Archive for October, 2009

A few years ago I had never heard of antioxidants, and vitamins were something that were supposed to be good for you but were only to be found in vegetables – ugh! Today I am a relatively healthy 62 years old and I probably owe my life to antioxidants!
Two days before Christmas 1999 I suffered an attack of pancreatitis. I was rushed to hospital on Christmas eve and stayed in for 3 weeks, after which I was sent home with the doctors telling me that I had suffered a life-threatening illness which would probably occur again. Whereas most pancreatitis cases suffer because of excess drink or gallstones, I was a non-drinker and my gallbladder was fine, so I was classified as idiosyncratic; which basically means the doctors didn’t have any idea why I experienced the attack.
Two months later, as forecast I had another attack. This time I was in hospital for a month (it’s so boring!), hooked up to various tubes and unable to eat for the first 3 weeks, and once again I was told there was no cure.
When I got home I thought there must be some sort of treatment so I did some research on the Internet (thank God for the Internet!), and found a hospital that for 20 years had been successfully treating pancreatitis with antioxidants. That hospital was too far away, but the articles mentioned another that followed the same treatment and was nearer. So I went there and, to cut a long story short, I started on the course of antioxidants – vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and methionine (which is actually an amino acid).
Thankfully the pancreatitis attacks have stopped. I have to be careful with my diet and drink is banned – which is not a problem. I now take so many vitamins that if you shook me I would rattle, but these wonderful antioxidants are fighting those free radicals or whatever caused my pancreatitis and I have been healthy for six years.

Why you should buy a used car. You know it is time to buy a replacement for your vehicle. Repair bills are looming on the horizon or eating into your checking account. Every time you turn around something seems to be going wrong — both large and small annoyances make driving an ongoing hassle. Once you have made the decision to go car shopping, the first question you must face is whether to go new or used. Here are three reasons you should buy a used car.

The top reason to buy a used car is that new cars are a losing proposition. New cars depreciate fast. Did you know that as soon as you drive a new car off a dealer lot it will instantly depreciate between $1,000-$2,000. After the first three years most cars are worth only about 60-70 percent of their original value. However if you buy an used car then you will have to pay a lot less for a nice car and you will not have to worry about that depreciation.

Once upon a time buying an used car was a risky proposition. There was a good chance you could buy a lemon or a car that had been used and abused or even been in an accident. Today the savvy consumer does not have to face these risks which leads to the second reason for buying an used car. It is safer (and less risky) than it has ever been before. Many reputable dealers offer one-owner vehicles that are still on warranty so that takes some risk out of the equation, but in addition today there are many research tools available on the internet to help you learn about the reputation and performance history for the particular vehicle model you are considering plus you can even run the vehicle identification numbers to determine if a specific vehicle has been in an accident. It is probably a lot less risky to buy an used car than a new unproven vehicle that might turn out to be a lemon. You can also get a pretty accurate value for a vehicle so you know how much you should pay.

Finally, buying an used car takes a lot of the stress out of new car ownership while still letting you enjoy the benefits of a new vehicle. Dealers will give a vehicle a turnout so it will have that new car smell, but because you do not have to worry about the price you paid you can sit back and enjoy your new-to-you vehicle without worrying about tempting fate. Plus, many dealers have more room to deal on an used car than they often do with a new car so you have more bargaining power.

So if you are looking to buy a car then you should consider buying an used car because it will save you money, it is safer than ever before, and it is less stressful.

Deanna Mascle shares more Personal Finance Budgeting tips in her blog at http://answersaboutfamilyfinance.net where you can also download the free Car Buying Tips ebook

Oklahoma Sooners football tickets are always in demand in and around Norman, but the 2006 season carried expectations as low as any season in recent history. The Sooners suffered one crushing loss before the season began, and suffered two more once the season started. However, the Sooners are once again in a BCS bowl game, and almost no one expected this. It’s a credit to the coaching ability of Bob Stoops, and other factors are also responsible for this surprisingly successful season. We’ll examine the reasons for this great season below, and Sooner nation will once again be out in full force in January.

Obstacles Presented

The Sooners seemed to be destined for a disappointing season even before fall practice got into full swing. QB Rhett Bomar, a returning starter and a player many expected to be among the nation’s elite, was kicked off the team after it was discovered that he accepted money for what amounted to a ?no-show? job, as it was alleged. Not only did the Sooners apparently lack depth at the position, but given the timing of this potential disaster, the team was basically put in a very difficult position on offense.

Two other serious problems arose during the season. The first was a highly-controversial loss to Oregon, which occurred when officials basically botched a late-game call that all-but handed the Ducks a victory. The Sooners play a challenging non-conference schedule with regularity, and this loss angered everyone from the coach to the president of the university, and it was quietly acknowledged by many that the Sooners had been robbed in that game.

Finally, the Sooners? superstar, RB Adrian Peterson, was lost to injury when he broke his collarbone diving into the end zone after another of his patented scintillating runs. Peterson was the most feared offensive player in the Big 12, and perhaps the country, and most teams simply don’t overcome a loss like that and continue to win. Although Oklahoma Sooners football tickets are always hard to find, Peterson by himself was the reason many fans came out to see Oklahoma play.

Perseverance

As a credit to the program, each of these obstacles was met and handled with aplomb. New QB Paul Thompson, who had been expected to play WR this season, grew into his new position with what appears to be excellent coaching. Thompson has thrown for almost 2,500 yards and 20 TD’s, and finished the regular season with a QB rating of 144.56. If that isn’t great coaching, then there’s no such thing.

The Sooners also refused to fold after the Oregon debacle, even though they did suffer a tough loss to Texas two weeks later, and were sitting with a mediocre 3-2 record as of October 8. Many teams would simply fold at that point, but all Oklahoma has done since is run the table, including wins over three ranked teams and a Big 12 title. Again, credit needs to go to the coaching staff for this continued focus.

Finally, the loss of Peterson did not ruin the season. New starter Allen Patrick has racked up 700 yards in only about half a season, and he has kept the running game at Oklahoma churning. Included in his body of work are games where he rushed for 173 yards at Texas A&M and 163 yards at Oklahoma State. The result is teams still have to fear Oklahoma’s running game.

Results

The results speak for themselves. Oklahoma finds itself once again in a BCS bowl game with an 11-2 record, and a date with undefeated Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. This is perhaps Stoops? best coaching job, and Oklahoma Sooners football tickets are going to be impossible to find for yet another big-time bowl game.

About the Author:

Written by Jay Nault, sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/ . StubHub sells Oklahoma Sooners football tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.

The Nokia N73 is part of Nokia’s elite N series of mobile phones and like all its other brethrens the N73 is simply amazing. It can be termed as perfect phone with a fine balance of ace technology and easy usability. Let us try to explore the intricacies of this ultra powerful mobile phone in detail. To start with, the N73 looks as a subtle and understated device (considering it an N series phone) on surface. But you will view a panorama of colours in its screen with 256,000 colours in a powerful 240 x 320 pixels display. It has a fairly big screen (36 x 48 mm) that makes it more convenient for the users.

It runs on a Symbian S60 OS that integrates 3G, EDGE and GPRS (class10) for data transfers. Its Bluetooth ensures file mobility. The N73 is a camera phone that flaunts a 3.2 MegaPixel camera that allows you to unleash the magic of photography as this camera has been equipped with Carl Zeiss optic lens, autofocus and flash. Likewise, you can also record video clips with crystal clear lucidity. There is also a secondary VGA resolution camera that is meant for the purpose of video calling, thanks to its 3G compatibility. With its WAP browser you can explore the web at your own ease. Similarly, sending or receiving e-mails can easily be done with its email client.

When you want music to be the food for your soul then you may play on to its multimedia player that will provide you with unlimited music. Nokia N73 is armed with a digital music player that is capable of playing MP3/AAC/MPEG4 formats. Nokia N73 has an internal memory of 42 MB that can be upgraded with the help of its miniSD hot swap cards.

Its manufacturers are pitching it as a media device. On a more general level, Nokia N73 is a complete phone that caters to all the needs of high-end business users. It is a fully loaded gadget that can be a dream phone for any mobile phone freak. It is one of the best specified phones from N series range and has gone down very well in the mobile phone market.

Adam Jaylin at mobile-phone-deal-uk.co.uk, provides with the latest info on cheap mobile phones and mobile phone deals

Change or Die! To Change Your Organization, Hire a Business Coach
by: David S. LevineIt is a common business axiom change or die. As a small or mid-sized business owner or a manager, there will be times you will need to make changes in your organization but may not be sure how to go about it. Change is hard to implement and even harder to sustain. Think about all of the people who have trouble sticking to a diet or quitting smoking or keeping up with an exercise program, let alone just starting. If changing yourself is hard, how can you change an entire business, organization, process or department?As a Certified Business Coach, one of the biggest challenges my clients face is this issue of change. Did you know there are eight reasons why organizations fail to change from a lack of urgency to underestimating the power of vision to failing to create short-term wins? The eight reasons are: Lack of a sense of urgency Failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition Underestimating the power of vision Not communicating the vision Allowing obstacles to block the new vision Failing to create short-term wins Declaring victory too soon Neglecting to anchor changes firmly into the corporate cultureTake the third reason, for example, underestimating the power of vision. A clear vision helps direct, align and inspire actions on the part of large numbers of people. Lack of vision, on the other hand, leads to lots of debate and confusion. Think about the organizations you have worked for or know. When everyone understands the vision, work gets done, employees are energized, and processes get put into place. Without a guiding vision, employees lose passion, urgency and focus. And, it is just as critical to communicate your vision reason number four instead of keeping it in your head. Communicate your vision to your employees, vendors and clients often.How can a business leader do it all create and communicate a vision, get the work done and make a profit? Business coaches help business leaders step back and create the processes necessary to communicate and sustain their vision for their organizations by focusing on sales, marketing, systems and team building. One strategy I use is to facilitate a team alignment day. I often start out with a number of traditional and non-traditional teambuilding exercises. Then, I introduce a game called Leverage: The Game of Business, in which employees learn the five key areas to impacting the bottom line. By playing the game, each employee learns how he or she plays a pivotal role in making the business work and impacting its cash flow. By the end of the day, the team is aligned with the business owners goals as well as the team and the business manager being aligned as people. When everyone is on the same page, change can take place and things happen more efficiently and effectively.A recent article in Fortune Magazine, entitled, Executive Coaching With Returns a CFO Could Love, stated, “Asked for a conservative estimate of the monetary payoff from the coaching they got, these managers described an average return of more than $100,000 or about six times what the coaching had cost their companies.”My goal as a business coach is to help business owners step back and think about new and innovative ways to achieve profitability and business growth and to do it in a way that provides a good return on investment of a business managers time and money. The ability to change, while remaining focused, is an integral part of this philosophy.About The Author
David S. Levine, B.S., Certified Action International Business Coach, holds both a BS and MBA, and is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of business experience in the retail, high-tech, business-to-consumer and business-to-business arenas. His extensive experience in marketing and sales, finance, process analysis and systemization uniquely positions him to mentor business owners looking to become more successful. David is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University. Davids next free Success Business Seminar, entitled How to Impact Your Bottom Line, hosted by Wachovia Bank, will be held January 27, 2004 in North Brunswick, New Jersey at 6:00 PM. To register and for more information, go to www.ABIcoaching.com or call 732-828-4300.
DavidLevine@action-international.com

Have you heard about something like “home improvement sweepstake”? Well, home improvement sweepstakes are real! They are indeed like competitions which are managed by many large electrical stores and mortgage companies. But what is the real prize involved in these types of sweepstakes? In most cases, the most common prize involved in these kinds of sweepstakes offered by these large companies is a home improvement or new home luxury. And the winner is usually not pre selected but rather chosen at random.

These home improvement sweepstakes are usually started by home repair stores. These stores generally carry out competitions monthly and the lucky winner gets a brand new home makeover courtesy of the store! It’s a win-win situation for both parties. For the store, this is a great way to generate extra sales since contestants can usually only enter the competition by purchasing certain items in the shop keeper’s store. Competitors, on the other hand, have the opportunity of having a free home improvement or new home luxury!

There are other kinds of home improvement sweepstakes as well. There are some in which you get to select the competition that you want to enter via plain entry forms. For instance, you can select to compete for a free power roller attachment, a life-time guarantee on all electrical appliances, free gift cards, free deliveries on selected items, etc. All these are actual sweepstakes that you have the opportunity to be part of.

Do you know which is the biggest company that does all these kinds of sweepstakes? It’s a big one of course. It’s called “Home Depot”, in America. Home Depot has the biggest online store for selling home improvement goods. As such they can offer some really cool sweepstakes. All the time, they’re offering different redemption forms for you to fill in and hand into the store. This way, you have a good chance of winning a price. Moreover, sometimes they even go one step beyond. They usually designate a “winning product” in which a ticket or something similar is included inside such item and if you’re the lucky person to get the “winning product” then you become the winner of the prize attached to this product.

The advantage of having an online store like that of Home Depot gives lots of more people the possibility of entering their home improvement sweepstakes. The Internet has indeed turned home improvement sweepstakes very popular. These sweepstakes gives everyone the chance to win and save themselves some money. I mean, who wouldn’t love to do that! It makes us feel really happy! And even if we could afford to get what a home improvement sweepstake offers by our own money, there’s nothing more especial than being the lucky winner of a sweepstake

So, if you plan to enter a sweepstake don’t forget to always try and get in as many entries as you can (if that’s allowed of course). Good luck!

Hector Morales is the owner of a Homes Improvement Tips site located
at www.HomeImprovementUpdates.com. Visit his web site to learn
about other home improvement info such as
Log Cabin Homes and Home Improvement Loan Facts.

The transformation that is taking place in Americans’ attitudes toward mental health is very exciting. Of course, as an astrologer, I see this as the result of Pluto, the planet of transformation, moving slowly through the polar signs of Gemini and Sagittarius. These two signs deal with the workings of the mind.

One of my clients devoted her life to a study of the mind. When she was in high school, she fell in love with a very nice boy. His parents were against the liaison because she was not of the same religion. They dated for 3 years but were forced by family pressure to end the relationship. He “lost his mind”. The last time my client saw him was a visit to a mental hospital where he had been committed — labelled incurable. “What is a mind that you can “lose” it?” she thought. Thus began a lifetime journey for her to settle this question to her own satisfaction.

The much acclaimed film, “A Beautiful Mind” has been the first of many recent films to take a new look at the mystifying territory of “the Mind”. The mental disintegration of mathematical genius John Nash is explored with interest and sensitivity.

Nash wrote a 27-page dissertation, “Non-Cooperative Games”, in 1950 when he was just 21 years old. Eight years later he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. In 1970 the disease went into remission and in 1994 John Nash was honored with the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Nash claimed his mental condition was due to living on the “ultralogical plane” and breathing “rarefied air” not meant for mere mortals. Nash believed this permitted him to make unique contributions to his field. He was not so sure that being normal was the way to go.

I attended a high school in the Midwest with over 4,000 students. It was in another era, and our school was divided into sections according to how smart we were. The academic pecking order was no secret.

The “gifted” on one extreme and the “educable mentally handicapped” (henceforth, EMH) on the other, flanked the vast “average” majority which included homecoming queens, cheerleaders, football captions and others equally blessed with normalcy. The three groups were segregated from each other during the school day.

Kids from all three learning groups were mixed together in study hall and I noticed that the two extreme groups – the gifted and the EMHers — seemed to meet somewhere in the middle. They were more like each other than either was like the normal.

This is a phenomenon of polarity. For example, hot and cold are both degrees of temperature. Dry ice, a temperature extreme, is so cold that it burns. It really seems hot. In this context, the saying “when hell freezes over” really makes sense.

Both the gifted and the EMH groups were fidgety and restless. Both were socially ill at ease and amazingly un-self-conscious for high school. Both groups tended to “read aloud”, mumbling words or moving their fingers across a page as they were reading. And, I’m sorry to say, both groups were chosen with equal degrees of victimization to endure the teasing of the average group in the middle.

An astrologer notices that the amount of mental energy surging through the circuits of the gifted mind does not leave much to focus on the physical world. As with Nash, these people tend to live in a rarefied atmosphere and don’t often “touch down” to the mundane world to take care of things like dandruff, acne and body odor.

In the case of the EMH students, one suspects disrupted mental circuits, dead ends and hot wires, to speak descriptively. The charts of both gifted and educable mentally handicapped are indistinguishable save for the focus and grouping of planets so common in the charts of the gifted (called Stelliums or more correctly Stellia). Without this grouping, they would be as “scattered” mentally or mentally “undone” as the EMHers.

Another characteristic of gifted charts is an afflicted Ascendant. What results from this is that many gifted people are unable to make a positive first impression. If you will pardon a play on words, they do not speak well for themselves. Is it any wonder they escape to the higher realms? Or is it because they escape to the higher realms that they make such a poor first impression? (Fortunately there are plenty of people in this world who can see beyond first impressions.)

The Ascendant describes the way you appear upon first meeting, including the way you talk and process information from your environment. The genius Albert Einstein may not have talked until he was 3 years old. Winston Churchill, another genius, had a lisp and failed often in school when something didn’t capture his interest. According to his official biographer, Churchill was believed to be physically repulsive to his own father. Of course this is entirely subjective and unjustified, if you look at photos of this great man as a baby. But life behind the Ascendant of an astrology chart IS very subjective and the outer world will confirm to the expectations embodied in the chart.

No one would argue that world renowned Stephen Hawking is a very compelling example of this phenomenon. Hawking, who suffers from Motor Neurone Disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the complications of which have made it impossible for him to speak at all (tracheotomy), is quoted on his website (www.hawking.org.uk) as saying, “One’s voice is very important. If you have a slurred voice, people are likely to treat you as mentally deficient.”

Often in the charts of the educable mentally handicapped, the afflicted Rising Sign characterizes a physical condition which has led to mental problems or an approach to social situations that reflects an inability to process and respond to social cues such as proper distance, appropriate gestures, chat style, and so forth.

Sometimes mentally deficient individuals simply do not understand or care how their physical body connects with the social stratosphere. I once read an article about a retarded couple who had a baby that kept slipping out of the carry seat because her well meaning but borderline retarded parents simply could not remember to strap her in. Please remember that I am being descriptive, not critical.

What happened to John Nash? Did the bundling pull too tight and break the circuits? Was too much mental energy sent through the circuits at one time because of the tremendous rate of vibration of his brain? Were emotional and psychological territories starved for energy and left to atrophy like a limb with gangrene? Nash’s own words are as descriptive and “poetic” as these rarefied air and ultralogical plane. We don’t know what happened. We are all fascinated.

On the other end of the spectrum, in June 2002 the Supreme Court overturned in a 6-3 vote the 1989 decision in Penry v. Lynaugh ( 492 US 584), that mental retardation would not prohibit the death penalty but it would be considered an extenuating circumstance in the crime.

Thirteen years later, Atkins v Virginia (122 S.Ct. 2242) purported to reflect “changing views” toward mental retardation. Apparently Americans were no longer willing to see people executed who could not be held morally responsible for their actions

Atkins argued that the mentally retarded could not reason well enough to aid in their own defenses. In most cases, they could not understand abstract concepts such as Miranda rights, self-incrimination and death. As many newspapers agreed, it had now become possible to be “too dumb to die”.

In its decision, the Supreme Court referred to “evolving standards of decency” regarding mental condition. Gallup Poll findings from May 23, 2002 indicated that 82% of Americans opposed the use of the death penalty for the mentally retarded, while 13% supported it. Estimates vary but most sources agree that at least 34 people with mental retardation have been executed in the United States since the repeal of a ban on capital punishment in 1977. Most of these people had an IQ of around 66.

One of the things that may have shaped public opinion is the January 24, 1992 execution of Ricky Ray Rector in the State of Arkansas, with the blessing of Bill Clinton. Laura Mansnerus writes in a July 21, 2001 New York Times article, Damaged Brains and the Death Penalty, “You don’t have to be a psychiatrist, Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis says, to know that something was terribly wrong with Ricky Ray Rector, who before his execution in Arkansas ordered his last meal and asked that the pecan pie be set aside so he could have it later.” Rector was not mentally retarded but had shot himself in the head at the time he committed his capital crime. He had a lobotomy.

Furthermore, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens writes, “Evolving standards of decency mean many different things to different people. But an important part of our standards of decency derive from our scientific understanding of behavior. I believe the time will come when we recognize that it is equally indecent to execute the mentally ill.”

Most people did not expect the results of Atkins, even those who were most ardently advocating for it. It seems that times have indeed changed. And if the time comes when mental illness as well as mental retardation becomes grounds to avoid the death penalty, transformation will indeed have occurred.

As astrologers we understand that the mutable modality deals with the sensitive connection between the mind and the body or psycho-soma. Early attempts to understand this connection resulted in the label “psychosomatic” for certain conditions for which there appeared to be no physical basis, such as hysteria, certain types of paralysis, colitis and heart palpitations.

The mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. As Pluto travels through the sign of Sagittarius, and recently opposed by Saturn in Gemini, .these planets also squared Virgo and Pisces.

Michael Lutin has called Gemini and Sagittarius “the mental health axis”. A condition such as schizophrenia can in simplistic terms be the result of a child wishing to reconcile the beliefs and demands of two parents from insurmountably different backgrounds.

For example, one parent says if you’re not a Catholic your soul will be doomed to eternal damnation and further believes that divorce is a mortal sin. The other parent initiates divorce proceedings, begins going to Unitarian Church and tells you that if you continue going to Catholic Church s/he will quit seeing you on the weekends because it’s “too stupid”. A child trying to reconcile this set of instructions could blow a few circuits in the brain. These conflicts are not solved at the mental level, least of all by a child.

I do not mean to oversimplify mental illness. I’m explaining in esoteric and intuitive terms the underlying beliefs that cause mental imbalances. In this case the underlying belief would be that things like this are reconcilable which they are not. The healthy choice – if this child makes it to adulthood in reasonably good shape — would be to transcend this inner dialogue into something that says, I love both my parents but I do not love their beliefs. I accept that each is well meaning but I also accept that I do not need to be like them in order to love myself. I will choose a religion that works for me or none at all while continuing to love both parents. And if this means that I lose the love of one parent, then at least I love myself and have the other.” Alas, this transcendence is not easy and many fall by the wayside.

Pluto (and Saturn) also square Virgo and Pisces at the same time that they are traveling through Gemini and Sagittarius. The Virgo/Pisces axis produces negative mental conditions such as free floating anxiety, phobias, autism, anal compulsive disorders, despair, suicide and “suicide by cop/traffic accident/innocent bystander/or/freak accident”, etc.

Another disturbing phenomenon is a 273% increase in autism in the state of California in and 11-year time span. There is an urgent need to discover the “cause” of this condition.

The mental imbalance that produces these conditions is a defense against the inherent chaos of life and feelings of helplessness. In turn, the basis of this fear is an irrational belief that the universe is controllable in the first place.

Further disruptions in these energies can occur with the presence of over-crowding, air pollution, noise pollution and stress.

The mutable signs are connected with the pulse of life, the rhythm of breath and threshold sequences such as in/out breathing, day/night, land/sea, dusk/dawn and crossroads. Proper rhythms are of the utmost important for good mental health. During the transit of Pluto through Sagittarius, we are experiencing many disruptions of these energies on the planet. The rise of asthma, now a chronic condition in many children, is a result of over crowding and air pollution. Sometimes the over-crowding can be of one’s own schedule. There needs to be spaces in life. This is something the Orientals are far more aware of than we Occidentals.

The Internet is another manifestation of this phenomenon. The super glut of information, the speed of transmittal, the galactic rate of evolution and the transformation of the entire field of communication has resulted in a type of paralysis in all but the more intrepid of the mutable signs. In this regard, esoterically, Sagittarius is of great help, because it contributes the understanding that at some point information must be turned into knowledge and a decision made or it is of no use whatsoever. More is not better. Enough is good.

You may have noticed that the Internet is designed the way an intuitive thinks. This is a function of Sagittarius and in this way, it is developing intuition in everyone that uses it. The way you can hop from page to page and topic to topic is similar to the way Gemini multi-tasks or watches several different tv shows at one time. It will be interesting to see how much the Internet has transformed our ways of learning by the time Pluto leaves Sagittarius in 2008.

Nancy R. Fenn has been an astrologer and intuitive consultant in the San Diego for over 25 years. She enjoys working with creatives, intuitives and visionaries to help them discover their mission in life. Nancy’s mission in life is to raise consciousness about introversion as a legitimate personality syle. Visit Nancy on the web at www.bemyastrologer.com

A franchised new car dealership is a reliable, if not the only, source for anyone who wants to buy a new car. But to those who prefer buying used or previously owned cars, there are plenty of options and sources one could choose from to be able to make that vehicle purchase the perfect one.
The following are some of the readily as well as easily available resources to consider when buying a used car.
The Used Car Superstore
Imagine it as the Wal-Mart of used cars. There have been numerous used car superstores that have mushroomed for the last five years. These superstores usually have a large inventory of used cars, more or less numbering from four hundred to five hundred vehicles. The cars found in these stores more often than not are late models. The vehicles found in these stores came from auctions that cater specially to car dealers. The good thing about buying from these used car superstores is that the warranty they provide are often equivalent to the warranty coverage provided by dealers who sell new cars. However, it is still best to compare.
New Car Dealer
The logic here is that since new car buyers usually trade in their old cars when they buy a new one, the collection that new car dealerships have are almost always extensive. So used car buyers have a wider range of vehicles to choose from. Also, new car dealerships provide better reconditioning to the used cars traded to them. They are also more reliable source of used cars because their business is more established compared to other used car dealers. Be aware though that sometimes it would take a lot of negotiation on the price of the vehicle to be purchased. They may also attempt to make you buy more cars than what you would actually need.
Used Car Dealers
There are a hundred used car dealerships in every area of the state. Sometimes, they occupy a small section that contains not more than fifteen cars in a lot. Other used car dealerships, usually the more established ones, have a total of one hundred cars in their vicinity. The great thing about buying from used car dealers is that the prices they offer are a lot less than new car dealerships. Also, it is fairly easier to negotiate with them. A little bit of not so good news though, the quality of these cars are usually less than the new ones of course. There are also not many great selections to choose from.
Private Owners
The good thing about buying from private owners, the price that they offer are usually reasonable compared to other dealers because this is in accordance with book values. One also would get the opportunity to actually speak with the owner of the vehicle and witness for yourself how the car was cared for or not so cared for. A potential disadvantage of this scenario, however, is that it could be a bit inconvenient driving to the private owner’s place especially if one is considering looking at eight different cars. Basically that would be eight different places, time and appointments. Beware though; private owners who have a stable of used cars to sell may actually be a dealer. Do not be afraid to ask if you could possibly see the title and registration. Start to get suspicious if you see it has only been a few days old.
Car Auctions
The last decade has seen the development of public auctions for vehicles. Originally, auctions like these are reserved primarily for licensed car dealers. Now, even individuals have the opportunity to bid aggressively for used cars. The quality of these cars put up for auction, as well as the selections of vehicles, actually vary from one auction to another. There are those auctions which specialize dealing in late model vehicles while there are others which dedicate themselves to cheaper and less expensive vehicles. The good thing about buying used cars from auctions is that one could conveniently compare prices and cars because they are shown side by side with each other. Also, the prices that they offer are most likely lower than they do dealerships. However, there is not much chance for one to thoroughly inspect the vehicle being auctioned off. And since one is buying from an auction, it is therefore understood that all sales are final. Any car purchased is automatically yours. Plus, the bidding frenzy could take a hold on anyone and there is a great possibility that one could pay way too much than what a vehicle actually costs.About the Author: Gregory Ashton, your resident automobile enthusiast, bringing to you over 20 years of vehicular passion, and expertise; presents for your approval his insider secrets on selecting, buying, and maintianing the car that is ideal for you. http://www.best-car-buying-tips.com

The Increasing Power Of Publicity – and how it can benefit your business.
by: Todd BrabenderThe call came into my office and the voice on the other end was very energetic, almost giddy: “I have finalized my marketing budget and need your help launching an advertising campaign for my new product,” he breathed. “Congratulations,” I replied, “but before we implement an ad campaign, I want to make sure you have explored potential PUBLICITY opportunities that could generate some cost-efficient media exposure first.” Then, silence. “I never thought about that,” he sighed. “Frankly, I don’t know much about it.” He is not alone. It’s a common conversation. Although many entrepreneurs or business people know a bit about publicity or media exposure, the majority of them simply don’t understand the full benefits of “publicity placements” or how to go about generating them successfully. Publicity placements have always been a cost-efficient way to market a product/business and generate clients or customers, but because of lack of knowledge or a misunderstanding of what publicity is and does, many entrepreneurs don’t take full advantage of publicity opportunities — and that can lead to missed marketing chances. I recently surveyed a few dozen business owners and entrepreneurs in some newsgroups and business chat rooms about their knowledge of “publicity placements” in the media. I found out that only 37% knew that a simple “product profile” in a magazine was generated as a result of publicity efforts. Most thought the company had paid the media outlet to run the feature, much like an ad. And of that 37%, less than half of them knew HOW to generate a similar placement. Another interesting fact, because of the recent slowdown in the economy, expensive advertising budgets have been slashed. As a result, many businesses, like your competitors, are turning to publicity/PR campaigns as a more affordable means of marketing to compete with other companies. Here are some ways to use publicity placements to help your business: Editorial Placements/Media Notification: What some entrepreneurs might not realize is that we see editorial placements from publicity efforts everyday in the media: product profiles, feature articles and contributed by-lined articles in magazines, newspapers, trade industry newsletters or on TV/radio/cable newscasts & shows. This is not advertising, this is “EDITORIAL Placement” or “Media Notification” of a product, business or industry expert. Notify the appropriate media that your newsworthy product is on the market or your business is offering a unique new service and let them run a feature placement that will spread that message to your consumer market. These placements can detail your product or business very effectively, giving consumers some objective, pertinent information that may well entice them to become future customers. These editorial placements are looked upon much more credibly than ad placements. That is not a slam on advertising. Paying for advertising placements is indeed an effective way to market your product. But the fact is, a positive editorial placement such as a product profile in a magazine or a newspaper can be much more persuasive than a glossy, over-hyped advertisement – and a fraction of the cost. My point is that editorial placements are an often time overlooked marketing vehicle for a business, and that entrepreneurs should understand the full benefits of these placements to make the most of their marketing efforts. Editorial placements are a wonderfully reciprocal way for you and the media to work together for the betterment of your business. The media needs to fill its pages and airtime with interesting information — and you need to get the word out to your market. Research the media market to find those media outlets and editorial contacts with which you can forge that mutually beneficial relationship. But you have to do your part and do it right – or the media will forge that relationship with your competitor. Make sure your media message is solid, contains newsworthy angles and isn’t disguised as overly commercialized ad copy. Have high-quality photos and media samples available and do all you can to make the media’s job of featuring your product as simple as possible. It also helps to have some sort of clipping service in place to track your placements and get you copies so you can use them in your secondary marketing programs. Expert Branding: This type of publicity placement generating takes advantage of the expert knowledge within a particular business. It is an effective tool for entrepreneurs whose businesses are more service related, like consultants or specialists. Expert branding basically treats the expert like a product. Alert the media as to your expertise on a specific topic and avail yourself to serve as an expert interview resource for future articles or news feature segments. Additionally, the expert should write a few brief articles on a specialized topic and make them available to editors for review and possible publication. The challenge of this type of publicity placement is the tedious task of finding out which outlets accept “expert editorial contributions” or contributed by-lined articles in their publications. Again, it comes down to meticulously researching your media market to find those media outlets that may be in need of the editorial content that you can provide them. With some creativity, expert branding can be effective for product-based businesses as well. One client of mine runs a fresh wild salmon distribution business in the Pacific Northwest and was looking to increase consumer awareness of his products. Based on his more than 20 years of experience in the wild salmon harvesting business, we are expert branding him as a viable interview resource to health/food editors for features detailing the differences and benefits of wild salmon over farm-raised fish, as well as other related topics. In this case, my client (the expert) is identified and quoted in features and the name of the business and even a link to a website are often included for consumers to check out. This is great credibility building exposure at little or no cost. Overall, when using the media to help market your product or business, take advantage of as many FREE media opportunities as you can. If you lack the expertise or time, a PR agency or publicist can generate the editorial placements for you. But the fee you pay them is a FRACTION of what it would cost you to buy similar sized ad placements. And those publicity placements typically lead to a much better consumer response right out of the gate – which is just what you need to boost your business to the next level. —– About The Author
Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc. His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, experts and inventions. http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
todd@spreadthenewspr.com
(785) 842-8909

By reading this article on vitamins for acne, you can safeguard your health and lessen the nutritional deficiencies that cause acne for all ages. Using vitamins for acne symptoms will help prevent or lessen the outbreaks and can be a helpful treatment.

Studies on vitamins for acne have found that people with acne have less linoleic acid in their systems. This is an essential fatty acid and is part of the Omega 6 family. These studies also showed that another contributor is eating too many foods with Trans fats. The Trans fats are in fried food and margarines. Taking vitamins for acne will help reduce the effects of the Trans fats.

One of the vitamins for acne that has shown promise is vitamin A (naturally as retinol). Retinol is found in fish oil, liver and dairy products. Plants with vitamin A (Beta carotene) are yellow/orange fruits and vegetables. Large quantities of vitamin A (doses near 500,000 IU per day) have been used successfully making these vitamins for acne controlquit promising. However, word of caution, doses this high can be quite toxic and should be done under qualified supervision.

Another of the vitamins for acne control is vitamin B5. Dr. Lit-Hung Leung performed a study back in 1995. High doses of Vitamin B5 resolved acne and decreased pore size thus including it in the vitamins for acne treatment plan. People with acne were given 2.5 grams of vitamin B5, four times a day. That is a mega dose! This mega dose of this vitamins for acne showed that people with moderate acne had near-complete relief within two months. You can see that this is in the vitamins for acne relief and prevention arsenal. Dr. Leung’s study gave 45 Asian males and 55 Asian females varying doses of 10-20g of these vitamins for acne, vitamin B5 (100,000%-200,000% of the US Daily Value), 80% orally and 20% through topical cream. Dr. Leung noted improvement of acne within one week to one month of the start of the vitamins for acne treatment.

Keith Standifer is a business owner and an advocate for healthy diets for all. Read more about some of the high quality nutritional supplements he uses. Visit his blog at http://here4health.blogspot.com or his web site at http://www.healthisyours.usana.com