Finding the Right Home Rental in Lake Tahoe

There are a few patterns to consider when looking for a Lake Tahoe home rental. You'll pay more for the houses near the ski areas in the winter time no matter the size and you'll always pay more for lakefront properties no matter what time of year. But if you can decide what you need (or want) and what you want to spend there are a multitude of choices for house vacation rentals in and around the beautiful lake.

High up on a hill, overlooking the western shores of Lake Tahoe sits an 8,000 square foot home visited by presidents, dignitaries and the merely wealthy. Built in the 1930s by a noted steel magnate, the house is now available for rent, ranging in price from $3,000 per night to $50,000 per month depending upon the season. It comes fully equipped with a full staff of cook, housekeeper, maid and butler, a choice of automobiles to use, a pool and down on the lake, the private boat dock with what can only be described as a "lake yacht" complete with a skipper who will gladly ride you to any point on the lake ? all at no extra charge.

Or, if you prefer, stay in a beautiful, upscale neighborhood where the lawns are neatly mowed, the kids play safely outside on the sidewalks and the driveways all end with a basketball hoop hanging from the garage. Houses like this are plentiful in several areas around the lake and average in price from $300 per night to $1200 per week for three, four or even five bedrooms.

You can call any one of a number of local real estate agents to arrange a house vacation rental for you at a modest fee. Tell them exactly the type of home you're looking to rent and they'll will find it for you. If you're the more adventurous type, you can get a bit more bang for your buck by researching the numerous websites on the internet. And, if you've got any familiarity with the area, you'll likely find exactly what you want without much trouble.

Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals Info provides detailed information on South and North Lake Tahoe rentals, as well as Lake Tahoe home, condo, and cabin vacation rentals. Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals Info is the sister site of Hilton Head Rentals Web.

Footprints and Monuments - Slow Down

Every month I usually sit down and write an article around the topics of leadership, teamwork, vision, or self-improvement. However, this month I am only passing on something that came across my desk a few days ago. If this means something to you - pass it on, if not simply delete it and be looking for next month's article that will surely help you live your life to your potential.

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar.

The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not. Thought for the Day:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. Face it, friend - He is crazy about you! Slow down and enjoy the life God is allowing you to live.

Footprints and Monuments is a free monthly leadership and motivational e-newsletter. No names receiving this e-newsletter are sold or distributed to any other source. You are encouraged to forward this monthly article to anyone in your address book. To un-subscribe please reply back with "Un-subscribe" in the subject field.

About The Author

www.jeffearlywine.com

jeff@teamnrn.com

Successfully Selling Your Professional Services

As a professional service provider you face special challenges promoting yourself to potential clients. You may have certain restrictions on how you market or advertise. You may feel overwhelmed by the demands of being both owner and employee. You might not have a strong base of effective selling & marketing skills. In addition, you may believe that self promotion is somehow unprofessional and pushy or even unnecessary. Very often, professionals "open up shop" and expect, much like in the Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come."

I don't deny that there is some validity to this approach; for instance, if you rent space in a strategic location and let your colleagues know you're there then you are likely to get referrals - eventually. This is fine if you're willing to wait months or years to create a thriving business. The bottom line is that you must let people know who you are and what you can do if you want to be successful in selling your services now.

This does not mean that you adopt a persona that doesn't suit you or that you try all the marketing and sales techniques you can find while desperately seeking one that works. Instead, I'd like to offer you the 7 "C" approach to successfully selling your professional service.

Clarity. This refers to spending time to craft a clear, compelling and memorable message. It involves being very clear about the benefits of your service and finding a way to "speak the language" of your potential customers. Very often, professionals resort to phrases like, "I help my clients reach their goals." "I do tax returns." "I give massages". Is there anything particularly compelling or memorable about any of these statements? Not really. Instead, how about these: "I help my clients reach their goals of working 51% less and making 52% more." Or "My clients legally pay fewer taxes" Or "I provide a special type of massage which can permanently reduce the pain from old injuries." Do you see how each of these statements provides more clarity and gives the potential customer more information about benefits? The power of clarity is that you know, right away, if your potential client will buy from you. At the very least you've provided the potential client a memorable way to remember you-so s/he can refer friends.

Caring. This point might go without saying, but, just in case this is a new idea you want to be sure you care about your customers. Marketing is most effective (and easiest) when you have a passion for your service and absolutely know that it's effective. You really want people to experience your service because you care, for instance, that they work less and make more, that they save money on tax day or that they are pain-free. If you can't think of anything in your service that you care about deeply, passionately and vocally keep looking until you do. Finding this aspect is like unlocking a treasure chest!

Congruency. Another aspect to consider in marketing yourself is that of congruency. Congruency is the match between what you say and what you do. This "match" between inner and outer helps potential clients understand you and remember you. For example, if you say that you're a financial services advisor, specializing in accounts over $500k, make sure you "look" and "act" the part. This means that you will behave much like your ideal clients. You will dress the same, read the same magazines, spend time in the same restaurants or belong to the same professional groups. Your ideal clients will be attracted to you if you are congruent between what you say and what you do. Build your credibility by cultivating this 'match' within yourself.

Competency. The best marketing in the world will not save a professional who is not competent and skilled at his or her trade. Although you are probably extraordinarily competent already make sure to maintain this "edge" by continuous learning. To continue being extremely skilled upgrade your education and training whenever needed. The highly skilled professional commands higher fees and find it easier to attract and retain high quality clients.

Charisma. Charisma is the skill of leading and developing a devoted following. You can increase your charisma and should make every effort to do so. Be aware of your "silent" language. Do you look interested? Are you listening? Do you ask good questions? Do you provide the prospect an opportunity to ask questions or get more information? Do you have resources to recommend to this client if it turns out she or he is not a match for your business?

Consistency. The most effective marketing strategy ever is consistency. Day in and day out, you must commit to marketing yourself and your professional services. It is too easy to forgo marketing when business picks up which may leave you scrambling for business during a downturn. Instead, commit fully to daily marketing actions and then take them.

Let's say that you're ready to put these 6 C's in place but you'd like someone to help you move forward. Consider, then, a 7th "C"- Coaching. If you're a person who is open to new approaches, willing to take action and believe that support, guidance, and accountability would benefit you, consider working with a Certified Sales Coach. These specially trained professionals can help you develop the skills you need to build your ideal business in record time.

(c) 2003. Dr. Rachna D. Jain. All Rights in All Media Reserved.

About The Author

Dr. Rachna D. Jain is Director of Operations for Sales Coach Training a division of Comprehensive Coaching U. If you'd like to learn more about working with a Certified Sales Coach, please visit http://www.salescoachtraining.com/meet.html.

Making Press Releases Work - Creating News Where None Existed

Aren't you tired of hearing how extremely easy it is to get free publicity? Have you tried the suggestions that most public relations "gurus" give you? The hard, cold truth of the matter is that you cannot write a press release about any old aspect of your business and have it end up on the home page of the Fortune Small Business Web site. It just doesn't work that way. So how does it work, and what do you do if you need publicity but have nothing "newsworthy" to share?

There's another truth to publicity ... you can create it if you need to, and it's not that hard to do! Let me offer you useable suggestions that you can implement in order to gain some free exposure for your small business.

--- Offer A Donation to a Worthy Cause

One woman (a business coach) gave two scholarships to a local community college that catered to the underprivileged. She included two months of free business-building coaching services for qualified applicants at the school. She set forth the criteria with the help of the college, and decided on how to choose the scholarship winners.

Press releases were sent out, and the media went wild! Of course they would ... everyone loves to hear about people who are helping out the underdog. She received a lot of free promotion and boosted her image as a community leader, too.

--- Relate Your Product/Service to a Local/National News Event

Right now the United States is experiencing two very troubling problems that the media covers on a regular basis. The first is a drastic upswing in unemployment (especially in high-tech fields). The second is an energy crisis (particularly in California).

If your product or service can somehow offer a solution (even a small one) to one of these two dilemmas, you stand a great chance of getting some publicity.

Perhaps you own a resume service that has an exceptional rate of success for one reason or another. Phrase your release so that it helps to solve the unemployment crisis (and does not blatantly promote your business) and you'll perk up some journalist's ears.

--- Get In Line With Seasonal Events

The change in seasons always makes the news. In summertime, you'll find stories on safe vacation travel or the best airline deals. At the end of the year there is always coverage pertaining to New Year's Resolutions and how to keep them. Fall is generally a great time for gardening-type businesses to remind everyone to plant now so their yards will look fabulous come springtime.

If your company can offer some viable information pertaining to seasonal events, a press release might be in order. Writing a release outlining how your online travel agency always gives clients a "vacation safety" package that has proven to "save the day" in the past will bring out some interest in the local (and maybe national) media.

Above all, use your imagination. Pay attention to the newspapers, television news and magazines you come in contact with. Notice the types of stories they cover and then write a release that falls in line. You will soon be able to create news where none previously existed and gain some free exposure for yourself in the process!

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane

Toxic Chemicals, Are Your Children Being Exposed?

You do what you can to keep your little ones safe and healthy in this world we live in. You put your household cleaners out of reach and make sure the front door is securely locked. You tuck them in at night with a story and a kiss, wishing them sweet dreams. Unfortunately, your children are not safe! While they sleep, they are being exposed to toxic chemicals found in that crib or bed you so lovingly tucked them into.

Liver poisoning, thyroid problems and altered learning, memory and behavior may be caused by Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs. These chemicals are used as fire retardants and are found in mattresses and other furniture. PBDE levels in people and the environment have been rising rapidly in recent years, particularly in North America, where the use of PBDEs is highest. In Europe, foods, especially fish, are thought to be a major source of exposure. But in North America PBDEs are much more prevalent in consumer products than they are in Europe. In Sweden, PBDEs have been banned.

You might be thinking that if these PBDEs were so dangerous, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) would know about them and do something. The fact is, they do know. Last year the EPA announced no new manufacture or import of these chemicals can occur without first being subject to EPA evaluation. No systematic monitoring of PBDEs in the bodies of US residents is underway, and no plans have been made to assess the risk posed by the millions of pounds of PBDEs that are already found in furniture and other consumer products in people's homes. To be fair, the EPA has stated that they have not concluded that PBDEs pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. Of course, they have also acknowledged there is evidence that these chemicals may cause liver toxicity, thyroid toxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity.

What can we do to protect ourselves and our children from these chemicals?

Get as much information as you can about how your household furniture is made and what chemicals are used in the process. You might consider using organic products that are naturally made with no harmful chemicals. We can never be completely safe from the many chemicals we're exposed to on a daily basis, but we can reduce them significantly. We can look into the faces of our children and know that we are doing our part to keep them safe in an unsafe world.

Resources:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ? Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics; http://www.epa.gov

Northwest Environment Watch; http://www.northwestwatch.org

Author:

Shelly Platt

http://www.naturallygood.net

Renegotiating a Cell Tower Lease- Can It Be Done?

While cell towers actually started being built in the late 1970's, the boom in development did not really start until Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Instead of having two wireless providers in any one area, customers now found that there were up to eight companies with licenses from the FCC to provide Personal Communications Service (PCS) in their area.

Initially, each wireless provider built its own towers and rarely collocated (shared) on the other's towers. This made for rapid development of communication sites and towers and a plethora of landowners with cell towers on their property. As you can imagine, many landowners had little to base the lease negotiations on and signed agreements that were substandard in comparison to today's lease rates.

Today, with the advent of much information (or misinformation) on the internet, those same landowners are learning that the deal they signed might not be a good one. As the standard cell tower lease is a 25 year lease with termination rights only vested in the lessee (cellular carrier), the landowners often wonder if they can get out of the lease or renegotiate it.

The answer to this question is not an easy one and resides in the cell tower lease document. Fortunately for some landowners, the lease agreements signed in the early days after 1996 were not as advanced as those of today. Many lease agreements were only for 10 years and landowners with those types of agreements may now have the ability to reneogtiate for a better deal.

The key here is that the lease agreement must state that the landowner has the right to terminate as well as the lessee. If so, then that opens the opportunity to renegotiate. Many times, the wireless company that owns the tower will be in touch way before the lease expires to renegotiate.

If the lease does not give the landowner the right to terminate, then the chance of successful renegotiation declines. The only basis for renegotiation would be if the wireless company has breached the lease agreement by failing to pay or by violating another clause. It is important to note that most lease require that the landowner notify the lessee of a breach and they are given the opportunity to cure it. The most common reasons for breach in a cell tower lease include failure to pay rent, failure to get approval to sublet the site to another company, failure to get consent to an assignment of the tower, and failure to maintain the site location as required. If you believe that the tower owner has breached the lease, seek legal counsel and make sure to notify the tower owner promptly.

In the event that you decide that a lease can be renegotiated, it is best to hire a consultant or attorney with experience with in negotiating wireless leases and whom is familiar with what fair market rates are for communication tower and cell site leases. If you determine that the lease cannot be renegotiated, then just sit back and continue to receive your "mailbox money".

Ken Schmidt is the owner of Steel in the Air, a cell tower consulting firm. Steel in the Air provides expert consultations on cell tower valuation, cell tower lease negotiations, lease renegotiations and lease buyouts. Ken has been quoted on cell towers in the NY Times and numerous other publications.

A $500 Payday Loan Can Help In an Emergency

A $500 payday loan can be a real life saver during one of life's financial emergencies. Whether it is a much needed car repair or an unexpected bill, payday loans can provided extra cash while helping you keep a good credit history. The key to payday loans is to pay them off as soon as possible.

Emergency Help

Payday loans are ideal short-term loans for emergencies. With their 14 day due dates, payday loans help you to pay unexpected expenses and build a good credit record. Payday loans also offer flexible payment options, so you can pay back the loan's principal on your timetable.

Unlike traditional payday loan stores, online payday companies can process your loan application at anytime and anywhere. They also provide company representatives that you can speak to if you have any questions. However, payday loan websites will post their rates and fees, along with answers to typically asked questions.

Fast Money

With online payday loan companies, you can get a cash advance deposited into your checking account the next day. Online payday loan companies process your application over their secure website so you know within minutes if you have been approved. You don't have to fax any information or mail in any forms. The whole process takes a matter of minutes to complete.

Your approved loan amount will depend on your state's laws and income level. $500 is a typical loan amount, but in some cases you can borrow up to $1000. Once your application is approved, you can decide on your loan amount which will then be electronically deposited into your checking account.

Choose Your Payment Option

Once you have been approved for a payday loan, you will also need to choose the best payment option. By default most payday loan companies will charge you only a finance charge on your next payday. However, you can choose to pay part of your loan's principal or all of it. The longer you take to pay back your loan, the more you will pay in finance charges. Decide ahead of time how soon you can pay back the loan amount and set up the payment plan at the beginning.

To view our list of recommended payday loan companies online, visit this page: Recommended Payday Loan Companies Online.

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website with articles and information about various types of loans.

Your Turn On The Holodeck

Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth.

Roy? You have in your world's history a wonderful example of what life is all about in the physical world and what it is that you are doing here.

Gene Rodenberry lived on your planet in the last century and was a soul with a higher awareness of how life works. He was an accomplished film producer and dealt with complicated human issues that your world was facing in his time. His Star Trek series was known world wide and had millions of followers.

One of his series "Voyager," had a new element added to it that gave humanity a very good glimpse of how life works in the physical world and your purpose in it. The new element was the "holodeck." Simplistically, the holodeck is a very good example of how mankind manifests his thoughts into physical experience. Your physical world is very much like a holodeck; in fact that is exactly what it is.

In the Voyager series the holodeck was a wonderful invention designed for recreation and exploration built into a controlled environment in a special room on the star ship Voyager. This room could be programmed to create any physical condition that the programmer may want to experience.

From the mind of the programmer a beautiful sunny day on a white sandy beach shared with the one she loves could be experienced in physical reality. The scenery, the texture of the sand, the hot sun and the cool ocean breeze and the different smells were real and experienced physically in time and space.

A fierce battle with aliens or an enlightening meeting with Leonardo de Vinci could be programmed at will into the holodeck and experienced as existent as long as the program was running.

All of the human senses would verify the holodeck images as real as long as the mind of the participant was allowed freedom to focus on the images in time and place.

Safety protocols were programmed into the holodeck to insure that no harm would ever come to the participants while in the room. No one could ever be harmed unless they chose to be and at any time the command "computer end program," would be made to discontinue the experience.

The holodeck experience is a perfect example of how the physical universe works.

Humanity is another aspect of who I am. I (God/Creator) am a formless energy entity with consciousness. I can and do exist in an unlimited number of forms in your physical reality. Humanity is just a small aspect of who I am. Physical reality is another way that I can experience myself and I do that through you. The physical universe is my holodeck and you were created so that I may experience myself in physical form. You were given independence and freedom to program the physical universe anyway that you desired. The physical world is what you are programming; it is the manifestation of your thoughts created in things, objects and other beings.

Every one of you is programming your own world individually and in collaboration with other aspects of myself/yourself or souls.

Before you are born, you decide what it is that you want to experience physically. You decide you time of birth, the parents that will most likely facilitate that experience and the time, place and circumstances of your death. All of this is done with safety protocols build in, so that the soul cannot be hurt. Your physical body is not who you are, it is who you believe you are. You were given the gift of forgetfulness so that you could experience the physical realm as real. For the time you are in the physical universe, it will be real for you, but in fact it is just an illusion or projection of your individually thoughts.

In an endless time of discovery and recreation, I will know myself through you as you experience yourself independently of me through many such realms of existence. You are an aspect of me; we are always connected and separated by an illusion of time and space. You have all my attributes and characteristics, you simply don't know it, you have forgotten and it is appropriate that you do. But you are not victims of circumstances, you are creating them. You are the programmer and the participant in what you are experiencing in your life at this time; it is what you desire at some level of your consciousness. If you do not wish to experience the life that you have created, re-program it or give the command to "end program."

Your life and your experiences are as good or bad as you have imagined, but for the sake of your soul, your life and its circumstances are purposeful. You are the programmer and you have the power to change any element of your experience that you desire, but you must know that you can do it for it to work. It will not work with faith, trust, or belief, but with knowing.

Knowing is absolute and to know something is to experience it as reality at the moment you have the thought. Faith, trust and belief are steps to knowing. The fastest way to get were you want to go is to know that you are already there.

Gene Rodenberry's "holodeck was a wonderful invention, but pales in the shadow of the holodeck that I have created for you, I call it "the universe." You are the captain, this is your ship, make the commands as you see fit, you cannot be harmed in any way, your continuance is guaranteed by me, for you are me in physical form and I would not harm myself.

The awareness of which I have just channelled should give you some comfort on your sojourn in the physical realm. It also gives you a huge advantage in knowing that you can change your experience or end it. Once you can move past your focus and see how it works you will never want to leave it. This realm or holodeck that you are now experiencing is the only place that you can experience the five physical senses. These senses allow you to taste, touch, smell, see and hear the environment of which you are creating and are not necessary in other realms. It is these senses that are very addicting and keep souls returning time and time again to your world.

Find the beauty in your life, find the positive side of all things whether you consider them good or bad, know that you have given them purpose and that you can change it with a thought, you can re-program your life at will.

Your world is faultless the way it is at this time, because it reflects perfectly your current thoughts. Wonder at what you have created; focus not on what you see, smell, taste, touch or hear, but on what these things allow you to experience. What is it that you want to experience, that is the question?

Is it making money and collecting abundance that you want to experience or is it what you think those things will cause you to experience that is your desire?

Is living in poverty what you desire, or is it climbing out of poverty that is the motivation for experiencing your circumstances?

In other words are the circumstances of your life leading you somewhere, is this the purpose of having disease, lack, or accidents. These things do not happen by chance but are (programmed) created by you at some level to facilitate another aspect of physical life.

Pay attention to your life, it is the greatest story on earth. See how you create things and bring people and circumstances into your life that are purposeful for what you want to experience as your higher self.

All things exist in your mind and can be programmed to be experienced in this magnificent holodeck you call the universe.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.

Roy's style is hard hitting and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.

Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com

Reviving Billfish

Last summer we had an unfortunate incident with a swordfish we brought to the boat.

It was about 8:30pm and we had been set up for about 45minutes when we had our first bite, the second balloon at 150' baited with a dead squid started to scream. My brother Rocky was on the rod and the instant he pushed the drag up to strike, which on our rods is set at 25-30lbs of drag, the fish stopped and Rocky cranked the fish in effortlessly. Less then five minutes later we had a small swordfish boat side. We couldn't see the hook and since this fish was brought to the boat so quickly we didn't want to put this green fish through any trauma. Rocky handed me the pliers and I clipped the leader as close to the swordfish's mouth as possible. The swordfish kicked away and seemed to be fine, then less then a minute later on the other side of the boat we spotted the swordfish belly up. We pulled in the drift anchor and moved the boat to the swordfish. Rocky grabbed its bill and brought it along boat side. I put one engine in gear and Rocky held the fish's bill underwater in the hopes of reviving this small swordfish. After a minute or so of attempted reviving, the swordfish just became even more copper colored, stiff and lifeless. We realized there was no hope of reviving this fish so we brought him in the boat. Once he was in the boat we inspected the fish and the hook which we decided to cut was just a little bit inside the corner of its mouth and not bleeding what so ever. Since this fish was brought to the boat in minutes and received no trauma from the fight or from us upon release made us believe that this fish must have had heart failure.

Incidents like this are rare, especially when the fight time is kept to a minimum. But, they do happen and it reminds us that even though we are conservation minded and try to practice good catch and release, there is always a chance that a caught fish will not survive after being released.

There are many things we as fisherman can do to try and ensure a healthy release for any billfish we catch. For one, whenever we get a green billfish to the boat which we are planning on releasing simply cut the leader as close to the fishes mouth as possible and as quickly as possible. Holding any large billfish along boat side is one of the most dangerous things we can do in the sport of fishing. When a mate leans over the gunwale to hold a boated billfish, especially on a boat with high freeboard, he or she can seriously injure themselves and the fish. Billfish struggling along boat side often damage their eyes, bills and gills banging against the side of the boat. This is why simply cutting the leader as close to the fish's mouth, is much safer for the fish and the people on board.

Any attempt to remove the hook from a billfish can do much more harm then good to the fish. Poor attempts to remove the hook from a struggling fish can cause sever bleeding and bruising to the fish. So, unless you have a smaller billfish at the boat and you can clearly see that de-hooking the fish will be an easy task due to where the hook is placed, simply cut the leader as close to the fish's mouth as possible, it will have a much better chance of survival.

In the event you try and de-hook a smaller billfish, attempt to de-hook the fish while its head is underwater. Once a billfish's head is above water it will violently thrash its head.

When you are about to release a billfish if it's not struggling to get away, is not lit up and has a copper color, grab the fish's bill holding the bill and the fish's head under water then put the boat in gear so water will run through the fish's gills. Once the fish starts to kick on its own or starts to struggle, gently let go of the bill and let it swim free.

Never consider a billfish dead, always try to revive the fish as it may just be exhausted from a long battle or unconscious from lack of water (oxygen) running through its gills.

TightLines,

Captain Vinnie La Sorsa
Swordfishing & OffShore Charters.

http://www.GoodFellasCharters.com

Good Credit Is a Necessity for Everyday Living

Most of us want a good credit report to obtain vehicle financing, credit cards for emergencies and luxuries, and to finance a home mortgage. However, beyond these consumer loans, a great credit report makes your life easier.

Having a credit card means that you can order tickets, rent a car, and reserve hotel rooms. Your strong credit score makes it easy for you to arrange cell phone service and necessary utility services, without large deposits.

Besides these conveniences, your credit report can mean that you must pay higher deposits and rates for everyday services. Did you know that poor credit history can keep you from getting utility connections, good telephone rates, the best auto insurance, high-quality home owner's insurance, or even prevent you from getting hired?

Some utility companies set minimum standards for service connections. If your report shows collection accounts for prior utility bills, you may not be eligible for service at all. And if they do agree to connect your service, you'll need to pay a higher deposit than another customer with good credit, who may not need to make any deposit. The same requirements exist for telephone services. People with high credit scores don't need to pay deposits for home telephone or cell phone services.

What many people don't realize is that good credit enables them to get better insurance rates. High-quality, low-cost home owner's insurance, auto, and life insurance companies set minimum credit standards for their policy holders. This means that consumers with poor credit have to pay more for less coverage. Many automobile insurance companies now base monthly premiums on credit scores. These companies offer a 17% discount if your score is over 625 and a 25% discount if your score is over 725. Why? Because according to consumer surveys, people who care about their credit also take care of their property and drive with caution.

Terrible credit can cost you a job. More and more employers look at a candidate's credit report and hire the person with better credit, assuming that better credit equals better integrity and character.

What you don't know about your credit could be hurting you. Don't wait until you need your credit to work on any problems. Strong credit translates to personal reputation.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Jeanette Fisher, author of "Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate," helps people buy their dream home or finance multiple investment properties. Jeanette teaches real estate investing and Design Psychology. For help with your credit or answers to your questions, visit the Real Estate Help Credit Center at http://www.recredithelp.com - Get the credit you need to buy one house or twenty!

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Brand Warfare is More of a War than You Think

We will discuss Brand Marketing for a minute. In this discussion we would like to talk about brand line extension and how to do it correctly. First we are not sure if you have been looking in the grocery stores lately, but you might have been noticing some very interesting things amongst America's top selling brands, this has been increasing for about the last 5-years. For instance look at GE Light bulbs sometime. They have not only the original light bulb that GE is known for they now have; Soft Pink, Crystal Clear, Original, Standard, Miser (The energy saving light bulb), and of course Party Light Bulbs in colors of yellow, red, green, blue, and orange.

If you do not find this interesting perhaps you might find the line extension of Kingsford Charcoal interesting. 3-types now. What about Raid, the bug killer, they have it now for ants, slugs, flies and ants/roaches, Roaches only. Raid for the garage, for the bathroom, for the kitchen and for the garden. 7 different types. They own the entire space for bug killer on many a store shelf. And what about our famous Lego Brand? They already have all the Star Wars characters and hardware of spacecrafts, and structures.

Yes we are very aware of Lego Brands. Lego is very aggressive promoting their brand identity and expanding their customer base, they have something for everyone, We are on the leading edge of these trends and have read all the same books and sometimes it amazes me how many large corporations in America make such unfortunate mistakes with their brands. Lets look a Hot Wheels line extension. Garbage trucks, Fed Ex Vans, Over the Road 18 Wheelers, Skateboarders, SUVs etc. And Barbie, judging by their books, cars, houses and clothes-lines. Interesting that the founder died and they simply did what Wendy's Hamburger did, use the PR to sell even more and extend the brand name even further, with books and video-tapes and newest lines. Look at Wendy's launching a new hamburger early ahead of schedule. Who else is going for it on the grocery shelves of America's largest chains? Windex with now 7 colors; Blue Original, Clear Vinegar, Purple Mountain Anti-Bacterial green, Aqua, no drip no streak. Lysol same thing. And 409 cleaner? Original green. Misty Breeze, Orange Power. We have brands everywhere and they sell too.

Now then if you look at the Fast Food Restaurant Corporations and their Multi-Brand Franchises in the QSR Sector, we see the leader McDonalds has diversified quite a bit. Recently we did a Multi-Brand Franchising Report Observation and we were quite interested in what we found. Well not everyone is aware that McDonalds also owns several other bands such as Boston Markets; 650 stores in 23 states, Chipotle Mexican Grill; 230 stores in 10 states, Donato's Pizza 200 stores in 10 states, Pret a Manager 140 stores in 4 countries, Fazoli's 400 units in 32 states and two countries. Of this the company derives 2 Billion in annual sales, this is not even counting McDonalds. Many people are unaware of this because McDonald's has not connected the dots.

However other franchise companies, which franchise and have multiple brands have. The question shall always be do they co-market to the same customers or serve separate niches. Do they buy out their competition yet sell and take away an cannibalize their own same store sales? It depends, McDonalds seems to be targeting different customers although if you consider in the US people eat major meals 2-3 times per day and there are 7 days a week, we are talking about 14-21 opportunities to feed them, now obviously other than single males, most of our population will eat the majority of meals at home. However how many of those meals will be eaten out side the home and of those visits to QSRs how many can McDonalds pick up. Apparently after considering the additional 2 billion a year in sales, quite a few and remember McDonalds is in 141 countries thus far so perhaps the cannibalization discussed in the franchising industry is a US thing for McDonalds and is not affecting it's other brands here yet or all of it's overseas markets for it's stead fast Mickey Ds Brand.

Think about it Pizza, Chicken, Tacos, Italian and Pretzels? Oh yah that Hamburger thing will never work? Sure, that is what they told Ray Kroc in the beginning, guess they were wrong. And today we see some interesting new factors to be considered namely; The New American diets and how these different food types are effected by the new perception of Atkins, South Beach Diet, etc.

Some stores allow for multiple brands inside the same establishment, this is prevalent in Fast Food, C-Stores and Auto-Service Businesses. We had recently did a small study on the Point of destination Theories or One Stop Shop Scenarios in Car Washes, C-Stores, Quick Lubes, QSRs or Other Auto Businesses and how they attempt to use the multiple brands to draw in customers. If you study Micro Economics of Multi-Revenue Streams Concepts and Co-Brands you will see this trend. In 1997 at the annual International Franchise Association Trade Show we saw that many break away forums focusing on this new rage at the time of Franchise Co-branding and as the moderators introduced the franchisors, Franchise Marketing Executives and Attorneys involved in some of these major projects of mini-franchises in side of C-Stores and Donut, Cookie, Pizza concessions in fast food locations, mom and pop shops, food courts, etc. they all admitted that about 50% of these deals failed when the franchises were owned by separate entities. However it was our observations that things like Starbucks, hair cut places, Mail Stops inside grocery stores were very successful and kiosks with low costs depending on the product did turn out to be profitable.

Let me take a quote from Plato, because it maybe more than relevant to this situation and discussion. This quote is taken out of context although there were none of these types of businesses during that time period. However the theory has not changed and may not change with regards to business operators who leave core components of their business model to create a one-stop shop scenario in order to take advantage of the similar theory of a regional shopping mall or Wal-Mart store. Small privately owned businesses should concentrate on what they are good at first and think twice about co-brands concepts they are unfamiliar with, are hard to learn or not their specialty. Many businesses fail and recently I watched and reviewed such a business that is not long for this world which I will be glad to describe without giving names and allow you to see our point of this discussion. Here is the famous quote by Plato in the Republic, which rings through to the topic some 2300 years later. Could have been written yesterday. You may wish to copy it down and teach it to your off spring.

"the result, then, is that more plentiful and better quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for which he is naturally suited, does it at the right time, and is released from having to do any of the others."

There are many other later themes encompassing parts or all of this idea of specialization. Forget the equal pay for equal work communism or the socialist connotations that this might enter and think of the business aspects of free markets and core business models and current comments from fortune 500 CEOs to shareholders and of course the aspects of small businesses on relevancy. In Parenting too, for instance the quote you may have heard is "If you try to do everything, you will do nothing well?" Unfortunately this is used by many a lazy person to relieve himself of responsibilities of doing what is right or responsibilities he has already committed to or to get him out of responsibilities he is employed to do. In other words for excuses, however when used by a man of commitment to do what he says he was going to do, does it and then determines it to be something he should not be engaging his time in, in that case it is seen as a prudent insight.

I cannot tell you how many companies make obvious mistakes with their brand name, based on advise from experts, advertising agencies and academia, which in my opinion is always looking back, and has not a clue how to change the market direction midstream and take advantage of brand name value in opportunities right before their eyes, Service Master should be commended as they have done well, but they could do so much more really. I want to thank those students for their questions, which enabled me to formalize my worldly observations and enable me to define my theories on brand name.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Top 9 Reasons To Advertise

Advertising is not for every company. But some require it because their market is big and constantly changing and evolving. Consider this, up to 30 percent of the people in the US move each year. Or, you may be locked into a battle with a competitor. People do business with companies they know and trust. Advertising can help build awareness, so that eventually consumers will trust your offer.

I firmly believe that advertising is an excellent tool for rapidly building awareness of a company, its products or services. I believe equally firmly that you build a brand through public relations, not advertising.

A brand is the sum of all interactions a customer has with an organization. Most of those interactions are with employees, or the product or service itself. If those interactions are positive, then customers, allies and the media will tell others. This is PR.

There are times when you need a rapid shot of marketing adrenaline that only paid media can provide.

So, if you find yourself in need of that boost, check out these nine reasons for advertising:

9. Boost employee morale

8. Create industry buzz

7. Create, build or maintain a positive image

6. Test new products and/or services

5. Retain existing customers

4. Reinforce personal sales calls, direct mail

3. Maintain consistent, controlled customer communications

2. Gain new customers, particularly hard-to-reach ones

1. Position or reposition your company, products or services.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, TeamHeidi, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX, Verbatim and Youth Link USA.