Microsoft Office

Many people have computers and were using Microsoft Works or WordPerfect until Microsoft came out with an even better program for business and personal needs.  You will find that Microsoft Office computer software is generated more towards business or classroom needs than for your personal needs depending on what you are going to use the program for.  Microsoft Office computer software is comprised of four elements: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

The Word portion of the computer software is the easiest for individuals to learn.  It is just a blank document that will help you type up business letters, school papers, newsletters, and any manner of items you may need to have typed rather than hand written.  Word offers you options for changing the font, the background color, creating web pages, creating charts in the actual document, clip art to make signs or banners with, and many other tools.  You are able to import information from the web into a document or even from an Excel spreadsheet.

Excel is a basic spreadsheet that will allow you to create charts, reports, tables, and any other information you may need for a class or business.  Excel as a portion of the computer software can link to Word and import or send information to the other part of the program.  You will find that for accounting, businesses, and the science industry Excel is one of the most beneficial programs you can have.

The different charts include pie charts, vertical, horizontal, and even color-coded charts.  The best part about Excel is once you have a formula you will be able to continue using it.  You will also find that there are several different methods to create information on the chart.  You may have to take an online computer software course or purchase a textbook to learn all the secrets of the Excel portion of the Microsoft Office computer software, but you will find the information more than invaluable.

Next, you have the PowerPoint portion of the computer software.  PowerPoint is designed to help you create a report with charts, information, bulletins, and a slide show to make the presentations you have to do for work, seminars, classes, or personal entertainment easy for you.  PowerPoint is very easy to use with the step-by-step process of creating a slide show.  You will be able to import data from other programs and online sources to create the presentation.  It can be sent through email or used in telecommunication so that everyone is able to see what you are talking about without being in the room with you.  PowerPoint presentations are also used when teaching online courses where the host has control of the screen to work you through tutorials.

Outlook is used by many businesses as their main source of email and communication.  Outlook is like any other email program out there, except that the program is on your computer and you need to find a server that will allow you to email and receive messages.  It will also give you calendars, notes, and be a basic day planner for you to use.  You will be able to set up alerts for meetings, reminders for telephone calls, or activities you will need to do that day.  Outlook computer software allows you to carry the information you need with you without the actual book to carry.

Microsoft Office computer software continues to have updates every few years.  You will find that there is a new program called Microsoft Office 2007 available to work with the Windows Vista program.  It is important that you keep your software up to date when you purchase a new computer or download new programs to ensure that you have the latest in technology to make your work easier and more efficient.  This computer software is easy to download and requires a CD.  You will want to avoid online places that offer to sell you the program online without the CD because you will need the information on the CD to get the special items the computer software has.

Protect Your Computer With Anti Virus Computer Software

In the computer age of today, anti virus computer software is perhaps the most important thing you can get for your computer. There are few things worse for people today, than the possibility that a virus may be transmitted to your computer, but if a virus harms or wipes out your hard drive, you are lost. This is not just an issue for people who do most of their work on computers, but for everyone. Indeed today, many people have sentimental files and photos that if they were lost would be gone forever. That is why it is important for everyone to have a good anti virus computer software program installed on his or her computer. Although the choices are many and some people may not know how to choose a program, there are different things you can do to decide which anti virus computer software is good for you.

The benefit of all these choices is that the competition for your business makes those that provide anti virus service work hard at what they do. In many cases, you can get free trials of many different types of anti virus computer software before choosing which software you want to go with permanently.

In looking at antivirus computer software, ideally you will familiarize yourself with the different threats out there that viruses can pose. Many sites and companies make indexes of different types of viruses and what they can do to your computer. There is also a myriad of sites available, which offer clear and concise information on the different anti virus computer software packages available to you. It can be daunting for those who are not familiar with computers, to try to choose which software is the best, but it is important to remember that with enough time and research, choosing good software does not have to be too painful. The benefits of choosing anti virus computer software for your valuable information far outweigh the time you spend in your research.

There are different types of software that are aimed towards both businesses and personal computers. One of the first things to do when choosing anti virus computer software is to determine which type of software best fits your needs. There are familiar names for more popular software. Moreover, if you call the distributor of your computer they will also be able to suggest what software might be the best type for you. Do not be afraid to ask, not everyone spends all their time on a computer and there are people that can help you if you feel you are in over your head. 

Remember, just like everything else, practice makes perfect and the more time you spend familiarizing yourself, not just with the anti virus software but with your computer, the better you will be and the more computer savvy you will feel! Try to look at it as a fun project that can benefit you. You will be learning valuable information while at the same time acting proactively to protect your information from harmful viruses.  Another great resource can be posting sites, where people ask and answer questions and get advice on all different types of computer and other information. This can be fun and can get you in touch with people all over the world. It is a way not only to learn but also to expand your global community!

Most importantly, you must find a way and a program that works for you. Do your homework, and do not be too intimidated! In the end, you will end up with the protection you need as well as a little bit more information on computers and how they work. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and protecting your valuable information is a great place to start. Make sure you do it, there is nothing worse than finding you have suffered a loss that could have been avoided. Just take the plunge and try to enjoy yourself. The benefits are endless, as well as the possibilities.

Repositioning Your Family Practice For Future Growth

The whole system of health care is becoming more and more complex with the exception of family practice doctors. There are doctors or specialists that are committed to treating just cancer or just the heart but family practice doctors are committed to treating the whole person and nothing can be more unique than that.

Because of the grim image that has been given to family practice doctors many medical students are turning their back on the possibility of entering the family practice field. In order to keep up with the times and for upcoming generations to invest their trust into family practices, the entire basis of family practice may have to be remarketed to them. Although many family practice doctors believe that it is unethical to allow themselves a marketing budget and solicit themselves they are going to have to enter a new facet in order to draw the new generations into the belief that family practice is not second rate health care. Baby boomers have visited the same family practice for decades but many of the following generations refuse to consider it.

Many family practices rely on word of mouth to build up their patient population but in order to capture the new generations and allow family practice to refuel in an attempt to advance into the future; some strategic moves will have to take place. Start off with seeing what is going on with your competition, the community as a whole, and their expectations. Review patient records and have patients fill out short surveys while they are waiting and allow them to remain anonymous. Family practice doctors are going to have to recapture their patients and potential patients in order to ensure future growth and stability.

It helps if your family practice has been longstanding in your community and has a good reputation. Where are your strengths and weaknesses? Review your cancellation rates, staff turnover, and scheduling procedures. See where there may be room for correction or if it is fine the way that it is. Look at the demographics of your family practice and see where your patients are from, are they mainly male or female, children or adults? All of these are things to consider when deciding which avenue you will pursue when marketing your family practice.

Find out how your patients perceive you and your family practice. Why do they come to see you and are these needs changing at all? These are the questions that need to be answered so that you can move your family practice and reposition it for greater strength. People will then come to understand that only family practices offer health care for the entire body. You have a major advantage so go ahead and use it. Compare a family practice to that of a Walmart or Meijer or any one stop shopping. They offer everything. In rare cases, you may have to go to a specialty store for something rare. A specialist is comparable to going to a meat market, a place that has quality meats but if you are looking for anything else you will have to make another stop. Analyzing it that way will make it easier for your patients to see that running to a bunch of different doctors doesn't make sense.

Office Management and the Family Practice

The right office manager can help a family practice thrive. The wrong office manager can result in loss of clients and have everyone in the practice ready to commit homicide. How do you find the office manager who will be a blessing to the family practice instead of a curse?

Office Manager Duties

Before interviewing prospective office managers, consider what you need from them. What duties will the office manager be responsible for performing? What will be the office manager's role in the family practice?

Office Manager as Administration

When the family practice is a large or complex one with a large number of support staff carrying out individual roles, the office manager's main task is usually that of making sure everything runs smoothly and every task is covered. This is especially important when separate staff members are covering appointment setting, reception, billing, etc. If one person isn't getting the job done or isn't performing the job right, the whole system is affected.

In this type of family practice, the office manager keeps an eye on the pulse of the practice, making sure everything is working properly while handling any issues that arrive, from staff issues to disgruntled patients.

It is vital that the individual hired for this type position be able to multi-task, to work under pressure, to be able to mediate when problems arise, and to properly exercise their authority if necessary. The best office manager as administrative aide candidate can perform any task in the office if necessary and is capable of training, encouraging and
overseeing other office staff members.

Some office managers handle payroll and other financial duties for the family practice. If this will be the case, the potential office manager should have experience in payroll and the tax issues that affect operating a family practice.
Risk management is another task the family practice office manager must administer. Keeping up with applicable local, state and federal laws, taxes and regulations and maintaining family practice compliance is part of the job. Insurance and legal issues such as malpractice must be monitored.

Office Manager as Support Staff

In the small family practice, the office manager may be the only staff member aside from medical staff. In this situation, the office manager fills every business office duty, from reception to accounting and payment of taxes.

This type of office manager is well rounded, able to multi-task and comfortable both with computer related duties and tasks
involving interaction with patients. From greeting patients and others who come through the front door to signing for equipment that comes in through the delivery door, this type of family practice office manager can handle any situation that arises.

Finance and Family Practice Management

Family practice financial duties including accounts payable/receivable, payroll and the budget may be administered by the office manager or the office bookkeeper. Practice administration is often handled by the office manager. If the office manager is not performing financial duties, he/she is responsible for overseeing those who do. Again, the size of the family practice is usually the first consideration when deciding who to assign financial related duties to.

Human Resources and Family Practice Management

Hiring and dismissing staff, overseeing staff activity, creating employee manuals, managing employee benefits, employee files and employee accomplishment is usually handled by the family practice office manager.

Marketing and Family Practice Management

Office managers, in the absence of a dedicated marketing manager, may perform all tasks related to advertising, community relations and building the practice.

Qualifications of the Family Practice Office Management Candidate

Specific qualifications usually vary in accordance with the size and complexity of the family practice and the expectation of the physicians involved.

A college degree is usually a prerequisite. Certification as a medical office manager is a plus. Certification usually guarantees a certain amount of training in the required skills and tasks. In some cases, practical experience is as valuable as a degree.

Once the expected duties have been determined, along with desired qualifications, the search for a family practice office manager can begin. If using a medical staffing agency, it's possible to have the agency interview potential candidates and refer only those who meet select criteria.

The right family practice office manager keeps the practice running smoothly. Choosing the right candidate is a decision that should be made with careful consideration.

When Your Family Practice Physician Retires

You may have had the same family practice doctor for a great number of years and just got news that he is about to retire. You are beside yourself and are in a panic mode trying to even fathom who will be able to take his place. Because of the fact that family practice doctors are considered somewhat old school, it is likely this will happen one day.

Your doctor will find someone to take over his family practice that he is confident in and believes has a good bedside manner. He will probably familiarize himself with the new doctor first and have him come to the office during business hours and watch how your doctor conducts business and possibly to see any interaction that the new doctor may have with the patients and staff.

This process will probably begin months or maybe even as much as a year before your doctor's retirement. You will probably be notified first by a personal letter from your doctor announcing his retirement but it is possible that the first time you hear about it could be from rumor or gossip. You will have plenty of time to make at least one appointment with your doctor before he goes and he will value your opinion on your feelings toward the new doctor.

The nurse staff will probably give you a good heads up too as to whether or not they like him, especially if they do not, as they will get a job somewhere else. If the staff stays it is a sign that you are probably in good shape. Remember, you have been dealing with the staff for a long time so they will at least give you an eye roll if they do not think you will care for him. Trust in your doctor, he is the one who picked him.

Once more before your doctor retires, you should be able to have an opportunity to meet with your doctor while the new doctor is present and speak with both of them. This makes the transaction much smoother. After all, this is a huge transition for you and your doctor understands that.

When it is time to schedule an appointment with the new doctor, you will at least know what to expect. It is certain that the new doctor will do all he can to make your visit comfortable. He will want to go over your chart and see what your past medical history has been. He is now your new family practice doctor, of course he will want to know. Be confident and if you have any apprehension, tell him about it. It may even take a visit or two before you will get to know him and be certain of a choice between stating with the new doctor and perhaps checking out the competition of other family practices in your area.

Chances are that your new doctor has had a chance to scope out any weaknesses that your old doctor had and maybe he corrected them to make the new family practice even better than ever.

Save Money for Holiday Travel

Many people want to travel for the holidays but they don’t feel like they can because their budget doesn’t allow for it. Yet there are plenty of ways you can raise money to be able to do so. The sooner you start making a plan and determining how much money you will need the more successful you will be. Come up with as accurate of an amount as you can so you wont’ fall short. If you overestimate the amount of money you need for holiday travel then you can enjoy it later on.

Make a commitment not to touch the money you save for holiday travel under and circumstances. Place it in the bank or in a piggy bank that you have to break to get into. This way you won’t be tempted to remove any of the money for another purpose. The money you save for holiday travel will safely continue to grow until you are ready to travel.

Everyone needs to remove clutter from their home now and then so get it done and have a yard sale. Price the items cheap so that you won’t have to haul it all back into your home again. Making some money off the items you no longer need is better than not making any at all. You may want to place some of the items on the various online auctions so that you can get a better price for them. Do your research to see what is selling on these sites so you can have a good chance of selling yours.

Take a close look at your income and think about how much of it you can reasonably put away for holiday travel. Even if it is only $10 a week you can start putting it away and it will add up quickly. If you get paid every two weeks there will be months when you get three pay checks. Make a plan to save at least ½ of those paychecks for your holiday travel plans.

You may find making some adjustments to your family’s budget can help you to save enough money for holiday travel as well. Instead of paying for a cup of coffee on the way to work each day make your own. Rather than going out to dinner and to a movie consider ordering a pizza and renting a movie. All the extra money that you save needs to go towards your holiday travel plans.

Ask your boss about any additional shifts or overtime hours you can have in order to save money for holiday travel. This means you may have to give up some of your free time but it will be a worthwhile sacrifice. Let other people know you are for hire too so they can pay you to baby sit, clean their house, or paint their garage. These little projects can be very fun and add up to some nice cash for the holiday travel plans you have.

If you are traveling for the holidays to see your family or friends ask them about a no gift rule if you want to go for Christmas. Explain to them that you will be saving all your money towards coming to see them for the holidays. The amount of money you will save on gifts quickly adds up, and being able to spend time with your family and friends will be a gift you can’t put a price on.

Look for excellent deals on holiday travel as well. It will be wonderful if you find a cheap flight or a discount of the train or bus. This means you will have less money to save up for your holiday travel. It may take some effort and some sacrifices but it will be well worth it when the holiday of your choice rolls around and you are able to go where you want to go.

Finding the Best Holiday

The internet gives us access to just about anything we can imagine. This includes finding flights, trains, buses, hotel rooms, and rental cars that we can use to travel for the holidays. While most of these entities are more expensive when you travel over the holidays due the demand, you can still find some good deals if you take the time to look.

You will generally find that you can save the most money on holiday travel if you purchase a complete package deal. This is less expensive than buying each piece that you need individually. It also provides you with only one confirmation number that you need to keep track of instead of several different ones.

There are literally hundreds of sites online where you can look for holiday travel deals. You can search by your destination in a search engine or choose the various sites you have heard about. It is a good idea to keep a list of the sites you visit and the prices you are coming across. This way you can compare the prices and easily remember where you want to go back to.

Most of the time fares will be cheaper online than by contacting the place directly because it saves their business time of having to set up the travel arrangements for you. Make sure you carefully read all of the information though because some travel deals have hidden costs that you don’t want to be liable for. You also need to check into the cancellation policies and about rescheduling your trip.

Some online travel deals don’t offer any refunds at all so if a family member dies or you have an unexpected illness you won’t be able to get your money back. Even if you show up late for your flight because you got caught up at security they won’t honor your purchase. This can be extremely risky because there are too many variables that can affect holiday travel.

Make sure you also pay close attention to the amount of time that you will be in the process of getting to your destination. You may find a killer price but it isn’t going to be worth it if you have several connecting flights and layovers along the way. Look for direct methods to get to your destination whenever it is possible. There are simply too many delays during holiday travel to ensure you can get to those connections on time.

Many of the sites you visit online will allow you to sign up for special offers and promotions. You should take advantage of these offers so that you don’t have to continually return to their site to check for changes in prices. Some of them even allow you to enter a price so that you can be notified if the price of the trip you want drops to that price. For those that can only afford holiday travel if it fits a specific budget, this is a valuable feature.

During your search online for holiday travel, be flexible with your dates. You will be able to save hundreds of dollars just by being willing to leave a day earlier or leaving in the evening instead of the afternoon. Those that want a specific travel arrangement will find this ties them into more expensive offers. Even if you travel a day earlier and have to pay for a hotel room that extra night you could save hundreds of dollars.

It does take some initial planning of where you want to travel and how you are going to get there in order to find the best travel deals. Investing a few hours of your time in getting the best price though is well worth the savings you will get from it. Millions of people travel each year over the holidays but some of them pay more for the same trip because they didn’t look for holiday travel deals online.

Make Holiday Travel Easier

The holidays can be quite hectic but they are often a time when people travel to see family and friends or to take a well deserved vacation. Following some basic tips will help ensure you have the best time when you travel during this time of year. Being prepared for things to go wrong is the first step in minimizing the damages and getting on with your holiday travel plans.

Make sure you have all of your tickets and confirmation numbers in a specific place. It is a good idea to make a copy of the information as well as the contact number for your tickets and place it in another location. This way if you lose the originals you will have all the necessary information to take care of it. You should call about a week before your travel dates to make sure your reservation is still active for all modes of transportation and your accommodations.

It is common for flights, trains, and buses to get delayed over the holidays due to security issues, weather, and trying to meet the needs of the volumes of people using such modes of transportation over the holidays. Make sure you have plenty of money, food, drinks, and necessities to get you through these delays. They can range from a couple of hours to a few days. If you will be traveling a long distance you should consider bringing along activities to pass the time, especially if you are traveling with children.

If you take prescription medications you need to make sure you have them clearly labeled. You may get questioned about them if they aren’t in the bottle you picked them up at from the pharmacy. It is a good idea to have a written note from your doctor regarding the medication as well. Makes sure you have enough of it for the entire trip including any delays that may occur.

Lost luggage is one of the biggest problems when people travel, and it compounds during the holidays because of how busy everyone is. While you really can’t prevent your luggage from getting lost, you can do your best to make sure you have all you need in the mean time. Make sure each person traveling in your party has clothing in all of the suitcases instead of making one for each person. This way everyone will have a chance to have some items should a bag or two get lost in the shuffle.

Clearly identify your luggage so that you will be sure to get yours upon reaching your destination. Too many bags look the same and many people are in a hurry when they travel for the holidays. Place a colorful ribbon or colored tape on your bags if you carry the styles and colors that are very popular. If you travel often you should consider some unique looking luggage that will stand out.

Traveling during the holidays needs to be as smooth as possible to ensure you will enjoy your trip. By taking the time to follow these tips you can help make that happen. There are plenty of horror stories out there about people not being able to get to their destination for the holidays or they didn’t have the items they needed upon arriving. Don’t open the door for your holiday vacation to fit into this grim category.

Online Stock Trading

Trading stocks online can be a lucrative arena to enter, however, this may also come with great risks. If you are not well equipped with the artillery to get you through the online stocks jungle, then you might end up losing so much than what you have bargained for. Here are a few tips that could help prepare you for online stock trading.

Choose A Smart Trading Style That Works For You

Take time to consider what type of trading you would want to do and what style would best fit your lifestyle. For example, if you are interested in day trading, keep in mind that in order to do well in this particular field, you may need to be in front of the computer and on the telephone for very long hours in a day.

Whatever trading style you may choose, may it be day trading, short-term trading, weekly trading or even monthly trading, consider the nature of these styles and how you can fit them into your way of working.

Find A Good And Legitimate Broker

Another very important thing to remember in online stock trading is to find a good broker. Make sure that you take time to get to know your broker by checking whether the firm is legitimate under the SEC and if it receives good reviews from those with experience in trading.

The type of trading style that you decide to delve into should also greatly determine on which broker would be best for you. If you were engaging in day trading, then it would be best to choose a firm that has very good and accessible technological services. Other styles of trading can manage less sophisticated brokers.

Choose A Very Good Strategy

Because of the fact that stock trading involves so many risks, choosing a very good strategy can be very helpful for you to weather obstacles that will come your way.

Make sure that you choose a trading method that will take advantage of both up and down markets. A strategy that will work in all types of markets will surely be beneficial because you never know when demands for stocks may increase or go down, and surely, you wouldn’t want to end up losing money because you failed to foresee the different trends of the market.

Aside from this, make sure that your strategy involves minimal risks and gives you high rewards. It is always better to prevent and control risks than allow the chances that you may have to face serious dilemmas. Risk management is very vital in order to become successful in online trading.

Know About Stocks

Take time to know which stocks would be wise to place your investments on through extensive research or even through seeking the help of a professional. It is important that you are aware of the type of stocks that you risk your money on, after all, whatever results these may garner in the market will surely affect whether or not you will gain or lose profit.

Also take time to know when it would be best to sell your stocks. Most people just focus on what and when they should buy stock, but often times they forget how important it is to consider when would be the right time to sell. Take in mind the signs and conditions that can give you signals on when it would be best to get out of a bad investment before you lose substantial amounts of money.

These are all very basic, yet very vital things that anyone who wants to engage in the online stock trading business must know. After all, investing on your own knowledge and skills in trading is the most important thing that anyone must consider in order to win in this very risky trading game.

Follow these tips and surely, you can get a significant difference in your performance as an online stock trader.

Getting Smart On Day Trading

Day trading is a very controversial endeavor to take on in the stock market industry these days. Many people end up losing so much of their finances through this high-risks trade. And the most common mistake why these people garner such bad results is because they often do not think of the risks involved and only concentrate on making easy money.

What anyone must be familiar with in order to survive this high-stakes industry are the things to look out for. Here are a few things that you need to know about day trading that could help you in making the right decisions about your investments.

You May Lose A Lot Of Money

The very first thing that you need to know about day trading is that you must be prepared to suffer from substantial financial losses. And take in mind that this is not a rare thing to happen among day traders, in fact, a lot of these people, do not even get the chance to earn profit at all.

Therefore if you have limited resources and a have very little experience in making investments or trades, then day trading is certainly not advisable for you. Make sure that you never gamble with money that you cannot afford to lose, such as your budget for daily expenses, mortgages, retirements and so on.

Watch Out For Claims Of Large Profits

One of the main reasons why a lot of people also get scammed in relation to day trading is because of their gullibility towards catchy promises that offer them large profits –most commonly from the Internet. Be wary of any advertisements or claims that try to convince you on how this certain trade can potentially make your rich in a short amount of time.

Also take in mind that most large and successful companies did not make it to the top by taking shortcuts. Most of those who have earned big money through the stock exchange have actually taken more traditional routes in their tactics.

You Need To Be Knowledgeable

Not only does day trading require you to be a wise decision-maker, but most importantly, it also requires you to have a good background on security markets and trading strategies.

To be able to become successful in this endeavor, you have to compete with professional and licensed traders who might have been doing this for a very long time already. Make sure that you invest on your own experience before you attempt on playing this risky game.

You Need To Check With Your State Securities Regulator

If you really are decided on taking part in day trading, one of the most important precautions that you can at least take is to check with your state securities regulator about day trading firms. After all, just like any broker-dealers, such firms must be legally registered with the SEC in order to do business.

At least, through this way, you would be able to determine that the parties you are doing business with are actually legitimate and mostly likely would not scam you.

In conclusion, day trading is a very exploratory strategy. And so, anyone who may not have enough experience and knowledge about the stocks game should not try to gamble without properly preparing him or herself.

This strategy should only be employed by individuals who are sophisticated, well financed and experienced enough to manage complications and bear risks in case the worst-case scenario. And so, if you are thinking about betting on the day trade, make sure that you prepare yourself to be smart in your decisions.

Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are simply businesspeople. Some people may think that it’s really easy to become an entrepreneur, but they are very wrong. You see, there’s more to just being called an entrepreneur. In fact, many studies are conducted by some experts to uncover the traits possessed by successful entrepreneurs.

What makes a successful entrepreneur? There are many factors that help in making an entrepreneur like qualities, education, skills, and many others. There is however one thing that you shouldn’t disregard if you want to become a victorious entrepreneur. Mindset plays a very important role in the success of businesspeople.

Without it, you will definitely find it hard to succeed in whichever business endeavor you take. To be one of the successful entrepreneurs, you must have the qualities needed to become one. You must know how to organize,

Entrepreneurs are often identified with how they look and think about things. According to many experts who studied various entrepreneurs, if you can think like an entrepreneur you have a high chance of succeeding in any form of business.

Successful entrepreneurs are positive thinkers. They always think that they can do everything. Confidence is one trait that you need to become an entrepreneur. You must have this trait as early as possible but don’t worry if you’re not that confident yet because you can still develop that just in time before you get involved in any business.

You must also be able to set your vision straight and look at certain situations differently. For ordinary individuals, problems are considered obstacles but for many entrepreneurs, these are challenges. Aside from being a positive thinker, you must have strong belief in your objectives. If you’re confident enough, you can think straight at all times and you can set achievable objectives.

The business process is full of risks and if you don’t have the qualities of an entrepreneur, you will easily give in to such problems and obstacles. Being a risk taker is a very good trait of an entrepreneur. They are not afraid to be outside the so-called safety zone. To succeed in any business undertaking, one must not be afraid of these risks.

However, you don’t take risks blindly; you must be able to calculate them. By properly calculating the risks, you can determine if the risks are worth taking or not. If you think that by taking the risk you will gain more for the business, don’t be afraid to accept it. If you don’t put one of your foot forward, your business will not go anywhere. 

Everything does not end in thinking alone. If you simply think and think, you will not achieve anything. But if you think and act, you will certainly reach the peak of success. Action is truly needed to put all your thoughts to action. You must be able to come up with well-intentioned objectives and your actions should be focused.

Now you know that the mindset of the individual is very important in order to become one of the successful entrepreneurs. If you think that you don’t possess the proper mindset, you must learn to develop it as soon as possible especially if you want to handle a business in the future.

By exerting some effort to develop your mindset, you can succeed. Being an entrepreneur is not that hard especially if you possess the right qualities, skills, and most specially – the proper mindset.

Web Hosting Free

Free web hosting sound so tempting.  Like everything else that is free, however, there is usually a catch.  The catch is usually the fact that the web host will put ads on your website over which you have no control.  This is the price you pay for your free website.

You cannot blame the host.  They have to generate income somehow.  What better way than to promote their ads on your content.  Every time someone comes on your site to visit you, they are hit with a barrage of ads.  In some free websites, they may have a hard time not clicking on the ads.  The ads can move all over the page causing you or your friends to accidentally click on them.

After someone has clicked on an ad on your free web page, they can then expect to receive quite a bit of e-mail from not only the site that they clicked on, but also any other similar business. 

Free web hosting is fine if you want to have a social page, a resume page or even a small website devoted to a celebrity.  For business revenue, however, it is not the best choice.

Although you may have the most wonderful products for sale through your website at bargain prices, you can only sell them if people visit your website.  When using free web hosting your are limited.  In most cases, you can have one account and cannot post links between accounts.  Most free web hosting is for personal purposes only and rarely allows business selling. 

If you want to make money on the internet, the way to do it is to use a dedicated server.  This way, you can not only place any ads that you want on your site that will generate income for you as you are the website host, but you can also use the extra space to make up other websites that can use keywords to draw people to your sales website.  The content containing keywords shows up on the search engines and people are directed to your small, content site.  Here, they read some information and receive a link to your money making site.

Free web hosting is good for those who only want to use the internet sparingly, but not for the purpose of making money.  Even a shared server, which is a step up from a free server, and is basically the same thing only gives you more space and bandwidth as well as freedom, is limited.  To truly make money on the internet, you have to make use of all aspects, including the ads and affiliate links. 

Advertising on the internet can be free if you understand how to use the search engines to generate interest in your products as well as use a dedicated server to its maximum abilities.  While a free web hosting service is a fine idea for a personal website that can help you keep your family updated about your life, it is not the way to make money on the internet.

Diet for Health

There is no greater reason to diet than for your personal health and well being. Those of us who are overweight know better than most the risks and possible consequences that may result because of our weight. Much like smokers however, the risks do not always seem quite so cut and dry until we reach our very own turning point. Whether your eating habits are born of an addiction to certain foods, an emotional need, or years of learned behavior and conditioning things will not change until you completely adjust your eating habits and your lifestyle choices.

Dieting for many has become a lifestyle in and of itself with people rapidly flip-flopping or yo-yoing from one diet to another with little success and growing despair over a sheer lack of results. The truth is that until you decide to forgive yourself for your failures and get right back on the wagon, so to speak, after falling off no diet is going to be successful. A simple diet isn't going to magically make the pounds disappear and constantly depriving yourself of those things you enjoy most may have a more detrimental effect than a positive effect.

The number one thing most people need to learn is that dieting isn't always a good thing. What most people who are overweight need more than anything else is to incorporate positive lifestyle changes into their daily routines. People scoff at the notion of taking the stairs or parking farther away and yet those are perfectly plausible methods of working a little more physical activity into your day. If those do not work for you how about learning to dance? Seriously, there are beginner dance classes in most communities that will welcome and invite dances of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels if you are willing to make the effort. What a great way to get fit, learn something new, and have fun without filling deprived.

Another great thing about an activity such as a dance class (consider ballroom dancing with your significant other) is that you are not eating or tempted to eat during the time that you are dancing in most cases. Another great thing is that you are burning those calories you didn't eat. If dancing isn't you thing, try joining a walking club or finding another hobby. Anything that gets you on your feet and away from the temptation of your refrigerator is a good thing when it comes to dieting and weight loss. You cannot lose a significant amount of weight by dieting alone. You must incorporate physical fitness into your daily routine in order to achieve those immediate and visually stunning results that many dieters are hoping to achieve.

Another pitfall when it comes to dieting is that people give up far too quickly. Just as the results are beginning and progressing people get tired of the process or frustrated that they aren't accomplishing enough dramatic weight loss as quickly as they had hoped and give up all together marking off yet another failure when they could have achieved greater success than ever before if they had stuck with their original diet plan a little longer.

One more thing you should remember when it comes to dieting is that the scale can be your best friend or your worst enemy when dieting. If you are weighing yourself every day in hopes of watching the scale tick off yet another pound you are dooming yourself to failure. You will never achieve the results you are hoping for you if you are going into depressive bouts of Rocky Road or Chunky Monkey every night because you didn't lose 10 pounds overnight.

When it comes to dieting there are very few diets that work. There are however, many lifestyle changes that when practiced consistently and aggressively will work. The thing to remember is that you are the one who must work because it is quite unlikely that any diet will.

WOMEN'S SUCCESS STORY Meri RIANA 1 million DOLLARS

In each curve of the difficulties he encountered often, he always remembered the little remarks given his mother when removing his departure to Singapore: go for your goals step by step. And involve always the Almighty in every trace of your life.

The night was so magnificent. Thousands looked so glamorous glow lit up the sky. In one corner of the tallest buildings in Orchard Road, Singapore, look up the pretty young woman named Merry Riana from Jakarta.
While watching the evening scenery is so beautiful, faraway gaze. Her tears began to trickle visible. That night, at the age of just 26 years, he has managed to embrace the dream of financial freedom penetrate: in-a very young age, he has managed to earn 1 million dollars. Singapore's leading media crowned as the young female millionaire.
In fact, a few years earlier, a large woman in Pulomas, Jakarta had breakfast every day due to lack indomie boiled tuition. Whereas a few years earlier, he had worked as a waiter at the hotel and shopkeepers interest to finance his life.
The story of Merry Riana is a story about big dreams, about courage, and about the continued prayers recited throughout the day.
The story begins with tragedy in May 1998 riots in Jakarta. Due to security considerations, Riana who graduated from high school in Santa Ursula, Jakarta asked his parents to go to college in Singapore Nanyang Technology. Due to the lack of charge, he was forced to borrow funds from banks in Singapore education (these loans must be returned after graduation, work and earn income).
From the biographical story is so touching (the title Million Dollar Dream, a book that must be read, particularly by the young age of 20 years), we can cite three important lessons about perseverance a Merry Riana.
The first lesson that might be learned is this: The courage to have a BIG DREAM. He diving courses in Singapore at a cost that is very limited. Often he only ate two meals a day (and even then only a bowl of boiled noodles in the morning and two pieces of bread in the day) because of lack of funds. He really wanted to get through the dark with a big dream: to achieve financially freedom before the age of 30 years.
And from his observations, he knew it was his dream that it would be difficult to achieve if he chooses employees. That is why since the final level, he was determined to build their own business.
He was studying Engineering and graduated with second honors. With this provision it is relatively easy to apply for a job. But you know, when it passed and all his friends busy discussing what the company will be applying to, he would have thought hard to immediately start their own business.
Because of the lack of capital, he finally started the business in the sale of financial products (selling insurance products, deposits, mutual funds, etc.). The majority of college friends surprised by this odd choice. But the show must go on.
Lesson two: a beautiful dream will only be successful if it is accompanied by ACTION REAL soon so loud, persistent and without limits. And the struggle jeng Riana it feels so drained of energy, emotion, and very tiring.
To be able to sell the financial products he marketed, he worked 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, continued to move through every corner of Singapore. A thousand times denied, thousands of times to get up. Hundreds of times failed, and continues to seek new and more smart strategy to succeed.
And sometimes so bitter struggle. In a dawn that vibrates and he lay helpless on one corner railway station platform. Fatigue and despair shadowing his face. She could only cry softly. Yet the day after tomorrow, he immediately rushed again. Keep moving again. Keep fighting again. The difficulty, he says, it will feel easier if we continue to stand firm until the end.
The last lesson to be learned is: the POWER of PRAY. Merry Riana was raised in a very religious family. Since childhood, he was also endowed with prayers continue to flow from the beloved mother. In the deepest recesses of his mind, he was always sure the Creator will always be with the steps.

HEALTHY


How Much Protein is in an Egg?
Eggs are an excellent source of protein and relatively cheap too. They have a very high biological value and a full complement of essential and non essential amino acids. In short, if you wanted a complete and easy to absorb protein source look no further than eggs.
With that said there are a few considerations you might want to make when buying and preparing eggs. First of all some of the protein in an egg is found in the yolk, so if you separate your whites and discard the yolk you will also be lowering the protein content of each egg you purchased and therefore increasing the price per gram of protein.
Second point is that eggs come in different sizes, and therefore the amount of protein they contain is different. For example theUS department of agriculture categorizes eggs as small, medium, large, extra large, and jumbo. Each size has a different amount of protein as follows:
Size of Egg Grams of Protein Grams of Protein
(whole egg including yolk) (White Only)
Small 4.8 2.7
Medium 5.5 3.2
Large 6.3 3.6
Extra Large 7 4
Jumbo 7.9 4.6

As you can see about 58% of the protein in an egg is contained in the white, the rest is in the yolk. So if you like to separate the yolk out of your egg you're losing 42% of the protein in each egg. This is not very cost effective if you're eating eggs for their protein content. Every time you throw away a yolk you're literally throwing away almost half the protein in the egg as well.
The yolk of an egg provides lots of nutrients that your body needs, there is no reason to throw it away. The cholesterol and fat content of the yolk will only contribute a small portion to your overall daily intake with no detrimental effects.
Scrambled, poached, sunny side up, omelet, over easy, over hard, Benedict, whatever. Eggs are a great way to get your protein requirement for the day.

Selecting and Buying Vegetable Garden Seeds
To have a good garden, you need good seeds. It's not enough that the seeds simply are capable of growing -- you want them to produce a crop of the desired quality under the conditions existing where you've placed your garden.
Some varieties of vegetables will only thrive under specific conditions, while others can produce bountiful harvests in almost any soil and climate conditions. If you're unsure whether specific vegetable varieties will grow in your area, focus on those that have proven themselves in many different growing conditions, and are recognized as standards.
If you can, select varieties known to do well in your area. Don't restrict yourself, however. If you have room in the garden to try a variety you're unsure of, go ahead. Just keep that in mind so that if the experiment is a failure, you understand why (and you have backups so that you're not without that vegetable for a season.)
You also want to make sure you have more seed than you really need. Sometimes your crop will be damaged by an unexpected late frost, or pesky insects, making it necessary to replant. By having extras on hand, you can quickly and easily regroup and start over. Keep in mind, that the additional expense is slight, and in some cases, moot, as most seed packages come with more than enough for 1-2 seasons for all but the largest of gardens.
There are many different ways to purchase seed. Many companies have online catalogs, but most will mail a catalog to you upon request. Because they often arrive in mid-winter, it can be a great reminder that spring is on its way, once the catalogs arrive.
Local stores, such as your country hardware, or even Wal-Mart, carry seeds at certain times of the year. Don't depend on them, though, as your carefully thought out garden plan will be for naught if the hardware store runs out of carrot seeds.
REFERENCY AND EDUCATION
There are many people who will claim that low glycemic index diets work wonders for helping to shape your body and improve your overall health, but do these diets really work? Simply put, the principle for this diet revolves around your body's metabolism and how quickly or slowly it digests food. Read below to find out if these low glycemic index diets really do work, or if they are just another fad.
In order for our bodies to produce energy, we first need to break down the carbohydrates in our food and they will then be converted into glucose via the digestive process. From there, that glucose is released into the blood stream in the form of energy. It seems simple enough, but different foods will be broken down into glucose at different rates.
Certain foods will cause the release of glucose to happen in one, fast burst. This is not good for your body, or your overall health. It will require you to eat more in a day, and you will not have as much energy on a regular basis.
Foods that release slower are what we should be eating. They supply a slower but steadier source of energy that will keep you with higher levels of energy all day, and this is where the glycemic diet comes into play. By eating foods that release their energy slower into our bodies, we will be healthier and more stable overall, and we will even lose weight in the process.
So do low glycemic index diets work? Yes they do. This is one of the few diets that relies on actual science and the chemistry in our bodies in order to work. It works, and it works quite well actually. If you want to feel and look great, try this diet.

How to Find the Best Online Travel Websites


Are you interested in planning a trip in the near future?  If you are and if your trip will require airline reservations, you may want to checkout online travel websites.  Online travel websites are a great way to quickly make travel arrangements, as well as convenient way to compare prices.

One of the most commonly asked questions, concerning online travel websites, is which website is the best.  Before focusing on ways that you can find reputable, reliable, and trustworthy online travel websites to do business with, it is first important to know what to look for.  For starters, you will want to look for great rates.  Online travel websites are designed in a way that you should save money, so never pay more than what you need to.

You will also want to look for online travel websites that partner with most major airlines.  When you search for flights on a travel websites, you should be present with a number of different options.  In addition to different times, dates, and layovers, you should also be present with flight quotes from different airlines.  This is likely to improve your chances of truly finding the best deal.

Depending on your travel needs, you may also want to search for online travel websites that offer vacation packages.  For example, are you looking to book a flight to California, rent a car, and stay at a California hotel?  If you are, you should be able to find a vacation package that fits your needs.  Vacation packages are a nice way to make travel arrangements, as you may be able to save both time and money.

Ease of use is also important, when looking for the best online travel websites to do business with.  When making important travel arrangements, like airline reservations, you do not want to be confused.  For that reason, all travel websites that you use should be easy to navigate and understand.  Hard to navigate websites can result in you making errors with your travel arrangements or you may even miss out on the best deals.

The above mentioned features are all features that you will want to look for in online travel websites.  As for finding the best travel websites, like ones with good reputations, you have a number of different options, starting with yourself.  You can easily test out a number of online travel websites to see what they have available.  These websites can be found with a standard internet search.  Remember low rates and ease of use.  Be cautious of any websites that are difficult to navigate and watch out for fares that seem higher than normal. 

You can also learn more about the best online travel websites to do business with by asking those that you know for recommendations.  Over the past few years, online travel websites have increased in popularity and many people use them.  Ask any friends, family members, neighbors, or coworkers in passing if they have ever used an online travel website to book a vacation before.  If they have, which one did they use and would they recommend it to others?  This approach is nice, as it requires little research on your part.

You can also use the internet to research online travel websites to find the best ones.  You can do this by performing a standard internet search, with a phrase like “best travel websites.”  You may find business articles where the top online travel websites are listed.  You may also be connected to online message boards where travel options, including online travel websites, are being discussed.  This is a great way to get ratings and reviews.

The above mentioned approaches are all great ways to go about learning more about online travel websites.  Doing so can help to ensure that you are doing business with an online travel website that will provide you with the best deals, as well as the best quality of service.

English Grammar Really Does Matter


Whether we are talking about a five year old that is about to start learning to read or whether we are talking about a thirty year old woman who is attempting to write a thesis for her master's degree, we cannot deny the fact that taking time to learn proper English grammar is important.

When we see or hear about English grammar, the immediate reaction of many people I know is to cringe. They are reminded of junior high and high school English class and the way that their English teachers made them to English grammar exercise after exercise. Because English grammar is usually seen in such a negative sense, it is all the more important that people replace those lies with the truth that learning English grammar really is important for anyone who wants to have a proper perspective of the English language.

When we are speaking or hearing English, not too many of us take the time to think about the fact that English grammar is the very thing that allows us to communicate with and understand one another. It is not so much because we use the same words of the English language, but it is because we all put our words together in certain ways to form thoughts and sentences that we can understand each other. This, in short, is the purpose of English grammar.

English grammar is the mechanics of the English langauge that allows for two people who use the same vocabulary to be able to communicate without misunderstanding. Certainly there will always be some level of misunderstaning that happens when two people communicate, but so much of our problems will be lessened if we all take some time to learn English grammar.

Many schools today are moving away from making English grammar a part of the regular curriculum. So while students may learn how to read and write successfully, they will likely never learn the English grammar or the reasons why they are speaking and writing as they are. So if you or someone you know is struggling with any element of the English language, or if you know a child or someone who is attempting to learn English for the first time, then make sure English grammar is included as an important part of the learning process.

Being able to speak, understand and write a language is an important part of being successful no matter what you do in life. And taking the time to learn even the basics of English grammar will go far in helping people communicate even better.

Hedge Fund


The simple answer to what is a Hedge Fund is that it is private equity funds which provide a hedge against market conditions. The Hedge Fund is not simple in practice. On a global basis there is over a trillion dollars of private investment capital that can literally invest in any commodity, currency indeses and stocks and bonds. Unlike traditional investing the Hedge Fund may go long or short the market.  It is private equity and therefore the gains on transactions for fund owners is taxed differently that normal capital gains taxes. 

Essentially the Hedge Fund is formed by individual investors who have a stake in the fund. The buy-in is in the millions.  Noted Hedge Fund owners are George Soros and the Blackstone Group founded by Peter G. Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman.

The Blackstone Group is a fairy tale.  The Blackstone Group was founded by Peter G. Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarsman. According to the Blackstone Group corporate biography the iniital private funds in 1985 were $400,000.  By forging alliances and partnerships with some of the most well-heeled on Wall Street their assets under management are over 88.5 billion dollars. 

The Blackstone Group is a world leader in alternative investment strategies and investment counseling. A recent IPO Blackstone Capital Partners raised an additional 21.7 billion dollars.

Hedge Funds are only a segment of the Blackstone Group Investments. The Blackstone Group has a stellar Hedge Fund management in the world market. Its group of Hedge Funds are uniquely tailored for a variety of investment strategies and goals. In fact the Blackstone Group can provide individualized tailoring of a Hedge Fund to fit the needs of large investment endowments and retirement funds. Anyone can purchase a unit of stock in the Blackstone Group through a licensed stock broker. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock ticker BX.

Any discussion about Hedge Funds would not be complete without mentioning the financial wizard George Soros. His ability to sense movements in the market place is known throughout the financial world.  His Hedge Fund and investment company is Quantum Fund. He senses weaknesses and strengths as only a master financial investor/trader can. In 1992 his legendary move to short the British pound nearly broke the Bank of London is part of the lore of George Soros. He can play the upside or the downside of any market. Some may call it a sixth sense, but it is an all encompassing ability to assess with precision the reality of the market and stengths of the underlying values with the reactions of the wild and crazy speculator will do. It is this investor saavy that has placed him in the Forbes wealthiest category.

There are thousands of Hedge Funds available in the various market places.  Lately some have not done as well due to the roller coaster ride that has occured. This is the time when the true test of a Hedge Fund manager is put to the test.  The average mutual fund holder or retirement beneficiary may be surprised to learn that their funds are in part invested in low risk Hedge Funds.  The most successful endowment funds have utilized the Hedge Fund investment to capitalize on market movement and volitility.

The professional that manage these funds are lightning quick and have the eccumen to know how and when to make grand plays. Any one who does not possess these combinations of skill and sixth sense does not last in the Hedge Fund for very long.  The old adage, "If you snooze, you lose," applies to Hedge Funds. 

Investing



There was a time in our recent history that investing in utility stocks was like opening up a pass book savings account. Today, the investor needs to be more cognizant of the companies compliance with various regulations and their current stance on applying new and efficient technology.  The increase in demand and a need for power plants and distribution has placed a burden on the utilities sector.

Some utility companies employ a combination of energy producing resources. Some rely on coal, hydro electrical plants and the occasional nuclear plant. Many rely on their natural gas reserves and  electricity contracts with their producers to provide power to their customers.  In effect the utility is a reseller of power sources. 

Investing in Public Utility Companies:

Some good work horse utility companies are on the stock market.  In seeking out the security of a public utility stock you may be interested in dividends. For some investors the utility is a relatively secure method of investing for the long term and part of a retirement plan. 

One example of a good utility stock is American Electric Power Company.  It trades on the NYSE under the stock ticker AEP.  This is a public utility holding company that transmits, generates and distributes power to a variety of utility companies. Some of these utility companies are cooperatives, municipal power companies and smaller utility companies.  

AEG is a 17.7 billion dollar market cap company.  It has been a consistent performer for over 30 years and its major institutional investors read like a who's who on Wall Street. It is better than 93 percent of all stocks listed on the S& P 500.  The stock is a consistent performer and sells in the range of $40 to $51 for the last year.  In November, 2006 the price was in the high $30 range, but has moved to the $40 ranges in recent months.  It consistently issues a small dividend. It currently sells for $44.48 a share and should rise to its first target of $49 with ease. 

There are other holding companies that may be of interest to the investor with a desire to invest in utilities. Duke Power that trades under the stock ticker DUK is a multi billion dollar company.  Another l00 year old company is Constellation Energy Group in Baltimore, Maryland. The significant aspect of investing in power companies is whether the company is in compliance with various regulations pertaining to clean air and water. The cost to update facilities is costly. Most of the major players in power have already commenced updating their facilities. 

Investing in Diversified  Utility Companies:

There are some very good diversified  utility companies that are consistent performers.  Wisconsin Power & Electric trades on the NYSE as WEP.  This company is a consistent performer and recently provide a large credit to its customers. It has a 5.9 billion market capitalization.  The company is owned by some of the biggest funds in the country.  It sells for $44 and has a mean target of $50.  

Two other good  good diversified utility companies are Integrys Energy Group stock ticker TEG and Alliant Energy that trades under the ticker LNT.  There is a price difference in the companies, but both utilities are multi-billion dollar companies.  Both have a blue ribbon groups of institutional investors. 

All of the utility companies listed require some analysis to determine  if the company fits your investment portfolio.  The utility sector has some pressure due to world wide considerations and the demand of end users. The key is if the company is poised for future growth by enhancing its infrastructure and distribution methods.