Archive for June, 2008

Fast and Furious Go Karts - How to Buy one Cheap!

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

Go karts can make your heart pump like almost nothing else. If you’re hooked on the thrill of go karting and you are dying to purchase a sleek new go kart there are a few tricks you need to learn. With a little patience go karts can be bought for as much as 50% off of the regular retail price. They are incredibly fun, and they’ve become extremely popular these days. You can find go karts at just about every family fun center or amusement park.

Racing go karts or off road gokarts are just plain fun. But you already know how exciting go karts are so let’s get to the nuts and bolts of how to purchase a go kart at rock bottom discount prices.

Finding cheap go karts is a lot easier than you may think, you just have to wait a little longer before you buy. But don’t worry, not too long. It’s really a simple tactic that I call price shopping. Price comparisons are certainly something you have already heard about, but if you do it right you can find some great discounts.

In the olden days you had to call up different stores or actually go visit them to get some price comparisons for racing or off road gokarts. But today we have the internet which makes it a whole lot easier. It still takes a little work and some patience, but the savings can be well worth the wait.

First, go to Google.com and type ‘go karts,’ ‘go kart,’ ‘go kart sale’ or ‘discount go karts’ into the search box. You may also want to try ‘go carts,’ ‘go cart,’ ‘gocarts,’ ‘gocart,’ ‘gokarts’ or ‘gokart’ spelled differently or enter some different gokarting words that may be appropriate. This will yield an unbelievable amount of online dealers. Check out about 10 or 20 of them and make a note of the different models and prices that they offer. Also, you’ll notice on the right side of the Google search web pages there are many sponsored ads. Companies pay a lot of money to advertise there. Many of these sites have great prices and they should be checked out too.

Second, do the same thing Yahoo.com. Find a few go kart sites that offer the types of go karts that you are searching for and make a note of the models and their prices. Once again, look at the sponsored ads on the page and visit some of them too. Keep track of the cheapest prices you can find.

Third, visit Froogle.com. Froogle is an offshoot of Google. It is a giant shopping site where you can find lots of different models. Search for ‘gokart’ and ‘gokarts’ just as you did at Google and Yahoo, making sure to write down the cheap discount prices you find for the go kart models you are most interested in.

Fourth, go to ebay and do another similar search. Look at the different auctions and notice the prices that go karts are actually selling for. This is one of the best ways to determine a selling price. You may have to keep track of a few auctions for a few days, but it will give you a good idea of the value for different types of go karts.

Do you get the idea? All you’re doing is spending a little time locating all of the best prices you can find online. Then you’re keeping track of these prices so that you can compare them. Now here’s the hard part. Wait a week or two and then do it all over again. I know that waiting is hard, but if you try to avoid an impulse buy you can usually find lower prices. After a couple of weeks you will have determined which go kart dealers offer the best prices.

Saving up to 50% on the price of a great go kart is worth waiting a couple of weeks for. Once you’ve done your homework you just might be rewarded with a wonderfully cheap gokart. And once the work is over, it’s fun time.

Larry Johnson is an amateur driver of gokarts. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have fun. He enjoys racing and off road go kart action. For more information about go karts please visit his site about racing go karts and off road gokarts.

Small Business Computer Consulting: Appropriately Setting Your Rates

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

In small business computer consulting, $100 an hour can be a reasonable and livable rate. Why can setting your rates at $100 an hour make all the difference in the world?

Take the $100 an hour and multiply it by 1,500 hours a year. This is reflecting a 75% utilization rate; or 75% of a typical forty hour work week as billable time. Now you’re at $150,000 a year gross.

Salary and Affordability

As a small business computer consulting firm, you will want to take a third of the gross and plow it into sales and marketing. Therefore you can afford a $40,000 base salary for your sales account executive. So, of that one third of your gross small business computer consulting income, $40,000 can go to the base salary and $10,000 can go to related marketing expenses.

Additionally, one third will take care of taxes, insurance and overhead items for the most part, and you have a third of it or $50,000 left to pay a technical staff salary.

Surpassing $100 an Hour

You may be considering exceeding a rate of $100 an hour for your small business computer consulting firm. At that point, you can hit what we call the not-so-imaginary-hourly-billing-rate ceiling.

Needless to say, if your small business computer consulting clients are paying $110 to $125 an hour, it gets even easier to be able to afford really bright, motivated, highly qualified sales and technical staff.

Higher Rates Equal Bigger Businesses

However, if you want to charge above $100 an hour in your small business computer consulting firm, you’ll almost always need to move above and beyond sweet spot small business clients into really large small businesses, medium size businesses and enterprise-sized accounts that require a different business model and technical skill set.

Once you do that, you’re going to be operating under a completely different type of business model. And you will need even more polished and seasoned salespeople to be able to handle those accounts.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Joshua Feinberg - EzineArticles Expert Author

Discover Why Sexual Lubricants are Astonishing and When to Use Sex Lubricants

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Not absolutely sure which water based lubricant to use? These questions might be mentioned in this great fruity lube post.

Sex Lubricants aren’t primarily for romantic nights in. Slicking up for single fun is one of the most common uses for lubes, oils and sex lotions. Using sexual lubricant during one on one fun is safe, super and practical. You will want your sexy toys to enter and thrust as much as possible.

If customers are looking for a sex lubricant which is safe to have with all dildos stick to a water-based fruity lube, there are lots of delicious types out there like vanilla. And there are some that melt. Add a spice of luxury into your sex life with Glass Dildos.

Current users can already know what sex lubricant is most suitable for them. But if you yourself are acquiring a water based lubricant for the first time we would enjoy to recommend the following. It?s very best to start off with a water-based fruity lube. Water-based fruity lubricants don?t stain and they are also totally safe to have on all sex toys. If you yourself wish to use a fruity lube for oral play we recommend you get one of the delicious cream flavoured ones. Anal fans tend to go for heavier water based lube because these sex lubes are a little longer lasting. Remember, the more sex lubricant you yourself experiment with the more brilliant screwing you yourself can have.

Psst… Have You Heard About HIV?

Friday, June 20th, 2008

The resent passing of another HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) testing awareness day this summer made me think about some of my old clients. I was a state certified HIV test counselor for the state of Michigan at the agency where I worked. This meant that I administered HIV tests for those people who believed that they may have been put at risk for contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. This was a stressful job, and some days, down right awful. The awful days, as you can imagine, were the ones when I had to tell a client that they had tested positive for the HIV antibodies. Thankfully, I only had to tell a few people, but those few individuals are forever carved into my mind. I will never forget them or the day that I had to tell them that they most likely were infected with a life altering infection. These people were young, old, and middle aged. They were people not unlike me. Hard working, dedicated to family, goal oriented, future driven. They were beautiful people that are going through life with an ugly, incurable illness. Unfortunately for me, since these individuals tested anonymously, I will never know their true identities and will probably never know how they are and if they are living healthy productive lives, or suffering and alone.

Guess what? You could be infected. You could be at risk. You should be one of those clients that walks into an office and asks to be tested. HIV doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care if you are rich or poor. If you are male or female. Gay or straight. It doesn’t care how old you are. We have babies in this country still being born with the virus because moms don’t know they are infected. Parents and grandparents are increasingly being diagnosed with HIV. Yes, you need to know that your mom and dad or grandmom and grandpa still have sex. They still can potentially be infected if they are involved with someone sexually that has the virus. HIV is still out there. It is still killing people. We do not know yet how to stop it. Doctors and researchers are developing new ways all the time to slow it down, limit its effects on people’s lives, but we are no where near eliminating it from our world.

I have been working with educating about HIV for around 20 years. I am sad and horrified to look at the statistics and see that we are no better off now than we were 20 years ago. The numbers keep rising. There is much in the news about HIV/AIDS rates in Africa and other countries, but I want to remind people that in your own backyard, HIV is still raging. We need to remind people that there are safer ways to behave, to reduce the risk of the infection spreading. The best way to reduce the risk of spreading HIV is to know your own status. There are testing sites available in your state. Get a test. They only take a short time to administer, and usually you can do it without giving blood. You can, in many cases, do it anonymously. Testing is the only way that you will know if you are infected. The earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis. Don’t assume you only associate with non-risky people. You can’t possibly know. Ask anyone who has HIV.

As a society, we need to become more comfortable with talking about uncomfortable topics. We need to talk to potential partners. We need to talk to our doctors. We need to talk to our friends. I remember thinking when I was a teenager that I wanted to be just like Dr. Ruth Westheimer when I grew up. She was so great about telling it like it was. She called a penis a penis and was proud to do so. I admired that in a time when people didn’t talk to teens about sex, she was willing to. Today, we seem to only talk to teens. We stop talking once that teen grows up. They has become very apparent due to the increasing number of adults over the age of 50 who are becoming infected. So now I am talking. The lessons are fairly simple. Know your HIV status. Know the infectious disease status of your sex partner, or don’t have sex. Use a condom. Don’t share needles if you are using drugs. If it isn’t possible to refuse every time, do it some of the time. Every time you think about your health and act positively for it, you reduce your risk and add another day to the fight against this illness. Find support. There are many wonderful agencies in communities across this country that offer education, help, and the things you need to live a safer life. Everyone has their own story and their own reason not to live safely. These agencies have been trained to help each individual create their own specific plan of action.

There are some people who feel that the drugs are available, so it is worth the risk. Certainly we risk getting the flu or infections by going out into the general public with the understanding that there are medications available to make us better if we get sick. So why is HIV different? One reason is that the drugs are expensive. Many people don’t have the insurance coverage to help pay for them, and even if they do, some drugs are hard to come by in certain areas. Secondly, the side effects for many of these drugs are brutal. I know people living with the virus who have chosen to deal with the disease rather than be restricted by the drugs. Another reason is that when you get Strep throat, you take an antibiotic for 10 days and you are done with that medication and that infection. If you get infected with HIV, you take medication for the rest of your life, with the added stress that if you forget to take it to often, it may become ineffective for you, all the while knowing that you never are going to be free of HIV.

It is as simple and straightforward as all that. Dr. Ruth couldn’t say it plainer. HIV can’t just be thought about on testing days or awareness days. It needs to be thought about, talked about, and dealt with daily. It needs to have people like you and me to continue to fight the fight for comprehensive sexuality education. To continue to educate everyone about what HIV is about and who it affects. We need to talk equally to young and old alike about the risks that they take with their lives. And mostly we need to not forget those that have died and continue to be infected and affected by a disease that is so easy to prevent. I know that I will always think about my clients and will pray that they are living happy healthy lives.

Kim Dziobak is a personal coach focused on helping women in transition who are trying to create more health and wellness in their lives. Visit the Lighthouse Coaching Center website at thelighthousecc.com or email her at thelighthousecc@hotmail.com

Are Parabens Really Safe

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

You’ve probably heard the news stories about parabens and the controversy surrounding their use in personal care products. Here’s a brief, but fair, look at this complicated issue:

No cosmetic can ever be truly “natural”-no matter what the manufacturer claims-but some ingredients are closer than others. Parabens have long been considered an ideal compromise and until quite recently were considered one of the safest preservative methods available. But an article published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology has cast doubt on the safety of parabens and, especially, their potential role in the development of some types breast cancers.

Scientists have known for some time that parabens can mimic the effect of estrogen when used on lab animals but in early 2004, British researchers from the University of Reading announced that they had found parabens in in the cancerous tumors of human breast cancer patients. Equally concerning is the fact that researchers believe that the form of parabens found in those tumors indicate that the parabens were absorbed topically and not taken orally. But most frightening is the fact that parabens were found in EVERY sample.

It’s important to note that this was a very, very small study–only 20 women–and there’s absolutely no way to tell what, if any, skin care products are implicated. Although the lead researcher has cautioned that there’s no definitive proof that parabens actually cause breast cancers, he has already called for more study.

Should YOU Be Concerned? Manufacturers are. Many of the leaders in the natural products industry have already announced plans to discontinue the use of parabens and more are expected to follow suit.

How do you know if your skin care products contain parabens? Read the labels. All cosmetics are required by law to carry full ingredient lists. If your skin care products don’t have ingredients listed, or you can’t find the preservative in the list, be suspicious. Be equally suspicious of manufacturers who claim to use only natural essential oils or grapefruit seed extract. In day-to-day usage, they just don’t work as promised.

One of the most exciting new preservatives being used today is Hydroxymethylglycinate, a derivative of the naturally occurring amino acid Glycine. It’s considered extremely safe and seems to be less apt to cause allergic reactions than other preservatives.

About The Author

As the owner of NaturopathicBath.com, Lisa Barger is one of the few internet-based experts focusing on truly therapeutic personal care products. Her cruelty-free products are made without petroleum, dye, alcohol, or perfumes.

webmaster@naturopathicbath.com

Marketing Strategies: 7 Tips to Becoming a Money Magnet

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Did you know that most people block prosperity because of hidden beliefs about money? This article gives you seven tips to create yourself to be a “money magnet”.

Tip 1 Identify your Money Type:

According to Deborah Price, author of Money Magic, we all identify with certain money archetypes. For example,when money issues come up, do you bury your head in the sand, like an ostrich? Then most likely your type is called The Innocent. If you’re not The Innocent, you might be
The Victim, The Tyrant, The Warrior, The Martyr, The Fool or
The Magician.

Tip 2 What was your conditioning about money?

What old beliefs did you receive from your parents, teachers and the society around you about money? Many of my clients report that their old beliefs include:

–”earning money means punching a time clock”
–”money is scarce”

–”money is evil”

Which of these have you struggled with?

Tip 3 What are your updated beliefs about money?

Since nature abhors a vacuum, then after you release your old
Beliefs about money, put in some empowered beliefs that cause you to become a money magnet. These beliefs might sound something like this:

–”I am increasingly magnetic to money”
–”My income always exceeds my expenses”
–” I am highly worth of being prosperous”

Tip 4 : Create a New Money Type for Yourself

According to “Money Magic”, the ideal type to strive for is the
“magician”. Why? Because the “magician” claims his/her own power and manifests his/her own financial reality.

Tip 5: Use the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction simply states that you get what you focus on. So if you focus on the lack of money, the difficulty of paying bills and the fears about whether you can support yourself, then
You will receive more of that in return. The solution? Easy, everytime you find yourself focusing on what you don’t want, stop yourself and say, “So, what do I want?”

Tip 6: Tame your Inner Gremlin

Do you have a voice that berates you? Do you find that it’s impossible to please that voice? Then undoubtedly, you are dealing with your Inner Gremlin, also known as the Inner Critic.

It’s busy telling you that you aren’t worthy of having money.

“Who are you to be prosperous?” it will say. It will probably badger you until you turn this voice into an ally who will say, “You deserve an abundance of prosperity.”

Tip 7 : Plan your work and work your plan

When you have finally let go of your old beliefs about money, you will find it much easier to create an effective business plan. More
importantly, you’ll be much more able to implement that plan and manifest prosperity when you are a money magnet.

Maya Bailey, Ph.D. - EzineArticles Expert Author

For more information on powerful marketing tips and
tools, please visit Maya’s website:
http://www.90daystomoreclients.com While you’re there, get
your Free Audio Mentoring Session by clicking the first
button.

Credit Card Surfing 101 and How it Can Affect Your Credit Score

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

With the tremendous competition building up, many credit card companies have started offering introductory 0% APR credit cards. Aimed to attract new credit card applicants, no interest charges are applied to outstanding balances during the 0% APR period. With this, users can afford to pay only the minimum each month without being charge hefty interests until the promotional period is over.

This situation forms a loophole that can be exploited by credit card surfers. Purchases are made with their 0% APR credit cards till the maximum credit limit. Only the minimum amount imposed by the credit card company will be paid each month without incurring the cost of interest charges. Once a card is maxed out, credit card surfers will make an application for another 0% APR credit card and repeat the same cycle.

Sounds like a great way to get free cash, doesn’t it? Well while you may be able to surf through a few cards, sooner or later you are bound to come to a road block. With huge debt piled up with interest rate charges imposed after introductory 0% APR rate period, credit card surfers will have to face snowballing debt once interest rate charges come into the picture. The exception to this is when credit card surfers pay off all their outstanding debt before this happens.

Otherwise, with multiple credit cards in their hands, each of which are charged till the maximum in credit limit, any default or late payments will result in a bad credit score. Now, what are the consequences of a bad credit score?

Well, now that you are labeled as a high risk lender, you probably won’t be entitled for any more regular credit cards. The only ones that you could acquire are high interest credit cards catered specifically for consumers with bad credit reports. This puts you at a disadvantage as you are now paying higher interests.

Apart from that, getting your loan approved for a car or a house will also be a challenge. You probably will have to pay much more in interests than others. In the end, it may be best that you don’t make the purchase until your credit report is set straight. This will only happen if you pay off your outstanding credit card debt and maintain a good payment history for the next 6 months to a year. This is the hard part as you need to work harder or take on another job to get your debt cleaned up.

Alan Bernstein recommends Find Credit Cards to apply for an American Express credit card today.

Read the Great Windsor Castle

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Windsor Castle is considered to be the largest lived in castles around at this moment in time and the eldest in nonstop inhabitation (over 900 years). It’s one of Queen Elizabeth’s three formal homes, and is regularly alleged to be her preferred home. The Royal Standard flies over the Round Tower of Windsor Castle when Queen Elizabeth the 2nd is at the residence - conversely, at other occasions, the Union Jack banner flutters instead. Enjoy England has many great places to visit. Windsor castle is no exception.

Samuel Pepys once announced Windsor Castle to be “the most passionate castle around.” That was stated in 1666, & the equivalent can be said today.

Windsor Castle Interesting History:

The building of Windsor can be seen in the beginning of the 7th century Saxon parish of Windlesora, where the contemporary day dwellings of Old Windsor is situated. The settlement of Windsor is properly recognised as the “New Windsor” - the actual word “new” being taken in a strictly relative sense!

Windsor Castle was at the beginning built by the famous William the Conqueror, due to his attack of England in ten-sixty-six. The original frame was put together from wood with earth ramparts. Palace held a noticeable tactical location on a steep hill above the River Thames, and was a fraction of a set of fortresses around London, with the Tower of London, one whole days trek away, at its middle.

The Palace was later recreated in stone, & increased in significance during the years. More recently Henry II built the Round Tower and the original stone outer wall. Following the English Civil War, the building’s key role became that of a royal house. Windsor Castle has remained almost totally unbothered ever since the start of the nineteenth century, apart from the reconstruction job following the fire in 1992.

Is Your Water Safe?

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

With concerns about the environment, many folks are wondering if their water is safe to drink. Given that water has been the carrier for many illnesses throughout history, that’s not an unreasonable concern!

I’m going to make a couple of assumptions about you. I’m assuming that you live in the United States, or Canada. I’m going to assume that you either get your water from a municipal water supply, or from a well. And by making these assumptions, I can make the further assumption that your water is completely safe to drink.

There are exceptions. If you have any doubts, call someone, and get information. If you’re in a city, and getting your water from a city source, the switchboard at city hall can connect you to the person you need to speak to. If you have a well, most areas require periodic testing for bacteria and contaminants. If your well is contaminated, they will let you know.

But the exceptions are just that, exceptions. And most people do not need to worry about their drinking water.

If the water is not safe for some reason, you have a couple of options available. One is to use bottled water, which — although certainly more than tap water — can be surprisingly affordable.

But a cheaper way to deal with water problems is to install a filter on your sink. The filter will usually have an on/off switch. This allows you to only use the filter for purposes of drinking water, and avoid paying to filter water that’s being used to, say, water the plants. I don’t really encourage you to install a filter on your own, unless you’re awfully good with plumbing. It’s more complicated than the instructions make it sound. Another — more low tech — alternative is to use filters installed in special water pitchers. In these, you fill the pitcher with water, and pour out your drinking water as you need it.

Filters can sometimes be good for dealing with water that — while it may be safe– is just not particularly good tasting. In either case, don’t hesitate to use them if needed. But at the same time, don’t fall for some of the fear tactics that have been used to scare people in the last few years. And if you decide to buy a filter, make sure you comparison shop, and ask hard questions. Some of the things you might want to ask: how long will the filter last? How often do I have to change the filter? Can I change it myself, or will I need a professional to do it? What will the filter filter out? Will it remove bad tastes? And — last but not least — what is the cost of the system?

Jim Huffman, RN specializes in natural and alternative healing therapies. His first book is ‘Dare to Be Free: How to Get Control of Your Time, Your Life, and Your Nursing Career,’ and is aimed at helping other nurses find satisfying, dynamic careers. His website is http://www.NetworkForNurses.com and his health blog is at http://www.shababa.blogspot.com

Online Sports Competition Bets - Essentials

Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Conjoin men’s greatest quests and you are bound to bare a craze we call a sportsbook betting web site. And really, what could be more inventive… If you see a crowd of sports fellas clapping to support their favored local team, and often wagers are certain to be advertised alongside the hubbub. Seeking to catch more of the pleasure, bystanders will repeatedly strive to infer who is the likeliest to prevail in the approaching meetup. In the end, this eventually develops into a friendly little meetup known as sportsbook betting web site.

Try our minimum sports bet here!

So it may easily seem neurotic instead sportsbook wagering is, in reality, just entertaining and of bonding with your fellow sports buddies. You can bet a an inconsequential budget of wherewithal and nonetheless have a ultra cool time. Read on a number of cues to get started sportsbook wagering.

In order to place a bet, we would advise you surf to a sportsbook betting web site, i.e. a place that takes sportsbook betting web site. In the US, you’ll find no less than four states where everyone can go for sportsbook wagering absolutely legally, but if legality is no concern, you can go for it wherever providing you can hunt out a bookie *and* you’re of age. On the list of games you can bet money on are pro plus, beyond, college football plus college basketball, professional hockey, professional hockey, plus, beyond, bets on both horse and dog racing. Customers have a choice of betting on the entire tally of a contest, at which point an opponent will go under, and even if a given tossed coin in a contest will come down heads or tails.

The sportsbook company bank on the maths be of assistance to you arrive at a conclusion which team you trust is the likeliest to prevail. To start with, we have the probability, or advantage in points given to a the weaker contestant that is assumed to lose by a set number points. This comprises the odds maker’s established style of offering level lays for a sports book. To take an example we may choose to risk money on a lineup that is assumed to lose and and nonetheless win the bet providing the contestant goes under by a set number of points.

It stands to reason that there are diverse sorts of bets: straight, teaser bets and so on, the straight bets, where you’ll pick the lineup which you think will prevail or go under being the best known in sportsbook wagering.

So why don’t you simply experiment with it and amuse yourself in tandem… Just make sure that you won’t get gripped and spend your entire retirement pension on a boutade. For otherwise you will most likely catch yourself full of regrets all life long.