History of the Human Potential Movement

Since the beginning of time, individuals in one way or another have attested to the worth and respect of the human mind. Dating as far back as BC, people would stand against the ideas and routines set in place if they thought it seemed illogical or unfair. Eventually, these actions were developed into what is called "psychology," and scientists began to research, conduct studies and provide learning experiments on behavior that led to the "Human Potential Movement." Although it's considered modern and a "New Age" movement, the basic premise of the Human Potential Movement has been around forever: it is possible to tap into your own mind to achieve the results that you desire.

The Human Potential Movement gained momentum during the 1960s when psychotherapists began to develop techniques aimed to train individuals and groups to discover their highest potential through means of sensitivity training, group therapy, self-expression and reliving personal experiences. Although doctors and scientists such as Fritz Perls, Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow tapped into the Human Movement Potential during the 1950s, it was the late 1960s and early 1970s that brought the greatest reception and the biggest popularity, when several psychologists and doctors began to hold clinical studies in order to identify how human resources and inner potential was developed.

Psychologists focused mainly on group centers where they could incorporate humanistic psychology with old Eastern philosophies. One of the most popular group centers was founded in 1962 by Michael Murphy and Richard Price. The Esalan Institute, in Big Sur, California, was used to implement the Osho Movement while teaching humanistic psychology techniques. The Osho movement is a practice discovered and created by Eastern philosopher Rajneesh Chandra Mojan, in which he combined humanistic psychology with Buddhist meditation and relaxation techniques.

With the creation of the group centers, the Human Potential Movement began to flourish, predominantly in the United States. Work groups and employees have especially benefited from the movement and group centers. In fact, a wide variety of human resources, management and training departments have made learning the Human Potential Movement a mandatory requirement. Other notable institutions are the World Institute of Scientological Enterprises, LandMark Education, Silva Mind Control and Lifespring.

The premise for the Human Potential Movement stems from early religious teachings and philosophical views, although it is not a religious practice. However, much like religious cultures, the Human Potential Movement teaches people to transform their lives into a more positive experience by delving into their hidden potential, which will in turn bring feelings of happiness, fulfillment and a sense being complete. Religious groups teach the same basic concept: when people turn their lives over to God, they will experience life in a different light through fulfillment and happiness. Both groups promote optimism and positive experience through practice and the following of their groups.

However, a notable difference lies within the fact that the Human Potential Movement rejects the traditional values and beliefs that hinder human progress and limit creative thoughts. Training involves squashing fear, negative thoughts and traditional programmed information. Most Western religions teach us that God is personal, whereas The Human Movement Potential believes that God is an impersonal energy that lives within all of us. Also, biblical teachings do not promote leaving our conscious state of minds and entering into an altered state. However, the Human Movement Potential advocates inward imagery, visualization, meditation and relaxation for the purpose of tapping into our minds and transforming our thoughts.

The Human Movement Potential also has influences in what some call "the occult," also known as spiritualism, divination, astrology or hidden perception of the senses. In Christian teachings, the term occult is met with negative reactions, and is taught to be something that goes against everything Christianity offers. However, this sort of practice is something that Human Movement Potential teachers and activists embrace. Tapping into your hidden potential by means of meditation, motivational techniques, visualizations and positive affirmations is the backbone of the movement.

The main goal of the Human Movement Potential is to teach you that you, and anyone else that so desires, can develop your own potential so that you can live the life that you want to live, and you can do this while being happy and fulfilled at the same time. The movement urges you to unleash your potential that's been buried somewhere deep in your mind as a result of the conditions, teachings and rules of society. The so-called "rules" and norms of society have been embedded into our minds for so long that they come as a second nature, never questioned until they are stuck in our heads like bubble gum stuck to the bottom of our shoes. However, what was once learned can be unlearned, and the real you can be re-discovered. This of course, means that you will be rejecting traditional beliefs and moving towards a sense of self-enlightenment that only you can discover. The Human Movement Potential activist, followers and teachers believe that only your "true self" will allow you to go on to reach the heights in life that is there before you to grab.

Although there has been skepticism regarding the movement, many groups and individuals have had high success rates, and continue to not only practice the movement, but also promote and recommend it to others. Several books have been written, and group centers can be found all over the world. In a time in society where instant gratification seems to be the norm, all of the fast food overloads, get-rich-quick schemes, miracle diet pills and instant happiness medication are actually detrimental and unhealthy to our bodies, minds and souls.

This sort of personal "growth" is actually hindering our progress as human beings to naturally utilize our hidden psyche and creativity. Instead, we are being provided ways to work against our natural abilities through false advertisements and claims, which greatly stunts the natural progress that we all have the ability to reveal within ourselves. With each passing year, more and more of us long to understand why we feel stressed out, defeated, anxious, tired, worried and pessimistic. Although it may not be perfect by the standards of society, the Human Movement Potential strives to give us that peace that we all deserve, and the hope that we too, can lead meaningful and productive lives.

Reprint Guidelines:** Attn Ezine Editors/Site Owners ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all the links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed above.

When You Use Speed Reading Exercises You Eliminate These Issues

Using speed reading exercises will help you immediately increase your reading speed. The best way to find these exercises is to complete a speed reading course. There are numerous benefits to learning this skill and this article will talk about the bad habits that you can break by completing a course. I will also provide a link for additional information on speed reading.

There are many reasons as to why people read slow but there is one way to eliminate slow reading, learn to the steps to increase it. One of main issues that slows readers down is called regression. Regression happens when the reader goes back to read previous information two and even three times. This happens for many reasons with the most common being lack of understanding. Sub vocalization will slow a reader down as well. This is where the sound of your voice is in your mind as you read. In other words you are reading aloud but not vocalizing.

One of the biggest causes of slow reading happens when we are reading something that does not stimulate you or is generally boring material. Speed reading will eliminate those low concentration levels and will get you through that boring material quicker. Learning different speed reading exercises will also allow you to begin grouping words together when you read as this will allow you to stop reading word for word thus slowing you down.

There is a big misconception about skimming material and this strategy being efficient. Skimming only cuts corners and does not lead to comprehension and retention. Learning how to speed read will eliminate the need for skimming. Word reversal which is reading the words in the wrong sequence can be eliminated as well as poor memory when you learn this skill. The faster you read studies have been shown that both retention and comprehension improve as well.

Debt Management Services - Ensure Smoother Repaying of Debts

When debt burden has increased a lot, you must ensure that it gets reduced soon or you may be in a financial mess. In other words, you must go for debt management in order to contain your debts from rising further. But can you manage debts on your own? Perhaps not, because managing debts requires expertise as debts are in fact much more complicated than what you think. Remember that if you could manage debts on your own, then perhaps there would have not a debt problem in the first place. So it would be suitable if you go for debt management services.

If you stick to the debt management programs then you are most likely to be debt free in 12 to 36months through services provided by an expert of the field. Through this process you can mange all your unsecured debts. These unsecured debts include credit card debts, department store credit card, personal unsecured loans, medical or hospital bills, over due rent etc. You will be making low monthly payments towards clearing the debts and also improving the credit score. Debt management services means there are experts who take control of your debts and mange it for you to consolidate. The providers can easily be located and contacted on their web sites. Just file an online application and soon they make a contact with you.

What service you can derive and how it works? Well, if you click it then it becomes very easy to wipe and settle debt disputes. They negotiate with your creditors for reducing interest rate on debts or they are able to cut down the debt amount it self. But all can be shaped into a single cost and also making a affordable repaying plan keeping your budget in mind. The utmost concern in chalking out a debt repayment plan is that you are fully at ease with it. So first your income is assessed and then your monthly expenditures are subtracted. Thus an amount that you are fully at comfort in repaying is arrived. Your creditors usually agree to the repayment plan.

Clearly with lowered interest rate and reduced debts, you now make low monthly payments that you can easily afford towards debts. Then you are required to write a monthly cheque to institutions as fee in turn of assisting and disbursing debts in time. But while shopping for right debt management services, ensure that it provides counseling services as well so that you remain debt free in future also.

How to Choose the Best Fax Machine

A fax machine is something that you will need sooner or later especially if you run a business, no matter how big or small it is. Basically a facsimile machine is a device that will enable you to send documents through a phone line. It will not take you a day or hours to send or receive documents using a fax machine. Fax is an instant documents sender or receiver. It will save both your time and money compare to regular mail or overnight delivery.

There are several types of facsimile machines: thermal transfer, inkjet and the most high-end one is laser device. Each type has its own mechanism. On the thermal fax machine, thermal paper will surely be needed but on the inkjet and laser fax machine they just need regular paper just like document paper. Since thermal fax is the earlier generation of fax machines, it has a quite annoying noise and poor quality of printing. If you need a fax just to receive less than 30 or 40 faxes per day then an inkjet model will be recommended. If you have a bigger business to handle, then a laser fax will suits you though it might costs you more. There two different cartridges, inkjet devices use ink and laser uses toner.

If you want to buy a fax machine, you should first find out what is your need and then look at the features of the device that supports it. Laser fax machines are more expensive but they have higher speeds that will cut your phone line long distance charges. Pay a little bit attention on the device's memory. Memory on the fax device has a function to hold your faxes when suddenly you forget to replenish paper supply or the ink.

There's also all in one type of facsimile machine, it has the ability to print, scan, fax and copy documents. So in case you need that entire document processing functions in your office or home, just buy one device instead of four. Another thing to consider is the paper trays. Some companies like law firms usually use 11x17 inch of paper while the common one is 8.5x11 inch. To accommodate all those requirements, multiple paper trays are much recommended.

First thing to consider when buying a fax is determine what your need is. There are only 3 types of fax device available which are thermal, inkjet and laser, all come up with different prices. Second thing to consider is choosing the speed of sending and receiving, the size of the memory and the number and type of paper trays.

Leadership Style

Leaders adapt their style to fit a specific situation. It is vital for leaders to understand the latest information by learning, listening and sharing with others as they persistently focus on reaching their goals.

In business, transactional leadership style allows for team members to decide whether or not to obey their leader, whilst being evaluated by their performance. Usually, members who are highly ambitious and thrive on external rewards work well in this situation.

In autocratic leadership, members are completely under the control of their leader. This works well when decisions need to make quickly, and is best used in crisis situation or in the military. With this style of leadership, assignments that are of high risks are governed by rules and regulations in a bureaucratic leadership style. Charismatic leaders inspire enthusiasm and commitment within the working team, but tend to believe more in their ability to perform than that of the team.

In democratic leadership, people are able to develop skills, as well as made to feel more in control by engaging them in decision making and projects. This enables a better working environment where individuals are able to bring forth ideas or new business approaches that can help to drive the organization forward. Once the idea is accepted, the team is left on their own to implement. This leadership style is all about allowing individuals in teams to come up with credible ideas that are implemented by management. Thought leadership may be considered rebellious since there is willingness to accept rejection in order to champion your idea or better way of doing things.

The concept of democratic leadership is often misconstrued, especially when there is a disconnection between the leader and the team where decisions cannot be made effectively as a team. Using Greece inability to form leadership as an example, the country's democracy remains in crisis as it continues to struggle to stabilize its government. Waiting for a new leader that will be elected by the people, Greece struggles with either accepting the idea of a bailout with austerity measures, or the left wing's party desire to reject and leave the European Union altogether.

Laissez-Faire leadership gives team members complete freedom to work on their own. This style only works with highly motivated and experienced team members, capable of working on own initiative. In task-oriented leadership, the focus is on the task and structure, which sometimes lack personal approach to the well-being of team members. In contrast, people oriented leadership focuses on the participation of the members and everyone is treated fairly.

Servant leaders work well in politics or committees as they lead by example. In transformational leadership, members are inspired to engage with other members and have high productivity. Consequently, leaders need the support of detailed oriented people.

Successful leaders lead by example and authentically go by what they teach to members. Failures are only considered opportunities to learn as the focus is always on the positive.

Banner Advertising - 2 Expensive Mistakes You Must Make Sure You Avoid Making When Using This Source

If you want to use banner advertising to get more visitors to your site and make you more money you are going to have to make sure you are focused on avoiding the costly mistakes that will leave you broke! In this article I want to show you what these mistakes are and show you how you can avoid them in your market.

Mistake #1 - Not focusing on using the right sites in your niche market.

The bottom line is that you have to make sure you are focused on using the right sites in your niche market if you want to get more visitors to your site.

Don't simply buy ads on every site that will sell you cheap advertising! That will simply lead into financial trouble! You have to make sure you are focused on going after the sites that are directly related to what you are selling and then focus on using those.

Mistake #2 - Spending to much on getting the visitors to your site.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they are trying to get more visitors to their site is they focus on spending more money then they should!

You have to make sure you start off small so you can figure out your profit numbers.

Once you figure out your profit numbers, you can start increasing those as you make more and more money! It is really important that you do it this way as you will be more profitable in the long run.

Who Me Lord

.To know God we Have to learn His ways, Who and what God really is, Not a religion, Show me Please where does it say to be Religion, Where . It does Not and so many say Christian is a religion, No Folke's its a way of life are meaning Little Christ are where you live ,OK Let me explain a little here ,OK Me I from Texas so that would make me a Texan or those in Missouri would be called Missourian see what I'm getting at Christan, But it also means more than that, it means you are A believer in Christ so you are in his Royal Family now and forever.

See 1 pet 2.9 A royal Priest hood Nation ,That means any one who Believer's in Jesus Christ has eternal Life and is his royal Family forever, Male, Female, Child , Good are Bad, you are his now and Nobody Can take that away from you never .By simply Believing in Jesus Christ are you saved Not By our works are any type of giving.

see Eph 2 .8-9. No works ,just by simply Believing in Jesus Christ,

That Called Salvation, Thar's Grace , Now the Next calling is to Grow in the Grace and Know age of Him.

2 Peter 3.18. the only Commandment for a believer .

And to Know someone you have to spend time with them Right.

You would not send your Child To go to school One hour a week to know the teachings of life, would you, and all Gods ask from us it to hear his word every day just one hour a day and he will do the rest OK ,it will all fall together for you if you do just this and only this.

He Loves you and all of us, he did Die on that Cross for this very Reason , For you .and me ..But we as human can not conceive his mind 1 cor 2.16 ,see these sites for some one who teaches Bible Doctrine and Provides it for you and me every day and for free .sent to your door Free also no Charge and shipping is free also .

Use Video Marketing To Make Money With Your Online Business

When starting out online what's the 1st thing you should do as a marketer? Well it depends on you and what you're likes and dislikes are!! Because not everyone is the same so some people love to write so that'll be there 1st thing they do is make an article. Since this is all about me I'll just cut to the chase and say I like videos so that'll be the 1st thing I do as a marketer!!! Make a video let the world know what I have coming out and when it will be released............

Videos have become one of the greatest features of Online marketing. It lets you to get your point across to the masses, while posting them on the blog site for review. Compared to SEM or even PPC, videos can get high search rankings. There are plenty of ways to get your website out to world and even pay to have it done but videos can get ranked for free!!!

By creating powerful videos to my website there were some patterns that I discovered. To begin to generate powerful video follows some of the tips below to begin.

(1) Video - is important to decide the direction of the video and be clear about what your doing.

(2) The length of the Video are currently occupied. They want to hear a message, they need help. They need a problem solved or what have you!! I try to make mine 1 to 2 minutes but under 5 minutes is cool.....

(3) Tags key words for use of keywords to your videos. This helps people find your video. Also it will be ranked in search engines, so it takes some time and research into sentences that use. The keywords must be relevant and concise with your video. You can use as many of the keywords as you like!!!!

(4) Does it matter what kind of video your making, whether slides with images. I think so, you should still put your voice over it so people know it's a real person!! You can use Camcorder or Web Cam just as long as you got a good microphone!!! You'll be fine.....

(5) Camera Shy- Don't feel bad because I was too when I 1st started!! Really for me it wasn't that I was camera shy it was that I didn't like the way I looked on video when I 1st started!! Sometimes I still don't. But hey it's OK to make still image videos with voice over such as a power point presentation. But the key is to get them videos out there so that people can link back to you.

(6.) Send their Videos- It's not about making a video then uploading it to YouTube but uploading it to as many places as possible!! I like to use TubeMogul as they upload your videos for you for free to several different video sharing sites...

(7), Call to action - You have a call to action. Make sure you tell your viewers what you want them to do. It is important at the end of the video to provide URL where they can visit your products and services. If you like you can provide your phone number or email where they can reach you at if they have any questions!!!!

(8) Original- Do not copy or use material that is not yours, is against the law. If you use any other material that you have permission.

(9.) Your Video Marketing - Time to let the cat out the bag!!! What I mean? Time to post your videos on your blog and to upload it to TubeMogul and ping it cause that's what I do and also Digg it, Stumble and Tweet it!! Cause that's what I do....... lol

(10.) Comments- I love getting feed back and comments from the videos that I've made it let's me know that I'm on to something and it boost up my confidence to make more videos. So go out and make some videos for your business or website!!!

Video Marketing has become one of the greatest trends in online marketing. If you have a business or website then you need to take advantage of video marketing!!! Your video could go viral and it spread around like wildfire then you can start to see some activity on your website from just doing videos alone........

Video is like starting an Online business, there are things you should learn and apply. The best thing you can do is just go for it. Take your time to follow some of the previous suggestions. It will never improve marketing video until you just start doing it.

This article author is Keith L. Lewis

McDonalds Vouchers - Cut the Bill When You Can

Most people never really use McDonald's vouchers. Of course they use them every now and then and when they happen to come across a sheet, but they never actively try to find any. I was in the very same situation. I used to go out and eat a few times a month in a McDonalds, because I love their BigMac more than I like to admit, but I never took coupons for granted and thought they were some kind of a once in a while special opportunity.

McDonald's is the largest franchise and it operates in the most countries of all franchises. At the date of writing this article they are present in more than a hundred and ten countries, with an astonishing thirty-thousand restaurants sprinkled. Most of them are in North America, there is virtually no inhabited place in the USA without at least a drive-through or a small McDonald's run by a local entrepreneur.

Virtually all restaurants are run by individuals or groups, and are franchised by the company itself. It means that the restaurant belongs to the person running it but they adhere to strict rules set by McDonald's. It is just a word of mouth, but the standard book that regulates how the burgers should look like is 500 pages long. No one can say they don't go a long way to ensure perfect user experience every time.

This also means that while in most questions McDonald's decides, the restaurant owner also has a word in what they do and they're not obliged to take part in global promotions. For example, if McDonald's announces a new burger, they also encourage it with some kind of a promotion, like you get $1 off if you buy a meal with that burger. Or you get a free ice cream with any menu containing this item. These are almost constantly available, if the particular restaurant participates.

Should they take part, you are in luck. Promotions are not always tied to a new menu item, you can have a few dollars off your final bill just because the restaurant promotes itself. These coupons are handed out in the Sunday paper, you can even ask for them. I used to take the coupons every time I got a whole menu, but you don't really have to do that. When you order, you can basically ask if they've got any coupons laying around, and they most often do, this is the second best way of doing so.

The best way of getting a coupon is printing it. I know it sounds like printing money but this is perfectly legal. Sometimes your local McDonald's releases a coupon that can be printed and you will be able to use it even if you got it through the net. There are dozens of sites just for listing free printable coupons and if you care about a few bucks off the price every time have something in a fast food restaurant you better get one.

It takes about five minutes to locate, print and verify a coupon so you should be aware of it as a viable option. I used to skip these because I though they were part of some sort of scam or similar, but they do work. Check the date of expiration, other terms of use to see if there is any special requirement to redeem the coupon and check if your local McD participates.

Even if it's just a buy one get one free promotion, or a free ice cream, you're going to be able to save some money every time you redeem a coupon and while a dollar might be a small amount, it adds up fast.

Blood Pressure and Low-Salt Diet

Many of us ask if it is really worth going on a low-salt diet. This is debatable and reducing salt alone is not enough in reducing high blood pressure - you must reduce the amount of fat in your diet as well as reducing the amount of sodium. This is very important although generally neglected feature of any effective diet for blood pressure control because, as everyone knows who has actually followed a low-sodium diet (rather then merely written about it or researched it on other people), for the first few weeks all food tastes like a mixture of cardboard and wallpaper paste and you then tend to eat more fat in an attempt to make it taste of something. As fat certainly raises low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) and therefore the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, you stand to gain nothing at all by reducing your salt intake if at the same time you also raise your fat intake.

If you follow a moderately low-sodium diet and if you have very mildly raised blood pressure in the diastolic range 90-100 mmHg, you may not need any medication. If it is much higher than this, you may need lower doses, or fewer different drugs, that you would on your usual diet. You will never eat out again, because if you really are sticking to a low-sodium diet, all restaurant food will taste unbearably salty. Speaking as a food addict, I doubt if the game's worth the candle; so much deprivation for such a trivial result is simply not worth it. But people differ. There's certainly no harm in trying, providing you don't find yourself eating more fat.

If you decide to go on a low-sodium diet, the first step is to stop adding salt to your food at the table and then gradually to reduce the amount you use in cooking. When you've done this, you next go on to consider the foods you normally eat and work out which you should not eat more of and which food you should avoid. Foods can be divided into three groups: low sodium foods, which you can eat as often as you like; "middling" sodium foods, which you can eat sparingly; and high salt containing foods, which should be avoided altogether. Low sodium foods include: all fresh fruits; all fresh or home-cooked vegetables (but not cooked with cooking salt or table salt); rice and pasta; and fresh meat, fish and poultry. Examples of "middling" sodium foods are: some breakfast cereals (unsalted porridge, muesli, shredded wheat, sugar puffs, puffed rice and wheat or oats); some milk and milk products (up to half a pint of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk a day, yoghurt, ice cream, cottage cheese); eggs (not more than two a week); unsalted butter, margarine or spreads; and unsalted nuts. Some of the more common high salt foods are: smoked and tinned fish; most snack and fast foods like salted nuts, pork scratchings, Bombay mix, pizzas, pork pies, peanut butter, takeaway burgers and fried chicken; most milk products such as evaporated or condensed milk, salted butters and spreads, all cheese except cottage cheese; soups especially canned or packet soups; curries; savory biscuits and pastries; dried fruits; and Chinese food.

Vital Verbs

Remember back in the dark days of your school years when you had to learn the parts of speech? A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. When asked what a verb was, you smugly answered, A verb is a word that indicates action, or some such definition. Fine. You got that straight. Since then, you've uttered or written verbs in the hundreds of thousands.

Verbs are great words. They enable us to describe actions or states of being or feelings we'd be hard pressed to convey without them. "John outside the house. John inside the house. John in bed." Primitive, to say the least. With the help of verbs, we can say, "John came home and went directly to bed." Still, if verbs are indispensable in our speech and in our writing, why do we neglect them so?

Yes, we neglect them terribly. There are countless verbs just sitting in our dictionaries that are rarely taken out and used, seldom get to feel themselves flowing out of our mouths or proudly sitting on the paper on which we write. You have to feel sorry for them.

Why are they neglected? You can blame it on the nouns and adjectives. They're the real culprits. We can't express a worthwhile thought without a noun. Without a noun (or pronoun), how do we indicate the very subject we are talking/writing about? In the example above, without nouns, you'd have, "outside the," "inside the," and "in ." It wouldn't make any sense.

Adjectives we can sometimes live without, but for the most part we have been brainwashed since those same school days to use adjectives. As writers, we use them extensively, carefully choosing, then eliminating, then choosing again, until we feel we have the perfect adjectives to describe our protagonist, our settings, our emotions. I suspect much of your time as a writer is devoted to being so very particular in the adjectives you use. That's great. That's important.

To get back to the poor, neglected verbs. Oh, we use them all right. We use the few hundred (if that many) in our vocabulary. We use what we need, we use the ones we're comfortable with, we use the same old, tired, hackneyed verbs day in and day out. What are those verbs? They're the dead verbs. The ones which may tell others that something happened, but never tell anything more than that, never give the reader an image of a special kind of action.

Let's go back to the example above. I used two verbs, "came" and "went." All those two verbs tell you is that John was no longer outside his house, and is now in his bed. What if I had said, "John flew though the front door and dashed upstairs to his bed."? You get a picture: for whatever reason, John was in a hurry. How about this: "John staggered through the front door and crawled up the stairs to his bed." Do you get the impression John is intoxicated or sick or injured?

Let's try a few other simple examples. "Mary entered the room" vs. "Mary glided into the room" or "Mary stumbled into the room" or "Mary inched her way into the room." Each of these paints a picture of more than mere transference of locale.

It's cruel for your heroes and villains to be limited to listless verbs. These characters are the very essence of your action. They should barge into, seldom just come into; they may sometimes snarl, snap, snicker, smirk, or shout, instead of just say; they're also able to punch, plunder, pillage, plow under, or pelt, but seldom merely touch. Even your minor characters should be as colorful in their actions. Just because they are not the stars of your masterpiece doesn't mean they don't play important and exciting parts. Charles Dickens knew that probably better than any other writer. His most minor characters are sometimes as unforgettable as his major players.

A suggestion: On the following list of dead verbs, notice the alternatives:

action: walk

alternatives: stroll, amble, jog, dash, sprint, stagger,

action: lie (down)

alternatives: sprawl, lounge, curl up, stretch out

action: say

alternatives: mumble, stutter, spew, shout, protest

action: look

alternatives: scan, squint, glare, study

You get the idea.

Now, try this. Go to something you've written recently. Scan through and pick out a number of dead verbs. You know the kind, the ones which just sit there and don't tell you much of anything about the action. Try replacing them with verbs which tell the reader precisely what just happened. Reread, and you'll see how your writing comes out of its coma, and begins to take on a new, interesting life.

Finally, keep in mind that in writing as in all of life, moderation and common sense should prevail. Don't have your work look like a thesaurus, using every verb ever conceived. This is especially true in sentences where you use other descriptive words. Don't let your heroine always float into a room, squeal with delight, or wither others with her sarcasm. The villains should not always bluster, rampage, or bulldoze. Remember, there are plenty of times when it's preferable for your characters to merely say, just come or go, or quietly nod, but use enough real action verbs to add color to your writing, and use them when appropriate. Those poor, listless verbs do, after all, serve a purpose, and that purpose is to vitalize your other verbs.

copyright Joseph E. Wright

Conditions of use: Editor: The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication, or on your web site, as long as the content is not altered, and the copyright and author credit box at the end are also included. Notification of use would be appreciated.

Joseph E. Wright is the author of Tales from the Wrecktory (http://www.metropolisink.com}, The Bodies Out Back (A Murder Mystery) and The Remigrants (Those who come back from the dead), both published by http://www.booksunbound.com. His writing has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

Things to Consider When Buying Broadband For the First Time

Things have come a long way in a short space of time, as far as the internet is concerned. I remember the days when we had 56k (and less) connections, and at that time it was the best we had, but for anyone who enjoys modern fast internet connection speeds of 2mb and more, it does not bear thinking about going back to the speeds we used to have. In fact it would be an impossibility to go back now because of how much things have evolved. With all the content now, video, audio, social media sites and more recently IPTV, you really do need better speed because of the bandwidth that is being used up.

So where do you go and what do you consider when reviewing the options that are available to you. I was with NTL for many years which then became Virgin Media, and I was very happy with the service they provided. I had a bundled package which included my telephone, internet connection and TV channels. However, when I moved, the area I moved to was rural, and the cabling was not in, and so, I had to switch to BT. This proved very costly as I have one of three daughters who particularly liked to talk a lot on the telephone. Subsequently this left me having to pay for some very high bills indeed. I then switched to Tiscali, and they saved me a lot of money and I am very happy with the service which they provide.

So we have ruled out dial up. The only time I would suggest a dial up connection to anyone now is if they are going to be some very basic web browsing, and perhaps use it for a little email. Normally I would suggest a broadband connection of at least 2mb and would also suggest that it might be better for your to bundle your telephone, internet and TV if you can, because it means paying one bill, and invariably will save you some money. That has certainly been my experience. One thing I would say is to check what your estimated speed is going to be before you sign up for services. Most of the companies will have a line checker feature, and they will be able to give you a fair idea of what your line is going to support.

The next thing to decide would be the package you would go for. This would very much depend on your usage requirements. Generally I would say the faster the better. For me we have a package whereby we have over 2mb internet and we also have free anytime calls through the day and at weekends, and believe me, with a young family, it is a real blessing. Often you are constrained by a number of criteria depending on where you are and what services are available, so you really just have to go with the best of what is available to you in your area. The actual speed you will achieve is dependent on a number of factors:

The length and quality of the wiring between your home and your telephone exchange The specification of your modem or router The speed of connection between your computer and modem/wireless router (Ethernet and wireless are faster than USB) The speed of your computer Whether all your broadband microfilters are correctly installed

Broadband speeds can also vary depending on how busy it is on the internet at any given time, whether you are sharing the connection with others in your household. This can be the case say where you have a PC and a laptop and maybe a few of your children have laptops as well, so it would slow the connection somewhat if everyone was on at the same time. Spyware and some types of anti-virus software can also slow up your PC. During peak internet usage periods, your connection can be slower. These peak periods will generally vary from area to area, but your internet service provider should be able to tell you what times they are at, roughly. Normally when you get broadband in for the first time you may notice some variations in speed for the first 10 days or so, and your connection may also be intermittent. This is usually because your maximum line rate is being established and you need to allow a period of time for it to settle. In conclusion, check and see what is available in your area, check what speed is available to you before signing up to any contract, and finally, go for bundling some services together and save yourself some money in the process.

Passport to Wealth - Scam or Legitimate Opportunity?

As I began my investigation into Passport to Wealth and whether or not it was a scam or legitimate opportunity, I found some very interesting points about the upsides and downsides of this opportunity.

The originator of the passport to wealth opportunity is an Australian by the name of Darren Gaudry. What Darren did to invent P2W was basically copy a program called edc gold which is another company and direct competitor in the home business industry. Both edc gold and passport to wealth have not only the exact duplicate products offered, but they also share the exact same 2 sale pass up compensation plan. A really great thing about the compensation plan is that it pays a 100% total commission of $997 on each $997 product system sold.

The product package presented contains a multitude of different software and audio books that can be utilized for anything from building websites to creating and uploading audio and video to your site.

If you are brand new to internet marketing you may be confused about what a 2 sale pass up compensation plan is exactly. The Australian 2up simply means you have to begin by passing your first two (qualifier) sales and commissions of $997 each (which equates to nearly $2000) to your sponsor before actually pulling in any type of income. These are considered qualifying sales.

The downside of a 2up compensation plan:

If a brand new P2W representative does happen to make the two sales, what happens is they break away from the representative who previously enrolled them in the system and become fully qualified to earn the full 100% of $997 from all sales there on out.

It sounds great, but when you take a closer look, it can mean disaster for that person. You see, what happens many times when they breakaway from their sponsor, they get no more support or training. This is because the sponsor no longer earns any commission on their efforts and so therefore has no incentive to help them continue to make sales and have success with the program. In reality, they become direct competition to one another and the effect of this is that there isn't much team synergy being manifested.

Coming to conclusion, passport to wealth definitely has some good software products to offer consumers and software is a hot item to market right now. However, some concern comes up with the compensation plan as most newbies will really have a hard time doing well simply because they have to pass up those first two sales. If you are a very experienced internet marketer, this may not be a big issue for you, but as for the newbies, many of them will struggle and quit.

Home Equity Loans For The Self-Employed

Those of you who are among the ranks of the self-employed may have already learned that it is more difficult to get a loan - let alone a home equity loan. The good news, though, is that it is possible. Here is some information and tips about how you can get a home equity loan if you are self-employed.

The truth is, first, that you will find it more difficult to get a loan because you are self-employed. The primary thing that the lender will want to see is proof of a profitable income. Some lenders will make it more difficult than others when you try to prove it. You may be asked by one lender to provide statements for two years, and another one may ask for three years worth of proof. This means that you can probably rule out a no doc loan, too.

Another thing that you will need to watch for - concerning your own finances - is how much debt you already have. All lenders look at the debt-to-income ratio when considering giving a home equity loan, and usually require a maximum of 36%, which includes all mortgages and loans. It seems, though, that it may be a good idea to stay as far from this number as possible when you are self-employed.

You will also want to check over your credit report before you apply, to make sure that there are no inaccurate statements on it. Correcting these is not too difficult, once the problem has been resolved, but you will need to wait about two months before the corrections actually show up on your credit score. If you have less than two years of good, solid income, you will most likely have to pay a higher interest rate. A good credit score, though, will help this to stay reasonable.

Right now, self-employment is becoming more popular. Many lenders still do not have ways to provide for the needs of those of you who are in this category. New products are being developed, though, to meet the rising numbers of those who are leaving the commercial workplace. It may take a while, however, before there is some serious competition and a lessening of the stricter requirements.

Home equity loans can be obtained either as an adjustable rate mortgage, or as a fixed rate mortgage. You will have to calculate which one is more advantageous for your situation, and consider the possibility of rising interest rates now.

Something that you will need to especially consider is that a home equity loan adds another monthly payment to your bills. It also is secured by your home, which means it puts your home at risk if you should default on the loan - for any reason. Remember, also, to leave 20% of the value of your home's equity untouched in order to not have to pay private mortgage insurance.

You may find that one or two lenders will definitely give you a higher interest rate. By looking around, however, and getting several quotes, you can find a lender who will give you the home equity loan you want - with reasonable rates. Compare them carefully, noting things like the interest rate, the fees, and repayment terms. Also watch out for any home equity loan that has a prepayment penalty in it - you don't need it.

The Many Types of Skin Cancer

The three basic types of skin cancer include:

-Basal cell carcinoma -Squamous cell carcinoma -Malignant melanoma or melanoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma

The most common of all the three types of skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma is often referred to as non-melanoma skin cancer. It is easily detected and it first appears as a small lump on those areas that are exposed to the sun and the air, such as the head, neck and hands. This form of cancer rarely spreads to the other parts of the body and it has a very high cure rate. People with light-colored skin and light eyes are more prone to this form of cancer; basal cell carcinoma is almost never seen in dark-skinned individuals.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Many of the distinguishing characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma are similar to that of basal cell carcinoma; the only difference being in the location of the symptoms. The symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma are typically present on the face and more commonly in the areas near the ears or lips. This form of cancer is also more prevalent in light-skinned individuals the success rate of its treatment is very high. However, squamous cell carcinoma has a higher tendency to spread and in its advanced levels, it is likely to spread to the lymph nodes. It is scaly and reddish in appearance.

Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma, one of the rarer but most treacherous of all kinds of skin cancers is located in the pigment-producing part of the skin. Like all other skin cancers, malignant melanoma is also predominantly found in light-skinned individuals.

This form of cancer spreads rapidly to all other parts of the body via the blood stream and the lymph nodes. Though it is primarily a form of skin cancer, melanoma is sometimes present in the other internal parts of the body too. Melanoma is responsible for about 75% of all deaths resulting from skin cancer.

Early detection of malignant melanoma symptoms is critical in restricting the rampant spread of this disease. People who are more at risk for malignant melanoma include:

-Individuals who have red or blonde hair -Individuals who have blue eyes -Individuals who have freckles -Individuals who do not acquire a tan easily -Individuals who have a family history of melanoma -Individuals whose siblings have had melanoma

Prevention is better than cure for this form of cancer and it important to learn to tell the difference between moles that are indicative of melanoma and those that are not.