THE CAT’S MEOW for WRITERS AND READERS

THE CAT’S MEOW

FOR WRITERS & READERS

Issue 11, Vol. 05

© October 10, 2005

“THE CAT’S MEOW FOR WRITERS & READERS”

Newsletter/Ezine: ISSN: 2237-65

Published by Rosanne Catalano, (a/k/a R.C.Kayla)

Editor-in-Chief and Writer/Author

For Her Official Author Web Site – http://www.rosannecatalano.net

Editor and Proofreader: Nancy Peckford,

Technical Writer/Author, Web Designer and Assistant,

Nancy’s Web Site – http://webwriterworx.tripod.com

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Our Subscriber list is NOT made available to others.

We are NOT responsible for web site links that do not work; they are given to us by our contributing authors.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

OCTOBER 10, 2005

1. Rosanne Catalano—

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S CORNER

2. Nancy Peckford—

EDITOR’S CORNER

FEATURED POET

3. Paula Gordon—

COFFEE HOUSE 4 POETS & WRITERS

FEATURE ARTICLE

4. Paul Petrucci—

“Helping Small Press Authors Share Newsletters to Mutual Advantage”

5. Charlie Cook—

“Advertising Campaigns that Get Results”

6. Lemen Unteich—

“Ways to Enhance Language Learning”

7. Patty Motriche—

“Security”

8. Blaithin Vibana—

“The Gift of Flowers”

9. re di divozo—

“Divorce”

10. Brett Koche—

“The Art of Cooking”

11. Sintilia Miecevole—

“Health and Fitness”

12. Charlie Cook—

“Growing Your Business with Your Marketing Priorities”

13. Emima Solako—

“Internet”

14. Ruiger Gedanke—

“Get Involved in Meditation”

15. Carmen Asolead—

“Raising Some Green for Your Charity Organization with a Golf Tournament!”

16. Divita Orologio—

“What Happens During Menopause”

17. Charlie Cook—

“Making More with Existing Clients”

18. Gene Deller –

“Growing Your Landscaping Business’ Clientele List”

19. Geremy Taigkeit—

“Fitness is Easy?”

20. Dospitare Riceoret—

“The ABC of Web Hosting”

21. Mooie Schoonmidlens—

“Cosmetics Down the Ages”

22. Shemileti Tadoroki—

“The Cancer Called Mesothelioma”

23. Lea Schizas—

“Being a Parent Does Not Make ‘A Parent’”

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S CORNER:

by Rosanne Catalano – www.rosannecatalano.net

WELCOME to all the new subscribers! I apologize to you for coming here in the middle of a very chaotic time -- a stressful and heartbreaking month for my family and I … Last month I wrote about my stepfather dying of lung cancer after two months in the hospital – Well, now my own father is in a hospital in Brooklyn … originally my father went to the hospital on Sept. 10^th, due to severe abdominal pain, which, we found out later, was caused from fluid on his lungs spreading to his stomach and other parts of his body. Since my father has a very weak heart, with only 10% usage, it made it impossible for the heart to pump out the fluid… his liver and kidney’s were beginning to shut down … the doctors didn’t think he would make it… Surprise, surprise, my father’s liver and kidney functions are back to normal and, after 3 1/2 weeks in the hospital his condition is stable. He is now breathing on his own (no more oxygen to help him breathe)!

It is such a relief that my father is getting better, the exhaustion due to spending whole days at my father’s bedside, helping take care of him at first, was unbelievable… now that he is stable my husband and I only visit on weekends, though we know he is still not out-of-the-woods because he must have surgery to clear blocked arteries in his heart, and, most likely, he will need to continuously have the fluid drained out of his body when it accumulates … you see, my father was diagnosed with having a form of lung cancer due to exposure to asbestos. That cancer is called mesothelioma.

There is one of twenty great articles included this month that, I feel, is a definite must-read; it is written by Shemileti Tadoroki, and informs you what exactly “mesothelioma cancer” is for those who do not know about this rare form of lung cancer… My dad, along with his shipmates who survived the World War II war, were exposed to asbestos in the Navy; not realizing the dangers of using asbestos for insulation, asbestos was used on navy ships throughout the 1940s, 50s and 60s … Just as it was used for insulation in our homes built around that time. So please do make sure your home is not insulated with “asbestos,” by hiring an Inspector for Homes. They will let you know whether there is asbestos insulation in your home or not… and how to get rid of it.

There are other wonderfully informative articles written by our contributing writers and authors in this issue … to start with, our feature article is written by Paul Petrucci, founder of BookConnector.com, a great service for small press authors and publishers alike. Please do check Paul Petrucci’s article and web site out, and other articles by our contributing writers!

Now I’m doing something I have not done up till now, but will continue to do in future issues – write in this column a book review press release for Carrie Kabak’s novel “Cover the Butter,” which has become a bestseller -- Please do check out Carrie Kabak’s web sites listed after the review from READING MATTERS and her novel “Cover the Butter”… you’ll be glad you did!

Book Review: “READING MATTERS”

“COVER THE BUTTER,” a novel written by Carrie Kabak, examines guilt, narcissism, good and bad sex--before Kate Cadogan finally escapes to the lavender fields of Provence--at the age of 46. It's NEVER too late to start over.

A Booksense Bestseller!
Dutton Adult/ISBN: 0525948767

Cover the Butter is a warm, funny and poignant novel, which charts the life of Kate Cadogan, a "lost" housewife trying to make sense of her past and present.

Kate's story spans the 1960s to the 1990s, covering the turmoil, both good and bad, of her transition from inexperienced teenage girl to worldly-wise forty-something mother.

Central to the story's emotional impact is the relationship between Kate and her Irish mother, Biddy, whose moods swing in unpredictable and hurtful ways - one minute tender and loving, the next heartbreakingly cruel. Coupled with a weak-willed father, who succumbs to his wife's domineering ways, the Cadogan family is a complex mesh of pain and devotion, humour and heartbreak, unfulfilled expectations and adoration.

It's this very complication that ties Kate in knots: she never seems to be able to break free of her parents’ restrictive and confidence-sapping chains. And when she marries her self-centered, emotionally distant and just a little bit pompous husband, Rodney, the escape she once dreamed of is anything but.

Fortunately she has strong friendships, rooted in a shared childhood, and two doting Welsh grandparents to whom she can turn. But even so, there are some secrets that she keeps to herself, the pain of which, to this reader at least, seemed so real I could feel the aching grief resonate off the page.

It is Kabak's ability to capture the entanglement of human relationships in such a very real way that makes Cover the Butter such a powerful read. What I loved so much about this book was the immediacy of the writing, which seems effortless and seamless. The prose is stripped back and unadorned, but this is not to the detriment of atmosphere or emotion. If anything it adds to it. Kabak has such an eye for detail that she can convey the very essence of a scene or an emotion without wasting a word.

In many ways, “Cover the Butter” reads like the book that Maeve Binchy and Joanne Harris might have collaborated on: friendships, family, romance, food and travel all rolled into one. I loved it, and felt genuinely sad when the story came to an end. I had wanted it to go on forever.

Review: READING MATTERS

http://carriekabak.blogspot.com/

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/AnnieRuddock/

http://www.coverthebutter.com/excerpt.html

http://www.prairieden.com/interviews/kabak.php

http://carriekabak.blogspot.com/

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who sent get-well wishes and prayers for my father – Thank you dear readers, the wishes and prayers meant a lot to my family and I at this awful time … Will definitely keep you updated on my father’s condition.

Without further ado, once again, I’m giving the floor over to all our wonderful contributing writers (and authors) … please do enjoy this month’s issue of “The Cat’s Meow for Writers & Readers!” And I so hope you get a chance to enjoy the changing of the season …we must all “smell the flowers” (so-to-speak) in order to appreciate life more, and not get caught up in life’s stresses and heartaches.

See you all next month…

Published and written by Rosanne Catalano,

(a/k/a R.C.Kayla),

Editor-in-Chief and writer/author

http://www.rosannecatalano.net

“The Cat’s Meow for Writers & Readers” e-zine

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EDITOR’S CORNER:

By Nancy Peckford – webwriterworx.tripod.com

Will Return In December 2005…

Edited and proofread by Nancy Peckford,

Editor, technical writer/author and web designer

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COFFEE HOUSE 4 POETS & WRITERS:

(Every Month Highlighting Artistic Talent)

FEATURED POET: PAULA GORDON

“A Scream Inside My Soul”

Written by Paula Gordon

Beautiful boy. Who knows me as well
As the skin on the back of my hands.
That time not so long ago
When I pushed at you
For 36 hours.
I would have pushed for 36 more
If that is what it would have taken.
My silent screams,
Body wracked with pain
I couldn't express.
Eyes wide open
Not going to miss one single moment
Of your entrance into my silent world.
Afraid, God, so afraid,
That my mind became numb with the thought
Of you being like me.
Please have sound for your ears to hear.
Please have a voice to speak with.
Please don't be like me,
Voiceless and deaf .
Suddenly the relief of you tormenting my body
came quickly,
As I sat up wild eyed, crazy
Looking at your grandmother
For just one small thing--our code.
And she nodded, as her own tears streamed
And mixed with my own.
She nodded wildly,
And with the sound of an orchestra
of only cymbals crashing,
I "heard" it, inside my soul
You Screamed.

“A Life In Disarray”

Written by Paula Gordon

I washed a load of clothes,
Thanks for the crayons left in your pocket, son.
Learning to tie-dye will no longer be necessary.

I sit in my old computer chair,
I need more pencils to chew.
No.2 seems to taste best.
My best friend just clawed the new blinds to pieces.
Fat ole lazy cat,
I adore him.

The taste of cold coffee is beginning to grow on me.
There are two cigarettes burning in the ashtray.
I watch them make a pattern of a future lung disease.
One or the other will be a fifty cent loss.
I could have bought another pencil.

Two opened sodas sit on my desk
from the previous evening.
One orange, one root beer,
disgustingly flat, I drink from both.

I've half finished my ceiling
in an underwater scene,
a dolphin with no nose yet,
It will rock when I'm through--
Perhaps by the time my son graduates.

The ashtray needs emptying,
over flowing with cigarette butts.
I move them around, making more room as they fall onto my desk,
from the other side.

Along with pieces of NO.2's,
pop tabs and cinnamon disk candy wrappers,
My tongue is red.

My desk chair falters.
I always think I've caught a cat's tail.
He would deserve it, blind- ripper- upper that he is.
This all makes no sense,
except to me and maybe the cat

who grins like he's Cheshire,

at his masterful art creation of my blinds.

“Winter Exhales” (Kyrielle Form)

Written by Paula Gordon

Brightly glinting off snow-plowed lanes
crystal sprinkles like sugar grains
turning to ice with winter rains,
Winter exhales its frosty breath.

Tree branches look like icy canes
tapping against the window panes
glassy ice freezes water mains,
Winter exhales its frosty breath.

Riding a sleigh holding the reigns
bitter coldness seeps into veins
causing later aching and pains,
Winter exhales its frosty breath.

Day draws to end and winds have waned
no longer turning the weather vane
frolicking horses toss their manes,
Winter exhales its frosty breath.

Tomorrow day will be the same
to freeze the earth will be its aim
the strongest season makes its claim,
Winter exhales its frosty breath.

AUTHOR BIO:

The author, Paula Gordon, is a Deaf/Mute poet (to explain the way she writes…) and poetry instructor who is a 43-year-old mother of one beautiful son. She has been deaf/mute since birth. When Paula writes, she translates sound into colors, smells, and touch. It enables people to look at the world in a different way. She and her son have their own special way of communicating besides sign language. She says: “I just try to convey what everyone else takes for granted.” She loves to write in strict poetry forms, and she is the poetry instructor on another web site. If you would like to praise or comment on Paula’s beautifully, emotional poetry, please send all emails to: pdg2850@henderson.net. Thank you!

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FEATURE ARTICLE

“HELPING SMALL PRESS AUTHORS SHARE NEWSLETTERS TO MUTUAL ADVANTAGE”

Copyright © 2005 by Paul Petrucci

Written by Paul Petrucci, founder of BookConnector.com – www.BookConnector.com

For small press authors, a web site and corresponding newsletter are standard promotion tools. But to make newsletters or e-zines successful, authors must build a subscriber base and then deliver informative and appropriate content every month. BookConnector.com helps writers help each other achieve these goals, and promote their own work at the same time.

To accomplish this, BookConnector provides a newsletter exchange with a twist. When small publishers, reviewers, authors and book promoters add their newsletter to the BookConnector database, they must include additional information like the cost to subscribe, the target audience, the subject areas of the e-zine, and whether or not they will accept press releases from authors. This same information is then used as a filter when other authors search the newsletter database.

“Newsletter exchanges have been around for a long time, but they’re usually gunshot approaches,” says Paul Petrucci, founder of BookConnector. “It makes sense for authors to have an exchange geared to them.”

Like other BookConnector services, the Connect to Newsletters service relies on two ends of the same coin: entering information into a database (in this case, newsletter details), and retrieving that information in smart ways. “The community aspect of the BookConnector site is a key to its success,” says Petrucci. “Authors with newsletters agree to accept press releases about the books written by fellow authors, which gives them newsletter content and bolsters their subscriber base. The authors who submit press releases then return the favor. Everyone wins.”

For authors, publishers and book promoters interested in tapping into the plethora of free publicity on the internet, using BookConnector’s smart matching services appears to be a smart move.

AUTHOR BIO:
Paul Petrucci is Founder of BookConnector.com, and he says: “BookConnector.com is a book promotion portal used by authors and publishers to match their published manuscripts with a large database of book promotion resources. The new Connect to Newsletter service is similar to its flagship Connect to Book Review Sites service in that it customizes search results based on the user’s needs.” BookConnector is on the net at http://www.bookconnector.com.

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If you ever felt advertising doesn’t work then learn how to structure your advertising campaigns for results…

“ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS THAT GET RESULTS”

Written by Charlie Cook – www.marketingforsuccess.com

“Advertising doesn’t work.” I hear it from my clients all the time. One client was about to file for bankruptcy because she wasn’t getting a good response to her radio ads, and the cost was killing her. But she knew her target market was listening; she knew she needed to get her name out there to generate more business. What should she do?

Owners of small businesses and professionals like yourself realize that to take your business to the next level, you need to get your products and services in front of a larger audience. You want to generate more leads, get more prospects to contact you and buy from you. Advertising is essential but how do you get more out of your advertising dollars?

Have you been disappointed by your advertising campaigns?

I felt the same way about my family’s VCR. I paid good money for it (though probably not nearly as most people pay for advertising) and as far as I was concerned I could never get it to work the way I wanted it to. I spent way too much time fiddling with it and I still couldn’t get it to record a TV show or a movie reliably when I was away. After a while I stopped trying to use its record function.

Sound familiar?

Compared to programming a VCR, creating a successful advertising campaign is simple. Note the operative word is “successful”. It’s easy to put together an advertising campaign, but creating one that helps you make more than you spend should be the objective. The following elements are what separate a successful advertising campaign from one that just costs you money.

Elements of A Successful Advertising Campaign

1. Choose the media that will reach your target market. It sounds obvious, but make sure your target audience will see and/or hear your ad. Select a publication or radio or cable station that your target audience reads or tunes to. If you’re advertising on the web, your keyword selection is critical here.

2. Write ad copy that your prospects will want to read. Your prospects’ primary interest is in what your product or service will do for them, not what it actually is. Which would you be more likely to read, a headline that reads, “Accounting Services” or one that reads, “How to Avoid Overpaying Your Taxes?”

3. Have others establish your credibility.

If space allows, include testimonials in your ad verifying the outstanding results your products and services generate.

4. Motivate prospects to contact you

Include a limited-time offer or something for free – a report, appraisal or bonus product – to prompt your prospects to take action.

5. Tell prospects what you want them to do and how to do it. This is your “call to action”. Tell them to call you, visit your web site, send you an email, fill in the reply card, etc.

6. Follow up your offer with the information prospects need to make a purchase. Too many people make the mistake at this point in the sales process of launching into a sales pitch. Whether your prospect is on the phone with you or is visiting your web site, help them clarify the problem or concern they have and detail the solution you provide. Then remind them what action you want them to take.

7. Continue to educate your prospects and clients.

Stay in touch with likely prospects by contacting them at least every month. Get the conversation going by discussing a common problem. Give your prospects a quick tip they can use and, of course, mention the solutions you provide.

A successful advertising campaign will include all seven of the above elements, not just one or two. When you put all these elements in place, your advertising will generate more leads and sales and you’ll see a good return on your advertising.

By the way, the client who came to me on the verge of bankruptcy is now back on solid financial ground. Once she understood how to write her advertising copy and manage her advertising campaigns, her radio advertising started to bring in a steady stream of new business.

AUTHOR BIO:

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, “7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business” at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

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“WAYS TO ENHANCE LANGUAGE LEARNING”

Written by Lemen Unteich – www.alearningsys.com

Language learning has undergone many changes in terms of teaching as well as utility. It is no longer considered necessary to learn a set of rules. In fact, the new methods and techniques involved in language teaching aim to make the student proficient in the language in less time and with minimum effort. Also, it is no longer considered necessary to master the language so long as you can use it effectively for practical purposes. Thus, if you have the basic knowledge of a second language you adopt varied methods to enhance your learning and language skills.

Even though some people think textbooks are a boring aid for learning a foreign language, where all the information about sentence patterns is presented in the form of ‘rules,’ there are self-study books and textbooks in which the new patterns that are to be learnt are “contextualized,” that is, they are built into each text. Besides, many textbooks are interesting or amusing so that students’ attention can be focused on the intended article, and the inevitable drudgery involved in drill work can be reduced. If the texts are accompanied by illustrations, they will be even more appealing and make the learning process much more enjoyable.

For the book lovers, magazines and books are indispensable tools that help learning the structure and vocabulary of the second language. Individuals can read articles of personal interest while at the same time; they can also learn the vocabulary associated with different professionals and activities. The types of magazines are varied, offering students a number of options to choose from. If however these magazines and books of the student’s preferred language are not available in the country, one can contact publishers or book clubs and subscribe to their monthly newsletters.

Technological developments may act as useful tools in the second language learning process. For movie fans, DVDs are one of the most interesting as well as entertaining tools for making learning an enjoyable experience. You can start the learning activity by watching your favorite movies or the last box office success. DVDs have the capacity to store up to eight language subtitles. Therefore, if available, you can read the subtitles in the language you are learning. It is also possible to select the audio, so that you can hear and read what the characters say in the language you prefer.

Another alternative is that of learning a language abroad. By visiting and staying some time in a country where your favorite second language is spoken can be a striking learning experience. You can contact and talk to native speakers, while learning about their lifestyles and society. Touring a city provides you with quite a lot of opportunities to practice the language structures you have been studying. Places like, for example, museums, restaurants, or theaters allow you to meet people and interact with them. In addition, you can make friends with some of them and keep in touch via e-mails or telephone when you come back home.

AUTHOR BIO:

Lemen Unteich is the inventor and administrator of A Learning Sys, which is a motivating reference for learning needs. For the educating assistance desired or questions, visit: http://www.alearningsys.com.

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“SECURITY”

Written by Patty Motriche – www.falksecurity.com

Security is a major concern in today’s world as the world has become increasingly complex and easily accessible, especially via the internet and email. One of the most important issues facing people regarding security today is in regards to computers. Most of the security issues in relation to computer viruses and worms, Trojan horses, and the like, are geared predominantly to the PC consumer market.

Computer security violations have increased by leaps and bounds in recent years, with threats coming in a wide variety of forms. Spyware and adware programs infect hard drives, browsers are hijacked and enormous amounts of spam emails are sent. Probably the biggest security problem is the theft of personal information, from social security numbers and residence information to demographics, credit card and banking information.

One of the most pervasive intruders into your computer is the worm. Worms are a subclass of viruses, defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a self-replicating program which is able to propagate itself across a network, usually to the detriment of the computer system. Worms can breach firewalls and security systems, and they replicate primarily on networks.

The network-oriented infection strategy is indeed a primary difference between viruses and computer worms. Moreover, worms usually do not need to infect files but propagate as standalone programs. Additionally, several worms can take control of remote systems without any help from the users, usually exploiting a vulnerability or set of vulnerabilities.

Each computer worm has a few essential components, such as the target locator and the infection propagator modules, as well as a few other non-essential modules, such as the remote control, update interface, life-cycle manager, and payload routines. The worm needs to be able to find new targets to spread rapidly on the network. Most worms search your system to discover e-mail addresses and simply send copies of themselves to such addresses, a highly convenient system for attackers looking to break into a corporate firewall. Most corporations typically need to allow e-mail messages across the corporate firewalls, thereby allowing an easy penetration point for the worm. Many worms deploy techniques to scan the network for nodes on the IP level and even “fingerprint” the remote system to check whether such a system might be vulnerable.

Another important component of a worm is remote control using a communication module. Without such a module, the worm’s author cannot control the worm network by sending control messages to the worm copies. An update or plug-in interface is an important feature of advanced worms to update the worm’s code on an already-comprised system.

A remote control using a communication module is a key component of a worm. Without it, control messages can’t be sent to the worm copies, thereby not allowing the worm’s author to control its network. Advanced worms need an update or plug-in interface so they can update their codes on a system which has already been compromised. The hacker’s goal is to change the worm’s behavior and send new infection strategies to as many of these compromised nodes as possible. What is especially perilous is the quick introduction of new infection vectors. Many worms contain bugs in their life-cycle manager component and keep running nonstop.

AUTHOR BIO:

Patty Motriche is the owner of Alert Security, which deals with all security issues. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: http://www.falksecurity.com.

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“THE GIFT OF FLOWERS”

Written by Blaithin Vibana – www.flowervibe.com

Man has profound ways of expressing himself by virtue of words, but there are sentiments that are best expressed with flowers. Every emotion or message from “I’m sorry” to “I love you” or simply “Thank You” acquires a deeper meaning when said with flowers. If we have a whole range of things to say through flowers there are as many varieties and types of flowers for each message.

So how do you decide which flowers are right for a particular occasion? Over many years, a ‘language of flowers’ has developed which is not widely known. You can really impress your friends by revealing the deep knowledge that you have gained about each bloom.

For example, the Lilac is taken to mean the first sign of love, while the Daffodil represents unrequited love. The spectacular Calla Lilly is said to symbolize magnificent beauty, while the unfortunate Cyclamen is branded with “It’s over – goodbye”.

You must understand the language of colors also, lest you make a mistake. A White Lily represents purity and sweetness while an Orange Lily stands for hatred. The Burgundy Zinnia symbolizes everlasting affection while Mixed Zinnia conveys that you are missing your friends.

Once you have decided to say it with flowers, you have a wide range of choices on where to find your perfect gift. Any Main Street in any town will have a friendly florist’s shop, where you can see and smell the flowers up close and be given expert help in choosing and mixing just the right bunch to achieve the outcome you have in mind.

However, if the person whom you want to send the flowers to lives far away, then what will you do? In such situations you either visit an online florist web site or you use the telephone florists who will deliver your gift wherever you want them to. However this is not as good as choosing flowers on your own. In this case, you will use the web site technology which has come a long way in the last few years. These sites provide you with a lot of high quality pictures of various flowers and what the arrangements will look like. They rule out the element of unexpected surprises since they show the colors, shapes and sizes vividly, so you know exactly what to expect for your money.

One more thing that worries the buyer is the quality of flowers he/she will get on the internet. Rest assured about the quality, as no company can afford to risk its reputation by supplying sub-standard quality of flowers. In the last two years e-commerce has picked up a lot and the companies know that they have to come up to the expectations of the customers to survive in the highly competitive market, and win the confidence of people who have not yet put their trust in online transactions.

Whether you are planning to present flowers or expecting to receive them, you don’t have to do anything. You can just relax and enjoy the beautiful world of online flowers. Flowers can say it all, to anyone, anywhere in the world provided you know what you want to convey…

AUTHOR BIO:

Blaithin Vibana is the owner of Flower Vibe, which is a principal source of information about flowers on the Internet. To view her list of articles, just click here: http://www.flowervibe.com

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“DIVORCE”

Written by re di divozo – www.divorcewow.com

Ceasing of the marriage contract between two individuals is known as divorce. After a divorce you can legally live separately and have no marital obligations to your erstwhile spouse.

There are many issues that need to be resolved in a divorce including child custody, dividing assets, alimony, and depending on your particular situation, there may be many more. These issues may include child custody and support, marital property, or spousal support, and whether your spouse agrees to the divorce or fails to appear in the divorce action. You may wish to consult an attorney either way, to ensure you will receive what you deserve.

There are two other ways of ending the obligations of a marriage. The first is annulment, which is a determination that there was never a valid marriage. This is more difficult to prove and is possible in only a few circumstances. The second is legal separation, in this process the property is divided, and alimony, child support and custody are all decided upon. The couple can no longer live together, but remain married.

Many states in America have now enacted what is called the no-fault divorce statutes. No-fault divorce eliminates having to unveil any potentially embarrassing and undesirable facts that a spouse had committed adultery, or some unsavory act. It is hard to determine if no-fault divorce statutes are the cause or an effect of the rising divorce rate in America.

If you are going through a divorce, you will find divorce help from those who have been divorced themselves. There are support groups and lawyers who specialize in divorce proceedings. Divorce help is there for those when you need it the most, so you will be well-versed engaging someone who knows this area.

AUTHOR BIO:

re di divozo is the owner and operator of w o w divorce, a premier resource for divorce information. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: http://www.divorcewow.com.

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“THE ART OF COOKING”

Written by Brett Koche – www.yummycooking.com

If you can’t cook, the art of cooking may seem a little daunting. When learning to cook, the trick is to find a simple, easy recipe book. The ideal cookbook should have a glossary at the back of the book and pictures to help the novice cook along. When cooking from a cookbook for the first time, it is very important to read through the entire recipe first and to follow all instructions accordingly.

In my first cooking experience I tried a recipe called, ~chicken in cherry sauce.~ The recipe said to use canned cherries and to drain them, which I did. I just poured the extra juices down the drain and went on to read the next instruction……add cherry juice to chicken! Successful cooking is a combination of talent and planning. The novice may not be gifted with the ability to cook at the start, but with careful planning most recipes will end up perfect. Some advice for the novice cook would be to never try preparing a first time dish for someone that you are trying to impress. If ever there is a time for cooking to go sour, it will be when cooking under pressure.

As an aspiring chef grows more advanced, more creativity can be used during the cooking process. Once the ingredients are known then mix well and the taste that they produce you can add more variety to your cooking. At this point a recipe becomes only a guideline. Since I do not care for some spices, for example, I frequently adjust the cooking instructions to include ingredients I enjoy more.

No matter how accomplished a cook you are, you will occasionally have cooking disasters. There is no way to avoid the occasional pepper spill, or unattended pot. If you are an anxious cook or if you have had a few bad experiences cooking, it is best to make a back up dish. Before you cook your main dish, prepare a long cooking dish like stew, soup or a roast. Once that is started, begin cooking your intended course. If all goes well, you will serve that dish and you will have made tomorrow’s dinner ahead of time. If you encounter a culinary disaster you will have an alternative ready on hand. Your guests need not even know that you have made a cooking mistake.

Even if you set the stove on fire when cooking (and most of us have at one time or another) don’t despair. Even great chefs make occasional blunders. The best way to learn how to cook is to make a few cooking mistakes. I, for one, will never again forget to read the recipe before I begin cooking!

AUTHOR BIO:

Brett Koche is the webmaster and operator of Yummy Cooking, which is a premier resource for information on all things cooking. For more information, go to: http://www.yummycooking.com.

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“HEALTH AND FITNESS”

Written by Sintilia Miecevole – www.qdhealth.com

As you age, your health and fitness levels become much more important for your overall life. A regular schedule of exercise and physical activity is one of the best ways for you to keep your health when you get older. Many older people lose their health and ability to do things on their own simply because they have become inactive. To stay healthy, older adults need to focus on specific areas of their health: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.

Do you want to know what kind of activity you have to do to improve these four areas and keep your health? If yes, just read below.

Endurance activities help increase your heart rate and your breathing rate over extended periods of time. These activities will improve the overall health of your lungs, heart, and circulatory system. A regular schedule of endurance activities can even help your body prevent or delay the onset of certain diseases.

Strength exercises keep older adults strong and able to do what they want to do for themselves. Without strength, the overall health of an individual deteriorates rapidly.

Balance exercises help older adults keep the all important ability to keep balance. When you keep this skill in later years, it will help you avoid falls and accidents, which are common causes for disabilities in older adults. These disabilities will also diminish a persons overall health.

Stretching keeps the body flexible and limber. It is easy to lose range of motion in many parts of the body at older ages.

As the proverb says, you definitely must use it or lose it. If you want to be healthy, you need to use your body on a regular basis.

You not only have to improve your physical activities but also change your eating habits towards a more healthy diet after the age of 50. This way you will maintain your health in a good state and help your body keep its active status. You may even prevent and delay cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, by eating less fatty foods. And to reduce the risk of getting particular types of cancer you should increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. The USDA offers you a guide, called the food pyramid, for you to learn how much to eat of certain types of foods. It would be great if you follow that guide because that way you will achieve huge benefits for your health.

So, if you have passed the age of 50, always remember that to eat right and to exercise daily is very important for your health. The sooner you start acquiring these habits, the better, but if you haven’t started early you can do it right now no matter the age!

AUTHOR BIO:

Sintilia Miecevole is the Executive of QD Health, Inc. that is an expert resource for information about health. If you have questions or comments about this article, please visit: http://www.qdhealth.com.

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Focus your marketing on these 4 key tasks and you’ll build the number of prospects and clients you have each month…

“GROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH YOUR MARKETING PRIORITIES”

Written by Charlie Cook – www.marketingforsuccess.com

None of us have enough time in the day to get everything done, but small business owners and entrepreneurs like you are particularly pressed. You wear so many hats; there is a seemingly infinite list of tasks to accomplish each day, from providing services to clients, managing product distribution and delivery, to keeping accounting in order.

You try to fit in some marketing when you can, but you’re not sure which activities are essential to do each week or each month to build a steady stream of clients. You make some calls, send out a mailing or put up a web site, but you still have that nagging feeling that if you knew which marketing activities translated into the most new business, you could be more successful.

You want more clients or, if not more clients, higher paying clients. So, what are the most important marketing tasks to do in order to attract more of the right type of prospects?

Build and Maintain Relationships with Prospects

Your number one marketing priority should be to build relationships with lots of qualified prospects. It sounds obvious, but remember that the reason to advertise, network or to have a web site is to generate leads, leads you can then convert to sales. Take a look at the number of years you’ve been in business and the size of your prospect list.

If your advertising, networking and web site are working, you should be able to generate new leads and a growing list of qualified prospects each month. A successful web site, for example, can generate hundreds, if not thousands, of new leads monthly.

George recently signed up for my coaching services. He has been in business for over ten years, but his prospect list consists of less than 150 names. George should have contact information for thousands of prospects by now. Even without an active web based lead generation strategy, if George had added every prospect and client to his list over ten years ago his list should contain over a thousand interested people.

How many more sales could you close if twice as many – or ten times as many – people know how you could help them?

The first step is to get prospects’ attention with your marketing message and materials. Then you want prospects to take the next step; to contact you, buy from you right away, or add their name to your mailing list. Offering free, relevant information such as a report or free workshop will prompt your prospects to give you their contact information and increase the results generated by your advertisements and mailings.

How big is your target market? What percentage of this group is on your mailing list?

Your goal is to help as many people in your target market learn what you do and to get them to give you their contact information. Once you have their permission to stay in touch, you can go to work building a relationship with them.

Demonstrate what you do so they understand its value and you establish your credibility. When they know and trust you, they’ll be happy to tell you what they need and to buy your products and services.

So how can you incorporate lead generation and building relationships with prospects into your weekly schedule?

1. Each week reach out to get the attention of people who haven’t heard from you. Do this through your advertising, web site marketing, articles, mailings or cold calls (if you know how to use them). But don’t spend a dime on any of these unless you have a strategy in place for converting this attention into sales and qualified leads.

2. Set aside time each week or at least each month to stay in touch with your list of qualified prospects and past clients. As your list grows, use your time to focus on past clients first and use a mass mailing or email to stay in touch with other prospects. Share an idea your prospects can use and they’ll be reminded again and again how much you know and why they should buy your products and services.

3. Use your communication with prospects and clients to help them identify what they need and understand how your products and services can help them. You may think that doing this once should be enough, but most people are too busy to read every mailing they get or to remember the details until its pressing or important for them to act on. With regular correspondence you’ll increase the chances of putting your information in front of your prospects when they are ready to buy.

4. Set aside time each day to contact qualified prospects. If someone has sent you an email, left a phone message or otherwise expressed interest in your products, pick up the phone and call them. Quickly identify whether they have the authority and interest to contract with you and either continue the conversation or move on to your next lead.

Get attention; build your list of qualified leads; regularly help prospects with your ideas; and respond to your most qualified prospects promptly when they request services. Do these four (4) things every week and every month and you’ll soon have many more prospects eager to learn how you can help them, eager to buy from you and more new clients than you ever thought possible.

AUTHOR BIO:

The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Plan eBook, “7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business” at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

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“INTERNET”

Written by Emima Solako – www.acesinternet.com

Well, let’s face it. The Internet is a vital part of today’s world. If you’re not net savvy, then you’re in trouble—especially if you work in today’s business world or if you are a student. Having the ability to navigate the Internet is absolutely essential in a world where you can buy your groceries, pay your bills and plan your next vacation all with the click of a mouse.

What was once simply an experiment by techies, the Internet has flourished over the past twenty years with billions of websites available to users and billions of email addresses which allow for easy and quick conversation. In its early years, the Internet was plugged as the first really ~free medium~ of communication. There was no worry of censorship, rules or anything that would in any way block free speech.

We’re all going to lose our jobs. We’re all gonna be on the Internet trying to find an audience. A question frequently posed by both visitors and web hosts alike, is “has the internet simplified our lives?” The answer is more complex than it would appear.

Shopping or browsing for more information on virtually any topic, has become incredibly convenient via the Internet. Whole libraries and books of information, once only accessible via print copies, are now readily available on the Internet, and downloadable to the desktop of your computer.

Internet technology has spawned a whole new generation of technology, hardware, and software with PDAs, MP3 players, streaming audio and video files, gaming software, eBay auctions, and so much more, now accessible via the click of a mouse. With information available on any topic now via the Internet, the potential for human communication, connection, and development has far surpassed any other form of media.

Of course there is also the danger of Internet predators, and there are many, many pornography sites easily accessible to children. That’s why many web hosts now offer parental controls, so parents can monitor their children’s online activities and block sites they deem unacceptable. Further, parents need to educate their children as to the dangers of the Internet.

AUTHOR BIO:

Emima Solako is the owner and operator of Information OverDrive, Making information available to all. For more information, go to: http://www.acesinternet.com.

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“GET INVOLVED IN MEDITATION”

Written by Ruiger Gedanke – www.inmeditation.com

Spirituality is an important quality in everyone’s life. Some people try not to cultivate faith in the unseen, preferring to focus on the here and now. Others go overboard, adopting every religious custom they can find and pushing their views on others.

Meditation is one means for enhancing spiritual values in your life and gaining a deeper understanding of the core values that you cherish. Meditation provides the time and the rituals needed to think about the values that you believe in and why they are important to you. You can be aided in your approach to meditation by reading spiritual writings of your choice as well as memorizing them. You can deepen your understanding of these key phrases by studying them carefully.

Meditation can enrich your life. Consider these hints to help you to add meditation to your daily routine.

1. Simply add meditation to your schedule of activities. It is that simple to make time for meditation. Inform friends and family not to disturb your meditation time. Be proactive and turn off the cell phone. It may be helpful to play quiet music in the background or listen to inspirational music during your meditation time.

2. Do locate a quiet place for meditating and find a comfortable place. Again, you do not want any outside distractions, even your own body complaining that it is not comfortable. When the weather is suitable, you may wish to be outdoors or even walking. Whatever place or circumstances suit you the best is the perfect place for meditation.

3. Shut out distracting thoughts. Tune out worries, pressures, conflicts, and demands to focus on the spiritual topic at hand. Firmly tell yourself to set aside anything that might be pressing on your mind for attention.

4. Review the topic in your mind or reread the passages. You are trying to grasp the greater meaning of your topic in your own way. You may wish to make notes, reread, think of new questions. This is your personal time.

5. Let your mind go free to drift where it will. Your thoughts may linger on the spiritual topic you have selected for this session. Or it may go in another direction seeking answers or making comparisons. Stay tuned to spiritual links, however.

6. Stop after a set amount of time. Many people meditate for only 15 or 30 minutes at a time. This seems to be the right amount of time for human concentration on one topic.

Set your meditation time aside and go on to another activity. This helps to isolate and protect your spiritual timeout so that it becomes more valuable and focused each time.

AUTHOR BIO:

Ruiger Gedanke is a leading expert and the proud owner and operator of the web site at InMeditation, which is a leading resource for everything about meditation on the Internet. For all you want to know, questions or comments about this article, please go to his web site at: http://www.inmeditation.com.

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“RAISING SOME GREEN FOR YOUR CHARITY ORGANIZATION WITH A GOLF TOURNAMENT!”

Written by Carmen Asolead – www.fsgolf.com

Do you need to raise a little green for your charity organization or local club? A charity golf tournament may be just the fundraising event that you need to organize. For the right organization, a well thought-out golf tournament with prizes will bring out tons of golfers to play and contribute funds toward a good cause.

The Planning:

Have a clear goal in mind when you organize a charity golf tournament. How much money do you anticipate to raise from this event? Budget according to what you know you can raise. Figure out carefully where the most generated revenue will come from. Go ahead and trim costs in areas that won’t feel pinched by the cuts.

Do you know why you’re holding a charity golf tournament?

Establish this ahead of time in order to make this your top priority. For instance, if you’re having the charity to raise money for your local fire department so it can purchase a new truck, make this the top objective and hold firm to it.

A sound committee is one of the first orders of business to organize when planning a charity golf tournament. The chairperson doesn’t need to be a golf pro; still, it helps if he’s familiar with or holds a passion for the game.

The most visible person for your event is the person who chairs your event. As a figurehead, he will essentially be the public relations specialist and encourage people to participate. He will be responsible for making sure that the golfers have a good time in your event. Also, the chairperson is responsible for recognizing the effort given by all who contribute to the worthy cause.

Another important task for the chairperson is to carefully delegate responsibilities. The tournament director is the right-hand person to the chairperson. This director should also definitely be interested in the cause and possess good organization, enthusiasm and be available.

Subcommittees to consider in the plans are:

- Hospitality

- Finance

- Communications and publicity

- Golf course preparation

- Scoring

As soon as your tournament is recognized as a success, this tourney will be on its way toward becoming an annual event. The best way to hold the first event is to keep the event simple and to recruit supportive and helpful organization members.

Cost Considerations:

While you work out your event’s budget, keep your fundraising goal in the top of your mind. A number of costs to consider regarding pricing entry fees are to keep the price reasonable rather than too high or else you’ll find that people refuse to pay that inflated price and to price so that the cost covers your initial investment and you’ll have some money left over to donate toward the charity. Look carefully at incidental expenses.

Charges that this event will have to cover are the pro shop, a cart, and fees for the greens and the restaurant. A meal, snack and beverages are offered on the green by most golf tournaments. If you plan to have an awards ceremony, you’ll need to pay for convention space. Prizes, awards, advertising and promotion are also associated costs. By offering tee-prizes, goodie bags, personalized score cards and signs at various hotels, you are adding a nice touch to show just how special this event really is to the charity.

AUTHOR BIO:

Carmen Asolead likes to compete in as many golf events as possible, but usually ends up far down the leaderboard. He is the director and ‘golf pro’ for FS Golf LTD., an online golfing hot spot and fabulous resource. Drop in and have a look at: http://www.fsgolf.com

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“WHAT HAPPENS DURING MENOPAUSE”

Written by Divita Orologio – www.menopuaseedu.com

Menopause is that time in every woman’s life when the menstrual cycle that accompanies the child-bearing years ends. The age at which this finally occurs varies greatly from one woman to the next. However, menopause does occur sometime between the mid- to late thirties to sometime in the mid- to late 50’s. Most women have reached menopause by about age 52.

Prior to menopause the hormones in a woman’s body begin to change and this is known as peri-menopause. As the hormone levels change from those of the child-bearing years, a woman’s body begins to change in characteristic ways. These bodily changes signal that menopause is approaching. While these changes are typical of the menopausal time, not all women will experience all the symptoms.

1. The menstrual periods themselves will begin to change.

The periods that normally were approximately 28 days apart will spread further apart each year. Periods that lasted a typical 5 to 7 days may last only 3 days or end up as just spotting instead of full bleeding. Consult with your doctor when your periods become irregular in case there is some other reason besides menopause.

2. A woman’s skin may start to become dry and thin from the decreased amount of estrogen in the body. Drinking extra water (not other beverages) and using dry skin creams and lotions may help to keep the skin hydrated and supple. Use a personal lubricant for vaginal dryness, if necessary. Also, it may be necessary to learn Kegel exercises to avoid bladder leakage.

3. Many women experience hot flashes and/or night sweats.

While these events are uncomfortable and often occur unexpectedly, these events are a normal part of menopause. Other women are not bothered by hot flashes. There are a number of natural products on the market that help ease the discomfort of these common symptoms of menopause.

4. You probably will go through mood swings.

Crying jags, depression, euphoria, and anxiety are some of the peaks and valleys that you can expect. Take up hobbies and get involved in activities that can help to regulate erratic moods or support you through the negative downswings.

5. While it may be a sign of age or a sign of menopause, you may become forgetful.

Becoming forgetful is common and the adage of “use it or lose it” applies here. Work on keeping your mind active as you age and activity promotes a better memory.

Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and many social connections with friends can help women breeze through menopause with minimal if any discomfort. Talk to your doctor about any questions or concerns you may have.

AUTHOR BIO:

Divita Orologio is a renowned authority on the subject of The Menopause. She is the webmaster and owner of the #1 resource site Meditation Edu. If you want to know more and view her article archive then visit her website at: http://www.menopauseedu.com for all you need to know.

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Learn how to use these three (3) stages to make more from your existing clients…

“MAKING MORE WITH EXISTING CLIENTS”

Written by Charlie Cook – www.marketingforsuccess.com

Have you ever put on a jacket you haven’t worn in a while and found a twenty-dollar bill in one of the pockets? You’d forgotten all about it, so discovering it is like getting a gift. If you’ve been in business for a year or longer, you may have gifts in forgotten pockets – sources of additional revenue waiting to be discovered and tapped.

There are four ways to increase your net profits: reduce costs, increase prices, attract more clients or sell more to existing clients. When you consider that it costs you at least 60% and as much as 600% more to sell to a new client than to an existing one, it’s clear that your best prospects are existing clients.

Are you selling as many of your services or products as you could to your existing client base? Could you increase your revenue by doing a better job of marketing to your existing clients?

You’ve established your credibility and the value of at least one of your services with existing clients. They made a commitment to work with you at least once. How can you leverage this trust and client satisfaction into additional sales?

Tony called me from Washington D.C. with just this problem.

He is an image consultant to politicians and corporate executives and struggling to increase his revenue. His new clients are happy with his services, but the engagements rarely extend beyond the initial contracted project. He is having a rough time getting repeat business. Tony knows his existing and past clients represent additional revenue but he doesn’t know how to mine it.

Once you have a client, what’s the best way to sell them more of your products or services?

The biggest mistake that most small business owners make is to think that after they’ve completed the initial sale, their marketing job is completed. The opposite is true. Once you’ve made your first sale to a client and secured a commitment from them with payment, you should begin your marketing effort to get them to buy again.

Of course, you don’t want to constantly be “selling” to clients. That would get tedious for you and your customers and they’d be unlikely to want to maintain the relationship. Instead, continue to educate them about their areas of need and how you help clients. Use your products and services to provide value and to educate clients so they can discover what they need and want, even if they’ve never thought about it before.

For example, I’ve been working with a sports trainer to complete my recovery from shoulder surgery. In our first session he showed me which muscles needed to be reprogrammed with exercise to return to normal functioning. The obvious conclusion of his explanation was that I needed to work with him again to achieve my goals. Just by sharing a little knowledge he successfully extended the project.

This approach isn’t clever or devious; it is based on the notion that an informed buyer – an educated consumer – is your best client. Here’s how it works in practice:

1. Help Prospects Become Clients by Focusing on their Problems.

People buy solutions to problems or needs that they know exist. Get your prospects’ attention by focusing your marketing message on the problem(s) you solve in order to get them to visit your web site or contact you. Then use your conversation or your marketing copy to help prospects further define their problems or concerns. Do this well and they’ll clearly see the need for your products and services.

2. Continue to Educate Prospects and Clients.

Clients buy from you when they know how you can help them. That’s why they initially contracted with you or bought your products and services. Once you’ve signed on a new client, don’t assume that they understand the range of services or products you market. They may not even fully understand what they’ve bought. Use each contact to continue to educate your clients and help them understand the issues, problems and solutions relative to your area of expertise.

For example if you’re a financial advisor and you’ve been hired to help a client with their investments, you might ask them a question about their estate planning, tax situation, insurance policies or retirement plan and provide them with an idea they can use. Each time you do this your client will learn how limited their own knowledge is and understand more about why they need your assistance in additional areas.

Instead of selling clients on additional services, educate them. You’ll create a perception of need and increase sales.

3. Transform Client Satisfaction into Additional Sales.

Do you have clients and customers that appreciate your products and services? Don’t wait until your contract is complete to tap the goodwill you’ve generated by helping them. Regularly ask them questions designed to get responses like, “I couldn’t have done it without you”, “Worth every penny”, etc. Just after your clients have provided positive feedback is the perfect time to ask them a couple of questions to identify needs and to mention the solutions you provide.

Once you’ve gone to all the effort to attract a new client don’t walk away from the rest of their needs just because they haven’t identified or clarified them yet. Educate your prospects and clients at every step of the way about the problems you solve and they’ll understand why they need more of your product