Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

There are at the moment thousands of sites on the internet that can arrange for you to have some flowers delivered. It is a fast and handy way for you to send flowers and you can even order for them to be sent the same day so that you will never miss that special occasion.

Although there are numerous advantages to using an online florist, there are also some issues that you should be made aware of. If you simply choose the first florist that you see on the internet, you may in fact be in contact with a call center that then contacts a florist located close to where your flowers are to be delivered. This means that you can’t use the knowledge of florists, and they may well charge you a lot more than if you had gone straight to a florist. Nevertheless, not all sites are like this and once you have found one that you are happy with, there is nothing to stop you ordering flowers for every occasion, because this is the easiest way to do it.

Flower arrangement is an art that first originated centuries ago and travelled all over the world, taking different forms in different countries is now a part of our lives. Flower arrangements first appeared in Classical Greek and Roman times and went on to be defined as an art in Europe from the 14th %u201317th centuries before turning east to America, China, and Japan.

Since flower arranging is an art, how your arrangement looks eventually depends on its creator. You can custom design your flower arrangements to suit a number of occasions such as a wedding, corporate event, anniversary, or birthday. You can also make flower arrangements from all sorts of materials such as fresh flowers, dried flowers, silk flowers, and paper flowers. You can dress up your life with well designed flower arrangements. Choose, innovate, and create the magic of flower arrangements for fun and style.

Flower arranging has become increasingly popular as a hobby, for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Flowers add the final touch. Imagine the joy you will get by being able to make a lovely flower arrangement for your entrance hall or a floral centrepiece for the dining room table.

Flower arrangements make the perfect gift for so many different occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, get well wishes and many other things.

Huge amount of information on Flower Arranging - check out for your self.

Support Your Local Gym

First, make sure you are fully participating and paying for the summer program in your own gym. Summer is often a very slow time in the gym business and they can use the business. Before you decide to spend money outside of your own gym, you should seriously consider spending it in your own gym first.

No Coach is Going to Work Harder Than Your Own

No camp coach is going to be more interested and dedicated to training your gymnast than your own coaches in your own gym. Coaches at gymnastics camps are usually either the coach of some other team or high school or college gymnasts. They have their own gymnasts or gymnastics career to think about that does not directly involve your child.

A Week at Camp Doesn’t a Gymnast Make

It is possible that a new coaching perspective can sometimes bump forward a gymnast’s progress, but one week or so is not likely to have lasting training value. In essence, your gymnasts progress is going to depend on the training they receive from your own coaches on a year round basis, not a one week at a commercial summer camp.

Camps Let Gymnasts See Where They Really Stand

Gymnastics camps can provide some things that are not available at your gym. Commercial camps draw a large number and a wide variety of gymnasts from all over the country. Gymnasts can get a feeling for where they stand in the sport in comparison to all the gymnasts at the camp. This can be an enlightening experience.

Gymnastics Star Gazing

Commercial gymnastic camps often have nationally known gymnasts and coaches visit which can be inspirational and educational. Commercial gymnastics camps have all the latest training equipment, which may or may not be available in your own gym.

Gymnastics Camp Gives Your Gymnast the Summer Camp Experience

The other thing that commercial gymnastic provide is a camp experience including the social aspects of going to summer camp, meeting new people and making new friends and participating in traditional camp activities.

Camp is Camp

So is it worth it? Send your gymnast to a commercial gymnastics camp if you have already supported your own gym’s summer training programs. Send them to a commercial summer camp to have a typical summer camp social experience. If that is your goal, then your gymnast will certainly be able to have a positive gymnastics summer camp experience.

15 Books and Counting

John Howard is the author of 15 books and e-Books about gymnastics, gym design, gymnastics humor and cheerleading. More books are already on the way. He has 25 years experience and has coached State, Regional and National champion gymnasts and international competitors and cheerleaders at the National level in NCAA Division I.

Enter the Gymnastics Zone

GymnasticsZone.com is a web site for gymnasts, cheerleaders, coaches and parents with numerous FREE articles and information, fun pages and activities available for viewing. Keep checking back for information about our unique Extreme Gymnastics Makeover Summer Camp at: http://GymnasticsZone.com

For More Information

A variety of interesting and useful products and even more In-depth information products are available at: http://gymnasticszone.com/eBooks.htm

The difficulties of physically going to a meat space gaming room can be reason enough to give up on it unless you can’t avoid it. All those miles of driving, the difficulties, and zillions of things to bear in mind can’t seem worth the exertion only for that possibility of laying your bets at meat space gaming room, on the other hand, should you happen to be someone who is rather taken in by betting rooms then going for online gambling casinos is probably the thing to do. Try all the best online online sport gambling here.

For this, you will not need to abandon your desk for a stint of online roulette etc simply because everything can be done from where you are provided you possess a laptop or pc plus, obviously, a reliable internet connection. Nevertheless, do read on first as there are plenty of tenets that you’ll need to become familiar with in regards to online roulette etc, the more so should you happen to be a tenderfoot. So, placate that elation and ingest the following. Here is my compressed blueprint that clarifies what to bear in mind if you’re tracing a respectable online roulette etc address. The foremost thing that a truly intelligent web gamester like yours truly definitely should check out is an online roulette etc website of the category guaranteeing top winnings. Beyond this, here are a few select alternate facts in regards to selecting your virtual blackjack website.

You must always ensure the virtual blackjack website is verifiably licensed, such as by inspecting the licensing information as manifested on the casino site webpage. Should you fail to discover any licensing information on that virtual blackjack website, do not try to place your bets at this place. Having done this, you will chew over very circumspectly the divers perks that the virtual blackjack website tenders. Moreover, another bit of advice could be to try your luck at the beginning in trifling amounts instead of splurging so much it can hurt off the cuff. First of all, check the operability of this particular virtual blackjack system prior to triggering some severe risk– the more so financial ones… Finally, here is another tip in regards to online betting. It can obviously only be to always recall that online casino wagering should mainly be concerned with enjoying it rather than big bucks. Gambling in an online casino is certainly no vocation, but, rather a hobby that can help you feel exultant and your overall life gratifying.

After having observed the advice above, feel free to give in to the charm of virtual blackjack…

Recently the US Military has developed a special set of sensors for water supplies for troops. Any time a base camp is set up it is important to monitor the water supplies and test them. You cannot simply test them when you arrive you need constant monitoring so that insurgents or enemies do not pollute the water or put poison in it. The three most common pathogens of water supplies are; Vibrio Cholerae, e. Coli and Giardia intestinalis and believe me you don’t want any in your drinking water.

Two companies; Phase IV Engineering and Sporian Microsystems both in Boulder Colorado have developed a bio-sensor system which is RFID based. The device, which floats is connected to a Radio Frequency antenna and it is attached to a sensor housing which is submerged which is also connected to an anchor line. These water sensors can detect pollutants up to 1 part per million.

I propose these be used in the United States to protect our rivers and lakes, which contain drinking water. It is also important to have them in our wetlands and areas such as the Bayous in Louisiana and the everglades in Florida. Now then let us look at the efforts of the WHO, UN and World Bank; can we put these in third world nations to prevent waterborne diseases which kill millions of humans annually? If we can get the costs down significantly thru mass buying and economies of scale we are well on our way to eliminating the horrible issues that expanding populations in the third world face from polluted water and waterborne pathogens. As we see more severe and severe droughts in the world we will need to address these issues. We know have technology ready to be transferred thanks to our military expenditures thru DARPA.

We must continue to fund such research and boost such budgets of DARPA so that all of mankind can benefit in the offshoot transfer technologies. Think on this, something must be done.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Introduction
It seems that thinkers, philosophers, social critics, and typically anyone concerned with the plight of those who must endure through misery and suffering, usually make references to the poverty, oppression, and crime of those who must go through a harder life. Throughout the ages, the political leaders of a nation, whom have been elected by their campaign funds or their birth rights, have always given great concern to ending crime. Murder, robbery, and rape have typically been regarded as the greatest crimes in society, each one created in its own nature. Murder is the highest form of vengeance, and in societies where feuds and arguments have been the general discourse, there will be this crime. While men and women live together, they have often neglected the articulate nature of science, art, and learning.

Instead of decided to advance civilization, change the world, and love each other, they have created war among themselves, for their own reasons. Robbery itself is a crime that is as old as the existence of property. Instead of deciding to increase their own wealth, by the labor of their hands, man decided to benefit from the reward of another man’s hand. Rape itself has been detested throughout all of Western Europe, but it is only a recent phenomena that the motive changed. For a great deal of time, rape was simply regarded as expensive property damage. Finally when the people realized that women are themselves capable of independent thought, and a desire to express and experience inner emotions, rape has been changed, from property damage to personal assault. While the monarchs and elected officials of nations, and their countless followers, have endeavored to offer their plans and ideas on ending crime, few have attempted to discover the cause of crime. It has almost always been assumed that the source of crime is a simple disobedience to the law. It was only in the 20th century that the Western world finally discovered that criminal activity was not in fact caused be a diseased brain. It still remains a doctrine of many of today’s politicians and their supporters that crime in caused by savagery, an “evil” nature, or simply a disobedience to the law, and this view is expressed in their speeches, their public reports, and their communication with the public.

It is crime that I shall be investigating within this paper. By crime, I mean a violation of either the laws or social customs (new and old) in a society.

A Profile of Crime in America

Before continuing in this piece, it is probably most important to first note the most common types of crime that occur within this nation. In state penitentiaries, 49% were sentenced for a violent crime, 20% were sentenced for a property crime, and 21% were sentenced for a drug crime (for the year 2000). In city jails, a fourth were held for violent crimes, a fourth were held for property crimes, and a fifth were held for drug crimes (for the year 1996). [*1] However, there are overlapping crimes. Robbery, for instance, for something as small as a few dollars, may go unpersecuted, but the crime of assault or battery may end up with the suspect serving several years. Offenders of violent crimes had used a weapon in 46% of all robberies, as an example (for the year 2002). [*2] With that, I continue in my analysis.

Crimes of Greed

Nature of the Crime

When I speak of Crimes of Greed, I want it to be understood that I am speaking of robbery, of mugging, of theft of property in any manner. The desire to steal property can be understood by all. It is but a human desire, one that exists inside all of us, to have the essentials of life, such as food, shelter, and the like. In fact, it is hardly human, and rather completely natural to all forms of life. This instinct to gather the necessities, at all costs, is wholly normal. I am not attempting to justify it, but rather, only understand it. Humans, however, vary somewhat than other creatures of this planet. For some of us, it is not enough to have what is necessary to life. We must have wealth, we must have financial security. A loaf of bread every day while living in the smallest of apartments might very well meet the necessities. Yet, it is as much a dream as it is a desire to think that one day, you can have luxury, and those things you’ve always hoped for as a child. A loaf of bread and a cockroach infested apartment, sure, they may very well meet your necessities. But what about a television set? A CD player? A DVD player? A stylish wardrobe? A condominium? Maybe your own house? As I said, it is only human to want wealth and possibly extravagance, or the idea that you are “well off” and need not worry about financial insecurities. The instinct to obtain that what you need to survive can be found in all life forms and the desire to become wealthy and even recognized is closer to the human species, though I wouldn’t be surprised if similar desires were found in the other creatures of this world.

The instinct for survival and desire of wealth are apparent parts of human society and have found themselves expressed in culture. The question now is, what are the methods by which people go about procuring these desires? Primarily, there are two methods: legal employment and criminal activity (or, Crimes of Greed, “Property Crimes”). On behalf of legal employment, one must first understand that this hardly signifies something worthy, just, or virtuous. The officials of the Nazi army were well-paid and well-respected — and despite the fact that it may have been their task to persecute those of the Jewish ethnicity, they were legally employed. So, too, were the Roman soldiers, whose task it was to invade foreign lands with the intent to rob and plunder. Only a nominal difference took place when American soldiers are sent world wide, to raid countries like Vietnam, Haiti, Guatemala, Cambodia, Colombia, or others. Millions of lives taken and thousands of homes burned to the ground, all under the banner of legal employment, but not only legal employment, but a job that was respected by society and honored by the government.

These are the two options for a human being’s natural inclinations of wealth: legal employment, and the alternative, the alternative going by the title of “crime.” Of those who commit crime, statistics show that their ability to generate revenue through legal employment is deficient. In federal and state prisons, 63% percent of jail inmates belonged to racial or ethnic minorities in 1996. [*1] The importance of this statistic is the history of racila and ethnic minorities. Less than two hundred years ago, the African race was released from the bondage of slavery, only to be given unequal conditions and poverty. Only some decades ago did they really achieve social, political, or economic equality in opportunity — and still, even though the opportunity is present, they are in the thick sand of poverty. A black family, with two parents working minimum wage, will have a harder time sending their children to a university, than a white family, with two parents working middle class jobs. And then consider the plight of the Native Americans. They owned the land and the resources that make up virtually all property in this nation — and it was stolen. In prisons, altogether, an estimated 57% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. [*1] And, indeed, there is no denying that lack of a high school diploma will prevent acceleration, either with money-making ability or job opportunities.

Nationally, in local jails, over a third of all inmates reported some physical or mental disability. Altogether, only 54% of inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent. Thirty-six of all inmates were not employed during the month before they were arrested for their current offense. A quarter of the jail inmates said they had been treated at some time for a mental or emotional problem. [*1] There is no denying that all of these statistics debilitates the inmates from acquiring a legal job. Besides those who fall into the category of debilitated, what can be said of those who are on an equal level with others as far as legal employment ability? It is in only one or two instances where the state minimum wage with a full time job is enough to reach the poverty level. The fact that these individuals are not just randomly committing crimes, and that they are in fact acting based on their conditions, is quite obvious. Of the 272,111 persons released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years, 46.9% were reconvicted, and 25.4% resentenced to prison for a new crime. [*1]

The ultimate cause of the Crimes of Greed is poverty. There is no premeditated motive based on disobedience to the law or disrespect for the law — it is based on the ability to make wealth. The economy is the cause of crime. This new realization actually throws responsibility from the criminal to the heads of the economy, or to those who sustain the economy. Tens of millions of Africans, for instance, were born in poverty, because their ancestors were bondaged to slavery without the right to freedom. When an man of African descent commits a crime of theft, it may be less linked to his disobedience than his desire for food. And the same can be said of any man who commits a crime of greed. Though it is hardly deniable that poverty is the cause of these crimes of theft, is it justified to state that the economy is the cause of poverty? Any person who understand basic economics cannot deny this. Capitalism has allowed the most extreme wealth to a few and the most extreme poverty to all. Workers are paid only one tenth of the wealth they create. [*3] The rest of the 90% of that wealth goes into the pockets of the Capitalist class. If workers, in fact, were paid all of the wealth that they labored to create, then their revenue would increase by tenfold — this would mean they could still live in poverty only working 4 hours a week, or double what they are currently making by working only 8 hours a week. More wealth to those who create it, and less work time to the laborers who created all wealth.

There are, of course, various interested players in the system of Capitalism. If the few are the oppressors, and the many are the oppressed, why is it that a revolution has not come? The answer is simple: the oppressed are conditioned to believe that slavery is freedom. From the day a citizen can attend school, they are forced to by law, where they are taught nothing more than lies in an oppressive system that involves torture and abuse. Then the work experience comes where wage-slavery threatens people with starvation if they do not succumb. The media has been purchased by megacorporations and receives grants from the government — never is the truth wholly told. The government lied to the public during the Vietnam War and in fact, few people know today that the war was an attempt to keep Vietnam as a colony of France — the same reason why the colonies of America revolted. The next secret war of the US Army is always around the corner, when the US imperialist government overthrows a democratically elected president and supports their own dictator in South American nations. Poverty has never existed in such prevalence, except those nations touched by contemporary Capitalism, a fact that no economist would be bold enough to refuse. The wars go on and the soldiers die thinking that liberty is what they are fighting for, but when they find themselves in a foreign land burning villages, only those who are free in mind will say, “Is this really for liberty?” The next anti-Capitalism or anti-police brutality is met with rubber bullets and pepper spray, as police officers brutalize and murder citizens — and they think that order is “people not being outraged that 40% of the children here don’t have enough to eat.” [*4] So when people express an anti-government opinion, they can rest in prison cells while the president delivers another address to the people, arguing that invading and destroying another country so we can exploit them for their cheap labor and resources is the same thing as independence. Because when people fight back against their government, they are called “terrorists” — and when a person expresses a revolutionary opinion, they are called an “insurgent.” The media publicizes it and the people buy. From the first day, people are given the mindset that fighting back is futile.

Maybe a police officer will think it’s a lie that “liberty means shooting protestors.” Maybe a soldier will think it’s a lie that “doing your duty means killing civilians.” Maybe a news reporter will think it’s a deception that they refuse to cover the stories of soldiers executing civilians. Tom Hurndall was shot in the head by an Israeli police officer during a peaceful protest. All of the major news networks refused to carry the story. [*5] He was protesting the destruction of a home with bulldozers by a government that oppressed Palestinians. The other 2,500 deaths of refugees, protestors, and political dissidents went uncovered. Carlo Giuliani was shot in the head by Italian police while protesting Capitalism. [*6] Because today, struggling to be free has been labeled as “anarchy and terrorism,” because a movement for and by the people is the equivalent of a “terror cell.” Why talk about the deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of police and soldiers, when we can raise enough support for another war?

Out of sight. Out of mind. The police and soldiers take on the “insurgent” masses while the media convinces the rest that slavery is freedom.

www.punkerslut.com

For Life,

Punkerslut

Resources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Criminal Offender Statistics, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm


2. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Crime Characteristics, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm


3. The mining industry made 174.5 billion in 1997 and paid its workers only 20.9 billion — each worker was paid 12% of the wealth they produced. The construction industry made 834.8 billion and paid its workers 171.0 billion — each worker was paid 20% of the wealth they produced. The manufacturing industry made 3,958.1 billion and paids its workers 595.7 billion — each worker was paid 15% of the wealth they produced. The transportation and public utilities industry made 1,143.9 billion and paid its workers 199.7 billion — each worker was paid 17% of the wealth they produced. The wholesale trade industry made 4,235.4 billion and paid its workers 234.5 billion — each worker was paid 5% of the wealth they produced. The retail trade industry made 2,545.9 billion and paids its workers 290.5 billion — each worker was paid 11% of the wealth they produced. The finance, insurance, and real estate industry made 2,474.9 billion and paid its workers 308.2 billion — each worker was paid 12% of the wealth they produced. The services (taxable firms only) industry made 1,843.8 billion and paid its workers 688.9 billion — each worker was paid 37% of the wealth they produced. [Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census, Comparative Statistics, Core Business Stastitics Series, EC97X-C52, issued June 2000.]


4. UNICEF, State of the World’s Children Report, 2003.


5. “Not again”: Eyewitness Joe Smith writes about the shooting of Tom Hurndall. Joe Smith, The Electronic Intifada, 12 April 2003


6. The G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, 7/21/01.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for “subversive activities,” and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

No doubt you have heard, as I have, many sermons preached on this text.

Most take the same view that those that enter in by the strait gate get saved and those who enter by the wide gate get lost.

But is it really that simple?

As I was washing up the dishes after breakfast this morning, God spoke to me on this very text. I want to share now that which I believe God gave me.

The vast majority of people in the world today DO NOT ENTER BY ANY GATE AT ALL.

They are simply not interested. Some do not believe in God and others, though believing in God have no desire to do anything about it.

They do not attempt to enter in, period!

In the verses quoted above, Jesus is not talking about this group of people. He is only referring to people who actually enter through one of the two gates mentioned. He is talking about people who have a desire for a religion that leads to eternal life and speaks of some finding it but most, although believing they have found it, actually end up lost!

In Revelation Chapter 3 15-16, Jesus gives a message to John, intended primarily for the Church at Laodicea and also prophetically to the Church of the last days before the Rapture.

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”

He speaks of three types of people, those who are HOT, those who are COLD and those who are LUKEWARM.

Those who are HOT are easily recognized as those who enter in by the strait gate. Those who are COLD can be seen as those who have no desire to enter any gate at all. But it is those who are LUKEWARM that appear as detestable to God. It is those who desire to enter the gate but go through the wrong gate, the wide gate. They are content with a form of religion that does not lead to life.

Notice that Jesus does not appear to have a problem with those who are COLD. He would rather someone be COLD than LUKEWARM!

Because the cold person, although as yet not having any desire for any religion, Christian or otherwise, they can still be reached with the truth.

But the lukewarm, those trying to enter in but by the wrong gate, are usually so stubbornly sure that they are right, that they become unreachable with the truth. They settle for error. They settle for a wrong gospel and another Jesus! (See 2 Cor. 11:4) They have the ‘form of Godliness but deny it’s power’ 2 Tim. 3:3

Going back again to our original text from Matthew 7, I want you to notice that Jesus said there will only be a few that find the true way that leads to life.

Does this surprise you?

This is a very different view from that which we hear from most preachers these days. We constantly hear revival being preached. We are constantly being told of mighty moves of the Holy Spirit that are sweeping millions into the Kingdom of God But if we are totally honest, we see that Jesus told a very different story.

Matthew 7 13-14 speaks of great deception.

It speaks of people trying to find the real truth, but ending up accepting a way that is far from the truth that leads to life. The word ’strait’ as used in KJV means ‘narrow, from obstacles standing close about’. It’s not that God has deliberately placed obstacles in the way to prevent people entering in, but that people have made obstacles of the truth.

Jesus said, “No man comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Many make this an obstacle. They would rather ignore what Jesus said and ‘climb up some other way’ John 10:1

They would rather seek God’s approval by good works, by going to Church or by their giving or a host of other ways. In the end, all these things become obstacles to them entering in and finding life. Jesus said, “I am the door, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” Jesus is the only Way, He is the only Truth and He is the only LIFE!

So many in the Church today are not entering in by Jesus. Many are following the big name preachers of this day. They hang on to every word that Mr. False Teacher says.

But because Mr. False Teacher is approved by so many, is so well known and respected by the majority, they take his words as truth, without testing them, and follow him.

They are deceived. They are lukewarm. They are detestable to God!

I believe that what we are seeing in the Church today is that which was prophesied for the end times in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. “…That day will not come unless the falling away comes first.”

The falling away means apostasy in Greek. The vast majorities in the Church today are in an apostate condition. They have settled for less than the truth.

“…All unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thess. 2:10

I challenge you who are reading this, do not settle for that which is being served up as truth by most preachers and ministers in Churches today.

“Test all things; hold fast to what is good.” 1 Thess. 5:21.

Test all that you hear by the infallible Word of God.

Not all that sounds ‘Christian’ is actually truth.

Be among the few who enter in by the strait gate and find LIFE!

Remember that Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock.” Luke 12:32 He called the true Church a little flock, not a massive big one! Are you one of the ‘Little flock’ Are you one of the ‘few there be that find it’

Pastor Keith Brown runs http://www.hiscomingministries.com and provides free downloads and cassettes of his teaching. Why not tune into one of the internet’s only Prophecy Radio Stations at http://www.hiscomingministriesradio.com Great Music, Great Teaching 24/7

Are you looking to start a business working from home? There is a lot of work at home opportunities on the market today. You need to do research and find out what is right for you, and what it is you would like to get out of the business. Choosing the right business shouldn’t be hard if you can answer a few simple questions. You should ask yourself the following questions to determine if a Personalized Gift business is right for you.

1. Are you good with customers?

a. You should be a likeable person with a good attitude and patience when dealing with the public. Working with the public is what this business is all about.

2. Do you have the time to invest?

a. You can except to invest a fair amount of time promoting and advertising your new business. One thing to remember is this is not a get rich quick scheme. You will need to invest your time and energy into this business, but the rewards will be worth the time invested.

3. Do you have funds set aside to invest in advertising?

a. You should have funds set aside for advertising your new business. Many business opportunities will give you the information you need to get started, but this does not include promotions, and advertising. You should expect to advertise regularly to gain respect in the market place. People will not come running to your, you will need to find your customers and sell them your items.

4. Are you looking to get rich quick?

a. If so then this business is not for you. This business will require work on your part to succeed and make a profit. A Personalized Gift business is a rewarding business that will allow you the freedom to work from home providing an honest and very in demand product.

A Personalized Gift business is a great business to get into. You can get started for a relatively reasonable price, that won’t break the bank. You can get started for as little as $20.00 or as much and $5,000. You need to research what kind of gift business you wanna start and then you will have knowledge on what to look for in a business package.

Be sure to read articles and information on what you are getting, before you purchase any kit(s) from anyone. Some places will sell you on information only and nothing to actually allow you to make the product. Search for kits that will give you the tools you need to start a business, plus any software and templates you may need. A good work at home startup kit will give you what you need at a price you can afford. You shouldn’t need to spend thousands on a business startup kit when you can get the same startup kit elsewhere for only a few hundred dollars including software supplies, and information.

I own and operate http://www.CandyWrapWarehouse.com your source for supplies, software, and candy wrapper templates

If have decided that home schooling really is right for you and your kids, you will likely want to know what to do next. Here are some quick points for getting started with home schooling:

Locate your state’s home school group. You can do this online easily by typing in your state and the keyword “home schooling” at your favorite search engine. Then go to your state listing.

Locate your local support group for parents of home schooled kids. These groups will help you to get good tips from other parents and is a great place to find like-minded people to share your troubles etc.

Know the laws in your state about home schooling. If you have questions, arrange for an evaluation with your local school board so that you can verify that your child is approved for home schooling. They will also check for a proposal from you about home schooling your child

Get any magazines, books and/or other supplies that you will need in order for you to have steady resources on hand to offer tips etc.

What Happens next?

When it comes to the home schooling of your children, quite a few factors play into not just what you will do about it, but also how you will make sure that you are approved to do it. Like everything else, this is a process. Many people have questions that they need to answer about home schooling. As the parent/teacher of your child, you must do the following to get started with home schooling:

Develop your home schooling curriculum that is both approved by the school board or state, as well as meeting your ability to teach.

Schedule a meeting with the school board or state education officials so that they can offer you any help with tutors etc. that are approved. You will also be presenting your proposal at this meeting.

Get information about and register for evaluations with your school board or state to ensure that your child is meeting with the approved standards in your area.

Get yourself certified to teach your child

Create a home schooling proposal for what you are planning to teach your child and how you plan to go about it.

The court says clearly that school officials and parents must agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches: standardized testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samples. Home visits may not be necessary as a condition of this approval.

Dated work samples mean just what they sound like in that, they are a few samples of work with dates on them. You do not have to compile an extensive portfolio in order to submit it to the school although you might like to keep these kinds of records for your own use.

Progress reports can also serve as your plan for the coming year if you include information about how current learning will be extended into the next year, and what new areas will be added. While the law does not specify that a home schooling plan needs to be submitted annually, many towns have come to expect them.

It is important for you to include in your education plan what form of evaluation you are planning to use. That way if the school later asks you for a form of evaluation that you’d prefer not to use, you can refer them to your approved education plan in which you already said that you would submit your preferred evaluation.

Adding a line in your annual report such as, an annual progress report/dated work sample/standardized test results will be submitted upon request; is a good idea if you aren’t sure whether or not they’ll ask you for anything. Of course, if they don’t ask, you don’t need to submit anything.

As with anything else, getting everything organized is the first step to getting off to a great start. Deciding to home school is a big decision, getting the paper work in order will keep everything flowing.

Gerri Stone publishes recent news, articles and updates about home schooling on her site www.discoverhomeschooling.com

Don’t you want the perfect life? The perfect job, mate, family, home? There’s nothing wrong with that desire if you define perfection on your own terms. Usually, we let others (a friend, teacher, parents, and the media) define it for us, and then spend the rest of our life trying to live someone else’s fantasy.

Women, in particular, are bombarded with hundreds of images of perfection on a daily basis, all of which promise happiness, yet few of which real women can achieve. (In a magazine interview Jane Fonda said, “Most womenno matter how beautifulgrow up feeling their bodies are not perfect.”) Magazine photos of even the plus size models don’t dare show one little dimple of cellulite on their size 14 thighs! TV celebrity chefs demonstrate how to cook the perfect gourmet meal in minutes, and design experts tell us how to serve it up on perfectly decorated tables. This is not real life for most of us. Have you ever had the time, energy or desire to decoupage your own napkin rings? How about pressing your own olives for the bread dip at your next dinner party? Just thinking about it makes me exhausted and begs the questionwhy?

There was a time I wouldn’t invite guests to my house unless it was thoroughly scrubbed by professional cleaners within a day or twoas if someone would really notice the dust bunny lurking on the floor behind the toilet. Surely, it would spoil their evening and any image of perfection they had of me.

The unending quest for perfection upon a lifetime ends up looking like a horrible make-up job that smothers reality in layers of noticeably thick cover-up, mismatched colors and empty promises. If you think you must be perfect, nothing will ever make you feel perfect enoughunless you want to sell your soul and become a Stepford Wife. Do you want your kids to remember how clean you kept the house or the fun things you did together? I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep your house neat, work hard to be promoted, improve your tennis skills or even get that nose job you’ve always wanted. Just make sure you’re doing all of it for yourself, not to meet someone else’s definition of perfection. Your imperfections are what make you unique, vulnerable and lovingthose are the qualities in life worth pursuing.

Chase the things in life that make you truly happy. Being a happy Goddess will always outrank being a perfect Goddess.

5 Ways to Stop Chasing Perfection:

• Make a list of all your unique qualities and assign a positive word to each of them.

• Remind yourself that what you see in magazines and on TV isn’t REALit’s merely entertainment.

• Adjust your expectations of yourself and others based on each individual’s ability and interest.

• Shine in those areas that come natural to you and don’t worry about the rest.

• Before going the extra mile, ask yourself if it really matters and why.

Excerpted from the book: The Goddess of Happiness, A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss

Debbie Gisonni, aka The Goddess of Happiness, is an author (The Goddess of Happiness: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Heavenly Balance and Bliss and Vita’s Will: Real Life Lessons about Life Death & Moving On), speaker, happiness expert and columnist for iVillage.com. Contact: http://www.goddessofhappiness.com

Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Debbie Gisonni

Instead of trying to impose a garden through extensive pruning and soil conditioning, prepare the site for woodland plants, such ferns, shade loving shrubs and perennials. Plants suited to these conditions will grow and thrive without major site preparation.

Limited site manipulation if fine. Lower branches may need to be pruned to allow access into the garden, smaller trees may need to be removed to avoid competition and some organic compost can be added to the site in order to create optimal growing conditions.

Woodland gardens, which mimic the forest landscape, have four vertical elements; the canopy layer, the understory, the shrub layer and the ground layer. Try to incorporate each layer into your garden.

The canopy layer consists of the tallest trees which provide the shade and dictates what you’ll be able to plant. The type of canopy determines the amount of light reaching the ground. Closed canopies allow little to reach the ground and are created by evergreens and large deciduous trees growing close together. Open canopies, on the other hand, create dappled shade and occur when trees are spaced far apart. The understory layer in made up of the smaller woodland trees such as the flowering dogwood. Viburnums, azaleas and other lower growing woody plants create the shrub layer. Ground layer plants include perennials, ferns and bulbs.

The forest landscape changes often so plan accordingly; design your garden giving thought to the seasonal changes in the landscape. In the spring, beneath deciduous trees, quite a bit of sunlight is able reaches the ground through the branches This allows flowering perennials and bulbs to bloom. Though the spring flower display can be stunning, be careful not to plan your woodland garden around these flowers as they will soon disappear and die back to the ground. Include plants with lush foliage which will last through the summer months. As spring progresses and the canopy begins to close, plants such as ferns, mosses and perennials become the focus of the garden as they create a lush green carpet.

In the fall, trees such as sugar maple, dogwood and hickory and deciduous shrubs such as viburnum and summersweet provide brilliant, colorful foliage. After their fall display, deciduous plants drop their leaves replenishing the soil with nutrients that has been stored in their foliage.

Don’t overlook features such as a plant’s form, colorful berries and interesting bark. It is these features which are treasured through the winter months. Berry producing plants also provide wildlife with food.

Many woodland plants can be considered year-round attractions. For example, the dogwood begins the season with flowers and red fruits. After its colorful fall foliage falls to the ground its bark, which flakes with age, provides the garden with interest through the winter. The birch tree’s beautiful form is most noticeable in the winter after it sheds its brilliant yellow leaves. Red twig dogwood is a shrub layer plant which, as the name suggests, has red bark. It stands out wonderfully against the snow and the barren winter landscape.

When planning your woodland garden, be sure to include benches and spaces for rest as gardens in the shade provide a pleasant respite from the hot summer sun.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm