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An automotive technology degree can be achieved with many designations and certificates. The complexity of a car has required an equally complex field of repair personnel within this industry. Ultimately, automotive degrees provide the foundations for entry-level positions in the automotive industry that could lead to those managerial in nature should that be a part of your career goals. These programs are typically offered on both part-time and full-time schedules.

If you are interested in an automotive degree program you should possess the ability to work well with people, as well as the ability to work without direct supervision. You should have an aptitude for math and reading and have a natural inclination for mechanical operations. Additionally, you must possess adequate manual dexterity along with competent hand-eye coordination.

Graduates of automotive degree programs will typically have the necessary training to pass the Automotive Service Excellence exam in up to the eight ASE specialty areas. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is a nationwide, nonprofit organization that strives to test and certify auto technicians throughout the county. A graduate with an Associate’s of Applied Science in Automotive Technology and the ASE credentials will be appropriately recognized as a skilled automotive technician when applying for a job.

The automotive program will typically train you in a variety of fundamental automotive specialties. These will include appropriate foundations in the important areas of engine repair, brakes, and electrical systems. You will also learn what is known as HVAC training, which covers heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The program continues with training that involves automotive transmissions, drivetrain and axles, and suspension and steering. You also will gain experience in maximizing engine performance.

An Associate’s of Applied Science in Automotive Technology typically requires 70 credits for completion, which can be achieved in two-years on a full-time basis. Depending on the school, however, credit requirements may differ, so make sure to inquire before enrolling. The program includes the obvious automotive coursework plus the successful completion of courses in the following fields: science, accounting, communications, humanities, and management. Additionally, classroom work is supplemented by relevant lab work and practical experience gained through an integrated internship required for graduation.

Automotive technology degrees are designed to provide proper preparation to students seeking immediate employment upon graduation. Should you wish to transfer to a four-year college to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Automotive Engineering Technology or a related field, these programs and their credits are typically transferable to four-year schools.

A well-trained automotive mechanic will find many career prospects within the different facets of the automobile industry. Graduates can choose to be self-employed or work as technicians for various businesses, such as tire centers, automobile dealerships, or service centers. A college graduate with an ASE certification will be deemed competent and qualified with the ability to locate employment across the automotive industry.

Automotive technical training opportunities are as diverse as the automobiles that need repair. When considering online certificate programs and degrees, you’ll want to know what kinds of automotive classes you’ll be taking. It is important to select a school whose training program is an up-to-date reflection of current industry procedures that will train you to successfully and efficiently repair automobiles and solve customer issues. As an added bonus, to help jump start your career, many automotive certificate programs will issue, upon graduation, a specialized tool set to facilitate your transition from student to successful technician.

A fear of public speaking is something that many people suffer through during their career. Some people try to avoid speaking in public at all costs but sometimes it’s just not possible especially if it’s part of your job.

Plus, there is no reason to want to avoid public speaking because it really doesn’t have to be something that is scary. It can actually be quite fun.

And being good at it can help your career, too.

I can’t think of a better way to climb the career ladder than by being someone who is able to stand up in front of your peers and managers and speak intelligently and confidently.

An employee who can do this will get noticed and for the right reasons.

Let’s focus on the fear of public speaking in a work setting and specifically how you can become a confident and effective speaker.

Here’s how I went from being someone who needed to read off cue cards word for word when speaking in public to someone who can speak comfortably in front of a group with little to no notes (and enjoys doing it!):

1. I stopped trying to memorize everything.

Instead, I learned the material I was covering and became less reliant on notes. I stopped writing out speeches and presentations word for word and trying to memorize it and started using short bulleted statements, only listing the main points and simply verbally expanding on each point when I glanced at my notes.

By not having to memorize everything, I eliminated the chance I was going to forget something.

2. I stopped worrying about speaking publicly.

I used to worry a lot about public speaking. When I was a kid I used to worry about the yearly poetry contest my school had where we each had to memorize a poem and recite it in front of our class. Here is an example of where I HAD to memorize my “presentation.” I stopped pretending that reciting a poem in front of my class was the end of the world and decided to have fun with it. Twice I got to compete in front of the school after winning my class competition.

The moral of the story?

Don’t create a stressful situation for no reason. It’s normal to feel apprehension but don’t turn it into a “do or die” situation when it isn’t.

3. I let my personality come out.

Whenever possible I like to inject a bit of humor when I’m speaking publicly (within reason of course) and always try to sound enthusiastic. I just try to deliver my presentation as if I’m speaking with friends in a social setting.

In other words, I just try to act normally and convince myself that presenting isn’t a big deal. Because it isn’t.

4. I started to enjoy public speaking!

Once I started to feel more comfortable speaking publicly, I started enjoying it. I also noticed that when I was in school, the more I enjoyed presenting the better I did. My fear of public speaking disappeared.

Once in the work world, I looked forward to opportunities to speak publicly and got more and more opportunities to do so. If you decide that you hate it, of course you’ll have a fear of public speaking.

Plus, I started getting opportunities from my manager to present in front of senior managers and pretty soon I found myself on a first name basis with these same managers who previously didn’t know who I was.

In my experience, the first step in conquering a fear of public speaking is to loosen up and relax.

Then start to learn your material rather than memorizing it or feeling like you need to write out word for word scripts of everything you are going to say.

Look for opportunities to offer to speak publicly about things you enjoy so that when the time comes to present something out of necessity (ie. work-related presentations) you will already have some experience under your belt.

Public speaking is difficult but looking forward to it rather than dreading it goes a long way to becoming better at it.

Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter. Carl has helped many job searchers find their dream career and would like to help clear up some of the job search myths that exist while helping people avoid common mistakes that cost them jobs.

Visit Carl’s website to separate yourself from other job searchers: http://www.find-your-dream-career.com

Ezine editors/Webmasters: Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your website. Please donÂ’t change any of the content and please ensure that you include the above bio that shows my website URL. If you would like me to address any specific career topics in future articles, please let me know.

An Education Staff of Athalia School, Tangerang, Indonesia.

If someone has the ability to read does not mean he directly has the interest to read. Reading skill and reading interest are 2 kinds of different matters. Many schools in the developing countries struggle to educate their society to be able to master the reading skills. For example in Indonesia, some parts of the society still have no ability to read because of their poorness in getting education opportunity or because they live in a very remote area.

Many people in developing countries still struggle with the basic needs such as food, clothes and housing so that they do not have idea or budget for books, even for education.

Because of that situation, the culture of reading habit is far from their reach. Even though some of them already have a better living, their thought is still focused on something that is more real, functional, comforting, money- value or something that can improve their prestige like jewelries, hand phones, luxuries housing & cars, expensive toys, etc. Because the culture of reading is not formed yet, the society spend most of their free time for watching TV or chatting.

For some family who has realized the important of books and education, it is still hard for them to increase the reading interest and habit of their children because they have to spend more money for buying books that are getting more expensive. Libraries are rare. Even many schools have no libraries. But there are still some ideas to increase children’s reading habit in the midst of not ideal condition.

First, if you realize that reading habit is important for you and your children, start the reading habit in your own family without blaming the situation around you. Your habit will sooner or later influence your surroundings. Read your children everyday or regularly to form their reading habit and their love of books. It does not matter if you only have ten minutes everyday. It still also gives you good impact. Let your children know that you enjoy the time you share with them for reading. They will love both the time for reading and the time to attach with you.

Second, include expense for books in your budget. It does not matter if you only spend a little of money according to what you can afford. The important thing is you plan and budget it routinely every month. You and your children should often visit bookshop or book fair.

Third, visit any libraries that are available in your neighborhood, schools, universities, clubs, etc. Ask the children to visit the libraries will increase their love for books.

Fourth, you can decrease the expense of books if you can exchange your books with your friends, relatives or neighbors. Sharing books will increase our knowledge in a cheaper way. You can hold a book club where you and the other members (adults and children) can bring their collection of books and share them.

Fifth, you can make your own books. Reading books does not always mean buying books. We can borrow them, share them or make them by ourselves. Children will be enthusiastic if you make a personal book especially made for them. You can use their photographs, handmade pictures, etc to make the book. You can stick the photographs or pictures on some sheets of blank paper, then you write some comments about them. You can arrange the photographs from the child’s birth till he is growing. You also can cut and stick the brochure from the hospital where the baby was born to complete the book. You or your children can draw something on that books, too. You can put the photographs of grandpa, grandma or other relatives to introduce your big family to your children. You can also stick some pictures that reveal your culture or the customs of your society so that the children will learn about their ancestors’ culture and tradition.

The handmade books can be varied in themes. Maybe you want to tell your children about your job and what you are doing while you are away from them. You can take some pictures of your office, your friends, your projects, places you visited, etc and make a book from that pictures. The children will be happy and trust you because they know what you are doing when they miss you. It is important especially for career women who often leave their children.

It’s cheap but excited if you ask your children to make their own books. They can draw or cut pictures from magazines and write their own stories according to their imagination. If your children is still to young to write, you can ask them to tell you the stories of the pictures and you write it for them. After that, read the books for them. They will be very proud of them.

For you yourself, you can collect a lot information from newspaper, magazines, internet, brochures and any other printing materials to make a clipping of information. For example, if you like cooking, you can collect many recipes from many resources and also add your own recipes that you write or type. Bundle those information to make your personal cooking book. If you need information about technology, you can also do the same although you must work harder to collect more information. The important thing is financial problem and lacking of books do not stop your enthusiastic for reading. There are many ways to get and collect information.

Sixth, there is another way that will make children interested in book. Usually children like watching cartoon like “Nemo, Lion King, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh” or may be there are some traditional legends, puppets or stories that the children love very much. It is very interesting if they watch the movie or show and then read the books. The books can be bought or made by yourself.

Seventh, It is creative if you can dramatize the story you read to your children. For example, if the story is about a king and a queen, you can pretend to be the king and your child is the queen. You can pile up some pillows as your throne and wear a hat as your crown. You and your children can also roar like lions if there are some lions in the story. Children will be very enthusiastic to do that. You can do what the story is about, too. For example, the story is about going to the zoo, you can go to the zoo, too. Or if the story is about fruit, you can go to the market or supermarket to observe them. Bring the information in the story into reality or action.

Eighth, give books as gifts for your children instead of toys. I do not mean that toys are not good for children. I think educational toys are very important for children but you should introduce books as gifts so that the children will respect books as valuable gifts. You can give books for your children as their birthday presents, Christmas presents or when they have good achievement in schools.

Ninth, your reading habit should be the example for your children because deeds speak louder than words. If your children often see you reading, they will know that reading is a good habit that mom and dad often do. How if you yourself do not like reading but you realized that reading is very important for your children ?. It is a fact that many adults do not like reading but there are some tips that you can do to overcome this problem. Find the books that are suitable with your hobbies. If you like cooking, read many recipes or books about cooking. You can also chase your favorite novels. Talk to yourselves that books are important because they can broaden your point of view, your knowledge, skills and even improve your career as well as give you relaxation. Switch off your television, because we usually spend more time for watching television that what we plan. Put the books on the places that are easy to see and access like in your bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen, in the car, etc. Ask your friends what books they are reading now or books that are good in their opinion. You will be more motivated if you hear that your friends promoted them to you. Make a list what books you have read and what books you plan to read. You will be satisfied if the list is becoming longer. Visit the bookstores, book fairs and libraries. The best thing to do is do it now ! Do not wait until you have enough time or until you think you want to do it later.

Tenth, make sure that books and reading habit are one of your priority because you know the benefit of them. From books you can introduce a lot of knowledge to your children. There is no limit of knowledge if we can learn it by ourselves through reading both from books or from the internet. Do not wait until your children able to read to give them books. Start as soon as they were born. If you often communicate with your babies and read stories for them, their language ability will increase. Although they have not been able to response you through words, they absorb the words you speak to them (Beck, 1997). Do not only give fiction books for young children although they usually like fiction with cute pictures like Winne The Pooh or Mickey mouse. They will also be enthusiastic if you give them non fiction books like books of knowledge such as books about human body, solar system, sea animals, etc. Introduce them to the knowledge since they are very young so that they will like the knowledge and their curiosity will increase, too.

Besides, through books we can teach our children about some concept, value or belief. When it is difficult to tell them not to cheat, you can find a children book with interesting pictures that contains of moral teaching concerning cheating. I have an experience with my little boy when he was afraid of visiting a dentist. Before we visited the dentist, I read him a book about going to the dentist. It is a funny story because the dentist is a tiger and the patient is a little tiger. The little tiger is very brave to see the dentist. This book made my son brave enough to see the dentist because he wanted to be a brave little boy like the little tiger was.

But remember that only good books should you and your children read because some books can be very destructive if they are not suitable with your value or belief. For example, there are many books that contains of pornography and violence that can influence you and your children’s mind. You must be very selective in reading or giving books for your children because our mind is not like a computer. You can delete some data in your computer but you can not erase the information or imagination in your children’s mind. If you think that your children have already been fond of wrong books, do not forbid them directly to stop their habit of reading them. Instead, influence them with your opinion that they should be able to choose which books are good and which books are not so that they will not resist. Let them know from the beginning that they can choose their books but give them some limitation which books are acceptable, which books are not and your reason of that limitation.

There is another benefit of books. You can use it to teach your children foreign languages. Children’s brain is easier to absorb language than adult (Beck, 1997). If you take your little children live abroad, they will master the language when they interact with the children from other countries. If a child is raised by a couple of different nationalities, the child will be able to speak two languages of his parents. I know a child whose father is a Japanese and mother is an Indonesian. This child master both Japanese and Indonesian. Because of children’s ability to absorb new languages fast, you can use foreign language story books to introduce and teach them the languages. Maybe you yourselves only know a little about this language but if you can just read it for them, the vocabularies and structures of the language will be remembered by them.

I am an Indonesian. I read my son English story books when he was 3 years old. I just read the books again and again and then he can repeat the story by himself as if he can read it. He can also repeat the structures in a daily conversation. For example, the book says ” Cat can eat. Cat can drink”. While he was eating, he could say “I can eat, I can drink”. There is another book that says ” Teddy flies higher and higher”. While he was playing, he climbed on a chair and then he jumped to the floor saying ” I can fly higher and higher.” I think the influence of the books is very prominent. The important thing is you have to find a simple story book which has a big picture and a few words or sentences and repeat the story many times as long as your children is not boring. You can choose what foreign language you want to introduce to your children. Just find the simple story books and repeat them in a regular basis. Sooner or later he will remember the vocabularies and recognize the structures.

There are many benefits of books, but you do not always have to buy them. As it is explained above, you can borrow them, share them or make them by yourself. Use your imagination to produce your simple drawings. Or use the pictures from newspapers or magazines to make your own books. Arrange the pictures and the words according to your idea and you will have your personal collection cheaply but creatively made just for your children and yourselves. The value can’t be compared. So do not wait until you have enough money to buy books or wait until you have enough time to read or wait until your children are big enough to read books by themselves. Start it now ! No matter the condition of your financial problem is. If you invest your time and your kids’ time for reading good books, you invest better future for your family.

Anna Yulia lives in Tangerang, Indonesia. She is working as an education staff of Athalia School in Tangerang, Indonesia. Athalia School is a Christian School that provides education for playgroup, kindergarten and elementary level.

Politics have been a part of Chicago for some time. By politics we mean the heated politics of Chicago. From the University of Chicago, which has seen some great political leaders, to the leaders of Chicago in the past who were known to have mob connections, Chicago has been a political firecracker for some time.

They say that the two things you should never discuss are politics and religion, but that does not stop a lot of the talk of the heated politics of Chicago. Many people want to know Chicago politics inside and out, and want to know what the big news for the city’s political scene is. This love for the Chicago political scene is something many in the city share. However, finding people to talk to about politics can be extremely difficult to do.

Just as the history of Chicago has been very diverse, so have its political views. The politics of Chicago have not only been heated, but have led to impacts in the nation that is here today. They have also laid the groundwork to a number of events that would be factors in the world as a whole as a well. Some of the newer cities of the United States have to give thanks to some of the greater minds and political views of the Windy City.

In recent years, some of the greats in the corporate world and political world have sought places in the Southwestern United States. Some have seen this as a means of fleeing the fires that they fueled in Chicago, other have merely seen this as them wanting to have a transition to the next stage of their lives. The heated politics of Chicago can literally eat someone alive and spit out the remains without a second thought. That is part of what makes Chicago one of the political centers and also one of the hot spots for change in the Midwest.

Many have seen the legendary Al Capone as a nightmare in the streets of Chicago, and have seen how he would consume the legal system. One can’t say Capone’s name though without mentioning how he was the catalyst in the creation of the FBI. This level of corruption that Capone brought forth also instigated a higher level of how politics were viewed in Chicago and how the dirty politicians were dealt with. In the bluntest of terms, just as the Chicago sports fans won’t tolerate verbal jabs; the political arena of Chicago is no different.

Some have seen that Chicago is one of the harder roads for politicians, yet it is also a road that had garnered a higher level of respect of the politicians that have surfaced from the torrents of the political world there. This has been a city that has shown what a cut throat environment politics can be and also where a politician can be revered by those that support them.

The author runs a website about Chicago politics. This has been truer with the rich political history that Chicago offers and the direct impact it has had on both the state and Federal government.

Every summer, thousands of American kids go to summer youth camps to enjoy not only time away from home, but to learn or experience new things. Summer youth camps have been part of American summers for generations and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. A summer youth camp offers a wealth of possible adventures or learning experiences for kids.

Summer camps can be religious based or adventure camps, swimming camps, horseback-riding camps, or wilderness camps. The sky’s the limit when it comes to the number of activities and duration of camps, and parents can choose from several day, to several week to month long stays.

Most camps offer openings to children seven to eighteen years of age, and depending on location and time of year, anything from cabins to tents to under-the-stars arrangements can be made. Some camps emphasize wilderness skills and camping while others are stable communities that offer swimming, crafts and other base-camp type recreation like tennis, soccer or other sports. Some camps focus on horseback riding or hiking and mountain climbing while others cater to indoor pursuits.

Summer camps offer kids of all ages the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and learn skills that they wouldn’t necessarily learn at home. Wilderness skills are a big part of most camps, but others teach different skills. Most summer camps offer a wide variety of activities for all age groups, and camp counselors oversee small groups of kids for each portion of their camp life experience. Most camps offer cabin dwelling in dorm-style quarters, with separate sections for boys and girls, who then come together for meals or group activities or games. Other camps cater to one gender or even focus on particular aspects of a summer camp experience, such as horseback riding or hiking pursuits.

Summer youth camps also offer a way for children of all ages and backgrounds to broaden their horizons and experience new situations, especially when children from different parts of the state or country come together under one roof. City children mingle with those raised in the country, which offers a unique way for each to appreciate different cultures and ways of living.

Most camps also teach children leaderships skills as well as learning how to get along with one another, in addition to learning positive skills in adapting to difficulties or problems. Religious based summer camps offer campers focused religious lessons while a wilderness adventure camps will enable campers to get out and enjoy the great outdoors to their heart’s content.

Camps can be expensive, but good deals are always to be had if you know where to look. If you’re thinking of finding a summer youth camp for your child, make sure you check things like child to adult ratio, camp counselor ratio, first aid facilities, and anything else you’re concerned about. Summer camps offer unlimited choices when it comes to keeping kids happy and entertained every summer, and memories of a good summer camp can last a lifetime.

Still looking for the perfect summer camp? Try visiting http://www.aboutcamps.com – a website that specializes in providing camp advice, tips and resources including information on summer youth camps.

In my youth, I observed that, in England at least, most people wanted to get out of their jobs. Their “career”, whatever it was, only existed to get a regular income. The millions of people who did the football pools, and later the lottery, were a testimony to the “let me out of here” dreams of the majority. “Win the pools, and retire.”

Times may have changed in general, but the fact that most people are not content with their jobs has remained unchanged. Career, employer or job change, or early retirement, are in the minds of tens of millions of people across the world. Only a small minority will ever actually go full out for a career change; it is far too easy just to plod along doing the same old things in the same old place.

However, some people are more serious. These are the people with “get up and go” who actually do get up and go. These are the people who really do change their working lives, sometimes drastically.

Why Do Some People Want to Change Careers?

There are many possible reasons for wanting a career change. The following are just a few of the more common ones.

1. To some people, being in the same job, or even the same type of job, for too long is just unthinkable. I certainly fall into this category, and personally think total career changes can be a vital contributor to a satisfying life. I always want to learn something new, and do something new, once I have mastered what I was doing before. New challenges are an essential part of every day life.

2. Midlife career changes might be the result of a sort of career midlife crisis. This can particularly be so for someone who has always done the same job, and suddenly realise their years are slipping away and they have really done very little with their working years.

3. Dissatisfaction with a current employer, either in terms of recognition, prospects or pay.

4. Boredom is a common cause of wanting a career change.

5. Lack of fulfilment in the current career or employment.

The above are some of the broad reasons people may seek a career change, but each individual is likely to have a different mix of reasons to consider changing their career.

Tips For Preparing for a Career Change

There are many sources of career change advice, both online and offline. Sometimes this can be given on an individual basis, or just in the form of written material which you can consume at your leisure. As a career is a personal matter, and all individuals are different, then pesonal consultation is better by far. However, advisors are individuals too, and the advice may vary from from career counselor to career counselor.

The quality and quantity of career change advice available to you offline will vary greatly between countries and localities, and you may find that some of the online advice is, at least in part, to one country, particularly the US. However, the following career change tips can apply to anyone, anywhere, and are based on my own experience; they may not appear anywhere else, might be considered unconventional, but are designed to get you thinking and planning well in advance for one or a series of career changes:

1. Travel as widely as possible. I do not mean go on vacation with a million other holidaymakers on a well trodden path, but broaden your mind, experience and understanding through travelling in other countries of various cultures. It is best to travel alone for maximum experience. With hindsight, I am sure that my travels as a 20 year old and younger helped to give me the flexibility and adaptability to make a sudden move from one life direction to another. When travelling freely, you can always go just where you want to go, and the same can be true of your working life, or careers, if you have that flexible attitude from the beginning.

2. Most people have interests and talents that are quite separate from their primary career ambition. Always try to develop those skills and talents in parallel to your existing or imminent career. The more skills you have, the more knowledge you have, the more likely it is that, when the time comes to make a career change, it will be that much easier.

3. When in a chosen career, always add new skills and keep up to date with developments in that career. The opportunity may come along for you to specialize within that career, or diversify from it.

4. Plan your life in 5 year blocks. It is amazing how much can be achieved and changed in 5 years. My own life and working life bear little resemblance to even 7 years ago, and has changed drastically in the last 4 years. Formulating a 5 year plan for yourself at 20, 25, 30 and so on can be a great help in getting your prepared for all sorts of changes and developments. When formulating that plan, consider your career options during that coming period, and what you can do over that 5 years to prepare yourself for a career change beyond that 5 year period.

5. Have a program of self improvement to increase your confidence and prevent or overcome fear. Many people stay in the same job far too long, because of fear of change. Using meditation and relaxation techniques can help in this area of your life.

6. Keep control of your finances, and develop a financial success system . Always budget effectively, and never spend beyond your means. Always think in terms of building your assets. Saving from your monthly and income, and learning to invest wisely, can help you build wealth while most of those around you are borrowing, overspending, and digging a financial grave.

Why is a financial success system important when it comes to career change planning? Poor finances can be an inhibiting factor in making a career change. If your finances are in good shape, and you have adequate reserves, you have more time to switch successfully to a new career, even a new way of life. Financial fear can be a big drawback to making a career change.

By adopting some or all of the above tips, you should find yourself better prepared in the future to make a career change. Hopefully, that career change will be one that has evolved from your own desires, your own plans. However, sometimes career changes are forced by redundancy, technical developments in your chosen career, companies being taken over or going bust, outsourcing or other change in your working environment. Be prepared.

This career development article article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

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We have all heard the tragic stories of Sonny Bono, Michael Kennedy, Natasha Richardson, and this morning a snowboarder is in the news for suffering a fatal injury on the ski slopes. In this article I am going to give you the 3 main incidents that caused me to wear a ski helmet every time I ski.

Helmets became popular about 5 years ago, and I got one after suffering a concussion surprisingly on the lower slopes of Mammoth Mountain. I was going fast by some slower skiers blocking a narrow point in the trail. When I went wide to miss them, I got in the crud and lost control. The next thing I knew I was sideways and high-sided into a hard fall on my left side whip-lashing my head into the snow. Right before my head hit I thought, “I wish I were wearing a helmet.” That concussion kept me off the slopes a while to recover.

Then I bought a helmet, but I wouldn’t wear it everyday. I would sit in the ski area parking lot thinking, “Am I going to need this today?” Some days I would wear it; some days I wouldn’t. Then I met an emergency room Doctor from Denver, Colorado that told me 80% of his cases that involve a fatal skiing injury could have been prevented by wearing a helmet. I still failed to get the message to wear your helmet everyday.

But 3 incidents proved to me that you can not predict when you will need a helmet anymore than you can predict when you will need to be wearing your seat belt for safety in your car. The first incident was where I was loading a non-detachable chair. I prepared to load and another skier who wasn’t paying attention got in the path of the chair as it came around the corner. This skiers body pulled back the chair and shot it forward towards where I was standing to load. I saw what was happening and tried to get out of the way, but the metal part of the left side of the chair swung forward and hit me in the back of the head. If I hadn’t been wearing my helmet, this could have been an unpredictable fatal injury.

The second incident was when I was skiing the trees without my helmet. I thought I was safe, then all of a sudden, I hit something that tore my left ski off, and my momentum sent me directly towards a large tree. I dove to the left to miss the base of the large tree, and scraped the side of the tree as I slid 15 feet by it. As I slid to a stop I could see that I just missed a direct hit with a tree on the head. This incident again showed me that I could not predict when I should be wearing my ski helmet.

The 3rd incident was when I was skiing a ridge down to another run, and I was not wearing my helmet. I saw a small piece of bamboo pole ahead of me, but because it was only about 4″ long, didn’t pay much attention to it. Well I hit it the piece of bamboo, and it put me down sliding on my hip. The next thing I knew, I slid off the edge of the ridge. As I picked up speed I looked up to see where I was sliding, and I saw I was sliding into a large, unavoidable pile of rocks. I managed to self-arrest by digging in the edges of both my skis and clawing my fingers into the slope to stop. It was the best self-arrest of my life, and I’ve had many.

So it was these 3 incidents, 2 of which I was not wearing my helmet for, that convinced me you can not predict when you will need your helmet when skiing. You have to wear your helmet every time you ski to protect yourself from the most likely cause of a fatal injury, unforeseen head trauma. So wear your helmet every time for safety and longevity, OK? But don’t get a false sense of security just because you are wearing a ski helmet because you can still sustain a fatal injury even with a helmet. You still need to ski in control, and watch out for other riders and obstacles. See You On the Slopes!

Larry Conn has snow skied since 1968, and loves Mammoth Mountain so much he moved there in 2005 after taking 2 years off work to “test-drive” living there. Now he is launching Mammoth Ski Club for active adults who want more fun, activities and involvement with snow skiing and other activities at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and Mammoth Lakes resort. Get your complimentary gifts, full color newsletter, and special report, “Who Else Wants Active New Affluent Friends of the Same Ski Ability Level, and a Lifetime of Great Memories?” by going to http://www.MammothSkiClub.com/

Blogging is as much fun as it is easy, and once you start to blog it can almost be addicting. Just what is a blog? A blog is nothing more than a web log that describes an Internet website that is dedicated toward the distribution of news, commentary, opinion, or other content by individuals and/or organizations.

Within the last few years blogs have gained momentum and blogging has somewhat taken over the Internet. Today it is relatively easy to find a blog about any topic that you can imagine, and many others about topics that you can’t imagine.

Not everyone is a blogger for money. Believe it or not, there are some people who blog for the sheer pleasure of writing. But most bloggers are business owners, whom having discovered that blogging is an excellent way to promote their business, blog because of the benefits that blogging affords. If you are among those who maintain a blog as a means of promoting your business you probably already know that your blog lets your readers learn about your business and its unique branding, value, products and services.

A blog is a blog, is a blog, right? Wrong! Back when I first began blogging I thought all blogs were the same too. But over the span of a few years I have learned that blogs are not all the same. There are average blogs and then there are successful blogs. An average “blog” is nothing more than a website with a legitimate URL that occupies space on the Internet and is chock full of information that no one knows about. On the other hand a “successful blog” is an informative website that reaches a huge reader base, develops a following, and builds a certain level of credibility while gaining the respect of that following.

Successful blogging is not difficult to achieve and it can be very profitable too, that is if you adapt and follow certain guidelines. There are basically 7 easy steps to successful blogging. If you want to have a successful blog you should implement these steps. You will see your blog go from unnoticed to most popular in no time at all.

Create a niche

This is the beginning step to successful blogging. But what exactly is a niche? The Webster Online dictionary describes a niche as “A place of employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted.”

When creating your niche it should be something you enjoy. It doesn’t matter how lucrative a particular industry may be, if you are going to do a business in that industry, first and foremost, you must enjoy it. Your drive and motivation are determined by your happiness and contentedness and if you do not enjoy what you are doing you will not be motivated to continue doing it very long. Having a niche that you are excited about will insure that you will never be struggling for topics to write about and it will make your blogging experience a whole lot easier in the long run.

The success of your blog also depends on your knowledge level of the niche you have chosen. If you are unable to provide useful information that answers any questions your readers may have concerning your niche, you will soon lose credibility with them. Your niche should always be based on your knowledge, abilities and skills in order to achieve maximum success.

As long as an audience exists for you particular niche you can write and blog about it. If you present yourself well to your readers your blog can achieve longevity and even become one of the dominant forces within your niche. Just keep in mind that your niche can be about absolutely anything that you conceive; you can have a problem solving niche or a gossip niche, it doesn’t matter, just as long as you have reader approval.

Be unique

The second step to successful blogging depends on your ability to write unique content. People who read lots of material look for fresh new content in the words or topics they search, therefore, always be unique in your blog’s approach with respect to the articles you post. Writing unique content will also teach you a lot about branding yourself. This is why it is so important to develop your niche first. If your niche is something you like and know a lot about, writing unique content will be easy.

For example, your niche might be dogs, a fairly common topic today because a great majority of people has a dog. But your experience with dogs is unique and not like mine or anyone else’s. Therefore, no two people will write the same article about dogs, the same way.

In the beginning you may structure your articles and even your blog site after the pattern of another author or blogger, but as you grow, and if you continue to search for your brand in the confusion of your mind, soon your uniqueness will emerge. Just remember this one fact about being unique: unique content sells.

To help develop a level of uniqueness you should keep track of the keywords that are being searched on the Internet which will tell you how users are finding your website. When you write your blog titles it is a good idea to check to see whether or not they are SEO friendly and contain highly related keywords so that it will be easier for visitors to find your blog’s content.

Gain the respect of your readers

The third step to successful blogging is to gain the respect of your readers in your area of expertise. This is easily done by writing from personal experience rather than from research. People can generally sense whether or not you have experience in the area of your subject matter. Personal experience is unique and people looking for value and information will always gravitate toward it.

Write to your readers as if you know each one of them as a close personal friend. You would never tell a friend something that wasn’t true or mislead them in any way. Therefore, you should be very careful to thoroughly research everything you write on your blog before you release the information to your readers; remember, they are your friends and they are depending on your expertise, judgment and knowledge of the subject matter, and they trust that you are leading them in the right direction.

Grab the attention of your readers

This is the most difficult of the 7 steps to perform. You must grab the attention of your readers in the very first paragraph of your article. Writing is almost like listening to music. When you hear a song for the very first time you are very attentive. But if the song does not make you move, pat your foot, or give you something of value in the lyrics within the first few seconds of listening, then it is unlikely that you will want to listen to 3 minutes of a song that you don’t like.

Think of the articles that you post on your blog in the same way. You must command the attention of your readers within their first forty-five seconds of reading. If you do not, chances are will lose them and they may never return to your blog.

Post regularly

Here is where most bloggers get into trouble. They start a blog, write a couple of posts-on average two posts per week, for about three weeks, and when they don’t see traffic increase to their blogs they give up on blogging altogether.

If you are going to blog you must see it as a big responsibility and not as a hobby. Why? Whether you know it or not, people who visit your blog are depending on you to write and post something on your blog on a regular basis.

Your readers would like to know when they can expect new material from you. Regular posting is a part of the successful blogging routine that is so necessary to generate traffic to you blog. The way to get into the habit of regular posting is to develop a schedule. I like to refer to it as a content schedule.

If your goal is to attract loyal readers which will in turn generate steady traffic to your blog, you must create a content schedule. You have to determine how many days per week you will devote to your business of blogging. It doesn’t matter if it is two days or five days you must commit to it and be consistent. Your readers will soon notice your consistency and return to your blog on a regular basis, expecting fresh new content.

In order to achieve this you must set aside time to focus all of your efforts on your blog as if you were going to work, because in reality you are going to work for yourself and the success of your blog depends on this effort. As a result you will keep your readers updated to your niche activities and your website traffic will increase.

Market your blog site

Your level of success in blogging highly depends on the frequency at which you update the content on your blog. Your target should be to write at least one good quality article each day. Not that I did not say you should write at least on article each day, but at least one good quality article each day. It would be better if you produced two good quality articles per week than six articles per week that had no value to your readers.

If you post five good quality articles per week your blog will be more interesting and appealing to your readers and your blog will be their Online Newspaper. Your readers will actually look forward to reading your fresh article every morning while they drink their morning coffee.

Good blog marketing strategy involves optimizing the search engines correctly, better referred to as SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Search engines love blogs that deliver fresh content on a regular basis. The more information the search engine spiders can accumulate from your blog the higher you will move up in the search rankings.

To have a successful blogging site means that you must post fresh content on a daily basis, if possible or otherwise your popularity will plummet and your traffic level will drop off the chart. If this happens you are nearing the end of your blogging career.

Be persistent

It has been said that quitters never win, and winners never quit. This statement holds a lot of truth for bloggers. With the rapid growth of the Internet it is becoming more difficult to get noticed among all the cyber traffic and this can make it is so easy to become frustrated in blogging but if you quit you will never win. The ultimate step in successful blogging is that you be persistent.

You must constantly search for new ways to market your blog and there are lots of tools at your disposal. There is viral marketing, advertising, social bookmarking, networking sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and many other smaller sites like ISeeColor. You must submit your blog’s article content to the many hundreds of article directories on the Internet to help increase the traffic to your blog.

Regularly check your website’s statistics to get a better picture of who is looking at what area of your website and how often they are looking at it. You can do this by using tools like Google Webmasters and Google Analytics, two very important tools for research that will teach you how to optimize your website for better content use and conversion.

The bottom line here is simple: Be persistent and never quit. Because of the busy schedule that I once had in my life, it took me quite a while to comprehend the whole blogging and Internet perspective but I was persistent. Perhaps your schedule too, is a busy one and I am sure there are times when you feel like you are wasting your time, but you’re not.

There is nothing more rewarding than to know that you are providing something of value to someone who needs it. Blogging can afford you the vehicle to do this. So remember: If you never quit you will win; and once you win you will not want to quit.

Happy Successful Blogging.

Eric Dunbar is the owner and editor of Golden Entrepreneur [http://www.goldenentrepreneur.biz], where you will find online business tips, articles and great software tools to grow your online business. Eric Dunbar is also the author of THE FACE OF A DEMON, referred to by many as “The Recovering Addict’s Handbook”, and editor of X-JOURNAL Blog [http://www.blog.ericdunbar.com]

This article describes where to look, what to look for, and how to choose day-hiking boots. Knowing where to look and what to look for, you can be sure to get the high-quality hiking boots you need without paying extra for features you don’t need.

Day-hiking boots range anywhere from $40.00 to $150.00. The high end of that range is beginning to cross into backpacking boots, but anything below that range is either an exceptionally good deal or an imitation hiking boot that will disappoint you badly.

So, let’s talk about the kinds of places to shop for hiking boots, features to look for, pitfalls to avoid, and techniques to make sure you have the right fit.

Where to Shop for Hiking Boots

If you have never done any serious hiking, you will want to buy your first serious hiking boots in a hands-on experience. I’m being honest here (habit of mine). Yes, it is in my interest to persuade you to buy your hiking boots through my Web site, but I won’t do that if it is not appropriate for you. Even aside from ethical considerations, it would be bad business for me to create a lot of dissatisfied customers telling their friends about their bad experience. No, I’m just being honest. I don’t want to take your money and leave you unhappy. Buy your first pair of hiking boots at a brick-and-mortar store where you can handle the boots and try them for proper fit. Then, when you have enough experience to know what you want in your second pair of hiking boots (or third, or …), you can take advantage of the lower prices available on the Web.

When shopping for hiking boots, look for an outdoor equipment store rather than a shoe store. The sales clerks in a general shoe store are not likely to know the difference between real hiking boots and fashion imitations of hiking boots. You might pay more money at an outdoor equipment store, but you will realize the savings out on the trail.

Once you’re in the store, ask about some of the things you read in this article. If the sales clerk doesn’t know what a scree collar is or why soft outer soles are better than hard, look for another sales clerk, or another store.

If you are ready to buy your hiking boots on the Web, you can take advantage of the best of both worlds. You can buy from a high-volume store that has the best prices, but first get your advice, recommendations, and reviews from affiliated Web sites that specialize in hiking equipment.

Wherever you choose to buy your hiking boots, make sure there is a reliable, knowledgeable person in the loop somewhere. If the sales clerk or Web site seems too eager about making the sale and not interested enough in discussing and comparing features, you should look somewhere else before you make a final decision.

Especially when you are shopping the Web sites, you may need to pay attention to brands. Certain brands have a well-deserved reputation for good quality, and you should not ignore that. On the other hand, some brands have an overblown reputation that often has more to do with fashion than with genuine quality. The only way to know the difference, and to find the quality you need without paying for fashion that you don’t care about, is to talk to those who know the difference and to read reviews from people who have actually used the hiking boots in the field.

Features to Look For in Day-Hiking Boots

Here is what you need to look for:

* Deep tread in a soft sole for traction.

* Appropriate height (just above the ankle).

* Soft, wide, thick scree collar (the padding around the top that keeps pebbles out without chafing your Achilles tendon).

* Fiberglass shank. Steel is okay, but fiberglass is better in day-hiking boots because it’s lighter. Full-length is preferred, but shorter shanks may be acceptable if you are planning more moderate hiking.

* Tongue attached at least up to the top of the foot, or higher if you plan on crossing streams frequently.

* Crampon attachments (good, but not essential, unless you do a lot of hiking in icy conditions).

* Hooks for the laces above the top of the foot.

* Choose eyelets, D-rings, or webbing for the lower lace attachment points as a matter of personal taste. My experience does not indicate any one to be better than the others for day-hiking boots.

* Good insulation and padding all around, firm on the bottom, with a tough but smooth lining.

* Double stitching on all visible seams.

* More leather and less fabric is better. Split leather is fine (and you’ll almost never find full-grain leather in a day-hiking boot), but not full suede.

* Fewer seams is better.

Most of these features are self-evident, but here are a few techniques for evaluating specific features.

* Tread should be at least two fifths of the total thickness of the sole.

* Measure the softness of the tread surface by pressing your thumbnail into it. You should be able to make a visible indentation that springs out in a second or so.

* Measure the stiffness of the shank by holding the heel in one hand and the toe in the other, and twisting the sole. You should not be able to twist it at all.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Hiking Boots

The biggest problem you’re likely to find in shopping for day-hiking boots is cheaply-made “imitation” hiking boots. They look like hiking boots, but they’re not built to stand up to trail conditions. They will not last long, and they will not give you the traction and water resistance you need.

You can tell an “imitation” hiking boot from the real thing by these characteristics:

* Mild tread, less than about two-fifths the thickness of the sole.

* Hard tread surface that you can barely indent with your fingernail.

* Non-attached tongue.

* Non-rigid sole that you can twist by hand.

* No scree collar. There may be patches of leather or a different color of fabric that look like a scree collar, but if it doesn’t have thick, soft padding around the top, it’s not a real hiking boot. It won’t keep the pebbles out, and it might chafe or constrict your Achilles tendon.

Fitting your Hiking Boots

You must fit your hiking boots with any orthopedic inserts, off-the-shelf insoles, and the hiking socks you intend to wear with them. A good rule of thumb is to start with one full size larger than your regular street shoes.

With all the inserts and insoles in place and your hiking socks on, but with no laces in the boot, put the boot on and push your foot all the way forward until your toes touch the front. You should have just enough room behind the heel to slide your finger all the way in.

Next, lace the boot up snugly and walk around. The boots will be stiff and uncomfortable because they’re not broken in, but they should not allow your foot to slide or rub.

Stand on a steep slope with your toes pointing down. (Use the fitting horse where you’re supposed to put your foot to lace the shoe while sitting. Go ahead and stand on it.) You should be able to wiggle your toes, and they should not touch the front of the boots.

If you bought the boots via the Web, do this fit-test as soon as you get them. Even if you think you know your size, boots from different manufacturers might fit differently. Check the size and fit immediately, and return them for a replacement if they don’t fit right.

Conclusion

If you are looking for your first pair of serious hiking boots, you must do your shopping in an outdoor equipment store where you can handle the boots and talk to knowledgeable sales staff. Only if you have some experience with day-hiking boots, take advantage of the bargains available on the Web.

Check for the features that identify a quality hiking boot, and avoid “fake” hiking boots.

Bring all the inserts and socks you will wear with your hiking boots, and check for a firm but comfortable fit with no rubbing or sliding.

Look for quality, and expect to pay for it, but don’t pay more than you have to for features that don’t contribute to the durability and comfort of your hiking boots.

Chuck Bonner is a lifelong hiker and amateur naturalist, and webmaster of http://www.HikingWithChuck.com For more information about hiking boots and other hiking equipment based on many years on the trail, visit [http://www.hikingwithchuck.com/Gear/HikingGear.htm]

Multicultural marketing mirrors the changed face of America and is getting the attention of small-business and other organizations looking for an edge in diverse ethnic markets. “Gone are the days when businesses succeed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing. It’s a ‘mass market’ no longer,” insists Rhonda Albey, a diversity consultant with Allen Associates in Los Angeles, “The multicultural markets are where the opportunities are, and successful entrepreneurs are quickly learning how to get there.”

According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) the predominant ethnic market segments being targeted by multicultural marketers are Hispanic (70%), African-American (59%) and Asian American (27%). In many places, these and other multicultural markets exert such demographic and economic influence that they’re inevitable targets. (source: http://www.Emarketer.com, 11-6-02).

Wherever they are, however, businesses must monitor and adapt to changes in their marketplace. The view out there can change quickly, and it’s a mistake to take any significant market segment in your area for granted. Even with all the right products and services you’ll still need the right message, in the right place, at the right time to reach the ethnic markets you want to be doing business with.

Do-it-yourself online research and homegrown multicultural marketing initiatives can help you identify and develop local ethnic market segments. But for some, outsourcing may be the way to go. For example, Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc., (www.multiculturalmarketingresources.com), a NYC-based public relations and marketing company, is helping businesses and entrepreneurs reach multicultural markets nationwide.

Population Growth and Economic Clout Tell Powerful Stories

Overall, says Multicultural Marketing Resources’, Lisa Skriloff: “The African-American, Hispanic and Asian populations have a combined buying power of more than a trillion dollars and minority populations are fast becoming the majority population in major markets.” But shifts in thinking toward culturally based marketing–targeting ethnic segments based on their cultural framework–will expand, creating multicultural marketing opportunities in still new ethnic segments in places where they are numerically significant.

California diversity consultant, Rhonda Albey, cautions: “Appreciate the diversity within groups as well as among groups. Terms like ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Asian’ are frequently used without acknowledging the wide-variety of peoples such terms include. ‘Asian’ can refer to any one of hundreds of nationalities, language groups and cultures. Entrepreneurs need to be aware that what appeals to Chinese-Americans in California may have little appeal for Korean-Americans in New York, although they’re all Asian-Americans.”

Culture as much, if not more than age, income, occupation or sex, is the main difference between ethnic markets and the general marketplace. Differing cultural backgrounds may mean consumers will never see or hear marketing messages that are not relevant to their cultural behavior, language or media preferences. And many businesses have yet to realize that Hispanics, Asians and blacks, among other market segments–multicultural or otherwise–have buying preferences that can be a key ingredient in marketing and selling to them.

But what if you haven’t been making the most of multicultural marketing opportunities that could be all around you?

How to Work Multicultural Marketing Into Your Marketing Plans?

Assuming you have a marketing plan, an important first step in multicultural marketing is knowing your audience, followed by improving your existing market penetration (you may want to get busy developing attractive new target markets, but first understand the inherent risks and costs, and explore opportunities to grow from within). If you can’t meet your goals with existing marketing opportunities–or you want to aim even higher–you probably should be developing new market segments. That means checking your sales forecasts and expense budget, and seeking ways to increase the return on your marketing investment.

As does all market planning, multicultural marketing needs to include research to determine who is buying your products and services, and why. Any market segment’s unique make-up defines its needs, suggesting products to sell and methods to use, and if it’s right for you; solid information about the wants, needs and objectives of potential clients is essential in making sound marketing decisions. Surveys of prospects and clients and informal interviews are useful research tools for agents and advisors in areas where one or more ethnic groups predominate.

Multicultural market planning continues with customer profiles–word-pictures of the people you’re looking for summarizing what these groups mean to you, what you do for the group, and why. Example: “The person I do business with is a young black professional or executive who is married, politically conservative, and has the potential of earning $100,000 a year by age 40. This market has grown substantially from when I started in this business 10 years ago, and I’ve been able to develop a steady market presence. As a result, networking opportunities and qualified referrals are easy–but I have to keep my eye on the ball and know my stuff.”

Market positioning then allows you to focus your resources and expertise as they apply to your market segments and think through the messages you wish to communicate to create competitive advantages. Your positioning statement should be well thought out and lend itself to professional identity branding. Your “brand”–reputation, integrity, performance, credentials, distinctive competencies and other key factors–shows in everything you do and differentiates you from your competition. Establish your brand up front: in conversation, in writing and in what you make people think about.

A marketing strategy is your formal plan for entering and systematically developing multicultural market segments and achieving your goals. It coordinates your positioning statement, customer profiles and professional identity brand with tools and techniques for establishing yourself in these market segments while servicing and expanding your existing client base. Once you have a plan, you’ll need to implement, manage and sustain it. It’s also important to remain focussed on your long-term goals. And to stay motivated!

You can adopt these steps to any market segment; what’s most important is thinking strategically about how you will find, get, and keep customers. Because marketing in the U.S. is becoming more like global marketing, market planning must proceed from an understanding of cultural differences the better to evaluate the need for adjustments to strategies and tactics. Commenting on the potential growth of multicultural marketing, Lisa Skriloff predicts: “Businesses that have not invested in multicultural marketing will be forced to reevaluate or be left behind.”

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net.

Bill Willard has also been writing high-impact marketing and sales training primarily for the financial services industry for 30 years—but as Will Rogers put it: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Through interactive, Web-based “Do-While-Learning™” programs, enewsletters and straight-talking articles, Bill helps SBOs and independent professionals get the job done: profitably improving performance, helping grow your business, skipping expensive mistakes, making the journey to small-business success faster, smoother, easier. And fun!

Tennis clothes have changed drastically in style, fabric, and color over the last 100 years. The first lawn tennis players in England wore formal attire when playing. Standard tennis clothes for women were full-length dresses. Men wore long pants and formal, long sleeve shirts. The tennis clothes of both men and women were entirely white in color. Contrast this formal style with the tennis clothes worn by the tennis players of today. Modern tennis players favor synthetic fabrics, more athletic clothing styles, and a greater variety of colors.

The evolution of tennis clothes has mirrored the changes in everyday fashion. For example, male tennis players in the 1970’s and 1980’s favored short, tight-fitting shorts and traditional polo shirts. In the late 1990’s and 2000’s, male tennis players began to wear larger, looser shorts and more casual shirts. In addition, female tennis players of the 1970’s and 1980’s favored traditional tennis clothes with an updated style. Popular clothing included shortened tennis skirts and dresses. Today’s women tennis players wear a variety of tennis clothes, ranging from tennis skirts and dresses to shorts and t-shirts. While tennis players still wear white at more traditional clubs (e.g. Wimbledon), there is a much larger variety of colors in modern tennis clothes.

Another factor contributing to the evolution of tennis clothes is the increased athleticism in the modern game. Tennis is now a high intensity sport, requiring tremendous physical effort and exertion. Tennis players must be able to run, cut, jump, and twist all while executing precise tennis strokes to hit a ball often moving at high speeds. Consequently, comfort is a major concern of players. Modern tennis players prefer tennis clothes that are lightweight, fit well, repel moisture, and are generally comfortable. Tennis clothes that keep the body cool and dry can help players counteract the physical toll that playing tennis, especially in hot weather, can exact.

Advances in clothing technology have also contributed to the evolution of tennis clothes. For years, cotton was the fabric of choice for tennis clothes. In the last few years, however, many tennis apparel makers have introduced garments made of new, synthetic fibers. Tennis clothes made of these synthetic fibers help remove sweat from the skin and clothing by wicking moisture away from the body. Examples of these clothing technologies are Adidas’s ClimaCool brand and Nike’s Dri-FIT. Most professional tennis players and many recreational tennis players now wear tennis clothes made with these new technologies because they keep them cooler and drier than traditional tennis wear.

In conclusion, tennis clothes have seen many changes over the years. While tennis clothes maintain some of their formality and traditional style, modern tennis players value comfort and individual style over tradition. Increased athleticism, advances in technology, and changes in general fashion have greatly affected the tennis clothing industry. In addition, breaking from their traditional roots, tennis clothes have become a medium for personal expression of individual style and important pieces of equipment in an increasingly physical sport.

For more information on tennis try visiting http://www.TennisQuestions.com, a website that specializes in providing tennis related tips, advice and resources to include information on the best tennis clothes.

Are you afraid to speak in the public? Do you want to overcome your fear of public speaking? If your answer to the two questions above is yes, then read on as I share with you my own personal experience on how I overcame my fear of public speaking.

If you think you are alone with this fear of public speaking; then think again. I also had the same fears and many people all over the world also share your fears to speak in public. I recall several incidents that occurred while I was growing up. As a child, I often got punished with the rest of my classmates for failing to answer the teacher’s question; even though I had the right answer within me.

I preferred to be punished with others than raise my hand to answer a question; my fear of public speaking was so strong that I would rather risked being punished in school than to see myself being exempted from punishment, simply because I answered a question.

If there was anything I hated most, it was standing out from the crowd; and public speaking was one thing I hate. I often missed school feigning illness just to avoid the debate classes organized by the school management. Now how did I overcome my fear of public speaking? That’s what I am going to share with you now.

In this article, I am going to share with you my step by step strategy to overcoming my fear of public speaking. If you are willing to learn and take some actions, then below is my ten step guide to overcoming your fear of public speaking.

1. I acknowledged my fears: The first step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to acknowledge my fears. I wasn’t shy about it; I openly admitted that I was afraid to speak publicly. One of the mistakes people make is that they hide their fears; and this fear eats them up silently. They feign boldness on the outside but inside; they pray that the earth should open and swallow them.

The positive side of openly admitting your fears is that you will become more challenged to overcome it. Openly admitting your fears means you are facing your fears head on. It might earn you some mockery but it’s a way to go especially if you can use that mockery as leverage to boost your determination.

2. I traced the root cause of this fear: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to trace the root cause of the fear. I came to understand that the root cause of this fear was the mentality I grew up with. During my primary school days, I recall coming first in class term after term. I was happy and my parents were, but it put a strain between me and some of my childhood friends.

My friends began to pull back from me because they felt they were out of my league academically and it hurt me. I wanted to be like everyone else; that was where I developed the attitude to avoid “standing out.” If being outstanding was going to single me out of the crowd, then I didn’t want it. Now having understood the cause of my fears, I decided to attack the root cause. I began to be me, regardless of what people said. I began to take on challenges, not because I loved challenges but I just wanted people to talk. This attitude pitched me against people who felt I was showing off but I didn’t care; I just wanted to be me.

3. I developed a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking: To be sincere, I don’t think you can overcome your fear of public speaking if you don’t desire it strongly. I was able to overcome mine because I desired it. I wanted to express myself in public without an iota of fear and I was prepared to do whatever it takes to bring such desire into reality.

4. I prepared my mindset to take whatever comes: I had a strong desire to overcome my fear of public speaking and also develop my public speaking skills. But deep down in me, I knew it wasn’t going to come easy; I knew there has to be a price and I was willing to pay it. I prepared my mind to accept whatever comes; I knew the worst may come so I prepared to meet it in advance. I prepared to take the booing, mockery and rejection that may arise in the process of learning to speak confidently in public. So if you really want to overcome your fear of public speaking, then you must be prepared to take whatever comes.

5. I kept an open mind: To overcome my fears, I kept an open mind. I knew I had to learn and learn real fast. Learning in this case is not the classroom kind of learning; it’s a type of lesson that can come in the form of suggestion, advice or even criticism.

6. I learned from the masters: The next step I took to overcome my fear of public speaking was to seek advice from the masters. I began to read books and listen to tapes authored by people such as Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie, etc. By reading the materials published by these great public speakers, I tapped into their wisdom and gained inspiration from them.

7. I harnessed the power of positive affirmation: Another step I took to enhance my public speaking ability was to use positive affirmations. You might think it’s not effective but I stand to tell you that it works like magic. By using positive affirmations such as “I can do it” or “I know I am destined for this”, you will unconsciously boost your self esteem. Remember the bible says that the power of life and death is in the tongue, so learn to use the power of spoken words to your advantage.

8. I developed the passion to teach: Public speaking is more or less teaching. Most great public speakers are teachers so if I am going to excel as a public speaker; if I am to overcome my fear of public speaking, then I have to develop the passion to teach. That was how I became a teacher; sharing information over the web, on platforms and through hard copy materials.

9. I started small: Today, I speak on platforms; hold seminars and engage in one on one consultations but it was not so few years ago. I started small. I started out by practicing in front of a mirror; imagining myself standing on a stage. I worked on my body language and movement in my closet and from there; I proceeded to speaking for free. I also engaged in positive discussions and I wasn’t afraid to take a stand. I began to accept the crowd as a group of friends; never again was I to be scared of speaking in front of an audience.

10. I became a confident speaker: After taking the nine simple steps above, I became a confident speaker. I can now speak to any capacity of audience provided I am well grounded on the subject. But I want you to know that I didn’t develop my public speaking skills overnight; I underwent a process that was triggered off by my desire to overcome my fear of public speaking.

As a final note, these are the exact steps I took to overcome my fear of public speaking. If you take a close observation, you will notice that they are very simple steps. Well, overcoming your fear of public speaking will not occur by just reading this article. It will only happen if you take action just as I took action. I wish you good luck.

And just before I drop my pen, if you need Expert Advice on How to Start a Business from scratch; please feel free to visit my blog. In addition, you can also download my free definitive guide on How to Become a Millionaire fast in less than a year.

Suppose a woman entered an ecommerce site. The site is for clothes sale. She starts her shopping tour from the dress purchase page where she purchases a decent dress by clicking on it. The dress is added in her x-cart. Now she moves to dress accessories page and select a scarf. She clicks on the link embedded with the image of scarf. This item automatically gets added to her x-cart. Similarly she does the same with pages for shoes and handbags. The selected items are then added in to her x-cart.

Now she opts for the order page where she finds all the items she selected in the list, which shows the final calculated price for all. This is the concept of a shopping cart. Many people have a misconception that Shopping Cart means payment and other related things, but it is not true. When items are listed in the shopping cart the process of payment is done through payment gateways and it is altogether a different process. In short, Shopping Cart is a series of scripts that keep track of items a visitor picks to buy from your site until they proceed to the “checkout”.

Success of the shopping cart depends on its integration with various payment gateways. PHP is a language that can do this job beautifully. Perfect integration means complete channels for requests and transfers with the relevant financial network including Internet merchant account with your bank. Thus x-cart with PHP eases this part of integration to a great extent.

Creation of x-cart in PHP is an easy job. All the details of stocks are stored in the database. When user adds product then the IDs of that product is added in shopping cart. You can delete it by deleting the IDs of the products you want to remove from the cart. PHP shopping cart has an inherent ability to call for an external PHP file.

The biggest advantage of PHP is serialization. Serialization is not needed for all types of databases with PHP. It was a problem in the earlier versions that when you wish to pass a value without mentioning its type, it gets dumb. This problem has been solved properly in the latest version of PHP.

Use of PHP in your x-cart development makes it user friendly, this means that it allows an easy search of a product and rapid and hassle free execution means easy shopping experience. It facilitates easy calculation of taxes, refunds and other incentives. Above all, its secure and you always will have secure transactions of money and your data with PHP. Thus you will have a secure ecommerce experience with PHP.

With PHP your x-cart would have fully integrated E-commerce data marts for customer profiling, relationship management, and to facilitate marketing decision processes. It is a common scenario that you will change your prices frequently and your stocks will also change in both quantity and types. With PHP you can do the necessary update easily with just some clicks of mouse.

Last but not the least is that you will get enough support from the developer community whenever you have any problem. PHP is a young language, it is growing and expanding its horizon so you can walk with time and get every thing you need for your advancement.

Hardik mistry is php developer at IndiaNIC – a leading shopping cart firm present quality and cost effective php web application development, php e-commerce x- cart and services across the globe. For any queries related to iphone email us at enquiry@indianic.com.

Fifty million home-based businesses will be in operation by 1997, according to Link Resource’s National Work-at Home Survey. All around the country, people who want more control over their lives are starting home businesses In New Orleans, Rick Hart’s home based cajun Cargo ships seafood nation wide. In Palatine, Illinois, Stephaine Heavey works from home designing and selling original patterns for fabric dolls. And in Dallas, Lisa McElya published the Dallas Party & Event Planners Guidebook from the entire first floor of her two-story home. These three people are living the new American dream of owning a business, but avoiding the high overhead and start-up costs of a commercial location. If the idea of working from home is appealing, but you don’t know where to begin, here is a step-by-step guide. STEP #1 DECIDE WHAT PART OF THE HOUSE TO USE Select an area away from family activity. The perfect space is a separate room (or perhaps the garage), but any area will do, if it can hold all the business supplies and equipment, and also provide enough work space for desks, tables, or counters. STEP #2 DETERMINE HOW MUCH TIME YOU CAN SPEND ON THE BUSINESS Many people start a home business on a part-time basis while raising children or working outside the home. Others start full-time when family and finances allow. However you begin, figure out how may hours per week you can devote to the business Make a weekly chart of your activities, examine it, and determine where the business fits. Don’t assume you have time and find out later you don’t. STEP #3 DECIDE ON THE TYPE OF BUSINESS Make a list of things you like to do, your work and volunteer experience, and items you own that can be used in a business. Look over this line-up, and using ideas from it, list possible businesses to start. Eliminate any business that isn’t appealing or doesn’t fill a need people have. For ideas on different types of businesses, consult the end of this article. Other ideas can be found in the source material listed at the end of this article. STEP #4 CHOOSE A LEGAL FORM The three basic legal forms are sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation. The most common is the sole proprietorship. As its name implies, a sole proprietorship is owned by one individual. It is the oldest form of business, the easiest to start, and the least complicated to dissolve. Here are some of the advantages of this business form: 1. You own all the profits

2. Your business is easy and cheap to organize. You don’t need any government approval, although you may be required to carry a city, state or county license. Your only other obligation is to notify the Internal revenue Service (IRS) for the purposes of sales tax.

3. You’re the boss

4. You enjoy certain tax savings. You must pay regular individual taxes on your income, property, and payroll, but these are not levied as special taxes, as with a corporation. You will also have to pay sales tax which you have received from your customers.

5. Greater personal incentive and satisfaction. Since you have your investment to lose if your business is not successful, you should be more willing to put time, thought, and energy into the business. And when your business is successful, you enjoy maximum sense of accomplishment since you know its success was dependent upon your decisions about your management ability alone. For more information about this and other forms of business, send for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Publication MP25. Selecting the Legal Structure for Your BUsiness (50 cents). It outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each legal type of structure. If after reading it you are still uncertain what form of the business should take, consult an attorney. STEP #5 DETERMINE WHERE THE MONEY WILL COME FROM There are three ways to finance start-up costs: use your own money, obtain a loan, or find investors. If possible, it is better to start small, use your savings, and not worry about repaying a debt. also keep in mind that since you are a home-based, chances of qualifying for a loan or finding investors are slim until the success of your idea is proven. STEP #6 GATHER INFORMATION Spend a few weeks researching home-based businesses. A library or bookstore can provide numerous books on business basics, and on the specific type of business that interest you. Homemade Money by Barbara Brabee (see sources) is an excellent book to start with. If you are considering a computer business, get in touch with the association of Electronics; Cottagers, P.O. Box 1738, Davis, CA 95617-1738. To keep informed of what is happening in home business world, contact National Home Business report, P.O. Box 2137, Naperville, IL 60566, for subscription information; and Mothers Home Business Network, P.O. Box 423, East Meadow, NY 11554 (send SASE for free information). STEP #7 CHECK ON ZONING RESTRICTIONS Find out how your property is zoned, the call City Hall and ask what regulations apply to home businesses in that zone. Also, if you rent or live in a condominium, check the lease or homeowner’s association rules to be certain a home business is allowed. Generally, if you do not annoy your neighbors with excess noise, odors, and traffic, you will not be deterred from running a business at home. The neighbors may not even be aware of the business, but it is necessary to know exactly what you can and can’t do before you start. This is important should any problems or questions arise later. STEP #8 PICK A BUSINESS NAME AND REGISTER IT If the business you choose is different form your name, file an assumed (or fictitious) name certificate with the county. You are notified if another business already has that name, so you can select a new one. Do this before investing in expensive stationery and brochures. It costs only a few dollars to file, and it protects the business name from being used by someone else in the county. STEP #9 WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN A good business plan clarifies your ideas and establishes a plan of action. A good business plan should include a description of what you are selling, your background and qualifications, who the prospective customers are and where they can be found, what is needed to build the business, how you plan to promote, and how much money is need for start-up costs. SBA Publication #M925, The Business Plan for Home-Based Business ($1) is helpful. STEP #10 GET AN IDENTIFYING NUMBER If you are the sole proprietor of the business and have no employees, you may either use your Social Security number or an Employee Identification Number (EIN) as the business number on official forms. If you have employees, or the business is set up as a partnership or corporation, you must obtain an EIN. To do this, complete IRS Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number) and file it with the nearest IRS Center. STEP #11 OBTAIN A SALES TAX PERMIT If the product or service you sell is taxable, you need a state sales tax permit. Call the local tax agency, explain the type of business you have and what you sell, and ask if you need to collect sales tax. If you do, they will send you the necessary information and forms to complete. You also use this tax number when your purchase items for resale. STEP #12 OBTAIN LICENSES & PERMITS It’s very important not to overlook any necessary license or permit. For example, some cities and counties require a general business license, and most have special laws regarding the preparation and sale of food. Call City Hall to find out what is need for your particular business. In addition, Chamber of Commerce provide information on city, county and state licenses and permits. STEP #13 SELECT BUSINESS CARDS, STATIONERY, BROCHURES Spend time on the color, design and paper for these items. They make a definite impression-good or bad- on the people who receive them. If you are not certain what is most suitable and effective, consult a graphics designer or a creative printer whose work you like. STEP #14 OPEN A BUSINESS CHECKING ACCOUNT Call several banks to find out what services they offer, and what minimum balance, if any, must be maintained to avoid paying a service charge. Also ask about credit card if you plan to offer this convenience to your customers. Bank fees can be significant, so shop around for the best deal. If your personal checking account is with a credit union, see if it can also provide a separate business account. when you open your account, you may need to show the assumed name certificate and business license. Finally, investigate obtaining a credit card in the business’s name. If this is not possible, set aside a personal credit card to use for business expenses. STEP #15 SET UP RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEMS Put together a simple and effective bookkeeping system with an 8 1/2 x 11″ three-ring binder, columnar pad sheets and twelve pocket dividers from the office supply store. For each month, set up columnar sheets for income and expenses. Use a pocket divider for each month’s receipts, bank statement, deposit tickets, and canceled checks. In addition, an automobile log for business mileage, and filing system for correspondence, invoices, supplier catalogs, client records, etc. are two other useful tools. For more information on record-keeping, see IRS publication #583, Information for Business taxpayers. STEP #16 CHECK IRS REQUIREMENTS If you comply with basic IRS guidelines, you can deduct a percentage of normal household expenses (mortgage, interest, taxes, insurance, utilities, repairs, etc.) as a business expense. see the box accompanying this article and, for more detailed information, IRS publication #587, Business Use of the Home. Also become familiar with these IRS forms: Schedule SE (compensation of Social Security Self-Employment Tax) and Schedule 1040 ES (estimated Tax for Individuals). Depending on circumstances, you may have to file them. STEP #17 OUTFIT THE BUSINESS Make a list of everything needed to start the business, but before you buy anything, look around the house for things you already own that are usable. When you are ready to start purchasing, check the classified ads and garage sales. Both are good, inexpensive sources for office furniture, typewriters, computers, answering machines, etc. But only what is absolutely necessary for start-up, and wait until the business is off the ground to get the extras. STEP #18 DECIDE ON TELEPHONE REQUIREMENTS Call the telephone company to find out the cost of a business phone in your area. If you cannot afford a separate business line, investigate the telephone company’s regulations on using your personal phone in a business. It may be possible to do this if you follow certain guidelines. Keep a record of long distance business calls as they are a deductible expense. Finally, consider the benefits of an answering machine to catch calls when you are out. STEP #19 CHECK OUT THE POST OFFICE & UPS Using a post office box as the business address down plays the fact you are home-based. It also prevents customers from dropping in at all hours. While looking into box rental, ask for information on the various postal rates, particularly bulk rate, if you plan to do large or specialized mailings. If you mail many packages, check out United Parcel Service (UPS), as it is less expensive than the Post Office. STEP #20 PURCHASE THE NECESSARY INSURANCE Check with your homeowners insurance agent about a rider for your existing policy or the need for a separate business policy. Also make sure you have adequate personal and product liability coverage. Shop around, as each company has different rules regarding home businesses To save money on medical insurance, join an association and participate in their group plan. One such body is The National association for the Self-Employed: they can be reached at 800-527-5504. STEP #21 ORGANIZE THE HOUSE & YOURSELF To have more time for business, organize and simplify household routines. Start by holding a garage sale to get rid of unnecessary possessions. Next, have a family conference and divide household duties, making sure each person does his or her part. The, set up a planning notebook to keep track of appointments, things to do, calls to make, errands to run, shopping, etc. Finally, set up a work schedule so you won’t get sidetracked by TV, neighbor’s visits, snacking, and telephone calls. Creating and operating a home business is a wonderful and rewarding challenge. The satisfaction is not only in the money earned, but in doing what makes you happy.

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Julia Tang publishes Smart Online Business Tips, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you! To find out the best online business opportunities,
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worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
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There can be little doubt that most of us have taken television for granted. After all it has been around as long as we have, and it is as common in our homes as electricity and running water.

None of us can imagine not being able to press a button on the remote control via cable or satellite and choose from among hundreds of televisions offerings at any given moment. Most of us have several of these receivers in our homes so our children can be appropriately entertained while we watch our important shows, like “As the World Turns”, “Desperate Housewives”, or “Survivor”.

Couples can watch their own respective programs on different sets or activate Tivo to record any programs for later viewing.

The television story was much different in 1936 when on June 29th when the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) assembled every executive involved in RCA manufacturing and radio’s National Broadcast Corporation (NBC) to view live television entertainment for the very first time.

Radio had flourished during the depths of the Depression and RCA/NBC were at the head of the class. These manufacturers and programmers of radio had successfully refined new dimension of sight to their broadcasting capabilities. The term “television” had been aptly coined for this since its literal meaning was “distant vision”.

Seventy years ago on this June day, it was the hope of David Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA, to get all of their radio retailers, manufacturers and broadcasters involved expanding this new frontier of television.

The Empire State Building television transmitter was used to demonstrate high definition television (343 lines) to RCA’s Licensees. The program featured speeches by Major General James G. Harbord (Chairman of the Board, RCA), David Sarnoff (President of RCA) and Otto S. Schairer (Vice-President RCA, in charge of Patents and Trademarks). This live broadcast included dancing girls and a film about army maneuvers. A dinner celebrating this event was held after the demonstration at the Waldorf Astoria.

Hence this was the world’s first true TV Dinner! Note this is my discovery, no claims were ever made by RCA or NBC.

The only known surviving photograph of this private event known can be seen at: http://framemaster.tripod.com/index-3.html

The caption for this photograph reads:

“RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA

FOLLOWING A DEMONSTRATION OF THE RCA SYSTEM OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION IN FIELD TEST INAUGURATED JUNE 29, 1936″

After this successful private broadcast it was decided to enhance the programming and invite the public and press to an even greater TV demonstration later in November. This time there would be live performances by professional actors, singers and entertainers.

The Birth of Live Entertainment and Music on Television, November 6, 1936

This is the true milestone in television history as all talent used for this broadcast were accomplished for the first time on live television. The following accounts are taken from the complete press release and photographs which I believe is the only complete one known:

“Experimental Television Demonstration For The Press

National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N.Y. November 6, 1936 TELEVISION DEVELOPMENTS DEMONSTRATED FOR PRESS BY NBC AND RCA

Television program transmission was demonstrated for the press today (Friday, November 6) by the National Broadcasting Company in a 40-minute program illustrating RCA experimental developments. The pictures were broadcast from the transmitter on top of the Empire State Building, and were received on the 62nd floor of the RCA Building.

David Sarnoff, President of the Radio Corporation of America, reported on results of field tests conducted by the company engineers since September 1 last. Lenox R. Lohr, President of NBC, discussed the practical problems presented in staging performances for the air.

The demonstration possessed four features not included in previous press demonstrations of television. It was the first made by RCA and the National Broadcasting Company for the press under practical working conditions, although previous demonstrations of laboratory television have been given. It represented the first showing of a complete program built for entertainment value as well as a demonstration of transmission. It also included the first showing of the new 12-inch receiving tube, which reproduces a picture on a 7 ½ by 10-inch screen. This is the largest screen yet employed which is capable of commercial adaptation.

A fourth feature of the demonstration was a television tour behind the scenes. By means of an especially prepared moving picture film, the guests were conducted through the NBC television studios in the RCA Building and the transmitter station at the top of the Empire State Building. The watchers in front of the line of receivers installed for the demonstration saw the processes whereby performances by “live” talent are transformed into pictures through the air, witnessed the scanning of moving picture films, and observed in detail the intricate television apparatus in actual operation.

Besides the talks by Messrs. Sarnoff and Lohr, and the behind-the-scenes film, the audience was entertained by the Inkspots (*The Ink Spots, see footnote), colored comedy teams, and Hildegarde, “The Television Girl,” in characteristic songs. A Bob Benchley short and a selection of newsreel subjects also were demonstrated by television. The program was announced by Betty Goodwin, of the NBC Press Department.

The demonstration was presented and supervised by Ralph R. Beal, RCA Research Supervisor; O(scar) B. Hanson, NBC Chief Engineer, and Charles W. Horn, NBC Director of Research and Development. These engineers explained that numerous problems of transmission and production will still remain to be solved before television on a commercial scale can be attempted.

The demonstration was the first showing for the press of RCA experimental television under practical field conditions since the Radio Corporation of America assigned the task of setting up a television operating plant to the National Broadcasting Company.

This assignment included the construction of studios adapted to television technique, the installation of equipment in those studios and at the transmitter atop the Empire State Building, the determination of workable engineering methods for the transmission of the pictures, and the training of a staff to take over the operation of the plant.

Lenox R. Lohr, President of the National Broadcasting Company Talks about NBC’s Television Future

November 6, 1936 Press Release from NBC Television

Lenox Lohr Statement For The Press

National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N.Y.

November 6, 1936

Statement by Lenox R. Lohr, President of the National Broadcasting Company, introducing Mr. Sarnoff at the NBC Press Demonstration of RCA Experimental Television:

On behalf of the National Broadcasting Company, I extend a cordial welcome to the representatives of the press who are assembled upstairs to see this television demonstration. What you will see today is the result of tireless effort on the part of many men and the expenditure of huge sums over a period of many years. The success of these efforts you can judge for yourselves. But, at last, television is out of the laboratory and into the field, undergoing tests which will assure that it does not reach the public until it is capable of satisfactory service.

The role of the National Broadcasting Company in television will be operating transmitters, programming, and, when it becomes available for commercial use, securing sponsors. In order that we may be prepared to do our part, our engineers are daily putting apparatus on the air under practical service conditions.

Our Program Department is learning an entire new technique in continuity writing, make-up, staging, and a multitude of other details which this new art will demand. It is experimenting with commercial programs to determine the effectiveness of television to sell goods.

Our engineers are studying the economics of networking, so that several stations may be interconnected by either coaxial cable of short-wave relays, and are developing equipment for the making of outside pick-ups. With the experience that we are gaining daily, we feel that when the time is ripe to offer television to the public, the National Broadcasting Company will be prepared to do its part. As you see television put through its paces here today, you will see results which are largely due to the vision and enterprise of Mr. David Sarnoff, President of the Radio Corporation of America, who will now speak to you.

TELEVISION STATEMENT TO PRESS November 6, 1936 by David Sarnoff, President Radio Corporation of America

In view of the public interest in the promise of sight as well as sound through the air, we have invited you here today to witness an experimental television test so that the progress in this new and promising art may be reflected to the public factually rather than through

the haze of conjecture or speculation.

You will recall that our field tests in television began only on June 29 of this year. That date marked the beginning in this country of organized television experiments between a regular transmitting station and a number of homes. Since then we have advanced and are continuing to advance simultaneously along the three broad fronts of television development-research which must point the road to effective transmission and reception; technical progress which must translate into practical sets for the home the achievements of our laboratories; and field tests to determine the needs and possibilities of a public service that will ultimately enable us to see as well as to hear programs through the air. On all these fronts our work has made definite progress and has brought us nearer the desired goal.

First and as of immediate interest, let me tell you the progress of our field tests. As you know, we have been transmitting from our television station on top of the Empire State Building in New York City which is controlled from the NBC television studios in the RCA Building. We have observed and measured these transmissions through a number of experimental receivers located in the metropolitan area and adjacent suburbs. The results thus far have been encouraging, and instructive. As we anticipated, many needs that must be met by a commercial service have been made clear by these tests.

We have successfully transmitted through the air, motion pictures as well as talent before the televisor. The distance over which these television programs have been received has exceeded out immediate expectations. In one favorable location due to extreme height of our transmitter, we have consistently received transmissions as far as 45 miles from the Empire State Building.

The tests have been very instructive in that we have learned a great deal more about the behavior of ultra short waves and how to handle them. We know more about interferences, most of which are man made and susceptible of elimination. We have surmounted the difficulties of making apparatus function outside of the laboratory. We have confirmed the soundness of the technical fundamentals of our system, and the experience gained through these tests enables us to chart the needs of a practical television service.

We shall now proceed to expand our field test in a number of ways. First, we shall increase the number of observation points in the service area. Next we will raise the standards of transmission.

In our present field tests we are using a 343 line definition. Radio Corporation of America and the radio industry have, through the Radio Manufacturers Association, recommended to the Federal Communications commission the adoption of 441 line definition as a standard for commercial operation. Our New York transmitter will be rearranged to conform to the recommended standards. That also means building synchronized receivers to conform to the new standards of the transmitter. Synchronization of transmitting and receiving equipment is a requirement of television that imposes responsibilities upon those who would furnish a satisfactory product and render a useful service to the public. On the one hand, standards cannot be frozen prematurely or progress would be prevented, while on the other hand, frequently changing standards means rapid obsolescence of television equipment.

Basic research is a continuing process in our laboratories not only that the problems of television may be solved but also to develop other uses of the ultra short and micro waves which possess such vast potentialities in this new domain of the ether.

While we have thus proceeded on the technical front of television, the construction and operation of television studios have enabled us to coordinate our technical advance with the program technique that a service to the home will ultimately require. Today, you are the guests of RCA’s broadcasting unit -the National Broadcasting Company. Under the direction of its president, Mr. Lenox Lohr, the NBC has instituted a series of television program tests in which we have sought to ascertain initial requirements.

Ten years ago the National Broadcasting Company began a national service of sound broadcasting. Now it enters upon its second decade of service by contributing its facilities and experience to the new art of television.

One of the major problems in television is that of network syndication. Our present facilities for distribution of sound broadcasting cover the vast area of the United States and serve its 128,000,000 people. Similar coverage for television programs, in the present state of the television art, would require a multiplicity of transmitters and network interconnection by wire or radio facilities still to be developed.

Our program is three fold; first we must develop suitable commercial equipment for television and reception; second, we must develop a program service suitable for network syndication; third, we must also develop a sound economic base to support a television service.

From the standpoint of research, laboratory development, and technical demonstration, television progress in the United States continues to give us an unquestioned position of leadership in the development of the art. In whatever form such progress may be evident in other countries, we lead in the research which is daily extending the radio horizon, and in technical developments that have made possible a transmitting and receiving system that meets the highest standards thus far obtainable in field demonstration.

We are now engaged in the development of studio and program techniques that will touch upon every possibility within the growing progress of the art. The distinction between television in this country and abroad is the distinction between experimental public services undertaken under government subsidy in countries of vastly smaller extent, and the progressive stages of commercial development undertaken by the free initiative, enterprise and capital of those who have pioneered the art in the United States.

While the problems of television are formidable, I firmly believe they will be solved. With the establishment of a television service to the public which will supplement and not supplant the present service of broadcasting, a new industry and new opportunities will have been created.”

*2:30 P.M. – NBC/RCA Television Demonstration. Ink Spots perform on the first live TV demonstration at NBC and, on the basis of this, are the first black performers to appear on television in the U.S. Variety states: “Later the Inkspots, a colored comedy – singing unit – put on a three-minute skit with all the stage makeup trappings. Couple of full-length showings were used here and the boys were in motion besides. It worked out okay.” (Since they are the first performers mentioned in the article, the Ink Spots may have been the first performers of any color to perform on TV in the U.S.) [Variety, 11-11-36 & New York Times, 11-7-36

Steve Restelli created the website HistoryTV.net in 1999 to share some of his photographic collection of eary experimental television over the internet for students, scholars and other history buffs. Since that time he has both expanded his collection and been used as a resource for authors and others who really want to view some of the earliest television images that survive. Much of the collection was once owned by Dr. Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, who is often credited as one of Televisions inventors.

What Are Movie Download Services?

Movie download services are exactly what they sound like: a service that allows you to download movies from the Internet onto your hard drive or a DVD. Though this isn’t a new concept, it is relatively new to the legal world of consumerism. Though ‘pirates’ have been making free download of movies available for quite some time, movie studios are now getting in on the action and offering access to their movies for download the day they hit the stores in DVD format – for a fee, of course.

Who’s Who In Movie Download Services?

In the relatively new world of legitimate movie download services, there are surprisingly many players, but only a few of them are major. There’s Movielink and Sony’s CinemaNow which offer old and new movies for purchase or 24 hour rental. Rental fees are comparable to the local video store but purchase is more expensive than if you were to buy the DVD. ClickStar, backed by Danny DeVito among other big names in Hollywood, is another up and comer in the world of movie download services, but this one’s draw is that it will offer movies for download while they are still showing in the theater. It will also feature a streaming channel devoted to documentaries.

AT&T is teaming up with Vongo, another movie downloading site, to offer its DSL service in concert and duo promotions. Different from Movielink and CinemaNow, Vongo is a subscription service offered for a monthly fee which allows its members unlimited access to movies, videos, and a streaming Starz channel. Pay per view movies are available as well for an additional fee.

Movie Download Services: The Nitty Gritty

• Price – Ranging anywhere from $10-$20, the irony is downloading movies legally isn’t cheap. In order to appease the retailers who make big bucks on DVDs released in stores, the online downloading services are keeping their fees in the clouds. Which of course, doesn’t hurt their pocketbook, either.
• Availability – It depends. Different services have different deals with different movie studios. As for old movies, those are being added all the time. But the nice thing is, if they have it, you can get it – instantly.
• Space – You will need between 1200 and 2000 MBs of free space to store your movie. Depending on your system, this may be a lot or a little. Some services may allow you to burn your download to a DVD, but only if you’re buying the movie and even then, most won’t.
• Download Time – This is no time for dial-up, that’s for sure. Anything DSL and faster should get you your movie in under an hour with an average of 35 to 40 minutes, and that’s if you want it fast and grainy. If you’re willing to wait a little longer, say, up to two hours, you can download a higher quality version. A nice feature that some services offer is the ability to start watching the movie while it’s still downloading.
• Technical Requirements – At least Windows Media Player 10, fast Internet connection, Internet Explorer 6.0, Windows XP. You might be able to get away with older versions, but it isn’t recommended. And yes, did you note – it’s all PC and no Mac. That’s right. PC users only, please.
• Computer Viewing Only – Currently, that’s the state of things. That is, unless you choose a service that allows you to download it to some other electronic handheld device of your choosing, like PSP or iPod. Of course, you could always use an S-video jack to hook your computer to your TV and watch it on the big screen. Some services allow limited DVD burning, but they may restrict the DVD to playing only in the computer to which the movie was downloaded, allowing your fancy DVD player to gather dust.
• Buy Versus Rent – It’s a strange situation at this point, but different studios offer different services different licenses to different movies. So, you may only be able to rent a title through one service that another is offering for sale. Other services may not have any access to certain titles while others do. There’s no standard just yet, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot.

What’s the Benefit of Movie Download Services?

Convenience! Forget long lines at the theater, the video store being out of a new release, or waiting in virtual queue to get your mailed DVD through a subscription service. No more concern about court cases and legal fees for downloading movies illegally or spyware from file sharing applications that will slow down your computer if not cripple it beyond repair. Then, of course, there’s the fact that you can watch the newest movies as many times as you like on your personal computer and instantly upon purchase – no waiting and no driving to the store.

What’s the Downside of Movie Download Services?

At the moment, cost and restricted viewing access. You may not necessarily want to watch a movie on your computer when you just invested $2000 in a big screen HDTV. And you may not want to invest $20 in a movie that you can’t even resell online if you don’t like it. If you have a slow internet connection, the download time may be a bummer, too, especially if you’re trying to use your computer for other things while the process slows your computer to a painful snail pace. And if you use a Mac, well, obviously, the downside is that movie download services simply don’t exist. Then, what if a virus infects the computer where all your movies are stored? Yup. Have to buy them all over again.

Movie Download Services – Yay or Nay?

The state of affairs being what they are – that is, in their ugly braces and zits prepubescent stage – probably nay. Remember the first BETA machines? Or the $700 CD players back in the ’80s? When movie download service lowers their prices and speed up the technology, allow for actual DVD burnings that include the extras and TV viewings as well as access to films that are still in theaters, then yay! In the meantime, sticking with higher quality DVDs that don’t discriminate against Mac users and big screen television sets and allow for resale later on. Unless you have to see the movie This Very Second, movie download services are not yet the incredible service they have the potential to be in the future.

Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for ApolloHosting.com. She brings years of experience as a small business consultant to helping prospective clients understand the ways in which a website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting [http://www.apollohosting.com], ecommerce hosting [http://www.apollohosting.com/e-commerce], vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels of customer support.