Local Car Dealers

I have come across this new car dealers website and I would surely like to write something about it.

I was searching for car dealers near my area when I found this website. Its called Wexu, (I don't know what does this name

stands for (wexu.com)) but it provides quite huge database of all local car dealers in any state, or even in cities of

America. For example, lets say if you are looking for a Ford car dealers in Chicago, the you can just checkout Ford Chicago or similarly Toyota Houston for Toyota car dealers in Houston. I tried even smaller

cities and it worked great for them also. I am really impressed. I have been looking for such a car dealers site from long.

So if you are looking for any local dealers of car and don't know where to look for, I would surely recommended this small online car dealers website to help you. I am sure it would be of great help to you.

Wedding Makeup That Lasts

Wedding Makeup that Lasts

On your big day, you want your wedding makeup to last. Not only that, but you want to look stunning in your photographs. In order to insure that your makeup will last as long as possible, it may be best to hire a professional to take care of it. However, here is some advice to keep in mind even if you do hire a makeup artist.

Use a makeup base. Several cosmetic companies offer products that go on under your eye makeup or lipstick that help your makeup last. Eye makeup base provides a layer that your eyeshadow and eyeliner can adhere to. This prevents creasing and helps the colour stay on longer. They offer similar products for lipstick. However, try to find a lipstick base that is also moisturizing. Some products contain ingredients that dry the lips out. You'll need your lips to stay nice and moist so you can smile all day.

Get rid of extra shine. A shiny face looks even worse in photographs, especially if the photographer uses a flash. After washing your face, apply an oil controlling product. After that absorbs, apply a thin layer of loose powder. Apply foundation and the rest of your makeup as usual. Follow up with another thin layer of loose powder. Carry some pressed powder with you so you can control any shine as the day progresses.

Lasting lipstick. One of the first things to fade is your lipstick. Follow these tips that will help your lipstick last. First, apply a moisturizing lip base. Then, apply lip liner in a shade that is a little darker than your lipstick. Use a soft pencil. Fill the lips in with the pencil. Apply one coat of lipstick and blot gently. Apply another coat of lipstick but this time do not blot. Press a thin layer of facial tissue gently to your lips. Using a large brush, apply a thin layer of pressed powder to the tissue. The tissue acts as a screen, letting in only a small amount of powder. The powder helps the lipstick set and keeps it on longer.

Pack a makeup bag. No matter how hard you try to create a lasting look, you still may need to do some minor touch ups throughout the day. Pack pressed powder, lipstick, mascara, and eyeshadow just in case your colour needs a boost.

Sally Lopez is a freelance writer and marketing manager of Marcell "Professional Make-up Artists".To learn more about wedding makeup and the latest makeup tips visit www.marcell.com.au.

Things To Remeber In Photoshop Editing

Adobe Photoshop is an amazing program that lets you manipulate photographs to get a more desirable result. It is a program that accommodates your penchant for creativity and your boundless imagination. But used incorrectly, Photoshop will only give you mediocre images.

To avoid poor quality Photoshop work, you should remember a few things that professionals keep in mind. First of all, you should remember to feather the edges of the image you have lifted by around 2-3 pixels. For example, if you had selected a particular image and moved it to a different background, you should feather its edges so that the picture subtly blends into its new background.

You must also remember to retain the proper lighting, perspective, focus and color cast. All the elements that make the photograph realistic should be considered in a Photoshop composition. In the previous example, if you moved the subject to a background where other things have shadows, then your subject must also have a shadow in the depth and orientation that is expected in that background had the subject been originally part of it. If you combine two images of different focal lengths, you also have to adjust the perspective of the resultant image to conform to each other. You also have to remember that if you have different images at different orders, the forefront image must be sharper than those behind it. Finally, the white regions of your image must match in tone and cast so as to present a harmonious-looking composition. To learn more about Photoshop and to see examples check out Photoshop Tutorials at PS Workshop.

SaveOnConferences.com - Audio and Web Conference Calls

Looking for a conference call company that offers web conferencing and local or international conference calls at prices well below the competition? SaveOnConferences.com has all of these services bundled together, and offers excellent service and 24/7 customer support.

Check out their site and receive 60 minutes of free conference call service with no stings attached. SaveOnConferences.com offers competitive rates too, which is something you usually won’t find with a full-featured teleconferencing company; in addition the rate decreases automatically as your volume increases. There is no setup fee or minimum monthly charge; you simply pay for what you use.

SaveOnConferences.com offers direct digital connections, and has relationships with major long distance service providers ensuring that you will get the highest quality service available, along with prices of 50% less than other conference call service providers. Whatever your web or audio conferencing requirements, SaveOnConferences.com offers a high quality service to meet your needs.

Netspoke.com - Audio and Web Conferencing

Looking to impress your clients with your next web presentation? Netspoke.com is the perfect company to help you close that important business deal. Recently acquired by telecommunications giant Premiere Global Services, Netspoke offers a full variety of web conference, audio conference and reservationless or assisted teleconferencing services.

Invite over 500 people to your next team meeting or seminar with Netspoke’s web conference service and host a highly productive event at a fraction of the cost of face-to-face meetings. Engage your audience and boost participation with professional operator assisted conferencing. Netspoke will manage every detail of your conference from beginning to end.


Netspoke boasts an impressive client list, and is now owned by Premiere Global Services, so your company can be confident going into their next web or audio conferencing meeting knowing that the presentation will be a smashing success.

StarConferencing.com - Audio Conferencing

StarConferencing.com - Audio Conferencing

With all the teleconferencing companies out there these days, choosing the best service for your needs can be confusing to say the least. Some require long contracts and commitments, and many of the well known telecommunications companies charge outrageous prices.

Well, I’ve found the most inexpensive conference calls service available. StarConferencing.com specializes in providing audio conferencing for under $20 a month. If you currently are paying more than 3.9 cents for your conference calls (and who isn’t) then you should check them out. StarConferencing.com uses the latest audio conferencing technology on the market for the highest quality conference call experience, so you are paying the best price available and you are still receiving a great quality service.

StarConferencing.com offers access to toll or toll free numbers, can handle up to 125 participants in your call, and provides all the features and controls you need to conduct a professional conference call event.

Great Directory by Jim Westergren!

Jim Westergren has again done a fantastic site - this time a directory.

Check out Add URL-Free.com. It has over 30 000 active links, very nice detail pages and real time editing of links from users.

Here you can for example see a the category software.

What is also very nice for those submitting is that they can preview the detail listing and edit their links even before the link is officially approved by the editor.

Credit Cards Vs Debit Cards

Although credit cards are the most popular forum of credit around, alternatives such as the charge card also have their benefits. Despite both forms of cards being popular, many people do not know the difference between them. If you are looking for the best type of credit, then you really should compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of credit cards and charge cards. They might serve the same purpose, but if you know the differences between them you can get the right type of credit for your needs and hopefully save yourself some money.It is hard to say which type of card is better, although if you want to carry a balance then you have to opt for a credit card. Credit cards generally have more flexibility, as you can pay the money back more slowly. Credit cards also have the facility for 0% balance transfers which gives a huge advantage. However, if you are someone who always pays his or her bills back in full each month, a charge card might be the answer. This will give you greater spending power when you need it without allowing you to go into debt and pay interest on it.

The Thrifty Scot

The Scottish people have earned themselves a reputation through the years as a plain spoken, down to earth and honest bunch of folks. It makes sense, then, that one of the best sources of financial advice on the Internet should be ThriftyScot.ThriftyScot is a simple, easily navigable site that gives no nonsense, down to earth advice on personal finance. Arranged into several categories, ThriftyScot's advice guides you through the often confusing world of personal finance and leads you towards the best money-saving deals available.Of all the categories offered at ThriftyScot perhaps the most useful is the credit cards section. With advice on credit cards offered by a wide range of lenders.Beyond the credit card pages, ThriftyScot offers fantastic advice on remortgages and secured loans. Since a home tends to be the most expensive and important purchase of your life, it makes sense to find good solid advice before you take out a mortgage. Additionally, it's just as important that you make sure you have all the facts before you take out a loan that uses your home as collateral.

Getting Instant Secured Loans

Although taking your time to find a loan is the best option, there are times when this simply isn’t possible and you need money fast. Generally, these loans will be needed for a short period of time, after which you can pay the money back. Although there are a number of instant unsecured loans on the market, they are usually for small amounts of money. If you need a larger amount of cash quickly, then you should look at an instant secured loan. Instant secured loans can help you can get a decision in just a few minutes, even if you have a poor credit history.There are many reasons why you might need a loan within a very short space of time, although it is usually due to unexpected expenses that you could not hope to budget for. These expenses are usually essential, and can include items such as car repairs, healthcare costs and house repair costs. If you don't have the money readily available but need to pay these expenses fast, then an instant secured loan might be the best option. This is especially true if you have a poor credit history and are unable to get an unsecured loan.

U tube or Dvd's ?

How many films would you guess you view in a week’s time? Would three be an accurate guess? Or maybe you’re addicted like me to u tube and the answer is more like 26 or 37. Regardless of your movie habit, I know where you can acquire them with minimal fuss and hassle. No, it’s not the mom and pop store down the street. They’re typically out of every new rental because they only carry one of each movie.
Full Article u tube video

Rock Climbing Shoes

Who's up for rock climbing? If you raised your hand, then I sure hope you have the right equipment for the job. This is serious business. Or didn't you see the little flick with Stallone, entitled "Cliffhanger?" Yeah, it's pretty much going to be like that. Therefore you'd better be certain you have some quality rock climbing shoes and carabineers. We wouldn't want the darn thing breaking. Suddenly scaling a wall wouldn't look so cool. Am I on to something here or what? Now, let me steer you in the right direction for that gear. Ever heard of R.E.I.? This is one place you have to check out.
The sport of rock climbing was forever changed for me once I watched the film "Wrong Turn." Now, if you've never seen this somewhat cheesy horror flick, then I suggest that you don't view it before a rock climbing adventure out in the woods somewhere. No sir! This film just may taint you for life. It's sort of like watching "The Blair Witch Project" before a camping trip. Anyway in this "Wrong Turn" film you have two rock climbers in the opening scene. A boyfriend and girlfriend are scaling a rock face in the middle of West Virginia woods. Ha, now there's the first big mistake. Now clearly this couple have awesome rock climbing shoes, rigs and even knives. However, all fails when some mutated mountain men attack. Both are slaughter and probably eaten. So if you don't want this happening to you, then I'd forget about rock climbing. Oh, I mean in a West Virginia forest. Anyway, about that heavy duty climbing equipment. You better do a little investing in it. I'm certain that you'll agree that your life is worth the safety measures. Get the good stuff right off the bat so that there are no issues like we saw in "Cliffhanger."
As mentioned before, R.E.I. is an outstanding outdoor store for all your rock climbing, camping, mountain biking and hiking needs. Check out their vast array of rock climbing shoes. You'll definitely find a pair that suits you just fine. These new-age rock climbing shoes should last you for years to come. Use them for all of your outdoor adventures. Oh and remember, always double check all equipment before dangling in front of that rock.

uTube Video

Utube Video has become one of the most popular ways to get you video clip online these days and with te help of camcorders that most houses have these days some very interesting video clips are showing up on sites like utube video clips on the other end of the scale we have smaller scale sites making the most of the action such as utube video camcorder also taking advantage of the u tube video keyword phrase although both sites have different intentions both site full the need for other utube business such as utube.com which recently has been seeing over 2 million vistiors per month and the owner of the piping company has even gone as far as to sue youtube.com the original u tube video site . WHY ? many would ask surely having an extra 2 million visitors to your website per month is a good thing ? right ? even if you are selling pipes it must be tempting to change to a site something like u tube video clips you never know google might turn around and see you as a threat and buy you out , they did pay around 1.6 billion for youtube so something has to be said for the video site craze. All i know is if it was me I would be sure to have my site advertise at least some sort of video product if it was me . Could easily kick up your feet and move to some island and relax you life away while you smiled away at your fortune .
Well thats my small rant for today
Smiles

Dr dre Snoop Dog

"Andre Young, a.k.a. Dr. Dre, co-founded the notorious rap group N.W.A. (with Ice Cube and Eazy-E). The group was one of the most successful hip-hop groups of the late 1980s and helped lay the foundations of west coast gangsta rap. Dre's 1993 solo effort, The Chronic, was a critical and popular success. Later in the 1990's, Dre turned his attention to producing. He helped launch the careers of Warren G., Snoop Dogg and Eve of Destruction, and in 1999 Dr. Dre helped produce Eminem's top-selling The Slim Shady LP."
Dr Dre Snoop Dog Fan Site

Laser Hair Removal Information

The device was sold to physicians and treatments were offered in a chain of proprietary clinics called Spa Thira, primarily in affluent communities. Consumers basically paid to be guinea pigs. By the time a medical paper appeared in 1997 which observed full regrowth of all hair [3], consumers had already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatments. They quickly shifted their marketing strategy away from permanent hair removal to a "hair-management strategy," but word was beginning to get out.
In 1998 a class action suit was brought against the company by a consumer alleging ThermoLase "advertised SoftLight laser hair removal as long lasting with the knowledge that such treatments did not achieve that result." [4] ThermoLase quietly settled out of court later that year. In 1999, following other lawsuits and an annual loss of over $41 million, they began closing or selling their spas. [5] In 2000, with the stock down 92% from its high, ThermoLase was folded back into its parent company, which no longer manufactures or markets SoftLight in the U.S.
Wave 5 lasers: 1997 to present
In 1997 FDA cleared several types of devices that target melanin in the hair (see also flashlamps). As with the earlier devices, these devices were rushed to market without adequate testing of effectiveness.
Incremental improvements in equipment since 1997, such as more ergonomically-designed handpieces and methods of epidermal cooling, have made treatment generally more tolerable and reduced the likelihood of some side effects. The publication of clinical observations have also led to more optimized treatment parameters, but understanding of lasers and their long-term effects on hair and other skin structures is still in the early stages

Full Site Laser Hair Removal Information

Aerial View Maps

It used to be that I would not know a city until I had been almost everywhere in it. It could literally take months. You see, I've never been able to learn by sectioning off the map and then proceeding in an orderly fashion. Each city has its own logic, and this logic is whimsical. In order to really get to know a city, you have to follow its twists and turns. Given that I did not have time to make this a full-time job, you can see why the last city that I lived in remained difficult for me to navigate almost until the day I moved.

All of that has changed with aerial view maps. This probably seems counterintuitive. For many people, a satellite map is the very worst way to look at a city. Instead of the orderly structure of streets and boulevards, they get to view the seeming randomness of seeing the city artificially placed on top of a dynamic and chaotic landscape. Why, my wife cannot even navigate using an aerial view map!

For me, however, the aerial view map is the very best way to look at things. You see, there was a logic to the city that I was looking for by wandering through it. I can get that logic all at a glance from the aerial view map. I guess that my mind works differently than many people's minds do. Most people like to perceive the logical structure. When they see a map, they get to understand the ordered, arranged part of the city. They can then safely ignore the chaos underlying it.

For me, however, things are different. When I look at an aerial view map, I can see the reasoning behind the city. Looking at the design abstracted from matters of elevation, climate, and local flora just simply confuses me. There seems to be no reason why this street is here and that street is there. It is all haphazard and random.

But looking at an aerial view map, everything is different. I can see the way it all flows together. The city seems to be a compromise struck between the design impulses of the city's creators, and the realities of the landscape. It all fits together so nicely that I can't help feel overjoyed. It is the same feeling that I used to get by wandering through the city. Now, however, it takes much less time.

Aerial Photos

A man came to my mom’s house once, and in his hands were a few aerial photos of her house and property. She was quite surprised, and even more surprised when he said he wanted to sell them to her. Even more shocking was the price, but she chose to buy them anyway and one of the photos hangs in her dining room now. It’s a very cool thing to have, but perhaps the man’s tactics were a little pushy to me.

He must have taken aerial photos of all of the properties around the area and offered them up for sale. I thought perhaps he might have wanted to ask around before he took the shots or perhaps even put an ad in the paper. It’s reminds me of the photographer that takes extra shots of your children at a photo session and then hopes you’ll think they are so cute that you’ll buy more when you come to pick up your package. Perhaps aerial photos are something most people would pass up unless they see them first.

You don’t have to have a man come to take aerial photos of your property in order to see what it might look like from the sky, but this may be the best way. You can find aerial photos on the Internet, but they may not zoom in as close as what the photographer had offered to my mother. I would think this is for privacy reasons, and that is definitely a good thing. Can you imagine finding your property online with a lovely shot of you in your bathing suit in the back yard for everyone in the world to see? I would guess probably not.

If you can’t find aerial photos of your area online, you may have to rely on the man who comes to your door, though this may be something that happens once in a blue moon, if at all. You may have to find a service or person in your area who takes aerial photos and ask them to include your property in their next session. Some of these people either own a helicopter, or they hire someone to fly them around. For a photographer, I can only imagine how much fun this would be. The aerial photos might not be great works of art, but they are probably a whole lot of fun to take.

Natural Medicine

When it comes to medicine, most people think of doctors, hospitals, and medications. This is often referred to as western medicine, and many people rely on it to stay healthy, or for help when an accident happens. This doesn’t mean this is the only way to take care of yourself, however, this just means that this way of thinking is ingrained from the day we were born. There are other options, and many people rely on natural medicine to stay healthy and to cure what ails them.
Natural medicine has been around for a long time, and some people won’t go to medical doctors for help when they aren’t feeling well. I have a good friend on the other side of the world who not only relies on natural medicine, she used to practice it. She no longer sees patients but she is still a fount of information on the subject. She’s a smart lady, and if she says it works, then it works.
Most people don’t even think of natural medicine as an alternative, but this perhaps is a mistake. There are many stories I have heard about patients who found no help in western medicine, but had their problems cleared up quickly and easily with natural medicine. Quite often, they will tell you emotions have a bigger effect on the body than we may think, and finding a reason for illness or a cure might begin with taking care of the body’s emotional state.
Natural medicine often relies on herbs and other unique methods to cure what ails you. Just the other day, my friend informed me she was taking a cockroach for her cough. I was honestly speechless, as I was picturing her eating, well, a cockroach. She laughed, and told me it was actually a pill that contained essence of cockroach that was boiled down and put into pill form with sugar. She swears by it, and I have no reason to doubt her.
There may come a time when there is something wrong, and no one seem to be able to figure out what is going on. While you are waiting to find something, consider visiting someone who specializes in natural medicine. It couldn’t hurt to get another opinion, and they may be able to help you where western medicine has failed. You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do, but you may be surprised at what they have to tell you.

True Italian cooking

True Italian cooking is arguably one of the most delightful cuisines in the world. Italian cooks take their food selection, preparation and enjoyment very seriously. Every meal is a family celebration, each course enjoyed with lots of conversation. A meal in Italy is purely delightful.
Italian cooks insist on the very freshest foods. Perhaps more than any other culture, Italian cooking focuses on the season. Many Italian cookbooks present chapters of recipes by season. Italian cooking is very visual as well. The Italian cook pleases both eye and palate.
Catherine dè Medici brought fifty cooks with her when she traveled to France to marry Henry II! Nonetheless, she was influenced by French cooking techniques and their incomparable sauces. Today, the French influence is still found in regions of Italy which border France.
Italian cooking, in all other regions of Italy, remains much as it has for centuries. Each region has foods not found in other areas.
In southern Italy, you'll find olive oil, tomatoes, peppers, pasta and eggplant to be the staples of their cuisine. Fish and shellfish dominate the coastal regions. Northern Italy, with its' large dairy stocks, favor butter rather than olive oil, with an emphasis on polenta and breads, compared to pasta in the south.
Fresh mozzarella cheese is abundant in southern Italy, made from water buffalo milk. There is no more tasty cheese than fresh water buffalo mozzarella! Pair this with tomatoes and basil for a wondrous treat.
Italian cooking aims for simplicity, relying on the quality and freshness of the local and seasonal foods to speak for themselves. Fish are often simply grilled, splashed with olive oil and dressed with a wedge of lemon. Italian cooking methods and techniques allow the exquisite and delicate flavors of the food to come through in all their glory, not disguised or amended with overpowering sauces.
Italian cooks have dozens of variations of pasta suitable for any dish. Long, flat, ribbons, spirals and curls are some of the common shapes. Italian cooking matches the pasta to the ingredients. Spirals and curls are designed to capture a thick or meaty sauce, while the long flat types are best with delicate thinner sauces.
Italy lays claim to about 450 different types of cheeses. A virtual cheese lover's heaven. Then there are mushrooms, truffles, olives and the most spectacular selection of produce you could hope to find.
With such a diversity of seasonal fresh foods, it's indeed a wonder that Italian cooking is never “overdone”. Instead, you find an almost infinite set of combinations comprising each region's cuisine, producing so many unique and simple dishes.
Bread is an art in Italian cooking, and is served with each meal, balancing texture and taste in a symphonic orchestration with its' companion foods.
If you can't visit Italy now, surf the net for authentic recipes. Italian cooking is simple, fresh, full of flavor and one of the heart-healthiest cuisines on the planet!

Careers In Advertising

Unlike in years before, nowadays, people looking for careers in advertising can actually major in marketing in college. Marketing is a major that differs sharply from the traditional liberal arts model of education. In the traditional model, the point of an education is to become a good citizen. You would take classes in a wide range of fields, to gain experties and knowledge in the way the mind, art, literature, and society in general work, and hopefully grow to be a good and ethical, as well as an educated member of society. For careers in advertising, marketing majors draw from all of these fields of human knowledge as well. It draws from psychology, statistics, literature, art, economics, history, and many other fields, but unlike a more traditional approach to education, the point of all of these fields is to develop a narrow set of career skills. You don't learn psychology generally, you learn some basic psychology and then how it applies to convincing people that they need what you are selling, for example. Nonetheless, the broad knowledge base that this draws from does insure you an education of sorts, and more importantly, it prepares you to experience life in the professional world. Many careers in advertising don't require this particular major, however, just as going into business does not require a business degree. Rather, careers in advertising draw from marketing majors, Psychology majors, English literature majors, art majors, and a wide variety of other fields to create a diverse pool of talent from which to draw to create a more effective marketing team. In advertising as in all things, a diversity of skills is always a powerful asset. With careers in advertising, it is important to know that that is what you really want to do before you start. You will be required to work quite long hours on extremely difficult projects, and initially the pay is far from stupendous. Eventually, however, if you persevere you will make the big bucks, but many people find out that careers in advertising are not the careers for them. Creative people flock to careers in advertising in droves, feeling that they will have the ability to use it as a way to get paid for getting creative, only to find out that the experience is actually very stifling to their imaginations, because their creativity is only chanelled towards making a profit. A career in advertising can be very rewarding if it is meant for you, but is not something to be taken lightly.

Pay Bill Online

Like just about everyone else, I hate to pay my bills. They wind up in a heap on my desk. It is such a chore to sift through the paperwork and it is an unpleasant task to write out check after check. One day I noticed the pay bill online option offered by many of my creditors and I was pleased to know that I did not need to go through the troublesome process of traditional method of paying bills. The pay bill online feature offered by many companies is a great way to assure that your payment will not be late. There have been countless times that I have simply forgotten about a payment that was due. I had the funds in the bank, but I just missed the deadline. With so many things going on in today’s family, bills are often lost in the shuffle. I like that I can quickly access my account and see if I have a payment due. If the payment is due, I simply select the pay bill online option and within a few minutes, my bill is current. Another benefit of the pay bill online feature is also helpful in making sure that you do not over pay a bill as well. Many of the bills we receive get crossed in the mail with payments that are past due. When I get the bill, I always pay the total amount due listed on the account. However, I have found that I already sent a payment that arrived after the bill was written out by the company. It is nice to have a credit on my account, but my husband and I live from paycheck to paycheck many months and every penny counts. My husband and I also find that the pay bill online feature keeps us up to date on what bills have been sent and what bills have not. We both send payments and we find that we both are making payments on the same accounts without knowing that the bill has already been paid. Last year, I delivered a check to pay our car insurance for the quarter. I did this without knowing that my husband already sent a payment in the mail. Our car insurance was paid for six months, and that was great, but in the meantime, we were short hundreds of dollars that could have been applied elsewhere. The pay bill online option is a great way to get the most current information on your account. This pay bill online feature helps me keep track of my bills and it assures that I am not making late payments. I spend a lot of time online and it just takes me a few minutes to select the pay bill online feature. In a few minutes, my bills are up to date and I can move on to other things.

Starting A Business

Starting a Business Starting a business doesn’t have to be complicated and there are many resources out there to help new entrepreneurs from the ground up. After deciding on a type of business or product line, the new business owner needs to analyze the market to see what the level of competition is, and if the business will be able to compete by offering something that the competition does not. If the competition is too much the new business will fail before it even gets started, which is why it is important to do the research before starting a business, and investing time, money, and effort. Everyone wants to be successful in their new business venture, but it is wise to look at a number of resources first, to make sure that all aspects are covered ahead of time so that there are no surprises down the line that could be detrimental and costly for the new business owner. The first place to visit when starting a business is the United States Small Business Administration website at www.sba.gov/starting_business/. There is lots of essential information that all new business owners need to know before starting a business of their own or purchasing a franchise operation. The first step in applying for any type of business loan is to have a functional business plan in place. There is a step by step guide on the website that will help entrepreneurs understand a business plan, how to write one, and how to use it to their advantage in starting a business. There are also free business planning workshops for new business owners to assist them in understanding all aspects of starting a business, including aspects of business law and regulatory agencies. Most businesses, even those primarily home based, may require a business permit or license by the city in which the business is located, and also a state sales tax license may be needed to purchase inventory and other items at wholesale prices. This is all just a very small part of starting a business. It may seem very huge in the beginning, but as the road opens up ahead, the ride smoothes out as the bumps get fewer and fewer. Being an entrepreneur and new business owner is worth every bit of effort it takes, because it is something that is no one else’s. Starting a business is never going to happen without a few headaches along the way, just expect it, but at the same time look at every small step forward as a great boost for your new business and your entrepreneurial future!

A Special Gift

It seems like no matter what the occasion it is often times difficult to find a special gift for the people that you are closest to. I have spent many hours looking for gifts for loved ones. Whether it is for Christmas or birthdays it seems that the quest for the perfect gift is often very time consuming for me. One day I was shopping for myself and came across a special gift for my sister. She is allergic to metal so is very limited in what jewelry she can wear. I found a bracelet that was made of glass beads. It was two strands wide and was stretchy, so there was no metal clasp. I knew this bracelet would make a great gift for my sister because the colors complimented several of her outfits. During another shopping trip I found a special gift for my godchild. She has always liked things in a heart shape. I found glass shaped hearts in a variety of colors and sizes. The store also had a clear glass heart shaped bowl. I purchased several of the hearts and the bowl. This will be a great house warming present. I realized that I had better luck finding a special gift when I wasn’t looking for one. I decided that when ever I am out shopping I am going to look at items that would make a nice present. By doing this the shopping is much more relaxed. It is also a good way of saving money because when you shop year round for a special gift you can often times buy things that are on sale. Even if the item is not on sale, by buying things through the year I do not have such a huge bill around the holiday time. If you are going to try this I will make a couple of suggestions to make purchasing gifts ahead of time easier. One thing is to make a list of the people that you ordinarily buy for. The list should be small enough to carry in your wallet, so that you always have it with you. That way when you find a special gift for someone on your list you can cross their name off. At the holiday or birthday time you can then check how many gifts you still need to purchase. Another tip to help with buying gifts early is to place all of your purchases in a central location. This way you will know where to find the present at the time you need it. I ended up buying more than one special gift for the same person because I could not remember where I stored the first one. If you are organized in the way you make your purchases you can save money and time by shopping for presents throughout the year. This will help the holiday season seem more pleasant, and gift giving more fun.

Starving Students

We all know of the stereotypical diet of starving students. It usually consists of a few shelves and a little mini fridge in some poor college students’ dorm room full of ramen noodles, beer, and maybe a leftover pizza. It’s sometimes augmented by Twinkies or Oreos and the occasional trip to the cafeteria during which the students gorge themselves for awhile before returning to their dorms in a stupor. This diet is usually only altered slightly by upperclassmen living in apartments, either on or off campus. The upper-class starving student usually throws in the occasional dinner of spaghetti or instant mashed potatoes along with the ramen, beer, and pizza standards. Though the occasional student will venture into the realm of canned goods, these chefs are few and far between.
Fortunately, the student diet doesn’t need to be quite so bleak. You don’t have to be a world-class chef to make decent meals, and you don’t have to have a huge budget either. Usually all it takes is a “base” of some sort to your meals, and then you can dress up the base any way you’d like. For example, one of the most versatile and cheapest bases for meals is pasta. You can get a box of pasta in just about any shape you’d like for $1-$2, and you can do a lot to dress it up without a lot of additional time or money. Of course, canned spaghetti sauce is an old stand-by, but you can also fine jars of basil or sun-dried tomato pesto for nearly the same price. Or slice up some olives and throw in some tuna with lemon juice for a completely different meal.
Though the meal options for starving students are limited if they’re living in dorm rooms, many dorms offer the use of kitchen facilities somewhere in the building. If this is the case, make a big meal every few nights which will provide enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Think about ways for recipes to do double-duty; today’s spaghetti sauce can be tomorrow’s sloppy joe mix. If you’re living in a house or an apartment with other students, consider having one roommate cook dinner every weekday and buying groceries together. Buying in bulk will make it cheaper for everyone, and since it isn’t much tougher to make a meal for four or five people than it is to make a meal for one person, everyone gets a full dinner every night without all the work of cooking every night. Of course, you could always break down and get a job in order to eat. The moving company "Starving Students" was started by a college student who was looking to pick up some money in his spare time, and is now a nationally-known company, which definately puts food on its owner's table.

Azjade