Strategic Importance of Business Plans in Today’s Technological Driven Marketplace
Business Plans Are More Essential than Ever
As the pace of competition has accelerated, product life cycles have shrunk.
It used to take 8 to 10 years to design and build a car.
Now it can be in less than a year and half.
Windows of opportunity open and close with blinding speed; and customers, who are constantly being wooed by the competition, are more demanding than ever.
Some people will advise you that it is impossible to plan for the future and thus business plans are irrelevant and a waste of time.
In fact, in this era the exact opposite is true. It is now more important than ever before to have a battle plan during what might, in retrospect, be viewed as “peacetime.”.
Planning and preparation are required for your financial as well as your company’s survival. No one is saying, “The world is more uncertain for you now, so plans are no longer relevant.” The truth is that planning and that planning skills are now most important and more vital than ever. In this regard, businesses are no different from individuals.
Success in this super competitive era depends on making very clear business plans and statements. Winners develop a vision of where they intend to be going, and this blueprint will allow them the flexibility to respond appropriately when the unexpected occurs…
The basics of it all are that by not planning you limit your options and flexibility greatly .
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT Business planning now?
Good business plans require different attributes. The networking revolution created by the Web for business-to-business activities and business-to-consumer products and services has offered new opportunities but has created a very different business environment.
There are essentially only three central tenets that are a part of business plans:
1. A focus on speed in all of its manifestations
2. The integration of the Web into the core of what the company does
3. A focus on how the company adds value for its customers
THE IMPORTANCE
OF PLANNING FOR SPEED
Planning is the essential element in the competitive battleground, and speed is the central weapon. Like all artillery, speed is an asset when a company is able to employ it in building its own business; it is a liability when an “armed” competitor is moving like lightning to undermine that core business. And whether it’s being used for or against you, the ever-present element that must be factored into your plans.
There is a great need and reward for “Speed”. Planning for speed involves an even broader view. To be successful you should take on the widest possible focus on speed and create your businesses accordingly.
Build your plans with the following in mind:
• The speed with which you need to bring a product to market
• The speed with which your competitors might introduce a competitive product
• The speed required to improve existing products and bring enhancement (or future generations) of your t product to market
• The speed with which the industry, because of the Internet, could potentially be transformed
When these factors are fully integrated into a business culture, they lead to a clear way of determining the intensity at which to approach the market:
1). Faster, better, cheaper. . .
It’s getting repetitive, but if a product is faster, better, or cheaper on the Web, companies need to exploit it immediately
2). Get your feet wet now so that you’ll be prepared to swim hard
Very soon.
Even if your competitors aren’t there yet, start exploring what the Net can do for your business
3.) Planned evolution is vital.
If you that have the capability to rapidly evolve your products you will find it easier to stay ahead of your e competition, and developing this capability must be a goal of yours in itself.
.
6). you cannot waste time being concerned about Cannibalization.
Worry about “cannibalization” (creating one product to replace another) assumes that a company owns a market and has time to leave a product in the marketplace until the company is ready to replace it with something new. Smart planners realize that this is an outmoded way of thinking. The new breed of winners in most industries assume that the competition is right at their heels and any competitive advantage they have is fleeting. As a result, they worry about hurting sales of an existing product by bringing out a new one.
Be much more concerned with constantly driving to stay ahead of the competition.
Some brick-and-mortar companies have found it more difficult than others to let go of the “old way” and are sometimes less nimble than newcomers. To survive, they will need to find ways of eliminating excess baggage.
You will be ” Ahead of the the game .”
If you recognize the need for online success and can establish your operation, with an independent management style then you that can have the freedom and resources to win in a today’s environment.
You will certainly be rewarded.
.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDING VALUE
Lastly A good business plan should also answer this question: “In the evolving competitive arena, how does my product or service add value?” Focus on this issue and act on your findings and you are most likely to develop successful plans to which the customers remain loyal.
This is certainly an integral most basic concept which your Grandmother would of insisted on .
Shaun Stevens
Senior Marketing Consultant
Ace Employment Services Winnipeg
Experience in Marketing in the Human Resource , Training as well as Corrections Fields .
www.aceemploymentservices.net
call_kirk@hotmail.com
How to Receive God’s Abundance
When you purchase a new suit or jacket, the pockets are usually sewed up and must be clipped in order to get into them. Without a proper philosophy of money and wealth, you won’t attract anything into your pockets because they’ll still be sewed shut. A proper view of finances will open your pockets to receive the abundance of life that God wants you to have.
A Lesson from the Future
In the television series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” 23rd century human beings have eliminated the need and desire for money. This has helped them transcend their roots in the Earth and take wing to the stars and other planets. However, even though humans have overcome the need and desire for money, there exists an alien race of mercenary merchants whose sole purpose for existence is to amass interstellar currency and whose sole measure of personal worth is the amount of their personal wealth.
Gene Roddenbury, the creator of Star Trek, was an astute analyst of the human civilization of the 20th century. In his futuristic alien race obsessed with and blinded by money, he saw a present-day parallel in societies all across planet Earth. These beings serve to teach the lesson that money is not a sound or solid basis for human endeavor or relationship. When money is the primary end that is sought through the energies of life, it soon becomes the means for measuring the value of those energies and of life itself. When this happens, life actually becomes impoverished because it no longer is seen to have dimension or possibilities or worth beyond the “bottom line.” Life is viewed as the ability, or inability, to accumulate wealth in order to secure worth. The absurdity and poverty of such an understanding of life is well summarized in the words of a bumper sticker I saw recently: “The one who dies with the most stuff wins.” I wonder what the prize could be.
Side Bar: Long ago it was realized that money could obscure a person’s self-worth and value to humanity. One day a rich man of a miserly disposition visited a wise sage, who took him by the hand and led him to a window.
“Look out there,” he said. “What do you see?”
“I see men and women and little children,” the man replied.
Then the sage took him to a mirror. “What do you see now?”
“I see myself,” was the answer.
“Behold, in the window there is glass and the mirror is glass also. But the glass of the mirror is covered with silver. No sooner is silver added than you cease to see others and see only yourself.”
Roddenbury appears to be asking the question, “what would civilized life be like without money?” Would it be some cosmic communist collective devoted to “share and share alike?” Where would the resources come from to support and sustain every human life? How would such resources be fairly allocated and distributed so that the ones with the greatest need would receive the greatest share? Would these resources be of sufficient quality to enable people to grow and expand their personal attributes and natural abilities? Would there be enough to go around?
Roddenbury answers these questions by introducing a machine called the “replicator,” a ubiquitous device that creates whatever one desires literally out of thin air. All required resources for living and growing could be summoned at the moment they were needed or desired in the necessary quantities with no waste or want. Of course this is pure fantasy. However, there is more to this story.
With the replicator, Roddenbury was able to divorce resource development, acquisition and distribution from all work activities. Twenty-third century human beings didn’t have to work in order to obtain the resources necessary to sustain and develop life. These celestial citizens worked for the pleasure of self-expression and to apply their talents and energies to making ever-increasing contributions to the greater good of human civilization. Work was an end in itself and not a means to obtain money in order to secure resources necessary for survival and development. By separating work and money, work became wealth because it no longer needed to be performed for money. Wealth and money were severed from each other for good. Instead of money, what one did to contribute to the greater good and to the accomplishment of the collective mission was the measure of personal wealth and worth.
I think we 21st century beings can learn a valuable lesson from the Star Trek generation of the future when it comes to how best to manage money and the resources it buys. If we could learn to view work as an end in itself and not merely as a means to obtain money, then the experiences of our work would become the wealth we acquire regardless of the amount of money it produces. The issue here is that work builds character, good work builds good character and good character is true wealth. Work, then, becomes the means for wealth not by what we get for it (money) but by what we become by it (character).
Good character produces a wealth of happiness, healthfulness and personal fulfillment that money cannot buy. There are many things money can buy and just as many it can’t. Money can buy a house but not a home, a bed but not a good night’s sleep. Those things it cannot buy must be attracted into one’s life by good character. Otherwise, they will remain elusive and, without them, life becomes impoverished even in the midst of monetary wealth.
Now that we’ve established a proper view of work, money and wealth, we need to examine the means of “fleshing out” such a philosophy. What does it take to actually practice building a “wealthy character?” In a word, it takes discipline.
Discipline and Regret
Aside from physical pain, there are really only two other types of pain that human beings experience. Both are more psychic than physical, although, in both cases, there can be unpleasant physical manifestations. One is the pain of discipline; the other is the pain of regret. The latter occurs as a consequence of the absence of the former.
Pain of Discipline
Author and columnist, Erma Bombeck, commented that the trouble with life is that it’s so “daily.” Likewise, discipline is a daily decision. As anyone who resolves to “lose some weight” or “get into shape” soon discovers, getting from “deciding to do” to “actually doing” can involve a tremendous amount of agonizing effort.
Once the implementation of the resolution occurs, the changed behavior results in pain because new behaviors must replace the old ones. Neurological research has indicated that when a person changes a fundamental belief or opinion which, in turn, determines behavior, the brain undergoes a series of nervous sensations equivalent to distressing torture. It is when this distress is fully felt that the attempts at changing behavior often fade into forgetfulness. Our natural desire is for comfort and predictability, not challenge and change. Aristotle recognized the courage and difficulty of self-discipline when he said: “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”
Discipline can also be painful in that it is a process that involves giving up in order to go up. It is disconcerting to give up something of immediate desire in order to obtain something of value later. After all, there is always the risk that you won’t actually get the things for which you’ve sacrificed. But sacrifice is a required element of the equation that opens the pockets and attracts the wealth of life into them.
Pain of Regret
As both a businessman and a pastor, I’ve heard countless people remorsefully utter the following phrases: “If only I had . . .;” “I wish I had . . . ;” “I should have . . . .” These are words that express deep, soulful pain. When spoken, they proclaim the stark realization that life could have been better than it is now. They are blatant admissions that life is the way it is because of personal choices made and actions done or left undone. This pain of regret can endure throughout a lifetime and often causes the rest of one’s life to descend into bitterness and despair.
Hersell Wilson, an early 20th century social commentator, said: “The things you do that you don’t have to will always determine who you are when it’s too late to do anything about it.” None of us have to exercise discipline in any aspect of our lives. We are certainly free to choose to do nothing to make something of our lives - to wind up being a nobody by not helping anybody, including ourselves. Self-discipline is voluntary. But there is a heavy price to pay when discipline is not chosen in the area of finances. When it’s too late to earn the necessary money to pay the bills, the bills will arrive. When it’s too late to save enough for retirement, retirement cannot be taken.
The pain of regret is enormous in comparison to the pain of self-discipline. If your pockets are bare, check to see if the way you view money, wealth and work is actually keeping them sewed shut. If you determine that they are, indeed, sewed shut, what can you do to open them up in order to receive the abundance God has in store for you?
Side Bar: If your character is not attracting wealth into your life, ask yourself, “What’s really getting in the way of that happening?”
“An enemy I had, whose face I stoutly strove to know,
For hard he dogged my steps unseen wherever I did go.
My plans he balked, my aims he foiled, he blocked my onward way;
When for some lofty goal I toiled, he grimly said me, “Nay!”
One night I seized and held him fast, from him the veil did draw. I gazed upon his face at last and, lo, myself I saw.”
Steps to Receiving God’s Abundance
We are creatures fashioned in the image of God. To accurately reflect God in our lives, we need to yield to His desire for us. Whenever we submit ourselves to God’s desire for our lives, we broaden and deepen our character as spiritual beings and thereby become capable of receiving spiritual abundance, which includes all wealth.
The act of submission is in choosing to do what God does in relation to creation. What God does in relation to creation is to give Himself. We develop a good character by giving ourselves to others. It is this good character, developed in spiritual obedience to God’s desire for us, that attracts all manner of wealth into our lives so that we might be optimally equipped to serve others.
What do you need to do to broaden and deepen your spiritual character so as to attract more of the abundance of God’s wealth into your life? There are just two steps to take.
Step One:
Tell God that you submit to His desire for you. Do this every day. This is the primary act of giving yourself first to God so that God can give Himself again to creation through you. From this moment on you will receive God’s abundance so that you can give to others. Whatever you give to others is a sacrifice of praise to the presence of God’s abundant life within you.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he immediately replied, ” . . . you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31). It is fascinating that Jesus added a second commandment. He was linking love of God with love of others (a neighbor is anyone within “loving distance”). What must be kept in mind, however, is that there is an order presented here. The first commandment is to love God with all that one is (and not, incidentally, with all that one has); the second flows from the first. How often do we attempt to serve others without first 1) knowing if they can benefit from our service, 2) if we have what is necessary to help and not hinder them, and 3) establishing that God has led us to serve them above all others. After all, our personal resources of time, energy and money are limited. The point is that only when we first give ourselves wholly to God can God show us to whom we can most effectively give ourselves.
Never forget the divine irony: you can’t give unless you receive; but, in order to receive you must give. Our understanding of this seeming paradox is this:
You can’t give to others unless you receive from God; in order to receive from God you must give yourself to God.
Step Two:
The discipline that will keep attracting God’s abundance into your life is to daily give yourself to those to whom God leads you without regard for return or reward. Remember the words of Albert Schweitzer: “Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid.”
When you take these two simple steps on a daily basis, you’ll find your pockets full of God’s richness. You’ll also discover that your true wealth is a good character that not only thrives in this life but also is filled with the abundance of God’s eternal life.
Ken Wallace, M. Div., CSL has been in the organizational development field since 1973. He is a seasoned consultant, speaker and executive coach with extensive business experience in multiple industries who provides practical organizational direction and support for business leaders. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, he is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and holds the Certified Seminar Leader (CSL) professional designation awarded by the American Seminar Leaders Association.
Ken is one of only eight certified Business Systems Coaches worldwide for General Motors.
His topics include ethics, leadership, change, communication & his unique Optimal Process Design® program.
Tel:(800)235-5690 Claim your free eBook, “How to Do Better Than Your Best in Anything You Do” by visiting the Better Than Your Best website.
Stress Management Ideas
Are you somebody who always seems to be under stress? Do you
worry most of the time and feel that you have the weight of the
world on your shoulders? For the first twenty-two years of my
life, I was constantly down and depressed and used to feel very
sorry for myself. This article describes how I managed to break
free of this depression to have a fairly stress-free life.
Growing up I felt rather hard done by, that life had not dealt
me a good hand of cards. These were the reasons I felt sorry for
myself:
I had a speech impediment, known as a stutter
I have a bald patch on my head the size of a ten pence piece
Due to comfort eating, I was overweight
I am quite short for a male at five foot four
Some of the above you may think are quite trivial issues,
however for me especially as a teenager they caused me a lot of
stress.
Stuttering was the major thorn in my side causing me many
problems and traumas. I suffered with this speech impediment for
eighteen years before finally managing to beat the problem. I
now help other people to achieve fluency.
At the age of twenty-two I started to read a lot of books about
positive thinking and also started to take more of an interest
in world affairs. This gave me a huge wake up call as it made me
realise that I was actually dealt a very good set of cards.
There are not many countries I would rather have been born in,
the things above that I felt were so terrible are in fact very
trivial compared to people who live in parts of Africa, as an
example.
I had stressed so much that by the age of twenty-one my hair had
already started to turn grey. A colleague at work was also to
have a huge affect on my life without him even knowing it. He
was a man (I will call him Peter) who had many of his own
issues. Peter had learning difficulties, had what I call the
shakes, did not have many friends and did not have a girlfriend
in the six years that I knew him. I would meet Peter for lunch
on most days and he would always have a beaming smile on his
face. One day I thought to myself, what have you got to smile
about? I then decided that if he could smile then so could I.
I now am very happy with who I am, and if people do not like me,
I don’t care. Life is so much easier now!
Catalytic Converters and Your Vehicle’s Emission System
Before 1975 no U.S. vehicle came equipped with a catalytic converter. Changes in environmental policy — started with the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] by the Nixon Administration - soon changed all of that. Now, with very few exceptions, all vehicles must come outfitted with a catalytic converter. So, what does a catalytic converter do exactly? Good question…we will answer that query in this article.
When your engine burns fuel it produces gases that are harmful to the environment. If not handled properly, these same gases will exit through your vehicle’s exhaust and work to do harm on the environment. The EPA, which was established in 1970, mandated that starting in 1975 vehicles were to come equipped with an apparatus to reduce dangerous emissions. The particular piece of equipment created to accomplish this task was the catalytic converter.
The catalytic converter in your vehicle is installed in the exhaust line between the exhaust manifold and the muffler. Pellets inside the converter work to transform detrimental gases into harmless gases before they exit the tailpipe and go out into the open air. As you might guess, a properly functioning catalytic converter is essential toward preserving air quality standards.
There are four telltale signs that indicate a catalytic converter will soon fail:
Rusted or broken converter body or end tubes.
Bits of substrate in other sections of the exhaust system.
No rattle detected in a pellitized converter (If the converter doesn’t rattle, the pellets may have melted together or fallen out).
A rattle detected in a monolithic converter (A rattle in this kind of converter indicates the substrate has separated.)
If you see evidence of any of these signs, then you must replace your catalytic converter right away. If you don’t, you risk receiving a ticket from a police officer and you may automatically fail your next motor vehicle inspection.
You can install a new catalytic converter yourself and save money on parts and labor. Shop online for the best deals going.
Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for the Auto Parts Warehouse, a supplier of high quality replacement parts and accessories for most vehicles on North American roads. Shop for a catalytic converter
Including a Ford converter or a VW Beetle converter today.
Outdoor Lighting Fixtures
Outdoor lighting fixtures should blend decorative aspects with security and durability. These lighting fixtures can be modern, traditional, casual or formal depending on personal choice. Another aspect to be considered is size and layout of area to be lighted. If area is small and surrounded by trees, bushes or artifacts then small, separate or specifically designed lights can be placed at appropriate points.
Similar to other electronic devices, outdoor lighting fixtures evolve with changing lifestyles and requirements. Lighting adds that special touch and with outdoor lighting fixtures available in different sizes and finishes we can match exterior décor with the interior the house or commercial establishment. There are different lighting fixtures for sports arenas, pathways, decks, driveways, front doors, porches, gates and garages and we should select accordingly. Another important point to consider is the weather condition. Extreme temperatures require certified and durable lights that are also tarnish and corrosion resistant. A lower quality outdoor lighting fixture can have bubbles, chips or scratches and should be checked before purchase. Similarly wrongly positioned outdoor lighting fixtures can create hot-spots i.e. pools of darkness or light.
With numerable styles it is easy to select outdoor lighting fixtures suited to your budget, location and desired level of convenience. For private residences manually operated switching models are workable and easier to use. Automatic switching models are appropriate for commercial or sports arenas but house owners are swapping the manual for automatic switching models due to busy schedules and vacations. A safe bet for absentee house-owners is motion activated lighting system with motion sensors that lights up when someone approaches. Another model is the dusk-to dawn fixture with photocells that turn on at sunset and off at sunrise automatically.
Like colors in a palette outdoor lighting fixtures create moods with different combinations of designs. Select from louvered to tiered, recessed or sunken lights, eyelids or scones for wall mounting, scooped or mushroom shaped to provide shielded lights or simple pole lights. These can be sleek contemporary lights, halogen or compact fluorescent, incandescent light bulbs, spot lights or luminaries offering unlimited choice to highlight exteriors.
Outdoor Lighting provides detailed information about outdoor lighting, decorative outdoor lighting, low voltage outdoor lighting and more. Outdoor Lighting is affiliated with Gazebos.
A Sample Of A Good Muscle Building Diet
A quality muscle building diet is often the most neglected part
of muscle building training.
Building muscle requires the right nutrition and the right diet.
Make no mistake, it’s an essential part of weight lifting and if
you want to build muscle, you have to get it done.
Don’t know what to eat? Don’t know how much to eat? Try these
sample menus to get you started.
The following body building menus are meant to help you design
your own muscle building diet.
Sample 2,500 calorie per day menu A
Breakfast
cup bran flakes 1 cup 1% milk 1 medium peach 1 whole wheat
toast 1 tbsp peanut butter
Mid morning meal
cup strawberries cup low fat yogurt 1 scoop (2oz) vanilla
protein powder 1 cup 1% milk cup orange juice
Lunch
Peach Chicken and Rice
2 oz skinless chicken breast can sliced peaches tsp of
cornstarch tsp peeled and grated ginger 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup
water chestnuts cup rice (uncooked) cup snow peas tsp
extra virgin olive oil
Mid afternoon meal
3/4 cup 1% cottage cheese can (4oz) can peaches- sliced 1
English muffin 1 tbsp peanut butter
Post workout meal
Power Drink
1 scoop protein powder (2oz) 1 cup orange juice 1 medium banana
1 cup 1% milk tbsp honey Dinner
Chicken Teriyaki
4 oz skinless chicken breasts 1/3 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup orange juice 1 tsp cornstarch 1/3 tsp ginger tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 1 cup small broccoli florets 1 can (8
ounces) sliced water chestnuts 1/4 cup rice (cooked)
Cooking Instructions
Peach Chicken and Rice.
Cook rice according to package directions. In a medium skillet,
heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning to
brown evenly, until tender, usually 8-12 minutes. Remove from
skillet and keep warm.
Meanwhile, drain peaches reserving juice. If necessary, add
water to the juices to equal 1/4 cup. Stir in cornstarch,
ginger, and salt. Add to the skillet and cook and stir over
medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Cook and stir in the peaches and water chestnuts and heat
through. On a plate, arrange the rice, snow peas, and chicken.
Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve.
Power Drink Mix all ingredients in blender.
Chicken Teriyaki
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/4″ pieces; set aside. In a small
mixing bowl, combine teriyaki sauce, orange juice, cornstarch,
and ginger; set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over high
heat.
Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they are lightly
browned, about 3-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the
chicken to a bowl, leaving the drippings in the skillet.
Reduce the heat to moderate. Add broccoli to the skillet and
stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Stir the teriyaki mixture and pour it
into the skillet with the broccoli. Cook the mixture, stirring
constantly, until it is thickened and bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.
Add water chestnuts and the cooked chicken. Continue cooking
until heated through, serve over cooked rice.
Sample 3,500 calorie per day menu A
Breakfast
1 sliced peach 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt 1 scoop (2 oz)
vanilla protein powder cup blueberries whole wheat bagel 1
tbsp light cream cheese
Mid morning meal
1 cup strawberries 1 cup low fat yogurt 1 scoop (2oz) vanilla
protein powder 1 cup 1% milk 1 cup orange juice
Lunch
Tuna Sandwich
cup tuna 2 whole wheat slices of bread 1/4 cup diced celery 2
tbsp light mayonnaise 1/4 cup brown rice 1 tsp light mayonnaise
2 romaine lettuce leaves 1 cup cucumber 1 tbsp chopped parsley 1
tbsp chopped chives 1 cube soup base Mid afternoon meal
1 whole wheat bagel 1 tbsp peanut butter 1 cup cottage cheese
cup strawberries
Post workout meal
Power Drink
1 scoop protein powder (2oz) 1 cup orange juice 1 medium banana
1 cup 1% milk tbsp honey
Dinner
Chicken Teriyaki
4 oz skinless chicken breasts 1/3 cup low sodium teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup orange juice 1 tsp cornstarch 1/3 tsp ginger tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 1 cup small broccoli florets 1 can
(8oz) sliced water chestnuts cup rice (cooked)
Cooking Instructions
Tuna Sandwich
Cook brown rice according to label instructions but add a cube
of soup base to taste once the rice and water start to boil.
Meanwhile, mix tuna, celery, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. Mix
well until creamy. Add chives and parsley. Spread on whole wheat
bread. Add lettuce. Serve with cucumber and rice.
Power Drink Mix all ingredients in blender.
Chicken Teriyaki
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/4″ pieces; set aside. In a small
mixing bowl, combine teriyaki sauce, orange juice, cornstarch,
and ginger; set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over high
heat.
Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they are lightly
browned, about 3-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the
chicken to a bowl, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Reduce
the heat to moderate.
Add broccoli to the skillet and stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Stir
the teriyaki mixture and pour it into the skillet with the
broccoli.
Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and
bubbly, about 2-4 minutes. Add water chestnuts and the cooked
chicken. Continue cooking until heated through, serve over
cooked rice.
There you have a sample muscle building diet you can use to
ensure you’re getting the calories you need each day to build
muscle.
What is a Pore or Skin Cleanser?
You’ve probably come here in hopes to battle acne. We’ve all had different forms of skin acne at one point or another. Clogged pores are one of the leading contributors to acne. If you see a black dot on your face, that’s not a mole or freckle, it’s probably a blocked pore or blackhead. Don’t get alarmed, don’t pick at it. There’s several things you can do to unclog your pores. Please read on as we describe a few successful acne remedies, specifically blocked pore remedies below:
First, have you ever heard of a skin cleanser? A skin or pore cleanser is typically a bottle of liquid, referred to as an astringent. It will smell strong, and it may even burn a little once applied to your skin. It removes all the dirt and oils in your skin. Skin Cleanser should be applied by a cotton ball and wiped across your face, after your face is washed thoroughly with warm water. The acne astringent or pore cleanser will help you to prevent acne. By unclogging blocked pores, the pore cleanser is keeping dirt from collecting and forming a pimple. This is a great method for keeping pimples and acne from starting.
Pore cleansers are strongly suggested for teen acne. Many teens produce excessive amounts of oil, which in turn cause acne. By removing the oils with a pore cleanser, there’s less of a likelihood of acne forming. While there’s not guarantee that pore cleanser will cure or prevent all pimples, it’s a very good way of keeping pimples from becoming large and inflamed.
Most pore cleansers contain alcohol. This has negatives and bonuses. On one hand alcohol based astringents are perfect for acne. Alcohol dries pimples up and helps them disappear faster. One the other hand, alcohol has been known to dry up faces and make them look very dull. It can also make a face peel and look flakey when used in excess.
Despite this, a good balance of pore cleanser and nightly moisturizing should be a perfect balance. It’s also recommended to exfoliate prior to applying pore cleanser. Exfoliating removes trapped dirt from deep pores, whereas pore cleaner generally removes dirt from the surface of pores. If you follow this routine daily in tandem with a DHT reducing product to reduce skin oils, you should notice a significant difference in your skin. If your skin becomes irritated from pore cleanser, discontinue use immediately and search for an alternative acne method.
Jen Carter is team member for Clearogen, a new acne treatment product / skin cleanser created by Board Certified Dermatologist Dr Alex Khadavi, designed to attack the root causes of teenage and adult acne instead of simply addressing the symptoms. Visit http://www.clearogen.com
Computer Cases: The Basics
A computer case (also known as the computer chassis, box or housing) is the enclosure that contains the main components of a computer. Cases are usually contructed from steel, aluminum or plastic although other materials (such as wood and perspex) have also been used in case designs.
Size and Shape of Computer Cases
Cases can come in many different sizes or “form factors”. The most common form factor is ATX, although small form factor cases are becoming popular for a variety of different uses.
Cases are often said to come in “towers” (such as mini tower, mid-sized tower and full-sized tower)”, “desktops”, “pizza boxes” (also called flatbed or (horizontal) and “slim desktops” that uses the LCD like housing. Tower cases are taller and typically have more room while desktop cases are more compact and are more popular in business environments.
Small form factor cases are a variety of cases that are coming more and more common. Companies like Shuttle computers and AOpen have been producing such cases and Mini-ITX is the most common motherboard designed for these cases. Apple Computer recently announced its Mac Mini computer, which is around the size of a CD-ROM drive.
Computer Case Functions
Cases usually come with room for a power supply unit, several expansion slots and expansion bays, wires for powering up a computer and some with built in I/O ports that must be connected to a motherboard.
Motherboards are screwed to the bottom of the case, its I/O ports being exposed on the side of the case. Usually the power supply unit is at the top of the case attathed with several screws. The typical case has four 5.25″ and three 3.5″ expansion bays for devices such as hard drives, floppy disk drives and CD-ROMS. A power button (and sometimes a reset button that can be turned-on and off using a remote control) are usually located on the front to turn the computer. LED status lights for power, hard drive activities are often located near the power button which are powered from wires that connect up to the motherboard. Some cases come with status monitoring equipment such as case temperature or processor speed monitor which appear on an LCD on the side.
A panel on the side, covers up and protects the inside of the computer when being used, which usually slides on and held with a screw. Most cases require a large amount of screws to put together. Recently there has been a move to “screwless” cases, where cases are held together with other methods than screws.
The Many Looks of Computer Cases
Traditional designs were beige in color and were rectangular (often referred to as “beige box”), but they have evolved in style in recent years, especially after the introduction of the iMac in 1998. Beige box designs are now typically found on budget machines.
The term “case modding” refers to the artistic styling of otherwise rather functional and plain computer encasings. There is an increasing demand for more functional and radical designs on computer cases and in the future computer cases may look very different from now. Companies such as Alienware are known for unusual cases.
Stickers are a common appearance on cases. These often include the computer manufacturer’s logo and the computer’s specifications (CPU, RAM, Hard drive, etc). Other stickers include the operating system (such as “Designed for Windows XP”) and processor (such as the famous “Intel Inside” sticker).
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Paul LoIacono is the president and owner of ATX Cases. You can see a wild array of computer case shapes, sizes and designs by visiting http://atxcases.com.
Pets - is their a cure?
Keeping pets is strange when you think about it - you get an animal to come and stay in your house with you, you feed it, you give it everything it needs, and you even clean up after it. Yet, since prehistoric times, people have kept pets. What do they get out of it?
People’s reasons for getting pets vary widely, but there are a few main reasons you can identify. Children are often bored and want a pet to play with, while older people can get lonely and want a pet to keep them company.
So which pet is right for you? Well, the pets that people tend to get on with best are the ones that are most like them.
The biggest division is between ‘dog people’ and ‘cat people’, and it’s a definite question of personality. Dogs are loyal creatures that want to depend on you and be taken care of, while cats are more independent, giving affection on their own terms. If you like to give and receive unconditional affection then you should probably get a dog - and if you think what I just said was stupid and sappy, then the chances are you’re more of a cat person.
Of course, there are plenty of other animals to choose from. Birds like budgies, for example, are very playful and interesting, while not requiring you to take on as much responsibility as you would with a dog, for example. If you just want your pet to look nice and not to very much, then you can get tropical fish - a good pet if you’re busy, although hardly the most exciting thing to own.
Finally, if you’re a bit of a quirky sort, then you might consider a more unusual pet. All sorts of strange animals can be kept as pets, from lizards like turtles and snakes to insects like slugs and snails. Little rodents like hamsters are popular, and there are plenty to choose from - ever fancied having a chipmunk? If you get a wild animal licence, you might even be able to keep big zoo animals like tigers and monkeys… scary, I know. Really, the only limit is your imagination.
John Gibb is the owner of pet cures guide, For more information on pet cures please check out www.Cure-Your-Pet2000.Info
Child Summer Camp Considerations
If you have a child summer camp may be something that you are considering. Whether you went to summer camp as a child or not, you recognize that this can be a great opportunity for your child to make new friends and learn new skills and interests. Don’t limit your choices to the traditional child summer camp; you have a wide number of alternatives that you may find even more attractive. But, before you make any decision there are several things that you should think about. You will need to think about the age and maturity level of your child, what their interests and goals are, and what you can afford to spend for camp. Above all, child summer camp should be something that is a positive learning experience for your child.
If your child is younger than 9, you will probably want to consider a day child summer camp rather than a sleep away camp. If you feel like they are mature enough to sleep away, one to three nights should be the maximum. Once they are ready to go to a sleep away camp, you can have a trial run at a friend’s or relative’s home for the weekend before they go to child summer camp.
Many cities, churches, and even some child care centers offer child summer camp opportunities for day campers of all ages. They may run for a week or a few weeks. Some offer general interest activities such as bowling, swimming or movies, while others are more specialized with sports, music, art, or computers. Sleep away camps offer many of the same types of choices for child summer camp, but you can also find scout camps, film making camps, and even weight loss camps. The possibilities are nearly endless, and you can get a lot of ideas if you look online.
The cost of attending summer camp is a huge consideration for most families. Day camps are usually cheaper. You can find out if the camp offers any ability or need-based scholarship opportunities for participants who qualify. But camps can cost anywhere from less than one hundred dollars, to thousands of dollars depending on the camp.
Make sure that you ask a lot of questions about the camp. Ask to see a schedule, and find out about staff training and group sizes.
Eriani Doyel writes articles about kids and teens. If you would like more information about finding a child summer camp visit yscamp.com