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It is very important to make sure that you have proper Nebraska car insurance coverage if you are a Nebraska resident. The state of Nebraska chose the honey bee as their state insect probably because it is so industrious. You may want to mimic the behavior of this busy bee and shop around for car insurance if you live and own a car in the state of Nebraska.

Nebraska follows a Tort system of law in regards to car accidents. This means that someone must be found to be at fault for causing the accident, and that person and their car insurance company is responsible for all damages.

Nebraska state law only requires that you carry liability car insurance. The state requirements are Bodily Injury Liability in the amount of $25,000 per injured person up to $50,000 per accident.

You must also have Property Damage Liability car insurance coverage in the amount of $25,000. Keep in mind that if you are found to be the cause of an accident, you will be held personally and financially responsible for any and all damages and medical expenses that is not covered by insurance. Medical expenses and car repair costs add up fast, so you may want to purchase more than the minimum amount of car insurance required.

For more information on the required amount of insurance, or if you have any questions about Nebraska’s car insurance requirements, you can call the Nebraska Department of Insurance located in Lincoln or speak with a licensed Nebraska auto insurance agent.

While not required by Nebraska law, you may want to purchase comprehensive car insurance coverage. If you are in an accident, comprehensive car insurance will pay for repairs up to the Blue Book value of the car, and if the costs will be in excess of this amount the car will be deemed to be totaled and you will receive the cash value of the car. Comprehensive coverage may be required by your bank or other financial institution if you have a car loan or lease your vehicle. In some cases gap insurance might be a good idea as well. Gap car insurance will help make up the difference between what is paid by comprehensive car insurance and what is owed on your loan if your car is found to be totaled in an accident.

Also not required by the state of Nebraska, you may want to purchase collision car insurance coverage. Collision coverage will pay for the repairs to your car, minus your deductible, in the event you are involved in an accident.

Personal Injury Protection, commonly called PIP insurance added to your car insurance coverage will help pay for reasonable and necessary medical expenses for you and your passengers. While Nebraska state law does not require Personal Injury Protection, you may want to seriously consider this type of coverage. Personal Injury Protection car insurance will help with medical expenses, lost wages, and replacement services for any injuries to you and your passengers if you’re involved in a car accident.

You might also want to consider underinsured/uninsured car insurance coverage. This type of coverage protects you if you or your passengers are injured in an accident caused by a driver who has no insurance, or is underinsured. Underinsured/uninsured car insurance coverage will pay for such things as medical expenses, lost wages, other general damages, and injuries sustained in hit-and-run accidents.

The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles uses the phrase proof of financial responsibility in some of its forms and documents. This means the state wants to see documentation proving that you have a valid car insurance policy that will cover any personal or property damages you may cause in a car accident.

If you have amassed too many points on your driving record, or have been convicted of driving while intoxicated, were involved in a serious accident, or previously failed to maintain proper car insurance, you may need to file a valid SR-22 Nebraska Certificate of Insurance to be issued a new driver’s license. There are some key things that you should know if you are looking to purchase Nebraska SR-22 auto insurance.

An SR-22 Certificate of Insurance, simply states that you have proper and valid car insurance. You’re insurance company must mail or personally deliver this document to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. The SR-22 form will contain the name of your insurance company, your car insurance policy number, the effective date of your car insurance coverage, and the signature of your car insurance company’s licensed representative. If you are required to have a SR-22, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles will track your car insurance information through a special computer system to make sure you have adequate proof of financial responsibility.

To obtain more information about an SR-22 Certificate of Insurance, you can call the Nebraska Financial Responsibility Division at (402) 471-3985.

When purchasing car insurance in Nebraska, it may save you hundreds of dollars a year in car insurance premiums to do some research. Take the time to shop around and compare rates and the different types of coverage available.

In addition to shopping for the best rate, shop for the best insurance company as well. Ask questions such as: How do you determine my Nebraska car insurance rate? What can I do to get a better rate? Do I qualify for any discounts? What kind of payment plans to you offer? What is your procedure for filing a claim? You may want to pay close attention to the car insurance company’s answers to these questions, it could help you determine which Nebraska car insurance company is going to give you the best customer service, as well as a good rate.

Be sure and compare rates from multiple Nebraska auto insurance companies side by side in order to find the best rate. Get started comparing auto insurance quotes today!

With an increasing number of serious incidents being reported at dog parks, I want to introduce the safe alternative that a well-run private dog park can provide. You will find that a properly designed and managed private dog park is a dramatically different experience than what you have read about or have witnessed in public parks. A privately run dog park can properly screen, staff and enforce park regulations. We do caution you that even with the information you will gain from this article, please know that any dog park is not regulated, so we encourage everyone to do their homework before visiting any dog park to ensure it is right for you and your dog.

The current trend is that community and homeowner associations are responding to community demand by setting aside a small plot of their land for a public dog park. Unfortunately these unmanaged and unregulated fenced areas often turn to that of neighbor confrontation, injury and horror, even with the best of intending groups and dog owners. Let’s face it, without any oversight or enforcement, incidents are going to occur. Because I recognized the dangers in dog parks to the point that I would not take my dogs to one, I was motivated to devise the complex recipe for a safe off-leash dog park. Therefore; I conducted an in-depth investigation of many existing dog parks to establish the precise formula needed to create an off-leash haven.

I visited many, talked with visiting dog owners and observed many dog parks, both private and public. From my investigative travels and with my inherent understanding of dogs, I developed the complex operating matrix for a safe, off-leash dog park. Since that design work, we have successfully opened the first of our many private dog parks that thousands of qualifying dogs and their owners have already enjoyed. Our safety performance at the Royal Paws Dog Park & Doggie Day Camp facility speaks for itself with an impeccable safety performance and industry leading staffing ratio.

Benefits to your Dog with Off-Leash Exercise

The benefits to a dog at an off-leash dog park or any open area of land are immense. Unleashed running elevates heart rate, increases metabolism, improves gastrointestinal efficiency, and extends muscles and joints, all of which contributes to general overall fitness. It is known that maintaining such a healthy lifestyle for your loved dog will increase longevity and reduce risk of all associated conditions and diseases that obesity can cause. The experience for your dog in open field run is like no leashed exercise we can otherwise provide and the benefits will last a lifetime. When letting your dog run in an open field for exercise value, please consider that there are many risks to both you and your dog. You may be violating leash laws, the dog can track a scent or get lost, run into traffic or unwelcome neighborhood area, confront aggressive dogs or dangerous wildlife or foliage; which are all of the reasons as why I do not take my dogs to any open land without fences despite their excellent obedience.

In fenced area designated as a dog park, in addition to fitness improvement, your dog can enjoy benefits from the social interaction with the other dogs IF experienced without incident. The advantage for a dog that is well exercised and socialized benefit the dog, the owner and the community ONLY IF they have somehow avoided traumatic incident. Well exercised and socialized dogs are much less likely to contribute to neighborhood nuisances like chronic barking or showing aggression to other dogs.

If public parks could operate as well-run private dog park do, these benefits would be maintained. Unfortunately, many dog parks are not continuously regulated nor do they have the resources or knowledge to accurately screen the dogs; therefore, odds are that incidents will occur. Incidents like your dog being attacked by another dog or even being bullied by another dog can cause regression in social skills, cause behavioral issues, invoke fear aggression or cause physical injury or death. Following any incident at a public park, without a safe and regulated choice of private dog park that can best create positive experiences to overcome the impact of the incident, your dog may never physically or emotionally recover from the past trauma. The likelihood of good experiences for your dog in a well-managed private dog park is the reason that many loved dog owners everywhere chose private over non-regulated public parks.

Premise of a Safe Dog Park – It’s Private

The advantages a private dog park has over any public dog park is the ability to secure more favorable, larger parcels of land, improved grounds maintenance, set dog health requirements, enforceable park rules, screening of appropriate tempered dogs and third party intervention. Beware though and do your homework about any private dog park you intend to visit. Just because they can do all of the above does not mean that they do! While it is integral that the private dog park has the ability to control all of the above to make visits to a well-managed private dog park enjoyable, the most important to me are the health and temperament screening and ability of park staff to intervene.

If you have read the actual details in the recent headline grabbing horror stories of incidents in dog parks, they almost always are a result from a dog being in the park that should not be or from uneducated/erroneous decisions made by visiting dog owners. Both of these should not occur if your private dog park is consistent in managing and operating the facility for the safety and enjoyment of all. With private dog parks operating as a business, financial success is always a consideration. So turning away visiting dogs equates to lost revenue, so unless the park is focused exclusively on maintaining a safe environment for all, a private park that is short-term financially driven can pose the same risks that a public park does.

The third party oversight ability of park staff to intervene is required to eliminate personality clashes and biased evaluation of situations and/or dog’s behavior. So when the experienced screener determines the dog lacks the temperament so he/she can play with others, it is the park staff’s responsibility to deal with the disappointed dog owner. Same intervention by park staff goes in the event a visiting dog owner does not abide by park rules or a dog plays too rough or violations of any other park code of behavior. You can imagine these discussions are difficult; however, by park staff entertaining such discussions it eliminates any personal intervention by visiting dog owners.

Telling a dog owner that their dog is not allowed or can no longer come to the park until troublesome behavior is removed is always difficult. However, it is critical that the staff of the private dog park you are intending to visit has the proper screening system, the diligence to comply and financial ability to effectively turn away the revenue for dogs that do not appear to be capable of socially interacting at such level to keep the park safe for all.

As important to the screening is the park’s development and maintenance of expertly developed park rules. To the novice dog owner, many of the park rules appear to be too cumbersome and detailed. The reality is that each rule of a well-run dog park is well thought through and derived from merit by an expert in dog behavior. Compliance to all of the rules is key to the safe enjoyment of the park by all. For example, the toy aggression of a dog or rough play can within seconds turn into a dog fight even with the best of mannered & socialized dogs. Without such detailed rules and the full oversight to insure they are all followed, the private dog park could turn into mayhem.

Dog Park Management of Sizes and Breeds

For the safety of all, we highly recommend separating small dogs from large, excluding entrance to a few breeds, requiring males be neutered unless under strict command and requiring that dogs be at least four months old to enjoy the park. What we hear the most from small dog owners is that they want their small dogs to be able to play in the designated big dog area because “they like to play with big dogs”. Although the small dogs may have enjoyed past experiences playing with a large dog of neighbor or friend, the risk remain of physical injury to the small dogs if they are allowed in the same area as big dogs. It is my opinion each size should have designated areas to create safe play for all. Thus, we recommend that when investigating which dog park is right for you, this should be part of consistent operations.

Let me first say I do not believe in stereotyping any particular breed for temperament. However, due to instinctual drive levels, size and bite capacity, there are some breeds that I believe should be prohibited from entry to an off-leash park and some that should have elevated entrance criteria. Pit bulls, not specifically because of temperament but rather from jaw force/releasability should be forbidden from the off-leash dog park. Although we have met some of the sweetest and well-socialized pit bulls, we do not allow them to visit our parks because the risk is so high of severe injury to another dog if they were to bite.

Chow Chows are another breed that unless have a lifetime of scalability or coming in as a young dog, do we rarely let into the park. Any of the other “working breed” dogs, including terriers, due to their breed characteristics, prey drive, protection dog status and/or sheer size should go through elevated entrance criteria. These types of dogs must meet entrance-required temperament, in addition must demonstrate clear owner command. Upon meeting entrance criteria, they undergo frequent evaluations for continued social ability and owner command. All other dogs must pass dog socialization evaluation and demonstrate basic obedience.

Many Responsibilities of the Dog Owner

Even with the best of run private dog parks, the dog owners retain a high level of responsibility upon park entrance while be willing to withstand the occasional park staff directive. They must carefully watch their dog, abide by all park rules, maintain the obedience skills of the dog and know their dog well enough to predict their dog’s behavior. Knowing your dog’s mood, watching it’s posture and identifying or correcting any potential troublesome behaviors is critical so all can enjoy the park. Every dog will encounter occasions where they will meet another dog that they do not like or are uncomfortable around.

It is the best of private dog parks where entry requires command of your dog so that incidents of escalated aggression can be avoided when each dog owner carefully watches their dog and can command their dogs away from each and every situation. Incidents occur only when the dog owners are not vigilant in watching their dogs or do not understand their dog’s behavior and the slightest of uncomfortable encounters prolongs to escalate into a dogfight. Again, each dog owner should understand their dog’s postures, expressions and movement to be able to differentiate in off-leash situations when they are comfortable and when they are not. If the dog owner does not intuitively understand their dog, we recommend seeking the assistance of a professional dog trainer.

Safely Socializing Dogs Early Benefits Everyone

We believe that all dogs, when in receipt of proper health vaccination should be socialized in a safe environment to improve their ability throughout their life of all of the benefits an off-leash park can provide. Any puppy, following final adult vaccination booster should be introduced socially to other dogs, people, children and other distractions and a well-managed private dog park creates the perfect place. Puppies visiting a safe off-leash park will easily learn good behavior in the dog social structure and provide the dog owner the ability to enhance obedience training with distractions. Just as the benefits of teaching good manners to a dog early in their life are immense, so are the risks that behavior issues or dog aggression will occur in the event the early experiences are traumatic.

With puppies, we strongly encourage you thorough investigation on the park you are considering to take them to best create the opportunity for good experiences. We recommend you confirm that the park is well maintained, strictly managed and rules enforced. Taking the puppy to a private off-leash dog park will provide your dog a life-long of comfort around other dogs, people and children. However; even with the best of private dog parks, there are other distractions that you should have your puppy comfortable with, which is why we also recommend taking a puppy (when fully vaccinated) to busy shopping malls with diverse people and sounds, nature walks with children & bicycles and on-leash dog walking trails to learn on-leash manners.

Picking the Private Dog Park for You

While private dog parks are gaining in popularity because they may be the only choice for safe and enjoyable off-leash fun, enter with caution. If a dog park is “Private”, it is operated as a business entity, but this does not guarantee it is safe for you and your dog. It is our recommendation that with any place you intend to take your dog, you first tour the facility. Inspect the fence and the grounds, as well as talk with some of the dog owners visiting to learn about their safety record and staffing. After touring, talk with the park staff about what is required to visit. If you do not have to show paperwork confirming vaccinations or they do not meet your dog and determine social ability with other dogs, we would recommend that you know there may be risks. As with any place that you take your dog, insure you have great command of your dog and you are comfortable with the park layout and your dog’s social skills to lessen the chances of a possible incident with another dog.

Terri Malueg-Ray, President & Founder of many industry leading, innovative companies who is an international pet industry expert.

Terri L. Malueg-Ray is President and Founder of six-year-old company, Royal Paws Resort & Day SpaÔ, Ltd., one-year old company Royal Pawsä Dog Park, LLC and founding partner of My Owner Has Gone To Heaven, LLC. Terri is known throughout the pet industry as a true innovator. She has created many premier products and services and most recently introduced her new line of gourmet pet meals, called Pet TastiesÔ. Terri’s background in engineering, chemistry and computer science provides her the ability to develop, design and execute the creation of Pet Tastiesä, the only complete line of healthy, yet tasty brand of gourmet pet meals available in the market today. Following the design of Pet Tastiesä, Terri utilized her leadership background to open the first pet restaurant in the Atlanta metro area and has made headlines nationwide. Most notably, on the reality hit TV show, Ambush Makeover, The Montel Williams Show, CNN, Jezebel Magazine, Atlanta Magazine.

Auto repair guides explain the maintenance, repair, and cleaning of automotive supplies. These are guides meant for home users as well as professionals. Nowadays, these are available in electronic versions, and there are many software packages available to diagnose and fix automotive problems.

Major companies in this industry such as Ford, Mercedes, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen provide electronic auto repair guides so that even amateur users can learn a lot about auto repair. Auto repair guides usually tell you how repairs are done on all major parts of an automobile including the brake system, cooling system, electrical system, engine system, A/C-heat system, body and exterior, exhaust system, fuel system, steering and suspension system, and drive train.

A number of good online auto repair guides are provided free on selected websites. These sites provide useful articles and FAQs that enable you to learn the techniques of auto repair step by step.

Lots of auto repair guides tell you how to do simple auto repair jobs at home.

They also help you find quality used auto parts. Lots of auto repair guides also give you advice on auto repair shops in major cities. Auto repair guides also provide information on auto insurance, car rentals, driving schools and car washes. They help you learn more about automotive maintenance, car accessories and car audio systems.

At the most basic level, general auto repair guides walk you through some of the most basic maintenance and repair processes that are common to all vehicles. If you are new to auto repair, these may help you a lot. Auto repair guides also tell you how to choose a repair shop and how to choose a technician. They provide you with an idea about repair charges and preventive maintenance too. You can learn a lot about protecting your auto repair investment from these guides.

Auto Repair provides detailed information on Auto Repair, Auto Glass Repair, Online Auto Repair, Auto Body Repair and more. Auto Repair is affiliated with Discount Auto Parts.

Parents are being urged to think about their homes as learning environments in light of new government plans to help improve the education of children both in and out of school.

The call has been made by one of the UK’s leading suppliers of children’s furniture in a bid to help parents look at wider factors which contribute towards effective learning.

While the government is focusing on how the parents and extended families have a significant role to play in encouraging children to learn, Aspace is keen to widen the debate to include the importance of the environment in which they learn.

The company’s managing director Paul Cunningham thinks the government has not given enough consideration to the peripheral issues which make a significant contribution to the way children learn.

“There’s no doubt about it, the surroundings in which children learn are an important factor in how they learn,” said Mr Cunningham.

“While it is encouraging to see the government is taking proactive steps to help families think about how they can help their children, they haven’t addressed where they learn in the home.

“Even if you put technology issues – such as proliferation of TVs, DVDs, MP3 players and games consoles – to one side, the home environments for many children can often be awash with unintentional distractions and barriers to learning.

“And this is where a little lateral thought about what constitutes a good home learning environment could contribute an enormous amount to helping potentially millions of children in the UK having better all-round learning experiences.

“We just want to raise the point because we feel it is important that it does become part of the government’s agenda for driving up standards of children’s education.”

The ethos of Mr Cunningham’s company, which sells kids furniture directly to the public via its website http://www.aspaceuk.com and also through its direct mail catalogues, encourages parents to think about the environments they create through the purchases they make.

“Parents don’t realise just how much the furniture they buy sets the tone for how their children use the space in their own rooms,” he said.

“More so than ever before children’s bedrooms are multifunctional in their usage because they are places where they sleep, play, socialise and study.

“Although the parents don’t often recognise it in these terms, kids furniture is both fundamental and pivotal in setting the tempo for how their children behave and react in doing all the things they do in their room.

“And getting the balance right so it is conducive to all these purposes is a hard one and that is why getting the theme of the room and the furniture which reflects them is so important – especially as it may be the only dedicated place in the house where a child has the space to learn.”

The comments by Mr Cunningham reflect the changes he has seen in the industry since the company started five years ago. In that time the company has thrived after spotting a gap in the market to supply furniture which sits firmly between the cheap functional ranges which are available in retail stores and specialist products which are often out of the price range of most families.

It now has a multimillion pound turnover and being in the mid ground has enabled Aspace to source products which are well thought out both in terms of the ergonomic design and the impact they have in determining the atmosphere of a room.

Mr Cunningham argues that good quality kids furniture is not expensive and in a lot of cases it can be extremely competitively priced compared with what is often considered to be the bland and uninspiring bog-standard ranges on offer at large retail outlets.

“There is growing demand for good, well-made products which are well designed to cater for the variety of functions and activities in a child’s bedroom,” he said.

“Coordination is key to this to ensure all the pieces of furniture in the room complement one another so they provide the right functionality so they can be a place to maximise the opportunities of sleep, play and work.”

Mr Cunningham’s remarks come as the government has finished consulting on plans to help parents get involved in their children’s learning as part of its drive to ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life.

The government is pumping £9 million into helping local authorities to fund the development of fresh ideas on how to connect with parents and help them to help their children.

Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes said she knows that parents are central to children’s well-being and that children’s experiences in their early years have a major impact on later life.

She added that it is vital that children have a sound basis on which to learn and develop, as well as enjoying time with their parents and that the money the government is making available will see innovative approaches in supporting and encouraging parents to really get involved in their children’s development.

Christopher Lusty MA has more than 20 years industrial and product design experience in cots, nursery furniture and children’s beds and furniture. He is involved in the development of safety standards in nursery/children’s furniture. He is also a consultant for strategic proposals for the Wood Industry in Slovenia and Hungary and their consideration under the EU run “PHARE” project aimed at assisting economic reconstruction in Eastern Europe. He has contributed to the blueprint, build and implementation of factories in many countries including South Africa and Zimbabwe. He is Managing Director of Linked Resourcing Ltd (Cots, Beds and Furniture – B to B)

1) A successfull Internet Marketer knows exactly his goals and is focused on attaining them:

Hence, by having clearly defined his objectives, a succesfull Internet Marketer is armed and ready to attain them. This way, he will not get distracted and give in all those hyped salesletters promising a get rich quick scam. It is a known fact that :”If you don’t know where you are going, you will end-up somewhere else!”

Action: Take a moment NOW to honestly question yourself if your goals are crystal clear and attainable.

2) A successfull Internet Marketer is commited to his success:

Yes! People who made it big in their business (whether on or offline) were ready to put in the effort needed. If you believe that you will become a millionaire by putting in an hour a day, you will just keep buying those ” get rich fast gimmicks” and will waste your money.

Action: Ask yourself if you are commited to your online success and if you are willing to do the necessary sacrifices it will need in the beginning.

3) A successfull Internet Marketer believes in his success:

The reality is actually way more powerful than this: “For a successfull Internet Marketer, failiure is not an option!”

Does this mean that everything runs smoothly and perfectly the first time around for those successfull persons? Not at all! Most (if not all) Internet Millionaires encountered multiple set-backs. Their strength comes from the fact that they took these set-backs merely as challenges and got more motivated from them. If you experience doubts at time while pursuing your Web career, allow yourself to be inspired by Thomas Edison who made over a thousand attempts in designing the light bulb. When asked if he ever got discouraged by all those repeated failiures, he simply answered, smiling: ” I did not fail, I just discovered a thousand ways that did not work!” Now, that’s a winning attitude.

It all comes back to having the proper mind set.

Action: Honestly evaluate if you truely believe in yourself and your success. Are you putting-up excuses? Do you often catch yourself downtalking about your own goals?

4) A successfull Internet Marketer honestly cares about his customers:

This one may come as a shocker. It is true though that successfull marketers are in business because they care about making a difference and helping their customers.A person may make a good sum of money while selling a low quality service or product once. On the long run though, the customers can see through this person’s facade and recurring income is not going to be at the “rendez-vous”.

Action: Examine your profond motives in wanting to do Internet Marketing. Are you just “trying” this to get out of a job you do not like? Is helping other people through the products and services you are providing a genuine goal for you?

5) A successfull Internet Marketer is persistent:

It is pure utopia to think that everything will run smoothly and perfectly the first time around. Successfull people are persistent people. Success does not come from never falling, it comes from falling and getting back-up successfully. Furthermore, great achievers have the ability to change failiures into learning and creating opportunities. Most great inventions are the results of a need that created a frustration and then triggerred a solution.

Action: Consider how you react when faced with a negative result. Do you crumble down? Do you react vividly saying: “This time, it’s personal!”

I like the image of Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky 1 during his fight with Apollo Creed. The more punches he got, the faster he got back up. Ask yourself if challenges are putting you down or, on the opposite, motivating you beyond your wildest dreams.

6) A successfull Internet Marketer is a good listener:

Upon creating a strong marketing plan, a successfull marketer will consider the needs of his potential customers. He will not assume what their needs are, he will ask the right questions and sincerely listen. A common mistake that new marketers do is provide customers what they think the market needs. One can greatly “bum” in a business in providing a product/service that nobody really wants.

Action: Do an objective research on what your target market wants. Are you on the right track or do you need to change your perspective?

7) A successfull Internet Marketer is hard working and efficient:

I am sorry to be the one bringing you the bad news but building a highly successfull businness that pays well requires hard work, at least in the beginning. The good news is that if you possess the first six qualities of a successfull Internet Marketer, creating your empire will actually be a fun journey! Most very successfull Internet Millionaires keep working although they do not need to just because they enjoy doing so. I know I will…

Action: Ask yourself if you are commited in providing the necessary effort to create a very successfull business. Do you tend to procrastinate and are an artist at creating excuses for not getting the job done? If you honestly feel you sometimes lack the strength to finish what you start, do not despair, there is help.

A succesfull Internet Marketer is accountable for his results:

As much as Internet Millionaires are responsible for their great success, as much they take blame and then action for their failiures. When something goes wrong, they do not blame other people or circumstances for the results. Right away, they sit back, analyse and learn from the situation and change whatever needs to be correted.

Action: Honestly analyse how you react when faced with a non-optimal result. Do you blame others? Are you 100% accountable for the results you bring in? If not, how can you manage your business so that your success are the direct results of your actions?

9) A successfull Internet Marketer constantly renews his business:

Let’s face it what was hot yesterday will be common today and outdated tomorrow. A sucessfull Internet Marketer keeps up to date on the current trends and adapts to the ever changing needs of its clients.

Action: Do you know what your market needs and wants? Ask yourself if you are offering a product that is still popular and in demand TODAY?

10) A successfull Internet Marketer knows how to leverage the strength of other successfull Internet Marketers:

One cannot do everything alone. Most, if not all, successfull Internet Marketers have learned to use the power of joining their force with others. Furthermore, a successfull Internet Marketer doesn’t try to re-invent the wheel. While creating a successfull Internet empire, the busy marketer leverages and uses what others have already created to make work easier and more proficient. A sucessfull Internet Marketer knows and uses the power of joint venturing with other great internet marketers.

Action: Are you slaving alone at your computer trying to figure out the system? What can you do to successully leverage what other people have created while doing business on the Web?

Dr Nathalie Fiset is a family doctor, a certified hypnotherapist and an internet marketer. She is the author of many very powerful hypnosis programs for best mental and physical health. Go to her main web site at http://www.drnathaliefiset.com to have access to her many resortfull web sites. Here hypnosis and marketing products have helped numerous people achieving their full potential. To benefit from her powerful tools, go to http://www.joinmeatthetop.com and subscribe to her valuable newsletter at joinmeathetop@aweber.com.

One of the most common issues when walking a dog on a lead is the pulling the dog does. Sometimes it may feel like your dog is taking you for a walk and you aren’t too far of the truth. It makes for one of the most unenjoyable experiences and often it can cause people to stop walking there dog or limit the number of walks they do. It can lead to great stress in the dog owner and can lead to a feeling of immense frustration. The good news is that people do train there dogs to walk beside them and any dog can be trained to walk properly on the lead.

Scenario

Time to take the dog for a walk.

We get up from our chair perhaps saying to the dog “walk time”, the dog responds by getting up and coming to life. We head to the bedroom putting on a coat or changing into more appropriate clothing for the walk. During this time we may make more eye contact with our dog and talk to it which leads it to bounce around and often this makes us happy because our dog is happy and can’t wait to go for a walk. So we only encourage this more and more cause we want our dogs to be happy. Usually the next thing is we start to head towards the door and if you come down stairs or walk down a hallway you will find your dog runs towards the door before you can even get there. We may at this time tell our dog to slow down or calm down.

As we draw closer to the front door the dog may start to bark and spin around in circles in excitement. At this point we may get our dog to sit, even though it maybe shaking in excitement. We put the lead on our dog and pretty much as soon as the dog hears the click of the lead it stands up and heads straight at the door. It’s about this time that we start to get angrier and our first out-burst maybe here, where we yell at our dog and command it to sit. We open the door and as soon as it opens our dog leaps outside dragging us with them. This makes us even angrier so we pull the dog back to us and attempt to shut the door and maybe we yell out to someone inside that we’re are taking the dog for a walk. We start to head towards the road and all the way our dog is pulling us like a freight train, they may start to sniff a bush then mark it, giving us a little relief before they rocket to the next spot to mark or sniff.

It can be quite embarrassing especially when people start to stare at us and watch as our dog drags us down the street. It’s around this time we may either loose it and yell at our dog or just accept that this is what our dog wants on its walk. Often on the walk we can hear the dog choking on the lead which makes us attempt to reason with the dog by telling it to wait or stop, when all this fails we let out more lead which allows it temporary relief before it charges ahead and continues to choke itself. The only way we stop the choking is by walking at its pace. By the time we get home the dog has slowed down and perhaps it may not be pulling much on the lead. That is till we reach our home. When we approach the door our dog starts to again pull at the lead and drag us to the front door.

We then open the door and our dog charges in and we look exhausted and find the walk is not enjoyable, rather it’s a chore. From here we start to associate walks with negative thoughts and thus we start to become less incline to take our dog for a walk. It seems hopeless and all the tips our relatives and friends give us just don’t work well or only discourage us. So being a proactive person we start to look around for information on how to walk your dog properly. After Googleing “how to stop your dog pulling on a lead” we have found this article. Or maybe you found this other ways – it’s not important. What’s important is that this issue is very common and with some simple tips and consistent training your dog will be walking properly on a lead.

Your Walk begins before you go for a walk:

Dogs learn from being rewarded. The behaviour of our dog is a direct reflection of how we reward our dog for certain behaviours. If your dog jumps around in excitement it’s because you have rewarded this behaviour. A reward can be as simple as talking to your dog, touching your dog or even eye contact. It’s important to know a reward is not just a chocolate drop; it comes in many forms and often is associated with body language. Also, hugely important, is that the training of a dog doesn’t stop. There is no such thing as “training time” and then the rest of the time with your dog. You can teach a dog to sit and stay however once this stops your dog will still be learning – especially how to behave in different situations. Just like how kids don’t stop learning when they come home from school.

Our energy is often another large part of how a dog behaves. If you get up and jump around all excited your dog will mimics this energy. If you get up with no heighten energy, no eye contact with your dog, nothing said, your dog will most likely get up and walk around slowly (especially if your dog follows you around the house everywhere).

How on earth does all this relate to walking your dog properly? Well the walk begins as soon as you get up from your chair. In the scenario above when we got up from our chair to go for a walk we said to our dog “walk time” which alerted our dog to heightened its energy and thus it got excited. Often we have trained our dog to react a certain way to words or body language by accident and its these triggers which cause our dogs to react like nutters sometime.

So first thing, if you are about to go for a walk totally ignore your dog and don’t let on you are even doing anything. Don’t make any eye contact, say nothing and try to keep a well balanced energy. Often it maybe good to visualise a reason you are going for a walk, perhaps rather than taking your dog for a walk your are walking to the local Dairy to grab a bottle of milk and your dog is following you. Remember that when you are going for a walk, you aren’t walking your dog. Rather you are going for a walk and your dog gets to come with you. This is very important because without this going through our head we may do subtle things the dog picks up on which make it think it can lead you on this walk. If your dog is pulling on your lead, it means it’s leading you.

So when your get ready for your walk, totally ignore your dog, give it no triggers to make it heighten its energy. Your dog’s energy should not be heightened, if it is then you need to sit down and restart this over again until your dog doesn’t react to you. There is no point continuing the walk if you leave the house with a dog which has heightened energy.

The front door is usually a place where your dog will have high energy (it’s a trigger) so don’t take your dog to the front door to put the lead on. You should put your lead on the dog away from the door, in another room. When you put the lead on make sure that the dog doesn’t just take off, nor should it get excited. You should be ignoring your dog and simply place the lead on it. The dog should not even notice it has a lead on. If it does get excited when you place the lead on then you should lower the dog’s energy by taking the lead off and sitting back down. Again you should never take a dog with heightened energy for a walk. Putting the lead on is an important part because this is like the front door and often is a high energy trigger. The reason why we make sure that our dog’s energy is low before we move to the next step is because the dog will take this heighten energy onto the next steps and all you will be doing is training your dog to have high energy when you take it for a walk. What we are doing here is training your dog to have low energy at each phase of the walk.

Your next step is to have the dog on the lead next to you. Make sure the lead is short and you must lead your dog to the door. Don’t let your dog rush the door and don’t let it get in front of you. You should have full control of the dog. If you find it’s pulling on the lead or getting uncontrollable you should take it back into the room you came from, lower its energy by making it sit and wait. Once its energy is lower then take it to the door again. Keep repeating this step till you can take the dog to the front door without it pulling or tugging on you.

Make it sit and wait at the door. The next part often will cause your dog to try and leap out the door. This again is a sign that your dog wants to lead the walk or is to excited for a walk. So make sure it is sitting and is calm, if you find your dog is crying you can stop it by using a command sound like “sssssssst”. If you use a word like “stop” or “wait” you may put emotion into it which only punishes a dog as it only hears the sound of the word, they don’t understand the word. Open the door. If the dog leaps out, shut the door and take the dog back into the previous room. Make it sit and wait till its calm. Again take the dog to the door and open it. Sit it there with the open door for about 10 seconds to give it time to get use to the outside smells and environment. You should exit the door and your dog should follow you. Once you are outside make your dog sit and shut the door. Another issue that can happen at this stage is that your dog may follow you however it may jump out the door and try to rush outside. If it does this then repeat walking through the door again until it stops doing this.

Now for the next stage. If you have a fenced property then grab a ball take your dog off the lead and throw the ball around for about 15 or so minutes – until your dog is almost drained of all its energy. Let them have a drink of water and then place the lead back onto your dog. Now your dog is ready to go for a walk. Why do we do this? They will be a lot easier to control since there energy will be low. Why go through all the stuff inside your home to lower your dog’s energy? Because your dog needs to learn leaving your home with a low energy.

Make sure your dog is on a very short lead and keep them beside you. The short lead means you have control of them and they will not choke themselves. Focus on a visualisation like heading towards the dairy and getting your milk. Your dog should be beside you and you must now ignore your dog. If it tries to pull sideways you need to counter this with a short tug back towards you. Don’t drag your dog, the tug should be very short and quick. This unbalances your dog and snaps it out of wanting to sniff the bushes. If you drag a dog you could injure it and possibly yourself. In a short time you should be able to pick up when your dog is about to be wayward and a simple small tug on the lead should correct it.

You need to lead this walk so you need to be confident on your walk, ignore your dog and just head towards your destination. With your dog at a lower energy they should be easier to control and with a short lead they should never get in front of you. If they do start to attempt to pull ahead of you do a quick tug and use the “sssssssssst” command to get them back to your speed. Don’t let your dog take over your walk. One of the most common mistakes is using a lead that is to long and letting your dog get a head of you – then you have no control at all and your dog will do what it wants. Your dog also doesn’t need to sniff every bush on your walk; this is just a territorial behaviour and should be discouraged. If you keep your dog beside you and it doesn’t get away from you within a short time they will get use to this and should make walking a lot more easier.

The next very important part of a walk is when you come home. When you enter your front door your dog must be in a calm state and not excited. If we let them enter the home excited then next time we go for a walk they will carry this excitement with them. So make them sit and make sure you enter your home first. You should take them into the living area behind you in a calm state, take the lead of them and just walk away. Also make sure no one else in the home makes any fuss of the dog as this can lead to your dog thinking it’s the leader of the home. Which is found in another article: Are you the pack leader? Often it’s good to feed a dog after its done some activity as feeding will also cause your dog to go to sleep which is the natural dog cycle: Exercise > Discipline > Food > Sleep.

To make this work well you need to be consistent. You cannot go back to the old way of taking your dog for a walk.

Tips:

•Ignore your dog before you go for a walk

•Only go for a walk when you dog is in a calm state

•If your dog gets excited before a walk don’t take them for a walk till they calm down

•Spend a good 15mins tiring them out with a ball before the walk

•To teach your dog to walk beside you, you need to have a short lead and walk them beside you the whole walk

•Visualise there is a reason you are going for a walk, for instance you are picking up some milk from the dairy and your dog gets to come.

•To control a dog on a lead do not drag your dog, use short tugs and also the “sssssssssst” command

•Keep your energy level low and consistent, never heighten your energy because your dog will only heighten there’s.

•Walk at your pace not your dogs

•Take control of your walk, have a strong assertive posture

•Ignore your dog during your walk, don’t give them to much attention, don’t talk to them

Teddy Spoodle
http://www.spoodle.co.nz

Aside from having powdery snow, majestic scenery, and the charming ambiance, this perfect mountain town also plays host to a number of unique festivals and events that serve as added attraction to the hordes of tourists that gather in the area especially during the ski season.

Winter Dew Tour:

One of the resort hosts for the hugely successful Winter Dew Tour’s debut season (2008-2009) which was held last December 2008 was Breckenridge. A counterpart of the summer tour which started in 2005, the Winter Dew Tour is an action winter sports tour which includes events like the slope style and super pipe snowboarding, and slope style and superpipe skiing, for both men and women’s categories.

The resort was only the first of the three-stop event wherein the top athletes in the world of snowboard and free ski accumulate points during each stop to vie for the coveted Dew Cup and the $1.5 million that comes with the title at the end of the tour.

The Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships:

Every year, four-person teams from different parts of the world come to Breckenridge to churn out distinctive works of art from 12-foot tall, 20-ton blocks of man-made ice with only the use of chisels, saws, the occasional chicken wire, and lots of imagination and creativity.

Working for around 65 hours spread out in five days, the team braves the cold to come up with the some of the most sensational ice pieces, which are then judged by a panel of renowned artists who give out awards for the first, second, and third prizes. Now on its 19th year, the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships is one of Breckenridge’s certified attractions drawing crowds of more than 30,000 every year.

Breckenridge Festival of Film:

Breckenridge may be known as a premier year-round resort but what many people may not be aware of is that the town is also a huge patron of the art and craft of film making. Established in 1981, the BFF is actually one of the oldest film festivals in the country and each year features an interesting lineup of independent films, premiers, and educational programs.

Breckenridge Oktoberfest:

Fill your steins to the brim with German beer, dance to Oompah music, take a bite of the bratwurst – find yourself transported to Germany for a weekend when you join the Oktoberfest merriment in Breckenridge. In reliving this age-old German tradition now for 15 years, the town is known to have one of the most colorful Oktoberfest celebrations in this part of the world.

Breckenridge always offers great atmosphere that instantly puts you in a good mood. If you’re not into good climate, summer in Breckenridge Ski Resort offers more activities than any tropical resort you find. The weather is warm enough but not hot, so you can easily stay at Breckenridge Ski Resort for the whole day outside in just sandals and shorts. Don’t forget to put on sunscreen.

Having basic auto repair tools can really be nice when your car starts to have car troubles. Having some repair tools can save you from having to run to your local Utah auto repair garage. You don’t want to have to run to a Utah auto shop for every single mechanical problem that goes on with your car.

Be sure to carry auto repair tools in your car with you whenever you drive. As discussed in a previous article, major car repairs may be saved by keeping up with the general maintenance of your car. Yet, even doing that does not guarantee that your car will never break down.

It is inevitable that your car will need some minor repairs every so often. Even when they are cared after very well, cars will need some mechanical work done. However, keeping good care of your car and bringing it in to your local Utah auto shops to replace oil and other maintenance checks will make it more plausible that you can save money when your car does have smaller issues because you will be able to do the repairs on your own.

You can usually find a good set of auto tools at most Utah auto stores. Stores that deal with car accessories are always a good place to look for auto repair tools. A lot of supermarkets are also selling auto repair tools.

Basic tool kits will allow you to do basic mechanical repairs yourself. Before trying to repair anything on your car yourself, you need to make sure you have a basic knowledge of car repairs. Local classes, online tutorials, and basic videos are a good place to start when studying how to do repairs on your car.

Some procedures should never be tried by a novice. For example, you would never want to try to replace a broken clutch by yourself. The type of repairs that novice car owners can easily do are things such as replacements on spark plugs or fuel filters.

When you buy a basic auto repair tool kit it should have some form of tutorial included with it. Tutorials will help you understand the tools and their uses. The more detailed the tutorial, the better.

You can ask your Utah auto repair technicians what tools are the best to have for basic maintenance work. Most will tell you the need for jumper cables, screwdrivers, set of wrenches, thick gloves, and breaker bars. When you go in to talk to your technician, compare the pricing between their basic auto repair tool kits and others you can find online or at the supermarkets.

Master Muffler is Utah’s leading muffler, brake and auto repair shop, and has 13 locations from Brigham City to Provo. Visit or call one of their locations for a free quote on how to improve your miles per gallon up to 30% for your car, truck or van. Visit their website at http://www.mastermuffler.net.

Introduction

Clothing is a big ticket item around the world. No matter what culture you live in, what language you speak, what gender you are and what you do for a living a big part of the expenses of your life is going to rest solely on clothing. Without clothing, it is not only unpleasant to appear in public but in most places it is also socially unacceptable except in other areas. There are many times when clothing is something that people do not really think about, but at others things like designer clothing are thought of a great deal both by the companies that make them as well as the customers that buy them.

This begs the question as to whether or not certain clothing businesses in certain places have the ability to survive. Designer clothing is something that many people are interested in constructing a business around but at the same time it is also something that many people don’t really understand when it comes right down to it. Designer clothing has a very special niche market whereas normal clothing is open to everyone. The Bali Clothing Retail Business deals in both designer clothing and normal clothing and manages to do well at both.

Bali Clothing Retail Business

The Bali clothing retail business is one that is just starting to get off the ground but already it shows a lot of promise in many different areas. Bali is an island in the archipelago nation of Indonesia and aside from the tourist attractions and the rich cultural heritage it also has a growing wholesale and retail clothing and handicrafts sector. Part of that sector is the retail clothing business and when you consider the clothing business specifically for Bali clothing you find that in Bali clothing as in all other kind of clothing you have the potential for both designer and normal clothing.

Designer Fashion Garments

Designer Bali clothing is actually just historical clothing that has been altered to appeal to the tastes of people that are interested in designer clothing. When you look back and forth between the different kinds of designer clothing, one thing becomes immediately obvious. The most popular kinds of designer clothing populations are younger girls that are either in their teens or twenties and when they look for designer clothing they are either looking for something that is popular or something that is new. Most of the time their own taste actually doesn’t play into it as much as whether or not they think the item they are purchasing will be popular. Since foreign designs frequently do end up being popular, it becomes easy to see why the Bali designer clothing has been able to infiltrate and find a foothold within the designer clothing industry at large.

Normal General Clothing

Of course, when it comes right down to it normal clothing is still a big hit. Bali clothing shops still sell jeans and t-shirts as retail items and in addition also sell sweaters. Not many people find need of a sweater in the Indonesian climate but that same sweater will definitely come in handy when they get back to wherever they came from. Normal clothing isn’t as big as designer clothing in Bali, but they both play a role in shaping the final landscape.

Related resources:

Antique Dealer Directory List Antique Shop, Dealers, Malls

Shopping Guide Directory For Fashion Clothes Jewelry Accessories Shoes Beauty Cosmetics

Buy Wholesale Clothing And Jewelry At Cheap Prices

Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success

Authors: Rick Brandon Ph.D. and Marty Seldman Ph.D.

Survival of the Savvy was on my bookshelf about a month before I had the privilege of meeting the author, Rick Brandon, at a leadership conference in San Francisco where we both were speaking. Our talks were at different times so I was able to attend Rick’s presentation.

That was when I realized how important this book could be to all the women I work with who are sometimes underestimated, overlooked, and denied proper recognition for their accomplishments because they abhor and avoid anything associated with the word politics. If this sounds like you, you are not alone.

Survival of the fittest! That is what it feels like in the work world sometimes. I know how tough it can be. I have worked in business since the mid 1980’s where I have witnessed political games of all sorts – power struggles, back biting, turf wars, and blind ambition.

Reading the book you will learn that the stereotypical image of the term ‘political’, that usually is thought of as overly political and at time unethical behaviors are definitely not what the authors are recommending.

Survival of the Savvy describes the political style continuum that ranges from the less political type who believe hard work, facts, and good ideas are enough to the overly political individuals driven by self-interest.

Brandon and Seldman suggest a high integrity middle ground (aka ethical and more palatable,) approach to politics that even the most politically averse can employ. They call it the green light/safe travel zone. This vital balance is neither too political nor politically naive.

Power and politics are not dirty words. You can promote yourself with integrity. These are important messages in the book for all women in business and especially for those in the traditionally less political career tracks who want to advance to leadership positions – women in science, R&D, Information Technology, engineering, and other technical fields.

The authors successfully help readers, who hate the thought of workplace politics, reframe how they think about power and politics. They offer useful and practical advice even for the political novice.

The further you advance, the more vulnerable you are if you remain politically naive. The authors claim in their experience ethical political skills are a leadership competency.

If you want to get ahead, but are so opposed to the concept of politics and to any of the ideas in the book the day will come when your subject matter and expert technical status are no longer good enough for you to advance. Your career will plateau. Shunning even high integrity, ethical politics can mean you are destined to succeed only in a job in the ranks below management and leadership. If you do progress into management you are at risk to derail in all but the most non-political cultures.

Reading and applying the information in the book is not easy but worthwhile for all who want to land the top jobs and earn the income they deserve. If you feel frustrated or have plateaued in your career advancement, it may be a political blind spot and reading this book can help.

Although not a book written specifically for women, the authors offer ‘political’ success strategies especially relevant for women.

Jean Caton is a Career, Business, and Life Coach, Speaker, and Virtual Educator. She has over 20 years of business experience working in four Fortune 500 companies. Now, as an entrepreneur, Jean combines her practical experience in business, with her education and training, to coach, teach, inspire, and empower others. She invites you to visit her website to learn more. http://www.JeanCaton.net

Jean helps women move to the top in their careers or small business. Her clients strengthen their business savvy and expertise and develop the self-confidence required to advance to increasingly higher levels in their organization or business. Take a taste of what Jean can offer you by requesting a complimentary telephone coaching conversation. http://www.JeanCaton.net You may also get a sample of Jean’s expertise by joining one of her complimentary preview teleclasses.

Jean specializes in entrepreneurial women and those working in the health, science, pharma and engineering fields.

Jean has an MBA from Boston University and is a graduate of the Advanced Coach Training Program of Coach U.

Bowling balls are available with a wide range of options. Such options as coverstock, weight block, top weight, and pin location to name a few. With so many variables, how do you choose the right one for you? Many factors, should be considered when making a decision on your next bowling ball purchase.

Let’s briefly breakdown what each of the above mentioned terms mean in reference to bowling balls.

-Coverstock is essentially to outer surface of the bowling ball that creates the shell. Typically, the coverstock can either be dull or shiny on a bowling ball.

-A weight block is the core of the bowling ball. Depending on the shape and density of the weight block, it can influence the reaction of the bowling ball.

-Top weight is the core variation within the bowling ball. If the core is higher in the ball, it produces a higher top weight. If the core is lower, then the bowling ball will have a lower top weight.

-Pin location simply designates the location of the top of the weight block in a bowling ball.

These definitions simply apply to the bowling ball itself. What factors not related to the make/model of the bowling ball? For this we are referring to factors such as your bowling game itself. Things such as ball speed, track flare, axis tilt, etc all play an important role in bowling. Each person has their own unique way of bowling. Knowing your game and style will make it easier for you to make the proper selection when buying a new bowling ball.

Below is a brief breakdown of a few key definitions.

-Ball Speed is simply the speed at which you roll your bowling ball. Many of the newer scoring systems measure the speed of your bowling ball. However, not all are 100% accurate, but it can give you a general idea of what the speed is.

-Track flare is the “oil rings” that appear on your bowling ball after you throw it. These rings show the progression of the rotation of your ball as it is rolling down the lane and the ball changing its axis of rotation while seeking its preferred spin axis.

-Axis tilt is the angle of rotation of the bowling ball.

Depending on your style and lane conditions, making the right decision can be tricky at times. The easiest and best way to decide which bowling ball is right for you is to visit your local bowling pro shop. Many pro shop owners have been around the game of bowling for quite some time. With their knowledge and experience, as well as watching you bowl, they can give you strong recommendations on which bowling ball will suit your game.

However, not every bowling center has an on-site pro shop. Luckily the internet provides a plethora of information regarding bowling balls. Many of the manufacturer sites provide in depth analysis of reactions and characteristics and even a few videos with the bowling balls in action. Customer reviews found on various bowling ball message forums can also provide real life insight as to what a particular bowling ball can do on certain lane conditions. There are even a few retail sites that provide bowling ball reviews, which are customer reviews for various products.

As you can see the internet can be an excellent resource in helping you determine which bowling balls will take your game to the next level.

As an author at [http://www.eZ-search.us], Chris Miller contributes to the growing content found within the site. Chris suggests purchasing the newest bowling balls at http://www.birddogbowling.com

Over the years as a recruiter and resume coach, I’ve seen the consequences of poorly written resumes. Unfortunately, most people don’t seek professional career help until they experience the frustration of a long and fruitless job search. It’s surprising how many of their problems can be traced to the top five resume mistakes.

#1 No resume focus.

The most effective resumes leave no doubt as to the job seeker’s career objective. A one-size-fits-all resume gives the impression that the job seeker is uncertain of his career goal. An employer once told me that if a candidate is interested in two completely different positions, he must not be very good at either. If you have more than one career objective, you need more than one resume.

#2 Lack of marketing strategy.

Job seekers rarely see their search for what it is-a sales campaign. Think of your resume as marketing material designed to create a powerful first impression and win a multitude of job interviews. A resume coach can help you translate your career history into an effective marketing piece by selling toward the reader’s buying motives: solving problems, saving money, or increasing profits.

#3 No accomplishment statements.

95% of all resumes lack accomplishment statements. These statements allow employers to visualize your contribution to their company. A resume coach can help you move from a job description type resume to a resume with quantifiable statements that motivate employers to call you before their competition does. These statements can dollarize your worth and increase your bargaining power.

#4 Lack of resume keywords.

These days, resumes are screened by both humans and computers. A resume lacking in keywords runs the risk of being read by neither. An average screening of a resume is 15 seconds or less, so more attention is paid to resumes using the same words found in the job description. Candidate-tracking software retrieves resumes by keywords. A keyword-focused resume will put you front and center.

#5 Incorrect resume format.

Basically, there are three resume formats: chronological, functional and hybrid.

Chronological: The chronological is best known and easiest to write, a timeline style resume. This format works well if your objective is to remain in the same industry or occupation.

Functional: The functional resume places transferable skills and accomplishments at the beginning of your resume. However, a poorly crafted functional resume can be confusing, causing the reader to believe the candidate has something to hide.

Hybrid: The hybrid resume combines the best features of other resumes. It showcases skills and accomplishments while maintaining ease of reading. This is the best format for job seekers of all level, but it is also the most difficult to write, requiring thoughtful planning to identify the most critical transferable skills that will attract potential employer attention.

Once your resume is designed to avoid the top five resume mistakes, you will be well on your way to winning interviews and reaching your career objective. How much is you old resume costing you in lost opportunities?

Deborah Walker, Resume Coach, has spent years studying the art of fine resume crafting. Her career-long focus on all phases of the employment process provides a solid base of knowledge for resume advice and coaching. Learn more about resume coaching at http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Public speaking skill is just like any other skill in that the more success that you have, the more self-confidence in public speaking that you develop. The more failures, or perceived failures, that you experience, the more public speaking fear that you are going to experience. The nervousness or anxiety that you feel when you present is normal, but experiencing that public speaking fear for the rest of your life definitely isn’t.

Where does Public Speaking Fear Come From?

Think about any skill that you have developed in your life. For instance, you didn’t come out of the womb knowing how to ride a bike, drive a car, play a musical instrument, or work your iPhone. The first time that you tried any of these activities, you probably experienced some type of discomfort or nervousness. The key to gaining self-confidence in these, or any skill, is to have some type of success where you grow. If the early stages of the skill development are wrought with failures, though, the self-confidence will diminish. For instance, if someone who had never driven a car before gets behind the wheel of a car all by himself or herself (no teacher or coach), then there is a good chance that this first experience is not going to go very well. If the first attempt to drive is on a freeway, then that fear, just like public speaking fear, is going to be huge. At the end of the drive, the person might say something like, “I never, ever, want to experience that again!” If a boss forces the person to attempt the skill years later, that fear is going to grow.

Public Speaking Skill is Developed through Success

A better way to learn a skill is to start with something less risky. In the car example above, most people start in a parking lot with a parent or a coach. Once the confidence increases a little, then the new driver might move to making right-hand turns around a neighborhood. Then move to left-turns. Then maybe get into a higher traffic area. The freeway is last. If you are trying to develop public speaking skills and eliminate public speaking fear, you’ll want to take a similar approach.

Start with something less risky like speaking up at the staff meeting. Most managers or executives want input on ideas or problems during staff meetings. Develop a habit of speaking up at least once during these discussions. Next, volunteer to give a report on a project at a staff meeting. Once you get more comfortable with these types of public speaking opportunities, try something more risky. Maybe ask questions as an audience member in a bigger presentation. Remember that just as when you tried more complicated things in learning to drive, at every stage you experienced more nervousness, when you got to the freeway, the parking lot felt really safe. The same thing will happen with public speaking fear. As you start to experience more complicated presentations, the easier presentations become second nature.

A Public Speaking Coach can Speed Up Your Confidence Growth

Just like the parent or coach who taught you step-by-step how to drive a car, a good public speaking coach can shave a lot of time off your learning curve. For instance, if you went in the parking lot for your first driving experience, it might take you a while to learn how to park correctly. The hardest part would be that you would have very little frame of reference to compare your skill with, so you may not know when you are doing a good job. That questioning that you would have in the back of your mind would cause nervousness. One of the most important parts of coaching is having someone tell you when you did the skill correctly. By the way, you don’t have to go out and find a professional business coach or public speaking coach. Just look for someone who you think presents very well in front of a group and ask the person to watch you and give you feedback. A lot of toasting clubs use this type of coaching.

If your time is short, though, you might want to hire a professional coach. A good public speaking coach can help you develop public speaking skills in a day or two that would take most people years to develop and keep you from developing bad habits. For instance, when I was in my twenties, I wanted to learn how to play golf. I was broke, so I bought some cheap second-hand clubs and went down to the municipal golf course. After a few months, I got pretty good, but I had a terrible slice which hurt my range quite a bit. When I played with friends, I was always two or three strokes behind the group. Eventually, I just figured that golf wasn’t my game, and I stopped playing. Years later, I tried taking it back up and went to a golf-pro near my house. I asked him how long it would take me to become competitive. He said, “Well, if you had come to me in the beginning, maybe a few months, but now, it’s going to be much harder.” When I asked him why, he explained to me that because of my slice, I had developed a habit of turning my body differently to correct the symptom. I knew my ball was going to drift, so, over the years, I just changed my aiming point. My body had become used to that swing, that I had to unlearn that habit before I could re-learn a more proper swing.

If I had just practiced early on with feedback from someone who could already do what I wanted to do, I could have saved myself some time and frustration. In public speaking skills, you can too. Look for a mentor who has already eliminated his/her fear and let that person coach you. Your coach will help you eliminate your public speaking fear much faster.

Doug Staneart is author of the book Fearless Presentations and founder of the Fearless Presentations 2-Day Public Speaking Seminar that is offered in 50 major cities around the world. He has written hundreds of free public speaking tip articles that are all available on his Public Speaking Skills blog.

What are right handed bowling shoes?

As the name suggests, right handed bowling shoes are shoes that are made for right handed bowlers. The question is, what is the difference between right handed bowling shoes and left handed bowling shoes?

The answer is relatively simple. The soles on a pair of high performance bowling shoes are different from one another. One shoe is the sliding shoe, while the other shoe is the traction shoe.

The sliding shoe generally has a leather or buckskin soles, a sole that aids in sliding. The traction shoe, on the other hand, generally has a rubber sole and also a textured toe piece (for added traction during the important final push-off taken on the next-to-last step).

Right handed bowling shoes include a traction shoe for the right foot and a sliding shoe for the left foot. The reverse is true for a pair of left handed bowling shoes.

But what about the bowling shoes at a bowling alley? How can you tell which pairs are right handed bowling shoes?

Actually, the bowling shoes that you rent at a bowling alley are made up of two sliding shoes. They are ambidextrous shoes – they can be worn by left handed bowlers or right handed bowlers.

Generally, though, if you are getting serious about bowling, you are going to want to buy your own bowling shoes. And more likely than not, you are not going to want to buy a pair of ambidextrous bowling shoes. Rather, you ought to buy a pair of right handed bowling shoes if you are right handed, and left handed shoes if you are a lefty.

Yes, a pair of right handed bowling shoes may be more expensive than a pair of universal, or ambidextrous shoes, but it is worth it. In fact, once you improve even more in your bowling skills, and once you understand the sport of bowling even better, you may want to consider buying interchangeable soles for your right handed bowling shoes.

Interchangeable soles allow you to modify your bowling shoes for different lane conditions or simply depending on how you feel that day! You can make your sliding shoe even more sliding or less so.

Also, if you invest in a good pair of right handed bowling shoes, it is worth investing in a pair of bowling shoe covers, as well. You are going to want to wear the covers any time that you step away from the lanes – whether you are going to the bathroom or getting a snack.

Bowling shoe covers will protect your sliding shoe from becoming sticky with spilled soda pop, etc. It is important to take good care of your right handed bowling shoes!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and sports. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on bowling, please visit Best Bowling.

For those of you who enjoy the outdoors, Colorado has much to offer. There are many wonderful hiking trails throughout the state. Trails range in difficulty from easy to very difficult, and many of these are great for experienced hikers, but not suitable for families hiking with children. For those who are either somewhat new to hiking, or will be hiking with children, this article lists some of the best hiking trails near Boulder, Colorado.

Late spring or summer is a great time to go hiking in Colorado. While many parts of the country are beginning to heat up, you can still enjoy the cool morning crispness, especially in the higher elevations. This is also a great time to experience some beautiful mountain scenery, and enjoy a colorful array of wild flowers. Boulder, Colorado is an extremely beautiful area, and has many hiking trails nearby. For families, hiking with children, here are some of the best hiking trails near Boulder.

Bald Mountain Scenic Area – Pine to Peak Loop Trail

Pine to Peak Trail is a 1 mile loop trail that is a great first hike for younger children. Hiking to the 7,160 foot summit of Bald Mountain, you will find a magnificent view and a variety of wildflowers. The trail starts off with a slight incline. After the trail splits, stay to the right and follow the Pines to Peak Trail. Bald Mountain Scenic Area is located 5 miles west of Boulder on the south side of Sunshine Canyon Drive (County Road 52).

Betasso Preserve Canyon Loop Trail

This hiking trail is a 2.8 mile loop that starts out with an easy climb, and then becomes a little more vigorous. The trail offers many different scenic views, and includes dense forest, fields, and meadows. This area was homesteaded around 1912, and later became a cattle ranch operated by the Betasso family. It is now part of the Boulder County Mountain Parks and Open Space system. To reach the trailhead take Boulder Canyon(CO 119) west for 6 miles, then go right on Sugarloaf Road for one mile to the trailhead.

Bobolink Trail

This trail is located in a parks and open space area of Boulder. It travels along South Boulder Creek, and is a flat, easy trail that is sport chair accessible. This area affords seasonal viewing (mid-May through Summer) of the bobolink for which the trailhead was named, along with other ground nesting birds. This hiking trail is located just west of the intersection of Baseline and Cherryvale Roads, and there is a parking lot on the southwest corner of the intersection.

Enchanted Mesa McClintock Trail Loop

This loop trail is approximately 1.8 miles in length and offers breathtaking views of the Flatiron Mountains. This easily accessible loop trail teats hikers to a beautiful pine forest, bustling song birds and squirrels. Along this hiking trail there is a gain in elevation of about 1,100 feet. The trail is located on the southside of the Chautauqua Auditorium, near Chautauqua Park (Grant and Baseline Streets in Boulder).

Lichen Loop Trail

This is an easy hiking trail that starts out at an elevation of around 5,900 feet and climbs only about 250 feet. The round-trip length is approximately 1.3 miles and provides beautiful views to the south of Boulder’s Front Range. To reach the trailhead take US 36 from Boulder and head north for 4.7 miles to Left Hand Canyon Drive. Turn left onto Left Hand Canyon Drive and travel 0.7 miles to Geer Canyon Road. You will see the Heil Valley Ranch sign and take a right onto Geer Canyon Road. Travel through private property 1.3 miles to the trailhead. Geer Canyon Road is a private road so do not park your car along the side of the road.

Rattlesnake Gulch Trail

This hiking trail is moderate in difficulty and takes approximately 2 hours to hike. The trail is about 3.6 miles round-trip, and begins at the entrance to Eldorado Canyon State Park, a world renowned rock climbing area. The trail makes its way up the southern flank of Eldorado Mountain, crossing a small stream on its way up to the ruins of the historic Crags Hotel. Built in 1908, the hotel was accessed via an inclined railway from the canyon floor, and burned down in 1913. To get to Eldorado Canyon State Park follow Broadway (93) South to Eldorado Canyon Road (CO 170) where you will turn right and follow this road all the way into the park. There is a small park fee upon entrance and a visitors center.

Hopefully, this short article has given you some good ideas for your next hiking trip. Our family really enjoys hiking together. There is nothing like being out in the fresh air, enjoying beautiful scenery, and having fun together as a family. Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy some of these wonderful Colorado hiking trails.

About the author:
Rich Herman loves the outdoors and hikes extensively with his family. For more information on Colorado hiking trails and other hiking trails in the United States, visit his website: http://www.FavoriteFamilyVacations.com

You’ve performed three of the most important tasks for a dog owner: decided if you were right for a dog, determined what dog was the best for you and taught your best friend some manners. That should be about it, right? Wrong!

You have an ongoing relationship with your pet, just like you do your children or your spouse. It’s important to maintain the relationship if you want it to be fruitful. If you don’t, all of that training you’ve done so far will be for naught.

Sometimes, though, like all relationships, the one with your dog can be rocky. Even well-trained owners have dogs with behavior problems when things change. Dog have been known to act out when their owners being working more hours, go back to school, have a baby or get married. Dogs aren’t themselves when they are ill or in pain. Some dogs are just never quite right because of problems inherited from poor breeding.

Here are nine things you can do to make sure your well-behaved dog stays that way.

1. Don’t forget that you are leader of the pack. Remind yourself that your dog is genetically programmed to be part of a group and to obey the leader of his pack. If you don’t provide him consistent strong, yet fair, leadership, he will try to become the leader. If he becomes the leader by default, behavior problems will increase exponentially. Here are some tips to make sure he remembers you are his leader:

- Don’t let him pull on his leash.

- Don’t put the leash on your dog until he sits quietly.

- Don’t let him get away with bad behavior.

- Always eat before he does.

- Don’t chase or play rough games like tug-of-war with your dog.

- Don’t allow him to bite anyone.

- Always go through doorways before him.

- Try to always be calm, fair and confident when dealing with your dog.

- Don’t give him anything – attention, food, play – without him doing something for you first, like sitting on command.

- Don’t allow your dog on furniture without your permission.

- Protect your dog from other animals or people who try to harm him.

When you are a strong leader, your dog will respect you. With this respect comes an innate desire to please. He will love you and want to obey your every command!

2. Train with your dog every day. Just like with humans, any behavior you train your dog to do will be forgotten if he doesn’t practice it. Work with your dog at least 15 minutes a day on an aspect of his behavior. This is important, also, to remind your canine that you are the leader of his pack. Try to teach your dog something new every month or two. This will keep him challenged and give you both a sense of accomplishment. Most dogs were bred to do some kind of work, and if you don’t give your dog purpose, he’ll become bored and develop behavioral problems.

3. Make sure to give your dog treats and praise. Continue the technique you’ve used to train your dog. People tend to get complacent, and before you know it, Spot is hogging your bed and dragging you down the street by the leash. To make things worse, he won’t listen to your commands any more. To prevent this, make your dog perform an act of obedience to earn praise, petting or a treat.

4. Never strike or yell at your dog. Hitting or kicking your dog will have about the same effect that it would on a spouse or a child – it ruins the relationship and breaks down all the trust your pet had for you. Some owners use physical abuse to train their dogs to fight for money. Others believe, erroneously, that abuse will make them become better watch or attack dogs. Statistics show that thousands of dogs are killed or injured by people every year. No matter how frustrated you get with him, never, ever strike your pet.

Dogs don’t respond well to yelling. All it does is get your dog more stressed, which will more than likely make his behavior problems worse. Everyone loses their patience from time to time, but remember that your dog only responds to fair leadership.

5. Get your dog proper medical care. Your dog needs a checkup at the veterinarian annually to make sure he’s in top form physically and to receive yearly shots to prevent rabies and other diseases. It’s important to go to the same vet every year so he or she can monitor your pet and notice any evidence of problems. All dogs need a teeth cleaning from time to time, too, to keep them healthy. If your dog is injured or sick, he needs to get proper medical attention. Your veterinarian can also give you advice on behavior as well as diet, breeding, training, and puppy selection

6. Attend obedience training. As an absolute necessity for getting a good to a positive relationship with your dog, be sure to take him to a six-to-eight-week-long obedience class, before his first birthday if he’s a puppy, as soon as possible if he’s an adult dog. A good trainer will teach you the basics and what a good dog/owner relationship is.

If you have an adult dog, don’t worry. That old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is not true! A dog of any age can learn good behavior. Both you and your dog will benefit. He will learn some good behavior and to respect you, the leader of the pack. You’ll learn the subtleties of your dog’s behavior and how to act in a fair, yet dominant, manner. Obedience training is great way to teach an “only dog” how to properly socialize with other dogs and people. Whether you are alone with your dogs or in a group of people and animals, your dog will learn how to behave.

Here are some tips to help you determine what obedience class is the right one for you and your pet:

- Ask your friends, family members, vet or groomer for

recommendations.

- Be sure the trainer uses positive reinforcement and no methods that hurt or frighten the dogs.

- Choose a trainer that focuses primarily on group classes. Although it may seem like one-on-one training might be best, group classes give both you and your dog to observe other people and their pets. Your dog will also focus on your commands, not just those of the trainer. Some owners do both individual and group classes.

- Make sure there are separate classes for puppies and adult dogs. Dogs between eight and 16 weeks should be in puppy classes. You may also feel more comfortable with a trainer who offers beginning, intermediate and advanced obedience classes.

- Ask the trainer you are considering if you can watch a class. While you watch, note some of these details: Notice if the class is small enough that everyone can get some individualized attention. Watch to see if both and dogs and owners are having fun. See if the trainer provides lesson handouts. In a good class, you’ll hear plenty of praise and commands in upbeat, yet firm, tones. Does the trainer give the owners other information about health, grooming or specific breeds? You want to make sure your trainer is knowledgeable about the whole dog, not just obedience training techniques.

- Ask your trainer if he or she knows several different techniques to work with dogs. This can come in handy if your dog doesn’t always respond to the tried-and-true methods.

- Make certain that the trainer requires that dogs be vaccinated and certified healthy by their vet before enrolling in classes.

- Be sure to get a list of equipment you’ll need to bring with you to your first class.

Once you find the right trainer and obedience class, make sure both you and your dog are prepared. Be sure to bring all the required equipment. Don’t feed your dog before class – since treats are part of the reinforcement of good behavior, you want him to be willing to eat the treats, which he might not want if he has a full belly. Don’t forget to do your homework! Practice between classes is essential to reinforce your dog’s behavior.

7. Lean all you can about your dog, his breed, and canine care. You can never know too much when it comes to your dog. Learn all you can from books, television and magazines. Be sure just to take the time to browse at the pet supply store or your favorite online pet supplies merchant to see what kind of new products are on the market. A new toy from time to time is a new adventure for both you and your pet.

8. Keep your dog’s home safe and stimulating. Giving your dog a fun, secure place to live will help to prevent bad behavior and may even prolong his life. Always have a number of fun toys available, including balls, chews and squeaky toys. Be sure to play with your dog daily to give him the necessary exercise he needs, to help you bond with your pet and to just have fun!

If no one is home during the day, leave a talk radio station on. Keep your pet out of areas of your home where he might eat something toxic or injure himself. Keep your fence well maintained.

If your dog starts to have behavior problems, don’t despair! There’s nothing to say that you can’t start training him to change his behavior! With a little patience and perseverance, you will be able to eliminate most bad behavior. In the most extreme cases, you may not be able to stop the behavior, but with training your dog will show improvement.

Some problems won’t be entirely eliminated, especially if you chose a dog that doesn’t have the temperament for your lifestyle. But even some of these dogs can change if you have a good dog/dog owner relationship. Now we’ll look at some of the most common behavior problems and how to re-train your dog to behave appropriately.

Marilyn Burnham

Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’

The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!

For More Information On Dog Training

Marilyn Burnham was the owner operator of 4 successful dog grooming stores in British Columbia, Canada for more than a decade. To spend more time with her children Marilyn made the decision to sell her business in the mid 90’s. Get a copy of her book: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’ The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!

Adults, when they think of fitness and exercise, invariably imagine a well-equipped gym with cheesy music blasting over the speakers and sweaty people running on a stationary treadmill. To kids on the other hand, exercise and fitness are all about just doing what comes naturally – running about, climbing, falling, just being active. As kids grow older, team sports can be really great as a safe way to try out life skills. Team sports can help a child learn to work with other kids, share stuff, boost self-esteem, and generally fall in love with life. This is one problem here – what do you do if your child is not a natural athlete, or just doesn’t like sports?

To begin with, to not be interested in organized sports can be quite normal – it could conceivably be put down to a matter of personal taste. But you could try to understand your child’s reasons first to make sure that all is well. Perhaps there are deeper concerns that your child has, that come out of social anxiety. Preschool kids often have team sports made available to them; even so, it is not until the age of seven or so that children actually have the attention span or the mental development to actually grasp everything that goes on in a game. Kicking a ball while running or catching a ball, takes a good deal of limb-eye coordination; a child who hasn’t had the time to practice these skills properly might just not see the point. What you can do then is, you can practice at home with the child, the kind of skills that you believe she will need, playing a team sport at school. In the reassuring surroundings of home with no one else around to catch their failures, they might open up.

Your children’s fitness and health may be a great reason why you wish to have them take a team sport. But there are real reasons why they may not yet be ready for prime time. To begin with, the school sporting league can be all about the competition and the winning, and this can be off-putting to your child. Most children aren’t really appreciative of the pressure of competition until they hit the age of 12 or so You could try some places like the YMCA where they don’t keep score, to help a child to find her groove without the pressure.

Kids grow up at different rates. While one child may take up to the age of ten to gain excellent hand-eye coordination, another kid might do it at the age of six. Kids can also take time to come to terms with how hard it can be to keep up with everyone else. If your child really does need time to grow into her shoes, you can find children’s fitness activities outside of team sports. Swimming, horseback riding, golf, skate boarding, yoga, there are any number of choices for what a child can do to stay fit. Raising a child is all about finding a balance between what you decide is right for your child what the child wants for herself. With a little thought, finding the balance should not be all that hard.

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It’s not called Snowmass for no reason-Snowmass, Colorado boasts of not only being located in one of the most beautiful communities in the world, but also of being among the top ski resorts on the planet. With 3,132 acres of terrain, a 4,406 foot vertical drop, tons of terrain parks, halfpipes, cliffs and glades; the massive mountain known as Snowmass is an exciting experience for all levels of skiers-making it perfect for a family vacation, a winter break college ski trip or even a romantic getaway.

This is especially an exceptional trip or vacation for those living in the southern region of the United States, who often rarely or never see snowfall. There’s something absolutely magical about a mountain covered in pure white snow, just waiting to be explored by you! Learning to ski (or improving your ski skills) is also an exceptional way to stay fit and healthy during the winter months.

There’s something for everyone, no matter what your style is, including:

-Cross-country skiing (Commonly abbreviated as XC skiing) Several popular trails along the Maroon Creek, Ashcroft Ski Touring Center and Aspen Golf Course provide an ideal location to propel yourself across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles.

-Downhill skiing (Synonymous with “alpine skiing”) This recreational sport includes a speedy descent down chutes and groomers, glades and bowls. It is ideal for those with a “need for speed.”

-Snowboarding-This sport involves one board instead of two skis that is attached to the riders feet; ideal for those already familiar with skateboarding or surfing. (There are 78 snowboarding trails and two halfpipes including the longest halfpipe in America).

-Backcountry skiing (Skiing in a sparsely populated rural area; often not monitored or patrolled like other areas). If you’re in the mood for something more challenging-ski to an alpine chalet with a wood-burning stove in a cabin nestled many miles from civilization. This is ideal for someone really looking to “get away from it all”.

Transportation is a breeze-as Snowmass is one of the most accessible resorts in the Rocky Mountains. There’s an airport located only six miles away from Snowmass Village, and you can book connections via three major airlines from cities throughout North America and Europe.

STATS:

Bass elevation: 8,104 ft.

Summit elevation: 12,510 ft.

Terrain: 3,132 acres

Vertical rise: 4,406 ft.

Miles of trails: 147

Longest run: 5.3 miles

Average snowfall: 300 inches

Season dates: November 26-April 11 (changes annually)

Another perk associated with snow skiing at Snowmass: you’ll be breathing some of the freshest, cleanest air in the country, thanks to Colorado’s first-class proactive environmental programs. This helps to make such a trip an ideal break from a busy, densely populated city.

Snow skiing is an exhilarating adventure sport for all high adrenalin sports enthusiasts. Learn about the highs and lows of snow skiing at snowmass from jonathan hayman, a business school graduate and a skiing enthusiast. To learn more, visit http://www.jonathanhayman.wordpress.com

Parents are being urged to think about their homes as learning environments in light of new government plans to help improve the education of children both in and out of school.

The call has been made by one of the UK’s leading suppliers of children’s furniture in a bid to help parents look at wider factors which contribute towards effective learning.

While the government is focusing on how the parents and extended families have a significant role to play in encouraging children to learn, Aspace is keen to widen the debate to include the importance of the environment in which they learn.

The company’s managing director Paul Cunningham thinks the government has not given enough consideration to the peripheral issues which make a significant contribution to the way children learn.

“There’s no doubt about it, the surroundings in which children learn are an important factor in how they learn,” said Mr Cunningham.

“While it is encouraging to see the government is taking proactive steps to help families think about how they can help their children, they haven’t addressed where they learn in the home.

“Even if you put technology issues – such as proliferation of TVs, DVDs, MP3 players and games consoles – to one side, the home environments for many children can often be awash with unintentional distractions and barriers to learning.

“And this is where a little lateral thought about what constitutes a good home learning environment could contribute an enormous amount to helping potentially millions of children in the UK having better all-round learning experiences.

“We just want to raise the point because we feel it is important that it does become part of the government’s agenda for driving up standards of children’s education.”

The ethos of Mr Cunningham’s company, which sells kids furniture directly to the public via its website http://www.aspaceuk.com and also through its direct mail catalogues, encourages parents to think about the environments they create through the purchases they make.

“Parents don’t realise just how much the furniture they buy sets the tone for how their children use the space in their own rooms,” he said.

“More so than ever before children’s bedrooms are multifunctional in their usage because they are places where they sleep, play, socialise and study.

“Although the parents don’t often recognise it in these terms, kids furniture is both fundamental and pivotal in setting the tempo for how their children behave and react in doing all the things they do in their room.

“And getting the balance right so it is conducive to all these purposes is a hard one and that is why getting the theme of the room and the furniture which reflects them is so important – especially as it may be the only dedicated place in the house where a child has the space to learn.”

The comments by Mr Cunningham reflect the changes he has seen in the industry since the company started five years ago. In that time the company has thrived after spotting a gap in the market to supply furniture which sits firmly between the cheap functional ranges which are available in retail stores and specialist products which are often out of the price range of most families.

It now has a multimillion pound turnover and being in the mid ground has enabled Aspace to source products which are well thought out both in terms of the ergonomic design and the impact they have in determining the atmosphere of a room.

Mr Cunningham argues that good quality kids furniture is not expensive and in a lot of cases it can be extremely competitively priced compared with what is often considered to be the bland and uninspiring bog-standard ranges on offer at large retail outlets.

“There is growing demand for good, well-made products which are well designed to cater for the variety of functions and activities in a child’s bedroom,” he said.

“Coordination is key to this to ensure all the pieces of furniture in the room complement one another so they provide the right functionality so they can be a place to maximise the opportunities of sleep, play and work.”

Mr Cunningham’s remarks come as the government has finished consulting on plans to help parents get involved in their children’s learning as part of its drive to ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life.

The government is pumping £9 million into helping local authorities to fund the development of fresh ideas on how to connect with parents and help them to help their children.

Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes said she knows that parents are central to children’s well-being and that children’s experiences in their early years have a major impact on later life.

She added that it is vital that children have a sound basis on which to learn and develop, as well as enjoying time with their parents and that the money the government is making available will see innovative approaches in supporting and encouraging parents to really get involved in their children’s development.

Christopher Lusty MA has more than 20 years industrial and product design experience in cots, nursery furniture and children’s beds and furniture. He is involved in the development of safety standards in nursery/children’s furniture. He is also a consultant for strategic proposals for the Wood Industry in Slovenia and Hungary and their consideration under the EU run “PHARE” project aimed at assisting economic reconstruction in Eastern Europe. He has contributed to the blueprint, build and implementation of factories in many countries including South Africa and Zimbabwe. He is Managing Director of Linked Resourcing Ltd (Cots, Beds and Furniture – B to B)