Interactive Web Success

The alarm goes off at 6am, you roll out of bed and run down the hall to wake up the kids. You’re going to be late again! You shower fast while the kids are getting dressed then you head downstairs to grab nutrition bars because you don’t have time to make breakfast. You grab the backpacks on the way to the babysitters, give them fast kisses when you get there and you’re on your way to work. Did I mention the crying?

It’s only a description of the first hour of your day? It’s no wonder we go through life without setting goals or developing an action plan! We have no time! Without goals, we merely exist day to day. Before you know it, years have gone by without much progress.

It’s estimated that less than 3% of people actually document their goals but it’s these same people who accomplish more than all the others added together. If your goals aren’t documented, they remain dreams. Twenty years from now it will still be your dream.

The acronym S.M.A.R.T. may help you to define them in a way that will ensure results.

S - They need to be specific. Stating that you want to lose weight or pay off your bills is not specific enough. What are you going to do? Why are you going to do it?

M - They need to be measurable. How are you going to do it? You need to be able to see progress. With concrete and measurable goals, you will.

A - Are they achievable? Are they realistic?

R - Are they relevant to your situation now? Does it motivate you?

T - Set a time frame for completion. When are you going to achieve it?

Next, develop an action plan based on your timeline for achievement. Don’t become discouraged if your goals are not met on your first try. Goals will be revised because circumstances and priorities change in life. Expect it - plan on it. You’ll have obstacles but find alternatives.

If your life is chaotic it will be harder to manage but the important concept here is not to give up. You need an action plan more than the person who has it all together. Keep adjusting the plan. Work with it! As time goes on you will see results as long as you keep it in focus.

Cathy Gariety is a Registered Nurse and Personal Coach at Power Group Coaching based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. You can contact her at cgariety@power-group-coaching.com

During the winter heating months in colder climates your home
will need extra moisture. A humidifier replaces moisture that is
lost from heating your home. The proper humidity is essential
for your maximum comfort. Not enough humidity can cause itchy
dry skin, stuffy noses, static build up, frizzy hair and a
chilly feeling. The proper humidity is a personal thing. It is
best to start around 60% and adjust up or down until you find
the best comfort level for your needs.

So, what kind of humidifier are you going to buy? There are
several things you need to know first before purchasing a unit.
How much space are you adding moisture to? If you want to do
your whole house and have hot air heat, I recommend having a
whole house humidifier installed by a heating contractor. This
type will connect to your water line and automatically add
moisture to the heated air within your furnace.

If you only need to moisturize a few rooms or you do not have
hot air heat, then a stand alone unit is required. There are 4
types available: evaporative, ultrasonic, steam, and cool mist.
Here is what each type is good for.

Evaporative:

This is the type I prefer. Several gallons of water are stored
in a tank in the unit. Water is pumped through a wicking
material (should be anti-bacterial coated) and a fan quietly
blows through the wet wicking material evaporating the water and
adding humidity to the air. This type uses the least amount of
electricity and provides 1-2 days before needing a tank refill.
Larger console units of this type can allow you to go more days
between refills. There is also a UV light option on some units
that kills airborne viruses or bacteria that pass through.

Ultrasonic:

Ultrasonic units use sound vibrations to add moisture to the
air. The draw back of this type of humidifier is that it leaves
a white dust on every surface in your home. The white dust is
minerals naturally occurring in your water. It is a real pain to
clean up. If you want to prevent the dust you can buy distilled
water which is inconvenient and expensive. I do not recommend
this type of unit.

Steam:

Heater type units literally boil water into steam. They cost the
most to run. No white dust is left behind because steam is pure
water. A build-up of minerals are left behind on the heating
element. These minerals can cause popping noises and inefficient
operation. Removing the mineral deposits can be done by soaking
the heater part in white vinegar weekly.

Cool Mist(impeller):

This is the type I remember my mom putting in my room when I had
a cold. They are the least expensive units. They work by
spinning the water into tiny droplets and blowing them into the
air. For a few days use they are ok. Excess water can build up
around the unit from unevaporated droplets so do not place it on
wooden furniture. I remember having to change a few wet socks
from this extra water on the floor.

Overall the best type for long-term use is the evaporative
wicking type. They cost the least to operate and do not leave
white mineral dust everywhere, and only need attention every few
days for water refills.

Article written by Gary Nave of http://www.goto-humidifiers.com

We’ve all been hearing about it, TSP, so what is it? The TSP, or Thrift Savings Plan, is a retirement savings plan for civilians who are employed by the United States Government and members of the uniformed services. This plan is similar to a 401(k) retirement plan used by the private sector.

So why would you choose to invest in TSP? There are several reasons to choose the TSP for your retirement savings. Some of those include but are not limited to:

• You save money on income taxes.
• You have a choice of 5 investment funds.
• All of the money you have deducted from your pay goes into your investment account, and no income tax is deducted.
• You don’t pay the tax until you withdraw money, usually during retirement.
• Contributions of your tax-exempt combat or hazardous-duty pay retain their tax-exempt status, so you won’t pay tax on this money, even when you withdraw it.
• If you need access to your money, you can borrow from your TSP at a low rate of interest.
• Personal loans can be for up to five years.
• Loans to purchase your residence can be for up to 15 years.
• Your loan is repaid through payroll deductions; it’s like borrowing from yourself.
• TSP offers in-service withdrawals for financial hardship, or after age 59.
• You are given a choice of post-separation withdrawal options.
• You are given the ability to transfer money from other eligible retirement savings plans into your TSP account.

So how do I start investing in a TSP now? Investing in TSP is fairly simple. If you have access to your MYPAY account you can do this online at www.mypay.gov. You may also elect to do this with your Unit Finance Office by filling out a TSP-U-1 form. To calculate your contribution (per paycheck) to the TSP, multiply your paycheck by the percentage you wish to contribute. For example, if you wish to contribute 1% of 1000.00 you would be contributing 10.00 per month to the TSP. You might consider investing all of the following to produce a nice nest egg for your future - bonus pay, special duty pay, extra pay from non-taxation etc. You can earmark a portion (up to 100 percent) of these extra pays to go directly to the TSP. It’s a smart use of extra money. If you can’t put it all in, consider putting in half. Remember, you cannot participate with your extra pay unless you also have some contribution coming out of your base pay, so consider starting small, if need be.

There are a few things to remember, should you need to withdraw from your TSP. Any time you take money from your fund, you are taking money out of your retirement. So really think about it before you withdraw and consider any and all other options. Before you take out money, you might consider taking a loan from the plan. You would be paying yourself back through payroll deductions, and essentially borrowing from yourself. Remember should you have to make a withdrawal; you must pay taxes and possible penalties.

If you have specific questions regarding the Thrift Savings Plan or your TSP account, you can find all your answers on the TSP.gov home page. Their number is (504)255-8777. Another great source of information is located here: http://www.tsptalk.com/.

Sources used for this article: www.opm.gov, www.tsp.gov, and www.tsptalk.com.

© 2006 Army Wife Talk Radio

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Tara Crooks, or “Household 6″ in the Crooks’ family, is best known for her ability to motivate and empower others. Tara’s journey with the military began in 1998 when she and her husband PCS’d to their first duty station, Ft Hood. She currently owns and operates two highly successful websites, http://www.ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com and http://www.AdvertisingMoms.com. Featured in Military Spouse Magazine, Stars & Stripes Newspaper, Military.com, Army.com and more, Army Wife Talk Radio is the original internet talk radio program for military wives. The tagline, Our Life, Our Family, Our Soldier, says it all. Tara does a weekly internet talk radio broadcast from the website that features up to date information, tips, and empowerment for spouses. Advertising Moms is a network of work from home business owners that Tara mentors and coaches on a daily basis.

If you live in an apartment or smaller home, or if you just don’t have a lot of space for the typical laundry machines, take a look at a stackable washer dryer. A stackable washer dryer can save space, time, and money.

Stackable Washer Dryer Models

There are three different types of stackable washer dryer models. One is called a “laundry center” and has a washer on the bottom, dryer on top, with a space in between to access the washer. This is preferable if you like to have a top loading washing machine. The second is a stackable system that each system one on top of the other with a front loading washer, and controls for the dryer on the bottom edge for easy access. The third type of stackable combo is a “do-it-yourself” option. You place two separate systems (washer and dryer) on top of one another. However, with this type you need to be extremely cautious and careful how they will fit together. The dryer cannot block access to the washer and vice versa.

How Much Laundry Do You Do?

The first thing that you need to address when you are looking at a stackable washer dryer is the amount of laundry you will be doing. The amount of laundry you do will result in the size of the stackable washer dryer you purchase. Before purchasing a stackable washer dryer, ask yourself: How much laundry is done at a time? How often do I (or whomever will be using the stackable washer dryer) wash clothes? Etc.

Where Will The New Machine Be Located?

You also need to think about where the stackables will be located. Some of these machines have to be vented to the outside, while others use condensation drying and don’t vent to the outside. Location will also help you to determine the size and measurement restrictions of the machine.

What About Performance, Efficiency, And Cost?

If you are concerned about performance and efficiency, research one of the many online consumer rating sites, and look up the particular model or model(s) of stackable washer dryer that you are looking at. You can choose from gas or electric stackable washer dryer models as well. Your purchase will depend on your personal washing and drying needs. What about the cost? If you buy a laundry center or stackable that is already together you may pay anywhere from $800 to $1800 for it. This stackable system will be near the same as you would pay for a separate washer and dryer.

This is a big and important investment, you should spend a little time educating yourself and making yourself familiar with the features and functions that are most important to you before you make a final decision.

Margarette Tustle writes ideas for home and family. Read more dryer resources on dryerltd.com.

Did you know that tomatoes were once considered poison? It’s true, the tomato is a member of the nightshade family, and was at one time considered to be toxic. Tomatoes were first eaten in the U.S. in the early 1800’s, when a gentleman by the name of Robert Johnson shocked his hometown by eating a basket of tomatoes in the middle of town. When he didn’t die, or even get sick from the tomatoes, they became a part of the American diet.

We now know that tomatoes are not toxic, and in fact are quite nutritious. First of all, tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C, which is quite beneficial, as you’ve probably heard. Vitamin C helps the body to produce collagen, an important protein skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helping to prevent cell damage by free radicals.

Tomatoes also contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Studies have shown that men consuming 10 servings of tomatoes a week cut the risk of prostate cancer by 45%. Lycopene also lower the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer, and inhibits the growth of other types of cancer cells. Lycopene may also help older folks remain active.

Coumaric acid and chlorogenic acied are also found in tomatoes. These two compounds are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines, which are formed naturally in the body, but are also a strong carcinogen in tobacco smoke.

Tomatoes may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate. Niacin has been used for years to lower cholesterol. Potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure. And vitamin B6 and folate are used by the body to convert a dangerous chemical called homocysteine into more benign compounds.

Vitamin K, found in tomatoes helps to maintain healthy bones. Vitamin K1 activates a protein in the bones called osteocalcin, which anchors calcium inside the bone. Without enough vitamin K, bone mineralization is impaired.

When you buy tomatoes, be sure to buy the ones with the brightest red color. This indicates high amounts of beta-carotene and lycopene. Lycopene is found in the cell walls of the tomato, so by cooking it in a bit of oil, more lycopene is fully released. Also, cooking the tomato in a bit of olive oil helps your body to absorb the lycopene. If all you can find are canned tomatoes, that’s fine. Cooking and canning don’t cause tomatoes to lose any of their nutritional value. So cooked and processed tomatoes are just as beneficial as fresh tomatoes.

So tomatoes, once thought to be deadly poison, are now a nutritious staple of our diet. They help to fight cancer, and they contain a good amount of vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals. So go ahead and start adding tomatoes to your diet.

Spaghetti Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you want)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
4 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 28oz. can of tomato sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and cook briefly. Be sure not to burn the garlic.

If using ground beef, cook the meat in a skillet until browned. Drain the meat, and add it to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir everything together, then turn the heat to medium low, and simmer for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and serve over pasta. The leftover sauce will freeze well.

Tim Sousa is the webmaster for Negative Calorie Food. A blog about losing weight eating negative calorie food.

Why have I allowed myself to get into this shape? With life
comes responsibility and with decisions comes consequences. It’s
your choice today to do something positive. Tomorrow it may be
out of your hands. There are three underlying emotions that keep
you from taking better care of yourself: denial, pride, and
laziness. Consciously or subconsciously, this threesome is the
root of why most Americans have allowed themselves to get in the
shape they are in.

Are you one of them?

Chances are sooner or later one or all three will be riding with
you in the car to the hospital. Have you found yourself saying
these things?

“My diet is not that bad.” “A few trips to the fast food joint
once in awhile won’t hurt.” “My blood pressure is fine today. It
wouldn’t hurt if I skipped a day of taking my medication.” “My
New Year’s resolution next month is to get in better shape.”
“Why have I let myself get this out of shape?

DENIAL

“It won’t happen to me…no way, no how!”

Unfortunately, it is what we cannot see that is killing us. Our
insides are getting eaten away because of our lack of exercise
and poor eating habits. Society is so concerned with extreme
makeover television shows that we have been caught off guard
with the silent killers: heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
Even if the outside looks good, the damage is still done inside
our bodies. Over time we have made ourselves feel comfortable
with certain lifestyle habits.

We overlook the long-term consequences of our behaviors. We see
things going on around us, but we continue to put off exercise
and eating better for another day. Out of the three, Denial is
the sneakiest beast of them all.

PRIDE

“Do not let them see you sweat or show any signs of weakness.”

Ever find yourself saying one of these? “If I cannot do it on my
own, then I will not do it at all.” “Just the very fact of
having to take better care of me, irritates me.” “I’ll put off
my check up until next fall.” Ever have any of these thoughts?
Denial’s brother, Pride, may not be the sneakiest, but he is the
strongest personality of the boys. Having too much pride costs
millions of lives every year in any arena you can imagine,
especially in health and the aging process. While pride may be
the strongest emotion out of the three, he always seems to lose.
His ego gets the best of him and aging finally wins out in the
end.

LAZINESS

“I’ll start tomorrow on my exercise program.” Exercise and
eating right takes discipline, and planning. For some, that’s
too much to ask. If that’s you, you may be missing out on a
really wonderful healthy quality filled life. But, does that
really matter to you?

Why is America the fattest nation in the world? Laziness! It’s
just that simple. If you think a pill, surgery, or wishful
thinking is going to replace hard work you have been HAD by the
media. It takes hard consistent work. Having Lazy as a friend
may cost you your life someday. Why are most countries healthier
and thinner than us? They are more active and more resourceful.

One out of three of you will break a bone. Half of you are on
the verge of obesity and diabetes. A third of you will suffer a
heart attack. Half of you will end up in a nursing home. And
most of you are not living a life filled with confidence, good
sleeping patterns, high energy or happiness. Why now? You tell
me…why not now?

Do the math! Numbers do not lie. You either accept the road less
traveled or you face the consequences. It’s just that simple.
This may resemble a scare tactic, but the bottom line is this is
the reality. You either pay the price now by putting in some
effort and time, or you pay the doctor bill later.

If you think for one second you are exempt, above reproach, or
just relying on luck or faith, think again. Your best defense is
a good offense.

Why now? Denial, Pride and Lazy will always creep in to make you
miserable.

Do not let the culture hoodwink you into believing that you should participate in sexual relations before marriage. The whole idea of dating and everything that goes with it is so much of a heavy-laden burden, and as a young girl, you should not have to endure this crazy emotional roller coaster ride.

Do not let your social group fool you into believing the only way to be popular in school is to have sex with the boys. What a tale of deceit we web.

FACT:

Dating will NOT prepare you for marriage. In fact, it will damage your heart, mind and soul, and you will treat your husband according to how you were treated from boys in school.

If you have had several sexual relationships that ended in heartbreak as a teenager, when you get married you will be on guard with your husband. You will not be able to share with him all of your self, afraid that he, too, might hurt you.

You will not understand the beauty and enjoyment of the sexual union that a husband and wife share together because of what you experienced with some strange boy in school. Unpleasant dating games lead to negative feelings about sex later on down the road.

FACT:

The best thing you can do to avoid all this turmoil later in life is to remain sexually abstinent until you are married. Sound difficult? Well it’s not! Read on.

As a young girl or woman, you have choices. You only have to experience the pressures of dating and the rituals that go along with it, if you allow your self to fall into its trap. If you do fall into the teenage dating traps it will most likely obscure your whole way of thinking.

This certainly will NOT prepare you for marriage but will take away from the honor and commitment that is so vital for marriage.

FACT:

If a young girl has only one breakup in school from participating in the new cultural rituals of dating and having sex, she is more likely to get a divorce later on in her marriage. Most young girls have three or more heartaches during their teenage years. This is totally unnecessary.

Going through a breakup and then finding a new boy to have a relationship with will prepare a girl to do the same for her marriage. For instance, now that she is married, she begins having marital troubles and in her mind she remembers what happened in school, and she knows that she can just dump her husband, and remarry, right?

Wrong! Where is the commitment?

Unfortunately for many, the “dating and dump” syndrome is carried forward into marriage. Another reason there is so much divorce today. Couples are using the same culturally immoral foundations they grew up with in school for their marriage later in life.

FACT:

God wants all young women to stay pure before marriage. Trust me on this one. Let’s be all that we can be as young ladies. Nothing is more important to God than your happiness. God wants you to someday find love, get married and be all that you can be. Why rush into all this dating stuff, especially when you are not ready for it?

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is honorable and holy, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God, and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. …For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Now lets take a look at some of the myths.

MYTH:

If I don’t have sex, the boys will not like me

Bonk! This is so untrue! He might act like he doesn’t like you but in his heart he will RESPECT you for loving your self. The truth is, you can be best friends with this boy and not have sex with him and your relationship will be even better. He will treat you better and tell you things he normally wouldn’t if you were having sex with him. If he is a big jerk and does treat you bad, so what, let him be. It is more “spiritual power” to you for detaching from his immature antics.

MYTH:

If I don’t have sex, I won’t be popular or liked by my friends.

If your friends are having sex with boys, then I don’t think you want to be hanging out with that crowd in the first place. The boys that your friends are having sex with are talking about your friends behind their back. Their good reputation has been busted! You do not want to be associated with that kind of behavior, do you?

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right. Proverbs 20:11

Find some new friends that know and love God and who like them selves. Friends who wouldn’t like you because you won’t have sex are only jealous because you are in control of your body. Do not let those girls who do not know God and who are not in control of their bodies trespass against your beautiful spiritual self and tell you things that will lead you into sin.

This is part 1 of 2 on Teenage Dating vs. Courtship
~~ Stay tuned.

Angie Lewis offers spiritual enlightenment tips for couples in marriage, and is the author of new release book JOURNEY ON THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED. This unique book is about love, life, marriage, addiction, temptation, and understanding the power of spiritual awareness for your marriage.

In her book, Angie reveals her own journey of overcoming addiction and battling with her negative emotions that she allowed to embrace her life and marriage.

To find out more about this new book click here, http://www.spiritual.journeybooks.4t.com/
ISBN 1413788904
Avaliable Amazon online!

Angie Lewis counsels couples and writes a monthly newsletter where she reveals her secrets on how YOU can stay happily married for life! Subscribe to get your FREE monthly newsletter so you can stay happily and forever married!
http://www.heavenministries.com/

CCNA and CCNP candidates hear it all the time: “Get some hands-on experience”. From my personal experience climbing the Cisco certification ladder, I can tell you firsthand that there is no learning like hands-on learning. No simulator in the world is going to give you the experience you will get cabling and configuring your own routers.

Whenever I mention this to one of my students, they always say it costs too much. The truth is, it is cheaper now to build your own CCNA and CCNP lab than it has ever been. The secret? Used routers.

The word “used” turns off a lot of people not many of us buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, though, are robust. I personally own a Cisco 4000 router that I use as a Frame Relay switch in my lab that I’ve had for about four years, and I’ve never had a problem with it.

The good news for current CCNA and CCNP candidates interested in building their own labs is that used Cisco equipment has never been more plentiful or cheaper. eBay is a good way to get an idea of what’s out there and what the prices are, but you don’t have to assemble your lab one piece at a time. Many eBay vendors who sell used Cisco equipment sell ready-made CCNA and CCNP labs for one price, including cables.

I asked one major vendor of CCNA and CCNP labs, www.ciscokits.com, what the most common questions are regarding building your own home lab. Here’s what they had to say:

Why do I need real routers instead of a simulator?

You need a physical router,as the simulators just don’t have the ability to give you the “hands on” you need to see what happens when you disconnect a cable or put a cable in the wrong location. You will come to find quickly that mistakes you make on Router 1 are affecting Router 5 all because you did not screw in a cable properly. No simulator can simulate that.

How many routers do I need?

Two routers really are required to see if anything works. If you have a very limited budget, you can receive value from only purchasing a single router over working with a simulator. However, you will not be able to see the main thing we are trying to accomplish. The propagation of route tables!

The only way you can see if your configurations work, is to have at least two routers. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you purchase a dual router kit that comes with all the accessories you need. Otherwise you can spend days trying to find all the little extra pieces you need to get your lab up and running.

Do I need a switch?

Well, it is nice to have. However, with only about 2 questions on the test dedicated to “hands on” switch knowledge, if you have to skimp on something, skimp on the switch.

What routers and switches should I buy?

Choices, choices, choices! Which 2500/2600 router do I pick? I will list some pros and cons of each router below, along with current prices (note that prices are generally lower if you buy a dual router kit instead of a single router). Please note that prices are approximations.

1) Cisco 2501 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $94.99. The cheapest introduction router, and it can support a vast majority of the commands that you will need to learn for your CCNA test. All 2500 routers that we will discuss come with a minimum of two serial ports and an Ethernet port.
You will need to add a transceiver to this unit to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

2) Cisco 2503 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same as a Cisco 2501, except it adds an ISDN port so you can complete all your ISDN commands for the CCNA test. You will need to add a transceiver to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

3) Cisco 2505/2507 with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $109.99. The same as a Cisco 2501 except it has a built-in 8 or 16 port hub so you do not have to purchase a transceiver.

4) Cisco 2514 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $149.99. This router is the same as a Cisco 2501 except instead of one Ethernet port you have two. You may ask, what is the big deal? Well, you can use this as your Cable Modem/DSL Modem router. Now you can test your ability to setup a firewall and router in a live environment on the Internet. Lots of fun! You will need to add two transceivers to convert the Ethernet AUI ports to an RJ-45 style Ethernet ports.

5) Cisco 2520 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same as a 2503 but it also adds two more serial ports so you can use this as a frame relay switch later in your CCNA studies. It costs the same as a 2503, so this is a great money saving tip.

6) Cisco 2612 Router with 32 DRAM and 8 MB Flash $199.99. This is a modular router unlike any of the 2500 series routers. So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, ISDN ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your ISDN router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each
discipline you want to learn.

7) Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software $109.99. This is a good low cost switch. The only drawback is it is a 10 MB switch except for the two 100 MB uplink ports. Not a big deal since you have 10 MB routers.

Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software $249.99. This switch will run all the current commands needed for the test and is a full 100 MB switch.

And should you desire to sell your lab after you complete your certification, you can either negotiate a price with the vendor who sold it to you, or you can sell it yourself on ebay. It’s my experience that 95% of candidates who earn their CCNA go on to pursue their CCNP within one year, though, so don’t sell it too quickly.

In the end, you spend only a few hundred dollars, and you gain invaluable experience and knowledge that will help you both in your certification quest and your job performance. Having worked my way from the CCNA to the CCIE, I can tell you that you will learn much more from actually configuring and cabling your own equipment than you ever will from any simulation of the real thing.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, and corporate training are also available.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” or “How To Pass The CCNP”, send a request to chris@thebryantadvantage.com today !

Nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, and winner of four Oscars, Raiders Of The Lost Ark is one of those rare commercial smash hits that also manages to win widespread critical acclaim from even the most hardened of film critics. After all, any film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by George Lucas has to be an ingenious creation, right? In this case, absolutely. Not only is Raiders Of The Lost Ark one of the more memorable films in history, but its lead character Indiana Jones will go down in history as one of, if not the, most beloved hero in movie history…

Renowned archeologist and college history professor Indiana Jones (expert in recovering ancient objects) is approached by the United States government in regard to retrieving one of the greatest treasures in human history - the Ark of the Covenant. The government fears the Ark will fall into the wrong hands seeing as how Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are feverishly searching for the Ark themselves…

With a hefty knowledge of the history involving the Ark, Jones sets out to borrow an amulet instrumental in the Ark’s discovery from family friend and ex-lover Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). But the Nazis also seek the amulet, and Jones arrives just in the nick of time. Now Marion and Indiana will have to work together if they have any hope of saving the Ark from the evil clutches of the Nazi regime. In so doing, they encounter countless Nazis, booby traps, double-crossers, and the worst element of all - snakes!

With an original score by John Williams (Jaws, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc.), the theme song from Raiders Of The Lost Ark may well be one of the most recognizable in the history of cinema. Williams’s genius is present throughout every scene of the film (which is one of Spielberg’s greatest triumphs - getting Hollywood to place greater emphasis on sound and music, i.e. emotion, the same as it does for dialogue, character, plot, etc.) Raiders Of The Lost Ark also features the underrated actress Karen Allen (Animal House, Scrooged, The Perfect Storm, etc.) whose career has spanned parts of four decades. In this film, she shines as the headstrong love interest of Indiana Jones…

Home to Harrison Ford’s breakout role, Raiders Of The Lost Ark features the up-and-coming Hollywood talent at his best. Although Star Wars placed Ford in the limelight, Raiders Of The Lost Ark puts Ford in the lead role - where he belongs. A likeable man, exhibiting unrivaled onscreen charisma, Harrison Ford adds the final touches of genius to a film that is as close to perfect as any movie can come. Don’t miss out on this first glimpse of Indiana Jones. A brilliant tale of heroism and adventure, Raiders Of The Lost Ark is a definite must-see movie…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Raiders Of The Lost Ark (DVD).

Having a bad marketing strategy or business image is a lot like a piece of spinach wedged in your teeth, a bad-comb over or leaving your fly open - everyone sees it, it looks bad, but no one will tell you to your face. It’s tough to know when you look good and when you need a little help. Your business image is no different. So how can you tell when you might need marketing and design help? Just as seeing a piece of spinach in your teeth in the mirror, the answer is often found through self-analysis. Looking at your competition, your prospects and your image are a great place to start. You owe it to yourself and your success to take some time to reflect on where you are, where you want to go and how you might get there.

So do you need marketing and design help? Let’s find out…

Price War:
Does it always feel like you have to compete on price? That’s tough, isn’t it? If this is the case for you, you’re not alone, I’ve found this to be a major challenge for most companies - those companies almost always desperately need marketing and design help. Here’s what happens: when customers aren’t educated on the value and benefits that they want from a professional in your industry they have difficulty evaluating which person is the best. So they evaluate professionals on something that can measure - price. You see, marketing’s first objective is to identify the value and benefit your customers want, then it should convey that value and benefit in a way that compels customers to respond and react. If there’s no perceived difference among you and your competition, customers will just rely on price when shopping.

Do you fully understand your customers’ needs and wants?
Do you know how to convey the value they want in a way that’s compelling to them?

If you answered “no”, you’re losing out on loads of customers and you need marketing and design help.

Find Out How You Stack Up:
Gather some of your competition’s collateral materials (logo, business card, advertisements, brochure, web site, etc). Ask yourself, “How does my business stack up with the rest of the field?” “Do you look like an expert compared to the rest of your competition?” Here’s what you need to understand: whether we recognize it or not, our collateral materials directly and immediately convey to prospects an image of expertise and quality. By visiting your web site, seeing an ad, or receiving a business card, your prospect is already evaluating whether or not you care about quality and whether or notnyou’re an expert in your field. If your prospects don’t perceive that you are an expert and care about quality, you’ve already got two strikes against you.

How do prospects perceive your commitment to quality and expertise compared to the rest of your industry? How is that affecting your sales? If you don’t look like an expert, and that’s something that’s important to you, you might want to look into marketing and design help.

To really find out where you stand, ask your prospects what they think about your marketing materials (make sure you recruit people that will give you a straight answer).

Take a Self Confidence Evaluation:
Have you ever told someone that your business image (cards, logo, web site, etc…) was temporary and that you we’re going to get it “fixed” later? Do you feel sheepish or apprehensive when showing or directing a prospect to some of your company’s marketing material? Do you avoid networking situations because your marketing and image don’t really show how good your business really is? Could you do a better job in promoting your company if your image was unique and eye-catching? Would you feel better about your business if you had a professional image?

If you’ve answered “yes”, you’ll want to contact a marketing and design expert. Not only do you need help, you probably want help as well.

Are You Insane?
Small business owners are a great bunch of people; most are positive, hopeful and optimistic. These are all terrific characteristics to have; they all want their business to grow, they hope to bring in more sales and they are optimistic about getting more customers, but few of them have a plan to achieve it.

I’ll ask prospects, “Do you plan on growing your business more this year than last?” The answer is always a resounding, “Yes!” This of course is a great answer. I then follow this question up with a slightly harder one, “What do you plan on doing this year that’s going to make that happen?” This is when I get the deer in the headlights look, “I don’t know”. Business owners are optimistic and hopeful - but they don’t have a plan, and they often see investing in their marketing and design as an expense, not an investment.

Business owners want to succeed, they hope they will succeed but they have no idea how to do it. They elect not to invest in their company, their people, processes, marketing and business identity, and yet are still hopeful that they are magically going to succeed and grow their business. That’s crazy!

If you want to succeed and grow your business, that’s terrific, just make sure you have a plan and a clear strategy to back it up. Part of that strategy might include getting your accounting books in order, implementing a clear and effective marketing strategy, gathering extensive feedback from clients, hiring a business coach, competitive analysis, permission marketing or upgrading your web site, company identity or marketing materials. These aren’t expenses, they are investments.

Doing the same thing from year to year and expecting different results is crazy - well, actually it’s defined as insanity.

Are you planning on growing your business? If so, what measures are you going to undertake to do it? What are you going to do, or invest in this year to grow your company?

Do you expect to grow your company this year, or are you just hoping? Be honest with yourself. If you hope to grow your business but you’re not doing anything significant to make that happen, you probably want to look into what effective, results-driven marketing and design can do for you.

Do a Skills Assessment:
One of the most beneficial concepts I’ve learned in business is knowing what I can, and what I can’t do well. Even within the field of design there are many areas I specialize in, and some I am not as strong in. In those areas where I was not as strong, I was savvy enough to recognize I needed an expert, so I hired one. I know I can’t do it all. More than that, I know I shouldn’t do it all, and you shouldn’t either. What do you really do well, and is marketing and design one of those things? Is your business being hurt because you’re trying to do the marketing and design?

Here’s a great exercise: pretend that you had a board of directors for your business, and you were on that board rather than the current owner or manager. If you were on that board, do you think that the person(s) currently doing the marketing and design for your business are qualified to help your company succeed and grow?

Does this marketing person(s) have the time; does she/he/you have the talent?
Do any of you have any formal marketing or advertising training?
Have any of you studied marketing and advertising, and how they affect consumers?
Do you feel confident that any of you know how your customer buys, and why she buys?

You might find that you’re in a good position to do the design and marketing for your company, but if you’re like most small business owners your talents might be elsewhere. If you’re really looking to grow, succeed and achieve in business, know what you don’t do well and bring people on in those areas to advise you and guide you.

How’s the Reaction?
Just as parents see their baby with rose-colored glasses, small business owners often see their company very differently than their prospects. Have you ever seen an average looking baby only to hear the parents rave over and over how she/he should be a baby model? Your business is probably your baby, and you’ll see it differently than how the rest of the world does. How your business is perceived by prospects (not you) will have a direct affect on your sales your success - how prospects view your business can be the difference between success and failure. Learning to see your business through the eyes of your prospects is essential. If you want to know why John Q. buys, you have to see the world through John Q’s eyes.

How might others see your business? Ask yourself these questions:
Do prospects often compliment your business image and marketing materials?
How do you think prospects would rate your business image and marketing materials: Outstanding / Good / Average / Below Average / Dismal.
Do you think prospect’s can see a clear and definite reason to do business with you over anyone else in the industry? Are you the clear choice?
Do you have a clear, unique marketing strategy (clear and effective process of attracting new customers)?
In your marketing and advertising, are you saying the same things as everyone else in your industry?
Do you think you stand out from the rest of the crowd (in a positive light)? If not, how do you think that affects your sales?

Be honest with yourself, do your answers suggest that your prospects see you as a clear expert, the clear choice to do business with, or just one of the crowd? Now of course you see a huge difference between you and the competition, but that’s not important - do your prospects see a difference? Based on your answers, do you think you might need marketing and design assistance, or are you in good shape?

Are You Keeping Up with the Joneses?
You might be in an industry that is shielded from new entrants and stiffer competition, but for the rest of us, it gets more challenging. Challenging is okay, in fact it’s good, but you have to have to meet the challenge with new ideas, more effective marketing and perhaps a better strategy. Are you keeping up with the rest of the industry, and how might that effect your sales? If you’re finding it hard to compete, there’s a strong possibility you need to infuse fresh marketing and design into your business. Ask yourself these questions:

Is your company growing at the same rate as the industry and your competition?
Do you see others in your industry that aren’t as good and talented doing better than you?
Is there more or less competition in the industry?
Is the competition getting easier or tougher to deal with?
Are you proactively competing with others in your field, or just hoping the competition won’t raise the bar on you?

The first step in getting help is recognizing you need it. Hopefully this article has given you some answers and some insight: either you should seriously look into getting marketing and design assistance, or you feel better about how you stack up against the rest of the field. Whether its marketing and design, or processes and procedures, you should always be looking at what’s working and how you can make it work better. How can you improve your business today?

I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives; I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business. If your business needs the reliability and talent of an in-house marketing and design department but doesn’t want additional employees, salaries and benefits, give me a call at 480.391.0704 - I have a new approach for you. If you are looking for more free insight and inspiration, you’ll want to get in on the “Can-Do Confidence Builder”. Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your investment and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition. Email me at comments@candographics.com and asked to be added to our list or visit http://www.candographics.com