Making Sense Out of the World

Blogging about things that make sense

Archive for January, 2009

Jan 31, 2009

Our Checks Say So Much

Every household has a check book and every business has one too, but very few people and businesses have the right checks. What is a right check? A check that displays an interest, idea, or hobby of yours is a good place to start. Checks are a chance to offer others a glimpse into an interest of ours or show off a certain personality trait. I think individuals miss this opportunity when they use plain checks. A special check design for a business can really be important and all business checks should really consider a logo or a unique design on their checks. Our checks do say so much if we let them, but they don’t get the chance if you are using plain checks.

If you’re currently using plain checks, consider making the switch to a better looking check design. If you have a small business that you write a lot of checks from each week; a new personalized check design could make you look more professional. You can even take photos and have them designed into your company checks. A picture of the building or the main product in your business would be a great photo to embed on your check. Carousel Checks is a website online that you can order new checks from. They have a large variety of designs to choose from and their prices are discounted too. Once you order checks from them, you will only have to pay the original price every time. You won’t be charged more when you reorder your 2nd round of checks. I’m a big sports fan, so I love their football and basketball Personal Checks. I’m sure you will find a check design that you like too or come up with an idea to design a new check. Let’s start letting our checks speak for us and say something about ourselves or our business that reflects us in the right way.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 31, 2009

Free Cell Phones are Available

I’m not sure why people buy cell phones these days. It’s not that bad if you go to a department store and buy a cheap cell phone, but the ones with high price tags I can’t see buying. Lots of people get mobiles for free if they join under a certain company and I think this is the best route to go. You can get a free cell phone from certain phone companies, if you just sign up with their plan or choose them as your carrier. If you have a cell phone you’re going to need a service provider, so it would be best if you signed up with the companies offering free phones. MobilePhoneStore 3 has offers like these and I have found 3 Phone Deals that offer people free mobiles with a proven track record. In some cases you may be able to get a free Nintendo DS Lite or a free Nintendo Wii for simply choosing a certain route to obtaining a cell phone. Be sure you know what your options are and that you don’t over pay for a phone that you could have gotten for free.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 29, 2009

Remembering Anne Frank

It must have been an interesting day for Otto Frank returning to Amsterdam after the end of World War 2 and visiting a place that he and his family lived for 2 years. His family and another family spent a little over 2 years in a spacious attic that was in an office building he once worked at. It wasn’t somewhere they wanted to be but it was a place they felt like they had to be. Mr. Frank and his family had to leave Germany to escape the reach of Hitler’s power that was increasing by the day and went to Amsterdam. It was far safer to be living in Amsterdam for a family that was part Jewish. Their freedom wouldn’t last long in Amsterdam as Hitler’s men took camp inside the borders there and the Frank family knew they would have to seek refuge somewhere else. Instead of going to another country, Otto Frank was secretly preparing an attic space inside of his office building, so that his family and another family could go into hiding there. The plan worked well for 2 years before they were betrayed by an unknown source. All 8 people that were living in the attic were taken to concentration camps, where they would all die with the exception of Otto Frank. After the end of the War, Mr. Frank returned to Amsterdam and visited the attic once again. Several things were left in the attic that brought back memories, but a little diary that his youngest daughter had written in, would become something that people would read all around the world and in 67 different languages.

Anne Frank was that youngest daughter and perhaps you have heard about The Diary of Anne Frank? What did she write in that diary to gain such world-wide fame? Did she discover the cure for the common cold? Did her diary contain a mathematical equation that was better than Albert Einstein’s? What magical words could a young 13 year-old girl write that anyone would care about today? She simply wrote about the days of her life in that attic, the family squabbles that went on, her personal feelings about her sexuality as she was getting older, and other things; that any other 13 year-old girl would write about today. The diary was about as common as you could get, if you took out all of the references of the War and her family in hiding.

The Diary of Anne Frank is special because it gave many a glimpse into the horrors of Hitler’s Germany and all of the torment and pain they were causing to so many other Jewish families. The Frank family actually had descent living quarters, compared to those that were hiding in damp basements or dusty attics. The comfortable living arrangement, if you can call it “comfortable”, was the work of Otto Frank and the time and preparations he took is the main reason we have this literature today.

I couldn’t imagine living in an attic with 7 other people over a 2 year span and it’s remarkable that the family lasted that long. They did have outside help from people that would bring them groceries and supplies, but often it was not enough and everyone stayed hungry and uncomfortable for most of those 2 years. Germans were actually using the lower office floors as a workplace, so Anne Frank and everyone else living in that attic had to be very quiet during the day. This meant no running water, only whispering, walking around with no shoes on, and making as little noise as possible. They had more freedom during the night, after the Germans went home, and I’m sure a lot of the screaming, shouting, and fussing that was going on would have been at night.

These two families endured so much and this story should of had a happy ending, but that wouldn’t be the case. The family got betrayed and were arrested and sent to concentration camps. It’s been said that Anne was always full of energy in the attic and she remained that way at the concentration camps too. She would later on die from typhus just days after her sister Margot had passed away.

The Diary that Anne Frank wrote in was a birthday gift on her 13th birthday (June 12) and the diary chronicles her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944. She is recognized for her excellent writing skills for such a young girl and today she is one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. The books published on her diary writings are some of the most read books of all time and she also has several movies and documentaries that try to bring her work to life.

 

I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”

Anne Frank

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne Frank

    

 Otto Frank                  Edith Frank               Margot Frank              Anne Frank

Popularity: 3% [?]

Jan 29, 2009

Add Shopping Cart Software to your Website

Lots of different ways to monetize your website these days or turn it into a cash cow and here is a great suggestion for webmasters. I think adding shopping cart software is a good start and I am considering doing this on my website. I have a traffic exchange that I sell advertising credits, banners, text links, and feature ads on and a shopping cart would allow me to attract new ways to earn an income. It’s a safe way to pay online and it allows the merchant or webmaster to exchange money with a visitor or customer to their website. This type of software is a great upgrade and it makes things easy to sell online with graphics, pictures, and just a more overall professional look.

If you offer products that are available to people living in different countries, you can run into problems with currency issues. The shopping cart software allows you to sell things in multiple currencies and this makes your website much more global. Any small business owner online or a webmaster that is looking to make a sale could be missing out on millions of potential buyers by not having the software installed on their website. The software is very affordable when you look at all the new countries that could be sending you money! I also believe you will have another reason to start driving more traffic to your website, so your online income earnings will go up.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Jan 28, 2009

The Super Germ

I haven’t heard anything new about the super germ lately and wonder if the medical community is close to fnding a cure. I’m not even sure if its something that can be cured, but I’m sure there are things we can do to slow it down and make it less life-threatening.

Normally antibiotics are used on germs that cause us to get sick. Since we have been using antibiotics on these bad germs, some of them have learn to create a resistance to antibiotics. So anyone infected with the super germ would have no way of slowing it down and antibiotics that we have today would be useless. The first combat against the super germ started with doctors. Many doctors were prescibing antibiotics to patients and they really didn’t need them. So getting a prescription of antibiotics from your doctor isn’t as easy as it use to be. The hope is that we start using antibiotics less and these germs will have less time to figure out a way to fight against them. I know they are some pretty powerful antibiotics on the market today and its amazing that these super germs can survive their doses. Everyone likes to try and predict what will drive mankind into extinction and something as small as a germ could do it!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 28, 2009

Italian Leather Briefcases

An Italian briefcase is very nice and what makes a briefcase Italian is the leather that it is designed with. Leather Briefcases are nothing new to corporate America and everyone has one these days. I think a briefcase should look good, but it also needs to be useful and help you with your daily tasks. I think the Venezia Briefcase that you can find at LeatherTree.com is both useful and elegant in looks. It’s available in two colors (black or brown) and it’s made by hand in Italy by the people living in Tuscany. I think this briefcase is the best one you could choose and lots of storage available in this briefcase for organizing everything properly.

The LeatherTree Company offers a huge selection on leather briefcases, handbags, and other leather products you seek. It’s a very useful website for those that love different types of leather products and they can find all sorts of leather merchandise under one roof. Golfers can find leather golf bags and putter covers at Leather Tree and they even have leather Desk Sets available. Anyone seeking leather products will want to check them out. I think their website offers great “gift giving” ideas too and they even have a section on Fathers and Mothers Day gifts. If you could use a new leather handbag or briefcase, I think you will find what you’re looking for here and their leather products are priced great too!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 28, 2009

History of the Internet

We all use the internet and daily in some cases but do we know how we got here? Here is a great animated video that shows the history of the internet and you can see how everything started in 1957 and where we are at in 2009.

History of the Internet

YouTube Preview Image

Did you learn anything new? Did you already know this?

I didn’t know the full history of the internet and I’m glad I ran across this video. I think more internet users would find it interesting to see how the internet evolved over the years. Most of us didn’t have access until recently, but the internet concept was launched long before we had any knowledge of this technology or was even using personal computers in our home. I know in the Bill Gates movie, some people laughed at the idea of a computer in every household in America and I don’t think those people are laughing much these days. A computer in the home today without an internet connection may be taking up space, but any computer that can bring you in touch with the World Wide Web is a must for everyone these days. I couldn’t imagine getting by without the internet today and I look forward to seeing it advance in the years to come.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Jan 28, 2009

Cash4Gold

Have you seen the prices of gold lately? Gold is booming right now and it’s setting record highs in the marketplace. If you own any gold and have some that you would like to sell for the top dollar right now; then give cash4gold a try. They make it easy for anyone to sell their gold rings, necklaces, ear rings, bracelets, or other gold jewelry you would like to turn into cash. You just gather up the gold jewelry items that you want to part with and request the free kit from Cash 4 Gold. They will quickly send out the kit and you just put your gold in it and send it back free of charge! Once they get your jewelry, they will quickly let you know the value of it and send you the money back. No one knows how much longer gold may stay at these high prices and this could be a once in a lifetime chance to sell your gold now.

Cash4Gold is a trusted company and they have been recognized as one of the fastest 500 companies growing over the last couple of years. Forbes (a name you know and trust) named Cash 4 Gold as one of the companies to be on the look out for last year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Forbes “throw them a bone” this year in 2009, as the economy and stock market continues to look bad and gold seems to be benefiting the most. I think a gold investment is a great choice right now, but those that own gold can also get in on the action by taking advantage of the services offered by Cash4Gold.

Please come back and let me know what you thought about the selling process that Cash 4 Gold is offering for free. Have you sold your gold by mail or know someone that has? Let me know what you or someone else thought about the idea of selling your gold for cash with a company like Cash4Gold. Did you get more or less cash than you were expecting for your gold? If you have any doubts about Cash 4 Gold, just send in one piece of jewelry to start with and see what type of return you get before selling all of your gold. I look forward to hearing about your experiences of selling gold by mail.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 28, 2009

eBusiness Exposure

It seems most online businesses don’t do enough daily to take advantage of all the exposure that is available online. Some have problems with monetizing traffic when they get it and directing a lot of traffic can be a problem. A company online knows how they want the traffic directed and they want it coming to their websites. I find it strange that these two parties don’t come together enough each day, so they can help each other out. Those that have the ability to deliver a ton of traffic to a website each day, needs to find those online companies that need the extra hits.

More visitors and traffic coming to your website is the key into getting the highest search engine rankings possible. It’s ok if the traffic is not targeted for what your eBusiness might be offering, because people that are looking for your product or service will find it via search engines. The search engines look at traffic numbers and most online businesses would see a jump in their rankings, if they only started direceting the “bad” traffic to their website. There is no days off for a small business online and the owners of these eBusinesses should really start making a daily effort to drive more traffic to their sites. Give the extra traffic coming to your website 15 to 30 days to start making a difference with the search engines and even longer to understand the full benefits of eBusiness exposure.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 27, 2009

Favorite Burger Toppings

I have to admit that I love my hamburgers. I would guess that I eat more hamburgers than any other food out there. I guess fries would be in second place, since I normally eat my burgers with fries. I do order onion rings some of the time and rarely eat fries without a burger, so I think its pretty safe to see hamburgers is my main diet. I never said I had a healthy diet, but a hamburger stays with you and a lot of foods don’t. A burger is quick and most restaurants serve hamburgers, so they are easy to find. I think a good way to judge a restaurant that might specialize in pizza, buffalo wings, seafood, subs, or chicken; is just to order their burger and see how it stacks up with other burgers. If the hamburger is good; then the rest of the food here must be good too!

I think we all want a fresh made bun that is warm and served with a good portion of beef that is 100% pure beef. So after you have a good bun in place with a quarter to half pound of beef on it, what else does your perfect burger have on it? I have seen many different things as toppings over the years and if you think pizza offers a lot of toppings just check out the burgers sometime. Instead of choosing a restaurant that has picked your burger toppings for you, just go ahead and create the perfect hamburger. What would your toppings be on the perfect hamburger?

You often find a sauce or special ingredient that some restaurants offer on their hamburgers, so to keep this simple, let’s just choose things we can pick up at the supermarket. Here is a list of things you can generally find on a hamburger and you can just create your perfect burger from the list below:

Cheese (American, cheddar, Swiss, etc…), Tomatoes Ketchup or catsup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Lettuce, Onions, Mushrooms, Bacon, Slaw, Salad dressings (thousand island, French, ranch, etc…), Chili, Jalapenos, Sour cream, Horseradish, Sauerkraut

Do those sound like the typical things you get on your burger? Feel free to offer other suggestions on burger toppings too! I can pretty much eat all of these toppings, but no mayo or sour cream for me. I think if you go easy and just want a simple burger with a great taste; then a burger with mustard, onions, and pickles is a tasty combination. I believe my perfect burger would consist of the following toppings: spicy mustard, sautéed mushrooms, bacon that is not crispy, onions (white or red), lettuce, tomato, and pickle. I think that would be a great tasting burger with pretty much the works. Jalapenos are great on burgers, but they steal a lot of taste away from other things and I wouldn’t include them on my perfect burger. I love a good chili burger too (if the chili is good) and this tends to dominate the taste of a burger, so I would probably leave chili off. I think a few raw spinach leaves and cucumbers are two other things I would consider adding to my perfect hamburger. I think raw spinach leaves have very little taste, so you get the health benefits of spinach without compromising the taste of the burger.

So what would be on your burger? Do you keep it simple and go with a cheese and chili combination? Or do you like a burger that offers a little bit of everything? Mushroom and Swiss burgers are popular and I like Swiss cheese and mushrooms, but I don’t think the combination of the two work very well, but a lot of others do. Just going with the garden items (pickles, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes) makes a great hamburger too and you don’t always have to add the ketchup and mustard.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Jan 27, 2009

Destin Vacation

A Destin vacation would be perfect right now, considering the temperatures have been hovering around 30 and 40 degrees here for the last few weeks. VacationRentals.com makes it easy for anyone to travel to Destin, Florida these days and they offer over 400 different types of rental places for you to stay at in Destin. Their rentals are much better than your ordinary stays at a hotel or motel. You will like their accommodations much better than a hotel and with over 400 different places to choose from, you will find one that matches your taste. You will feel at home with a Destin rental that allows you to have access to a full kitchen, different bedrooms, and free wireless internet. Some of these rentals are beach homes or a condo, so they offer things that a standard motel doesn’t.

Fishermen will love casting the rod from the shores of Destin and this is one of the best places in the World to go fishing. Destin, Florida is known for its great fishing and this would be the main reason I would go to Destin for. The great seafood would probably be the second reason for choosing a trip to Destin and they have some great seafood restaurants in the area. The whole family would enjoy Destin and there is a variety of things to do for everyone. Museums and the dolphin show in Destin is just the start of the entertainment and the kids will enjoy the mini golf and go carts too! The beach is always popular and Destin offers all your different beach activities and don’t forget that Fort Walton Beach and Panama City Beach is just a short drive away from Destin. Go see if one or two of these 400 rentals that are available, seem like a place you would want to take the family this year on vacation.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 27, 2009

Promoting Online with Videos

Internet marketers are quickly learning that videos are a great way to advertise and promote online. Popular video sites like MySpace and YouTube are getting new members daily that are actually internet marketers. Videos are a great way to demonstrate your product or service, which gives online users a chance to see a visual on how it works and why it may benefit them. We are still in the early stages of user generated media to promote things online, so the people now are paving the way for internet marketers of tomorrow.

Have you ever tried to market something with videos online before? If so, please be sure to let me know the results and if you were happy with them or not. It’s free to upload these videos online at most places, so there really isn’t anything a marketer loses; other than the time it took to make the video. If an internet marketer goes by a webcam for advertising purposes only, I’m sure they will want to see a return on their investment. Many blogs will support these online videos and internet marketers can use them to help promote their videos on the World Wide Web. It’s not a bad idea to hire a dozen or more bloggers to help get your video seen by as many people as possible. The more your video gets watched is the more times you have of attracting a new customer to your business or interests that you’re promoting. I think we will see more advanced videos in the future and now is a good time for “regular people” to create videos for marketing purposes. Please feel free to share your videos here that you have produced for promotional purposes.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jan 27, 2009

Valentines Day Coming!

Its time to start thinking about those Valentine’s Gifts for her or him; there will be a lot of people searching for gifts over the next couple of weeks and trying to find that special gift. Don’t try to get something too nice or they will only expect it to be that great next year! Play it safe this Valentines Day and look for those typical gifts we usually send out. A box of candy or flowers is always a nice touch and shows your partner you didn’t forget about them. You can order flowers, candy, or other gifts from FTD. Did you ever try the gourmet candy from FTD? It’s really good and that’s a good place to start for your gift list this Valentines. FTD has been helping couples find Valentine’s Gifts for a long time now and they can make this year’s holiday easy for you. It’s real simple to just order things off of their website or you may have a local florist that uses the products of FTD in your area. If you plan to shop by mail or online; then make sure you hurry up and get your orders in now, so they will arrive in time for Valentines Day. FTD has many gifts for you to choose from and everyone will find that special gift that creates smiles and memories that will last a long time. Go shop now so you don’t forget and Happy Valentines Day to all!

Popularity: 3% [?]

Jan 27, 2009

Iran Gets World Wide Attention from Soccer Game

A lot of people around the world are looking down on Iran right now, after they fined and punish citizens that were involved in a soccer game. The game was the men .vs. the women and it’s not right in this part of the world for men and women unrelated to play in anything together, such as a soccer game. The men’s team did beat the women 7 to 0 in this historic game. The last time something like this happen was back in 1979, so it was a very historic day indeed; to see the women of Iran playing soccer with the men of Iran.

Everyone associated with this game is facing severe punishment charges and the only thing they are guilty of is playing soccer. The game was first denied to public officials in Iran, but clips of the game were being filmed on cell phones that later got turned in. I find this Islamic belief in men and women hard to believe and could never imagine anyone getting in trouble for playing a soccer game. Hopefully support inside the borders of Iran will stick up for these people playing soccer and these harsh sentences can be avoided or reduced. This “Forbidden Soccer Match” is causing no harm and other Nations need to take notice of this too and apply any pressures they can on the Iran officials who are seeking punishment for just playing a game of soccer. Don’t look for Iran’s men soccer team to get any cheers from fans when they leave the borders of Iran to play in other soccer matches in the region and in the Olympics.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Jan 25, 2009

Warm & Romantic Vacations

Being romantic and getting a  romantic vacations andf caribbean weddings are all the rage

There are new and exciting jamaica all inclusive resort can be more than fun

Popularity: unranked [?]

Switch to OCEAN Switch to EARTH