Creating an Emergency Plan Can Save Your Pet's Life

You hear stories of it every day. Walking out to the car, the leash breaks and a dog excitedly jolts out in front of an oncoming vehicle. A woman moving a pot of boiling pasta from the stove to the sink trips when her cat gets under foot spilling the water and scalding her pet. Life can turn on a dime and pets are often the victims of unexpected circumstances.

What would you do? Have you put measures in place in case of such emergencies? If not, now's the time to get set up. It could easily mean the difference between life and death for your pet.

Put Contact Numbers on Your Fridge

Have the number and business hours for your veterinarian clearly posted on your refrigerator. Many vets give away refrigerator magnets printed with everything you need to know. If yours doesn't, create a list yourself and laminate it so the ink doesn't fade with time.

If your vet clinic doesn't provide round-the-clock care, they can recommend a 24-hour hospital. Keep its number and directions to its location close by. You may also want to drive out to the pet emergency hospital once during the daytime so you are familiar with how to get there.

Keep the essentials handy. Depending on the pet that could be a collar and/or leash, pet carrier, vaccination history, list of medical conditions/medications (diabetes, thyroid, etc.) and ID tag. These are all items that you may need especially if you'll be seeing a doctor that isn't familiar with your pet.

Know What's Normal

Oftentimes it can be a judgment call as to whether or not you should take your pet in to be seen by a vet. By knowing what is normal for your dog or cat, you can better determine if s/he is in distress.

Know how to take your pet's vital signs. By feeling where your pet's left elbow touches his/her chest you can check an animal's heart rate. Take the number of beats every six seconds and multiply it by ten. You should find out the typical heart rate for your pet before an emergency occurs so you have a baseline for comparison.

Also, tracking your cat's/dog's normal breath rate may be important. Dogs normally breathe 10-30 times per minute and can pant up to 200 times per minute. Cats breathe 24-42 times per minute. If cats are panting, it's a sign that something is wrong.

Finally, take your pet's basal temperature. Dogs should range from 99.5 to 102.5, and cats range from 100.5 to 102.5. If their temperature is high, it could be an indication that they should be seen.

Invest in Pet Insurance

Emergency pet care can be very expensive. It is a heartbreaking, yet common, experience for a pet owner to get his/her pet to an animal hospital in time for emergency care, but be unable to authorize the procedure after finding out the cost. There are many pet insurance plans available for under $10 a month that could possibly prevent you from ever being in this type of devastating situation.

Although it's not a pleasant thing to think about, you should consider the possibilities of pet emergencies occurring. It is typical that all pets will have at least one crisis during their lives. Taking a little time to plan now could save your pet's life down the road.

Bowling Etiquette - Do's & Don'ts

Bowling, like any other sport, has a set of DO'S and DON'TS that must be followed so that all can enjoy the game. The rules are based on common sense, and express courtesy and good sportsmanship.

Here are ten of the most important ones:

1) DO yield the 'right of way' When two bowlers are on adjacent lanes, and simultaneously ready to bowl, the bowler on the right delivers first. The other bowler ought to remainoff or to the rear of the approach area. This rule doesn't apply if the bowler on the left is shooting for a spare.

2) DON'T take a practice swing with your bowling ball on the concourse or behind the approach. Wait until you are upon the approach itself before doing any practice exercises.

3) DO be ready when it's your turn to bowl. Remain in your lane area while your teammates are bowling, don't wander off.

4) DON'T use an excessive amount of body gyrations at the foul line after delivering the ball. Confine your body 'English' to your own lane.

5) DO bowl immediately when it is your turn. Once you have your ball, assume your stance and start your delivery, it isn't necessary to wait for lanes on either side of you to be cleared before you bowl, just observe the 'right of way' rule.

6) DON'T bring food or drink into the settee or bowlers area, a drop of liquid or any type of foreign substance spilled on the approach could cause a slip and serious injury.

7) DO wait until you have completed the frame before checking your score. Don't come back to the scorekeeper after the first ball has been rolled.

8) DON'T bench jockey while others are bowling. Friendly bantering is an accepted part of the sport, but don't overdo it. Be a good competitor.

9) DO return your bowling shoes to the counter control desk after bowling, and if you've borrowed a 'house ball' return it to the storage rack.

10) DON'T linger at the foul line after releasing the ball. As soon as your ball hits the pins return to your seat.

Be Your Own Literary Agent and Get Published

So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to write a book. If you've already written a manuscript, chances are you're looking for agent representation. In the past few years, as an editor and literary consultant for http://www.TheOmnibus.org, I've had the opportunity to read more than 1,000 book proposals. Most, I'm sad to report, were inadequate because the author did not follow a few, very simple guidelines.

Before you complete your manuscript and send it on its way to prospective literary agents or publishers, take the time to make sure you have a professional query letter and (short) synopsis, and that you have edited your manuscript. If you can not do these chores, then find someone who can.

Also, make sure you're able to distinguish your manuscript from other books on the same subject, that you can identify the audience for which you are writing, and determine the marketability of your finished book. These are the most important questions agents and publishers will ask, and it will impress them that you've done your homework.

You should already have researched the market to determine how many books on the same subject are currently available. A handy tool is to use the Internet and search the large booksellers online. These services not only provide a list of books on the same topic, but often a synopsis and the book's audience as well. Your book needs to stand out, not duplicate what's already available.

Agents and publishers also want to know your ideas for publicity and promotion of your book, including how you intend to reach your target market, and any helpful contacts you may have.

Another common mistake is to assume agents and publishers will respond at their own expense. You need to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope so companies can acknowledge receipt of your proposal. If you would like to have your material returned, be sure to send an envelope that is large enough and has enough postage for them to mail your proposal back to you. Proposals that do not include an envelope and postage generally will not be acknowledged or returned.

Some companies will accept e-mail submissions. Because of the threat of viruses, they usually won't open e-mails with documents attached. Many will read e-mail queries that include a short resume, a synopsis and sample chapters that have been copied and pasted into the body of the e-mail.

As mentioned, for security reasons companies do not like to open attachments without prior contact with the writer, and prefer you follow regular submission procedure. If prior contact has been made by e-mail, response and acknowledgments often will be made by e-mail.

If you are submitting book proposals by e-mail, it is wise to advise the companies in your cover letter the type of word processing program and version of that program that you used. Text is best transmitted through e-mail by converting it to Plain Text Format, ASCII (with no hard returns).

Take the opportunity to edit the work, correct misspellings, improper word usage, etc., before submitting it. It's not a good idea to send complete manuscripts by e-mail unless they are requested.

Let's break it down:

How Your Book Differs from Others * What is your book is about? * What is the reason that prompted you to write your book? * Why is your book needed by others? * What are its unique features?

Identify Your Audience * Describe the audience you are targeting with your book. * What is your level of expertise (no experience, beginner, intermediate, advanced)? * What are some specific applications or uses for your book (e.g., sports, education)? * Who would be the most likely candidates for purchasing your book? * Why should they buy it and share it with their friends?

Beat Your Competition to Market * List three to four books that compete with the project you are proposing. * How do they compare to your book in length, spectrum, format, and visual appeal? * Are there any that seem remotely comparable? * What are the differences among your approaches?

Publicity * Gather a local, regional, state and national media contact list. * Consider contracting a company to make a website for your book. * Do you have access to any authors who may provide a "blurb" for your book?

Don't Forget the Postage * Include a SASE with all queries. * If you want your manuscript back, include enough postage for its safe return.

Electronic Submissions * Check if the company accepts electronic (e-mail) queries and proposals. * Make sure you're not spamming hundreds of agents/publishers at a time. * Only include a short query, a bio, a synopsis, and the first three chapters in your e-mail. * Don't send attachments. * If you are asked to submit an attachment, let them know the software program. * Consider sending the file as Text only.

Druxel Manor - Book Review

Druxel Manor is a stimulating thriller-mystery-romance novel that keeps the reader guessing. Who do you trust? Everyone seems to know a little something but no one is willing to explain - or rather, what is revealed only creates more confusion.

There are three main characters here. Trevor and Angel are adopted siblings who were raised in a life of the privileged -growing up in a mansion and attending only the best of schools. Angel is a dedicated and driven journalist, while her brother is obsessed with his quest to find their biological parents. Their adopted parents' insistent warnings to never try to find their real parents and other small clues drove Trevor to find out the truth. In his bones, he knew something was out of place and what he found out put both of their lives at stake.

Suddenly, Angel finds herself thrown into the midst of a mysterious and dangerous adventure - and she has no idea why. Then James arrives, her rescuer and protector -whether she likes it or not - and her undeniable animal attraction to him turns her world upside down. She must decide who to trust and find out the reason for all the things left unexplained.

Tarra Young performed a difficult task in keeping the pace fast and momentum high in this novel. I never knew what was going to happen next - and all my suspicions were wrong in the end. I thought this book was a fun and interesting read and is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy a good mystery.

Publisher: Publish America, Inc. ISBN#: 1413766242 Author: Tarra Young

Making The Most Out Of Your Email Marketing Campaigns

Find the right frequency for your mailings. If you don't contact your customers often enough, they will forget about you and likely unsubscribe when they do receive another mailing. If you contact your customers too often, however, they will become annoyed with your mailings and likely unsubscribe as well. About once a week is generally considered to be correct.

To boost your potential customer base, make it easy for your existing subscribers to refer their friends or family members to you. The easier it is for people to share your messages with other people, the more likely it is that they will do so. This means more subscribers and more potential customers.

Use an appropriate font in your e-mails. Realize that not all fonts are supported on all computers. Use a common font. Try not to use anything that is difficult to read or looks especially unprofessional. A bad font can cause a person to dismiss your e-mails without even reading them.

It is significantly more effective to build your own e-mail list for e-mail marketing than to purchase a list, or acquire the services of a marketing company that has their own lists. The reason for this is that everyone who submits their e-mail address to be a part of your list is interested in the services or products that you have to offer. These people are far more likely to be receptive to your e-mail.

A great tip for following up with prospects is to follow-up with some past conversation that has taken place through an email. Include a link on your email that lets them apply right now. The closing postscript can allow them to order with just one click by clicking on the below link.

Program your email messages to include the recipient's name in the subject line or body of your message. An email message that includes the recipient's name will feel much more personal. This sense of connection with the marketing will make them inclined to read the email and more likely to follow links within it.

Make sure you are working off of a clean list. This keeps the time you spend directed towards targeted customers. Targeting the wrong customers will not help you, and a clean list can get you to more of the right customers much faster. Clean up your list, and get to the right customers!

An excellent tip for email marketing is to follow-up with some type of update on your products or services that you are providing. For example, you could add a "buy now" feature onto your email. The ending of your email could inform your readers to keep in mind the up-sell as well.

When emailing clients, try following up with a free warranty on your products or services. You could insert an order on the email that tells them to get this warranty immediately. The ending P.S. could tell them to act now and not to miss this incredible opportunity to try out something they may love.

Email marketing can be a great opportunity to reach your clients and customers. If you implement the tips that this article has given you, you are likely to notice that your target market is more satisfied. Use the tips here to create a solid email marketing plan that ultimately raises your profits.

Keeping Your Gun Safe

It's extremely important to have a gun with you, at your place, in order to keep yourself safe, and for your own protection. However, it's equally important to keep these arms out of the wrong hands. There are times when you don't want some people to have access to the gun, or you have children whom you have to keep the gun out of reach of. For instances like these you need an area where you can place the gun and be sure that it is safe.

A biometric gun safe is the solution to all your problems. There safes are specially designed to ensure that your guns remain protected while in the safe. Only those who have been allowed access to the safe will be able to retrieve the gun from within it. These biometric gun safes make use of the latest fingerprint technology, so no one will be ale to access the safe unless their fingerprint is stored in the safe's recognition database.

If you're considering buying a biometric gun safe for yourself, it's probably the first time you're investing on such equipment. Of course you want to get the best safe you can afford to buy. This is why it's extremely important to do all your research about these safe's, and get the names of reliable companies who make the best safes in the market. You need a company that is known for having reliable fingerprint scanners on their safe. You need to look for details about what kind of security is being offered by the manufacturers on their safes, and how many users can be stored in the data base and be granted access to whatever is within the safe.

You will also need to be sure about the design and the size of the safe you require. This is important because you need to have ample of space to store whatever arms and ammunition you need to protect. The size is also influenced by where you want the safe to be installed. You will be able to find a lot of different sizes of safes. You will be able to find the normal sized safe, along with very small ones that could be installed in cupboards, drawers or even in your car.

Be sure to get a safe that has the latest technology in it. Older technology isn't that reliable and is known to be inconsistent in terms of performance. Go for a brand that will offer you a warranty when you're buying the safe. This way, you can go back to the manufacturer if anything seems to go wrong after you make the purchase.

You need to look at the level of complexity of the technology as well. If you're tech-challenged, its preferred to you look for a safe that you can easily use, and whose technology you can easily understand. This will allow you and anyone else who has access to the safe, to use it easily.

Contest Advice for Screenplay Writers

Introduction

There are many screenplay contests available to the aspiring screenwriter. These contests can be a good avenue to getting one's work noticed and/or make a sale. So, it's important to make certain that you have written your screenplay to the best of your ability and according to industry standards.

The most important thing to do for any aspiring screenwriter is to first learn the basic techniques of screenwriting before sitting down to write one. I come across many hopeful writers who think that all it takes to write a script is a good story idea and a lot of explosive special effects. While a good story is important, with or without the special effects, writing that story using proper industry standards is equally important. (Please visit http://www.coverscript.com/education.html -- Tips for Screenwriters link for further information.)

There are specific techniques to the craft of screenwriting involving everything from act structure to proper screenplay format, which must be followed. It's difficult to write engaging characters, focused plots and entertaining screenplays without having a solid framework in which to bring it all to life.

Before any money is spent submitting your work to a screenwriting contest, it would behoove the writer to first educate himself in the "tools of the trade". There are many, many screenwriting books available as well as workshops and seminars, both online and in live classroom situations. My advice is to take advantage of them. Then, armed with the basics, write, write and then write some more.

Then before submitting your work to any screenplay competition have it copyrighted and WGA registered. (United States Copyright office: http://www.loc.gov/copyright Writers Guild of America: [http://www.wga.org] )

Advice and Suggestions

I am a judge for many contests and as such, have read thousands of TV scripts and screenplays. I can assure you that the winners are chosen because their screenplays or TV scripts contain great stories and are written to industry standards. Therefore, putting your best foot forward is a must. Below are some pointers to keep in mind before you submit your screenplay.

· If your purpose is to "break into the business", make certain that the script contest you enter offers meetings with agents and/or producers as part of the prize for winning and not just cash prizes. Of course, if it is just the extra cash you're after, then go for it!

· Make certain, before you write that entry fee check and send in your material, that the screenplay contest or TV script competition is a reputable one and indeed has, in the past, delivered to its winners what it promised in its promotion.

· Presentation of your screenplay does count so make certain your screenplay follows the accepted industry standards. This not only includes using the proper screenplay format but also such things as a typo-free screenplay and the correct binding.

· Keep in mind that the industry professionals who sponsor some of these film and TV competitions do so in order to find good producible material, hopefully for lower rather than higher budgets. Therefore, entering a screenplay in a genre with a story that screams "high budget" lessens the writer's chances of winning. This means that

(1) Sci-fi special effects stories taking place on purple planets populated with giant, paisley-skinned, seven-armed, Plasmanian Wooglegorps who magically float through the air using anti-gravity belts or

(2) a 1920's Period Piece necessitating Model-T's, Zoot suits and flappers or

(3) an action/adventure story that has the bad guys blown to smithereens, along with their Lear jet, over the ocean, followed by a high-tech nuclear submarine underwater search and rescue mission while the oil slicked water burns out of control, may not be the best way to go.

· Make certain that your story is told visually. Film is a visual medium.

· Make sure you don't have "on the nose" dialogue or too much dialogue and that all the dialogue sounds natural.

· Check to make sure that your characters are interesting, engaging and have good character arcs. Nothing worse than having an unlikable hero, a wishy-washy bad guy, or a protagonist who starts out angry at the world and by the end of the story is still angry at the world having learned and changed nothing in his nature.

Conclusion

Once you've gone through your screenplay and are satisfied with it, have it read by someone else. After all, your story is intended for a movie-going audience so honest opinions from friends and family members will give you a feel for that audience reaction.

Then do yourself a favor and have your screenplay read by an industry professional that has experience and good credentials in the area of script analysis. A writer can become too close to his work and not be able to "see the forest for the trees". It is to your advantage to have any possible format, story, character, dialogue and structure flaws found and corrected before it is submitted to a movie or TV script contest.

While there is never any guarantee your screenplay or TV script will be a winner, writing one to the best of your ability and which meets industry standards is a must, as the competition is fierce.

I wish you great success in your present and future story-telling adventures.

Lynne Pembroke

Coverscript.com

URL: http://www.coverscript.com

Copyright © 2004 Lynne Pembroke, Coverscript.com

Got a Great Idea for a Movie? You Could Make Millions

You've seen one or two bad movies in your time, right? And you've told your date, "I could do better than that." Your instincts are probably right.

You already know Hollywood seems locked into making the same tired, old plots, over and over. But you have an idea for a better movie rolling around inside your brain.

Well, here's opportunity knocking.

A former Hollywood executive is willing to make your screenplay into a movie if you're the winner of a winner-take-all competition. John Hart, former vice-president for BrightStar Productions, has founded an independent studio in Oregon, a state that is now known as "Hollywood North," and he's ready to make the winning idea into a movie.

The competition is called MakeMyScreenplay and it's the only one of its kind. The winner gets his or her script made into a feature-length movie, and here's the best part: the winner also gets fifty-percent (50%) of all revenue generated from theatrical, televison, and DVD sales.

What kind of money are we talking about here?

Well, "Blair Witch Project," a low-budget independent movie, made outside of Hollywood, grossed $140,530,114 dollars in the U.S., according to the Internet Movie Database. Another recent independent hit also made outside of Hollywood, "Napoleon Dynamite," grossed $44,540,956 in the U.S.

Can you write something like that? Or better? If you can, MakeMyScreenplay will make the movie, and you'll get half the money.

Writing a screenplay isn't that difficult. The format is a breeze to follow. What you really need is a good idea and some screenwriting software, and the will to finish it. Make it a group project. Get your whole family involved.

The rules are pretty simple and you can see them all at [http://www.MakeMyScreenplay.com]. You aren't eligible if you've already won before, or you have a produced theatrical or television movie.

The winning script will be shot in Oregon in High-Definition format, with Sony's new high-definition camera, the HVR-Z1U, and we'll edit it, add music and sound effects, and send you a DVD when it's done. Then we'll show it off to the world. Neither of make any money unless we get it sold somewhere, right?

So enough whining about the bad movies you've seen. Do something about it. Write your own and we'll make it. Check out the details at www.MakeMyScreenplay.com [http://www.MakeMyScreenplay.com], and good luck with your script! We're looking forward to reading it.

Internet Marketing Tips - The Use Of Profanity

This is actually a subject that I never thought I'd be writing about, but today at the Warrior Forum, somebody brought it up and I thought it would be a good topic for an article. Just a disclaimer before I begin. I am neither for or against profanity used in the context of Internet marketing. I am simply pointing out the pros and cons and why you might or might not want to use it. What you ultimately do is up to you.

First, we need a little background info on why I chose to write about this today. The thread at the Warrior Forum essentially was a rant against using profanity. The thread starter felt that there were better and more effective ways to express oneself and that by using profanity, you essentially make yourself look stupid and/or unintelligent. Again, I am not going to agree of disagree because the issue isn't as black and white as this person makes it out to be.

Like it or not, profanity exists in our culture. Some people would say that sending soldiers to war to die is more profane than any four letter word you could possibly think of. I'm not sure I would argue that point. But like I said, profanity exists so we need to accept that much. However, that doesn't mean we have to use it ourselves. That is always a personal choice and one that I will defend to the death.

But is there a time and a place for profanity?

Again, whether or not you like it, there have been some very well known comedians who have practically made a living out of the words that come out of their mouths... and not all of them pretty.

Just off the top of my head...

Robin Williams Richard Pryor George Carlin Lenny Bruce

These are some pretty big names I'm coming up with. Love 'em or hate 'em, they have all had amazing careers as comics and are practically legends in their own right.

Imagine what would have happened to them had they not based a good part of their routines around a lot of profanity, especially George Carlin and his seven words you can never say on TV. It may very well be the routine that defined him.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. That's comedy. There's a place for profanity in comedy, but NOT when it comes to Internet marketing.

Really?

How many different products and markets are out there in the world? Would you say quite a few, with entertainment being one of the main niches?

What if you were promoting a "how to do stand up comedy" e-book and were trying to reach a certain market? Given the world that we live in today, yes, one that is filled with profanity, especially at the stand up level, do you not think that your ideal prospect is one that could possibly respond to ads or content that had profanity in them? Wouldn't you at least want to test it to find out?

And that's just one example. What about the self improvement niche? There are a lot of self improvement gurus who use profanity in their lectures to get a point across. Sometimes you just have to use a bad word in order to strike the right chord with the audience. Isn't that what stand up comics do?

So the question becomes this, provided you're not morally against the use of profanity, because if you are, none of this is going to matter. When DO you use it? When is the RIGHT time and place? How do you know?

This all comes down to market research and nothing else. You have to understand your target market and what they respond to. How do you do this? What's the procedure?

Best thing to do is to look at OTHER marketers and see how THEY are reaching their target market and more specifically WHO their target market even is. Naturally, if you're selling gardening books to little old ladies from Pasadena, you're probably going to want to stay away from profanity.

But what if you're selling a book on how to do rap to young rappers who want to be cool? Don't laugh. I may not be able to relate to rap or that generation (I always said that rap was crap without the "C") but if I'm going to sell to them, I better understand them and I better know what kind of language they use.

There are a lot of marketers who will say that this is just selling out your principles, that this is doing what you have to do in order to make a buck. Well, like I said, if you're morally against profanity, don't use it. So nobody has to sell out anything. But if you want to connect with your target market and every other word out of that target market's mouth is "F" this and "F" that, if you can't speak their language, you won't connect. And if you don't connect, you don't make sales.

And for those who think only idiots use profanity, think again. Some of the brightest people in the world have been known to use it when the situation absolutely called for it. Sometimes, when others are behaving badly, the only appropriate words to describe them and their behavior are very bad words. Anything less just doesn't get the point across.

Bottom line is this. Whether or not you like profanity, it's a part of our culture. Many people use it. A lot of those people buy things. They may actually buy things that YOU sell. In fact, some of the things that YOU sell may be popular BECAUSE of profanity. Or do you really think somebody buying George Carlin's CD with the words you can never say on TV is buying it because they think George Carlin has a nice speaking voice?

If you're going to be a successful Internet marketer, you don't have to use profanity. I never do in my newsletters and articles. But you DO have to leave your prejudices at the door. Because one day, you might just find yourself selling a product in a niche to a target market that doesn't respond well to "Thank you kind sir, may I have another?"

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Music Therapy for Autism

For many parents, autism is a frightening condition that often leaves them feeling disconnected from their children. The fact that the medical community at large still has a lot to learn about autism only exacerbates the issues families face when one of their loved ones is diagnosed with the condition. Treatment options for autism are limited, and generally require intense training at considerable expense. However, in recent years, music therapy has become increasingly popular as music not only has the power to calm and soothe, but may also be exploited as a means of communication.

As a non-verbal and non-threatening medium, music therapy is safe and useful for autistic children. Music activities are developed to address their special needs. For example, social play is one area in which children with autism struggle, but musical games that include passing an object back and forth are compelling while encouraging social interactions. With music, you also have the option to create a sound together, and many common symptoms of autism can be addressed. Eye contact can be encouraged with clapping games, attention issues can be addressed by playing an instrument; and a child's favourite music can be used as a reward for achieving cooperative social behaviours such as sitting with a group of children in a circle.

More significantly, music therapy has been found to be very effective in helping children with autism develop speech. Communication is one of the major deficits seen in children with autism, especially with regards to expressive speech which is often impersonal or entirely void. Autistic children may be completely mute or rely on very basic communication tools such as grunts, cries, shrieks, or humming. Even more advanced autistic children often rely on very basic communication skills highlighted by a lack of expression or a monotone delivery. Yet, in the music classroom, teachers often relate rewarding experiences with autistic students as they become more engaged and interactive with the music and their classmates.

There is a wealth of scientific research that supports the idea that autistic children show sensitivity to music. Sometimes they play musical instruments extraordinarily well, and the goal of music therapy is to draw on these musical sensitivities to improve communication and social awareness. Some of these children may sing even when they do not speak, and an autistic child's responsiveness to music can easily be adapted to non-music goals. Through consistent and systematic tasks, many autistic children benefit significantly from music therapy. Songs with simple words and repetitive phrases assist with language development, and the joy of music itself can be used to encourage socially beneficial behaviours. As music therapy continues to be an effective tool for autistic children, the applications of the therapy also continue to grow. Many therapists feel that music provides necessary insight into the thoughts and feelings of autistic children.

3 Tips to Investing in Condominiums

Condominiums are becoming increasingly popular today. With cities turning into business capitals over time, many home buyers are finding it appealing to live in condominiums that are commonly located within these busy parts of the globe. Residing in a condominium unit not only gives you access to the building's indoor amenities, but also to prime land that sits beyond the building gates and fences including public transportation, shopping centres, schools, etc.

Apart from being a great living environment, condominiums can also be a great investment tool to add to one's portfolio. If you plan on investing on condominium estate, you will have to find condos to purchase. Investing in a big ticket item like a condominium unit can be a huge and critical endeavour. Yet if done correctly, such move can also be financially rewarding. Of course, you must first find the right property to invest in. And this part of the process is something that a layman in real estate investing will find extremely difficult and confusing. Below are three pointers every prospecting condominium investor should keep in mind.

Have the Right Plan

So you have the money, you have the property you want to invest in, and you've even got a realtor by your side to help you. But without the right plan, all your efforts and resources may as well go down the drain. Having the right plan for your real estate property will mean all the difference between a successful and failed investment, of course you'd want to stick with the former option.

Know what you are in search of. Do you desire purchasing a single condo unit? Perhaps you have enough finances to invest on a series of condo units? You may even like to buy an entire condominium building if you have the financial means to do so. You should also address questions like - are you going to fix up, flip, or resell the unit later on? Are you going to purchase a condo unit and turn it into an apartment? Your decisions can make a huge difference in finding a condo unit to purchase for investment.

Consult a Realtor

Realtors are trained and certified in handling real estate cases to see to it that clients achieve what they set out to do, whether it's finding a place to live or a property to invest in. If there is a professional who's qualified for the job, it is definitely realtors. These experts understand the current condominium market and the commercial real estate, both areas that affect investments in a significant way.

Familiarize Yourself with the Market

Research average costs of related condominium units or buildings. You do not want to get overcharged for your investments nor receive a property that has poor quality and resale value. To avoid paying more than what you can get later on, research what other investors are paying for their condominium units. In addition, it will bypass many hassles and hurdles if you familiarize yourself with the rules of the condominium unit you plan on purchasing.

The Looming Fiscal Cliff

Okay... so here we are, back again with the election behind us. And, as some of you might recall, about a month back my commentary had a piece about how the elections would impact you with Obama vs. Romney.

So now that Obama has won, let me just summarize what I had mentioned a month ago on Obama's likely impact on some key economic issues.

The first thing I spoke about was that Obama will let tax cuts expire - those so called Bush Tax Cuts which expire on December 31, 2012, unless Congress does something to keep them in place. I'd mentioned that Obama wants to raise taxes on those earning over $250,000 and use this additional tax money to reduce the budget deficit. These tax cuts represent roughly $400 billion that could potentially flow to the government along with payroll taxes and higher taxes on investments: dividends, long-term capital gains.

Part of the package with the "sunsetting" of Bush era tax cuts were across the board spending cuts that also go into effect on January 1, 2013 - something called sequestration - that would impact discretionary spending on items like defense spending, and total about $200 billion in reduced government spending - with higher taxes and spending cuts jointly aimed at reducing the budget deficit, balancing the budget and reining in our national debt. These measures are expected to reduce the budget deficit by roughly 50% in 2015 and budget and debt by $7.1 trillion over the next 10 years.

It's this combination of tax increases and spending cuts that everyone's calling the fiscal cliff that goes into effect on January 1, 2013. It's this uncertainty over the fiscal cliff that was one of the causes of the markets' swing sharply lower on November 7, the day after the election.

And the reason everyone's talking about this fiscal cliff is that it's likely to increase the risk of a recession in 2013 if we just let it happen as is. Under a baseline scenario, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects GDP growth to go down to 0.5% in 2013 from its current run rate of 1.1% and this contraction in GDP could significantly increase the probability of a recession in the first half of the year. So this "do nothing" scenario is a fearful one for both Main Street and Wall Street because it portends a recession that could hit us while we are only in the early stages of an economic recovery after the mortgage banking crisis of 2008. And economists fear that this could be hard to get out of especially since the world around us is in pretty bad shape too.

Now, none of this is going to be easy. For one, after this election, the Democrats have a firmer grip on the Senate and the Republicans are stronger in the House of Representatives, and neither party appears very willing to strike a compromise. Additionally, our debt ceiling will soon be reached and our lawmakers will have to soon reach some agreement on raising the debt ceiling so we can at least continue to pay our bills as a nation.

And to make matters worse, the European Union recently downgraded its economic forecast for 2013 - it now expects GDP to contract by 0.3% rather than stay flat as was earlier projected. Even strong nations like Germany are now feeling the pain with growth forecasts revised down to 0.8%, less than half of what they were just a few months ago.

The bang opposite scenario is one where the deadline is simply extended - tax cuts are left in place, at least for now, and spending cuts too are deferred - the kick the can down the road scenario. Under this scenario, the CBO expects deficits to remain high and for public debt to increase, indeed shoot up, from 69% of GDP in 2011 to 100% by 2021 and to 190 percent by 2035 - not a pleasant thought. This scenario would give the new government some more time to strike a compromise but would cause significant uncertainty until some decision is reached... and likely increase market volatility with daily swings tied to pieces of good news and bad news, much like what we've been seeing with the European crisis.

Another scenario is one where Republicans and Democrats reach a modest compromise and let some tax cuts expire while retaining others and enforce some spending cuts while ignoring a few others - sort of a give-and-take approach to avoid political confrontation and economic paralysis. Perhaps this is most likely because the electorate - we, the people too, want both parties to collaborate on this one because a slip-back to recession is bad for employees, businesses and governments that get less tax revenues.

And one final scenario is a grand bargain where both parties work in a bipartisan manner to come up with a solid plan that addresses comprehensive fiscal issues including tax cuts and spending cuts, and put us firmly on a path to balancing our budget and reducing our national debt. Gosh that sounds too good to be true, and unfortunately, it's less likely because neither party will substantially agree to give up too much.

This grand compromise is also something that the CEOs of over 80 major U.S. corporations urged lawmakers in Washington to reach to address our nation's fiscal woes.

So as we go into this lame duck session before the new government is inaugurated, my advice to my listeners is that you continue to stay invested through this uncertainty, even Buffett says "hold" right now and seize significant market declines as buying opportunities of companies that will survive all of this over the long run, and not let any volatility over the coming weeks and months shake you off your investment goals.

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.

All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go.

In fact, this trick's so good, I wish I could take credit for coming up with it, but the truth is, it comes from a little-known marketing legend.

Here's the deal:

In 1947, Elmer Wheeler was one of the best-known salesmen of his time. His "Wheeler Institute of Words" developed a "best practices" of selling, by testing a variety of words in over 19 million selling situations.

I'm right in the middle of reading one of Elmer's most famous books, "Tested Sentences That Sell".

And here's a great little selling trick that comes straight out of this book:

Ever go into a restaurant and order a drink?

Of course you have.

And what does your server usually ask you, right after you place your order?

They usually say "Small or large?", right?

Well, imagine for a moment... you're the owner of this restaurant.

Do you have any idea how much your sales would increase over time, if... instead of saying "Small or large?" after your customers ordered their drinks ... you told your servers to instead, say...

"Large one?"

Let me take the guess-work out of this and make your job easier for you.

Elmer Wheeler tested this experiment out in five-thousand separate selling situations. And the results showed, when your server asked "Large one?"...

7 out of every 10 people, answered "Yes!"

So, let's say a large soda costs you 35¢ more than a small soda -- are you with me on this? This means, by saying "Large one?"... 7 out of every 10 customers that walk through your door, end up giving you an extra 35 cents!

Now you may be thinking, "So what?... It's only 35 cents."

A-h-h-h, but remember....

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors Open!

Follow me here for a minute: If you've got 5 servers... and each of them does this with 100 customers a day, this means each of them will be serving large sodas to an extra 70 people a day.

That's an extra 350 large soda sales a day. (5 servers x 70 large sodas each).

350 extra sales, at 35¢ each, is $122.50 a day in extra gross sales for you... which translates into $857.50 extra a week, and over 52 weeks, this turns into...

$44,590 Dollars A Year... With ZERO Extra Marketing Costs Involved!

Not bad, hey?

And if your large sodas cost 50¢ more than your small sodas, in that case, your annual bump in gross sales would be $63,700 Dollars!

70¢ more? O.K., that one's easy -- just double the 35¢ figure -- now you're selling $89,180 Dollars more!

See how easy this stuff is?

It's insane, isn't it?

But what if you don't have a restaurant?

How can you use this trick in your business?

Well, let's say you own a photography store. When people are filling out their forms to get their pictures developed, instead of saying "Singles or doubles?", you can say "Doubles?".

If you own a landscaping company, instead of asking "Shrubs and lawn?", you'd say "Whole yard?"

And if you're a hairdresser, instead of asking "Cut and shampoo?", you just say "Shampoo?"

Make sense?

When it comes down to it, the basic premise of this selling trick, is...

If You Don't Ask... You Don't Get!

But polishing your request up so it's "benefit-oriented" to your prospect... makes this work smoothly... effectively... and without looking like you're trying to "sell more".

Notice how you're not asking "Do you want a large soda?" -- you're just saying "Large one?"

See, you'll have to experiment a little bit to find out what works best in your situation, but not you've at least got one helluva head start on things, no?

And can you think of any easier way to make this kind of extra money?

Elmer Wheeler really was a "selling genius" and you'll pick up quite a bit from him.

And, from the excitement and enthusiasm he comes across with, you know he enjoyed his work.

Here are a few of Elmer's famous quotes:

"Your first 10 words are more important than your next 10,000."

"People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down." And...

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle."

Unfortunately, Wheeler's books are all out of print. You'll find them showing up pretty consistently on e-bay though, and, you can also find some of them on http://www.abebooks.com or http://www.alibris.com.

P.S. Remember, little hinges really DO swing big doors open -- and success lies in the margins, not in the vast open spaces. KSo keep your mind open to finding the small things that others let slip... through the cracks.

Why People Unsubscribe From Your Emails

Are people unsubscribing from your email marketing in droves? Are you wondering why? Here are some of the reasons why you might be disengaging your customers:

Stop Stalking - if you are sending out daily emails or even multiple daily emails (yes... some companies do) then you will potentially make your contacts sick of the very mention of your name! Nobody can have that much to say about their business all of the time so remember, less is more. Once a week or once a month is probably sufficient to get your message across and PLEASE make it interesting. People are overwhelmed with emails as it is so you need to make sure that you attract attention.

Live up to your subject line - it can be tempting to have clever subject lines that people will click but if your copy doesn't live up to expectations then you are going to disappoint. Generally people will unsubscribe if you are not providing anything useful or at the very least, entertaining for them. This means interesting, informative content and if you haven't got the time, know how or inclination to write it, then get a copywriter in! Expectation + Disappointment = Unsubscribe. It's a simple equation.

Hype - You might think that your special offer is the best thing since sliced bread but if you keep shoving it down people's throats with repetitive calls to action using language such as 'for a limited period only' and 'act now' then people will think you're a bit of a 'Del boy' and ultimately disengage. Try a bit of subtlety...

Inconsistency - there is one worse thing than sending too many emails, and that is not sending enough, or sending them infrequently, randomly and not according to your original promise. If you said from the outset that you would send a weekly/monthly update, then do that. Don't do it when the mood suits you. People generally will have more confidence with you and start to engage with you if you have a consistent dialogue with them and you demonstrate that you are true to your word.

Design - poor layout, lack of branding, links and images which don't work, can't read it on a mobile etc are all things that will have people hitting that unsubscribe button. Whilst it is tempting to use free email templates, think about working with an email marketing service provider who knows that it is ultimately the combination of great design and great copy that will get you noticed.

If you would like help in creating an email marketing strategy for your B2B or B2C email campaigns that will keep people subscribing then please contact Hayley Cashmore on 0845 116 2723 or email info@threespiresconsulting.co.uk