Ling Tong asked:


One of the main advantages of a free English learning course is that it doesn’t cost you any money. As long as you have access to the Internet on your computer, you can take such a course from anywhere in the world and become fluent in the English language. There are lessons for beginners and those who have some knowledge of English. If you can speak the language, but you are not so good at writing or spelling, then you can gain valuable knowledge from taking such a course. The courses have resources for learners of all ages, so that a whole family can learn at the same time. You can still continue to live and work in your home country and set a schedule for your studies at any time of the day or night.

 

There is no doubt that parts of the course will prove difficult for you. Even native speakers have problems with some aspects of English grammar and often have to use a dictionary to help them with meanings and spellings of words. You should not let yourself become frustrated when you hit a difficult point in your learning. It should be something that you enjoy. For this reason, there are games you can play to help relieve the monotony and help you increase your vocabulary at the same time. All learners can enjoy and benefit from playing word games, such as Memory and Hangman and in completing word search puzzles.

 

When you have a buddy to study with, such as a friend or family member, you can help each other. When one person has difficulty with some aspect, the other person may understand it and be able to offer assistance or an explanation. If you are studying alone, you should set a time when you are going to access the online site and inform others in your household that you can’t be disturbed for that period of time.

 

Don? set a few hours for each study time because it will make the time seem longer and you may get bored easily. Short study periods are best, so if you set 30 minutes a day, you will not have any problems with completing the course. You will certainly find some lessons easier than others and be able to accomplish more on some days than others. Set goals for yourself that are achievable and then celebrate your successes.

 

The best thing about taking online courses to help you learn English is that you can review the lessons as many times as you feel it is necessary. Complete the practice exercises and when you have some of the answers wrong, go back and find where you made a mistake. Even if you do not do well on a quiz, review the lesson and retake the quiz. Take advantage of the listening and reading activities to improve your own speech and comprehension. Even though these lessons are free, there is no limit on the number of times you can review the material.



Renee

jamiehanson asked:


Trivia games are a lot of fun. Apart from this, they also add a lot of knowledge-based enquiry within its dimension. Most trivia game sites are very dynamic. Information is piled on the sites continuously. Members and professional quizmasters load the site with information. There are various kind of trivia which are blended to make perfect games for amateurs and erudite alike. Apart from the quiz trivia, the quizmasters are asked to provide additional interesting information for the site. This makes the site well-balanced and highly lovable. Most famous board games and most popular television game show were both formatted on the concept of trivia. There are plenty of sites which provide half-yearly subscription to trivia games and help us in aligning to myriad thought-provoking games. It is conclusively proved facts that erudite love the concept of games which brings out their intellectual resources completely. The quizzes questions are ideally checked by knowledgeable volunteers before being placed on the site. Few of the trivia games have multiple choice frames. Others are of true/false format. Many can also be “fill in the blanks” type. Trivia games keep a cumulative tab of our points and compare it with other players who have got a booking at approximately the same time. Such records are important because the top players on the list often get diverse bonuses; virtual and real. It is not difficult to create trivia games. Our web browser is quite adept in creating games of highest order. Quiz creation program tally with the browser to give the desired result. One can readily build a free trivia game. Firstly, we need to answer certain questions. These can be pertaining to our hobbies, location, and educational preference and so on. After we get an idea regarding what a game should cater to, we can create a game from a website’s homepage or a related member category. Once the template is being built, a person can begin with the editing part of the trivia games. After we have finished constructing the game, we can type “My game is ready to go online” from the pull-down menu aligned to the game editor screen. The game can be further saved and put through a mélange of knowledgeable volunteers who look for the undeniably obvious errors. They suggest us fundamental guidelines of creating a website. With each thing going as planned, the game can be put on the global online display ready to be played by all and sundry across the global stratum. There is a host of free trivia games waiting to be lapped up by the curious many: Global challenges- It is a worldwide trivia game tournament which can have myriad games played along the global dais. Instaquiz- This is an extremely interesting game. It promises quizzes based on a huge database. Such games can have different kind of formats. Crossword puzzles- These can be played by multiplayer simultaneously. The game deals with solving regular or cryptic crosswords. Obviously the one who solves the puzzle more expeditiously wins the game. There are hundreds of games waiting to be played.



Kevin

Gen Wright asked:


t’s spend a little time discussing what exactly is a widget. A widget is a mini web application where webmasters can add to their websites. This is usually done by copying and pasting some simple HTML or Javascript code on to the existing web pages. The term social widget refers to widgets that are meant specifically for social websites. Social websites like MySpace.com or Facebook.com allow their members to customize their profile pages. That means the members can add any social widgets to their profile page.

There are many types of different social widgets. They range from puzzles, simple games, fancy clocks, to useful tools such as calendars, password generators and so on. So depending on how you want your social web pages to look, you are free to choose any social widget that is available for download. Usually, social widgets are freely available at no cost. And why is that? If you are an Internet marketer, perhaps you already know the reasons.

Social widgets are developed for others to use on their websites or web pages. As these web pages become more and more popular, especially on social websites where there is a general tendency for members to add new friends, the widget will spread virally. This allows the Internet marketer to get free exposure at no cost. It is not uncommon to see widgets that link back to the developer’s website. A popular social widget can potentially be downloaded and used by millions on web users. So imagine the amount of free traffic that the developer will receive!

But that can only happen if a social widget is extremely popular, and online visitors are willing to spread the word. How can that be achieved? For a start, new widgets should be promoted as much as possible to gain traction. For example, a developer can list a new widget in widget directories. These directories function very much like a search engine, and allows users to search for the widgets that they want. The more places that the widget is listed in, the better the chance of someone downloading the widget, and actually installs and uses it.

In addition, the widget must also be setup to spread itself virally. Let’s say you downloaded a quiz widget that allows you to quiz your friends. When your friends receive your quiz requests, they in turn must download the widget before they can see the quiz. If they like the widget, they will continue to spread the widget to their own network of friends. This is, in essence, how widgets can spread virally.

So if you are into Internet marketing, you probably realize by now how powerful social widgets can be. With millions and millions of members on social networking sites, the potential is huge. A wildly successful widget can easily bring in thousands of targeted visitors a day. How you monetize the traffic, is completely up to you. After all, the traffic will keep coming without you having to spend a single dime.

ARCHWOOD

Ling Tong asked:


When you want to learn English online, you will find many free courses online. What you have to be careful of is that many of these online English courses only give you a few free lessons and then you have to sign up and pay for the rest of the lessons in the course. If you already know some English the free lessons can be beneficial to help you refresh your knowledge or determine whether or not you need to start at the beginner level.

 

You do need to find a course that encompasses the four processes of a language ?listening, speaking reading and writing. Courses that only give you information and explanation of concepts are of little use because you don’t get a chance to practice what you learn in the lessons. This means you need to look for interactive courses in which you can complete the practice exercises for each lesson and then find out how many of your answers are correct. This gives you a chance to review the lesson to understand your mistakes. You can take the practice exercises as many times as you wish until you get all the questions correct. Then you can move on to the quiz on the lesson and feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve a high grade.

 

In addition to having explanations of the lesson printed on the computer screen, there should be a link to where you can hear these explanations spoken. This way you can read along with the speaker and get a chance to learn the pronunciation of the words. There should be a listening component to the course in which you have to listen to a speaker read a short passage or conversation and then you answer questions on what you listened to. This will make sure you understand what you hear.

 

Some of the online courses have a component in which you can speak and read passages in English and receive feedback on your speech. However, these are mainly found in courses for which you have to pay a fee. In the free online courses, you can read passages on your own and record yourself. Then you can compare how well your pronunciation is to that of the speaker.

 

Most of the English courses online have news clips written in English that you can read to gain knowledge of what is happening in the world. You can also read English books online as well as paly word games that will really increase your vocabulary skills. Each lesson should have a list of the main vocabulary covered in that lesson. It would be extremely helpful if you find an online site that includes a dictionary so that you can translate the words in English to words of your own language. This will really aid your learning.

 

It is best to start at the beginning so that you learn English at a slow pace. Don’t try to rush through the lessons and make sure you thoroughly understand them before you move on to the next lesson. Although you can choose lessons in any order, it is also best to take them in sequence because the skills of one lesson build on the ones you achieved in the previous lesson.



Howard

Kassie Kuehl asked:


Most women know that when they become pregnant, there is a need to smarten up and realize how critical it is to eat well, and to avoid certain foods such as caffeine or fish, due to its elevated levels of mercury. There is also another side of the story for those wishing to conceive, and are battling with infertility. 

Eating well and eliminating stress are important, but there is an even bigger picture to a healthy pregnancy, conceiving, and the toxic  “body burdon.”   The term body burdon pertains to the slew of environmental as well as manmade chemicals.  Chemicals made by man are fat soluble and not readily broken down by metabolic processes–and because of this, can be stored in body fats and build up to dangerous levels.

If a woman breastfeeds, female offspring are potentially most at risk of accumulative toxins. Over the past several years, studies have come out to show that chemicals have been found in the breast milk of American women. A study of the breast milk of American women published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2003 found “unexpectedly high levels” of chemical fire retardants in every participant tested.

The average level of bromine-based fire retardants in the milk of 20 first-time mothers was 75 times the average found in recent European studies. Milk from two study participants contained the highest levels of fire retardants ever reported in the United States, and milk from several of the mothers in EWG’s study had among the highest levels of these chemicals yet detected worldwide.

While the news of these chemicals in breast milk is shocking and disturbing to most moms, doctors and experts agree that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks and breast is still best.

On and in Our Body

Each day American women reach for shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, and moisturizers. We apply blush, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick, then maybe dab on some nail polish and perfume. We look good, we smell good–AND we have just exposed ourselves to 200 different synthetic chemicals.

It is not just a makeup problem–but a snapshot of the BIG PICTURE

We are seeing more benign lumps in breasts, thyroid problems, and infertility, which have become an increasingly common experience for many women. As a Western society, we are at an interesting disconnect–looking at how to treat disease–but not how to prevent disease.

Chemicals also affecting men–and some chemicals in these products are particularly problematic for men. We’re all exposed to phthalates, and phthalates interfere with the production of testosterone, and they’re also linked to health effects like lower sperm counts and testicular tumors.

We now know that what we eat passes into your bloodstream and to your baby, however it is as important to know what you are absorbing through your skin.  Our tissue uptakes 64 percent of everything we use topically–everything we put on our skin or hair.   Many manmade cosmetic chemicals are fat soluble and are not readily broken down by metabolic processes, and because of this, can be stored in body fats and build up to dangerous levels. Babies are potentially most at risk because during breastfeeding, further exposure to the pollutants stored in body fats occurs.

Since personal care products are not regulated by the FDA, you may be surprised that a number of controversial ingredients and known carcinogenics are found in our skin, hair, and body care. This is why it is up to you to decide what you feel at peace with as to what you’re putting onto, and therefore into, your body, and potentially passing on to your baby. 

For years, retinoids,  salicylic acid, and accutane have been declared unsafe to use during pregnancy. Through research, this list continues to grow.  Pregnant women should be aware of other questionable ingredients such as parabens, PEGs, and acrylamides. Often women have reactions to fragrance, mineral oils and allergens during pregnancy. 

Seek out products that are natural and do not contain parabens, PEGs, SLS, glycols, acrylates, mineral oils, silicones or artificial fragrance. To help change the face of this industry, stop wasting your money on bottom-line companies that use cheap additives or fillers in their products.

Put it to action and test yourself!

Are you aware that the European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals used in making skin care products?  The USA has only banned 9. 

SIMPLE SOLUTION:  Take this quiz to find out if you may be using products that could adversely affect you and your family’s health.

Take a look at the ingredients of the beauty products you use. Then answer the following questions True or False:

1. Sodium lauryl sulfate appears as an ingredient in my shampoo or other hair products.

2. I notice a combination of sodium lauryl sulfate and TEA (triethanolamine, DEA (diethanolamine), or MEA (monoethanolamine) in one or more of the hair products I use.

3. The word “methylparaben” appears on a label.

4. My product lists “fragrance” on the label.

5. I see the words “dibutyl phthalate, or DBP,” or “diethylhexyl phthalate, or DEHP” on a label.

If you answered “True” to any of the questions, you may want to reconsider using those products. Here’s why:

1. Sodium lauryl sulfate is a suspected liver or gastrointestinal toxiocant and sometimes causes eye and skin irritation, hair loss, and allergic reactions.

2. When sodium lauryl sulfate is combined with TEA, DEA, or MEA, it can cause the formation of nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.

3. Methylparaben is a commonly used disinfectant in many products. But recent research has shown that, when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun, it actually causes wrinkles and liver spots.

4. Artificial fragrances have been linked to a wide variety of health problems. Artificial musk, for example, has been shown to weaken the immune system.

5. Phthalates—plasticizers found in numerous cosmetics and other products—have been shown to be hormone disruptors that can cause birth defects and other harm.

Find out more about the toxic chemicals hiding in your beauty products at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com, The Environmental Working Group (EWG.com).



Jimmy

Adam Smith asked:


The Fresno Traffic School is online, court-approved and combines entertainment with education. Following are the advanced features of the State approved Fresno Traffic School course:

For whom is it available?

The Fresno Traffic School is available for anyone who has received a traffic ticket in California State and has been referred by the court to take a traffic school course. Fresno Traffic School is approved by the district courts in California.

The Process: One needs to score 80% or above in the final exam at the end of the Fresno Traffic School exam. This done, the certificate of completion is processed the very same day. After that, the certificate is delivered to the candidate’s given address. This time, money and energy-saving option can be availed through regular or over-night delivery services.

Curriculum and design of the California Fresno Online Traffic School course:

The Fresno Traffic School course concentrates on safe driving basics and traffic rules and regulations. Some of the things you will learn through the Fresno Traffic School course are

• The responsibility of driving.

• Safe driving strategies.

• Human and natural driving environments,

• Various driving impairments

• Vehicle safety and maintenance.

• State-specific speed limits and DUI/DWI laws.

Fresno Traffic School presents these information and instructions through a rich combination of well written content, interesting graphics and instructive animations. The Fresno Traffic School also incorporates short video tracks, interesting audio instructions and colorful pictures and photographs.

Why these features? These features make learning interesting and interactive. How? Take for instance the impact of a collision on a driver. In the Fresno Traffic School the entire situation is described with the help of an animation alongside the text. So you just do not read about the impact of a collision but also see what exactly happens. Similarly, graphics is used to make learning easier. In the Fresno Traffic School course you will find extensive use of graphics along with texts for explanation of a particular driving situation.

These graphics, animations, video and audio features are backed up by innovative quiz sections (in multiple choice formats) in the Fresno Traffic School. At the end of each of the 12 chapters you will find a 10 question quiz series that helps you in revising the important points in that particular chapter.

Use of technology:

The biggest advantage of the Fresno Traffic School Course is that the course is completely user-friendly and user-controlled. So refresh your safe driving skills in as many sessions as you wish. The Fresno Traffic School has the option of unlimited log in and outs and auto book-marking facility at every log out. Fresno Traffic School course is totally web-based and the site is 100% secure. Access the Fresno Traffic School course from mouse-top convenience and get that mouse-top convenience at your convenient timings. In a nutshell the Fresno Traffic School course gives the user some really lucrative options. For instance, canceling the traffic tickets while enjoying an afternoon by the beach!

The Espanol Advantage: Keeping in mind the Californian demography, Fresno-TrafficSchool.com also provides a complete Spanish version of Fresno Traffic School .

Some more features:

• Free 24/7 customer support.

• Instant and automatic gradation.

• Available in Espanol

Log on to the Fresno Traffic School for more details.



Carlos

David H. Urmann asked:


Kindergarten Math games are a good way to start in helping kids love math. Introducing fun math activities in school and at home can result to a much better understanding of Math.

Math is important in nurturing a child’s education. Interactive games provide teachers and parent the support they need. It enhances mathematical development and curiosity. Teachers use different materials and references in planning certain activities for classrooms. This is to make math more interesting.

Since children’s ideas are firmly based on their everyday activities and experiences, it best to adapt playing while gaining knowledge. Here are some tips to consider:

Learning Math in school

Kindergarten classrooms use the manipulative method. It is anything handed for counting will help a child to learn math concepts. This includes concrete things like puzzles, cubes, blocks and clocks.

Children are very active and they want to learn new things. Pictures grasp the attention of children. Flashcards are best options for number recognition, while puzzles help children to find out mathematical strategies. Thus, playing addition games are more exciting. It heats up group competition.

Other game samples are:

• Triangle Number Game- Adding number and connects the answer to the side that matches it.

• Snail One Hundred game - Learning number structure from 1 to 100.

• Highs and Lows - A Place Value Activity

Learning Math outside

Outside games will utilize the children’s energy while learning. Do-the-Math Hopscotch is one of the outdoor educational games inspired by the book Game On by Patt Doyle. This game resembles a chalk drawing of a calculator. A player will toss a stone to a number and hops on to form an equation. One foot hops to zeros and odd numbers and 2 footed hops to even numbers and symbols. A player will continuously play until he makes a mistake or finished all the numbers to 9.

Math Games at Home

Parents should encourage kids to play along with numbers using simple materials and preparation. One can make board games using dice and pieces of cardboard with creativity. There are also ready made educational cards for those busy parents. Go Fish Cards is one example that has become popular for math reviews. It enables kids to easily identify numbers and understand the difference between more or less. The use of dominoes, chess, checkers and Yahtzee will also deepen a child’s logical ability.

Other game samples are:

• Math Bingo- A Bingo classic game of mathematical approach.

• Popsicle Stick Game - Focuses on child’s counting ability.

• Two-Fisted Pennies Game -Identifies left and right positions and addition of numbers.

Math Games Online

Online learning has become the most rapid and common tool for young students. Internet math games help kids practice more and excel in math. It also reinforces math skills and concepts. Many free online games offers visual and hands-on activities such as:

1. Number recognition

2. Counting practices

3. Addition/Subtraction games

Below are popular math games on line.

• The Frog Puzzle

• Mathematical Matches

• Interactive 100 Square Chart

• Flash Algebra

• Tessellations

Number Puzzles online are:

• Crossnumber- Adding five digits numbers to find the clue.

• Color Quiz- Answering addition questions by coloring pictures.

• Number Cruncher - A mathematical arcade game that uses arrows to eat numbers of a given multiple.

• Shade - Shading the correct number to get an equal fraction.

• Table Times - It is a simple multiplication quiz game.

Math games can be effective when linked with standard teachings. It plays a vital part in stimulating interactions. A child’s interest must be supported by teachers and parents. Thus, games are math helpers only. It is much better to attend school and study homework that can beat up the Math anxiety.



Patricia

Alexander asked:


How serious are your debt problems? The spectrum of possibilities ranges from negligible to severe. The fact that you bought this book indicates that debt is something you are concerned about. As you read this chapter and review the most common signs of debt problems, consider that the more signs that apply to you, the more serious your situation is.

Where Have All the Dollars Gone?

The first sign that debt is becoming more of an issue in your life than it should be is the incredible shrinking bank balance. Although you make enough to pay your regular bills, more and more of your monthly income goes toward servicing your rising debt. It gets to a point where money is tight, and you feel like you are choking because there is never enough money. Unfortunately, this situation creates a negative domino effect upon the rest of your financial life.

But I Still Have Room on My Card

The first to fall is the credit card domino. Your lack of funds causes you to begin to take cash advances to pay your minimum balances or basic living expenses. You know that your gold card still has about $5,000 left on it, so you begin to use it to live on. Or, even worse, you begin to accept all of those credit card offers that come in the mail, and before you know it, you have 10 open credit cards.

You take out $100 here and $500 there. “No big deal,” you think. After all, you are used to paying off your cards, or at least paying enough that the debt has not, so far, seemed burdensome. You begin to rationalize. You tell yourself that you’re just in a temporary cash crunch, that this is why credit cards were invented. Feeling better, you take out another $500.

Money Talks

When you use your credit cards to withdraw cash, extra fees kick in. Cash advances carry an upfront fee of up to 4 percent of the amount advanced. There is a higher interest charge for cash advances than regular card charges, and many issuers also require you to pay down the balances for purchases before you pay down the higher-interest cash advance balance. Finally, cash advances carry no grace period; interest charges begin to mount as soon as the ATM spits out the money.

The Balance Transfer Shuffle

“Not to worry,” you tell your spouse or yourself. You have a plan. These stupid credit cards can’t outfox you. You will just transfer your balances from the card with the high balance or the high interest rate to a different card. You are smarter than the credit card companies.

Not only do you transfer balances, but you start to use those convenient checks the credit card companies are always sending you. You begin to pay one card with another card. In the meantime, not wanting to upset your precarious financial balance, you begin to use your cards more to pay for everyday things such as food.

The bills grow. Whereas you used to be able to pay more than the minimum, now the minimum is more than you can pay. In an effort to conserve your rapidly dwindling cash reserves, you decide you have no choice but to save money-by using your credit cards more!

Money Talks

Debt got you down? Consider these rules penned by Thomas Jefferson: 1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. 2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself. 3. Never spend your money before you have it. 4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you. 5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold. 6. Never repent of having eaten too little. 7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly. 8. Don’t let the evils which have never happened cost you pain. 9. Always take things by their smooth handle. 10. When angry, count to 10 before you speak; if very angry, count to 100.

Relief is in sight. Using your cards more and not spending your precious cash to pay off these credit card balances gives you a (false) sense of security. Your money situation is not that bad. For a few months, things seem back to normal. Anyway, those tiny classified ads you are going to start running all over the country are going to make you rich, and then you will pay off all of your cards, and this situation will be something to laugh about in five years.

Then the card with the low interest rate jacks up your rate to 18.9 percent. You have a $10,000 balance on that card! It’s OK. Stay cool. You still have two more cards with room on them. All the while, you are getting deeper and deeper in debt.

What do you do? Eureka, you have a solution! You can apply for more cards, get some more low “teaser” rates, and transfer some more balances. So you do, and so it goes. Sound familiar?

Dog Logic

Soon, the mailman becomes your enemy; all he brings is bad news. Maybe you’re not smarter than the credit card companies after all. Every bill you get from them now is shocking. You can’t afford to pay them. So you start to only pay some of the bills on time.

Paying some of the cards late frees up some cash, but now you are incurring late fees and extra finance charges because of your ever-increasing poor bill-paying habits. The problem is, you are so far in over your head that all of your bills begin to look like messages from the enemy. Soon, you start to create a pile of unopened bills.

In order to make it through until payday (if only that little ad had generated some phone calls!), you start to pay your other bills late. Late fees pile up on late fees. You begin to get threatening letters from your creditors. Soon, you get letters from collection agencies.

Finally, you become a juggler in a three-ring circus of your own making. The cable is about to get turned off, “I’ll run down and pay it today!” “Yes, I know, I understand I am behind; I’ll drop a check in the mail tomorrow.” “Maybe,” you think to yourself, “they won’t get it until next week, and it won’t hit my bank until next Friday.” That’s the ticket!

The small brushfire that began back home is beginning to burn out of control. The next indication that things are getting out of hand financially relates to your bank accounts.

Bye-Bye Savings

You might have entered this period proud of the fact that you had some money in the bank. Maybe you were saving for a rainy day or maybe for a special trip that you wanted to take.

Money Talks

Fee-mania is all the rage at banks. According to Ed Mierzwinski, consumer director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, customers are charged a fee for almost everything now. There are fees for opening an account, moving cash from one account to another, for not using your account enough (inactive account fees), missing a signature, inquiring about your balance, and depositing a bad check. In a final attempt to gouge you, banks have now started to charge you for closing your accoun

Sadly, by this point, your savings are probably long gone. Despite the penalties, your IRA or 401(k) have probably been raided, too. Equally bad, your previous valiant efforts to do the right thing and consistently save some money have probably gone by the wayside as well. With money as tight as it is, you don’t see how you can afford to begin to save some money again. Your pride is hurt, and your ego is wounded. You might begin to feel depressed over the sad state of your financial affairs. That rainy day has come.

What’s My Balance?

Your checking account is in even worse shape. Maybe you’ve gotten into the habit of bouncing a couple of checks here and there. More likely, you have figured out how to just skate by.

It could be that you go to pay the phone bill at the last possible moment on Friday afternoon, knowing that the check won’t get to your bank until probably Tuesday of the next week (but hopefully Wednesday!). That will work, because you get paid next Wednesday. Even if the check doesn’t clear the first time, the phone company always puts a bounced check through a second time, so it will only cost you a $25 bounced check fee to keep your phone for another month.

Maybe you do what Tom does. When things get really bad, he pays the bills on time, but “accidentally” puts the check for the phone company in the Visa envelope and vice versa. By the time the mix-up is fixed, two weeks have gone by, and he’s gotten paid again.

He fixes the problem and makes it through another month.

Or, like Jessica, you just stop balancing your checkbook altogether. What’s the point? After all, when you go to the ATM, you check your balance! Jessica can’t bear to figure out how much she owes to whom and refuses to keep track of her ATM withdrawals, so she just continues to write checks and take out money, keeping a rough balance in her head and hoping that it will be all right. This is the next signpost on a debt-end road: evading, avoiding, and ignoring the truth of the situation.

How to reduce your ATM charges:

1. Keep your checking account at a bank that doesn’t charge you for using its ATM machines.

2. Don’t use an ATM machine belonging to an institution where you don’t bank.

3. Consider using a credit union. Its ATM fees are usually lower.

4. If you use an ATM regularly, withdraw larger amounts of money to reduce the number of times you are charged a fee.

5. Avoid ATMs that surcharge.

6. Use a teller instead of an ATM, especially when lines at the bank ATM are long. Be certain, however, that you won’t be charged a teller fee!

End of the Line

Creditors are now starting to close your accounts. Credit card companies, once your good friends, want nothing to do with you. Your accounts have been assigned to collection agencies. Sadly, they do want to talk to you. You stop answering the phone. You get caller ID. Finally, you change your phone number, get an unlisted number, and give it out only to your friends.

At this point, you have a chronic debt problem. You know it, too, but you would rather ignore the problem or explain it away:

1. You are concerned only about today. Although your debt problems are now constant, and every month is as bad as the month before, your only concern is this month. Getting the rent paid, paying back dad, and keeping the heat on are your concerns. The fact that you have the tax bill or insurance payment due next month is of no concern to you today. You will solve that crisis when you get to it.

2. You have lost track of how much you owe. You don’t even bother to look at the balances on the statements you get; you can’t pay them anyway. If you do have any credit cards left, you don’t care what the interest rate is; all you know about your cards is how much room you have on any one of them with which to charge.

3. You have become the king or queen of rationalizations. You refuse to take a good hard look at your financial affairs and instead have reasons for why things are the way they are. “The divorce killed me.” “I’m too busy with my novel to worry about something as mundane as my bills.” “I’m no good with numbers.” “I’ll deal with it after the first of the year.”

4. You are in a state of constant worry, but do nothing. You may be frozen with fear. The problem looms so large that you don’t know where to start, so you start nowhere.

Your Money or Your Life

What began as an isolated skirmish in the outback of money country has now spilled over to the rest of your life. It could be affecting your health, your job, your relationship, and even your life.

Marriage and Money

Money troubles are the leading cause of divorce in this country, and now you know why. Your debt issues are now beginning to affect your relationship.

Your mate is angry with you, scared about the well-being of the family, and concerned that your

problems will affect his or her financial life as well.

Here are some signs that you’re in drastic debt:

1. Your mate is afraid to apply for credit with you for fear that your problems will spill over.

2. The constant phone calls from creditors cause pain and anger in your mate.

3. The constant worry about money takes its toll on your sex life.

4. Your mate is worried that the boss will find out.

Money Talks

Of all married couples, 66 percent have only one checking account, a joint account; 22 percent have a joint account and two separate checking accounts; 8 percent have two completely separate accounts; and 4 percent have no checking accounts at all. Finally, you resolve to do something and face your money demons. Congratulations, buying this book is an important first step.

Test Yourself

As we said at the beginning of this chapter, debt issues can range from mild to severe. Take the following quiz to see how serious your debt situation is:

Are your debts making your home life unhappy?

Do your debts make you careless with the welfare of your family?

Are your debts a source of constant friction with your mate?

Two Cents

Before they walk down the aisle, couples should have a money session to avoid surprises down the road. From student loans to car payments to credit card bills, it’s best to come clean on every “I owe” before saying “I do.”

Are your debts affecting how people view you?

Do your debts affect how you view yourself?

Do your debt problems distract you from your work?

Do you fear that your employer, family, or friends will learn the extent of your total indebtedness?

Have you ever lost a friend because of your money habits?

Have you ever lied in order to obtain credit?

Do you expect a negative response when you apply for credit?

Have you ever borrowed money without considering how you will pay it back?

Have you ever borrowed money without considering the interest rate?

When faced with a difficult financial situation, is your first thought to go deeper into debt?

Have you ever lied to your creditors regarding payment of a bill?

Does the pressure of your debts cause you difficulty in sleeping, or cause you to overeat, undereat, or smoke, or otherwise affect your health negatively?

Has the pressure of your debts ever caused you to drink more than you should?

Do you think about your money problems a lot during the day?

Do you justify your debts by telling yourself that you are superior to the “other” people, and when you get your “break,” you’ll be out of debt overnight?

Have you ever developed a strict regimen for paying off your debts, only to break it under pressure?

Have you seriously considered bankruptcy?

Scoring:

1-5 yes answers: Your debt issues are not bad and are easily resolvable.

5-10 yes answers: Your debt issues are more serious, but not out of control.

10 or more yes answers: Your debt problems are very serious and deserve your immediate attention. You must begin to take corrective action now.

You see that you need to take action to resolve your debt situation, which is good news. Consider these ideas:

1. Continuing to run from the problem will only get you in deeper trouble.

2.Respond to your creditors and show them that you have an interest in working thins out. 3. Acknowledge to yourself that you have made some irresponsible decisions.

4. Get professional counseling if it is warranted.

5. Share your problems with a close friend or your spouse.

6. Know that there is a way out and that this process and a debt-free destination are probably a better experience than the stress in your life today.

Today is a turning point in your life. There is plenty you can do to turn this situation around, and it may not be nearly as difficult as you think.

The remainder of this book helps guide your way.

The Least You Need to Know

1. The first signpost on the road to indebtedness is a lack of money and an increase in money worries.

2. When you begin to have problems with your bank accounts, things are getting more serious.

3. Evading and avoiding the problem make the matter worse.

4. When your home life is affected by money troubles, it is time to take action.

www.citicredit.asia



Douglas

Rajan asked:


Give them a reason to come

Give potential customers not only a reason to visit the first time, but a reason to keep coming back. Site design marketing strategy and must work together. Whether it’s simply advertising a weekly sale item or something more involved, like inviting people to a contest in which visitors find pictures hidden within your Web site to win a prize, the site and marketing should complement each other. The site should be alive — a product sitting quietly on a page won’t get much attention. Provide content that’s original and valuable to your target market - not just rehashed newswire copy. Add a “Send this page” script to your articles and try to have them published (with or without pay) on other sites whenever you can. For more info login to :www.paylock-generator.com Unique, relevant, and regularly-updated content will both bring you more visitors — which will in turn improve your search-engine ranking — and keep your old visitors returning. Organise your site to lead visitors toward making a purchase, enticing them to your products page with tempting suggestions in your one or two of your articles or in your sidebars. Use small banners as “in-store ads” to attract to your products page from, for example, your feature article page. After all, even if visitors spend time at your discussion group or reading your weekly column, it’s little use to you unless they buy. Keep your advertisements to a reasonable level, though. While ad copy should be lively and seductive, trying to pass an advertorial off as unbiased information will look superficial.

Encourage word of mouth

The “Internet” was meant to be just that - a network of people exchanging information — and linking often brings as much traffic as the search engines. Banner or link exchanges with sites of similar size and complimentary but not competing product-line will introduce your site to a targeted, buying audience. However, FFA links don’t increase you search engine rank and usually don’t garner much traffic unless placed in small, narrowly-targeted sites. A better option is getting listed in a directory relevant to your site’s subject. As a variation on the banner-exchange, try article-for-article or article-for-link exchanges with other sites and newsletters. A well-placed, informative article can attract a lot of positive attention.

Drop in on them

A useful, regularly-delivered opt-in newsletter is the ideal way to remind you customers about your site. But don’t bombard them with ads or fluff –make the newsletter so useful your readers want to pass it on to their friends. Within the newsletters, give them a reason to return to your site, such as a new article, a sale, or a quiz with the answers at the site. At some point send out a survey asking customers what exactly they want, either from Web sites like yours or products like yours. For even more mileage, offer to swap ads or articles with other newsletters.

Keep researching — it may take some trial and error to find the techniques that fit your product and market. Given the rapid pace of Internet development, networking is usually the most efficient way to stay on top of advancements. For more info login to :www.tube-traffic.comThere are a number of sites, discussion groups, and newsletters devoted to Internet promotions that will help you keep up with marketing trends and techniques and gather new ideas. If your business strategies are sound and your product is in demand, you may well be able to make a solid profit even without a bottomless advertising budget.



Micle Shenker

Munro Murdock asked:


A brief Internet search on Google Scholar using the search term Dark Chocolate Studies or Healthy Chocolate reveals an incredible amount of potentially astonishing data. For most people, the phrase “Healthy Chocolate” is nothing more than a bold oxymoron. “How could chocolate possibly be healthy?”, is a common response. If that is your perspective as well, then get ready to be amazed and educated by the amount of scientific data that now exists to support that strange statement: Healthy Chocolate.

Take a moment to do your own research…don’t just take my word for it! After all, I’m no doctor and have no intention of ever becoming one. Lookup Google Scholar and type in Healthy Chocolate. Read the first 10 or 15 articles and studies that you can find. If you are anything like me then that will be enough data to pique your curiosity and cause you to dig deeper to find out what this is really all about. My purpose in writing this article is to illustrate the numerous health benefits of pure dark chocolate and to briefly explain how you can become a part of a fast-growing company that is creating incredible health AND wealth through Healthy Chocolate!

The reason why I recommend Google SCHOLAR over your standard Google or Yahoo! Internet search tool is because Google Scholar will list only academic/scholarly-based data, which tends to hold much more weight than “some dude’s opinion on why chocolate is good for you”. Granted, you can go to Google, Yahoo, MSN or your search engine of choice and still find endless amounts of data to support a search for Healthy Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Antioxidants.

So, let’s get to it! How in the world could chocolate possibly be healthy? Well, the straight answer is that MOST chocolate, as we know it, is NOT healthy! The chocolate we are most familiar with is loaded with sugars, fats, waxes and fillers and has been alkalized, hydrogenated, lecithinated and who knows what else! If you don’t know what those last three weird words mean, like I didn’t, then look them up in Google, too.

Alright, it is time for your first Pop Quiz. Here it is: “What is chocolate made out of?”

Well, the correct answer is “A lot of things”, but many people would say Cocoa, or Cacao. The originating source of chocolate as we know it is from the Cocoa bean from the Cacao tree. Now we’re getting somewhere with our Healthy Chocolate discussion. Cocoa, in its pure virgin form, is the HIGHEST antioxidant food substance on the PLANET! Higher than blueberries, spinach, strawberries, broccoli and grapes. In fact, the antioxidant content in 100 grams of pure unprocessed cocoa powder is higher than all of those fruits and vegetables put together!

This can be verified by going to the USDA website and doing a search using the term: ORAC. That stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, which is just a fancy way of rating the level of antioxidants found in various fruits and vegetables. For centuries cocoa powder has been used as a health food. After the Dutching Process was introduced then much of its healthy history was lost as it became replaced with unhealthy rich chocolate products.

So, are antioxidants good for you or bad for you? They are very good for you! Antioxidants are what prevent free radical damage and they play a huge role in contributing to one’s overall health and well being. In the words of Mr. Wikipedia, “An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves.”

That was a mouthful. Clearly stated, we are ALL oxidizing! Just as a banana browns shortly after it is peeled and exposed to the atmosphere, we are going through the same process, though much slower. The air we breathe, the chemicals all around us, the junk food we eat, the lack of exercise, all contribute to significant oxidation and free radical damage in our bodies. One of the best ways to prevent serious disease and to prolong health and vitality is to maintain consistently high levels of antioxidants in the body. In addition, exercise and a healthy diet should become a part of our daily lives.

Most people do not eat the amount of fruits and vegetables needed to promote good health. While the USDA recommends a minimum ORAC score (antioxidant value) of 4,000 a day, most of us are only getting 800 ORAC based on our diets. The OPTIMAL recommended daily antioxidant intake is actually more than 10,000 ORAC. Richard Cutler, MD, formerly with the National Institute of Health, stated, “The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.” That is a significant statement and should cause all of us to take notice as to how many antioxidant-rich food sources we are consistently consuming.

You’ve probably heard a lot lately about superfoods, right? Well, cocoa powder and the Acai berry are said to be two of THE BEST superfoods in existence due to their extremely high antioxidant content and their complex makeup. I’ve recently learned about one company, MXI (Marketing Xocolate International) Corporation, that has spent millions of dollars developing a patented cold-press process for creating Healthy Chocolate from pure unprocessed cocoa powder, the Acai berry and a few other natural ingredients. The result? Six different Healthy Chocolate products containing the highest ORAC values (antioxidant ratings) of any health product on the market today!

They’ve named their line of chocolate products Xocai (pronounced sho-sigh), which is a combination of the ancient word for chocolate, xocolatl, and the Acai berry. MXI is continually refining their specialized process as they develop new products to ensure that they create only the finest and healthiest chocolate products available. There are no waxes, fillers, sugars, unhealthy fats or any of the other “junk” found in regular store-bought chocolate. So far, no other company in the world has been able to come close to what MXI has done. What is incredible is that with 3 small servings of Xocai healthy chocolate each day you can exceed the recommended 10,000 ORAC intake and dramatically improve your health and vitality.

Better yet, their products are safe for diabetics (the MXI Founder, Jeanette Brooks, is a Type II diabetic), expectant mothers, children, those with high blood pressure and even those who are overweight. The success stories will impress and amaze you. I have personally experienced a dramatic increase in energy and overall health and well being since consistently eating the healthy Xocai chocolate. Understanding the science behind it has helped me to realize how important it is to my physical health. It is delicious and is easy to share with friends and family.

Not only have these Healthy Chocolate products been of tremendous benefit physically, but financially as well. You see, MXI Corp chose to distribute their products through referral or network marketing rather than through the traditional route on a Wal-Mart or Target shelf. They’ve sold numerous products in the past through Wal-Mart, but felt that the true health benefits and value of their Xocai healthy chocolate products would not be properly conveyed by simply sitting on a shelf in the store. Independent MXI distributors simply share the healthy Xocai chocolate products with their friends and family members who then go and do the same. Since those who dislike chocolate are few and far between it is one of the easiest products to share with others. Rather than pay out huge distribution and marketing costs to Wal-Mart and middlemen, MXI is now able to pass those savings on to distributors through a lucrative compensation plan. It’s time to do your research, trade out the bad chocolate for the good and to begin building your long-lasting health and wealth through Healthy Chocolate.

Visit the website link below for more information about how you can incorporate Healthy Chocolate into your diet. You can take a free tour to watch video clips and read detailed information about the various healthy chocolate products now available for purchase. If you simply want to incorporate healthy chocolate into your diet, great! We can help you do that. Additionally, if you recognize the tremendous business opportunity that exists, we can help you to know exactly what you need to do to get started and to become extremely successful. I know that the goals and dreams you have can indeed be realized!

Here’s to your perpetual health and wealth!

Feel free to contact me through www.RockTheChoc.com.

Enjoy the journey, 

Munro Murdock

Learn more about Xocai Healthy Chocolate



Renee