detailers and washers. Fixed car wash owners hate mobile car washes because they are capable of eating up 15% of their market share. If the car wash owners attempt to get city or county officials to change laws inhibiting our company, we will:

Alert the Media

Fax All Customers and Tell Them

Increase Car Wash Fundraisers

This will make our customers more loyal, aid us in community identity and give us free publicity that money cant buy. We will be able to tell the entire area how great and environmentally sound our services are.

To decrease the chance of backlash from fixed car wash owners, we will immediately market the entire city with the help of our franchisor and his marketing team. This week long comprehensive program is part of The Car Wash guys Bonzai and Blitz marketing program. Please see outline on the next page. Another adversary we might encounter are Sierra Club groups who dont understand our operation. We will lobby and educate these groups.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

People who love eating good food put great emphasis on eating properly cooked food. Steakhouse is the best place where steak lovers can indulge in their taste buds. It is a source of real delight for people who simply love their steak. If you are a resident of New York, then you have several options in hand to choose one of the best steakhouse in New York. Steakhouse is a great source for you to enjoy with your friends and family.

A steak lover somehow or the other manages to find out the best steakhouse in the city where they are residing or shifted to a new place. At first finding out a good steakhouse may seem difficult to you, but once you come in touch with a steak lover, you are bound to find out the best steakhouse. Steak lovers have an amazing capacity of collecting knowledge and information about steakhouses in any place and a steakhouse in New York is no exception to this for people who love steak.

Most steakhouses have all the provisions to cater to all the needs of steak lovers. They really want that their steak should be cooked in just the way they like to eat it. The taste of steak varies largely depending on the degree of its cooking. Some people love their steak thats cooked well; while some prefer medium cooked others swear by rare cooked steak. Rare cooked steak is loved by steak lovers who really know how to eat and enjoy their steak.

Many people simply detest rare cooked steak. They feel that since the rare cooked steak meat has blood retention in it, the steak is unhealthy to be consumed. But steak lovers argue that it is this fluid retention that makes the steak all the more tasty to eat. Well, you can hardly argue with a steak lover and if he loves to eat his steak cooked in particular way then he will find out a steakhouse that serves the kind of steak that he loves to eat.

Steakhouse is not all about eating meat and potatoes. There are several steakhouses in NYC that have provisions to host private parties. In fact there are several steakhouses that keep aside certain days in a week to host private parties for friends and family. If you want to organize any such party to celebrate any special occasion, then just make sure that you do this flawlessly and give your family and friends one of the best steakhouse parties they have had.

Booking in advance for a dinner or lunch is a good option for you. It may happen that when you go to a steakhouse, you may find that all the tables are filled up. So advance booking helps you to tackle this. Weekend always witnesses a heavy rush of customers and you can also enjoy you eating out session without any hassles just because you have booked in advance. Go to the steakhouse and order the steak cooked in just the way you like to have it.

Neil Folley holds a Masters Degree in Hotel Management. He loves good food and arranging private parties. He is working for Markjosephsteakhouse. To book for Sunday Parties and enjoy tasteful food at steakhouse new york visit http://www.markjosephsteakhouse.com.

If willing to experiment and build a Patio Cover, hammer out questions as to why you need a Patio Cover, for what purpose, whether it would be painted or made with wood, prefabricated aluminum or PVC, and if permission is required from state or city authorities. Remember that a patio is an extension of the house, generally not more than 12 feet and single-storied. The patio can be fully covered or have no cover. No special skills are required for building a Patio Cover except co-coordinating your patience, dimension of area, number of wood or aluminum panels and material required.

Begin with the necessary spade work according to weather conditions, area and usage of patio. The next step is selecting material from a comprehensive range, including polycarb panels for high summer or winter temperatures, vinyl opaque all weather conditions, vinyl translucent and clear panels suitable for use in milder weather conditions, aluminum pan roof that is cool, durable and requiring little maintenance, or insulated foam panels providing insulation for a strong low-maintenance roof. The panels should fit and install easily, and offer design flexibility. Check if the gutter system is accessible for cleaning whether it is w-pan gutter, roll form gutter or extruded gutter and valance.

For that professional Patio Cover you would need appropriate tools; you can order a complete tool kit or purchase one. The tools required would be a 3/8"" drill bit, hack saw or electric jig saw with fine-toothed blade for metal, a caulking gun, measuring tape, screwdriver, hammer, metal snips, socket and shank, crescent wrench, level, carpenters square, ladders, heavy duty pencils, masonry and nuts and bolts. If the patio is attached to the house then the existing support system will help cover to fit easily. For a free-standing patio the cover will have to be fitted on all four sides, depending on shape. The building instructions will guide you step by step.

Patio Covers provides detailed information about patio covers, how to build a patio cover, lattice patio covers, patio chair covers and more. Patio Covers is the sister site of Stone Garden Bench.

There are several ceiling texture choices to choose from when finishing a room. You can simply apply a flat paint to the ceiling, or spray or roll on a popcorn textured ceiling. However both these choices seem to be waning in popularity to the Skip Toweled look. The Skip Troweled look provides a compromise between the flat painted ceiling and the popcorn ceiling. It provides texture but to a lesser extent than a traditional popcorn ceiling.

Skip Troweling is relatively simple to do and can be performed by a homeowner who is doing a home addition project.

Skip Troweling should be performed after the sheetrock, mudding and taping are complete. Skip Troweling simply involves applying water downed Joint Compound onto the ceiling and running a trowel over it once.

To Skip Trowel a ceiling, simply water down a batch of Joint Compound to a soupy consistency. Then using a trowel (the pros use a sprayer for large areas) simply spread the material onto the ceiling.

Note that this is a very messy job as there will be significant spillage and dripping. Consequently protect yourself and your floors with eye-protection and plastic on the floors.

If the Joint Compound is of the right consistency the material applied onto the ceiling will begin to form stalactites that dangle from the ceiling. Not too worry as this is what you want to occur.

After the joint compound has begun to dry somewhat, use your trowel to knock off the high points (the stalactites). To do this, simply run your trowel over the now partially stiff joint compound area. The completed surface will have a mottled look.

Let the Joint Compound completely dry then paint the ceiling using a roller.

When employing the Skip Trowel method you can get creative by adding fine sand to the Joint Compound mixture before applying to the ceilings, or by moving the Trowel in a swirling pattern when applying the compound. In addition, some of the pros actually mix paint with the soupy Joint Compound mixture to eliminate the need for applying paint after the material has dried.

Me_Donovan@comcast.net
http://www.homeadditionplus.com
http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com

Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. Mr. Donovan's formal education and profession have been as an Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager.

Choosing colors to use in your quilt is another opportunity to observe the similarities that the craft has with "fixer-upper" projects undertaken by do it yourselfer's. In this case, quilters can use a tool that has been employed by painters and decorators for many years; the color wheel.

What is the color wheel?

The color wheel is a circle-shaped piece of equipment that depicts several different colors that the quilter or painter can choose from. These wheels are printed on many different types of surfaces; in fabric shops there may be wheels made from solid wood or even metal; they are very durable and can withstand numerous touches and spins from all the people that handle it. Paper color wheels are less durable and are meant for personal use.

Some color wheels have more colors on them than others, but all color wheels will include the primary colors; red, yellow, and blue. These colors will be separated by an equal amount of spaces. The spaces in between the primary colors are the colors formed by mixing varying amounts of each color together; secondary colors )orange, blue, and violet) are located halfway between each primary color combination, as they are the result of mixing equal parts of each color.

The color wheel as a quilting tool

In any quilt there are going to be sections that draw the eye and stand out, even if the quilt uses only one color (monochromatic). Monochromatic quilts can use shades and tints to make particular pieces stand out, highlight, or recede.

As the most dominant of the pure colors, yellow is placed at the top of the wheel. The dominance of the colors is also determined by the amount of gray added to each color. Along the right side of the color wheel are the warmer colors. These colors will naturally draw the eye to where they are placed on a quilt, while the cooler colors on the left will complement and help to highlight dominant colors in a quilt with a multi-color scheme. Warm colors can even mean that darker patches on the quilt will recede, due to the natural progression of the eye.

The best use of your color wheel in your pattern will happen after you determine the type of quilt you want to make. Monochromatic quilts are the easiest; one color means that all you are dealing with are shades and tints, none of which are depicted on the color wheel. A color wheel is not really needed when it comes to these designs.

On the other hand, a color wheel is pretty important when it comes to analogous or complementary quilts (unless of course you are naturally gifted at color determination!). Complementary quilts utilize colors that lie directly opposite each other on the wheel; an example is a primary color with the secondary color created by mixing the other primaries. These colors can be used most effectively as borders.

Analogous quilts use colors that are located beside each other on the wheel. They create a natural blending, as each one has a color in common with the one beside it. The color wheel in this case is crucial in determining which colors are analogous with each other.

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to using a color wheel. It is simply a tool that makes choosing different patterns and color schemes easier for the individual quilter. Using one does not mean that you have to go out and buy a whole bunch of new fabric, and it certainly does not mean that you have to dye your own fabrics in order to use it. Instead, just think of a color wheel as a way to cut a lot of guesswork and time out of the process so that you can jump straight into the quilting without fear of the final work appearing out of sync.

Jan Myers is the author of numerous articles and books on topics from organizational development and leadership to quilting. It was her avocation, the love of quilting, that inspired the popular online membership site for quilters known as the "worlds largest quilting bee" at http://www.quiltingresourcecenter.com

Hair loss and dandruff are one of the most irritating disorders that can even make a person depressed at times.

There is a huge market for hair disorders such as hair fall, dandruff, alopecia etc. Companies are making a quick buck and exploiting in the name of herbal remedies. Many of these remedies are not purely herbal and may contain some herb as a component with inorganic and harmful chemicals as the prime component. Such products give only temporary relief, for example, anti-dandruff shampoos widely marketed, give relief only for a day or even lesser period.Ofcourse, there are genuine products in the market and the companies need not be pointed out for it is not their fault alone, but also of consumers who wants a quick remedy! Application of such temporary remedies and easily accessible products is not the right solution for the hair disorders, the solution lies in the age old systems of traditional medicine.

Such traditional medicine with modern science and technology can throw some effective long term and easy to use remedies. While I dont remember at this point of time any such ready to use natural remedy manufactured by companies, I am suggesting some time tested age old traditional or natural methods for containing hair fall and dandruff. Though some of the methods are cumbersome or the ingredients not readily accessible, this is the only way and natural way for preventing as well as curing the irritating disorders.

The ripened fruits of Soap nut, botanically called Sapindus emarginatus, are soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes and then crushed with hand in the same water to get the extract.The extract can be daily used beneficially with no side effects as a shampoo. It gives rich lather and can be compared in lathering property to synthetic lathering agents generally found in manufactured shampoos.

Another time tested natural shampoo, is the thoroughly ground powder of Blackgram, which should be made into a viscid paste with which the hair is washed and the scalp massaged. This is a good soap for the body also. For starters, the paste when applied, may be rough as compared to the soap, but a beautiful soap with all goodness.

Both the above, Soap nut juice and Black Gram powder are natural shampoos, with no loss of natural oil from the body and in addition are anti dandruff.

Prior to head bath the following applications are useful

Prior to shampooing or head bath, the scalp is thoroughly massaged with a combination made of crushed fenugreek seeds and sour curd. Leave for 15-20 minutes and wash with the shampoos suggested above.

People who do not like to apply oil in day times may apply oil like pure coconut oil before going to bed and then shampoo the natural way in the morning. This restores the lost oil from the scalp.

Another remedy widely used in India and known as a c-vitamin rich fruit all over the world, Powder of Indian Gooseberry is an excellent rejuvenator for the hair. It brings lustier, prevents or contains dandruff and helps strengthen the roots.

There are several such remedies, but access to the raw materials or genuine products is a problem in addition to the time consuming preparations. At least choose a product that has less of synthetic components and more of naturals. Never go for a shampoo full of chemicals, just because it gives tons of lather!

Ravikumar Uppaluri hails from Kaikalur, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State in India. The famous Kolleru bird sancturay, a fresh water lake that attracts birds from as far as Siberia, is located near Kaikalur. Kolleru lake once vast, beautiful and sheltering scores of birds and other animals is on the verge of extinction.

The author Holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Sciences and is cofounder of an organization involved in Nature conservation and sustainable development. The author has profound interest in the fields of medicinal plants, natural products and organic farming. The author can be reached at uravikumar@yahoo.com Visit http://www.geocities.com/uravikumar for more information on Kolleru lake.

From baby pictures to vacation pictures, images of family and friends are treasures that are kept for a lifetime. They make great gifts and add cheer and warmth to the interiors of our homes. Below are four fun ways to display your favorite photos.

1. Display photos on a 1-2 wide ribbon using self-adhesive Velcro circles or squares:

Select desired photos and trim if necessary.

Select ribbon and cut to desired length.

Place self-adhesive Velcro on the back of the photos.

Arrange photos on ribbon and be sure to press Velcro firmly in place.

If desired, decorate open spaces of ribbon with beads, buttons, glitter, etc.

Tie a bow at the top of the ribbon.

2. Refrigerator Photo Magnets:

Select photo and cut out to desired size. You might want to make a copy of the photo to use in place of the original photo.

Using photo-safe glue, attach the photo to a piece of medium to heavy weight cardboard.

Cut the cardboard to the same size as photo. You can use regular or decorative edged craft scissors. This is the step where you can get really creative! Instead of cutting the cardboard the same size as the photo, leave a border around the photo and decorate with beads, miniature flowers, etc.

Using craft glue, attach a magnet to the back of the cardboard and press firmly in place. Allow glue to dry completely.

3. Photo Collage:

Purchase a frame and a mat or poster board that will fit inside the frame.

Select photos to be used and arrange (overlapping) on the mat or poster board.

Using decorative edged craft scissors, trim around photos in fun designs and shapes, such as hearts or circles.

Using photo-safe glue, attach photos to mat or poster board in the desired arrangement.

Allow glue to dry and place finished collage inside the frame.

4. Photo Standups:

Select photo and enlarge on a color copier until the person or image is at least 5 inches tall.

Using craft glue or a glue stick, attached the copied image to a piece of heavy card stock or foamboard.

Carefully cut out around image.

To display the photo standup use fun picture clips, attach a magnet to the back, or purchase (from a craft store) a precut, slotted strip of wood or plastic to hold photos upright. You can also make a stand from the heavy card stock or foamboard.

These photo standups are also great for decorating packages or using as centerpieces for party decorations.

As you can see, these four inexpensive ways to display your favorite photos can be a lot of fun to create. Get your children involved and make some unique gifts to give to your family and friends.

Lesley Dietschy is a writer, jewelry designer, and the founder of a network of popular websites including http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com and http://www.HomeGardenExchange.com Both of these websites feature valuable information and resources to assist you in decorating your home and garden.

For beautiful beaded bracelets, please visit: http://www.BeadedBraceletBoutique.com

Broadband, or high-speed, Internet connection is what many users currently use in their home. Along with high-speed Internet, many users may also use a router to allow multiple computers to connect to the Internet. This post will describe how a router is used to connect multiple computers. To make it easier to understand, I will use where you live as a comparison to how your computer is connected to the Internet.

What is an IP Address?

IP addresses are a series of numbers in the form: nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn, where nnn is a one to three digit number. An IP address is unique to an individual computer on a network, similar to how your home has a unique address. For an Internet connection, an IP address is supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). In some cases, your ISP may provide you with more than one IP address, which allows you to connect multiple computers. As you will see later, however, you can still connect multiple computers with a single IP address.

Connecting a Single Computer

Connecting a single computer to your high-speed Internet is very simple to do. Simply connect a network cable into your modem, and then into the network card in your computer. Your computer will then be assigned an IP address from your ISP. For example, if your ISP assigned you the IP address of 24.24.50.17, then your computer will have that IP address.

When you make a request to a server, such as for a Web page, the Web server knows which IP address made the request. The information is then sent through the Internet and back to your computer. This is similar to when someone sends you mail to your home. The address on the mail allows it to be delivered to your home and not somewhere else.

Connecting Multiple Computers

How can multiple computers connect if only one address is assigned? When you make a request for a Web page, how does it know which computer requested that page? Let's take our home analogy one step further. Let's say instead of living in a house, you live in an apartment. When someone sends you mail, they not only include your address but also an apartment number. This number is internal to your apartment building and every apartment has its own unique number. Similarly, multiple computers can connect to the Internet if they each had there own unique local IP address. This can be handled by a router.

A router is a piece of hardware that connects directly to the modem. Each computer is then connected to the router, instead of the modem. Now instead of your computer having the IP address supplied by your ISP, your router now is assigned that IP address. This is similar to your router acting as the apartment building.

The beauty of a router is that it can assign its own local IP addresses. When you connect a computer to the router it now receives one of the IP addresses assigned by your router, similar to how each apartment has it's own number. Now when you make a request for a Web page, the request is sent using the same ISP address, but this time it is assigned to the router. When the Web page is returned, the router receives the request, and sends it locally to the computer that requested the page.

The router also has its own local address that is similar to the local IP addresses of the computers. So now the router has two addresses assigned to it: an external one provided by your ISP, and a local one provided by it. This allows the router to connect to both the Internet and the local network.

Note: The 192.168.xxx.xxx address are special IP addresses reserved for Local Area Networks (LANs).

Managing a FTP or Web Server on Your Network

Let's take a look at this scenario. You have a router connecting multiple computers to the Internet. But now you want to create a FTP or Web server. No problem. You setup the necessary software on a computer on your network, told someone outside your network the local IP address of your FTP server and they try to connect. They then discover that they can't connect. Why? Its similar to someone mailing something to you by just specifying your apartment number and no address.

The IP address assigned to your computer is local to your network. You can connect to that computer from within your network, but not from the Internet. You will need to use your ISP-assigned IP address (the one assigned to your router) to have someone from the Internet connect to your FTP server. The problem is that your router is assigned that IP and not your computer, and since an IP address must be unique, how can two computers have the same IP? The answer: they can't, but they don't need to.

Routers have the ability to forward information on a port to a specific computer. A port is a numbered channel that data can be sent through on a network. You cannot physically see it as it is a virtual channel used extensively in networking for sending/receiving data. For FTP servers the default port is 21; however another port can be used.

Open your router setup and look for the port forwarding option. Specify the internal IP address of your FTP server and the port number and then save that information. Now when a user tries to access your FTP site, they must use the ISP IP address that is assigned to your router. The router will then notice that the data is being sent on port 21 and then forward it automatically to your FTP server. A Web server can be setup the same way, but its default port is usually 80.

Note: By default a router will dynamically assign IP addresses to the computers connected to it. This means that the first computer to connect to the router will get the first available IP address, and the next will get the second, and so on. If you manage an FTP server, it may be easier to assign a static IP address to the computers to ensure that the FTP server always has the same IP address.

This article described how to connect one or more computers to one Internet connection. It is important to remember the following:

1. If you have one computer connected directly to the modem, then that computer will be assigned the IP address from your ISP.
2. When using a router, the the router will be assigned the IP address from your ISP. Any computers connected to the router will be assigned a local address by the router.
3. A router will have the ISP IP address and a local IP address. This allows it to connect to both the Internet and your network.
4. When setting up a computer as a FTP, Web, or other server to communicate over the Internet, it is important to use the router's IP address to access your server. You will then need to forward the necessary port to your server.

For more information, please read the Technically Easy blog.

Paul Salmon has been involved with computers for 20 years and currently works as a technical systems analyst. He has been involved in many aspects of computers including hardware, software development and quality assurance. He currently maintains Technically Easy, a blog that provides information about various technologies in use today.

Supply and Demand
As consumers race through the checkout lines of their local coffee shops, discount centers or home improvement superstores, one buying habit stands out. The way in which people pay for goods and services has been overtaken by the plastic revolution. Consumers are converting from cash customers to card customers in record numbers as our consumer driven economy is flooded with private label credit cards and gift cards available in nearly any denomination.

Accepting credit cards was once a luxury few businesses could afford. But in todays fast-paced marketplace businesses can no longer afford not to accept credit cards or ignore the growing population of card-carrying consumers who have made it very clear that obtaining their business is now dependent on the ability to use their cards. This shift in consumer purchasing power has pushed nearly every industry into joining the paying with plastic mainstream.

Accepting Credit Cards Does Not Come Without Its Risks
As a result of credit cards being offered nearly everywhere, we, the consumers, possess a greater freedom in how and where we can spend our money. However, as the benefits for the consumer increase so do the risks associated for the businesses that accept them. Fraudulent credit card claims skyrocketed to $678 million in 2004. Nearly 80% of the claims associated with stolen credit cards and fees associated with insufficient funds could be prevented if more businesses made use of the latest in credit card clearing technologies. Some businesses within the car wash industry are now taking advantage of this new technology by using merchant processors that authorize their transactions via the web on a high-speed Internet connection. So what used to take almost 40 seconds and an additional phone line now takes 3-5 seconds.

This new way of authorizing credit card transactions also means there is no need to clear all of the transactions at the end of the day like most of the batching systems currently used in the wash industry. Not only do dealers save money on costly business phone lines that the older technologies require, but they also reduce the risks associated with accepting stolen credit cards and the bank fees associated with them.

Buyer Beware: Half-Hearted Solutions Do More Harm than Good
Car wash owners must be aware of drawbacks to any credit card solution they implement. If a wash does not currently have credit card acceptance, a common solution to implement is a credit card to token machine. On paper this solution seems to cut the cost of retrofitting existing equipment in the bays or on an entry system. It is the unforeseen costs involved with credit card fraud that have relegated this solution to a last resort. In hindsight, many owners point out that by giving thieves the ability to use a stolen credit card at a token machine, they can easily empty all the untraceable tokens without even resorting to breaking anything. Not only are the car wash operators out hundreds of dollars worth of tokens, but now the bank wants to collect money and charge back fees. Local Police claim that many times thieves sell the stolen tokens to innocent people who then redeem them for wash services. So now owners are out the cost of the tokens, liable for the charges made on the stolen card and supplying free washes that were never paid for.

There is a solution for owners and operators to protect themselves from this type of theft. Either limit the credit card purchases to a one-time service such as the use of a wash bay or be sure that your vending unit is dispensing something that can be tracked and deactivated in the event of fraud.

Offering Credit Cards Is No Longer Enough
With the rampant proliferation of credit card acceptance throughout the business world, car wash owners face a dilemma. They are forced to offer credit cards at their car washes in order to compete, but credit card theft and fraud can eat into their profit margins and cause time consuming paperwork to unsnarl.

Visa Its Anywhere You Want to Be
One solution to the problem and an excellent incentive to retain customers is private label credit cards. Private label cards and loyalty discounts have become one of the most successful marketing programs in the retail industry. When consumers shop at their local Best Buy or Home Depot, they are offered a myriad of discounts and promotional programs as incentives for making future purchases. Even consumers who have the money to pay for a product or service out-of-pocket will still take the time to sign up for a card to receive a discount now and pay their bill later.

The Truth Hurts
However, few car wash dealers can afford to privatize their own credit card or spend money on equipment that only provides the convenience of using a credit card at their individual car wash. The problem that nearly every operator runs into when they order a credit card acceptance system is that they dont see a huge rise in revenues to offset the cost of the system. Often times the addition of a straight credit card system only prevents an eventual loss in revenues, because other wash locations that do offer national credit cards absorb a percentage of the car washes business.

Many operators have also noticed that a large portion of their credit card sales is from customers who would have used cash had the credit option not been available. When a wash installs a credit card system throughout a wash, it does nothing to promote loyalty, only convenience to the growing population of those who prefer to pay with a credit card.

The Solution is Simple
Enterprising car wash owners who wish to capture the business of the card-carriers and still keep them and the rest of their cash customers coming back for repeat business is to utilize the best of both worlds - alternate payment methods. Major retailers have been offering gift cards for a decade now and the sale of gift cards has risen to the top selling item in the holiday seasons of 2003 and 2004.

Nearly every person in the United States has used a gift card with a prepaid balance that could be redeemed for products and services. There are also products and equipment available within the car wash industry that can sell prepaid cards/keys/or codes through a machine that accepts both cash and credit cards. This type of system caters to both the impulse buyer and the bargain shopper by offering loyalty benefits for prepaying. These benefits can vary - bonus wash dollars or discounts on services, for example. In addition, this type of system can convert a single credit card transaction into a card or key that can now be redeemed without transaction fees or the need for cash, tokens or paper vouchers on future purchases. Many of these systems also allow the end user to add more value to their card/key/code through the same dispensing machine or even on their computers via the Internet.

Doing Your Homework: Work Smarter, Not Harder
While researching this type of credit card-compatible loyalty system, it is important to ask the following questions that may not come up in the sales pitch:

• Can I deactivate a card/key/code that is fraudulently purchased with a stolen credit card?
• Does the system track which card/key/code is sold with each transaction?
• Is there a limit to the number of cards/keys/codes that can be in the system at any given time?
• Does the system offer post-paid fleet accounts as well as pre-paid gift card sales?
• How is the transaction data stored/retrieved? Is this automated or does it require on-site visits?
• Is the transaction data backed up in the event of hardware failure?
• Does the system batch the credit card transactions?
• Does the system require additional phone lines to clear credit cards?
• How much do the loyalty cards/keys cost per unit? What about customization?
• How does the system handle upgrades and feature adds? Do I need to pay for these upgrades?
• How flexible is the system in terms of offering discounts or running promotions?
• How much development has been done to enhance the system since it launched and are there future plans to continue innovation on the product?

Alternate Payment Methods: Opportunity for Success
Many car wash owners and operators have found that the costs associated with purchasing an alternate payment program can be daunting, although the long term gains heavily outweigh the upfront costs. Some car wash owners decide that they have enough business and only wish to appeal to the one-time sales associated with credit card use at the bay. Other owners see these

Ryan Carlson is an industry expert on consumer buying trends and car wash promotional marketing technologies. Specializing in successful car wash marketing and cashless payment technologies, you can catch one of his seminars at a local trade show or read his regular editorials in the various industry trade publications. To ask Ryan for marketing advice, ask questions, or inquire about an interview, visit his website at http://www.washideas.com