Sunday, February 17, 2008 

Some Answers To Colon Cancer Questions

1.What is colon cancer?

Cancer is a disease which can affect cells from all organs. The colon cancer affects the cells of the colon, determining them to proliferate in an uncontrollable way. This mass of abnormal cells will form a tumor inside the colon. The cancer of the intestine is quite frequent and two thirds of this type of cancer is situated in the colon.

2.Who can develop colon cancer?

You are at risk of developing colon cancer if you drink a lot of alcohol and you are obese. Also if other members of your family had colon cancer or breast cancer you could inherit some genes that make you more sensible to cancer. If you have polyps on your intestine and you leave them untreated for a long time, they can transform into malign polyps, meaning that cancer had occurred.

3.Is my diet involved in cancer development?

Following a diet which is rich in fats and proteins could expose you to cancer. If you eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and high fiber foods you can prevent colon cancer from occurring.

4.Does colon cancer come with any symptoms?

There are some symptoms which could announce that cancer is installing, but they also appear in other diseases. Some of the symptoms are: seeing blood in your bowels, alternation of diarrhea with constipation, and low abdominal pains.

5.How does the doctor know that I have cancer?

The doctor will perform a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy to examine the insides of the colon. Also x-rays of the colon will be performed. These methods will see if tumors are present inside the colon. In order to stage colon cancer CT and ultrasound will be used.

6.Can colon cancer be treated?

Generally the most indicated procedure in trying to treat colon cancer is surgery. By surgery the doctors will remove the tumor from the colon. If the cancer spread, giving metastasis, the doctors will recommend you chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These are hard bearable due to their side effects like nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, fever, and tiredness.

7.Is the treatment effective or not?

If the colon cancer was diagnosed in its early stages and it has not spread to other organs the treatment will be 90% effective and patients will survive even five years after. If the cancer has given metastasis the treatment will not be so effective any more and half of the diagnosed patients will live less that five years.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer symptoms please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-symptoms.htm



 

Tips on Buying Your First GPS Unit

Anyone that enjoys the great outdoors has probably heard of GPS devices. They can come in handy when you are hiking, boating, biking, or doing just about anything else in the great outdoors. Twenty years ago, you had to rely on a compass the position of the sun and stars and your own common sense. Not anymore! Now you can have a handy little device that can pinpoint your exact location at any given time of day.

If you are in the market for a GPS device, it is important that you understand how it works. Since the GPS devices rely on air signals, you must have a GPS receiver and a clear view of the sky for them to work. When your device is turned on it is actually linking up with 27 orbital satellites in place around the planet. Four of the nearest satellites are located and the distance from them to you is calculated via the hand held device. The process is called trilateration. Based on that, the GPS device can determine where you are on the planet. Pretty neat huh?

When you look at the different types of GPS devices out there, you may wonder which one is right for you. Prices can range from $100- 5000 dollars, so it is important to do your homework. Find out what features each device has, and determine whether you need them or not. The following is a list of tips to get you started when you are shopping.

- Research the name brand. Though GPS technology is fairly new, the manufacturer should have a long track record of creating quality electronics.

- Dont buy the cheapest or the most expensive GPS device out there. The cheapest may not meet your expectations and the most expensive one probably has too much extra stuff you will never use.

- Look for a large display, lighted if you are going to be traveling at night.

- If you plan on traveling by foot look for a model that is lightweight, and water resistant.

Once you decide on a model that you are interested in, head over to your local sports supply store. Get prices on the model above and below it for a good range. You can also try to look at auction sites like Ebay.com to find a good deal. If you are lucky enough to find one that is used, make sure to test it out first to make sure that it works properly.

Deciding to buy a GPS system is a personal one, so make sure that you understand the ins and outs of the technology. If you do a variety of different activities a good basic, waterproof model will do the trick. If you have friends or family members that own a GPS system, ask them if they are happy with their purchase. That way you can get an honest opinion on the different brands out there. An online opinion site like epinions.com is also a great place for honest answers.

Adrienne MacDonald is a freelance author and contributing writer to http://www.gpsresource.info site that provides free information on global positioning systems.



 

Institutional Reforms In The Higher Education Sector Of Mozambique And Ethical Issues

The need to eradicate poverty through increased literacy

One of the central goals defined by the Government of Mozambique in its long-term development strategy is poverty reduction through labour-intensive economic growth. The highest priority is assigned to reduce poverty in rural areas, where 90 percent of poor Mozambicans live, and also in urban zones. The Government recognizes also that, for this development strategy on poverty eradication to succeed, expansion and improvement in the education system are critically important elements in both long-term and short-term perspectives.

In the long term, universal access to education of acceptable quality is essential for the development of Mozambiques human resources, and the economic growth will depend to a significant extend on the education and training of the labour force. It is very important to develop a critical mass of well trained and highly qualified workforce which in turn will improve the overall literacy, intellectual development, training capacity and technical skills in various areas of the countrys economic and industrial development.

In the short term, increased access and improved quality in basic education are powerful mechanisms for wealth redistribution and the promotion of social equity. This policy is consistent with the provisions of the new Constitution of Mozambique adopted on 16 November 2004, in its articles 113 and 114 which deal respectively with education and higher education. Around the year 1990, the Government of Mozambique decided to change its social, economic and political orientation system from the centrally-planned system inherited from the communist era and adopted a western-style of free market system. At the same time, it was also decided to adopt fundamental changes in the education programmes. Since drastic changes and wide ranging effects were resulting from the adoption of the new economic and political orientation, it was necessary to provide new guidelines and rules governing the management of institutions of higher education.

The struggle continues: a luta continua !

The economic and political changes were progressively introduced with success through legislative and regulatory reforms. However, it has not been very easy to evenly change rules of social and cultural behaviour. In particular, vulnerable younger generations are the most affected by the rapid changes in society, while the reference model and values they expect from elder people in the modern Mozambican society seem to be shifting very fast. And in some instances, there seem to be no model at all. The new wave of economic liberalism in Mozambique, better defined by the popular concept of deixa andar, literally meaning laisser-faire, was mistakenly adopted as the guiding principle in the areas of social, cultural and education development.

The laisser-faire principle is better understood by economists and entrepreneurs in a system of open market and free entrepreneurship, under which the Governments intervention is reduced to exercising minimum regulatory agency. The recent considerable economic growth realized by the Government of Mozambique (10% of successive growth index over four years) is attributed mainly to this free market policy. This principle should be carefully differentiated from laisser-aller which, in French language, rather means lack of discipline in academic, economic, social and cultural environments. Reforming higher education institutions represents a real challenge, both at the institutional and pedagogic levels, not only in Mozambique, but elsewhere and in particular in African countries faced with the problem of acculturation. The youth seeking knowledge opportunities in national universities, polytechnics and higher institutes, where students are somehow left on their own, having no longer any need to be under permanent supervision of their parents or teachers, are disoriented. Since reforms in higher education institutions take longer than in any other institutional environment, it is necessary indeed to adopt adequate transitional measures to respond to urgent need of the young generations.

This essay reviews current trends and the recent historical background of higher education institutions of Mozambique. It argues against the adoption of the classical model of higher education from European and other western systems. In its final analysis, it finds that there is need to include ethical and deontology (social, cultural and moral education) components as priority sectors within the curriculum in higher education institutions, with a view to instill in the students and lecturers positive African values in general, and in particular, national Mozambican models. It is rejecting the neo-liberal thinking, which proposes that students in higher education institutions should be allowed to enjoy unlimited academic, social and intellectual uncontrolled independence, in conformity with western classical education and cultural orientation. It advocates for critical thinking and brainstorming on key issues towards the development of positive cultural and ethical models in higher education institutions which could be used to promote knowledge development and poverty eradication in the countrys rural areas and urban zones affected by unemployment, pandemics and economic precariousness.

The colonial legacy and its cultural impact on higher education in Mozambique.

Many experts have described the Mozambican mother of higher education as an institution for colonialists and assimilados . The first institution of higher education in Mozambique was established by the Portuguese government in 1962, soon after the start of the African wars of independence. It was called the General University Studies of Mozambique (Estudos Gerais Universitrios de Moambique EGUM). In 1968, it was renamed Loureno Marques University. The university catered for the sons and daughters of Portuguese colonialists. Although the Portuguese government preached non-racism and advocated the assimilation of its African subjects to the Portuguese way of life, the notorious deficiencies of the colonial education system established under the Portuguese rule ensured that very few Africans would ever succeed in reaching university level. However, many educated African were led to adopt the colonial lifestyle.

In spite of Portugal's attempts to expand African educational opportunities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, only about 40 black Mozambican students - less than 2 per cent of the student body -had entered the University of Loureno Marques by the time of independence in 1975. The state and the university continued to depend heavily on the Portuguese and their descendants. Even the academic curriculum was defined according to the needs and policies defined long ago by the colonial power. Soon after Independence in June 1975, the Government of Mozambique, from the FRELIMO party, adopted a Marxist-Leninist orientation and a centrally planned economy. The educational system was nationalized, and the university was renamed after Dr. Eduardo Mondlane, the first president of FRELIMO.

Many cadres trained in Portugal and other European and American universities came also with their own educational and cultural background. Apart from the Eduardo Mondlane University, new public and private universities and institutes were established. These include the Pedagogic University, the ISRI, the Catholic University, ISPU, ISCTEM and ISUTC. Most of these institutions adopted a curriculum clearly modeled on the classical European model. There is still need to integrate African traditional values in the course profiles offered and research programmes developed by these institutions.

The traditional role of a university is to enlighten and serve as a reference within the society: illuminatio et salus populi. Today, Mozambique is one of the most culturally and racially diversified society of Africa. This diversity should be considered as a cultural treasure for the nation. It has become however apparent that its more a Babel Tower case, as no unified Mozambican values appear to develop from this wide variety. With the creation of new public and private universities and new faculties, it would become easier to increase a critical mass of university lecturers and academic professionals, who would in their turn, influence the society, creating and instilling national positive values and ethical principles of conduct in the younger generations. According to many lecturers and students contacted at UEM, Universidade Pedagogica UP and UDM, the impact of higher education on the development of positive academic, scientific, social and cultural values in Mozambique is yet to be felt.

It is however necessary to acknowledge the importance of newly introduced community-based education programmes in some institutions. For instance the emphasis on community and service has guided curriculum development at the Catholic University; its course in agronomy (Cuamba) concentrates on peasant and family farming systems and leans heavily on research and outreach within local farming communities. The CU course in medicine (developed in collaboration with the University of Maastricht) which concentrates on teaching medicine, was particularly deemed appropriate for the rural and urban poor populations of Mozambique, as it is more based on problem-solving and focuses much more on traditional issues.

New Reforms in higher education institutions with a more participative approach

Mozambique is one of few countries in Africa where a new generation of leadership has stepped forward to articulate a vision for their institutions, inspiring confidence among those involved in higher education development and the modernization of their universities. In a series of case studies sponsored and published by the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa , it was confirmed that African universities covered by the studies have widely varying contexts and traditions. They are engaged in broad reform, examining and revising their planning processes, introducing new techniques of financial management, adopting new technologies, reshaping course structures and pedagogy, and more important, reforming practices of governance based in particular on their own contexts and traditions.

Important institutional reforms concerning the strategic planning experiences of the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) were initiated and implemented so far. Two strategic planning cycles were developed, the first in 1990 and the second one in 1996 / 97. The second one was meant to adapting to the impacts of newly adopted multi-party democracy, market competition, and globalization. Whereas the first reform cycle was the result of high level officials at the University, the second one was generated using a participatory methodology deemed to be more effective in involving the university staff in the process.

It is important to listen to everyone, and to be seen as listening. We are also convinced that various components of the population in Mozambique should be involved in the next phases of the process with a view to define what kind of education orientation the population would wish to have for their children. There is important progress but yet limited academic impact on the development of the society Considerable progress has been so far made in post-independence Mozambique. After the initial problems caused by the long years of civil war and then the long efforts necessitated by the adjustment to a market-driven economy and a multi-party democratic political order, Mozambique is now considered to have a higher education system that offers a wide variety of course options and extensive research opportunities. However, a major weakness highlighted by many observers is that all the institutions remain basically concentrated in the capital city of Maputo and its neighboring provinces. It is argued that they serve only a limited fraction of the Mozambican population, and are destined to train the elite of prominent people in government and in the professions, industry and commerce. It is also alleged that the majority of the students who succeed in entering public and private institutions of higher education are from relatively rich families.

It is finally emphasized that nearly 80 per cent of university students in Mozambique use Portuguese as their principal means of communication, thus strengthening the perception of establishing, reproducing and consolidating a hereditary elite, with model values copied on western societies. In response to this challenge, it was suggested that the government should encourage the emergence of new and non-traditional HEIs closer to the local communities, able to respond more rapidly and flexibly to the demands and expectations of the public and private sectors for a high quality trained workforce, while addressing both regional and socioeconomic imbalances in the country.

In our final analysis, we find that the impact of higher education institutions on the development and dissemination of traditional African social and cultural values would be very limited for a long period. As long as the access and feed-back from all levels of the society and regions will be left out of the core interaction with the highly educated elite and higher education institutions mainly concentrated in Maputo, the role of universities in promoting African positive values, a culture of academic ethics and deontology in the entire national society will be very limited.

The process of Nation building needs to rely on a strong academic support. One of the Governments main constitutional commitments is to promote the development of the national culture and identity (article 115 of the 2004 Constitution). It is clear that many institutions, for instance the television, are actively promoting cultural diversity through various means. Institutions of higher education should be seen doing more, in particular starting with the students themselves and the academic community members, who are expected to be the light of the society. Such actions would include the integration of courses on ethics and deontology, and develop a wide-ranging variety of education models that reprove negative behavior and promote positive values. Our recommendation is that the Government should for example instruct public universities and other higher education institutions, to appoint Ethics and Deontology Committees at the level of their University Councils and within all autonomous faculties.

Bibliography

-Fry, Peter and Utui, Rogro (1999), The Strategic Planning Experience at Eduardo Mondlane University, ADEA Working Paper on Higher Education, ADEA, Association for the Development of Education in Africa, Paris.
-Mouzinho, Mrio ; Fry, Peter ; Levey, Lisbeth and Chilundo, Arlindo (2001), Higher Education in Mozambique: A Case study, The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, New York University, New York

The author, is a lecturer and an International Consultant on Trade and Investment, Director of InterConsult Mozambique and is the Representative of Emerging Market Focus (Pty) in Mozambique. Coments on this article are encouraged.



 

Book Review: <I>How to Get Your Child to Love Reading</i>

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived when author Esm Raji Codell was staring at a shriveled potato that was sprouting eyes. She wondered, " . . . if I had a potato, nothing but a potato, how could I teach a classroom full of children? Well, I could cut a potato in half. (I can use the paring knife from my own kitchen, right?) We could review fractions. With one half, I could cut a design and do potato prints. We could plant the eyes from the other half of the potato (it can have eyes, right?) and grow more potatoes, charting their growth." The ideas cascade: writing a story about a potato, making a book of potato recipes or potato poems, making potato stamps of all the letters, teaching reading, getting books from the library about potatoes, talking about the Irish potato famine, writing letters to executives about potato chips or Mr. Potato Head.

The preceding excerpt illustrates the boundless creativity of Esm Raji Codell. On this first page she establishes the metaphor that recurs throughout How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: "Children's literature is our national potato." It is the seed that, through its many shoots, can help our children become caring, educated citizens.

Although the cover dubs How to Get Your Child to Love Reading a "Parent's Guide," this book is a treasure trove for teachers, librarians, grandparents, anyone who cares about children and books. It provides "activities, ideas, and inspiration for exploring everything in the world through books." It is a valuable resource for nourishing juvenile readers, both the reluctant and the ravenous.

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading includes over 3,000 titles recommended for children from birth through eighth grade. However, it doesn't stop with mere recommendations. As Esm says, "This book is a recipe book for children's literature: how to serve it up so it's delicious and varied."

After a section on reading with "the littlest bambinos," How to Get Your Child to Love Reading is organized by subject matter: social studies, math and science, story books, etc. Esm subdivides the broad categories, however, so that book lists have very specific headings. She offers books for specific seasons, for special occasions (such as the arrival of a sibling or the loss of a tooth), for dealing with everyday problems (tattling or the hiccups).

Because the categories are so specific, many books are listed simply by title and author. That is sufficient. Sometimes Esm adds just a word or two of description. For example, in the math section the note "place value" beside the title The King's Commissioners is extremely elucidating. For some books Esm provides sentence summaries. For others she provides more information, even excerpts. She provides just enough information to whet our appetites.

But How to Get Your Child to Love Reading has so much more! Esm's wisdom and revelry shine through on every page. Esm includes dozens of articles, some on controversial subjects (for example, should reading be rewarded?). She has recurring features honoring "reading heroes" and addressing questions about various aspects of reading. She provides a list of benefits of reading aloud, a "Happy Childhood Checklist," a list of "Must-Reads by the Time You're Thirteen," six pages of story starters. She offers suggestions for integrating literature with life, often in celebration -- a parade of books, a storytelling festival, an unbirthday party. She recommends additional resources, many of them on the Internet.

Appendices and indices round out How to Get Your Child to Love Reading. The appendices include Newbery and Caldecott Award honorees as well as winners. Information about a specific book is easy to find since the books are triply indexed -- by title, author, and subject.

I am thrilled to have discovered Esm Raji Codell. She is indeed an exuberant, eloquent young voice for promoting literacy through children's literature. How to Get Your Child to Love Reading may well offer the best hope for stemming the current tide of illiteracy.

A parent and former teacher, Fran Hamilton is the author of Hands-On English, now in its second edition. Hands-On English gives quick access to English fundamentals and makes grammar visual by using icons to represent parts of speech. The book is for anyone 9 years or older, including adults. Fran also publishes companion products to Hands-On English and free e-mail newsletters: LinguaPhile, published monthly, is for people who teach and/or enjoy English; Acu-Write, published weekly, addresses common errors in English. For more information, visit http://www.GrammarAndMore.com.



 

How To Sound Like David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

David Gilmour, like his Pink Floyd predecessor Syd Barrett, played a Telecaster initially, but he soon became one of the first British rock guitar legends to favor the Fender Stratocaster and to create a signature sound with the instrument. His parents bought the Tele for Davids 21st birthday, and he played it for a year (including on the Saucerful of Secrets record) until it was lost by an airline.

Upon officially joining Pink Floyd, Gilmour purchased a custom Stratocaster (the first of many) at a Cambridge music store. During the early Pink Floyd years, Gilmour played a Strat almost exclusively, taking full advantage of its wide tonal palette and vibrato bar in his style. He used a Lewis 24-fret electric guitar on rare occasions for its extended range, as in the solo of Money, and continued to employ a Tele sporadically in the repertory. Gilmour strung his electric guitars with Gibson Sonomatic strings made of a customized light-top (using the standard E and B for the B and G) and heavy-bottom set gauged .010, .012, .016, .028, .038, and .050. He used a Herco heavy-gauge pick.

David Gilmours earliest amp setup with Pink Floyd consisted of a Selmer 50-watt head with a 412 speaker cabinet. By 1970, he found his signature sound with a stack made of Hiwatt 100-watt heads with WEM 412 cabinets. The Hiwatt/WEM combination can be heard conspicuously on Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon. In the studio, he sometimes added a Fender Twin Reverb combo amp with two 12-inch speakers to his lineup for certain parts, as on Dark Side of the Moon.

David Gilmours early Floyd effects consisted of a Binson Echorec tape delay (like Barrett, he used this device from his first days with the band), a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzzface fuzz box, Uni-Vibe pedal, Vox wah-wah pedal, a DeArmond volume pedal, and Leslie and Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinets. The latter were routed through the output sections of Hiwatt heads and then to WEM 412 cabinets. In 1972, his effects boxes were mounted in a custom cabinet, and his array of processors grew to include a second Binson Echorec and a second Fuzzface, an MXR Phase 90, a Crybaby wah-wah, an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, Big Muff fuzz, an Orange treble and bass booster, and a custom-built tone pedal.

Additionally, Gilmour used studio effects like ADT (Automatic Double Tracking, a favorite studio processor first developed at Abbey Road Studios for the Beatles), Kepex for tremolo, various tape effects, studio echo chambers, and backwards guitar. He also employed an EMS Synthi Hi-Fi guitar synthesizer (heard on Time on Dark Side of the Moon), and usually played a lap steel or Fender twin neck pedal steel guitar for slide parts. He used various acoustic guitars on early Floyd tracks, later settling on Martin D-18 and D-35 models in the 1970s, and, depending on the song, alternated between fingerpicking and playing with a plectrum.

Andy Ng is a self taught guitar enthusiast. He have played guitar for the last 5 yrs and still going strong! He is also a leading expert on the art of building homemade effect pedals. Pick up tips, techniques and just plain guitar talk at his blog! http://www.guitareffectssecrets.andy-ng.com



 

Home Burglar Alarm - What You Need To Know

Home burglar alarms are great idea to not only protect your home from intruders, but to give you peace of mind as well. There are many benefits of installing a home burglar alarm that we can take a quick look at.

1. Protection

This is obviously the main reason to install any type of alarm. You want to keep a burglar from entering your home and possibly causing physical harm to you and your family.

Burglar alarms that work with infra-red technology will sound an alarm the moment anyone attempts to enter through a door or window in your home.

2. Location

If you have a good home burglar alarm system it will not only sound an alarm at the moment of a break-in, but it will immediately allow you to know where the break-in is occurring.

If you're not home at the time then this isn't important, but if you are, then this gives you the chance to get your family away from the area of the break-in.

If your burglar alarm is connected to a monitoring system it will also alert the authorities and the police as to exactly where the entry point is. This can be important in letting them know where to focus their search upon arrival.

3. Insurance

Another advantage of having a home alarm system installed is the money you will save on your home insurance premiums.

Most every home insurance company offers s substantial discount on their policies when you have a home security system operating. This discount can save you big bucks that would otherwise go back to the insurance company.

I think you can see that installing a home burglar alarm makes sense. Not only will it help protect your home and keep your family more safe, but it can actually save you money for years to come.

By the way, you can learn more about a Home Burglar Alarm as well as much more information on Home Security Systems at http://www.HomeSecurityA-Z.com



 

The Internet Effect

What astounds me about the Internet is how it never ceases to surprise. Every now and again, and it seems more now than again, a web site or Internet application comes along and rocks the inter-web. A long time ago, Google came along and changed the face of search forever.

The people behind these applications seldom anticipate the effect of their application on the rest of the world. I doubt that Bil Gates thought Windows would become the operating system it is at the moment. Sergey and Larry didn't thing Google would become the king of search and price of advertising on the Internet.

Steve Jobs tried to conquer the world with the iPod, and to a large degree he has succeeded. What he built to support the iPod had become a powerhouse all in it's self. iTunes, has now been rated the third largest music seller in the world. They sell more music than Amazon.

The reality of an Internet application is that when the developers put everything they can into it, to make it the best, not so that it would make the most money, but that it would attract the most users.

Google didn't make a cent until years after, when the investors started putting pressures on. iTunes wasn't build to make money, more that it was built to support the iPod.

The first version of iTunes was launched on January 9, 2001. It wasn't until April 28, 2003 that the iTunes store was launched, and that's where things really started taking off. So the progression of iTunes has been over a period of 6 years.

I think there is a lesson in this for anyone who wants to make money on the Internet. The lesson is simple: it will not happen overnight. Build your website, work hard and don't give up. I've seen way too many sites selling you an ebook that will make you rich in a couple of weeks. The reality is, that as quickly as you make money, you will loose it, and stop making it. Most of these 'programs' hinge on the back of a small hole in the fibre of the Internet, that will get exposed by millions, and closed in no time.

If you want to make money, make something people want, and will continue to use.

Shawn's Weekly, http://www.shawnsweekly.com is a collection of useful information for anyone who works on a computer.



 

Learn French The Fast And Fun Way: 5 Tips For Succeeding

Learning a new language, or brushing up on a language that you haven't used for a while can be both fun and intimidating.

French is spoken by over 100 million people worldwide, is an official language of many international organisations, and is universally acknowledged as the language of love and romance.

Little wonder then that many people aspire to learning the language, and most would like to learn french the fast and fun way. In order to do that, a few pointers are in order.

1) You are not going to learn a language by osmosis, especially if you are an adult. So, some effort will be needed on your side. That doesn't mean boring or hard, just some application.

2) Before you throw in the towel, realise that you can make really good progress in conversational french by knowing only 500 odd words and a few basic sentence constructions. Memorising a few key sentences will do wonders for your confidence and enthusiasm for the language.

3) The more you practice your new language skills, the better you will become in all spheres of the language. Easy to learn french lessons are wasted if you don't put them to use.

4) If you want to learn french easily and are not living in a french speaking area, then make sure that the program you follow offers a variety of ways in which you can learn various aspects of the language. Variety is the spice of life as the saying goes and it keeps you interested and challenged.

5) Lighten up. Yes, you are going to make mistakes and sound horrible from time to time. But that is no reason to give up.There has to be some pain for gain and its a small, temporary price to pay in order to achieve your goal of learning to speak french.

Whatever your reason for learning french, making progress quickly and keeping a sense of humour is bound to help you realise your goal.

Learning French can be great fun. Get a feel for this wonderful language with a Free 6 Day Introductory Course



 

Business Training - Real Estate Agents, Prospecting-Four Streams of Revenue

OK. Let me first start with the secret, there is not one when it comes to building a Real Estate business. Too often I read articles on the one magic prospecting technique, that if you implement now, will revolutionize your business. Hey, if it's out there, I've yet to find it after twenty years of selling. That being said there are ways to increase your rate of return to make sure you are maximising the available tools and systems out there. The "Four Streams of Revenue" approach is one. Follow the initial four steps, then start to integrate the remaining steps and I can guarantee you will see your business not only survive a changing market but thrive.

1. Identify the forms of prospecting available to you. Sit down and write them out. Take your time. I can easily identify thirty nine in my area.

2. Acknowledge the ones you are good at. Look at the list and be honest with yourself, its OK to brag a little.

3. Check off the ones that you like to do (from step #2). This is the key, which ones are you good at AND you like to do? This is interesting, sometimes you might be good at something, but no enjoy it. If this is the case then do not write it down in this step.

4. Now, pick four (from step #3). Simple. You now have four types of prospecting that are available to you, you're good at and you enjoy. This is the foundation.

The logic: If your business is coming from four different areas, you don't have to panic if two of the prospecting methods are not producing or the market changes. With this model the other two will compensate and produce a steady stream of leads and ultimately, sales. Yes it's that easy, but wait, there's more. These are the basic steps to start to build the model. Lets go to Def-Con (level) two.

5. Ensure two of the forms of prospecting (from step #4) are warm lead generators. Important, why? Because you always have to look at rate of return. Am I being efficient and effective? Incorporate FSBO's, Expireds, Farming-both geographic and demographic, PIK (people I know) list, Past clients-repeat and referral, Charity organisations, Sporting clubs, community organisations etc.

6. Make sure one form (from step #4) is cold. This is crucial to ensure you are always getting yourself out there in touch with new buyers and sellers (I refer to this as skimming). Nothing keeps you more grounded in Real Estate than cold prospecting. Focus on Cold doors, Cold calling, Ad calls, Sign calls, Open house etc.

7. Next, make sure the fourth one (from step #4) is adaptable. This one is a little tricky. When I say adaptable, what I mean is some type of prospecting that is unique to your market and could be considered unproven (though not necessary) and easily changed like Shopping carts, bus benches, direct mail, bill boards, joint ventures with affiliates and local businesses etc.

Now. There is logic and twenty years of evolution behind all of these steps. You want to build a prospecting model that has some serious thought put into it. Gone are the days of Glen Gary-Glen Ross (if you are under 35 years old that one will miss you) of begging for the "golden" leads. Today's Realtor has to be a strategic planner with an understanding of the market past, present and future. Don't just go out blindly and knock on doors (as I did for my first five years). Think about, plan it. If you don't you WILL become a victim of the market. I see it all the time and there is always a common denominator, lack of understanding of the business you got into.

So there you have it. When I had this model up and running, it was generating over $30,000,000 worth of sales per year. Simple, yes. Easy, not always. Replicatible, absolutely. Effective, YES!

Daryl Rouse has been in the real estate business for over twenty years. He has ranked in the top 1% in the country (USA). His achievements are outstanding when you understand where he came from and what he had to overcome to realise his goals. Daryl had months where he sold over 30 houses and listed more than 40 properties. His consistency is testament to his application of time tested strategies.

He has a philosophy: Find the simplest way to do everything while maintaining a consumer-centric business model. All of Daryl's successes are able to be replicated by the newbie agent or the veteran. In 1993 Daryl created his coaching/training company, Peak Performance Quest. Through this medium he has taught over 1000 seminars . Everything Daryl teaches is borne from actual experience. He speaks candidly about his first year in the business, and what a disaster it was (6 hrs prospecting per day and only 2 sales). Daryl knows the average agent can relate. The good news is year 2 and every year after got a LOT better. Go to http://www.PeakPerformanceQuest.com for more info on coaching/training.



 

Work At Home Business Opportunity

With how fast communication is being processed right now, it is not surprising that all kinds of business are created as a response to the emerging markets and business opportunities brought about by the World Wide Web.

Now, people can transact online, without even having to meet or see each other. Business deals are finalized and inked online through a series of emails. In fact, the internet is cluttered with all forms of money-makers, from virtual stores that sell almost everything to companies that hosts web and handle bulk mails.

Because of this, more and more people are staying at home and harnessing the power of the online world. With just a few clicks of the mouse, they can already build their business, manage it and make it grow.

There are however some kinds of business that will only work online and those that will thrive both online and direct.

Webpage constructing and hosting.

Although internet is pretty much a by word, not everyone can actually explain how it is constructed and how it works. When it comes to the technicality of constructing and managing websites, most people will be clueless.

This is why a lot of webpage constructing and web hosting companies are making great money these days. And because their business largely involves the Internet, they can do their work anywhere as long as they connected. With this kind of company, services can be sold both online and through other mediums.

Content providers

Webpages are not just blank canvasses that contain nothing. Along with the boom of Online Commerce is the increasing need for writers and graphic artists who can provide relevant and readable materials for the sites. Content providers may be hired per project or per article or artwork.

Some content providers also provide support for internet marketing by providing materials that will optimize internet searches. And like the other business that are constructed with the Internet market in mind, this can also be managed and done at the comfort of your own home. You dont even have to go out and do research because everything you will need is already there in the Internet. All you need to do is search.

Mlm

This is one form of business that has become a hit recently. This is perhaps brought on not only by faster connections but also the fact that more and more people are in need of additional income.

Unlike content providers and webpage constructing and hosting, multi-level marketing business is not a product of the world wide web. However, because of the speed by which information is transmitted over the internet, people use the web as a medium for these kinds of businesses. MLM refers to a kind of retail practice that uses levels of people to sell their products.

Resembling a pyramid, one person, who sells the product, will have many people under him or her who will also sell the products to people under them.

And because this is basically marketing and selling in its purest form, mlm-ers use emails and yahoo messengers to entice and recruit more sales agents for their products. They also construct websites that offer big earnings for people even while they are at home, something that will target stay-home parents who are in need of part time work.

Article written by top Internet Marketer Shane Woods, to learn more about Shane Woods please visit Who is Shane Woods if you would like to learn more about MLM please visit MLM Success



 

New Elvis Presley Song Emerges

In May 2006, information was released to the press and public regarding a song that was cowritten by Elvis Presley. The songs were never published or released until now. Paul Terry King recently announced that he, and Elvis Presley, cowrote the songs titled, 'Rollin' Up Hill' and 'If I'd Only Bought Her Roses', in the fall of 1970.

Paul Terry King, a songwriter of several popular country and pop songs in the 1960s and 1970s, recently submitted a press release specifying details about the songs. Mr. King claims while working with artists at American Recording Studio in Memphis Tennessee, he worked with Elvis Presley, and cowrote two songs titled 'Rollin' Up Hill' and 'If I'd Only Bought Her Roses'. Paul Terry King explains that this was several of many recording sessions, one of which produced the hit song, 'Suspicious Minds'.

Paul Terry King claims that Elvis visited him in Nashville to write other songs, as well. He states that he and Elvis had many conversations about world politics, current events, religion, family and children, marriage and love, and several other subjects.

Mr. King explains that Elvis had an explicit interest in writing music, as well as recording and performing. However, he was unsure about releasing any self published works at the time due to uncertainty as to how well it would do, and how his manager would respond.

However, Mr. King goes on to explain how the songs were created. Elvis came to his home in late 1970. He tells the story that he and Elvis conversed for many hours into the night, and early morning, as several new music works emerged. Mr. King goes on to explain that Elvis was much more talented than people pay him credit. Elvis was a good actor and continued to hope for better and more dramatic roles. He also aspired to develop into a good songwriter as well. The song 'If I'd Only Bought Her Roses', is about a man who desires to have another chance with his only love, and wishes he'd done things differently. Note that it is not hard to imagine Elvis in that certain frame of mind with what he was experiencing in his own personal life.

The other song, 'Rollin' Up Hill', is about overcoming life's obstacles in the midst of a man facing all odds against him. The driving force by which he wins the race is the power of love, which the song clearly communicates.

The song 'Rollin' Up Hill', is the song I was able to hear and sample. There was talk about a Elvis Presley reality series taking place in Las Vegas among various Elvis tribute artists.

The winner receiving prizes and publicity, including the honor of recording the two songs which Elvis cowrote. However, even though the taping of the show was begun in August of 2006, it was not revealed to me the reason why it wasn't finished.

However, the songs were not recorded by any of the Elvis impersonator's who attended the rehearsals in Las Vegas. Instead, the songs were forwarded to, and recorded by, William Riopelle, a former Elvis Presley tribute artist, now living in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

William Riopelle, performed as an Elvis Presley tribute artist for several years and performed many places. Of his many experiences, some of the highlights were performing in Las Vegas in the show Legends In Concert, recording a rockabilly tune at Sun Records in Memphis now called Sam Phillips Recording Studio, and being managed by George Klein, a disc jockey in Memphis Tennessee, who was a very close friend of Elvis Presley. Indeed, George Klein, was Elvis' best man at his wedding, and a pallbearer at his funeral.

George Klein is not a man who typically gets excited about Elvis Presley impersonators. However William Riopelle's talent was so original and unique, that George Klein made an exception in his case.

William Riopelle, who no longer performs as an Elvis Presley tribute artist, has moved on to other things and has since received various science degrees in college, and an advanced degree in physical therapy as well. Indeed, an Elvis Presley Tribute Artist with a brain! William Riopelle once went by the stage name of 'Billy Elvis.'

He is said to have changed his name to Billy Detroit at the advice of George Klein, who urged William not to use the name of 'Elvis' in his own name. George Klein believed in Mr. Riopelle's talent enough to get a songwriter to write a demo song for him and request a free recording session from Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis Presley at Sun Records Recording Studio in Memphis Tennessee in 1954. Although the recordings were heard by various recording labels, ultimately they rejected William Riopelle's works due to the fact that he sounded "too close to Elvis Presley" and they thought the public was not ready, or interested, in an Elvis sound alike.

However, since Elvis Presley's popularity has not shown any signs of decreasing over the years, and has even increased, the interest in an authentic Elvis Presley sound alike may be beginning to emerge.

Indeed, the public would certainly be interested in hearing a song which Elvis Presley cowrote. I believe the public would be interested in anything that Elvis Presley wrote.

Although there are Presley insiders who would validate Paul Terry King's story, there are others who would disdain it. Like any controversial story regarding Elvis Presley, it is very likely that you will once again have to be the judge.

A sample of the song 'Rollin' Up Hill', has been made available for free, and can be heard on the Internet by Paul Terry King. Details about listening to the song can be found in the resource box below.

Information about how to listen to a portion of the song, Rollin' Up Hill, can be located at http://www.searchforelvis.com/rollinuphill.html Jonathon Bates is a writer, and publicist for various news and entertainment outlets.



 

Yatra Movie review

He is a Mahara-shtrian, living in Andhra Pradesh, writing Hindi books with Farsi titles. While you try to figure this out, Goutam Ghoses Yatra keeps getting derailed at several places.

In the process of deciphering a writers imagination that moves between fact and fiction, Ghose goes almost breathless with an anti-consumerism message. The writer Dashrath Joglekar (Nana Patekar distracted), on his way to Delhi to receive an award, meets a filmmaker (Nakul Vaid) and they get talking. Dashrath flashbacks to his novel Janaza, in which an alter ego, gets involved in the life of a courtesan Lajwanti (Rekha). She has been raped by her patrons friends, and has nowhere to go. When the patrons men threaten the family, he takes her to Hyderabads red light area, where she is presumably happy.

At the awards function, ironically sponsored by a steel company (is corporate support for culture even a big issue any more?), Dashrath gives a big speech against the evils of materialismwhich is the literal bit. At a more abstract level, Ghoses (or Dashraths) ideas keep popping in as sudden inserts random scenes about identity-eroding BPO culture, a callous media, the dangers of the MMS enabled cell phone, farmer suicides and so on.

All of this vaguely connects to Dashraths life/ art, when he ignores his wife (Deepti Navalcompetent) and kids to take his trophy to Lajwanti, who he has presumably not met after he left her at the bordello. She takes a break in her classical music riyaaz to do a raunchy bar dance like dance number for a bunch of drunk menwhich is probably meant as a criticism of Bollywood destroying the classical arts.

Dashraths time at Lajwantis house gets increasingly bizarre, and the film ends on an inconclusive notethe whole experience leaving the viewer befuddled and emotionally indifferent. Rekha has played the tawaif so often, she moves from Munnibai to Umrao Jaan with languid ease and offers no surprises; however, her spark saves the film from fizzling out completely.

Ghose has made some very powerful films in the past like Dakhal, Paar and Antarjali Yatra here his desire for making a profound statement and reaching a wider audience makes him stumble and fall between two stools. Those looking for the Goutam Ghose kind of cinema will be disappointed, a new audience not exposed to his work will be unforgiving.

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