Historically, the real estate trends of California have always been the precursors for the rest of the country. Which is why leading players of the real estate market keep a close watch on the Golden State’s real estate market conditions. And whether you are a first time homebuyer, debating the viability of building your dream house in San Bernardino, or a real estate investor looking to sell condominium units in Los Angeles, you certainly want to know: When is it the optimum time to buy or sell? Purchasing a house is a major investment. With judicious planning, this valuable asset will appreciate with each year. But how do you get the big picture? Fortunately, real estate trends are predictable because these develop over a long period, unlike the stock market, which is rather volatile. The first thing you will need to do is to read and track real estate articles: the market reports of the California Association of Realtors or the California Building Industry Association, and the briefs created by housing analyst companies. Once you have identified the following key indicators you will have a better grasp of the general trends in California’s real estate market. THE FIVE KEY INDICATORS TO WATCH Interest Rates When interest rates rise, buyers shy away. Conversely, lowered interest rates attract more buyers. This year, interest rates in California are on an upswing. For example, thirty-year fixed mortgage rates, which averaged 5.71 percent in 2005, has risen to 6 percent levels in January 2006. And adjustable mortgage interest rates have moved up to 5 percent levels compared to 4.12 percent in 2005. Building Permits The higher the number of building permits issued, the higher the demand for houses. Figures show that number of building permits issued for the year 2006, have fallen by 10 percent in comparison to last year’s figures. In terms of houses, that’s a decrease of 1,430 building permits compared to January 2005 figures, according to California Building Industry Association report. Home Sales This key indicator refers to the total number of homes sold. In the law of supply and demand, when there are few buyers, real estate prices fall. The January 2006 figures of the California Association of Realtors reveal that the number of existing single-family detached homes sold, has gone down by 24.1 percent in comparison to sales for the entire year 2005. Another factor to consider is the growing inventory of available houses in certain counties in California, which is changing the market dynamics. What was once a sellers market is slowly turning into a buyers market. Loan Defaults This refers to the failure of homeowners to pay their monthly mortgage fees. One downside to this is that many Californian homeowners are choosing to have a bad credit report, rather than to keep paying fees for a home whose value has been inflated by as much as 20 percent more. Foreclosure Sales Figures presented by DataQuick Information Systems, a housing analyst company, indicate that foreclosure activities in California have gone up by 19 percent in the last quarter of 2005. This is an increase of 3 percent compared to the third quarter of 2005, and is 4.6 percent higher when compared to 2004’s last quarter figures. When foreclosure sales are on an upswing, consumer spending is down and consumer debt levels have risen. In the real estate market, this has meant that many financially strapped homeowners are selling their homes at lower prices. The other contributable factors are inflation, the rising prices of gasoline, federal budget deficit, and interest rates. Concurrently, these key indicators confirm that although home sales levels in California are falling, the demand for houses remains strong and steady. Always do your due diligence before undertaking a purchase of property in California.
Sunday, 2 October 2016
Introduction to argentina soccer
Ok, you know all about the passion for soccer in Brazil from Ronaldinho's promo ads, but what about Argentina soccer? Why is it that a country that suffers and lives for soccer equally as the Brazilians don't get their fair share of spotlight time? Admittedly, one of the reasons is its smaller trophy room in comparison to Brazil's (2 titles in 4 finals for Argentina, 5 titles in 7 finals for Brazil) but still...In order to do it justice, I decided to accustom you to football in Argentina. Argentina soccer was organized in amateur or semi-professional local championships at the dawn of the 20th century and despite the fact that Argentina's national soccer team played its first match in 1901, don't think it was the same type of national team you would have today. Most of the players, spotted in the semi-professional championships formed up that 1930 World Cup finalist team, after which most of them returned to mediocrity. In 1931, the first professional country-wide championship was instituted, although not all teams were affiliated to the national association. For example, only teams from Buenos Aires, Avellaneda and La Plata formed the championship structure in the first years, with teams from Santa Fe or Rosario joining later on. This early championship called the Metropolitano did not allow other provincial teams to join and due to increasing demand, the Argentina soccer association finally created a fully nation-wide competition in 1967, called the Nacional. For several years, the Nacional and Metropolitano championships were played separately. The Nacional was a 1-group championship, of which the six best teams would be eligible to take part in the Metropolitano next year. It would be until 1985 that Argentina soccer would hold this structure, after which the Nacional became the main championship. In Argentina, football holds two "seasons" as of 1991, named the Clausura and Apertura (the closing and the opening), and played as two distinct single-round championships. Each year, relegation is calculated based on a three-year average and the 2 teams with the lowest average are relegated, with 2 teams with the highest three-year average from the lower division are promoted. I have to admit, this system they adopted for football in Argentina was a bit weird at first and needed some getting used to. But I can also see the advantages of such a system. There are 5 teams that have dominated Argentina soccer ever since the Metropolitano championship was created: River Plate, Independiente, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo and Racing Club are fighting for the title of Champions each year, for the past 50 years or so. Unfortunately, it's a case of "rich get richer" and smaller teams have less and less of a chance to be crowned as Argentina soccer champions, with these 5 (especially the first 3) dominating and monopolizing the competitions. It's these 5 clubs that launched many of the greatest Argentina soccer players on the world stage, although most of them transferred to powerful European clubs after only a few years at their home clubs. A few noteworthy examples include Alfredo Di Stefano (River Plate), Diego Maradona (Boca Juniors), Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors), Daniel Passarela (River Plate), Esteban Cambiasso (Independiente) or Guillermo Franco (San Lorenzo).
Introductory course on e learning
: The scope of this introductory article in e-learning methods and practices is to provide the readers with the necessary knowledge to develop e-learning courses. Developers of e-learning courses should be able to: 1) Understand in which cases e-learning constitutes an appropriate educational method 2) Define the educational needs of their learning groups 3) Write distance education materials 4) Choose the adequate ways of communication between students and tutors as well as between students themselves 5) Become effective e-tutors 6) Provide student support, when necessary 7) Assess the students in an effective way 8) Evaluate the effectiveness of their courses Methodology The duration of a course, as well as its exact contents, depend on the educational needs of the specific group of learners. Therefore, the first step in the designing of the course will be to identify the specific needs of the learners. A detailed questionnaire should be distributed to the target group and their answers will be measured qualitatively and quantitatively. The questionnaire will measure the IT level of the learners, their previous experience in e-learning or other distance education methods, their learning and communication patterns, etc. Those answers will form the basis of the course’s planning. Α bibliographical research in each country’s social, political, educational and technological background is also essential in order to understand the prospective learners and plan a program that fits their needs as well as their customs. Unfortunately, as Robinson (1995, p.225) pinpoints, a significant amount of research and studies based on the subject of student support and communication in e-courses has been developed on the basis of an analogous cultural context: the formal, institutionally-based higher education of the developed world. The imposition of this context has created a false “norm” and has undervalued the importance of diversity in the development of open and distance educational courses. The aim of this research will be to identify the context-specific factors, which shape the learners’ needs, mainly: *The geographical distribution of learners *The technological infrastructure *The economical capabilities *The socio-cultural diversity The study and analysis of the bibliography and the questionnaires will enable the educational team to develop a course, with respect to the diversity of the specific learning community. The findings will be used particularly in the designing of the communication methods and patterns and the system of student support. The course will be designed in order to provide high levels of interactivity between learners. The students will have a lot of opportunities to communicate with each other in both synchronous and asynchronous ways, exchange viewpoints and, the most important, undertake team-work projects. One of the most significant advantages of the online distributed courses is the ability to bring people from diverse cultures closer by creating multicultural learning communities. Thus, the collaboration between students will add value to the students’ learning experience, since it will offer them the chance to view the world from a wider perspective. The projects and assessment exercises that the students will undertake will be practical, in forms of realistic scenarios. For example, in the thematic field “Understanding your learners” (see below), the students may be asked to draw up a list, of which elements are important in knowing their learners and cast interviews on a real group of learners. Since the prospective students of this course are already working in the field of education, they won’t encounter any difficulty in accessing a sample. Thematic fields of the course The suggestive thematic fields of the course are: 1) The historical context of distance education and e-learning 2) The designing of e-learning material: text and multimedia material 3) The communication between groups of learners a. The pedagogical necessity of interactivity between learners b. Forms of communication: synchronous, asynchronous communication and the technological means to achieve it 4) The role of the e-tutors 5) The support of students in e-learning environments 6) The students’ assessment and self-assessment 7) The evaluation of the e-courses Of course, the aforementioned thematic fields are indicative, subject to change depending on the findings of the research. Bibliography ROBINSON, B. (1995), Research and pragmatism in learner support, in Lockwood, F., Open and Distance Learning Today, Routledge, London.
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Does the american government see its citizens as its children
In Americas 230 year history the government seems to have forgotten that there job is to run the government as the people see as best and not the government telling the people what is best for them. The most recent example is the Internet gambling Ban signed into law last week by President Bush. The bill makes it illegal for banks and credit card companies to transfer money to casinos for the purpose of wagering on sports or games of chance, like roulette, blackjack and poker. These games are harmlessly enjoyed regularly by millions of Americans everyday, but some people become addicted to these games so the government is telling all of its citizens that no one is allowed to play these games in an online casino. This is not the first case of the government going against the wishes of the people, in the early 1900’s the government decided that the consumption of Alcohol should be banned, because some people were developing health and mental problems related to drinking too much. So rather then educating the people on the ill effects of prolonged Alcohol abuse the American government banned Alcohol. But instead of reducing the consumption of Alcoholic beverages it increased, and because the government was not allowing the production or importing of Alcohol, organized grime got into the moonshine business, and eventually the Government saw the error of their decision and repealed the law. Another great example of a failed policy to protect the people is the war on drugs that the government has been aging since the early 1980’s Billions of tax dollars a year goes into the war on drugs, but what are the results? The price of drugs has risen, and to support their habits many drug addicts have had to commit acts of robbery and murder to get their drugs. The American prisons are packed full of people whose only crime was possession of these illegal drugs. Instead of being an industry that is regulated and controlled you have people selling these drugs to kids in school playgrounds, and shooting each other to protect their territory. Had the government decided not to criminalize drugs but make it a heavily controlled industry, they could use the tax money for social programs like schools ad to give Americans universal health care. Please do not misunderstand me I am not in favor for legalizing hard drugs, but the current system is not working at all, but I am all in favor for legalizing online casino gambling. If I choose to play some hands of blackjack or poker from the comfort of my home what rights does the government have to tell me not to, and what sense does it make that I can not play in a casino over the internet, but I can drive down the street to the local casino and play there. To enforce this ban millions if not billions of dollars of software and computer hardware will be needed to monitor all of the banks transactions and that money will come from taxes instead of the government taxing online casinos or even having all the online casinos government controlled then they get all the profits to be used to improve the lives of the American citizens, millions of which are bellow the poverty line if not homeless. The American government needs to start re-thinking its policy of treating its citizens like small children, or the American people need to demand a new government.
Six mistakes to avoid at the taj mahal
Most of your visit to India’s most-famous attraction is natural and inspiring. If it is your first visit, however, it is easy to make the following mistakes Mistake 1: Make your visit too short. Buses have been known to allow as little as half an hour to “see” the Taj Mahal, which is hardly time to walk the length of the reflecting pool. If this is your bus’s timetable, consider finding another. Allow a minimum of two hours to fully savor the “poem in marble.” Mistake 2: Arrive with no prior knowledge of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum and not a palace; it was created by a Mughal king in honor of his wife who died giving birth to their fourteenth child, and it is covered in real marble. There is much more to the story that will enhance your enjoyment of what you will see and feel. Do yourself a favor and enjoy some reading and research beforehand; the more you know, the richer your experience. Guidebooks, such as Eyewitness, are helpful. Mistake 3: Remain with your guide or group during your entire visit. After hearing what they have to tell you, leave them and wander to a secluded spot so you can gaze at this wonder of marital love on your own. Carve out time for solitude. Sit on a bench and contemplate the grace, balance, and beauty of Shah Jahan’s creation. Mistake 4: Limit your visit to the Taj Mahal to only one time of the day. Throughout daylight, the marble dome reflects sunshine with hues of pink, orange and white. Clouds and rain add additional interest. In Agra, the sky provides a backdrop for the double dome of the Taj Mahal. See as many of these variations as you can. Count yourself blessed if you are able to see the Taj Mahal in the moonlight. Mistake 5: Become frustrated with the guides and photographers. It is a popular business to impart information and produce a lasting memory for you at the Taj Mahal. Guides will ask if you want them to tell you about their country’s most famous attraction. Photographers will want to snap shots of you during your visit. Most of them are citizens of the country you are visiting. If you have made plans that exclude your need for their services, refuse with firm courtesy. Your desire for personal viewing time needs to be balanced with their need to work. Mistake 6: Don’t take any—or enough--pictures. The Taj Mahal is the single most photographed place in India. You can add to this distinction with your own images. Unless you are certain you will return shortly, visually record your favorite sights while within the walls of the Taj complex. Are you drawn to the walkway? The row of shoes outside the entrance? The black and white pattern of the platform? The inlaid prayer rugs in the mosque? Whatever they are, record details as touchstones for remembered pleasure From the moment you enter through the gate and stroll along the dazzling, rectangular reflecting pool, the lovely mausoleum will draw you to its marble steps. Slipping off your shoes, you will pass into a softly lit interior, and circle two richly inlaid caskets beneath a great domed ceiling. The carvings on the walls, the spectacular dome, and the harmony of all the details are there for you to admire. The truth of the matter is you could actually make all the mistakes above and still be touched by the Taj Mahal. It is a sight undiminished by expectations.
Successful outdoor paintball gun strategies
The key to all effective outdoor paintball gun strategies is practice. Every professional paintball team spends many hours going over their paintball gun strategies. Practice allows you to have individual skills and enhance teamwork. There are four steps you should use when practicing outdoor paintball gun strategies. Discussion Before you even being training it is best to go over the various field plans as a team and decide on the best paintball gun strategies you should use. Consider the different situations you may run into and the plans you can use. Before you actually set foot on the field you want to make sure everyone is clear on what to do. Dry Training In this step you want to take the time to walk through all your paintball gun strategies. You don't have to do this on the actual field, especially if you don't know where its going to be. You can practice in your backyard if necessary, just make sure everyone knows what your paintball gun strategies look like when they are in progress. Half-Speed Training In this training method you will actually use paintballs. Go through all of your paintball gun strategies, but go slowly like you did with dry training. Don't rush and use soda cans as targets. If you can hit soda can during training, you will have no trouble hitting your opponent during the game. Full-Speed Training Now you will be running through the field and using paint as if you were playing against real opponents. It is a good idea to do this first on the speedball field where you can get a feel for your paintball gun strategies and how the team works. Then you can do a practice run in the woods before you are ready to face your opponents. Practice is a long and important process. By following the four steps of practice you can be successful every time you step on the field. However, some keys to successfully completing your paintball gun strategies include knowing the terrain; having good communication and teamwork; and being able to move effectively. Know The Terrain Study your terrain well and look for any advantages. If there are hills you can slowly climb up at a crouch. Then when you reach the top you can pop-up for a quick look before dropping to your stomach for protection. This way you can quickly and easily see what targets are available. If the goal is to protect your flag then you should look for a tree that gives you good protection while allowing for movement. It may be a good idea to try sitting in the tree and suprising your opponents from above. Communication and Teamwork Communication is essential to outdoor paintball gun strategies. Make sure you have your movements planned so that everyone instinctively knows where to go and what to do just by watching each other. In outdoor paintball games communication doesn't necessarily mean the verbal kind. You don't want the other team to know what you are doing so silent communication is important. Choose a leader and base your reactive strategy off them. Choose your leader based on tactical experience, military sense and nerve. Movement The most important part of outdoor paintball gun strategies is movement. If you want to rush through the woods it is best to stay on uncluttered ground. When you are in the woods the spot you step on will have an impact on how loud you are. It is best to have comfortable hiking boots especially if the area is muddy and the ground is unlevel. Another key to silence in outdoor paintball gun strategies is your hopper or paintball pods. If they are half-filled they will be as loud as baby rattles. You should choose pods that are about half or 3/4 the size of your hopper.
Interracial dating and love
Interracial dating in the past has been considered taboo. But as time passed by, more and more people came to understand and accept relationships of people from different races. Although there are still quite a few who are uncomfortable about the idea of interracial dating, most people in the society nowadays are open-minded. You cannot control what your heart tells you. If you fell in love with someone from a different culture and racial background, you may find it difficult to fight for your love because of other people’s reactions. However, there are a lot of interracial relationships that prove to last longer than those who have had same-race relationships. This may be because they felt a stronger bond of love between them and the trials that they went through made them love each other more, instead of breaking them apart. They grow together as one which is a really strong foundation for real love and long lasting relationship. There are some challenges that face interracial dating because of cultural differences between interracial couples. There are some countries that still have this societal pressures and prejudices about it. In addition, some of the interracial couple’s family members might oppose the union because they might think that it is unsuitable for their family’s image in the society. They are worried about what other people might think about their son or daughter’s relationship with another person of different background and color. The cultural differences between the couple are one of the most difficult of all challenges because each one has to adjust to the other’s cultural upbringing. While establishing their own family, the question lingers about how they would raise their children. What cultural background should they be exposed to and other things for that matter. In order to resolve this, they should have a serious exchange of ideas for raising their children. The best thing to do is mix in all the good things about each culture but leave out anything negative about it. Interracial dating might have its difficulties and trials however there are a lot of couples who are successfully and happily married. They outgrew and withstand all the trials they have faced during their first days of dating up to the time they have established a happy home. They both have benefited of learning new things about one another’s culture, both the good and the bad attributes of each culture. Another thing that contributes to the success of every interracial dating and relationships is the advancements of technology nowadays. The mobile phone industry and the internet revolution lets people interact accordingly even if they are on the opposite sides of the planet. They feel closer than the actual thousands of miles distance between them. According to studies, there are more love quotes and love sms sent nowadays and much more egreetings sent over the internet. This surely is the essence of the new technologies constantly renovated each day and the interracial couples are greatly benefiting from them. Interracial couples are brave enough to face the world and let the society know that nothing can stand between them and their love for each other. The more challenges and trials the interracial couples are undergoing, the stronger their relationship becomes. This only proves that love can indeed conquer all, from the moment it starts and hopefully until eternity.
Free prepaid credit cards friendly plastic for the very young pocket
It isn't a riddle, but it sure has the makings of one. You want to give your teenager a little spending power. You know your daughter could use the money to order things online. You believe giving her a plastic will help her learn financial responsibility, too. She can teach herself the finer points of budgeting and being accountable for her purchases. There are, however, two obstacles to your plan. The first is your daughter's age. She is only thirteen. As a minor, she cannot enter into credit card transactions. The second is her self-control. You're not sure how much self-restraint she could exercise, particularly when faced with a tempting array of bikinis, handbags, and dresses. So, what do you do? What do you get your daughter? The answer is made up of four words: free prepaid credit cards. Prepaid What? Free prepaid credit cards work in much the same way other prepaid cards do. You deposit a certain amount of money. Then, you get to use the card only to the extent your previously deposited amount allows you to. So you see, your cash balance works exactly like your other plastics' spending limit. Your purchasing power is only as good as your cash balance. Free prepaid credit cards are the perfect way for you to keep your spending within reasonable limits. While the usual plastic lets you swipe away to your heart's content, free prepaid credit cards are only useful for as long as you do not exceed the prepaid amount loaded onto your card. This makes it the perfect plastic for people with spending problems, students on a budget, or teenagers who are being taught money lessons by their anxious parents. A Credit Card That Isn't Really a Credit Card Free prepaid credit cards are classified as credit cards. Many claim, however, that this is a misnomer. A prepaid credit card is not really a credit card. Why? To begin with, no credit is offered by the card issuer. The cardholder spends money that has been stored in the card through a previous deposit. It is precisely for this reason that free prepaid credit cards may be issued to minors. Because there is no credit involved, minors are free to own their personal prepaid credit cards. So Why Get Free Prepaid Credit Cards? There are advantages to getting free prepaid credit cards. The most obvious is that they are very easy to qualify for. In fact, they can be bought over the Internet. Additionally, many providers do not run credit checks or investigate your income. Because it's your own money you're putting up, providers do not put you through hell and back just so you could use your card. Then, too, you do not pay interest charges on your free prepaid credit card like you would with a regular plastic. Why would you? You are, after all, using your own money. Another advantage is that free prepaid credit cards look exactly like regular Visa or Mastercards They are honored everywhere a regular card is. Furthermore, some free prepaid credit cards help you rebuild credit. Each time you use it, you are creating higher credit rating for yourself. We live in a world where our buying power is largely based on our credit rating. Clearly, credit is good, high credit rating is to die for, and free prepaid credit cards are for all of us who have spending problems, have been remiss with paying off debts, or are below 18 years of age.
Home inspections getting your home ready for the inspection
Many times I go to do a home to complete an inspection for a potential buyer, only to find the home not ready for an inspection. The home not being prepared then makes the buyer suspicious that there are areas that the inspector could not access causing them to back out of the dealpleting a few routine maintenance items and having the home prepared for the inspection will avoid those long lists of misc. defects on a home inspection report that can scare a potential buyer. Here are some tips to get your home ready for a home inspection. 1. Make sure the electric is on in the home and to all circuits. A home inspector will not flip breakers “on” or “off” during an inspection. 2. Make sure the gas or fuel is on to all the appliances and that all pilot lights are lit. Inspectors will not light pilot lights or turn on valves. 3. Make sure water is on and functional to all fixtures. Inspectors will not turn any valves to get water to any fixture. 4. If there are any light bulbs burned out, replace them. 5. Clear out stored items under the sinks. 6. If the attic access is located in a closet or other area where your personal effects are in the way, remove all of your personal items from under the access hole and remove any shelving that may be in the way of getting a ladder to the attic. Inspectors will not move any personal items or shelving to access an attic. 7. Grab a screwdriver and check all doors and windows for loose hardware, and make sure they all open/close properly. 8. Clean off the roof and/or gutters from debris, etc. 9. Check for any minor leaks under sinks or drains under the floor in the basement, etc., and have them repaired prior to the inspection. 10. Have your heating and A/C equipment serviced and have record of the last servicing available for proof. Taking care of these items will not only reduce the laundry list of defects found on a home inspection report, but it will also help secure the deal to sell your home. Here are a few sources to locate a home inspector in your area. In Wisconsin: wisconsin-home-inspectors National findaninspector. us homeinspections-usa
Cleaning car upholstery
: These days people use their cars as floating living rooms and dining rooms as they drive around. This means that all kinds of things can get spilled on a car's upholstery. When this happens, you've probably wondered how to clean car upholstery. Once you know how to clean car upholstery, you'll enjoy your travels more. Here are ideas on dealing with some of the most common problems. Using these simple tips will show you how to clean car upholstery to your satisfaction. Note that these techniques are for use on cloth upholstery. Other methods are needed for leather. Removing common stains All that eating and drinking in the car can result in stains from liquids. The first step is to blot the spill and absorb all excess liquid. Then apply an upholstery cleaner available from your local auto parts store. Spray a small amount of cleaner on your car upholstery and wait a few minutes. Scrub the stain a little with an old tooth brush. Then dry the soiled area with a clean cloth. Repeat until you no longer see the stain and the cloth you are using to dry the area shows no discoloration. If the stain is small, shaving cream may do the trick instead of commercial cleaner. If ink stains your car seat, do not rub the stain as this can smear the ink and make the stain larger. Start by carefully blotting the area to remove any excess ink. Spray a small amount of hairspray on the stain and let it sit a few minutes. Take clean dry towels and wipe the area. Repeat as needed but use the minimum amount of cleaner necessary. Change your wiping cloths frequently to prevent soiling the material from cross contamination. Rubbing alcohol can also be used to clean ink on car upholstery. Dip a cotton swab into the alcohol and apply it only on the actual ink stained area. Then wipe with a clean cloth as above. To remove lipstick stains from your car's upholstery, try rubbing gently with a white, non-gel toothpaste. Then wipe clean with a damp cloth. If there is a battery acid stain, rub a paste of baking soda and water into the spot right away. Leave this on for two hours and then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Repeat if any stain remains. Any remaining residue can be cleaned with a commercial upholstery cleaner. As an alternative, you can make your own cleaner by mixing 1/2 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent in a quart of warm water. Beat this with a mixer and clean the upholstery using only the suds. Work on a small area at a time, overlapping areas to avoid spotting. Change the rinse water frequently to keep it clean. Let dry thoroughly. To remove a gasoline stain from your car's interior, treat the stain with a mixture of one teaspoon each of vinegar and mild dish detergent in a quart of warm water. The vinegar will remove the odor while the detergent does the cleaning. Let the area dry. If any spotting remains, you may need to repeat the process. If this does not seem to be working, try using dry cleaning solvent. If you have children, they may play with crayons in the car and may get some on the upholstery. To remove crayon marks, first scrape the excess crayon off with a dull-edge knife or metal spoon. Spray with WD-40 and let stand a few minutes. Using a small, stiff bristled brush, work on the crayon stain and then wipe the area with paper towels. Respray with WD-40 and apply liquid dishwashing detergent on the sprayed area. Work this material in with the brush and then wipe the stain away with a damp sponge. If any stain remains, repeat the procedure. To remove mold, mildew and their odor from upholstered auto seats, products with peroxide and detergents will restore the car interior. This both removes the stain and deactivates the odor. Simply spray a citrus cleaner product on the soiled area. Wait about five minutes for it to penetrate. Using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly without rubbing for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the stain or odor persists, repeat the process. As an alternative, you could create a cleaning mixture by combining 1/4 teaspoon of color safe bleach and 1/4 cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. With a clean cloth, gently rub the stain until it is gone. Rinse the area with clear, warm water and dry thoroughly. Clean upholstery helps your car keep its value By keeping your car upholstery clean not only will it look better, it will also last longer. Nice looking upholstery maintains the value of your car. If your upholstery is stained or damaged beyond cleaning, replacement seat covers are available for most cars and trucks. People who know how to clean car upholstery won't have to go to the expense of buying those replacements since their cars' interiors will look like they just came from the showroom.
Get a 6 figure book advance
It's the dream of 81% of the population to write a book. No matter how many times people tell you how difficult it is to do, nearly everyone wants to do it. There hangs a certain romance around writers. I think it's a kind of nostalgia or grieving for some forgotten part of ourselves. We long to return to a place where magic and imagination are revered. Others may just want the quick glory or fast buck they associate with being an author. But whatever you want, getting a 6-figure book advance is possible if you have the skill, drive and know-how. Here are five tips to get you started on achieving the dream of becoming a well-paid, respected author. 1. Know the Industry Educate yourself on how the publishing industry works. Unlike the old days when publishers were looking to cultivate long-term relationships with authors who would be in their stable, today their top priority is just to sell books. When I was traveling in Mexico this year I met a woman whose husband has been a best-selling author for twenty years in England. He has had the same agent and publisher for those same twenty years. Every time he came out with a new book his publishers expected it to be "number one" on the English equivalent of the New York Times bestseller list. They worked with him to make it so. In America the bottom line is king. You must be able to substantiate your claim that your book will fly off the shelves, without any help from the publisher. 2. Prove There is a Market for Your Book In today's world you need to show that your book will sell to one large audience, or many smaller niche audiences. Quantify each audience with statistics that show that they buy books on that subject. It's not enough to say that this audience would be interested in your topic. You must be able to prove beyond a doubt with your well-researched facts that your readers are a *book buying* audience. 3. Develop a Platform This is the most important aspect of your proposal after you've proven that there is a pressing need for your book and that book buying audiences will scoop it up. A platform is simply YOUR ability to sell books to the audience that you have said will buy-from you. It's all about the numbers. How many people are on your e-zine list? How many people do you speak to every month? How many people buy your products and services now? Do you have big name corporations or organizations that will buy your books in bulk? Do you have a regular column, or write for publications? Are you frequently seen in the media? If you don't have an impressive platform you don't get a 6-figure advance. 4. Map out a Marketing Plan to Promote Your Book. Your plan should include everything from speaking engagements, online marketing, licensing, and media placements. It must be realistic and do-able. In other words you can't say that you'll speak to organizations of 1000 people or more if you've never done it. What do publishers hate most? When you say that you're right for Oprah. Unless you've already been a guest and taped the show please NEVER say this if you don't want your reputation instantly sullied. Instead show how you will build on your past publicity. If hosts or producers say that they want you back for another segment because you did such a good job the first time, say it. But if you haven't done much media to date, don't fret. You can begin today and get a substantial number of profiles, features, and comments in the media in a few months by joining PRLeads, a service which delivers reporters queries (the stories they need experts for) daily to your email box. 5. Get Endorsements Big names sell products in a big way. Getting known names of celebrities, best-selling authors, actors, athletes, well - known experts in your field, media personalities, any famous name that has glitter gives you the kind of credibility that can't be bought. One of my clients, who got a number of New York Times best-selling authors to write about him, accomplished three things with his endorsements. Each person who wrote about him told a different story about why he would be a winning author. The first one lauded him as a highly successful professional. The second stated that my client's book filled a gap that her book failed to address. The third demonstrated that the people my client was trying to reach were an avid book buying market hungry for his type of book - as they had bought hers. These meaningful endorsements effectively helped him get his 6-figure advance. (And he got media coached by me before he met the editors at the big New York Publishing houses who then bid on his book at auction). Don't just get endorsements saying you're terrific. Make your endorsements do double duty by helping you prove there is a market and that you're the one they want to buy from. This is the type of information that makes you stand out from the other 150,000 authors who are published every year, most of whom never earn back their advance. Don't be one of them. Instead, follow this advice and you'll be well on your way to earning a 6 figure book advance. Good luck!
10 Quick things you can do today to improve your search ranking
You know all that extra time you have to work on Search Engine Optimization? [A little sarcasm there] Actually, I tried to put together a list of quick things you can do that will help you move a little higher in your Google or Yahoo results. 1. Get listed in more search engines. There are tons of them out there. There are also many free services that will help you get listed. Or just set aside some time to get it done yourself. Here is a free search engine submission site that will let you cycle through the top 100 search engines and get your site submitted. 2. Get listed in more directories. Again, there are a lot of them out there. Look for higher pagerank directories. Improvingrank has some listed by pagerank. Look on the left side of the homepage. 3. Clean up your html and check your links. You want the bots to have smooth sailing through your site. Use the tools on W3c. org and have a real person check them over too. 4. Get a few more links to your site. Make them relevant and at least the same pagerank as you. 5. Make your page filenames descriptive and keyword rich. Naming your page new_page_1.html is wasting an opportunity to do some SEO. Use names that describe the content and keep the keywords flowing. 6. Check your Title tags. You can use 90 - 100 characters in the title, so add some keywords. We know Google looks at them, and so do many more search engines. 7. Check your ALT tags. Searchbots can’t see pictures. Make sure you have ALT tags on all of your pictures, and make sure they are descriptive and keyword rich. 8. Rewrite your URL (anchor) tags. Good anchor tags (the text between the http: and /a tags) reinforce the message and key words of your site. 9. Go post in a few forums and put your website in your signature. Forums are a great place to put one way links. And you can help somebody out at the same time. 10. Put together a text based sitemap and put it on your site. There’s a lot of navigation that spiders can’t understand, such as flash, forms, java and javascript. Putting together a text-based sitemap gives the bots a way to navigate around the site. Fifteen minutes every couple of days will make a huge difference in getting your rank higher.