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What is health Insurance

The main reason why you need an affordable health insurance is to help you plan ahead in case of unexpected costly emergencies. The only way you can accomplish this is to compare prices from most leading insurance companies and also choosing a health insurance plan that best suits you. Back in the days, getting a cheap health insurance plan was simply unaffordable. But these days, individuals, small groups, families and students can choose a health insurance plan that is best for them, e.g. like acquiring a help insurance plan that ensures that an individual suffering from any previous medical condition is not excluded.

Private health insurance plan is totally an unrestricted open market, so those who do not yet have a health insurance plan should consider taking out a plan. For those who are seeking good medical health insurance program, having one is possible through the help of specific companies which specializes in providing health care insurance for individuals and also meeting their requirements and also staying within your budget.

Also for individuals who do not want to use a company, then they can use the internet. One major way Americans get health insurance coverage is mostly through their employers. Many employers them receive health insurance coverage for their workers for a limited time thus enabling them receive health insurance coverage. The internet provides an option for a cheaper health insurance. There are lots of companies that provide all types of health insurance plans, making it possible for you and your family to have a specific reasonable and affordable health care insurance plan. Finding out what kind of reputation the company has and how long the company has been in business is a smart idea.

Having a kind of ideal they have for you is advisable also making sure they have been licensed in your state, because it is of no use getting an insurance with a form which has no license and cant get the exact health insurance you want, many agents will help work hard for you, so you could have an affordable health insurance plan which you and your family could live with without great cost. Everyone wants the best health insurance both for themselves and for their families, but only the best health care insurance can do this with low premiums and full coverage.

What are the advantages of health insurance?

Having the right and the best health care insurance is difficult. In order not to get confused, one needs to decide which the best is by doing his or her research thoroughly. The first step to take includes checking out the credentials and also their past performances of the very company you are considering. Just as on insurance outfits does a background check of individuals before accepting proposals, one should also review the financial status including the customer care services of the insurer, by so doing; you stand the chance to know which health insurance company’s best for you. One major way for you to get ratings of these agencies such as A.M best or Moody’s is by using the better business bureau. Many employers use the health insurance scheme to either attract or even retain their quality employers. The health insurance coverage might be a personal scheme or a group scheme organized and sponsored by the employers for employers who work between 20-29 hours per week.

Companies also do not add cost of fringe benefits alongside health insurance, to the price of their product and service. Over the past decades, the cost of health insurance has increased tremendously, surpassing the general rate of inflation in most past years.

The different types of health insurance includes individual health insurance, affordable employee health insurance which is also known as group health insurance, affordable family health insurance, affordable business health insurance etc, your monthly insurance is determined by certain numerous different things. For instance, most premiums based on or according to your age. So your health insurance rates changes accordingly with the type of health policy you have. If your health insurance is basically for yourselves or your entire family, the procedures must surely have an impact on any quote you are young or advanced in age, self employed receiving health insurance companies will adjust your premium based upon your age and this will also affect the cost of your health insurance.

What are the Disadvantages of health insurance?

Since unforeseen occurrences may occur any time, one will never know when an accident is likely to happen, be it the need to be admitted in the hospital for stitches or a broken bone, you may be in the position to receive help quickly without the worry of receiving a huge bill, unlike when you don’t have a health insurance your credit rating beers all the cost. But you can prevent all this problems from happening and also protecting your credits for your future health financially. Increasing the amount of your health insurance deduction is another way in which you can help make sure your insurance rates are lowered. This higher monthly premium is necessary for anyone who has an existing health problem that requires an extensive medical treatment getting variety of quotes from insurance companies which meets for your health and budgets standards, is a wise decision when selection an health insurance. Searching can be done online and this will have saved you money as well.

Many people feel that they are healthy enough, so they don’t need health insurance because they have never had any major medical problems but one thing to note against the possible health insurance is the protection against the possible health problem that may happen in future. It might happen to you in particular or any member of your family, so why not plan on having an affordable health insurance plan today.

Kingsley Duru has an BSc (Banking & finance). Insuranceavenue.info offers our visitors the best of Insurance articles, review and endeavors to find the best possible deals for our customers. To find travel insurance [http://www.insuranceavenue.info], long term care insurance, business insurance visit Insurance Avenue [http://www.insuranceavenue.info].

“In Beverly Hills… they don’t throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows.”

- Woody Allen

It was not as hard as I thought it would be. My wife and I had purchased a new townhouse; similar to what you would find in Brooklyn Heights, but this is Toronto. We had made the choice not to have television in our new place, having spent the better part of every evening in our basement apartment staring blankly at it. Cold turkey was how we decided to go, no weaning off the boob tube.

It has now been well over 18 months without a telly. Why is it when this comes up in conversation the recipient inevitably says, “Oh… well I don’t watch that much television, just…” as if by underestimating their television viewing habit will alter the fact they watch television. Frank Lloyd Wright defined television as “chewing gum for the eyes” and we all love a good chew now and then.

Here is a stat that scares the hell out of me. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2003, the average American spent 1,745 hours watching television! This works out to 145 hours a month, which if my math is correct is more than six full days sitting in front of the TV. Our bodies are not engineered for just lengthy inactivity. If you are going to spend 6 days of every month watching television at least stand to burn more calories.

Who says there’s never enough time? The extra time you always craved of having is as easy to obtain as turning off your TV. That simple act alone will give you ample time to do those things you have kept saying you never have time to do. Would I be writing this article if there was television in my home?

Imagine what you can do with 6 more days per month… 5 hours per day. Give yourself an additional 5 hours per day means you can:

· Get a part-time job (earn extra money).

· Give more of yourself to your career (further your career).

· Take a course, class; earn a degree, certification (further your education improve a skill, learn something new).

· Immerse yourself in a hobby.

· Read

· Exercise (take better care of your physical self)

· Meditate (take better care of your mental self)

· Cook great meals for your family and friend and enjoy their company (socialize; keep up with friends and acquaintances).

· Get a good night’s sleep (you should not watch television before going to sleep).

Who says there’s never enough time? The extra time you always craved of having is as easy to obtain as turning off your TV. That simple act alone will give you ample time to do those things you have kept saying you never have time to do. Would I be writing this article if there was television in my home?

So what have my wide and I been missing without television. The radio, Saturday newspaper, Internet provides us with our news and entertainment so staying current has not been a problem. On those occasions we need visual entertainment there’s always the movies, theatre, concerts and simply putting a DVD in the laptop on those rare occasions. Other than missing a few cooking shows today I do not miss television and its after effects. What you watch marinates in your mind

Television told me I had problems… dandruff, bad breath, gingivitis, lack of sex appeal. Hate your body, hate your clothes, hate your friends, hate you car so you can love the body, clothes, friends, car you see on television Thank God the answers to my problems could also be found on television, usually moments after being told of my new ailment. Homer Simpson, that cartoon sage of American mainstream wisdom observed, “The answers to life’s problems aren’t at the bottom of a bottle. They’re on TV.”

Television creates and then shares our collective delusions and anxieties. What better way to spread propaganda than with words and animated image? Nothing beats the telly for creating and supporting a conspiracy theory. We all love a good conspiracy theory; especially when documented with unaltered film footage. Alien autopsy, the grassy knoll, Elvis spotted pumping gas outside a 7-Eleven in a New Orleans suburb… it all must be true, we saw it on television. You know you are watching too much television if you are using fictional characters, animated ones at that, to support your argument.

Not long ago I came to realize television’s hypnotic effects were causing my stress and bruising my self-image. I was comparing myself to a superficial world created to destroy, or at the very least question, my self-esteem. Now that I am spending all my time in the real world I see I am no different that everyone around me, what a relief! Not have a rail thin body, wearing up to the moment fashion, surrounded by flawless supporting characters, was beginning to deflate the little ego I had left. It turns out television is designed and written to manipulate our emotions and it does a damn good job at it.

To get more information on how television massages your psyche check out www.turnoffyourtv.com and www.tvturnoff.org. Marshall McLuhan spent the better part of his career trying to explain television’s positive social influences; he never did make a convincing argument. The negative effects of television from causing obesity, restless sleep patterns, stress and depression are well documented.

Take the first step to gaining 5 hours a day; remove your television from you home. You will go through withdrawal symptoms like I did, but believe me I know from firsthand experience it will only last a few weeks and by not watching television you will have extra time to get over your TV addiction. Today my mind breaths easier.

I am an aspiring writer who without discrimination writes on what moves me at the moment.

There have been many times when people have said, “Bob, you do so well on the net; how do you get so much TRAFFIC?!” The answer is, serious blogging is not the same as successful blogging.

If you want to become successful doing business on the net, you have to become serious with the way you promote and represent yourself and your blog!

How would you like to learn how I generate 5000 unique visitors to my blog, everyday?
Not only will you learn this here, I am going to give you the exact steps toward doing that and it will happen for you within 90 days; if you follow each step!

The cool thing about this formula is, there is no Ad-sense, no purchasing of additional internet marketing products and no reason that even an internet novice can’t accomplish this type of success.

You all know me as the mentor/master mind personal development coach. Well, through helping people to develop a strong mindset within themselves, I also coach people toward running a successful business. There is a lot of hype in the net about driving traffic to your blog, but no internet superstars seem to be giving FREE blogging advice for FREE! They always manage to leave out the key ingredients.

The formula I am about to share with you, I learned from I can’t remember where, therefore that is the reason why I haven’t published a report on the topic. I know this wasn’t my idea, but I have been using it and it works! So, fair is fair, when you receive valuable information that can benefit others, you should share with as many others as possible!

Let’s begin with the “Formula that will Drive 5000 Unique Visitors to Your Blog, EVERYDAY within 90 Days!!!”

Step One,

Blogger is a nice and easy place to create blogs, but if you would like recognized blog traffic,
create a blog at wordpress.org and/or TheJV-Press.com.

Both are amazing blog sites and they get a lot of recognition, trust me on this!

One of the most critical elements to blogging is to get search engines to ping your blog! Pinging is critical to driving traffic to any site. It used to be that, you had to manually load articles to search engines. Today, with blogs, each time you add a new post, the search engine spiders index your site…immediately Thus, they ping your site!

Step Two

Once your blog is set up, you will need to get a domain name. There are many domain registries out there, one that I personally use is Domains Magnetic; the reason is, they are cheap!

Your domain name should not be your name, the name of your affiliate program, or the name of any product or service. The domain name for a blog should represent the content of the material that is within the body of your blog. This blog you are reading about is called, “Out-Side the Box Live: Official Blog”.

Yes, as you know, Out-Side the Box Live is the new personal development and entrepreneur development online talk show that I am about to launch, but it is also how I believe my readers think. You think outside the box. It is imperative that we all learn to think that way and to be mentored by others that think along the same lines. I personally chose to be surrounded by “Spiritual Entrepreneurs”

Therefore, you must develop a domain name that screams the content of your blog.

Step Three

If you are currently using Google Ad-sense in your blog, stop it! Stop now and don’t ever do it again! You will notice that my blog has none of that garbage on it. I am not in the business of sending people to sites owned by people I have never met or built relationships with. I do not promote products and services that do not either compliment my products or services or, I have never personally used. And, I definitely don’t put things on my site that make me a measly 5-15 cents in profits.

So what should you place on your blog to increase your income? A subscription form. You will increase your sales by placing a subscription form on your site. Mine is in the form of a link. If you look at the end of my posts, it has a “link to subscribe”. That link will take you to my opt-in form, which will send you my e-course, my newsletter and a link to the community of spiritual entrepreneurs that I belong to. That is marketing to its fullest, and any time I come up with a new article, everyone on my list will read it for free before I ever sell it in a book!

When you place a subscription or opt-in form on your site, not only are you increasing your chances of return traffic, but you can keep providing people with quality info and services… not to mention keeping them apprised of any affiliate program, product or, service you may be promoting. I think you are beginning to see the power of a subscription form.

Step Four

O.K., Now that you have properly set up your blog, it is time to write a powerful post. You want to write a post that is as powerful as possible. A good way to get practice at doing that is, look at some posts at the big name blogs, or at the blog of the person that drew you here! LOL!!!

To create a powerful post, you need four key ingredients:

1. Identify your audience! How can you possibly create a powerful blog, if you don’t know who you are talking to? If you have a product or service that you are promoting, then find out who needs that product or service. Once you realize who those people are, figure out what it is that they would like to know. With that said, let’s go to the second key ingredient to writing a powerful post…

2. Relate what you are trying to accomplish in your post with what your readers are looking for! For example, if you desire your readers to buy the vitamins that you are selling, then with the rule in step one, your readers must be ones that are looking for information on vitamins and nutrition. Therefore, you should probably be sharing the benefits of a healthy diet, proper exercise, and most importantly; they should be taking the correct vitamins. Then you lead them in a direction where you tell them what types of vitamins they should take. Do not tell them they should take your vitamins! We haven’t gotten to the part where you should promote your product link yet!

3. The third key ingredient to a powerful post is; a repeat of number two…the more closely related your post is to what your readers are looking for and your product…the more sales you will generate.

4. Ah, the final key ingredient to a powerful blog post…Create a blog post related to what you are trying to achieve. Isn’t it funny how it would seem that one, two, three and four are the same, only written differently…huh, I wander why that is? LOL!

Moving On…Step Five

Generating interest in your blog posts is one of the most crucial parts of writing. If the post is boring, then who is going to read it? If all this great traffic you are getting isn’t reading your posts, then how are they ever going to buy your products?

With that said… there are two types of writing:

1. Boring; which is like a text book!

2. Exciting; which is like a text book with questions in it!

If you have noticed through out this post, I’ve been asking you questions. Asking questions within your posts compared to not asking questions, can mean success or failure!

Once again, what is the difference between a successful blog and an unsuccessful blog?…

ASKING QUESTIONS!!!!

I can not stress this point enough. If you were to read a blog and it continuously told you what to do, you would probably remember that blog for all of a minute after you left it. Now, if you were to read a blog that kept you thinking and kept your brain processing information, not only would you remember that blog; but, you would read the posts all the way to the end to get all the answers…wouldn’t you?

So in generating interest in your posts, if you want your readers to focus on your blog, then you should focus your blog on exciting writing; i.e. keep asking questions up to the final paragraph!!!

By adding questions, it makes your readers stop and think about the appropriate answers, which leads them all the way to the end… this is where the fun begins…and continues on for both you and your readers:

Step Six

Once your readers reach the last paragraph, is it time for them to move on to another website? Sure it is…YOURS!

One of the most effective forms of marketing is to keep your readers involved with you. If you have created a post that has inspired your readers to keep reading to the end, then they are going to keep reading to the end and click the link in the last paragraph that is going to lead them to your affiliate, product or, service site! Oh, did I forget to mention that?

Your last paragraph, as well as your entire post, is not by nay means a sales pitch. Remember what I told you earlier about writing content that is powerful and will provide your readers with information they are looking for? Well, in your last paragraph you can briefly notify them that what they are looking for is at the link you are providing in that last paragraph.

Provide a little bit of info on what they will find when they reach the link, and they will click on it.

Here is the breakthrough you will come to realize, the key to affiliate sales and success in blogging lies within that link and the placement of that link. You will find that by placing your affiliate link in the last paragraph under said terms, will increase your websites click through rate by 20-30%!!!

Why is that? Because you just wrote some valuable information for your readers. Information that they can use. They will obviously click on a link that you recommend! The trick to this formula is; if you are involved with affiliate sales…you will increase your sales by 30-70%!

How cool is that? Sit back and think about that for a moment…What would it be like to actually create a substantial amount of income and success online? Let that boil in your blood, buddy!

Step 7

O.K. You just created a powerful, exciting blog that is leading traffic to your website. Now for the most important piece of the puzzle. Have you been asking yourself this question all through this post?

“When is he going to get to the part where he tells us how to drive traffic to our blog?”

I bet you forgot about that, or maybe didn’t realize that I haven’t told you yet. You see, this is how most of the internet guru guys get away with selling you an information product, that is supposed to show you the necessary steps to achieve something, and then you find yourself a little short on knowledge, and a lot short on money!

They create products that leave out the key ingredients to a formula…Well, I’m here to tell ya, I won’t do that to ya because I know that you gotta have a couple of eggs to bake a cake!!! So…Let’s start baking…

After you have properly set up and provided an exciting post on your blog, you need to drive some traffic to it! Social bookmarking sites are a great way to do that.

People say to me all the time, what is a social bookmarking site? Don’t worry about it, just do a search for them and they’ll pop up. I’m not going to waste any of your time here for that. The best social bookmarking site that I have used, and continues to generate traffic for me is…

Technorati

Technorati is a great example of a bookmarking site, once you see it…you’ll probably think of a few more. Just go to the blue link just above this paragraph and register for Technorati.

Your next thing to do is to start generating some key words. In WordPress, you can create a blog post where you can tag as many related key words as possible. With that said, make sure that after you register your blog at Technorati, use Technorati as a keyword! This will allow your blog to ping through a huge social book marking site; which, in turn, will generate 400-500 more unique visitors a day! How cool is that. I can guarantee no internet guru has ever told you that secret before.

They hate me…they really do!!!

Step Eight…You’re almost to the finish line!

Now that you are pinging traffic to your blog, Submit your blog URL to Ping Oat.

I am sure you have heard of RSS Feeds? If not, it really doesn’t matter, but you can do a search to research what they are. What is important, is that you know that it is critical that your blog is submitted to them, a lot of them!

With that said, what is Ping Oat? Well, when you submit the URL of your blog to Ping Oat…
Ping Oat will submit your blog…to…every…RSS FEED……….IN CYBERSPACE!

I will repeat that, because you may have lost your focus through all of the excitement in your brain. When you go to http://www.PingOat.com and submit the URL of your blog, http://www.PingOat.com will, in turn, submit your blog URL to every RSS Feed in Cyberspace!

This process alone, drives thousands of unique visitors to your blog.

How cool is that? I just revealed on of the best kept secrets that bloggers use…and I gave it to you through a blog! I love it!

Step Nine

The final step to successful blogging, after you submit to pin-goat…is… CREATE MORE EXCITING POSTS!

Remember, the search engines will index them every time you post them. Don’t post whatever you feel like; Your post has to have a definite purpose. It should wow your audiences every time!

If your traffic isn’t reading your post, your traffic will die! Focus on the quality posts in order to receive return traffic. This entire formula will allow you to create one of the most profitable forms of internet marketing… Viral Marketing. You are never going to run out of traffic…I would suggest getting a good auto-responder to hold all of the new email addresses your going to receive…TRUST ME!

Alright folks, that’s the formula to drive 5000 unique visitors to your blog every day, within 90 days, if you’d like to create even more value in your life…you should consider surrounding yourself by successful people and, preferably, some millionaires. I know, you’re thinking,

“Yeah right, like I know some millionaires!!!” Well, I do…would you like to meet them for free?
Find out more through the Spiritual Entrepreneurs Network!

Allow yourself to be surrounded by success and successful people.
With that said, Take Care and Warm Wishes to you!

Bob Yeager

By the end of this article you should be at least considering becoming more profitable with blogging. If that’s the case, be sure to watch the 45 minute video tutorial I made for you to get you up and running within the hour Click Here for the video.

Every time something goes wrong with your car, you have to take it in to the shop. With every repair, comes that hefty repair bill. As you look at the bill, you cannot imagine why it costs so much to fix your car. You think of how much money you could save if you could do auto repair yourself. However, like most people, you do not have a clue how to repair cars. However, you should be aware that there are many ways you can learn auto repair and can end up saving yourself quite a bit of money.

Friends and Family

If you have any friends and family that are knowledgeable about auto repairs, you should consult them and ask if they can help you learn some auto repair basics. If you have friends or family that are kind enough to help you learn how to repair your car, make sure that you give them something back for helping you. Perhaps there is something you can teach them, or maybe just take them out for a dinner.

Books

You can find tons of books dedicated to auto repair. These books will cover everything from the basics to more complex issues. You can find auto repair books at the local book store, at auto repair shops, or even at the library. If you are looking to buy a repair book, but do not want to spend too much, you should check out a used book store and see what repair books they have available.

If you choose to learn auto repair from a book, you should evaluate your learning process. Some people learn better from books than others. If you have a hard time learning from books, then this may not be the option for you. Also, it is important to know that some books are written better than others. It may be worth asking around and seeing what books are recommended for a beginner.

Internet

The Internet is a great resource to learn auto repair. You can find online repair guides to help you learn how to fix what is wrong with your car. Also, there are several discussion forums where people post tips on auto repair and where you can ask questions about your specific situation.

You can also purchase repair books online. You may find the repair books to be cheaper online than in brick and mortar stores.

Classes

Another option for learning auto repair yourself is to take a class. There are several places you can take an auto repair class. You can take a class from the local college or at a community center. These classes will often be taught in the evening or on weekends to accommodate work schedules.

Get To It

Now that you are aware of some of the ways to learn about auto repair, you should see what option will work best for you. Once you learn more about auto repair and can make repairs by yourself, you can save quite a bit of money for yourself and your family.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about auto repair yourself [http://myautorepairtipsblog.info/auto-repair-yourself-fix-your-vehicles-at-home-for-less/], please visit My Auto Repair Tips Blog [http://myautorepairtipsblog.info/] for current articles and discussions.

People often think that gourmet cooking consists of a series of elaborate dishes of the kind that can only be found in top restaurants. It is thought of as a kind of cooking that is difficult to do and just as difficult to eat.

Gourmet cooking is felt to be something best avoided by the majority of people because it is too expensive and surrounded by social snobbery. Gourmet cooking is for the rich and those who have more money than sense.

That image of gourmet cooking dates back to the nineteenth century when French chefs dominated the industry. The best restaurants and the richest households employed French chefs.

Those chefs were trained in a rigorous system that aimed to keep professional secrets within a tightly knit group. The chef’s livelihood depended on maintaining his craft exclusivity. Equally his employer’s status depended on the exclusivity of the chef.

Today cooking is much more democratic. Few young chefs today would tolerate the kind of ritual humiliation that apprentice chefs suffered in old fashioned kitchens. Television chefs have demonstrated their skills before a wide public and college courses offer intensive training in arts once the preserve of elite kitchens.

As more people dine out on a regular basis the snobbery once associated with restaurants has become a thing of the past. The restaurant that allows its waiters to be rude to the customers will soon go out of business.

The food that is considered to be gourmet food has also changed. In the past the idea of gourmet food was to get as far as way as possible from peasant food. Today the same peasant dishes are likely to be on the menu of top restaurants. Simplicity and natural taste is everything. The rich sauces and elaborate dishes of old style gourmet food have been swept away.

A simple bruschetta made of a slice of bread covered in tomato sauce and toasted could be considered gourmet food. Yet a few centuries ago the same food would have been eaten by poor people.

The key thing in gourmet food today is the quality of the ingredients and the integrity of the final dish. If the bread is made with unbleached flour without any of the additives usually found in commercially made bread, allowed to rise slowly and baked in a wood fired oven then you are off to a good start. The sauce should, of course, be freshly made not out of a far. It should be made from tomatoes with the best flavour not the tasteless varieties that are usually found on the supermarket shelves. It should be well seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs.

A dish prepared in that way will be something out of ordinary. It will justifiably rate as gourmet food although it is, in itself, very simple and demands no special skills to make it.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, “Cooking Mastery!” from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Pet supply stores are getting better than ever. They are now more than just a dependable source of all basic pet needs such as pet food, pet medicines and pet accessories – they offer a whole “lifestyle” experience for your pets, as well.

Walk-in stores. Most pet supply stores now allow you to bring your pet in the store to try out products. There’s no more need to guess. Bring your pet to make sure that the accessories fit and look good and also to see if your pet likes your selection.

Pet spas. Now, you can get your pets groomed and cleaned right in some pet supply stores. Some stores give free dog shampoos or cat nail clipping when you their grooming products and/or reach a minimum amount of purchase.

Value-added service. Some pet stores go the extra mile of tracking your pet’s needs so that you don’t have to. Just sign up for their free complete care packages and the store will send you pet foods and supplies on a regular schedule, before they run out. Having trouble keeping track of vaccinations and regular checkups? Let the pet supply stores do it for you. They will give you a call or send you mail when your pet needs to be taken for health checks.

Online presence. Most pet supply stores now have Web sites from where you can shop. Say goodbye to traffic, heat or cold and long checkout lines. Just log on, order, and your pet supplies will be delivered to your doorstep. Best of all, shopping online lets you quickly check out several pet supply stores and compare prices and brands in just a few clicks. Prices of online pet supply store products are also very competitive – they are competing, so they are forced to offer the lowest price they could to get your business. Most of them even provide free shipping when you meet minimum order requirements.

Pet Supplies provides detailed information on Pet Supplies, Pet Supply Stores, Discount Pet Supplies, Online Pet Supplies and more. Pet Supplies is affiliated with Wholesale Pet Products [http://www.i-PetProducts.com].

A used farm tractor is the perfect solution for a growing farm wanting to grow and cut costs at the same time. Used farm machines generally come with a much lower price tag then a brand new tractor for sale, but you still need to do your research and set your budget before you head out to look for used tractors around your area. A cost-effective solution for farms with less capital to purchase new tractors is to buy a compact tractor, which has the capabilities of completing many different farm jobs. Compact tractors also come in a variety of different engines, so you can pick the best size that is appropriate for the work you will be doing in your farm.

If you are worried about buying a lemon tractor, then you should purchase certified used tractors from reputable agricultural equipment companies like John Deere (my personal favorite), Kubota, Caterpillar, Farmall, and Case for example.

If you find that your farm work is much lighter, then purchasing a compact tractor might be the best option. Compact tractors come with many parts that let you do a variety of light farm work.

Where To Find Used Tractors For Sale

An experienced farmer or buyer of agricultural equipment like tractors can tell you that there is no real benefit of buying a new tractor over getting a used tractor for sale. While there are some clear benefits of getting a new tractor over a used tractor, both can equally get a good amount of work done.

The first places you should look to find used tractors for sale are Sears, local auctions, and local distributors of franchised agricultural tractor producers. You might be surprised that many farms in your area might be selling their used farm tractors to upgrade to a more heavy duty and technological advanced tractor.

Checklist For Buying A Used Farm Tractor

1. Spare Parts – Whatever you may choose, be sure to know about any replacement parts that need to be purchased frequently, so you know your average yearly investment in the used tractor.

2. Age – The age can give you a better estimate of what you can expect the price to be on the tractor, and you can keep this average with you so you know if your really getting a deal when its time to purchase the used tractor.

3. Engine Hours – This correlates with “age”, because you want to know how much life the tractor has left. Some used tractor sellers will sell you a machine that’s ready to work for a few months and then die. So do not just look at how the used tractor looks like in general, look under the hood!

4. History – Its best you know from the current owner what the used tractors jobs were around the farm and about many repairs it has undergone. Beware of lemon used tractors, always ask about the repair history and/or major damages done to the used tractor.

5. Make & Model – This is not as important, but some farmers have created a loyalty to some used tractor brands, such as John Deere. Ask friends and family about their personal experiences with used tractors, and you can even go to online forums for opinions on a specific used tractor model.

6. Cabin – If your used tractor is going to do a lot of jobs around the farm, you want to be sure that you are controlling the tractor with comfort!

7. 4WD vs. 2WD – Do you need more power or less power? This has to do with my talk about if your used tractor will be for light farm work or for heavy duty jobs. The price difference between the 2 can be quite significant, so be sure to sit down and think about this one.

To find out more about used john deere tractors visit my website. Purchasing a tractor for a farm can become a big investment. Getting a brand new tractor can become a bigger investment than you planned. I will explain why buying a used tractor can be just as good as buying new. Read my article to learn where to look for used tractors and what things you need to look at during your intent to buy.

Cat toilet training in easy steps:

Toilet training your cat is an easier task than you might think. Several techniques can be used for training your cat to use the toilet, and you can even buy products that will assist you in toilet training a cat.

The advantages of cat toilet training:

Teaching your cat to use the toilet can hold several advantages for any cat owner. The biggest advantage of having your cat use a toilet is that eliminates most of the disadvantages that using cat litter holds. Cat litter is expensive. After toilet training your cat, you won’t ever need to buy cat litter again. Cat litter boxes needs to be cleaned regularly or they will become smelly. With cat toilet training, the water in the toilet masks most of the offending smell and all you need to do is flush regularly – much simpler and easier than cleaning a litter box. Going away for weekends or holidays also becomes easier for your neighbor – instead of asking someone to clean out the litter box, all they need to do is flush your toilet once in a while (when they come around to water your plants and feed your cat).

How to toilet train a cat (do it yourself):

Toilet training your cat depends entirely on the cat’s personality. Toilet training sociable cats that love being praised make the training task much easier. You might want to adapt the toilet training technique described below to fit your cat’s personality. Training your cat to use the toilet can take anything between 2 weeks up to 3 months, depending on the individual cat’s personality.

Cat toilet training basically consists of a simple procedure: gradually moving your cat’s litter box closer and closer to the toilet, finally placing a bowl with cat litter inside the toilet, and removing it altogether when your cat is comfortable and used to it. Toilet training a cat is a gradual, step-by-step process, consisting of making small changes to the location of the litter box and only continuing to the next step when your cat is entirely comfortable with its current situation. You might have to wait anything between 2 days or 3 weeks before moving on a next step in cat toilet training. You might even have to go back a step once or twice when it turns out that your cat wasn’t ready to move on to the next toilet training step. Beware – cat toilet training takes a lot of patience!

Cat toilet training steps:

1. Start gradually moving your cat’s litter box nearer to the toilet until finally it should be next to the toilet. Ensure that your cat is always comfortable and sure of its litter box’s location.

2. Now start elevating the cat’s litter box. Put something non-slippery like newspapers or cardboard underneath the litter box. A normal rate to increase the height of the litter box would be about 5cm a day, but be very attentive to signs that your cat is not comfortable with the current height, and adjust the pace of raising the litter box accordingly. The cat litter box should be raised until it is at a level height with the toilet bowl. Throughout this process it is very important to keep the toilet lid open and the seat down, because your cat will get used to it and might even start climbing on the toilet seat in order to reach its litter box.

3. Move the litter box to rest on the open toilet seat. Keep it there until your cat seems comfortable with this arrangement.

4. Buy a metal bowl or tray that will fit snugly inside the toilet bowl. It would be advisable for the metal bowl to have small draining holes. Fill the bowl with cat litter (preferably the flushable type). Now remove your cat’s litter box entirely. If you have reached this step successfully you are very close to having a toilet trained cat!

5. While your cat is using the metal bowl inside the toilet, be attentive to where its paws are. The goal is teaching him to squat with all four paws on the toilet seat rim. You can move the cat while it is using the toilet and praise it (or reward it) when it is sitting in the correct position. Normally the cat will first sit entirely inside the metal bowl, then with front paws on the toilet seat, and finally it should sit with all four paws on the toilet.

6. Start using less and less cat litter. This can get smelly, so be sure to clean the bowl after every time your cat uses it. Cats scratch in sand or cat litter to cover up the smell (this is out of instinct), so if the bowl becomes too smelly your cat won’t be comfortable using it (and you probably wouldn’t be comfortable with using your toilet either). Using flushable cat litter makes cleaning the bowl very easy – just throw out the contents in the toilet and flush down, rinse out the bowl, refill with correct amount of cat litter and replace. A handy tip is to place newspaper on the floor around the toilet to help keep the room clean should your cat scratch in the cat litter. Decrease the amount of cat litter in a pace that your cat feels comfortable with.

7. When you basically don’t use any cat litter inside the bowl anymore, start gradually filling the bowl with water. The water will also help mask the smell so your cat will be more comfortable using the toilet. Be attentive to your cat’s behavior through this whole process – if your cat stops using the bowl inside the toilet, you may be moving on too fast and might need to go back a couple of steps.

8. When the water level in the bowl has reached about 4cm and your cat has no problem using it, it is time to remove the bowl entirely. Your cat should now be toilet trained. Remember to always leave the toilet seat up and flush regularly!

Products to assist you in toilet training your cat:

There are several cat toilet training kits available on the market. They basically consist of a tray that fits inside the toilet, and with a hole in the middle that you can gradually make bigger. When choosing a cat toilet training kit, ensure that you buy quality. The cat training kit should not be flimsy and should be able to support your cat’s weight even when the hole becomes large. Be aware of cheap, flimsy products you buy at toy stores or pet stores, because if your cat falls in, it might loose interest in toilet training completely.

The disadvantages in toilet training your cat:

Not everyone agrees that cat toilet training is such a great idea. They argue that it is unnatural for a cat to use a toilet, as it goes against their natural instincts to cover up their smell. Toilet seats can also be slippery and there might be the risk of your cat injuring itself. Even if your cat doesn’t fall in at all, he may become anxious whenever he uses the toilet and going to the toilet can become an unpleasant task.

A litter box also has the health benefit in that you can easier monitor your cat’s urine for signs of infections or sickness.

Moving locations will also be harder for the cat, because a litter box can be moved easily but the cat will first need to get used to using the new toilet. With some cats this is no problem and they can become comfortable with the new toilet very fast, while other cats might be less adaptable.

Things to remember when toilet training a cat:

The most important thing to remember is that the toilet training should be done gradually. Be very patient and never rush to the next step until you are sure that you cat is completely comfortable with the current setup.

Make using the toilet as easy as you can for the cat. Always remember to keep the toilet seat up and the bathroom door open. When you have guests, ensure that they also know about considering your cat. Flush the toilet regularly as cats do not like using smelly toilets.

Claudine du Plessis is a cat-lover and webmaster of http://www.cat-urine.net

Blogs which are also known as web logs are the new thing on the internet. They are pretty much a platform that you can use that will allow you to post your thoughts on most any subject that you want to. They can be used for journal, promoting, writing, and publishing, anything that your heart desires. However, if you are a beginner and new blogging as well as marketing, there are some very important things that you will want to know.

Blog marketing is quite easy to get started in. If you all ready have been blogging, you will more than likely pick it up very easily and naturally just as if you have been doing it all along. Also, if you all ready blog, you might find out that you have been marketing the whole time anyways, and just not realizing it.

For anyone that has never blogged before, you will of course want to start a test blog just to get the feel of how it is. You want to become familiar with the blogging platforms that you will be using and know how to make a post. While most blogs are free, you are also going to see that many of them are quite different.

So if you have set up a blog then the next step will that you want to market your blog and make it a successful blog.

How do you do this ?

How do you go about getting your blog out there to be seen and known by others ?

How do you draw readers and keep them coming back for more ?

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There are many ways to get your blog out there and known by others. This can be known as challenging for some and just quite easy for others. If you have ever had a successful blog before then you know what it takes. You are not going to get anywhere by just setting up a blog and hoping that people will find it and read it. You are not going to gain any links, nor a higher search engine ranking by just having a blog. This is all part of blog marketing. Anyone can do it, even you.

To have a successful blog you need to work active with your blog, and use the right tools to make it a successful blog. Here are some useful Tips for making a successful blog:

Successful blog marketing tip number one. When you first create a blog, of course it is unheard of. No one knows anything about the blog unless you give them the link and show it to them. However, for a new blog that has never been seen, there are many ways to get it out there and known. You just need to know how.

The first thing that you can do is to allow RSS feeds be taken from your blog. Allow other websites and blogs to publish your same exact blog. When you do this, they are giving you a link back to your blog, and also telling their readers all about your blog. You will get more traffic than ever with this tool. RSS feeds are wonderful for promoting and getting your blog out there.

Blog marketing tip number two. Update your blog frequently. I can not put enough emphasis on this tip. If you tell your readers that you are going to update your blog daily, then do it. If you tell them that you will be writing in your blog weekly, don’t let them down. Your readers are what makes your blog successful. You may not realize this in the beginning, and you will have few readers in the beginning as well, but you will eventually build a readership base and have people checking out your blog regularly.

Maybe you do not plan on telling your readers how often you will update your blog. That is ok too.

However, think about this, if you were reading a blog on a weekly basis, and you expected to see the blog that you like to read updated at least once a week, you would be very disappointed to find out that it was not. Sure, things happen that might prevent you from updating, and that is expected, and excused, but

week after week can hurt you and cause you to lose readers.

Tip number three. While you are working on your readership base, and trying to gain readers, you are going to find that commenting on blogs that are relevant to yours will surely help. Find a blog that is on the same topic to yours, or close to it and leave comments. You can also make a track back with your blog postings to comment on your own blog.

Doing so will probably more than likely give someone else the urge to track back to your blog. Which will be good for it as well. Commenting on blogs that get many comments will make yours be seen by those interested in that market. You will gain traffic and readers that way, and it is easy as well as free.

The fourth blog marketing tip. Learn and apply SEO to your blogs. SEO is search engine optimization. You are going to find that if you want your blog to go anywhere, you need SEO, and you need to know how to use it to the advantage of your blog. Just like a website, a blog will be better off if it is SEO optimized.

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Follow these blogging rules and you will soon be on your way to have a successful blog.

About The Author

Morten Hansen has been working with the internet Marketing for several years and is mainly writing about subjects, that make it easier for Internet users to learn about Internet Marketing. For more details about Blog marketing visit our site www.Blogmarketing4you.com [http://www.Blogmarketing4you.com]

Your child will soon grow up to really appreciate their surroundings. They will soon be at the stage where they will understand the necessities of what a bedroom should be like. Then comes the inevitable: they’ll choose the furniture for their selves. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that because they are in charge of their own room.

The bed is not the only thing that your child will change. They’ll change the complete makeup of the room from the headboards to the bookshelves. Fortunately you can find complete childrens furniture in online stores and look at them with your child. You won’t be disappointed in the selection of furniture that’s available.

A child’s bedroom should reflect more than just the bed; it should reflect their imaginations. If they are adventurous and action-oriented, then buy furniture that’s geared toward that. Fantasy-filled? There’s furniture for that, too. There is nothing that can’t be done in this regard. Your child will have much furniture from which to choose and you’ll be able to go with them.

Your child’s bedroom is going to more than just a bedroom, too. It’s going to be a central area where games are played and friends are going to spend the night. As such, you should buy childrens furniture that best reflects the child’s needs in regards to space and imagination.

The best option is to buy them online because many stores have limited time from which to shop. At least online, you can shop to your heart’s content.

To learn more about childrens furniture you can research more through some trusted website or learn more through children bedroom furniture.

Sex Education, as the term clearly indicates, refers to education which is based on human sexual behavior. Parents, schools or caretakers offer it in some parts of the world to educate the children, who are stepping into their adolescence. If formally received, sex education is either taught as a full course at high school or junior high school level or in biology, health, home economics classes. Teaching sex education is rather a controversial issue; debates have been going on for several decades discussing if it should be taught formally in schools or not. Sex education in schools should exist without any doubts and apprehensions as it offers many benefits.

Adolescence is called the “age of storm and stress”. The young teenagers, during this phase of life are under deep psychological pressure. Mainly, this psychological pressure is the result of one’s growing sexual needs and the biological changes and hormonal effects on the individuals. During this time, most of the children are observed to become easily irritable. They find it difficult in most situations to deal with the family members. They might not want to talk to them about the natural changes taking place in their body and mind. In such circumstances, one highly suitable option is that of the teachers who are able to teach them to control their urges until a proper age. In schools, trained teachers would help the students to know how to deal with their sexual impulses. This role can not be replaced by parents or other entities. A classroom discussion and lesson would make them feel it is natural, and they would also feel that they are being understood by someone. However, taking them individually to psychologists or other trained educators would not help. In such a situation they might consider themselves to be different and misunderstood by family and people around them. Therefore, it becomes crystal clear that the best way to offer sex education is always in school.

It is a psychological phenomenon that children at young age are under an immense peer pressure. Something that they learn in the class with their peer group is what makes a better impression on their minds than otherwise. They are more focused in the lessons that teachers offer and are more eager asking question to clear their ambiguities. They might feel embarrassed and uneasy questioning their parents about it, but it always differs in case of the teacher in the class. This is because everyone in the class is going through the same stage. A class discussion becomes healthy source of learning as it helps in enhancing the knowledge on the subject.

Many people advocate that sex education should only be restricted to families, that is, that parents should personally educate their children. This view is totally illogical and holds complications and questions. The first point is that not all the parents would be willing to do it or would be able to do it. Secondly, this education needs a proper channel through which it should reach its required learners. There could be many possible problems in the families so they might not be able to take the role of a teacher in educating their children regarding sex. The demand of annulment of sex education from the schools is highly conservative.

Most importantly, there are many single parents, how would they take up this challenge of educating their children on their own? Parents can not properly educate their children about sex also because they lack details that qualified sex educators convey in schools. Thus, the stance of abolishing sex education in school is not a favorable thought. In many observed cases where parents or children are embarrassed about talking over sexual matters with each other, it is most likely to be uneasy situation at both the ends. This keeps the children from learning the answers to the questions they might have in their minds. This can be a great flaw of shifting the duty of sexual education from teachers to the parents. It will leave the children only half or less educated about the issue and as they say “Little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, this might end up in grave situations.

According to research, most of the parents also feel uneasy because they know that they are not equipped to provide the apt sexual information to their children. They also fail to comprehend what details and information should be concealed and what should be revealed, keeping in mind their children’s age. On the other hand, there might also be parents who would feel comfortable talking to their children about sexual matters, but only when the children bring the matter up.

Most parents, around the world, may also lack role models to look up to as they would not have talked over sexual issues with their own parents in their adolescent. This makes them inefficient to trigger their roles of educating their children in an effective way as the assigned teachers are able to do in schools.

Sex education is not limited to only a single branch of knowledge. This education focuses on a number of significant sexual matters that are offered with especially designed courses and programs. Sex education covers the education of relationships, sexual abstinence at a certain level and teaching to practice safe sex to the level of children who are thought to be sexually active. Therefore, its claim for being appropriate and guiding holds strong base.

At a certain age of adolescence, growing children have problems facing relationships and controlling their personal emotions. Conflicts related to such matters persuade many youngsters to commit suicides or take part in other immoral activities. Proper sex education in schools also concentrates in making the youngsters emotionally stronger and in educating ways to cope with relationship problems. This argument strongly shows the immense benefit of sex education in schools.

Sex education is an important health strategy and this cannot be denied. AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases can only be controlled if people are aware of precautions and have a vast knowledge in this case. This knowledge is conveyed through sex education, and if sex education is banned in schools and if parents have to educate their children, then it would not be as beneficial to the individuals and the society on the whole as teaching in school could be.

Sex education does not exist in all parts of the world. Asians are commonly regarded conservative when compared to westerners. It is not a part of their course in schools; this does not in any way mean that their teenage pregnancy rate is any lower if they are not exposed to sexual matters openly. In fact, this is one way how peers can mislead most of the youngsters and persuade them to bask in young age sexual relationships without any attempts for safety. This has resulted in serious problems such as the spread of fatal diseases like AIDS and has also increased rate of illegitimate births.

Researches have shown that the cause for ramification of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) in the eras of 80s and 90s in the US and the UK is the lack of knowledge and information provided about sex in schools or home. Home and family has never and will never play an integral part in conveying sex education to teenagers, therefore to rely on the option of home, is to deceive your own self from the expected exigency in the future.

Some conservative groups assert that to discuss sexual issues openly is to devalue religion. No religion in the world abstain its followers from spreading the information that is so essential for human lives. Sexual behavior is natural and takes place through biological changes and this cannot be questioned as this is a part of human life. Thus people who take refuge under the religious shelter, to make their arguments strong, are misinterpreting religious ideas and laws.

Modern time is the time of internet and powerful media. Teenagers are exposed to Hollywood, TV and internet. These sources offer demonstration of sex which is highly thoughtless and casual; in this situation it is almost illogical to leave the teenagers on their sexual choices. They are young and fully excited; therefore they can not make a favorable choice. Sex education in school offers the information and knowledge they need to understand to know the responsibility that is accompanied by sexual relationships. The teacher in school helps the students to know the difference between a thoughtless and thoughtful sex. Having an urge for sex is not a problem; it is a natural process showing that the young people are developing to become adults; however the problem is having unsafe sex and hurting people through sexual choices.

People who claim that sex education in schools have more cons than pros, often come up with the statements suggesting that sex education in classroom should be avoided because the most effective tool for offering sex education, according to them is TV, films, magazines and media. Such people fail to understand that trained sex educators under especially designed programs teach sex education to children in schools. They are thus able to handle children’s problems and clear their ambiguities in the best possible way, whereas magazines, films, TV and other channels and mediums of providing sex education are be reliable. They are most of the times urging the young people by encouraging their sexual promiscuity rather than effectively teaching and educating them. This wrong approach damages the society and the individuals in disguise of ameliorating them.

People contradicting the notion insist that sex education always makes the learners have sex and experience it personally, once they learn about it in school. The reality is that sexual urge for any human being is a natural occurrence. When children reach to a certain age, whether they find people to educated them about sex or not, they do have natural instincts about it, and therefore if provided a chance they would surely want to satisfy their urge. This natural reaction can not in any way be related to the outcome of sex education in schools. In fact, the best time for letting sex education play its role is when the sexual urge increases and the teenagers want to find a source for its satisfaction. It offers individuals with the required knowledge so that they are careful. It is only then that they understand the consequences of sex leading to child birth as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Thus sex education is basically a warning and a caution for such children who are stepping into the phase of life where they would need to know all this.

Some people who go against the topic also argue that even though sex education exists, it has still not decreased the rate of teenage pregnancies. I would rather not go deep in to the moral issue of the topic, but it is important here to discuss and point out the shortcomings of our society. Social values that insist that being single, pregnant and teenagers is fine, is what has to be changed. Through educating the children and making them aware that it is just not ‘cool’ to be pregnant when single or teenager, and just because ‘others are also doing it’ does not in any way justify their actions, this change can be achieved. There are many sexual education programs that teach the learners about the grave consequences that can result in having early sex. This type of sex education in schools is helpful and makes the learners responsible and mature enough to understand the difference between morality and immorality.

People, who are against the notion, repeatedly state the question that why sex education is given so much importance when there are also many other issues connected with juvenile delinquencies such as drugs, drinking and aggressive bullying. No doubt, there are also many other issues to consider important enough to be taught in school for awareness but psychological researches show that behind most of the juvenile behavioral problems, one main reason is always the active sexual urge which drives the young people to indulge themselves in harmful activities like drug abuse and alcoholism. It is also commonly observed that young teenagers who indulge into such activities are unaware of proper sex education. Once they are given a true picture of sex and its consequences their mental status relaxes and they are easily able to cope with other social taboos.

Parents, who believe that sex education pollutes the minds of their children, have in large number taken their children out of schools promoting sex education. In this process of instilling in their minds their religious and family values, they forget that the media, their children are largely exposed to can also lead them astray. Sex education in schools does not in any way offers them an invitation to have open sex by making them aware of the risks; it just educates them about the matter in the best way.

Apart from educating the students about safe sex, sex education in schools is also helpful as it helps students to learn proper terminology for reproductive system, STDs and birth contraceptives rather than the street lingo that is commonly used by laymen. Sex education classes are gender based and that is why the young learners are not embarrassed and are only taught what is related to their gender. Early inclusion of classes also helps the teenagers to either become abstinent for some time or to become responsible if they are already active. Therefore, many sexual problems that occur in adulthood can be controlled if effective and apt sex education is given at the right time.

A proper sex education which is holistic, nonjudgmental and comprehensive never misleads or misguides the teenagers. Such a curriculum should be imposed in all schools around the nation; it is an answer to many social problems and conflicts. Would any parent leave their kindergarten kids to walk alone on the streets without letting them know how to walk safely? No parent would actually do that, in the same way, letting your teenager children socialize with their peers and fellows without any proper sexual education is nothing contrary to the analogy mentioned above. It is hazardous and risky for their lives. Thus, proper sex education in schools should be encouraged so that they learn all the significant facts through trained teachers, who help and supports them in these matters of highly crucial value. Sex education should be taken as a positive aspect which promises healthier and better life for the youngsters. It therefore should be taken as a subject taught in schools to enhance knowledge on the subject matter; something merely as human anatomy or biology class. Sex education should be given in all schools to educate the children for their betterment, avoiding it will only result in emotional, social and health problems.

Read my book here whispers of my heart.

Yes, I am a recovering clothing shopaholic. Perhaps you think clothing shopaholics are just women who can’t control their urge to spend money on clothes. But that really isn’t what the addiction is all about. There is a big misconception about clothes shopping addiction. So I am going to let you in on the truth about it and tell you all about the secret fantasy life of the women who have it. You see, all female clothing shopaholics have one thing in common:

WE CRAVE FLATTERY, ENVY, AND COMPLIMENTS ON OUR APPEARANCE EVERY DAY OF OUR LIFE.

When we get a compliment or an admiring stare on the way we look, we feel great. And here is another truth about our addiction: we all have a “female appraiser”. A “female appraiser” is the female in our life that we always imagine envying us and complimenting us when we try on new clothes. She is the one we always wear new outfits in front of to get appraisal and compliments about how we look. She is the one who notices every new pair of shoes, every new piece of jewelry, whether our hair looks particularly healthy and attractive that day, and every new item of clothing we are wearing to the minutest degree. She dissects us physically; she is our lifeblood to feeling we exist; by noticing us, envying us and complimenting us; she makes us feel alive.

And we are her female appraiser as well. We notice every new item she wears and we comment about how good she looks as well. We often envy her appearance and new outfits. Our relationship is the mutual symbiotic feeding of our ego envy. Usually our female appraiser is our female mother, sister, friend or coworker who we subconsciously compete and look to get approval from about our appearance. We always try to upstage her in appearance and make her feel envious of us; we always think about whether what we buy will make her envy how we look before we buy it and when she sees a new outfit on us and we feel her envy (of course the ultimate high is when she asks us where we bought it) we have our ultimate addictive fix. We even watch how many people notice us more than her when the two of us walk together in public, to know that we are getting more attention than she is. Yes, it’s an “envy/dislike/need of approval dynamic” we have with our female appraiser (or multiple female appraisers) on a complicated physical and emotional level.

When I was a clothing shopaholic, I lived for clothes, they were my life passion. I still love clothes. But I am less in need of the power they give me to be noticed, admired, and envied. The need to shop for clothes and imagine wearing them and getting compliments from women when I wear them has taken less of a hold on me. But there was a time when shopping for clothes was an essential part of my daily life because I lived for the attention and praise those new outfits gave me.  I would  fantasize as I tried them on in the store and imagine being envied by my female appraiser when I wore them. And once I bought them, wearing them always made me feel special and alive when I got that attention, envy and praise from my “female appraiser”. I always needed to wear something new to be noticed and that is why the money was spent; to continually have new clothes to wear so I would continually get compliments and be noticed. When I wore that outfit a second time, it wasn’t new anymore and no compliments were given because they’d already been given when I wore it the first time. So that outfit did not serve its purpose any more for my addiction unless I wore it in front of a different female appraiser who never saw it before (sometimes I had 3 or more female appraisers in my life). On the days I wore an outfit that I received no attention about, I actually felt invisible and depressed. Sometimes just thinking about another new outfit I would wear the next day and how good I’d look and how envied I’d be was all I thought about on those depressing days. It was the only thing that kept me going; imaging that outfit in my closet and the power it would give me to be noticed and complimented.. I’d fantasize about the shoes I’d wear with the outfit and how I’d match my eye shadow to it and the admiration I’d be getting. Because I always knew exactly what to buy and wear that would make my female appraiser envious and wish she had my clothes and got the attention I was geting. And what a euphoric high that would give me; even thinking about that happening.

Clothing shopaholics have an odd addiction because when you take away the women you feel competitive with, the addiction loses its hold on you. That’s because the addiction is about fantasizing about being envied for how you look in clothes. But take away the female appraiser, and you don’t have the envy and you lose the need to fantasize or shop for clothes. Of course, eliminating female appraisers in your life isn’t easy. As long as you have a mother or work in a corporate office, or have a female sibling you see, you will have a woman in your life assessing your appearance. Even when babysitting my friend’s 10 year old daughter, she assessed my appearance by informing me my pants didn’t match my top; “the colors were off” she told me. And here I thought I was free of that kind of appraisal from children and could just “throw on sweats and any old top.” After all, why care what a 10 year old girl thinks about how I look when I’m babysitting her? But yes, her comment did bother me, although I stood my ground and refused to change my clothes. Needless to say, she is a budding clothing shopaholic in the making.

Here are some more truths about this secret clothing shopaholic life: I would go into my favorite clothes stores every day to return clothes (which I loved to do because it gave me an excuse to shop again) and always walk out buying something else, usually something I knew I would probably return. Walking into a store filled with clothes and breathing in the smell of new clothes gave me a euphoric high. Trying some new outfit on and imaging my female appraiser noticing it and complimenting me on it and asking me where I bought it; just imaging that happening as I tried on the clothes in a store gave me an adrenaline rush. This is what my clothing shopaholic addiction was about. Most women who are clothing shopaholics are clueless about what the core of their addiction is about. They think it’s about an addictive need to spend money, but it really isn’t about that. Yes, you do need to spend money to buy new clothes to feed your “attention fix”, because without buying something new, you don’t wear something new; and without wearing something new, you don’t get your “fix”. And you have to go to a store to try on something so you can experience the fantasy in your head of getting the attention, which is the first stage of the addiction.

So this is why spending money becomes a problem. And mistakenly becomes what everyone thinks the addiction is about: the inability to stop the urge to spend money on clothes. But teaching someone to resist spending money does not curb or cure the addiction. The only way to curb or “cure” it is to remove the need for a “female appraiser” in your life. But that is another article for another time. The money spent by clothing shopaholics becomes the casualty of the addiction, but it is not the addictive need to spend money that causes the addiction. I would venture to say that alcoholics get an addictive fix sitting in a bar and breathing in the smell of alcohol and seeing other men who are alcoholics around them. Yes, the need to drink alcohol plays a role in the alcoholic’s addiction, but so does the need to be in the environment. It’s the same with clothes shopping addicts, we need to be around clothes, smell the smells, and try on clothes. It is a comforting experience that calms our nerves and gives us an inner peace. But, why? It has taken me a very long time to understand my addiction to buying clothes; why I shop for clothes and why I need the attention, flattery and criticism about my appearance. I realize it all started when I was a child growing up in my mother’s clothing shopaholic world. So let me share my childhood story with you:

I was born a beautiful little girl full of life and love. I received a tremendous amount of attention from my grandparents, father, aunts and cousins. It seemed as if everyone wanted to be with me, hold me, walk with me and give me endless praise about how cute I was. Well, almost everyone. My mother envied the praise and attention I received. She found it difficult to praise me or give me physical affection. She rarely stayed in the same room with me unless she had to tend to me needs. This went by unnoticed by others, because my mother did interact with me on the surface; she picked me up; fed me; dressed me; bathed me; she did all those “interactive” things a mother has to do to raise her daughter. But there was one very important thing she did not do and that was to LOVE ME UNCONDITIONALLY.

She never hugged or kissed me, she never told me how much she loved me, and she never expressed true appreciation of anything about me to me. Yes, she told others what she appreciated about me, but she could never say those words to me. My mother was unable to give me the emotional connection of unconditional love because she did not feel good about herself as a person. She envied me for the attention and love I received. She envied me for having so many qualities she felt she didn’t have, because her own mother raised her with the same kind or resentment and envy. She found it very difficult to be in the same room with me, or to have a picture taken with me, especially when I got attention, just as her mother had found it difficult to do the those things with her.

As I grew up, my mother’s interaction with me became one of constant “assessments” about my appearance and “monitoring” of everything I did to an extreme. She criticized me endlessly about my appearance; justifying her criticism by saying “I tell you this because I’m your mother and I love you”. She always justified her comments by telling me she had my “best interest at heart”. This seemingly good intention justified her commenting on my appearance every day: whether it was leaving the house with the wrong coat, wearing the wrong outfit, not standing up with proper posture, not wearing my hair the right way, not eating or liking the right foods which made me too thin; her interaction with me was a constant barrage of comments about something that was wrong with my appearance. This constant criticism eroded my self worth to the point that I could barely make friends, and had intense insecurities and shyness around everyone growing up. She used her control over my appearance to control my self confidence. When she took me shopping to buy me clothes, she ridiculed and criticized me about how I looked as I tried on clothes with her in the dressing room. She never liked anything I liked on myself. I was always too thin, my posture was too slouched over, and according to her, I looked awful in everything except the one garment I didn’t like. And that was the one she bought. My mother made me feel ugly inside and out. She controlled my ability to be make independent choices about my appearance and to feel that my self worth was only based on looking physically good.

As a child, I believed I deserved to be treated this way because I felt there was something innately wrong with me. I did not realize I was being verbally abused. How could I? My own father, although adoring me in every way, ignored her cold, critical behavior towards me. I never understood that her behavior towards me was based on envy. To me, she was so incredibly beautiful and well dressed, that is seemed ridiculous to think that she envied me. As an adult, I now can see that her interaction with me was her way of dealing with her own low sense of self esteem. But as a child, I just felt physically flawed and inferior to everyone around me. I fixated on my appearance, my hair, my skin, my posture, and I always felt unattractive, physically flawed and inadequate. I only saw women as worthy of existing and having friends and being liked if they were attractive. My mother was a clothing shopaholic. She shopped endlessly spending money on clothes for herself every day and often returning ½ the clothes she bought the next day. She took me shopping with her wherever she went. When my mother bought herself clothes, I enjoyed the experience tremendously, because it was the only time she was happy and loving towards me. When I helped her find her favorite Kimberly® designer dress; it was one of the few times we bonded as mother and daughter. I felt such pleasure watching my mother look at the clothes she tried on in the mirror. It was the only time she seemed to like being with me. And seeking those good feelings became the root cause of my own shopping addiction as an adult. .

My mother’s focus was not just on my appearance, she was obsessed about her own appearance as well. I can recall many times she walked up the 2nd set of stairs into my bedroom, gave me a comment like, “it’s warm in here, you should open a window” and then proceeded to open one of the closets in my room which she took over as her own closet for her Kimberly® collection (after all I didn’t need a closet for clothes, since I had so few of them) and sort through her wardrobe for hours. That’s right, she wasn’t coming upstairs to see me, she was coming upstairs to look at her Kimberlys®, put away her dry-cleaned ones, check that the moth balls were working and none of them (they were all made of wool) were getting moth eaten (god help our family if that ever happened, she would moan unhappily for an eternity). My mother spent more time bonding with the Kimberlys® in her closet over the years then she spent talking and bonding with me.

But the rest of the world was another story. My mother talked about how beautiful other women looked on TV and in magazines with admiration. To her, beauty was what gave someone my mother’s approval. And these models and actresses often got her approval. I longed for that kind of approval from her, but I never got it growing up. Perhaps that’s why I drew countless drawings of women wearing clothes that looked like my mother, just to get her approval, even if it was just about a drawing I did. As a blossoming teenager, when the rest of the world started noticing me again and I was able to buy my own clothes, I realized that getting compliments on my appearance felt intoxicatingly good. I was finally getting the approval my mother could never give me. I grew up needing to hear how I looked, needing attention from guys just to feel okay with being alive. I needed to hear comments about my appearance every day just to feel I was normal. I knew nothing better.

As a teenager, my mother fixated more and more on my appearance, telling me how to wear my hair, make up and what to wear. If I didn’t follow her directives, and defended myself angrily by insisting she stop criticizing me, she would get angry at me to the point of behaving like a child who was throwing a temper tantrum. I had no right to feel good about myself and no right to defend myself against her critical attacks Unlike my mother, my father related to me about my appearance by hugging me, taking pictures and making me feel cute, pretty, and attractive(which only added to my mother’s envy of me). He gave me much attention when I blossomed into a teenager; as fathers often do with their daughters. But he worked all the time and found it easier to never be around the home. This way he didn’t have to witness how my mother was raising me and hear her critical comments towards me. He just didn’t have the emotional capacity to battle with his wife about the way she spoke to me. He accepted her behavior and chose not to deal with it but staying at work and golfing most of his life.

So this was my childhood. It is not unique. Many young girls are only given “conditional acceptance” by their mother based on their behavior and appearance. This lack of unconditional love has its price. It sets you up as a female adult to be completely dependent on others for attention and criticism in your life and to easily fall prey to addictions like clothes shopping and an addictive need for attention. The life you had with your mother and the value she put on your appearance will set you up to value yourself only when others give you approval about your appearance as well. You will crave the need to be around clothes because it is a comforting childhood experience. You will crave fantasizing about getting a female appraiser’s approval and envy on how you look in clothes, because it will bring back the relationship dynamic you had with your mother. Your appearance will define your feeling of self worth and how good you look in clothes will be what you value as the ultimate definition of being worthwhile as a person. This is what your mother taught you and this is the mindset of the clothing shopaholic. The dynamic of your relationship with your mother never leaves you, it transfers over onto other women who have the same need. It also sets you up to be very dependent on men who only value you physically and sexually. It’s so important for women to understand this addiction and how it impacts every aspect of their adult life. It’s important to see the obsessive world of clothes shopping in its naked true reality. Only then can you start to live your life with more appreciation of the things that really matter, like unconditional love, and have gratitude for those things in life that mean so much more than any new piece of clothing.

Learn more about this addiction www.isthistruelove.com [http://www.isthistruelove.com]

Beth Cofone

Choosing the set of bowls of the most important issue to face most bowlers when they begin to play the sport.

Yet, judging by the number of people I see whilst coaching and also on my travels, I would estimate that between thirty and forty per cent of them are using the wrong-sized bowls.

The popular method of determining bowls size has been to have the bowler span around the bowl with the middle fingers and the thumb of each hand. If the fingers and thumbs just meet around the running surface the bowl is supposed to be the right size. This theory may work in some cases, but it misleads many people.

I believe the only way to find the correct size is to swing a number of various sized bowls in the hand. With a new player, I would place a bowl in the hand and adjust the fingers to the correct grip that felt comfortable to the player.

Then I would ask the player to swing the hand back to the furthest point on the backswing. If the player feels the bowl may drop, then it is obviously too big. If the bowl can be handled with ease, than a larger size could be tried. Using this method, the player would be able to determine the largest bowl that could be comfortably and effectively used.

The next decision would be whether to use a heavy weight or a medium weight bowl. In the UK, a great number of bowlers actually own two sets of bowls. They may use a heavy weight one on the faster indoor surfaces and then change to a medium weight on the slower outdoor surfaces.

Many other players, including myself, use a heavy weight bowl on both indoor and outdoor surfaces. The heavy weight bowl certainly has advantages on a fast outdoor green on a windy day as they are less liable to be affected by a gusty crosswind. Also the heavy bowl can displace a lighter bowl more easily in the head.

The final decision whether you play with a heavy weight or a medium weight bowl will probably depend on comfort in the hand and whether your wallet can stretch to the purchase of two sets.

Often in the clubs players will argue the merits of one bowls manufacturer against another. The bowls companies all produce a variety of models and all manufactured to a high standard. Choosing any particular model will depend on what suits you best – whether you intend to play indoors and outdoors or you want a bowl specifically for faster indoor greens.

Though many club bowlers do watch the star players perform well on television and often purchase the same models as their favourite players.

These are some of the bowls available from the different companies:

HENSELITE has a wide variety of models, which include the CLASSIC – traditionally the choice for outdoor bowlers in the UK. The bowl has a wide arc and ‘hockey stick’ finish and though good outdoors, may prove a disadvantage on faster indoor surfaces.

The CLASSIC II is regarded by many as the best performing modern bowl. Designed to run straighter, with a less pronounced swing, it is ideal for UK indoor carpets. Many players do use these bowls both indoors and out.

The TIGER is the ‘New Kid on the Block’ and used by many Henselite sponsored players in television events. Greg Harlow and Ian Bond both won World Bowls Tour ranking tournaments last season using this model of bowl. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, this model has a slightly wider bias than the Classic II and is only available in heavyweight.

The DREAMLINE is fairly new to these shores and is a narrow running bowl suitable fr very fast surfaces, and would certainly not be suitable outdoors in early May!

In the ALMARK range, Henselite has three models – the STERLING GOLD for outdoor use with a wide bias; STERLING KING, a narrow running bowl ideal for faster greens, and the STERLING SLIMLINE, a bowl with a narrower profile to fit the hand, but suitable for both codes.

DRAKES PRIDE provides the PROFESSIONAL, which has proved to be a very popular bowl in the UK. This bowl is used by many bowlers, both indoors and outdoors, and is ideal for those players not wishing to purchase two sets. Many top players would agree that this bowl has proved versatile in all conditions and on many different surfaces.

The ADVANTAGE is a tight running bowl and would only prove suitable on faster greens, preferably for front-end players.

The PROFESSIONAL PLUS is an outdoor bowl and would be similar to the Henselite Classic, therefore probably suited to slower outdoor conditions.

THOMAS TAYLOR also provided a wide selection to include its traditional outdoor bowl – the LIGNOID.

The ACE is probably its most popular bowl with many indoor bowlers and is used successfully by twice World indoor champion Andy Thomson. This is another bowl that can also be used successfully outdoors.

The VECTOR has a narrower line and would be popular on fast surfaces, especially for front end players, while the LAZER is a slim profile bowl with a narrow bias similar to the Vector. The advantage of this bowl is that it has been developed for comfort in the hand for those with smaller hands.

THE LEGACY also has a slimmer profile, but unlike the Laser has a wider arc and is considered a mid-bias bowl that could also be used outdoors. Taylor also produced the SPECTRUM and INTERNATIONAL, which are stronger in bias than the Ace.

Many of these bowls are now available in many colours, as well as traditional black, and it would be best to check availability with your local bowls retailer, though always remember that at present coloured bowls are only available in heavy weights and that relevant weight and sizes are published in most bowls catalogues.

This way you can check the relevant weight difference between heavy weight and medium weight bowls. My personal advice to any new bowler would be to select a mid bias bowl that will prove useful on most surfaces, for example Drakes Pride Professional, Henselite Classic II and Tiger and Taylor Ace would fall into this category.

As you gain experience, you may decide to try a narrower running bowl if you have a very fast indoor carpet. One word of warning – many bowlers believe the tight running bowls make the game easier and believe they can virtually bowl straight. That is not the case as in many instances weight control will need to be much better with a narrow running bowl as there is little margin for error and the tight running bowl will not bend with excessive weight.

With so many bowls on the market, always seek advice from a specialist bowls retailer and if possible inquire whether you might be able to try the model you wish to purchase. Sometimes bowls shops based inside indoor stadiums hold sample bowls that can be tried.

Finally, always remember no matter what set of bowls you purchase, you still have to bowl them – sometimes it is easier to blame the bowls when we play a bad game rather than our own poor play.

John Price Former World Indoor Singles Champion Resident professional at Potters Leisure Resort, Norfolk the home of world bowls http://www.pottersholidays.com/

At first sight the title of this article seems a reasonable question for any cat owner. As with most individual members of the human race, we tend to orient our personal world into our own system of logic, predictability and orderliness. We establish our routines and habits to fit a life style that gives us a comfort level free from the fears that always seems to surround us. We are continually reminded of those fears whether it’s broadcast yellow journalism espoused by the news media, or from neighborhood gossip by people who seem to need such excitement because they are either just bored, or think that you’re in need of some kind of realistic jolt into seeing things the way they do. As narrow as that may seem, there’s no doubt that each person organizes their home into some kind of system, that is a life style, that encompasses the concepts of order and predictability with logical results that ensures peace, comfort and tranquility.

It’s about that time many will decide they would like a pet to complete the picture. Some may want the company of a pet because they live alone; others might want surrogate children, either because they don’t have any yet, or maybe their children have grown and flown the nest. Of course, there are those who just appreciate the easy love and fidelity pets seem so easily capable of. Many will opt to get a cat. It’s here that the peace and tranquility you have established and come to know and expect is sure to be interrupted, if not challenged.

The introduction of any new pet, and cats in particular, will require a new way of thinking. With this new way of thinking, to be a successful cat owner will depend on how well one can incorporate balance and perspective, as an evaluation of oneself, into their new relationship. In other words, one needs to balance their own personal needs and the needs of their cat with a perspective that allows them to see the relationship in the long term as well as on a daily basis.

There’s a lot hidden in that last paragraph.

• Balance and perspective as an evaluation of oneself requires complete honesty when analyzing ones emotions and reactions to a given situation. Any biased rationalization of an event or circumstance just won’t do when one is seeking the ‘truth’ of a situation.
• A person’s needs can be either emotional (a harmonious, peaceful and happy home environment), spiritual or physical (food, warmth & shelter). The same goes for your cat. She has emotional and physical needs not dissimilar to your own. As for the spiritual needs of either people or cats, we’ll leave that for other discussions.
• Perspective is necessary to perceive a relationship with your cat as a long term affair, what you might call the forest, in light of the activities of day to day living, or the trees that make up a forest. Moreover, reactions to a given situation can change from one day to the next, some of which can have an altering effect on the long term view. You can see that moving from the long view to the short view and back again requires a good measure of mental agility.

So, what’s all that got to do with cat behavior?

The instincts of cats have been ingrained over eons of evolution. The qualities that distinguish a cat from all other animals (people included) can be listed as follows:

• Cats are nocturnal: Cats learned a long time ago that they could find prey and avoid predators by doing their hunting at night. Physiologically, they evolved senses that allowed them to be quite successful at night time activities. Senses such as eyes that could detect motion in very little light. Hearing that allows them to accurately pinpoint a prey’s movements in the dark. Their hearing range far exceeds that of humans so that they can not only hear noises people can’t, but they can communicate in those ranges, too. They’ve the ability to lay a scent trail that doesn’t require light to follow which is useful when escape from predators can be the difference between life and death in total darkness.
• Cats are territorial: A cat will mark off an area with her scents and claim it for herself. Usually her territory would be just large enough to support her, and any of her kittens, with a food source in the form of prey. Her scent marking also warns other cats that this is her land and it would be best if they just move on.
• Cats are solitary: Except when mating, cats are used to living alone. This is closely related to the territorial aspect of the cat’s personality. In order to keep from spending all their time marking a territory, the claimed land is usually small enough for only one cat. Besides, to many scents can be confusing especially if she is trying to escape a predator in the dark of night.
• Cats are predatory: They have learned to be quite proficient at hunting, especially for small nocturnal prey. The cat’s hunting technique can be divided into four phases:
  • Stalking
  • Catching
  • Killing
  • Eating

  Most cat owners are familiar with the staking phase. All cats will stalk from kitten-hood. But, the success of any cat’s ability to stalk, catch, kill and eat prey is solely dependant on what their mother teaches them when they were a kitten. If they didn’t get good training in these predation techniques, they may be less than stellar at being a predator. Still, the instinct to act out all four phases is inherent in every cat’s nature.

• 
  Cats are maternal: Because a cat is solitary and her territory will only provide prey for her and her brood, it’s necessary for the kittens to learn a lot before mom kicks them out of the house. Otherwise, there would be too many mouths competing for a limited supply of food. Not to mention all the different scents cluttering up the territory. The maternal instinct has to be strong to teach so much in a short period of time. Unlike pack animals that will share in child rearing, a cat has only herself to rely upon to successfully raise her brood and perpetuate the cat species.

So, when someone decides to own a cat as a pet, they should realize that the cat comes with some pretty deeply ingrained characteristics. Most see only a package that doesn’t require a lot of attention (unlike dogs), is basically clean and doesn’t have to be house trained. But, then when a person’s logical sense of order and predictability comes into conflict with the basic natural instincts of a cat… the fur begins to fly!!

When a cat’s feeling at home, she will rub her cheeks against prominent pieces of furniture, your pillows, or your leg. Most people find that an endearing quality. She’s really marking her territory which she shares with you. If she becomes stressed (due to a change in or invasion of her environment such as a move to a new home, or the introduction of a new pet or family member), or due to certain illnesses, she may feel the need to mark her territory a little more strongly, say with urine. In both cases she is marking her territory, but only one marking is acceptable to you. The other can cause you fits and wonder why you brought her home in the first place. Your reaction will have a lot to say about you and how you evaluate circumstances. It will say less about your cat since she will only be doing what comes naturally to her.

It’s sometimes hard to believe, but cats really aren’t diabolical.

I know that there are many who’ll disagree with me. But, I’ve found that cats are just as loving, faithful, playful and needful of attention as any dog. They just manifest those qualities in a different manner which is unique to cats in general. Mostly, I’ve found that with an understanding of the instinctual feline characteristics, many of the problematic behavioral confrontations people have with their cats can either be corrected, albeit with some compromise on the person’s part, or avoided altogether. Yes, you’ll have to be smarter than the cat. And, being smarter than anything requires a lot of work. In the end, cats aren’t diabolical, or out to make your life miserable; they don’t try to get even, even when you think they should. They just do what comes naturally. Whether what they do is normal or not… that depends a lot on their childhood experiences. Something even people have a hard time being. Normal, that is. Kitten-hood experiences and how they relate to adult cat behavior will be discussed in the next newsletter. For now give yourself a little test. Without looking at your cat, ask the following questions:

• What color are your cat’s eyes and coat?
• Describe the quality of your cat’s coat, skin, teeth and gums.
• What sex is your cat? Is your cat neutered or intact?
• How much does she/he weigh?
• How much does she/he eat and drink every day?
• When, how much and how often does she/he urinate and defecate?

If you can answer these questions, then you are on your way to really knowing your cat and a big step towards a peaceful coexistence which you both want, for sure. Learning her instinctual drives will complete the picture. Then your life together will be remembered as a life of harmony. Not of strife or détente. Or worse with her staring at euthanasia or becoming feral.

Work in Progress: Coming to Cat Lovers Gift World will be a section entitled Cat Behavior which will discuss the concept of the cat’s natural instincts and how they affect the cat in her relations with people.

Robert J Gallegos, author of http://www.catlover-giftsworld.com a web site dedicated to proper cat care with quality cat lover gifts based on an understanding of cat behavior, instincts and the unique requirements for healthy cats as pets. Cats are the newest of animals to be domesticated and still have one paw in the wild. It’s a major reason why they’re so mysterious and resistant to human expectations. Robert is a life long lover of cats. He is dedicated to sharing his understanding of the cat experience, reducing the epidemic feral cat situation, and helping cat lovers to provide the best care for their cats.

Good question, considering that nowadays you can find many

useful resources to help you write your own resume

(including many located at http://www.impressive-resumes.com).

A professionally written resume might be just what you need.

On the other hand, perhaps you can easily write your own

resume using a resume template or commercially available

resume writing software. How do you decide which is right

for you?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you

decide.

* “Do I have the time to do the job right?”

If you want to create a resume that works, i.e. one that

captures the attention of a hiring manager during a 10

second initial “toss or keep” scan, you need to be willing

to invest some time. Depending on your comfort level, your

familiarity with resume design factors and how well you’re

organized, this can take anywhere from a couple of hours to

several days or more.

If you have the time, energy, focus and desire to learn how

to write an effective resume, you’re probably a good

candidate to do it yourself. If you’re really not ready to

devote the time and effort, you’d be better served by

allowing a professional resume writer to write it for you.

* “Can I afford the services of a professional resume writer?”

If you’re on a no kidding shoestring budget, writing your

own resume is probably the way to go. But most people are

surprised at how inexpensive and easy it is to hire a

professional resume writer who can write a truly effective

resume. Chances are good that there’s room in your budget

for a professionally written resume, especially considering

that the right career step could pay back your investment a

thousand times over (or more).

You’ve probably already spent tens of thousands of dollars

on your education, (not to mention incredible amounts of

sweat equity) to get where you are today. The small amount

of additional money you spend on a professionally written

resume may just be the best career advancement investment

you’ll ever make.

* “What makes a resume writer a “professional” writer?

There are several well known professional resume writing

organizations through which individuals can attain

professional resume writing credentials. These include the

National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) and the

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career

Coaches (PARW/CC). Individuals who attain accreditation from

these organizations have demonstrated an in depth knowledge

of the resume writing process. The writers at

http://www.impressive-resumes.com are certified by one or more

such organizations.

* “What are some of the benefits of hiring a professional

resume writer to write my resume for me?”

There are many. You’ll likely save time and almost certainly

money in the long run. You’ll avoid making one or more of

the common resume writing mistakes that so many people make

when writing their own resumes. You’ll enjoy the peace of

mind that comes with knowing your resume was “done right”

from the beginning. You’ll be able to devote more time to

doing all the other things required of you when looking for

a new job. And you’ll have someone in your court who has

your best career interests at heart.

* “How do I work with a professional resume writer?”

Nowadays you no longer need to meet with a resume writer in

person or by telephone to conduct an interview. You can

order an online resume and complete your interview

conveniently on your own schedule. In fact, purchasing an

online resume that is written by a professional resume

writer is one of the nice things about the online world. The

whole process is built around YOU. You and the professional

resume writer working with you always have the option to

communicate by telephone or email if additional information

is required.

Copyright 2005 by Vincent Czaplyski, all rights reserved.

You may republish this article in its entirety, as long as

you include the complete signature file above without

modification.

Copywriter and consultant Vincent Czaplyski is founder of http://www.impressive-resumes.com, your online source for professionally written “industrial strength” resumes and cover letters guaranteed to land you an interview.

Now I know what you are telling yourself…..I would really like to camp, it looks fun but I have no idea how to camp, what to bring or what to expect. There are a few things that you really have to determine before you can figure out what you need to do to get ready for your camping trip.  Answering the following basic questions will guide you to finding your footing.

1.  What type of camping have you decided to do?  Did you want to RV camp?  Camper/Trailer camp?  Tent camp?  Backpack/Hike camp?  Canoe/kayak camp? 

Determining the type of camping you want to do can aid you in what sort of equipment and expertise is needed.  For example, you would need a vastly different sort of equipment for RV camping versus hiking camping.

Camping descriptions:

RV Camping (or recreational vehicle camping) is most like living at home because you bring a furnished vehicle that you basically live in with you.  You can make your RV just as comfy as you like.  Everything that you need from home can most likely be brought with you in your RV.  All you really need to think about are what foods and personal items you would like to stock it with.  This type of camping is generally for the people who do not like to “rough it” but also might like to be social since many times RV are parked fairly near each other or in similar sections.  Though there are some normal maintenance items with RVs, you basically park them and live in them.

Camper or Trailer camping is just a step more rugged than RV camping.  Many times campers or trailers do not have showers or toilets, unlike most RVs.  Depending on the camper or trailer, a refrigerator may not be included either.  Generally, camper or trailer camping is more for people who do not like to sleep on the ground or worry about severe weather but still want to get out there.

Tent camping is generally more for people who would like to “rough it.”  Tent camping requires you to think about all of your basic needs ahead of time (food, hygiene, restroom requirements, shelter, seeing at night, warmth).  There are actually varying levels of tent camping as well.  Some people like to bring a tent and shop for all of their needs while others like to camp in more remote areas away from people.  Packing for a tent camping trip can be time consuming because you have to think of everything you might need.

Backpacking or Hiking camping is a bit more for the experienced campers.  Think about it…everything you think you are going to need you have to be able to strap to your back and carry it for quite a distance.  You have to be able to pack well and pack light!

Canoe/kayak camping is much like hiking camping in regards to packing but you have to add another element.  You have to make sure that everything is waterproof.  Canoe/kayak camping would be for the more experienced camper and of course, for people who know how to canoe and/or kayak. 

Recommendations for camping situations:

RV Camping – Shop around and do research before you decide on an RV for purchase.  Talk to people who already own them and ask them what they like and don’t like about their particular model.  Go to RV dealerships and walk through a bunch of them.  Maybe, go as far as renting an RV on a small trip to see what you do or don’t like about RV camping.

Camper/Trailer Camping – Because there might not be amenities like a refrigerator, more setup and forethought is required.  You most likely will have to purchase a cooler or two to keep your food and beverages chilled.  Also, you may have to think about generators if you would like to run electrical items.  Though you might have beds in the camper you may have to put bedding in.

Tent Camping – Think about the type of tent camping you’d like to do.  Does my tent have to be lightweight?  Waterproof?  Wind sturdy?  What size tent do I need (family size or just for me)?  What terrain will I be camping on?  A good camping tent can make all the difference on your trip.

Backpacking/Hiking Camping – Look for lightweight supplies, as you have to carry them all.  Equipment research into lighter weight sturdy hiking backpacks is a good idea.  Always check ahead of time if the area you wish to hike and camp allows people to do so.  Pay attention to “no trespassing” signs and heed them.  Check your weather!  You need to know what equipment to pack for the weather.  It is also recommended that you camp with a buddy.  In case something should happen, there should be someone who can go get help.

Canoe/kayak Camping – It might be advisable to take some canoe or kayak lessons (and swimming lessons) before attempting a camping trip in this way.  Perhaps you may wish to rent a canoe or kayak to make sure you like the activity before diving in.

2.  Where have you decided to go camping?  Are you going to be camping in the Desert?  Beach?  Forest/woods? 

This is a very important question to answer in order to figure out your main needs.  You’d prepare very differently for desert camping than you would for camping in the forest.

In Desert camping temperatures can have extreme ranges from the heat of the day to the cold of the night.  The biggest threats (most of the year) in the desert are the sun and dehydration.  It is very important to protect yourself with sunscreen and drink plenty of water.  Due to the dry air you are not aware of how much you are perspiring because it evaporates so quickly off your skin.

Beach camping is very nice but you should prepare for it.  Due to the nature of sand it is difficult to weigh things down with normal tent stakes.  There are tent stakes that are much longer for this specific purpose.  You also must be prepared for the possibility that sand could get into everything.  Depending on how deep in the sand you’d like to go you should think about the vehicle you are using to get there.  Again, with the nature of sand it may be difficult to dig yourself back out.  You may wish to bring a shovel or random piece of wood.

Forest/woods are usually great for shelter from rainstorms and sun.  They are also great for hammocks but you have to be aware of biting insects and certain itchy plants.  Bug spray would be a huge recommendation for camping in the woods.

3.  When or what time of the year are you going camping?

Figuring out what type of weather you are going to have to deal with while camping is key.  Personally, I think this is the most important information required to plan a proper camping trip.  Of course if you have an RV, this information probably doesn’t help you because you aren’t exposed to the elements.

Colder weather camping obviously requires warmer clothes but you may wish to consider a warmer camping sleeping bag regardless of what method of shelter you are using.

Wetter weather camping means that your terrain may be more difficult to deal with.  If you are tent camping, it would be recommended to lay a tarp under your tent, look for slightly higher ground to pitch your tent and always use your rain flys.

In hotter weather always make sure to keep yourself hydrated.  If you bring your water with you, bring lots.  If you are hiking camping, you may wish to consider a water treatment or a camping water filter.

Congratulations on taking your first step toward camping by answering these preliminary questions.  You are now on your way to planning for a camping trip tailored more to your specific needs and desires.

Below is a list of general items to take camping.  Please take from it what works best for you and your situation.  Note: Personal items should be included at your discretion.

Things to take camping:

FIRST AID/SURVIVAL KIT

• Prescribed medications
• Snake bite kit
• Calamine lotion
• Insect repellent
• Distilled water
• Rubbing alcohol
• Cotton balls or cotton swabs
• Bandages
• Moleskin (for sore feet)
• Tweezers
• Needles
• Feminine products
• Scissors
• Thermometer
• Individually wrapped gauze pads
• Adhesive tape
• Antiseptic
• Clean old towel or part of bed sheet folded up
• Steristrips (to hold cuts together)
• Aspirin
• Motion sickness medicine
• Pepto Bismol
• Aromatic ammonia
• Glucose packs (for diabetics)
• Water purifying tablets or filtration kit
• Razor blades
• Waterproof matches & container
• Whistle
• Solid knife
• Hydrogen peroxide

BASICS

• Tent (tarp, stakes, rain fly)
• Sleeping bag (sleeping pad for under or air mattress)
• Pillow
• Small hatchet
• Flash lights (& good extra batteries)
• Camping lanterns (with fuel or good extra batteries)
• Disposable butane lighter
• Compass
• Maps
• Hammock
• Cooler (& ice)
• Water (and/or water filter or water purification tablets)
• Clothing (weather appropriate)
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Good walking shoes
• Personal toiletries
• Pocket knife
• Canteen (or hydration pack)
• Firewood (bring or buy at campsite)
• Backpack (and/or day pack)
• Camping
• Games (cards, frisbee, small portable games)
• Camera (& good batteries)
• S’mores fixings (large marshmallows, graham crackers & Hershey’s® chocolate)

COOKING?

• Obviously food (canned & packaged usually do well)
• Stove (& fuel or charcoal) or a grill or dutch oven
• Pot & pan (and cooking utensils if planning to cook)
• Cups & plates & eating utensils
• Re-sealable plastic bags
• Plastic containers
• Paper towel or napkins
• Note:  If there are bear boxes where you camp…..use them!

THINGS OFTEN FORGOTTEN

• Can opener
• Wine bottle opener
• Utensils
• Towels
• Soap (dish soap & bar soap)

IN CASE…

• Flares
• Folding shovel
• Tea bags
• Broth cubes
• Poncho
• Candles
• Rope or cord (12′ to 24′)
• Signal mirror
• MREs (military term for “meals ready to eat”)
• Suturing kit (for extreme cases)
• Fish kit (& 15′ of 10 lbs. line & sinkers & 35mm film container & fish hooks)
• Water filter or water purification tablets
• Lifejackets (camping near water)
• Baking soda (for toothpaste, insect bites, antacid, odors, etc.)

Lori Denil
Serious Sporting Goods Camping
http://www.SeriousSportingGoodsCamping.com
Your Camping & Hiking Equipment Source!

Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others. There are camps with activities as traditional as model rocketry and riflery, to those nontraditional as aviation, computers, language studies, golf, martial arts or community service. Many kid campers are enrolled in summer camp by their parents early in the year, thus camps fill up quickly.

There are popular overnight summer camps in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada; there are camps in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and just about every country in the world. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it. Beyond the traditional sports – baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, football, and more – there are camps for outdoor enthusiasts that can offer horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and even rappelling.

Overnight summer camp is also known as a sleepaway camp when campers spend their nights at the camp; some camps do allow both daytime and overnight campers. There are four basic types of camps to choose from for your child: day programs, sleepaway or overnight summer camp, day programs with trips, and special needs camps. Planning early is important; you should be diligent in your efforts to visit camps during the peak season to make plans in advance of the next camping year.

Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break. Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed. The reputation of an overnight summer camp can also be determined by asking what percentage of counselors returned from the previous year.

College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience; usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children. Non-profit camps often range from $1200 to $3000 for four weeks and $2500 to $5000 for eight weeks.

Four weeks at a good private overnight summer camp or sleepaway camp will cost anywhere from $3500 to $6500, and eight weeks will range from $4000 to $7000. Some camps are often called adventure camps – having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer.

Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor.

If you think your child may not be ready for a sleepaway or overnight summer camp, choose a local camp in case you end up having to make a late night pickup in the event he or she gets homesick. Think about what you and your child hope they’ll get from going to camp. Overnight summer camp is often the first time that most children spend a long period of time away from home. Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp online and offline go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, facts, free tuition resources, including information on overnight summer camp reviews

High performance bowling balls are not the same as regular bowling balls. In fact, virtually every kind of bowling balls will differ at least slightly depending on their purpose. As I mentioned, There are many different kinds of bowling ball equipment and accessories that can help you maintain the condition of your high performance ball, and high quality is a must when you need high performance bowling balls.

Obviously you do not want to purchase a great, professional, bowling ball for a child who just likes to play and does not belong to a league or a team–but sometimes you need the very best.

If you are really interested in keeping your bowling balls perfect as the day you purchased them–high performance bowling balls will need equipment and accessories to keep them in top-of-the-line shape. High performance balls are the most important kinds of bowling balls to maintain. The condition of your high performance bowling balls can really affect your game.

There are incredibly highly technologically advanced bowling ball accessory items such as cleaners, and polishers, being developed by all of the top manufacturers. And the very best cleaners, polishes, gloves, etc will keep your high performance bowling balls the way you want.

When you purchase high performance bowling merchandise you have certain expectations. Purchasing excellent high performance bowling balls, and treating them with care will provide the very best performance possible. You will be ready to take on the competition with your high performance equipment–especially bowling balls because they do give any player an advantage over everyone else. The rest is up to your skills as a bowler.

Shiny, high performance bowling balls chosen carefully among a vast selection of the absolute high performance bowling balls are the high quality you want if you are a serious bowling enthusiast. And we know you will love keeping your high performance bowling balls pleasing to the eye. Look around online to find the very best performance bowling balls you can get.

The most important thing about bowling is that you have fun doing it, right. However, especially in competitive bowling scenarios, a high score sure helps you have more fun than a low one. When you use the right ball polishes you will have the perfect amount of slide for your bowling ball. Go ahead–go high quality–technique, ability, training, practice, great equipment and high performance bowling balls are the requirements that make a great bowler.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about bowling and bowling balls, please visit High Performance Bowling Balls.

==========The Scoop on Premium Dog Food========

If you’re interested in premium dog food, then I probably don’t have to tell you about the importance of diet in keeping your dog active and healthy. You already know you want something better than “average” for your furry friend.

But how much do you really know about what’s in a premium food and what your particular pet’s needs are? I’m no veterinarian but I do know a thing or two about health and nutrition. (As a family dentist who practiced for twenty years, I saw first hand the effects of poor dietary habits on human health — and particularly on human teeth!!).

Like you, your dog has to deal with the effects of stress, age, exertion, a polluted environment, and foods grown in nutrient-depleted soils. Unlike you, he has to get practically all of his nutrition from a single food. Sure, you may give him a few treats or the occasional table scrap (not too many I hope!), but otherwise he’s eating out of the same bag or can day in and day out. You want him to get complete nutrition out of that one food.

===========Complete Nutrition?===============

Even the experts seem to disagree on exactly what complete nutrition is. Maybe this explains why there are so many formulas for premium dog food out there. There’s one thing they do agree on, though: premium dog food is better for your pet than economy and grocery store brands. Although you’ll pay more, it usually holds true that you get what you pay for.

Experts also agree that, because premium foods are more nutritionally dense and easier to digest, your dog won’t need to eat as much. One study even concluded that if you fed your dog the recommended amounts on each package, you’d end up saving money on the premium formulas. That’s because your dog needs to eat a lot less of it. (You’ll save on pooper scoopers too!)

Another way to know if your dog is getting a proper diet is simply to observe him. Are his eyes bright, his coat silky and shiny, and his skin free from dryness and itching? Is he at a healthy weight? How about his energy level? This may vary from one animal to another, but as you get to know yours, you’ll know when your dog isn’t feeling up to par.

Of course, any persistent health problems should be looked into by your vet, and the same goes for any special dietary needs. But in general you’ll know if your friend is doing well on the diet you’re feeding him. If you see signs that he isn’t, try a different formula or another brand of premium dog food.

Introduce new foods gradually, especially if you have a picky eater. And while we’re on that subject, it’s always nice if your dog enjoys eating his food. This has a lot less to do with taste than it does with smell. Dogs have fewer taste buds than we do, but about 40 times as many scent receptors. So make sure he eats with gusto, and doesn’t just pick at his food.
Here are some basic guidelines you can follow:

============Essential Nutrients=============

Every dog needs the right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Your dog must have all these in correct proportions to stay healthy. Needs vary with life stage, breed and activity level. Dog food companies make premium dog food for all life stages, from puppy to senior. An average adult dog needs a daily intake of about five ounces for every ten pounds of weight, with essential nutrients in the following proportions:

Protein –23% of total intake

Fats –5% of total intake

Carbohydrates –65% of total intake

Additional vitamins and minerals your dog needs are: Vitamins A, D, E, B-complex, Niacin, Biotin, Folic Acid, Choline, and Pantothenic Acid; Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium Chloride, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Iodine, and Selenium.

It’s generally agreed that dogs do better on a protein source that’s primarily meat rather than soybeans and grains. Check the label. All US food labels must list ingredients in order of their quantity. If meat by-products are listed, they should come after the real meat, not before it. Meat by products are an inferior source of protein, and are basically what remains after the good quality meat has been removed. “Crude protein” can be a similarly poor source, since it may include parts of the animal that can’t even be digested or absorbed by the average dog (hair, beaks, etc.).

Omega fatty acids are a hot topic in human nutrition these days, and have been found to be just as important in the canine diet. Both should be present, and in the right ratio. Most premium dog food companies have done the research on this and adjusted the ratios, but as usual, ask your vet if your uncertain.

===========Wet vs. Dry============

You can buy premium dog food in just about any form, but which one is best? Again, most experts seem to agree. Dry food is less likely to allow plaque to accumulate on the teeth, less likely to harbor bacteria if left out too long, and results in firmer, more compact stools. Semi-moist foods are convenient but for some reason (I’m not sure what) don’t offer the same nutritional benefits as premium kibble or canned foods.

That said, I have also heard arguments suggesting that a diet of exclusively dry food can be a strain on a dog’s kidneys. So, to be on the safe side, check with your vet.

===========Life Stages============

Puppies need more calories and essential nutrients than adult dogs. They need up to twice as many calories per ounce of body weight and should get 25% to 30% of their energy from protein depending on the breed.

Most premium dog food brands take this into account in their puppy formulas, but it doesn’t hurt to check the label. By six to eight weeks of age a puppy should be fully weaned and eating his dry food consistently. After that, different breeds reach their mature weight at different rates, by anywhere from 9 months to 24 months old. So it’s hard to give an age or weight by which you should take your pet off puppy food. Again, your vet can help out here.

Also, remember not to try to “rush” the growing process by overfeeding. If she grows too fast, a dog can develop bone growth diseases. A puppy should get three to four meals a day because he’s growing fast but still has a small tummy, but don’t overdo it with portions size.

Adult dogs need to eat according to their size and energy requirements and should be fed two meals a day. This is frequently referred to by the premium dog food companies as a “maintenance diet”.

Unlike cats, dogs are not strictly meat eaters. In fact, a dog is more like an omnivore and will eat just about anything, whether it’s good for him or not! A certain amount of vegetable matter is part of a dog’s natural diet. Dogs love vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, zucchini, peas, and beans, and fruits such as bananas, apples, and melon. These make great low-calorie treats, too!

One thing you should never feed your dog is chocolate–it contains a chemical called theobromine which is toxic to dogs.

Senior dogs need a premium dog food that will help head off and manage the effects of aging. Since different breeds vary so much, it’s hard to give an age by which you should switch to a senior diet. The ASPCA recommends using weight as a guideline, and offers the following:

Small breeds or dogs weighing less than 20 pounds:7 years of age

Medium breeds or dogs weighing 21 to 50 pounds:7 years of age

Large breeds or dogs weighing 51 to 90 pounds:6 years of age

Giant breeds or dogs weighing 91 pounds or more:5 years of age

The ASPCA recommends that you begin dealing with the symptoms of old age before they’re obvious. Just like us, dogs will begin to accumulate more body fat as they age even as they consume fewer calories. (At least we’re not alone!). Muscle mass will tend to decrease, but this doesn’t mean you should lower your older dog’s protein intake. If anything, protein is more important than ever to help maintain muscle mass, so avoid senior dog food formulas with reduced protein.

One thing you will want to feed him less of is calories. Obesity is a real problem with adult dogs, and many owners don’t even realize their dog is overweight. Aside from portion size and calorie content, one way to avoid an overweight dog is to resist giving him table scraps. Most human food isn’t good for your dog.

===========How Much to Feed============

How’s your dog’s weight? You should be able to feel your dog’s backbone and ribs with light finger pressure, but not actually see them. If you have to “dig” to find them, your dog is overweight and if you can actually see her ribs, she’s underweight.

If you’re not sure how much to feed, you’ll love the interactive Dog Food Calculator on PetsMart’s home page! It’s the result of considerable research that has been published in scientific journals and accepted by industry experts. You can determine the right amount of food to feed your dog and find out how long that 40-lb bag will last!

===========Supplements============

If you’re all ready feeding a nutritionally complete premium dog food, do you still need supplements? This is another hotly debated topic. As a rule, it seems that most dogs do just fine without supplements. For certain dogs and certain conditions supplements can make a differenced. For example, a dog who isn’t thriving and there’s no other medical explanation for it might improve with supplements. Or, dogs with certain skin conditions have been known to improve on supplements. Since there’s a danger of doing more harm than good, you should definitely discuss supplements with your vet.

If you do decide to use one, pick one that’s made from natural sources and is designed as a multivitamin formulated specifically for dogs. That way she’ll get everything in the right amounts and ratios. Add it to the diet twice weekly so you won’t overwhelm or suppress your dog’s own internal regulating mechanisms.

=======Special Diets==========

There are many reasons why a dog might be put on a special diet. Some dogs are very sensitive to certain ingredients in commercial dog foods. Even if you’re feeding her the best of premium dog food, if your dog isn’t thriving, it’s possible her diet is a problem for her. Owners have resorted to alternative diets — holistic, raw foods, even kosher — to optimize their pet’s health. Some choose these diets simply because they believe they’re better, not because their dog is having any issues.

We’ll discuss special diets in a future article. For now, I hope you’ve gained some useful insights about the benefits of premium dog food over and above economy brands.

© 2004, Carolyn Schweitzer. Lifelong dog-lover, power-shopper, and family dentist Carolyn Schweitzer is owner and editor of DevotedToDogs.org where she offers information on a wide range of topics near and dear to a dog owner’s heart.

Visit the site to learn about human foods that are hazardous to your dogs health

You can reach Carolyn by email at carolyn@netbrainer.com.

Introduction

Teams exist in all manner of forms and contexts, from those that take part in social or performance sport, the specific focus of this article, to teams operating within the professional world and teams based in the community. Indeed, no matter what our individual circumstances, we are all members of, and contributors in, a variety of teams.

Common sense would dictate that highly cohesive teams are likely to be highly successful teams. This is traditional sporting wisdom, and it certainly seems logical to expect that a highly cohesive team would be likely to achieve more than a team rife with discontent, conflict and disruption. However, it is altogether unreasonable to assume that all successful teams are also highly cohesive in nature, there is and will always be glaring exceptions to this rule.

Therefore, the key questions are: Just what is the nature and magnitude of the relationship, if any, between team cohesion and performance? And furthermore, what are the implications for athletes, supporters, coaches, administrators and everyone else involved in the sporting community? This paper seeks to address these concerns.

Explaining Cohesion and Performance

Cohesion, in the context of teams, is all about the joining together of individuals to form a united and cooperative whole. Cohesion is an overall measure of group togetherness, and is based on three key factors: interpersonal attraction, defined as the tendency of one person to evaluate another person in a consistently positive manner; individual commitment, towards the collective and its objectives/goals; and feelings of personal satisfaction and pride, based upon the perceived achievements and/or opportunities derived from membership. If all three of these factors are found to be abundant within the majority of team members, said team can therefore be considered relatively cohesive.

Performance can be defined as a measure of the effectiveness and efficiency of a given team, and its individual members, in pursuing predetermined objectives and goals. Criticisms are often made that performance tends be measured chiefly by results, with little concern for the internal processes of teams and other less tangible, but potentially important, outcomes. This point notwithstanding, the link between performance and results is both logical and practical when we consider that the reason we form teams in the first place is because we wish to achieve certain objectives and goals. To take a negotiated position on the matter, while team process is indeed of interest, and one could well argue that analysis of performance should involve greater attention to internal team processes, it is the end results that should, and inevitably do, prove the final and overriding measure of success or failure.

The Nature of the Cohesion-Performance Effect

Whilst there is a kernel of quality literature regarding the cohesion-performance relationship in the sport and leisure context, the subject has been researched most extensively within the fields of management, leadership and psychology. Many credible studies exist in academia, with distinct and conflicting narratives emerging on the subject.

On one hand, there are some expert authorities that believe there is insufficient evidence to suggest that team cohesiveness and achievement tend to be positively related. Many more theorists however, conclude that cohesion amongst team members does tend to promote productivity, which can be directly related to positive performance outcomes. On top of all of this, there is also a select body of work that promotes a mixed and inconclusive stance towards the relation of team cohesion and performance. In the final analysis however, whilst evidence exists to suggest that high levels of team cohesion can occasionally detract from performance quality and productivity, and that highly cohesive groups are often more enjoyable to be part of; but potentially less productive, the overwhelming weight of research and personal experience indicates that, in general, a positive correlation exists between cohesion and performance.

The Magnitude of the Cohesion-Performance Effect

If one is to accept that there is indeed a cohesion-performance effect, the actual magnitude of this correlation requires a little more delving. It should be noted that proponents typically emphasize that its potency is dependent upon a raft of unstable factors, the most consistent and salient of these are given as: the degree of interaction between team members, the size of the team and the ‘reality’ of the team. Each of these warrants some discussion in its own right.

Firstly, one should consider the frequency of interaction between team members, which is held by many as the most important factor. The fact is, barring inevitable squabbles and disputes, the more often individual team members interact with each other, the more cohesive that team will tend to become. This is important because cohesiveness enhances performance most of all during endeavors where suboptimal results arise from inadequate coordination and cooperation between team members. Because of this, the cohesion-performance effect is often at its most evident within the context of team sport, wherein each individual typically has their own unique part to play, and the interdependence and coordination of these efforts is essential in achieving quality outcomes.

The second factor, team size, has been shown to have a major affect upon the magnitude of several other team phenomena, so it is therefore logical that it would have influence over the cohesion-performance effect. Studies have shown that, in larger teams, cohesiveness typically suffers. This makes sense, in that members of larger teams may find it more difficult or intimidating to socialize with each other, or indeed, simply do not have the time or opportunity to forge bonds with everyone. Typically then, one should expect the magnitude of the cohesion-performance effect to be greater in smaller teams and lower in larger teams.

Finally, the ‘reality’ of the team is said to have a notable affect the magnitude of the cohesion-performance effect. The term ‘reality’ refers to the purpose, manner and context under which a team has been brought together. The implication is that ‘real’ teams have both a history and a weight of interaction that makes their cohesion-performance effect tend to be of a greater magnitude than teams that are artificially formed, including experimental or evaluative groupings, or short-run, such as teams brought together for a single match or tournament.

Implications for those Involved in the Sport Community

Certainly, high levels of cohesion in a team can do wonders for ‘on the field’ results. It must be stressed however, that all the cohesion in the world cannot be relied upon to compensate for lack of technique, ability, knowledge, fitness, motivation or insufficient resources. Certainly, cohesion should be promoted amongst teammates, which is not difficult to achieve if individual athletes are given the time and opportunity to socialize with their peers off the field and build bonds of mutual trust and respect during training.

For teams that are severely lacking in cohesion, the inevitable disappointments and failures that come with sporting involvement can begin a downward spiral into utter despair. The reality of sport is that nobody can win all the time. The occasional loosing streak plagues even the best of teams, and when times get tough, cohesion is quite literally the glue that holds a team together. Remember, while winning can sometimes bolster the reserves, loosing will always drain them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, research on the cohesion-performance effect typically conceptualizes cohesion as the sum of three key factors: interpersonal attraction, individual commitment and personal pride in group membership. Performance is typically considered to be exhibited only in terms of ‘on the field’ outcomes. Research leads to several outlooks on the issue, with the majority of academics supporting the existence of a positive correlation between cohesion and performance, the magnitude of which is said reliant on several unstable elements: the level of interaction between group members, the size of the group and the ‘reality’ of the group. Those involved in the sporting community should facilitate team-cohesion wherever possible, as it can have a significant effect on performance outcomes, and can be valuable source of solace and resolve for team members during prolonged periods of poor performance and/or instability.

Arron Stewart Is 26 years old, lives in Hamilton, New Zealand, and attends the University of Waikato as a graduate student in Sport & Leisure with an additional focus on Sociology and Human Resource Management. A website has been established featuring more information and selected articles of his work: [http://www.geocities.com/arron_stew_79]