Guide to Basic Lawn Mower Maintenance
August 31, 2006
Trying to start your lawn mower after a long winter can be very frustrating. Performing a few routine maintenance tasks before you store your lawn mower for the winter can save you time in the spring, prolong the life of your lawn mower, and save you money over the long run. Even if you have already put your lawn mower into storage for the winter, a few simple maintenance tasks performed before starting your lawn mower in the spring can be very beneficial.
Wash and dry your lawn mower after the mowing season is over. A power blower can be very helpful in removing grass and debris from the underside of your lawn mower and other hard to reach areas. If your lawn mower engine is air-cooled, use a stick or wooden dowel to remove any residue from the cooling fins. If you have a lawn mower with a water-cooled engine, check the coolant level and fill the reservoir if needed. Clean the radiator cooling fins with a strong jet of water. You should also drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel filter. The air filter housing should be cleaned and the air filter replaced.
Dog Obedience Training
August 31, 2006
Dog obedience training begins with the owner. There are several tips to keep in mind before starting any dog obedience training. First of all, understand that dogs have an attention span of no more than ten minutes. Training routines, therefore, should be limited to this time frame. Secondly, all training should be positive. Reward your dog for correct behavior and always end your obedience training sessions on a positive note.
Training for a dog is similar to going to work for a human; if you do not get anything good out of it, you will stop working. Having fun is a big plus! Third, remember to be consistent. For example, if you feed your dog from your plate, don’t expect him not to beg when company arrives.
Work with him each day reinforcing basic skills and behaviors. Use the same commands and hand signals each time. When his behaviors slip, look at how you may be responsible. Next, teach the action before labeling it with a command. For example, before you say, "Fido, sit," show him with the technique below what a sit is. Then, reward him saying "good sit" when he is in a sit. After a while, you will be able to say "sit," and he will know what that means.
How Three Publishing Myths Kill the Author
August 31, 2006
Agents and publishing houses have their best interests at heart, not the author’s. Save yourself from headaches, disappointments, and money down the drain. Become your own independent publisher and produce your book faster and cheaper. All you need is a little help from professionals.
Myth: You need an agent or big publishing house to market your book and make big money.
Since big publishers don’t look at unknown authors, now is the time to look at what they can do for you. Dan Poynter, self-publishing guru, says that if a publisher can’t sell four times as many books as you can, you’re better off selling it yourself. Self-publish first because it acts as a test market for your book. If it sells well (over 10,000 in a year), publishers may be interested in your book.
Traditional publishers and agents accept only 1-2% of authors’ submissions, and even if you are one of the “chosen” you may not make much money after printing, bookstore, distributor, wholesaler and other expenses–probably $2 on a $14 book. Yes, you get an advance, but your sales must meet that and more. And after the initial book tour, the trainee marketing person is onto the next new author. Then, your books disappear from the bookstore shelf unless you, personally, devote a lot of time to marketing them.
So You Want an American Pit Bull Terrier?
August 31, 2006
You’ve made up your mind, it’s the American Pit Bull Terrier you want as your companion. Are you ready for this breed? Read this article and then decide if you want to go ahead with your decision.
Does your lifestyle fit the American Pit Bull Terrier lifestyle?
These dogs are packed with energy from head to toe. Craving a good run like a champion athlete. Exercise is critical to a heathy, happy bulldog. High energy is their middle name and is a large part of their personalities. Play, work, and activity is something you must be able to give these dogs
If you’re a couch potato you should find another breed to live with.
Do you have the security?
American Pit Bull Terriers are the Houdini’s of the canine world. Able to leap tall fences with a single bound, dig under them with amazing speed and stealth, and unlock gates that people would have trouble with.
You should have 6′ privacy fence, beware of dog signs, hot wiring at the top and bottom of the fence, out door housing that keeps them out of the sun (even if they live indoors), and supervision are required for these dogs. You can’t leave them alone for long outside because one of two things may happen:
Tips for Attending Gemstone Shows
August 30, 2006
If you’ve been to gem shows, you know how overwhelming and daunting they can be. Although it’s difficult to narrow down all those tempting options, your jewelry business profit margin will be greater if you plan ahead and focus on shopping for a particular line and color scheme of jewelry. You must keep the bigger picture in mind and try to keep your emotions out of the design process. Here are some tips for defining your market and researching it so that you can walk in and out of a gemstone show feeling confident in the business investments you’ve just made.
What Is a Gem Show?
Gemstone shows and fairs are marketplaces for vendors of gemstones, findings, jewelry supplies, and tools. Due to the large amount of competition between the vendors, prices tend to be competitive. I’ve found unbelievable deals on high quality gemstones and findings at gem shows.
How Do I Find the Nearest Gem Show?
To find gem shows near you, you can simply do a Google search for “gemstone show” or “gem fair”. Other sources of information are your local convention and visitors’ bureau and any lapidary clubs in your area.
Fertilizers - What you Need to Feed Your Lawn
August 30, 2006
Just like humans need food, water and shelter to survive, lawns depend on certain elements to live, sixteen to be exact. Most of these elements are already found naturally in the environment, but several others need to be added to your lawn. Adding fertilizer with these three elements, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, does the job.
Before you run out to the store to purchase a complete fertilizer, or, one that contains all three, it is important to understand why your lawn’s livelihood depends on it.
Nitrogen- This is possibly the most important element your lawn needs. It makes the grass grow and gives it its green color. It will also allow for more density, thick shoots, and sturdy growth, thus creating an environment that will naturally fight off pests and bugs.
Potassium- Since you can’t toss bananas in your yard, your best bet for this mineral is to use fertilizer! Potassium enhances your lawn’s ability to resist disease, drought, wear and cold weather.
Phosphorus- This is used to encourage strong grass root growth.
How to Get Free Publicity in In-flight Magazines
August 30, 2006
If you’re targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your message, and your topic is a good fit, in-flight magazines can be one of your best publicity tools.
A quick look at the statistics should convince you:
–Many of these magazines have high circulations.
–Many readers are Frequent Flyers, among the most educated and affluent consumers
–60 percent are men; 40 percent women
–74 percent are in the 25-54 age bracket
–86 percent are college-educated
–56 percent hold management positions
–57 percent have incomes of more than $75,000 a year
Here’s what I learned recently about while updating contact information for the in-flight magazines:
–Contact information for most of the 22 magazines in my database had changed in the last two years.
–In general, circulation at most in-flight magazines has dropped from 2002 to 2004.
–Several of the magazines have changed editors.
–One magazine has been renamed and reformatted.
–The editors’ biggest pet peeve is that too many PR people pitch without knowing anything about the publication. Tom Chapman, editor of “Spirit of Aloha” magazine published by Aloha Air, says he’s overwhelmed with PR requests and materials, “99 percent of which is misdirected and I can’t possibly use.”
My Final Defeat - Fixed Competition
August 30, 2006
She probably can’t remember
and I know I can never forget…
the first time I saw her like that
I was only nine years-old
not naive by any stretch
having seen my share of tragedy-
my parent’s bitter battles in my first five years of life
then the inevitable end of their marriage
but not before 700 days of devastation called divorce
that destroyed dreams and deeply damaged hearts
I had no idea life could get worse…
But it did -
The day I found her passed out cold on the living room floor
I thought she was sleeping at first
In fact I swore she was just sound asleep
to my petrified little sister
whose big brown eyes screamed with fear
at the site of the lifeless body of our mommy
slobber dribbling out of the corner of her mouth
soaking her cheek below the dirt of her eye makeup
that trickled down her sallow skin on a face
devoid of any expression…
Is mommy dead?
a little voice whimpered
my sister weeped
My gut said Yeah she’s dead as a doornail
Thankfully my words said No No she’s not dead
as I carried my trembling, tiny sibling upstairs
and tucked her in bed with my promise
that Mommy would wake up in the morning…
as I wondered What if she didn’t?
Crate Training for Puppies and Dogs
August 29, 2006
Wondering how to begin crate training your puppy or dog, or even whether you should?
Crate training gets a dog so used to being closed into a crate that he or she can safely be left in it for hours at a time, though only when necessary. The method has its pros and cons. If it works for your dog, it gives both you and the dog a wonderful flexibility in many situations.
Crate Training: PRO
Crate training helps tremendously in potty training puppies and adult dogs.
Your dog can be confined when it is necessary, without undue stress on the dog or serious wear and tear on your home.
If your dog ever has to be left at a veterinarian’s office, travel on an airplane, or be evacuated from your home, being in a crate then will be far less stressful if he is already crate-trained.
It’s a nice way to include a puppy in what is going on without your having to tend him constantly, for example, if you are giving a party.
Many dogs will seek out their crates to relax in.
Crate Training: CON
Is it Possible to Download Music Legally Anymore?
August 29, 2006
Throughout the past few years downloading music on the internet has increased in popularity. At the same time though, it has become illegal through many companies to download music as musicians and artists have been losing money on their CD sales. With many people being sued in the past couple years for downloading music, is it really possible to download music legally anymore? If so, at what price will it cost you to download music?
As music sites such as Napster and Kazaa and many more have attempted to create sites to download music for free, they have just increased the problem that much more. Some of the users of these programs have learned the hard way that music does not come free, as they were sued for illegally downloading music.
Today there are many sites in which you can download music at where they claim it is 100% legal. The latest music file formats used are Windows® Media (WMA), Advanced Acoustic Coding (AAC) and Atrac 3, and are very popular as it increases the sound quality making it closer to an actual CD bought in stores.
