Info-Leeches and other E-Invertebrates

The high number and severity of the hurricanes this season has brought about a new level of awareness to severe weather safety. One of the essential items in severe weather safety is the weather radio. Although the radio can be used at any time, it is most important when electricity is not available and severe weather is approaching. During storms, it is quite common for power to be cut off for any length of time. It is important to know where the storm is, how severe it is, and where it is headed. The weather radio can provide this information, allowing you and your family to seek shelter and take the precautions necessary to survive a severe storm.

Weather radios are unique from regular radios in many important ways. First, weather radios are designed to receive NOAA weather signals 24 hours a day that provide current weather conditions in your area. This information is crucial as allows you the time to seek shelter if a storm is approaching. The weather radio is also often smaller and lighter than most other radios, which allows it to be easily carried around from room to room in your house, to work, or in the car. Some radios allow you to select your state and county, thereby setting your regional channel. A few even come with graphical LCD displays, capable of showing thousands of US county maps.

There are dozens of weather radios currently on the market. One of the newest ones, the handheld WR102 portable NOAA weather radio is a popular choice. This device resembles a modern walkie-talkie - small and lightweight with a simple display. The radio can be placed into a pocket and easily taken camping or to ball games.

Another popular weather radio is the Graphical Interface Emergency Radio with LCD display. The device looks a lot like a small GPS, with a detailed, monochrome map showing your location and the warnings currently posted for the area. The device will warn you about a vareity of disasters including tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, flash floods, mudslides, nuclear radiation hazards, chemical releases or oil spills, and even homeland defense alerts.

Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on severe weather alert radios, please visit our severe weather radios webpage.

How is your piano playing coming? Did you start to learn the major scales and stop after the key of G or F? Two or more sharps or flats got you stumped? Find yourself turning the page when you see a key signature of three sharps? Read on.

While it is not necessarily detrimental to your piano playing career not to be able to play in all the major keys. Being able to play them can make your piano playing come alive and make transposing and just playing in general infinitely easier.

Since there are only 12 major keys why not devote an entire week to learning a key and it’s primary chords. Start with the key of F and go counterclockwise on the circle of fifths. Since most people go clockwise this will encourage you to dive right in and start learning all the flat keys first.

Also make it a point to learn the Primary chords that go along with each key. Make your hands become familiar with the 1 chord, the IV chord, the V and V7 chord and all of their inversions. Root position, 1st inversion and second inversion.

Play these chords with both hands.

Play chords with your left hand while doing the scale of the key you are currently studying in your right. Then move on and play chords with your right hand and the scale you are studying with your left.

Play your scales staccato and your chords arpeggiated.

Make sure you learn the correct fingering.

It may be slow going at first but it will pay off in the end.

For print outs to help you, including the Circle of Fifths, Scale Fingerings, and Primary Chords visit The Struggling Church Musician and go to the Tools from the Struggling Church Musician section.

K Quinn has been playing the piano for 10+ years. She picked up the guitar 5 years ago and both for her church. Visit her website at http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us for more church musician tools and tips.

XHTML, the standard, was first released back in 2000. Roughly five years later we begin to see major websites revised to use this standard. Even the favorite whipping boy of standards-compliance punditry, Microsoft, presents their primary homepages, msn.com and microsoft.com in XHTML. Standards compliant XHTML sites are still the minority. The reason is simple. When the W3C released the new standard, the rest of the web running on HTML did not cease to function. Nor will the rest of the web, written in various flavors of HTML, cease to function any time soon. Without any pressing need to conform to the new standard, designers continue to use old, familiar methods. These methods will perform in any modern browser, so why bother switching?

These sentiments are similar to ones I experienced. A kind of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality sets in. Whether HTML was “broken” or not is a different argument. To the casual Internet user, their standards are fairly direct. If a site displays without noticeable error and functions to their satisfaction, these standards are met. Whatever additional steps the browser took to make such display possible is irrelevant to most users. This kind of mentality is difficult to overcome in designers accustomed to their old methods.

Technical obstacles to adopting XHTML may be quite steep as well, especially as regards large, existing websites with complex scripting. Yet the time may eventually come where yesterday’s “tried and true” HTML is little more than an ancient language, unable to be interpreted by modern electronic devices. Whether one agrees with the direction the W3C takes in the development of HTML is irrelevant, you are just along for the ride. With some perseverance, getting the hang of XHTML is possible. In form, it is not as different from HTML as Japanese is from English. Knowing HTML grants a basic knowledge of the language, it simply becomes a matter of learning a particular dialect. Even an original nay-sayer such as myself managed to do it.

Benefits of XHTML
There are 2 primary benefits to using XHTML. First is the strict nature of valid XHTML documents. “Valid” documents contain no errors. Documents with no errors can be parsed more easily by a browser. Though the time saved is, admittedly, negligible from the human user’s point of view, there is a greater efficiency to the browser’s performance. Most modern browsers will function well in what’s usually referred to as “quirks” mode, where, in the absence of any on-page information about the kind of HTML they are reading, present a “best guess” rendering of a page. The quirks mode will also forgive many errors in the HTML. Modern browsers installed on your home computer have the luxury of size and power to deal with these errors. When browser technology makes the leap to other appliances it may not have the size and power to be so forgiving. This is where the strict, valid documents demanded by the XHTML standard become important.

The second benefit is in the code itself, which is cleaner and more compact than common, “table” based layout in HTML. Though XHTML retains table functionality, the standard makes clear tables are not to be used for page layout or anything other than displaying data in a tabular format. This is generally the primary obstacle most designers have with moving to XHTML. The manner in which many designers have come to rely on to layout and organize their pages is now taboo. Simple visual inspection of XHTML code reveals how light and efficient it is in comparison to a table based HTML layout. XTHML makes use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which, when called externally, remove virtually all styling information from the XHTML document itself. This creates a document focused solely on content.

XHTML makes use of “div” tags to define content areas. How these “divisions” are displayed is controlled by CSS. This is known as CSS-P, or CSS Positioning. Trading in “table” tags for “divs” can be tough. Learning a new way of accomplishing an already familiar task is generally difficult. Like learning to use a different design program or image editor, frustration can be constant. Looking at “divs” as a kind of table cell might be helpful, though they are not entirely equivalent. As required by the XHTML standard, always make sure there is a DOCTYPE definition at the top of the document. This is not only required by the standard, but it will force Internet Explorer 6, currently the most common browser, to enter its “standards compliance” mode. IE6 and Firefox, both operating in standards compliance mode will display XHTML in much the same way. Not identical, but far better than IE6 operating in quirks mode. Learning how to iron out the final differences between displays is the final obstacle and can require a bit of tweaking in the CSS.

Clean code has multiple benefits. It creates a smaller page size which, over time, can save costs associated with transfer usage. Though the size difference may appear small, for someone running a highly trafficked site, even saving a few kilobytes of size can make a big difference. Further, some believe search engines may look more kindly on standards complaint pages. This is only a theory, though. In a general sense, any page modification that makes the content easier to reach and higher in the code is considered wise. Search engines, so it is believed, prefer to reach content quickly, and give greater weight to the first content they encounter. Using XHTML and “div” layout allows designers to accomplish this task more easily.

Conclusions
XHTML is the current standard set by the W3C. The W3C continues development of XHTML, and XHTML 2.0 will replace the current standard in the future. Learning and using XHTML today will help designers prepare for tomorrow. Valid XTHML produces no errors that might slow down a browser, and the code produced is clean and efficient. This saves in file size and helps designers better accomplish their search engine optimization goals. Learning XHTML is primarily about learning a new way to lay out pages. Though frustrating at first, the long term benefits far outweigh any initial inconvenience.

Mr. Lester has served for 4 years as the webmaster for ApolloHosting.com and previously worked in the IT industry an additional 5 years, acquiring knowledge of hosting, design, and search engine optimization. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, 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.

Flowers as a Cake Decoration, unique and easy to place on every one of your cake creations.

Flowers, both real and artificial are relatively simple to use. Read through this article to get some great tips and ideas on using real and/or artificial flowers on your cakes.

Section 1: Artificial Flowers Section 2: Real Flowers Section 3: Sugar Glazing Flowers

1. Artificial Flowers

Step 1: Cut the stems from the flowers, approximately 1 inches from the base of the flowers and leaves.

Step 2: Cut a piece of floral wire at least 4 inch. (If you buy the pre-cut ones, typically they are 6 inches which is fine.)

Step 3: Use floral tape to secure the flower to the new stem.

Step 4: After you have done this to all of the flowers and leaves, place them all together and use floral tape to secure them in any order you would like. (Tip: Do not place floral tape all the way down the stems. Only place enough to secure the flowers, making sure that the individual wires do not come out of the tape.

Step 5: Bend the stems carefully using the flower head between your thumb and index finger. Once you have each flower where you want it, cut the excess stems off of the flowers holding onto the floral tape and not the flowers.

2. Real Flowers

Real flowers can be place directly on the cake you have prepared or you can follow the instructions above to add movable stems to them.

Tips for purchasing real flowers:

Tip 1: Make sure you are using an edible flower unless your cake is for show.

Here is a website that has a complete list of edible flowers: http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm.

Tip 2: Make sure that the flowers do not have pesticides on them. You can do this by picking them out of your own yard or just ask the florist that you are purchasing them from. Typically florists have sets of flowers that have never been treated for pesticides.

Tip 3: Make sure you freeze your flowers and apply them to the cake directly before serving or showing it. If you are adding stems, add them as soon as you get the flowers, place them in baggies or an airtight container and freeze them until you are ready to put them on the cake.

3. Sugar Glazing Flowers

Step 1: Fill one bowl with a gently beaten egg white and put some regular sugar in a second bowl.

Step 2: Cut the stems on the flowers or fruits leaving only enough to hold onto with your thumb and forefinger. (Tip: Make sure you are using an edible flower for this.)

Step 3: Coat the fruits or flowers you are sugaring using a pastry brush lightly with the egg white. Make sure you get all parts of the flower or fruit.

Step 4: Using a spoon, sprinkle sugar all over the flowers or fruits. Make sure you cover all parts of the flowers or fruits.

Step 5: Place on a paper towel to dry. This typically, takes a few hours. After they are dry add them to your cake.

You can be as creative as you like with flowers on cakes, they make for a beautiful and unique decoration!

About the Author

Paula Wilkinson is the author of Cake Decorating Secrets. Cake Decorating Secrets presents and answers numerous problems and issues in everyday cake decorating, as well as provides unique advice and tips. You can visit her website at http://www.cakedecorating101.com

I’ve got friends who have constipation problems and are ashamed to admit
it. Why? We all go to the bathroom, and we all “#2″. So, its only natural
that from time to time problems come up. That means constipation and
diareahia. Those are the two basic problems that come up from bowel
movements.

It’s true, the United States have many health problems. The symptoms of
constipation can range from gastro-intestinal pain and discomfort to
lethargy, headaches, irritability, feelings of depression, and a lack of
appetite. There are many causes of constipation, which include a low
fiber diet, lack of fluids, lack of exercise, change in routine,
pregnancy, menopause, and menstruation, stress aging medicines, and
irritable bowel syndrome, which often alternates with diarrhea.

If you want to feel great you need to eliminate every day. There are two
components to improving digestion - the need for dietary fiber and
fluids.

The intestines and bowels work in a rhythmic action, called peristalsis,
moving food through the body to eliminate waste. To support this system
we need plenty of dietary fiber. Over processed “junk food” is low in
fiber and cannot be moved through the body.

We need plenty of plant foods, which contain fiber. Our main sources are
whole grain cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, and nuts and seeds.

There are two types of fiber, which are both important in a diet: soluble
and insoluble.

Insoluble passes through the system whole, and acts as a sort of
scrubbing brush cleansing the colon as it binds to wastes and helps
propel it out of the body. for example, brown rice, nuts, and whole meal
bread. Soluble fiber soaks up water like a sponge, Which helps to pump
out the stools and helps it pass the digestive system more easily. Most
fruits and vegetables are soluble fiber.

Government statistics from both the United States and Canada indicate
16% of population suffer from this very uncomfortable condition.
Some medical experts say that many people who think they’re suffering
from constipation really aren’t. There is no rule that says you have to go
to the bathroom and “#2″ everyday. The basis for good gastrointestinal
health is proper diet and exercise, they stress.

“What doesn’t come out today will come out tomorrow”, says Dr. Peter L.
Stego, an associate professor for Therapeutic Gastroenterology at McGill
University in Montreal. There are times when our digestive tracts are a
little off, and Szego said he sees that more in women than in men.

“Bowel movements are part of a very ritualistic part of behavior”, he
said.” We get up, have coffee go to the bathroom”, but many women don’t
have this kind of behavior. They get up at the same time or they don’t,
or the baby’s crying and the mothers don’t recognize the urge to go to
the bathroom. If] you do it over and over again, you have a constipation
problem,” he said.

In this article, I have presented a few different points of view, but the
only important point of view is your own. If you are having constipation
problems, you should ask yourself a couple of questions. You should ask
“Am I sticking to a high fiber diet?”, and “Do I consider this a real
problem?”. If you answered the last question “yes”, please consult a
doctor as soon as possible.

Well, that’s it. As always, I hope you found this article both
entertaining and informative. May GOD bless you always, and in always.

Barry Ford is the webmaster of a website that provides both important information and valuable products about constipation. You can find it at http://www.constipationinfo.info

Many rich and fulfilling answers lie hidden in the horoscope of
every human being. Unfortunately, most people are not only
suspicious of this wonderful celestial map of the psyche, but
even tend toward the tongue in check “What’s your sign?”
approach.

This unknowing attitude is akin to looking at the clothes I wear
and assuming that you understand me.

The “What’s your sign?” approach is a very shallow way of
looking at astrology.

Why?

Because there are nine other heavenly bodies which are also
located in a sign. Your Moon could be in Scorpio, your Venus in
Libra, your Mars in Leo, your Jupiter in Gemini, your Saturn in
Virgo, your Uranus in Taurus, your Neptune in Libra and your
Pluto in Libra. Each one of these planets and their
relationships reveal a ton of information about you. Now, you
can see when you ask someone, “What’s your sign?” why you will
not find enough information that you can can really depend on.

One session with a competent astrologer will instantly change
the way you look at your horoscope. For instance, in a matter of
minutes, a skilled astrologer can tell how you think, what your
talents are, what you don’t like, and the kind of people you are
attracted to. Of course, he can tell you much more. This is only
the beginning. There are many things that he can see right away.
Other insights will follow as he delves deeper into your
horoscope.

If you have a session with a skilled astrologer, I assure you
that you will never again ask “What’s your sign?” You will
understand that a horoscope contains a great well of information
about who you are, where you are going, and what you are
destined to do.

I can make such a statement, because I have read thousands of
horoscopes and I am still discovering new insights. This shows
that this wonderful map of the psyche is far deeper than any
person who reads it. No matter how long I study it, it still
holds many mysteries yet to be understood.

© Randall Curtis 2006

Randall Curtis is a professional astrologer with world-wide
clients. Click on this link to gain
quick and valuable insights into your relationships, a
professional analysis of your secret energy cycles, and how
they relate to the fulfillment of your life purpose.

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The stress of unemployment can really take a toll on ones confidence and state of mind. For some individuals, it could lead to depression, for others - a mere lack of motivation and feeling of hopelessness. Employment is one of the main structures that helps individuals in our society to feel positive, develop financial independence, as well as establish hope for the future.

Even for those with jobs, motivation is a hard state to attain and maintain. Businesses are losing thousands of hours’ worth of productivity each year - with staff being distracted from their jobs by everything from ‘cyber-surfing to taking 5 coffee breaks a day (which by the way may leave you broke considering the raise in recent coffee prices).

In a recent survey conducted by silicon.com, results found that “While cyber-loafing was identified by 23 per cent of respondents as the main obstacle to a productive workforce, ‘low staff morale and lack of motivation’ was identified by 32 per cent of respondents.”

So, besides the short-term benefits of early morning coffee consumption, what are some alternatives to getting motivated for work?

Stimulate your mind and your mouth

It has been proven time and time again that having breakfast in the morning gives you a nutritional boost both physically and mentally. But what about emotionally - can breakfast alone be enough to get you motivated for your day? Getting your day off on the right start doesn’t mean walking into your office on a full stomach. It means walking in on a full stomach and a full set of ideas.

Participating in mental activities like doing a crossword puzzle or meditating can really sharpen your mind within a short period of time. If neither exercises appeal to you, then pick up the newspaper or read a book that is relevant to your line of work. By doing so, you may be able to get fresh new ideas for your business, or learn more about new industry trends.

You’ve got mail! Get your daily dose of wisdom

My favorite time of the day is when I get inspirational quotes in my inbox. You can subscribe to a few inspirational newsletters by browsing the Web. My personal favorite is the John Baines Forum (www.ihpny.org). The minute I finish reading them, I instantly feel a powerful connection between my mind and spirit - the 2 most essential ingredients for outer productivity and inner happiness.

Get outside the (office) box

Ever heard of the phrase “Being so close to the forest that you can’t see the trees”? Well, a lot of times people experience this in their work environments - and rightfully so! Your environment determines your level of productivity and it is not always easy to see the trees (ideas) when you are always in the forest (office). Some times the best remedy is getting outside the box - I mean, office. If you have a meeting in your office with a client, see if you can rearrange it to your favorite neighborhood café instead. Not only does this provide a more relaxed setting for both individuals, but also allows you to connect more on a human level.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with your time and energy, turn off you computer, take a walk outside, and breathe deeply. If this doesn’t help, see if there are any seminars or roundtables you can attend that week on time management and fatigue.

Start your week with a weekly report

Whether you have a job or not, the most important thing to do before your “work week” starts is writing down all the goals you have for that week. Make sure to put a specific timeline on completing your goals. That way, you will be accountable to yourself if you miss your deadline. Set aside punishments and rewards to keep yourself in check.

I personally like to print my weekly report and tape it to my desk so it is always in front of me. Always have a highlighter right next to you so that when you finish, you mark off what you have completed. If you are computer savvy, you may use programs like ACT or Outlook.

In sum, true motivation lies within your heart. If you cannot find it there, it may be because you lack the resources, techniques, and appropriate environment that is conducive to your personal productivity. If these resources are aligned properly, not only will you be able to reach your highest levels of motivation, you may be able to reduce your monthly spending habits at your local Starbucks!

Dali Singh is the Managing Director for Blueliner Marketing (www.bluelinermarketing.com), a full-service marketing and communications firm. Dali is also a member of the Institute for Hermetic Philosophy, a spiritual school that provides tools to assist people in developing themselves on a personal and practical level. Visit www.ihpny.org or sign up for weekly inspirational quotes at http://www.ihpny.org/template.asp?page=mailing.

When it comes to catch and release lakes, it is important for you to be ready to catch your fish, take a prize-winning shot and release your giant back into the water for others to enjoy. Before setting out on your trophy trout fishing trip with your fishing partner or guide, keep these few photo tips in mind.

Bring along a good, reliable camera. It doesn’t matter if it is digital or 35 mm, but make sure it has an automatic focus feature. Most casual photographers don’t need the pressure of adjusting settings, so an automatic camera is a good choice. In addition, for the sake of safety, it doesn’t hurt if your camera is waterproof!

With catch and release fishing, the ultimate goal is to return the fish to the water quickly and gently. Touch the fish as little as possible and never touch the gills. Because you have so little time, be sure the person taking the picture is ready to go. That means the film is in the camera, the cap is off the lens and the photographer is holding the camera up to his or her eye ready to snap as you are landing that trophy!

When you are in the boat, sometimes it can be tricky but try to keep the camera even with the horizon of the water. It can be distracting if the horizon is on an odd angle. Keep the picture as uncluttered as possible. The water, sky and distinct beauty of the tundra around Tukto Lodge are background enough!

Don’t forget to fill the frame. Go in and make sure you have all the elements - the subject’s head and upper body and the full trophy trout. If shooting a vertical photograph try to center your subject, however if you are photographing in a horizontal manner it can add interest to place your subject slightly to one side, but only if the whole fish is included as well. (Imagine the photograph divided into thirds and place your subject on any of the “thirds’ lines”)

Natural light provides the best photographs, and because the light is strongest during the middle of the day, it is best to take pictures in morning or late afternoon light. This sort of light gives photos richer colors and baths the photo in warm light.

Don’t take a photograph with the subject’s back to the sun and the photographer facing the sun. This will result in washed out skies and a dark shadowed subject that no one can see. Turn the subject to the sun or sideways to the sun. Ask them to remove their sunglasses to reduce glare. If they are wearing a hat, they should either remove it or tilt their head so that there is no shadow over the face.

At Tukto Lodge, we know you are going to be catching a lot of trophies - so we want your pictures to look great!

Tukto Lodge is known as a trophy fishing destination by anglers around the world. In the heart of the Northwest Territories, our guest cabins and outposts are open for two months of the summer and offer unsurpassed trout and grayling action. Set in the middle of untouched tundra, guests have the opportunity to photograph caribou, ptarmigan, Arctic wolves, muskox, sandhill cranes, bald eagles and even the barren land grizzly. Visit http://www.arcticfishing.com for more information.

A long hard day at work. You get home and need dinner. Nothing in the fridge, nothing in the cupboard. Take-out again, but you just can’t decide what to have as you are tired of ordering from the same old places.

Re-wind.

Once you arrive at home… or better yet at the office before you leave… now you have www.menuserve.com - the ultimate resource in finding takeout and delivery in your local area.

Whats at menuserve? How about complete restaurant menus to all the local restaurants in your area. Better yet sorted by town and cuisine to help narrow your selection.

It truly is that easy. With just a few clicks of the mouse, a delicious and different meal can be coming to your doorstep.

Happy Ordering!

Restaurant Take Out & Delivery Menus

AL|CA|CO|FL|GA|IL|IN|KY|MI|MO|MS|NC|NJ|NY|OH|OK|PA|SC|TN|TX

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