Motorhome Insurance: Using Security Devices for Additional Discounts

Did you know that some insurance companies will offer as much as 20% off just for having a security device for your motorhome? It's true, so you might as well take advantage of it. However, there is one thing that needs to be understood before we give you a list of options. We recommend only choosing one of the security devices below if you don't already have something in place.

Why only 1 Security Device? When a cover company is going to provide you with a discount in this area, they will only offer you savings on one. Some people believe if you go out and basically put your motorhome on lock-down (purchasing several of them) you're going to receive more money off. This isn't the case at all, so just utilise one of the options below.

The goal here is to find one that is perfect for your particular situation. We know that everyone is under some sort of budget, which means it's a good idea to look at the various costs attached to each one of these. Plus, if you store your motorhome in a garage then you probably won't need an alarm system if the home already has one. Then again; if you leave it at a location then you will probably want one.

Take a look at the different options you have available:

Wheel Clamps: many people like wheel clamps because they turn a mobile vehicle into a stationary one. Some families purchase two just in case someone wants to bring along a tow truck to steal the motorhome. This rarely happens, and it never happens if you have a wheel clamp on the front and the back. While these do not help with theft of personal belongings inside the vehicle, you definitely won't wake up one morning to find your RV gone. Alarms: There are plenty of alarm systems out there to keep individuals from breaking into your motorhome. There are inexpensive ones and high-tech options that cost a pretty penny. Just remember to assess everything that revolves around where your RV is going to be. If it's in your driveway then a nice lock system can do the trick, and be more affordable. Coupling Security: Unfortunately there have been several incidents around the UK where other Britons try to hook-up to another person's RV and drive away with it. If you want to keep this from happening you can purchase a device that basically locks the coupling area from entry. This way you never have to worry about it.

These are just a few of the security devices that can make a huge difference on your motorhome insurance policy. You will soon find that there are other ways to save money as well. One of them is utilising a comparison website to find your new plan. Motorhome insurance is very affordable when you use this option, because they actually look for the cheapest price based on the information you give them. Plus it only takes a few minutes to get a quote.

Eight Tips for Ezine Writers

Have you ever wondered why Ezine Articles have become one of the most effective marketing techniques on the Web?

The reason is quite simple.

People very rarely go online looking for something to buy. They go online looking for information - free information.

They want to be educated, entertained and informed. And the best way to do that is to write free Articles for Newsletters.

At the bottom of your Article is your 4- or 5-line Resource Box. That's what turns your Article into one of the most powerful marketing techniques on the Web.

Here are eight tips to help you write your Articles and get them published.

(1) Never allow yourself to think that you've run out of ideas. Instead, have the opposite thought: that there are more ideas than you could possibly write about. I heard someone saying recently (with regard to Ezine Articles) that everything that could possibly be written about has already been written about. Nonsense! The Internet is evolving so fast that even if you wrote a new Article every day, you still couldn't keep up.

(2) The Golden Rule of Five. Keep your Article titles short - no more than five words. Ezine Editors love short titles (they fit into the subject field of an email).

(3) Keep your paragraphs short - no more than 3 sentences. It's much harder to read a computer screen than a printed page - so make it easy for your readers.

(4) Make sure your Article flows properly. The easiest way to do this is to write down the opening and closing sentences of each of your paragraphs, then read what you have. If it makes sense and moves along nicely, you have an Article that is well organized and flows properly.

(5) Include a word count at the top of your Article. This makes it easy for an Ezine Editor to make a quick decision on whether to use your Article. It also shows you've been thorough in preparing your Article for publication.

(6) Check all the links in your Article before submitting it. Then include a note that says: 'All the links in this Article were checked and verified on (date)'. Again, this saves time for the Ezine Editor and demonstrates that you've been thorough.

(7) Offer a Free Report in your Resource Box. When someone reads your Article in an Ezine, they probably won't be connected to the Internet. So the challenge is this: to offer something so interesting and exciting that they'll fire up their modem and visit your website. The best way to do that is to offer a Free Report.

(8) Put all your Articles on autoresponders and then create another autoresponder that lists all your Articles, with an autoresponder address for each Article (e.g.: all-articles@yourdomain.com). When you submit your Article to a List or to an Article Archive, always include a note that says: "For a complete list of Articles by this author please send a blank email to: all-articles@yourdomain.com"

Remember - Ezine Articles are probably the fastest way there is of building your presence on the Web and getting your message in front of a targeted audience. Happy writing!

A Tide of Social Reading Can Improve the E-Book Experience

Accepting the prestigious French National Library Prize at a ceremony in France, the renowned Czech writer Milan Kundera declared that he wanted to see his books published only in the traditional print format. What the celebrated writer voiced was not his opinion alone; there are numerous writers and book lovers all over the world that hold a similar view. Some of the reader comments on internet sites stand testimony to this.

"Nothing beats the smell of old books." "For me, the e-book reader is just for airplane reading." "The books that are for keeping, I always buy in print."

Maybe it is the physicality of the printed book that contributes to its appeal. To many, nothing can effectively compensate for the pleasure of curling up with a good book when it's raining or snowing outside. Somehow, the e-book fails to impart that sense of warmth guaranteed by the print version. Again, opinion polls prove that the vast majority prefer a beautiful printed book as a gift to give or receive.

Reading Not a Solitary Activity with Print Books

If you have a good book, your joyful experience of reading it is enhanced when you share it with others. The print book allows you to mark favorite portions, annotate and underline as you wish. And if you lend it to others, it may come back with some of their impressions thrown in as well. Now this is one of the things that make the print book score above the e-book. The excitement inherent in discussing a favorite book is something that a genuine reader will not forego.

While there is a rich possibility of sharing in this digital age, there is a lack of integration between communities discussing / discovering books and the books themselves. This predicament is brought about by the existence of Digital Rights Management or DRM among most of the major publishers. Though DRM has been implemented with the good intention of protecting authors and publishers against piracy, it prevents readers from fully exploiting the books they have bought.

While there may be many reasons that make people argue in favor of print books, we cannot pretend not to see the reality. Surely e-books are here to stay with the many advantages they offer. The question is how publishers can ensure an experience akin to that offered by their hard copy cousins.

How to Get the Reader Excited about Owning an e-book

Dropping DRM will encourage readers to buy the e-books they want because they would be able to read the book on any platform they want. Another welcome advantage is the possibility of lending, sharing, and discussing the book with likeminded communities. It will allow voracious readers to re-read their favorite books just as they do with print books. When e-books incorporate these characteristic qualities of print books, readers are bound to get excited about owning them. Added to these is the ecological advantage offered by e-books. Being paperless, they ensure that whatever remains of the forest and oxygen on this earth is preserved for future generations. Other attractive features of e-books are their weightlessness and capaciousness.

E-books are already topping the sales, according to the Association of American Publishers' net sales revenue report. Adult e-book sales were at $282.3 million, while adult hardcover sales were at $229.6 million during the first quarter of 2012. So, with a few strategies incorporated to improve reader experience, e-books can also provide an experience unique to them, though maybe not things such as the "aesthetic value" or the "pleasant tactile sensations" offered by a print product.

Unleash Your Artistic Talents Through Craft Workshops

Expressing your creative vision through crafts is a hobby that countless people over the world enjoy. Whether your passion is to sew little fabric masterpieces, knit clothes for loved ones, or create art, paper, and jewellery pieces as decorations or keepsakes, you're sure to find people with similar interests and be inspired by them to explore designs and patterns that make life just a bit more colourful and that much more interesting.

If you've been collecting needles, threads, fabrics, paper products, beads, crystals, and other dainty little items over the years for your personal projects (or even if you've only just begun exploring the world of crafts), you can look for schedules of different craft workshops and join one where you can pick up new skills and learn new tricks. You would be in the company of crafting professionals and amateurs alike who will be happy to share their knowledge and experiences with you as you work side by side on a wide range of projects. There are workshops for making delicate jewellery, felt creations, holiday ornaments, and all kinds of home decor.

For individuals with sharp eyesight, infinite patience, and a brilliant eye for design and colour, embroidery kits are some of the more popular tools for making lovely stitched art pieces that can be hung on a prominent area of the home or given as a gift to a friend. These kits come with the right patterns and sizing instructions to help you get started on your project.

Embroidery creations can feature a vast array of designs-landscapes, inspirational quotes, animals (kittens playing, horses standing regally amidst a field, or lions in majestic postures are very popular among crafters), angels, fairies, and little children are all well-loved themes.

Of course, craft enthusiasts will be on the lookout for Christmas season cross stitch kits as the season approaches. Adorable snowmen in funny poses and smart accessories are popular design choices. Santa Claus designs are also highly requested; whether he is featured carrying bags of presents, playing with cats and dogs, handing out toys to children, or simply enjoying a hearty laugh, Santa Claus is always a welcome face in many holiday art projects.

With the right materials (which can be easily purchased online or from specialty craft stores), helpful workshops, and tips from fellow crafting experts, you can be sure to make art pieces that you will be happy to display, wear, or even sell. Get started on a project today and watch your daily efforts add up to a wonderful, cherished work of art.

What Is Tantra Actually?

On tantra.

First, let's explore the word tantra. Tan comes from Sanskrit and means condensing energy. There are 2 million and 1 mis-translations of the word, which literally stems from the word for loom or to weave. The best and most sensical translation is to condense and organize energy.

Tra means vehicle or movement.

So, while the literal meaning may be the movement of a loom or weaving vehicle, the true meaning is more appropriately understood as the focalisation of power/energy. This can be loosely understood in the way that a magnifying glass can focus relatively unfocused energy into something relativley potent. That is the meaning of "tantra." Nothing more or less special or majestic.

So, with that said, what is Tantra? Tantra is using the inherent tendency of the mind to become agitated to eliminate the mind. That is to say, tantra is taking advantage of the mind's inherent predisposition towards becoming agitated by certain things, then using that evoked energy towards a focused and directed purposed. Originally this purpose was to become englightened and realize truth, but due to the quite difficult nature of maintaining a pure purpose through this practice, it quickly became associated not with arousing energy for the sole use of uncovering hapipness/enlightenment, but arousing energy for other purposes- these have commonly been called "black magic," or supernatural powers known as "siddhis" in Sanskrit.

Tantra is nothing more than evoking or arousing energy through the mind's natural predipositions and then attempting to channel that energy for a specific use. Now you understand why it is like a loom gathering individual threads (energy) and putting them together to form something specific, right? Originally (as was said to be instructed by Shiva) this use was to realize Truth. Later, these practices were carried on in times and epochs in which the human mind was too predispositioned to falling into the trap of the very energies which were aroused by the Tantric rituals. For that, these rituals are often viewed as black magic. The most famous of which are known as Aghoras in India. In the original Tantric texts, given to Parvati by Shiva, it is said that nearly all of the time in our current epoch, the Ego is completely consumed by the ignorance which the energy/mental turbulence aroused generates. The most famous of which in Tantra is sexual energy. A person starts Tantra with the aim of using the aroused sexual energy for their own spiritual evolution, but later because of their own weakness this very energy consumes and destroys them in the form of desire for more sexual pleasure.

It is akin to a person begin to use heroin to relax. Even while it is true that a person can probably relax to a greater extent with heroin, in the end the practice will many times consume and destroy the practitioner because of the mental impressions left on a dense mind that later turn to extreme desire to repeat the pleasurable experience.

This is Tantra. According to Shiva, to begin a true Tantra practice is risky and only the very purest hearts coupled with the most determined and self-controlled minds attain success through a Tantric practice.

Are You Relationship Ready?

So, you want to fall in love? You are certainly old enough and moving well along your chosen career path. Many of your friends are either married or in committed relationships. You have grown weary of the singles scene

and the solitary life. Therefore, you must be ready, right?

Not necessarily.

So what is relationship readiness anyway? Exactly what it says. You are adequately capable of handling the commitment and challenges that a healthy, intimate relationship requires.

How do you know if you are ready? What are the characteristics you need to have or acquire in order to be ready for true love?

There are four primary areas that you should explore in order to assess your present state of readiness.

1. Take an inventory of past traumas and related major issues.

You should mentally review these and honestly look at how well you have already addressed and resolved them.

As you work through each, ask yourself, "Is this impacting me negatively in my present life." Also explore with yourself the possibility that the issue could become problematic once you have entered into an intimate relationship.

If you believe that there are things you have not yet adequately dealt with, you need to go to work on these. If you are unsure, then they bear closer examination. Consider utilizing resources such as therapy or joining a support group.

An example of such issues can include, but not be limited to; emotional, physical or sexual abuse in childhood, parents' divorce, loss of a parent or other loved one, or a past abusive or dysfunctional love relationship.

2. How's your self-awareness and self-esteem?

If you do not possess adequate self knowledge and a positive sense of self; an intimate relationship will be difficult or impossible to sustain.

For instance, do you know yourself well enough to answer the following?

Can you state your most deeply held values?

Do you know what you can't live with or without in a relationship?

Do you have a good grasp of your life goals?

Do you know your own strengths and weaknesses?

Now, do a quick assessment of your self-esteem.

How do you see yourself?

How do others see you?

Remember you present different selves:

at work

with family

with friends

in gatherings with acquaintances

If your answers tell you that you have difficulty accepting and liking yourself, or if others frequently respond negatively to you in your interactions with them, then this is an area you should begin work on. Self-love is at the foundation of all healthy relationships.

3. Are your past relationships really in the past?

If we don't get adequate closure on painful experiences/issues from past relationships, we are at risk of bringing them into present and future relationships in order to relive and resolve them.

Therefore, it's important to know that you have dealt adequately with any significant hurt or loss and have learned from any dysfunctional dynamics you may have contributed to.

If you find yourself slipping into unhealthy patterns in your thoughts or Behaviors as they relate to others; stop, identify, and then deal with that leftover issue.

4. Do you know what you want from a relationship?

We enter into relationships for many different reasons and with many different expectations. Knowing what yours are will help you to determine if this is the right relationship for you.

Too often we "choose" someone using an unconscious level of thought as our primary input. It is there that we hold our deepest unmet needs, fears and desires. Unfortunately, there is often a chasm between our conscious and unconscious selves that keeps this information "hidden" from our rational and thinking side.

Therefore, it is very important to examine all of your feeling and needs regarding any future relationship. Honestly look at what you must have and cannot live without.

You must know what you want and need from a future partner in order to choose the right one for you.

Now, spend some time exploring these four important areas before you enter into a serious romantic relationship. By doing so, you will be helping to ensure that your new relationship will be a healthy and lasting one.

Two and Four Stroke Engines - Fast and Simple Answers

Many years ago when I got hooked by motorcycles, I started to hear a lot about two and four stroke engines... It seemed there were (and there still are) strong opinions in pro and con of each of the engine types.

As Internet wasn't available, and as I was worried about other aspects or motorcycle riding back then, I left that question unanswered for a long time.

If this is your case or if your are interested in these two kind of internal combustion engines, in the next few lines I hope to give you a few fast answers and some resources to get more in depth information.

Just keep reading...

Here are some facts about two and four stroke engines:

TWO STROKE ENGINES

Cycle - Two Strokes:

1.- Compression (intake+compression)

2.- Combustion (combustion+exhaust)

Take a look at the cycle in: http://science.howstuffworks.com/two-stroke2.htm

Advantages of two stroke engines:

o The engine fires - spark plug ignites - once every revolution of the crankshaft.

o They produce twice the power than four stroke engines.

o They are much simpler than four stroke engines. Fewer parts to worry about.

Disadvantages:

o You have to mix two stroke engine oil with gas, and depending on your consumption, this might be expensive.

o They last less. Lubrication is not as efficient as in a four stroke engine with heavy oil.

o Do not use gas efficiently.

o Pollute more.

FOUR STROKE ENGINES

Cycle - Four Strokes:

1.- Intake

2.- Compression

3.- Combustion

4.- Exhaust

Take a look at the cycle in: http://science.howstuffworks.com/engine4.htm

Advantages of four stroke engines:

o Last longer than two stroke engines

o More efficient use of gas

o Pollute less than two stroke engines

Disadvantages:

o More complicated. Many more parts to worry about.

o Half as powerful as two stroke engines (for equivalent engines)

o Fires once every two revolutions.

If you want to learn more about two stroke and four stroke engines, take a look at the pages I mention above. You will find extensive information and diagrams that will solve all of your doubts.

Well I hope this gave you some basic information and helped you answer some FAQ about two and four stroke engines! :-)

Enjoy the ride!

Daniel Levy

Buildings Insurance and the Threat of Floods

What is the impact of increased flooding risk in the UK? What happens if your home becomes effected by floods?

Flood is an increased problem in the UK. Buildings insurance companies are concerned about the rising risk of flood. Claims to settle flooded properties are by nature quite expensive. Flood also tends to be a recurring threat at properties which means that once effected a home could suffer more than one flood in a short period of time.

This makes accepting flood risk properties difficult for UK insurance companies as there is almost an inevitability that the property will once again face flood damage. In recent years, flooding has become an even higher risk for UK insurers and there is an ongoing debate between insurer representative bodies and the government regarding the level of cover available to flood risk properties and the amount of taxpayer investment in flood defence.

The general rule amongst house insurance companies is that if a building suffers flood, the present insurer will continue to cover it at renewal of the policy. However you will be unable to switch insurer at this stage. Whilst this may mean you are stuck with a limited choice of insurers willing to cover the property, at least you are offered protection.

If you move into a property that is liable to flooding, you should investigate who previously insured the home. this might be your only chance of getting proper buildings cover for the property.

There are some flood specialists on the market who may be able to offer cover.

Yourhomeinsurance.co.uk, a site dedicated to house insurance in the UK does not accept flood risk properties.

Being Gotten

I have been doing a lot of mediation coaching in Pittsburgh and elsewhere helping management and staff work together better. It is not all that different from executive coaching because, after all, I am still talking to real people with real problems. When I am doing this work, I am often left with a feeling for how stringent we are in our beliefs, and how difficult it is for us to be free of judgments and to get our feelings heard. I've seen many times how placing judgment on the other members of the team slows productivity at work, and threatens relationships between partners and friends.

The biggest culprit I find in these situations is poor communication. We all probably fancy ourselves excellent communicators and can't understand why someone else doesn't follow our simple directions, train of thought, or idea. We walk away from conversations with our loved ones, coworkers, or friends with bruised feelings because we feel we have not been heard. In a recent survey with a global company I found that most of the 150 people who took part in a cross-cultural training thought that their communication was perfect but their co-workers were flawed and poor. When we point the finger, we are left feeling disempowered and hopeless. Issues are not resolved and work doesn't get done efficiently. Let me give you an example:

In my recent mediation coaching session I had the pleasure of working with an introvert and an extrovert. The introvert was complaining of too much talk and activity, and the extrovert had her feelings hurt because she did not feel received. The new office mate did not talk enough with her. After both parties got to air out their difference, and created a way to communicate their needs, they were able to create a positive work relationship where one was able to request quiet when it was needed and the other was able to be more talkative when requested.

I know this seem like a very silly example, but it is often those silly things that fester and create bad relationships at work. Add the gossip and victimhood on top of it and it is to no one's surprise that 70 percent of people are dissatisfied at work.

Communication is about being received, being seen, being gotten. It's hard to have that between two people if you're coming from two different places, especially judgment. If you are wondering why this matters think about this: happiness could be the underlying factor for success, and there is science to back that up.

Thomas Wright, Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration and professor of management at K-State, found employee well-being is tied to higher performance. And employee performance is, after all, tied to a company's bottom line. Happy workers make better decisions and have better interpersonal behavior.

This makes happiness a valuable tool for maximizing organizational outcomes. Economists too have found a link between happiness and productivity. In recent research, Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics at Warwick Business School, found happier workers were 12 percent more productive. Unhappier workers were 10 percent less productive. Yes, this is nothing new but something to remember. Heard employees are happy and engaged employees that are more likely to take the company to double-digit growth.

In order to hear and be heard, we have to be open to the conversation. But so many of us go into a meeting or a disagreement with our partner with preconceived ideas or thoughts about the person that make it difficult for us to listen and communicate. We have filters on, filters from the past, filters for how it is, and filters for what we want. What if you went in to a meeting or a disagreement with your partner and decided instead to be generous and listen to them newly. Forget about the past and really receive what they are saying or participate in a dialogue instead of a lecture? What if you tried meeting your colleague or partner in a place where they are comfortable?

I know two coworkers who have very different styles of communication. One wants to document everything in email and isn't much for talking things through. The other likes to talk out ideas face-to-face. What if the email worker spent a little time talking to her colleague, fleshed out some ideas, and then they both documented the results of their meeting in an email. Well that's a win-win. The colleague who likes to talk can feel she has been heard and it may help the email colleague find that the conversation sparked a new way of looking at things for her. And still, the email colleague will have her documentation and be able to see that real results came out of the conversation.

Once we're open to a conversation and receiving the person on the other end of the conversation, new ideas can be born and better relationships can be built, whether it is at work or at home. And what's more science seems to be proving that by doing this, we are likely to build a better app, find a more cost effective solution, and retain employees.

How to Brew Beer at Home

Many people don't realize how easy it really is to produce beer yourself, at your own home. For this reason, many people are missing out on a great opportunity to impress friends, family, and save lots of money. Brewing your own beer can cost as little as $6 a gallon! You can even bottle it yourself and sell it to make a profit.

One of the easiest ways to brew beer is by purchasing a kit that has all the tools you need. Most kits come with a brew keg and tap, as well as the ingredients (usually hops) and possibly containers. It really contains pretty much everything you need to get started! For that fact, it is definitely easy to get started and hard to stop. These kits usually go for around $20 to an upwards of a few hundred dollars. It really depends on how much beer you want to brew at one time, and how advanced you are.

By being able to brew your own beer, you will be able to create a delicious beer that tastes just how you like it, and in addition it's a great hobby to pass on and tell others about. Wouldn't it be nice to come home from work and have a nice ice cold beer, especially one that you have made yourself?

One of the key factors to take into consideration when brewing your own beer is that you need to make sure you follow the directions carefully and ensure that you are taking the correct measurements. Often times, if you measure the wrong quantity of ingredients just by a little bit, your beer can have a totally different taste than the last time you brewed.

If you are interested in taking up the hobby of brewing your own beer, than you should make sure to find a great source of information on how to do it. There are a lot of variables that come into play when you brew your own beer and you want to make sure that you have each one set correctly.

An Audio Book CD Is Filled With Entertainment

A neat method to unwind and let time pass, is by listening to an audio book on CD. However, this can be a little costly. If you believe you could delight in listening to an audio book, one's well process to try them out prior to purchasing one, is to rent one. By renting one, you can conserve money, and still be able to enjoy listening to one of your preferred books. You are able to find them at numerous video rental stores and also at your local public library.

Great Places To Enjoy An Audio Book CD

Let's say, you are vacationing at the beach this summer, you definitely will want to remember to pack a CD player in your suitcase. Before you head out, browse through your collection and choose your favorites. And as you are spending time enjoying the sunny beach, you'll be able to relax and hear a great narration during your holiday.

While flying to your vacation destination has wonderful benefits, you may find yourself bored. So to help pass the time, you may want to take along an audio book CD with you. This will help keep you entertained and relieve boredom throughout the flight. Then before you know it, you will arrive at your vacation destination.

A long drive to and from work every day, is another fantastic listening opportunity. Just slide in the audio book CD, and instead of getting cross at the other drivers and frustrated by the long lanes of traffic, you can fill your thoughts with the book you've chosen to listen to. Long drives will use up a lot of time, so be sure you have multiple CDs to listen to. Before your trip, you may want to go to your local library and get a few new stories to listen to and enjoy.

Sports minded people, such as runners, will also enjoy listening to audio books on CD. They can be listened to during jogging on trails or running on a treadmill at the gym, and are a wonderful way to distract your body from the pain of exercising. Who knows? You may even go a little further because you didn't want to stop at a good part in the book.

Maybe if you have the right kind of job, you can even possibly listen to your audio book on CD at work. It will really make you enjoy work much more and become a nice way to relax. But before you do this, you better ask your employer so you can be sure it is OK.

Earn Money From Home With Google AdSense

You've probably been hearing a lot lately about the Google AdSense program. But can you really earn money from home using this program? Let me ask you a question, do you have the patience to build a real business? If so, you can succeed using AdSense to generate revenue online. There are some simple steps you will need to take.

Follow the below steps to have great success with the AdSense program:

The first thing that I want you to do is visit Amazon.com. From there, you will be able to locate all the products that sell extremely well. Why is this important? It's important because you will be building websites based around these products.

Your website will consist of high quality articles. Each page on your website will be an article. For example, let's say thing you decided to build a website about "remote control cars." Each page on your website will be about a different remote control car. So let's say you write 2-5 articles for you website. Now what? Well, in order to make money with Google AdSense, you will need to get traffic to your website.

To get traffic to your niche website, you need to start building back-links to it. Building links to your pages causes Google to index those pages. The better the quality of back-links you get to your website the better your rankings will be. To create a back-link to your website, simply create a link to your website from a different website. So how do you do this?

Article marketing is a great way to build links. You can write dozens of articles with links pointing to your website. This will cause your website to climb higher in the search engines. And when this happens, you will get clicks on your AdSense ads. The best part is when your website gets ranked on the first page of Google, it stays there for years.

Let's talk about getting more clicks on your ads. I find that using blue links and light gray text is the best combination for Google AdSense ads. This is because the links stand out more. People can see them better and that causes a higher CTR (click-through-rate). Another thing that I suggest you do is put the ads directly below the title of your page. So when someone gets to your website they see the title and the ads first. I have received an 80% CTR with this tactic.

Guided Tours of China

China is one of the few countries that Westerners still feel a sense of wonder about. Not having traditionally been seen as a tourist attraction, there are not many Western travelers who have ventured into this mysterious land. Today, however, guided tours of China are more plentiful and cost-effective, making seeing China all the rage with adventurous travelers.

Guided tours of China most definitely will take you to Beijing, China's capital city. You'll visit the Forbidden City, an ancient city built for China's emperors, the Great Wall of China, a must for every traveler, and you'll still have time for bargain shopping with Beijing's street vendors or at Silk Alley, a bargain hunter's paradise.

Because China is such a large country, guided tours of China often include several intra-country airline flights. The airplane flights are exactly like those in the US and Europe, with the exception that the in-flight meal is inedible and you won't understand a word anyone is saying. The next stop on many guided tours of China is the ancient capital city of Xi'an, the beginning of the historic "Silk Road"-a trading route extending from Asia to parts of Europe. Xi'an is famous for being the site of the "Eighth Wonder of the World"-the famed Terra Cotta Warriors of Xin.

Most guided tours of Xi'an will take you out to the countryside where the archeological site and museum for the life-size terra cotta warriors exist. There are three archeological pits containing thousands of life-sized terra cotta soldiers, horses and carriages. These soldiers have been painstakingly recreated from fragments of pottery and the work at the site is ongoing.

The best guided tours of the Terra Cotta Warriors will tell you a little secret. In the gift shop, there are stacks of a beautiful picture book of the warriors, written in several languages. Next to the stack of books sits one of the original farmers whose well-digging first uncovered the soldiers in 1974. He'll sign your book for free, giving you a wonderful keepsake to take home.

A recent trend in guided tours of China is to take you on a memorable, multi-day tour on a riverboat down the Yangtze River. Most guided tours begin in Chong Xing, a sprawling city of 32 million people in South Central China. There, you'll board a lovely ship and you'll receive a room to sleep in, many with private decks so you can enjoy the scenery.

A riverboat tour down the Yangtze River should be memorable and relaxing. Guided tours of the river include daily excursions to sites along the way. As you travel downstream, you'll reach the Yangtze River's famous three gorges. These are areas of the river with huge mountains and massive cliffs on either side of the river.

China Travel Guide

Unfortunately, guided tours of the Yangtze River may not be as exciting as they are today or even as they were a few years ago. The Chinese government is building the largest hydroelectric dam downstream from the gorges, raising the water level, displacing millions of people and marring the beauty of the three gorges. While onboard the ship, you'll enjoy daily activities and fine Chinese dining every night.

Next on your list will probably be Shanghai. Most guided tours of China take advantage of the fact that Shanghai is near the mouth of the Yangtze River and close to where you'll disembark. Shanghai can be considered the "New York" of China. It is the center of finance and business in China and, for seasoned travelers, it's an excellent place to shop before stuffing your bags for the flight home.

Planning for Uncertainty

The traditional business plan includes short-term and long-term goals and projections. But, how do you plan when you can't guess what will happen? Some things are shifting faster than you can keep up with, while other things can drastically change based on politics. Part of the reason for our current economic challenges is due to short-term thinking. Traditional business planning is becoming obsolete.

However, if a business abandons long-term planning it has no direction and will be totally reactive and not proactive. The focus on short-term trends will cause a business to chase after opportunities, instead of creating them.

So, what is a business to do in these uncertain times? The key is to develop a plan that has both a flexible foundation and scalable systems.

Consider the typical insurance agency. It would have various lines of business; personal lines, commercial lines, group benefits, etc. Some agencies might have several niches like construction, retail, D&O, etc. These business segments are the foundation of the business.

The business segments can be considered as something closer to long-term goals. It is easier to predict that health insurance is currently uncertain, while personal lines seems stable at this point. The key to long-term planning is to accept that one or more segments might not perform in the future. The agency needs to plan for flexibility between departments.

Regarding insurance agencies', if health insurance sales drop off significantly, how can those resources be redirected to other lines? Or, what options are available to decrease overhead? It is important for a business to add or delete segments of business as trends change. In most cases, these trends would take about five years, plus or minus a couple of years.

Create a Scalable Plan Once these segments are identified and trends established, the next steps is to create a scalable system. A plan needs to be established to grow or shrink each segment of business based on current trends. Let's assume the contractor's niche is shrinking. What can be done to increase sales in the other niches? Scalability means to plan for increasing or shrinking a segment of business based on demand.

A scalable business is able to increased revenues while the ratio of cost to revenue is less to deliver than current ratio. In other words, the cost of growing is far outweighed by the resulting profits. A scalable business is one that can take on new clients without increasing workload.

Businesses will always have operating costs, but scalable businesses try to keep low their variable costs -- or the costs incurred with each customer they gain. A business that follows a scalable model will not have its cost per customer increase, even if it gains 100 customers overnight.

Insurance is a little less fickle than other businesses. Cabbage Patch dolls and Pet Rocks have a very short cycle compared to most lines of insurance. This means insurance agencies have a little more time to scale the business, compared to some other types of business. Insurance agencies are also not as scalable as a business that does not manufacture widgets.

The good news is that when there is a focus on niches or specific lines, the agency is able to have some level of scalability. It is important to create a system to quickly adapt to short-term changes. If one line drops, the agency needs to be able to move resources to the lines that have the potential for growth.

This type of system will require cross training and individual flexibility. The business plan needs to incorporate these requirements and train its people to know when operations need to change.

Conclusion These are uncertain times. Most businesses are experiencing increases in risk. They key is to develop a business model that can adjust both its foundation and scalability, depending on the circumstances.

Extramarital Affairs: What Everyone Needs to Know and What You Can Do to Help

Recent statistics suggest that 40% of women (and that number is increasing) and 60% of men at one point indulge in extramarital affairs. Put those numbers together and it is estimated that 80% of the marriages will have one spouse at one point or another involved in marital infidelity.

That may seem like a very steep number. However after two decades plus of full time work as a marriage and family therapist, I don't believe that number is off the charts. I worked with a great number of people involved in infidelity who were never discovered.

The possibility that someone close to you is or soon will be involved in an extramarital affair (any of the three parties) is extremely high.

Maybe you will know. You will see telltale signs. You will notice changes in the person's habits and behavioral patterns as well as a detachment, lack of focus and reduced productivity. Maybe you will sense something "out of character" but be unable to pinpoint what it is.

It is not a given that he/she will tell you. Those hiding the affair will continue to hide. The "victim" of the extramarital affair often, at least initially, is racked with anger, hurt, embarrassment and thoughts of failing that preclude divulging the crisis.

It might be important to confront the person with your observations, depending on the status of your relationship with the person.

It is important to understand that extramarital affairs are different and serve different purposes.

Out of my study and experience with hundreds of couples I've identified 7 different kinds of infidelity.

Briefly, some extramarital affairs are reactivity to a perceived lack of intimacy in the marriage. Others arise out of addictive tendencies or a history of sexual confusion or trauma.

Some in our culture play out issues of entitlement and power by becoming "trophy chasers." This "boys will be boys" mentality is subtly encouraged in some contexts. Some become involved in marital infidelity because of a high need for drama and excitement and are enthralled with the idea of "being in love" and having that "loving feeling."

An extramarital affair might be for revenge either because the spouse did or did not do something. Or the revenge may stem from rage. Although revenge is the motive for both, they look and feel very different.

Another form of infidelity serves the purpose of affirming personal desirability. A nagging question of being "OK" may lead to usually a short-term and one-person affair. And finally, some affairs are a dance that attempts to balance needs for distance and intimacy in the marriage, often with collusion from the spouse.

The prognosis for survivability of the marriage is different for each. Some affairs are the best thing that happens to a marriage. Others serve a death knell. As well, different extramarital affairs demand different strategies on the part of the spouse or others. Some demand toughness and movement. Others demand patience and understanding.

The emotional impact of the discovery of infidelity is usually profound. Days and weeks of sleeplessness, rumination, fantasies (many sexual) and unproductivity follow. It typically takes 2 - 4 years to "work through" the implications. A good coach or therapist can accelerate and mollify the process. I don't recommend "marriage" counseling, at least initially.

The devastating emotional impact results from a couple powerful dynamics. Trust is shattered - of one's ability to discern the truth. The most important step is NOT to learn to trust the other person, but to learn to trust one's self. Another is the power that a secret plays in relationships. THE secret exacts an emotional and sometimes physical toll that needs to be acknowledged and dealt with.

How can you help?

Those in the midst of their affair crisis told me they need this from you:

1. Sometimes I want to vent, get it out without censor. I know sometimes I will say what I shouldn't be saying. It may not be nice, pretty or mild. Please know that I know better, but I need to get it off my chest.

2. Every so often I want to hear something like, "This too shall pass." Remind me that this is not forever.

3. I want to be validated. I want to know that I am OK. You can best do that by nodding acceptance when I talk about the pain or confusion.

4. I want to hear sometimes, "What are you learning? What are you doing to take care of yourself?" I may need that little jolt that moves me beyond my pain to see the larger picture.

5. I may want space. I may want you to be quiet and patient as I attempt to sort through and express my thoughts and feelings. Give me some time to stammer, stutter and stumble my way through this.

6. I want someone to point out some new options or different roads that I might take. But before you do this, make sure I am first heard and validated.

7. When they pop into your mind, recommend books or other resources that you think I might find helpful.

8. I want to hear every so often, "How's it going?" And, I may want this to be more than an informal greeting. Give me time and space to let you know exactly how it IS going.

9. I want you to understand and welcome the ambivalent feelings and desires. I would like you to be fairly comfortable with the gray areas and the contradictions about how I feel and what I may want.

10. I want you to be predictable. I want to be able to count on you to be there, listen and speak consistently or let me know when you are unable to do that. I will honor that.

Extramarital affairs are powerful. Affairs are costly. They affect family, friends, colleagues and employers. Infidelity is also an opportunity - to redesign one's life and love relationships in ways that create honor, joy and true intimacy.