6 Steps To Super Pictures Of Your Vacation Rental Property

As an owner, you know all the intimate details about what makes your property so great. The challenge is in conveying those to prospective renters. Vacation rental web sites help by providing you with a custom web site for your property, and promoting it to family vacationers around the globe. So what can you do to leverage this worldwide exposure? Attractive and descriptive photos can take a good property listing, and make it great. And it is a lot easier than you think.

So a picture really can be 'worth a thousand words', as they say. But how you create the best impression for your property? Here are some tips from the vacation rental property marketing experts at GreatFamilyRentals.com:

1. Digital or film, either works

Whether you use a traditional film camera or a digital one does not really matter. Use what you're most comfortable with. Even single-use, disposable cameras (with flash) can take reasonably good photos. Both digital and film camera technologies are sufficient to capture images extremely well. We recommend 400-speed film for the best results from film cameras.

What matters far more is how the camera is used. Which brings us to...

2. Interiors - Plan the setting

Professional home photographers spend hours creating the right look before snapping the first picture. While we don't recommend similar time devotion, a little time making sure your property is presentable will pay off. You will likely take your pictures between rental sessions, after the property has been cleaned. Of course renters like seeing everything neat and tidy, but we've noticed that sometimes a less sterile view helps vacationers imagine themselves in your property - and that's what it's all about. Here are some ideas to make the interior of your property look less like a hotel room, and more like a vacation home:

- Set the dining table for a meal, including wine glasses and candlesticks

- Put out some board games or books on the coffee table

- On your deck or patio, put a beach towel and a couple of cold drinks next to those chaise lounges

All right, since you're taking pictures, the drinks don't really have to be cold, but you get the idea. Of course your property should be clean and neat, but making it appear more like it probably does when occupied, helps show the potential of your vacation rental.

Spend a few minutes choosing which rooms you wish to show. Common areas, like living rooms and kitchens are important. You might not think your kitchen is anything special, but that's not the point. Many vacationers like to see the kitchen's layout, even if they know what equipment it contains. Primary bedrooms are important as well, as they allow renters to visualize their sleeping arrangements.

If your property has anything out of the ordinary on the inside (a complete home theater, for example), it's a good idea to take a photo of it as well (and don't forget to include it in your property description). For many properties, views to the outside are important - so capture them, and at the best time of day.

Like any good Realtor would recommend, turn on all the lights inside your property before taking your pictures. Set your flash to automatic, so that it will fire whenever necessary. Set your zoom on its widest setting and move back to position yourself to capture as much of each room as possible.

3. Exteriors - Open your eyes

You probably don't think too much about how your property and the surrounding area appear. You've been in and out of your rental property hundreds of times. But take a few minutes and decide what you'd like to show potential renters - it could sometime make the difference between someone booking, and passing. Showing which unit is yours in a multiple unit building can be helpful. If your property is a house or detached condominium, the exterior appearance and setting can be a big selling point. Amenities specifically for your unit can be worthwhile showing as well, such as swing sets, docks, saunas, etc.

Aside from your particular property, there are probably other reasons to book your vacation rental. So show them! Include a photo of the beach your renters can use. Put one in showing how close the chairlift is from your front door. Show the pool, playground, fishing pond, hiking trails, etc. You may be wondering, should I only show features that are for my guests only, like a private pool? Of course you'll want to include these, but by all means you should include non-exclusive amenities as well. Potential guests want to know what then can do, where they can go, etc. The idea here is to give potential renters a sense of the setting of your vacation rental property, and the best things about the immediate area. All the more reason to book their vacation with you!

4. Maps, floor plans, etc.

Perhaps there some things about your vacation rental property that you'd like to show prospective renters, but you can't take a picture of them. Does your property have a unique or particularly expansive layout? In addition to the description you write, there is a way to include a floor plan in your listing. Just take a photo of it! Lay out the floor plan on a table with good light. Try to position yourself directly above the center of the floor plan, instead of at an angle - that way it won't be distorted. Sometimes standing on a chair can help. Lastly, make sure you hold the camera very still so that the image is not blurred when you press the shutter.

5. Labeling your photos

Here's another opportunity to include information about your vacation rental property. Don't pass up the opportunity to label your photos when you upload them! And include some descriptive text. Which sounds better to you: "Master bedroom" or "Spacious master bedroom with king bed and Gulf view"? If the seasons affect the views your property offers, like leaves on trees that block that mountain view in the summer, or the sunset that's only visible from the living room window for part of the year, you should label your photos appropriately. Such as: "Sunset view from balcony in August". Some might assume that these views exist throughout the year, so it's best to be explicit in this regard. Don't forget to label maps and floor plans, too, so prospective renters know what they're looking at. These are all opportunities to help get inquiries and sell bookings for your vacation rental property, so take advantage of them.

6. Processing issues

Unfortunately, all film processing is not the same. We prefer one or two day service from an off-site lab, compared to typical one-hour results. While we've gotten acceptable results from one-hour service at a drugstore, the off-site labs provide more consistent photofinishing quality. If you try one hour processing and aren't happy, you can always have a lab reprint your photos.

Sleep in Peace - Medicare Pays for Sleep Apnea Devices

Heavy snoring has largely been regarded as a nuisance by spouses and roommates, a funny facet by friends and usually ignored or neglected by the sufferers themselves. Far from this, snoring causes sleep deprivation in both the sufferer and the bed companion. Sleep deprivation, in turn, leads to a variety of consequences, from daytime sleepiness to generalized fatigue and sometimes, complications such as hypertension and diabetes.

The physical root of bad snoring is usually a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder in which the inner walls of the throat and nose collapse when breathing at sleep, causing the person to stop breathing for short periods of time, usually about 10 seconds. This may happen several dozens of times a night.

The negative consequences of sleep apnea arise mainly from two reasons: although not being awaken by snoring, a person with sleep apnea gets significantly less sleep than normal. In addition, the oxygen supply in the blood is severely affected during the apnea episodes. This contributes to a general state of fatigue, but also affects the way the body regulates blood pressure. A consequence of this disruption is a longer-term development of hypertension, which leads to a dangerously elevated risk for heart attack and heart disease.

Even though obstructive sleep apnea is so common and its consequences are so serious, few people seek help and get proper diagnostic. In part, this is because it is widely assumed that health insurance plans will not pay for such studies and treatments. This used to be true in the past, but a general awareness among the medical community led the public health experts to take the issue seriously. As a result, Medicare has decided to cover the costs associated to diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

What to do? It is simple. If you know or suspect you may suffer from sleep apnea, either because you are aware of that or your spouse is having a hard time, go see your doctor. He or she will ask questions and decide whether a diagnostic test is necessary. In such case, you will be subject to a 'Polysomnography", a procedure that monitors your parameters while sleeping. Medicare requires this test to be performed at a specific facility known as "Sleep Lab". As in the movies, you will spend the night at this place, and the operators will test you.

Should you be diagnosed with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea, your doctor will prescribe a device called Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP), a mask that gently blows air into your nose while you sleep, preventing obstruction from occurring. Both the polysomnography and the CPAP devices are covered by Medicare.

Knowing this, you should consider seriously about talking to your doctor if people refer to you as the "snorer".

Book Review - "Don't Worry About a Thing, Dear" Why Women Need Financial Intimacy

"Don't Worry About A Thing, Dear" is a 195 page softcover book by Helga Hayse geared towards women contemplating marriage or those who are already married. The cover image is an appropriate illustration by Edward Sorel, courtesy of The New Yorker Magazine, that shows Pan reading The Wall Street Journal while his wife sits at his side completely oblivious.

It's a fact that many married women allow their husbands to handle the family finances while they sit idly by and sign anything that their husband places in front of them. The consequences of this behavior is made clear by the author Helga Hayse. Hayse says in the book "Our willingness to let our husband handle the finances in the marriage impacts our own financial safety and our ability to cope in the event of widowhood or divorce." No statement has been more true.

This fascinating and immensely helpful book is a wakeup call to women everywhere. After meeting a financially strapped widow the author began to wonder how she would cope if her husband died. She interviewed hundreds of people on the topic of marital finances and each story was more heartbreaking than the last.

Hayse had her wakeup call and began the slow process of learning everything she needed to know about her marital finances. She and her husband began financial planning and shortly after all the documents were signed her husband died in freak accident at home. Hayse takes her experience from both sides of the fence to empower women to take control of their finances.

I found this book to be empowering and filled with information that most women never consider. Topics covered include premarital and postmarital agreements, death of a spouse, divorce and even remarriage. In addition to the generous advice shared there are questionnaires, checklists, worksheets, recommended reading and additional resources.

The author even includes a separate chapter for "For Husbands Only" that gently guides men to realize that they can show their love for their wife by beginning and completing the process of financial planning.

"Don't Worry About A Thing, Dear" Why Women Need Financial Intimacy should be required reading for young women in high school or college. No one wants to think about the possibility of divorce or the certainty of death but preparing women for either circumstance is critical and this book is an important tool for all women.

(c) 2009. Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights reserved. Reprints welcomed so long as full reveiw and by-line are reprinted intact with all links made live.

Book Review for Valley of the Raven by Ken Ramirez

Valley of the Raven is a captivating novel set in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. When teenagers Ty Dettin, his younger brother Seth, and their pal Tanner White set out for a typical dirt bike ride in the California Sierra Gold Country, they are unaware of the life-altering adventure lurking around the next bend. Tooling along in the spring sunshine, Ty and Tanner follow Seth onto an overgrown trail that leads to decrepit buildings, vestiges of the California gold rush days, when the land was ravaged for the sake of monetary riches. While poking around one of the shacks, the trio discovers a map buried beneath floorboards in a tin box.

The yellowed map appears authentic, providing a detailed sketch of a gold-filled cavern, signed by "Coop." Fueled with a desire to discover the gold, they set out to investigate.

In a strange and magical twist, the trio happens upon an elderly Native American woman, Nevar, who lives along the banks of a river in a remote and magnificent valley. She connects with them spiritually, most particularly with Ty, accompanied by her totem, the raven. Said raven, Kaji Taka, appears at all crucial points of the adventure, assisting and protecting the boys as they move closer to the awful truth of a pending scheme that threatens Six Hills and its pristine reservoir. Ty is touched by this encounter, haunted and somewhat frightened, but he cannot stop thinking about the old women and the strong urge to visit her again.

In a parallel effort to claim the gold of their ancestor, "Coop," recently released jailbird Curtis "Junior" Cooper and his brother Carl begin an expedition to mine the gold. Assisted by fellow ex-cons, Skinny, a chain-smoking expert underwater diver who watched his abusive father drown in the pond by his home when he was a child, and Steve "Eight-Pack" Hunt, a body-builder mechanic who resembles a big Swede, Junior and Carl plan to drain a pond that hides the gold-filled cavern.

Mr. Ramirez expertly weaves yet another theme through the novel, bringing us back in history to the life of Buffalo soldier, Clay "Coop" Cooper, a strong and upstanding black man who fought bravely for the American army, and with his meager savings purchased the land that includes the valley in which Nevar appears to them. He and his wife, a lovely Lakota woman named Maka, begin a life in the rich Sierra valley, and implement a plan to purchase as much of the land as possible, donating it to the people and forbidding it to be sold privately in the future. The diverse history of the Native American tribes, the Buffalo soldiers, and their plights are beautifully told by Mr. Ramirez, a teacher himself, through scenes in a classroom where his own teaching abilities become apparent.

When the boys and their friends discover the Coopers are planning something so dastardly the entire region is threatened, they push forward with great integrity and courage, in spite of the mind-numbing roadblocks that constantly impede them. Ty is drawn to a destiny ingrained in his part-Comanche genes, and moves forward on a path of sheer lunacy and utter heroism as he endangers his own life to save the land and people of Six Hills.

Mr. Ramirez has created a lyrical world that breathes with life. The boys' dialogue is natural and real. Their actions, fears, discussions, and reactions ring true, a testimony to the author's acute understanding of youth.

Aside from the engaging storyline, Mr. Ramirez's has painted enchanting descriptions of the countryside, as in this excerpt:

"As the sun crested over the surrounding granite peaks in the glorious morning scene reflected on the lake, its surface completely smooth, not a wave, not a ripple, a true mirror - Maka's Mirror. The sky and lake together burst into a flaming golden-orange, accented with large white clouds whose fiery bellies seemed almost metallic. A small flock of Canada geese circled the lake and then, with extended webbed feet and outstretched wings, skidded across the surface of the placid mountain water, their honking amplified by the stillness of the dawn. When they finally settled on the water, the wakes of disturbance rolled through the liquid canvas, sending splinters of color and sparkling reflections in every direction."

As the completely satisfying adventure escalates toward a pulse-pounding finish, Mr. Ramirez incorporates surprising, yet believable twists in his characters, all the while subtly sharing life lessons about responsibility, stewardship of the land, respect for people of all nationalities, and following one's destiny. The most important lesson deals with the insight that our natural world - with its sparkling streams, wildflowers, tall pines, and unspoiled wilderness - provides the true "riches" which transcend monetary wealth.

I highly recommend Valley of the Raven to readers of all ages. It will quench a deep universal thirst for adventure and heroism. My only question is this: will Mr. Ramirez grace us with a sequel?

How to Use Squidoo to Drive Traffic to Your Articles

Squidoo is one of the things that you cannot simply ignore when you're doing internet marketing. It's classified as content based marketing solution so you can be assured that it's very effective. As the site have amazing page ranking, it can boost your online visibility in no time and you know what that means! That would mean increased traffic for your blog and website.

Here's what you need to do to benefit from Squidoo:

First step is to optimize your Squidoo page. The good thing about creating Squidoo lenses is that you can easily change the name of your lenses and use the keywords that you're targeting to make them easier to find online. Target keywords that are extremely popular to your potential clients. Just ensure that these keywords are closely related to the content of your lenses. Use amazing titles. Be very creative when writing the titles for your lenses. The goal here is to capture the attention of your potential clients right away. Your titles must be gripping and extremely unique. What I suggest is that you make them benefit-driven or thought provoking. It's important that you give your target audience valid reason to check your lenses out. Offer great information. Your success in this endeavor will largely depend on the quality of your lenses. The key here is knowing what your target audience are looking for and writing your content based on their needs, demands, and preferences. As you're trying to position yourself as an expert in your niche, ensure that your lenses are extremely informative. Spill out trade secrets, insider tips, and offer expert advice as much as possible. Offer great reading experience. It's also important to ensure that your audience will enjoy reading your lenses. So, write simply and get straight to the point. Make them easy on the eyes by breaking down your content using short paragraphs, bullets and numbers. As much as possible, use conversational tone to engage your audience. Optimize your lenses. Do not forget to use relevant keywords on your titles and all throughout your content so your lenses will fare well on relevant search page results. It's best if you target one primary keyword and at least two secondary keywords per lens that are constantly being searched for by your target audience. Keep the acceptable keyword density in mind so you can make your lenses not just search engine-friendly but reader-friendly as well. Create lots of lenses. You'll be able to benefit really well from this endeavor if you write lots of lenses related to your niche. This will help you strengthen your expert status and will help you become more visible in the online arena. However, ensure that you maintain the quality as this is still the most important element in this endeavor. Link to your articles. Ensure that you insert links on your lenses that will take your readers to those articles that you've published in the online arena. You can send them to your blog, website, or on your author's page on various article marketing sites.

Scrapbooking Your Goals: How Scrapbooking Helps You Achieve Your Dreams

When I first started scrapbooking, I used the hobby as a way to document my family's memories, such as birthdays, Christmases, and more. But over time, I realized how powerful scrapbooking could be as a way to track my goals and dreams, more as a journal of progress towards the future than as a record of the past. I've always been a list-maker and goal-maker, so combining scrapbooking with my type-A personality was a natural next step.

Tons of research on the field of goal-setting has shown that writing down your goals is one of the most important steps you can make towards making your dreams come true. In fact, some estimates say that you more than double your chances of achieving your goals if you write them down. So think how much more likely you are to make your dreams happen if you create a vivid scrapbook around the topic! Not only could you add photos of what you want to achieve, you could also track your progress along the way. Here are just a few of the types of goals scrapbooking could help you achieve:

1. Weight loss/fitness. Popular scrapbooker Cathy Zielske has created a monthly layout, charting her progress towards a healthier lifestyle, since January 2010. She shares these layouts on her blog and has inspired many others to do the same. Each layout includes a before and after photo, and stats tracking her measurements and weight. It's amazing to watch her transformation!

2. House remodel. Remodeling a house is slow business. But if you can record the step-by-step movements towards completion, you can keep your spirits up along the way. Plus it's fun to go back after the whole project is complete and see how things used to be! You could include sketches, paint samples, photos, and more.

3. "10 Dreams" album. This is my latest project. I put together a small album including 10 goals, each on its own page. I look at it often to remind myself of some of the fun things I want to complete in the near future, including planting a vegetable garden and taking a hula-hooping class.

4. Race album. My daughter and I run road races together, so I started an album of photos from each race. Our goal is to complete 25 races by the time she graduates from high school. Since she's in fifth grade now, that's about three a year, which is completely do-able! But having the album waiting to remind us of our commitment makes us more likely to find opportunities to run together.

Crane Rental Is Far Superior Than Buying the Crane Itself

Projects concerning building of apartments, sky high structures and elite homes are gaining global popularity thanks to the advanced epochs of rapid developments. Not only are these building projects pricey, but also they re very daunting and require huge capital investments. This is the exact reason why the vocation of a contractor is often miscomprehended.

Apart from mere supervising, he/ she have to take on multiple roles and coming across cost effective means to construct buildings without finding the middle ground in security and structural integrity. In such milieus, opting for crane rental services is a wise decision as compared to buying the crane itself. Hydraulic cranes are very straight forward and unproblematic in their design and styling. They are capable of effortlessly hurling large masses which would seem infeasible at first sight.

The very first conception which harbors many a minds is that owning a crane is far more cost effective than choosing a service which proffers crane on rent. But this is not completely true as there are small construction companies out there which can use crane rental services and not only will this be a cheap state of affairs, it will be deemed as a wise verdict too.

Let us discuss some of the imperative connotation of crane rental services. When you choose a crane on rent, you will most probably avoid hassles that come with insurance cover for misfortunes, damages and mishaps at construction site as the firm which owns the crane, already are pre equipped with insurance cover.

On the other hand, if you choose to buy a hydraulic crane and something happens, you solely will be liable for all the damages. Once you buy a crane, you got to find a place to keep it (if you don't have one, you have to buy or rent a property); not to forget you have to recruit skilled operator and may be security personnel to keep a watch when it is idle. All these things will surely drain resources.

Of course with crane rental services maintenance of this Herculean contrivance is not your headache any more. In case the unit breaks down, you can always demand a replacement, but this is surely not the caser when you yourself indulge in buying a hydraulic crane. The copious number of risks associated with buying a crane makes the decision to choose crane for rent a well versed and balanced decision.

The Terrorist Legacy Written by Mr Pat

This is a very large book that tells a story of the world today with all the battles of terrorism, religion, brutality, rape, control of humans, and food scarcity. I was afraid the book would lose the reader just by the immense scope of the story that spreads over many nations, seas and oceans, many people and organizations, and how precious life really is and how that life can be threatened by terrorists who obtain a nuclear device. It also tells of the attempt to save children in parts of Africa where life is not valuable to most, not even a child's life.

In many of the African nations kidnapping and slavery of children is rampant. An organization attempts to get some of these children and save them by setting up camps to school them, however the Muslim's in charge were reluctant to allow such camps as they wanted control of everyone in the entire area so they could kill anyone they felt like eliminating. After all, there were so many that the ones they killed would never be missed! The ones that are strong enough were kept as workers in the military camps or used for the men in that military. No one was too young to be used or raped. Several camps were formed and did well but it was too expensive and difficult to keep and protect these children with the cost of "obtaining" them through those in command. The next hope was to bring some of these children to Israel by establishing a camp there. This was against all Muslim ways to allow the Jewish people to have any of the African children there so they fought it all they could.

The story above is only a tip of the books contents. From Africa we jump to two super boats that were each built to travel speeds upward of 70 knots per hour, carry nuclear weapons as well as regular weaponry of all types, hulls made of super strong materials to keep them safe, and each one run by opposite thinking people; Muslim extremists against free world groups. The "New Day" vs. the "Diversion", both capable of mass destruction. The mission of the New Day was to wipe out the American super carrier "Lincoln" and its accompanying ships. The Diversion was meant to keep a rich family safe while on their honeymoon but the missions all changed with terrorists involved.

There is no way I can write a short review on The Terrorist Legacy. I can only point you in the direction of all of the above and tell you the story is great. There area a few places of repetition but not many. I think the author used some this repetition to connect the reader's mind as they read the book. It has much excitement and gives you history as it goes on. Unless you have no interest in the world around you and how nasty it can be, this is a must read.

Freelance Los Angeles - Some Tips For Los Angeles Freelancers Who Want to Find Jobs Online

Whether you are actively looking for a job, currently in between jobs, or just looking for an extra side income, freelancing your talents is a great way to succeed. There are many different routes to take in order to effectively freelance Los Angeles jobs. While staying in California for a bit I was able to successfully use some of the methods that I discuss below.

One of the first, and most obvious, ways to score a great freelance gig is to look under telecommute sections of the major job boards. Once you input 'Los Angeles" into the job boards, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that many popular companies are currently looking for freelancers to fill their jobs in Los Angeles. The only drawback to sifting through these major job boards like Monster.com is the sheer amount of competition that you are up against. Regardless though, it is better to try and not succeed, than to not try at all. Los Angeles is a large with large businesses, so there will be new jobs popping up on the major job boards.

I personally have had a lot of success with online classifieds. Craigslist is obviously a popular choice if you want to freelance Los Angeles jobs, but once again you're going to find a lot of competition. Over the years I've discovered some hidden gems for freelancers by checking out some of the lesser-known classified websites online. Once I input "Los Angeles" into pages like "backpage.com", tons of job opportunities appear. I've noticed that there are a lot less scams on the less popular classified online websites as well.

My personal favorite method to landing freelance jobs in Los Angeles is by sorting through freelance bidding websites. These sites do have a slight learning curve that can take a solid hour or so to master, but they are an excellent choice if you need to find a freelance job in Los Angeles quickly. For your first project you may have to bid slightly lower than your desired pay rate, but if you do a good job, you will often gain a consistent client. One example of these types of sites is "getafreelancer.com". If you input your desired skills and the location of Los Angeles, you can then sift through some great jobs. After you complete several projects you will be able to show off your portfolio on your business profile of the bidding website.

To find out more tips about how to effectively freelance Los Angeles jobs, take a look at the resource box below.

Steps You Can Take to Prevent Being Taken Advantage of With Donation Requests

You have been requested to donate to the relief effort for the recent tragic earthquake in Haiti. You want to and plan to donate money, but you are confused as to where and how. So far the disaster is just three days old and you have already received 4 different email solicitations all supposedly from either the Red Cross or Salvation Army. You have been contacted in your Facebook account and there are numerous donation requests going around twitter and just now you received a phone call requesting a donation. How can you be sure that the money you donate goes to the organization you want it to go to- in other words, how do you keep from being scammed?

Disaster relief scams can include "phishing" emails that attempt to either get you to send money to a phony organization or to collect your personal or financial information for identity theft purposes. Scammers can say they are victims of the disaster and request direct financial aid for themselves. More insidious are the scammers who contact families of victims offering to help for a fee- maybe to locate a lost family member. The one thread in common to all the con artists is that they want to take advantage of a disastrous situation.

Human disasters will often time bring out the best in people as a society. However, it is also an unfortunate state of human nature that the same disaster will bring out the scammers looking to use the disaster as an opportunity to take advantage of our generosity. What can you do to protect yourself and make sure your donations get to the right place? There are several simple steps that you can take to protect your donations.

Unless you are on their mailing list, big name organizations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Doctors without Borders, or Unicef will not contact you directly for specific donations. Even if you are on their list, there is a good chance that you still would not be directly contacted shortly after the disaster. Therefore, any emails from the larger organizations need to be checked out carefully and looked at with skepticism.

If you want to donate directly to these organizations, then check your local phone book for the local chapter and call them directly to find out how you can donate. It is always safer when you initiate the contact.

With smaller organizations that you may or may not have heard about, check them out with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org). Visit their websites but go there directly rather than clicking on a website link in the email. And, do not just go by how a website looks, as sophisticated scammers can throw up an authentic looking website that appears to be a legitimate charity within a couple hours of a disaster. Scammers will sometimes just change a previous website from an earlier disaster to reflect the current disaster's needs and amazingly, they have their new charity up and running.

This does not mean that every donation solicitation you receive is bogus. Many of the web addresses will be legitimate, but you just have to be aware and check further prior to clicking on that "donate" button. In a future article, I will discuss some specific things to look for in an email and specific steps to take to protect yourself from being scammed.

The Online Payday Loan

Online payday loans are useful to many people for a variety of reasons. Sometimes things come up unexpectedly and you don't have the cash available to deal with them. Getting a payday advance is a way to get money quickly to take care of your needs. Applying for the loan online can be a quick and efficient method of securing your loan.

Taking a payday loan online can be more convenient than visiting a traditional store. Many people work longer hours and cannot get in during the day. When you take a loan in person, you must go to the store to get the loan, and then go back two weeks later to repay it. This is a major time commitment that can be difficult. There is also the risk of carrying large amounts of cash back and forth to the bank. Online payday loans are much less time consuming.

Before you take an online payday loan, be sure to check several web sites to compare companies. Look at the annual interest rate and the fee per $100. There is usually a fee to wire the money to your account. These fees can vary widely and it is to your advantage to shop around before you commit. Also check any reviews that they may have. The Better Business Bureau is a great site to check to see what other consumers think of the company. Read all the fine print so that there will be no surprises later on.

Applying for an online payday loan is quick and painless. Once you determine which lender you want to use, simply log on to their site. Have your bank account number and routing number available. Most sites directly deposit your loan into your account. Payday advances are generally due in two weeks or on your next payday. The amount of the loan plus the finance charge is usually simply deducted from your bank account on the specified date.

There are some risks involved with an online payday loan. Whenever you transmit personal or financial information over the internet you have to be careful. Be sure that the website is secure. The way to do this is to be sure that it is an https as opposed to just http. Make sure that rates and terms are disclosed up front so that you don't get stuck with huge fees in the end. If you fail to have the money in your account to repay the loan, you will get charged insufficient funds fees from both the payday company and your bank.

Online payday loans are an efficient way to get quick cash in a pinch. They are convenient and speedy. Just be sure that you exercise caution and common sense when applying for your advance. As long as you follow some simple guidelines, online payday loans can be a viable way to relieve short term financial pressure.

Importance of Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney

Have you been accused of a criminal offense? It is imperative that someone legally defends you. Criminal defense attorneys will simplify the process that you are about to face and protect your rights from arrest to appeal after conviction. Hiring a qualified and professional criminal defense attorney marks the difference between a jail sentence and getting the charges dropped.

Criminal defense attorneys handle various practice areas including, but not limited to, drug crimes, domestic violence, white-collar crimes, traffic violations, juvenile crimes, and parole and probation offenses. In terms of drug crimes, attorneys represent clients who are charged with possession, manufacture, distribution, and abuse for all types of substances including narcotics and marijuana.

There are several important factors that you should think about when researching which attorney to choose. First, an attorney with many years of experience is a better choice than one fresh out of law school. Moreover, make sure that the attorney has produced positive results from his past experience. Furthermore, you should know how many trials the attorney has handled. This aspect is very important because some attorneys rarely go to trail and are therefore not confident with the process. You must also make sure that the attorney you choose has reliable certification to practice law in the specific area of criminal defense. You should also know how and when the lawyer would be able to converse with you. Make sure your first consultation with the attorney is free, most of them are. A free consultation gives you the opportunity to feel out the attorney and make sure that he or she is the best match for you. Additionally, make sure the lawyer you think you are hiring is the one that will actually be handling your case. Another important question to ask is if the lawyer charges an hourly rate or a flat fee. Also, you must know what is covered within the flat fee. Finally, if a lawyer's fee is much lower than others you have consulted with, that should be a red flag. Bargains are not the best deal in terms of criminal defense.

Review of Donna Andrews' "Six Geese A-Slaying"

"Six Geese A-Slaying" is Donna Andrews' tenth book in the Meg Langslow series. This time Meg has been talked into being Caerphilly County's 'Mistress of the Revels' or in other words the person responsible for organizing the Christmas, excuse me, Holiday Parade. Ordinarily Meg would never have accepted the job but since the person who asked her to do it is the chairman of the committee that will decide whether or not her professor husband gets tenure, saying yes seemed like a good idea.

As she stands in her front yard, clip board in hand, directing the arriving floats, bands, animals and handlers and other assorted participants to their staging areas her two biggest worries are the approaching snow storm and getting the Twelve Days of Christmas tableaus lined up in the right order. That is until her nephew, Eric, hands her an even bigger problem. It seems that someone has killed Santa.

As with all the books in this series, "Six Geese A-Slaying" will keep you snickering, giggling and laughing out loud from beginning to end. You may or may not figure out early on who the killer is, but that doesn't matter. The fun of these books has always been watching Meg deal with the chaos around her while trying to catch the killer. On a scale of 1 to 10 this book is definitely a 8.

The series so far contains the following books. They are listed in the order written:

Murder with Peacocks

Murder with Puffins

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos

Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon

We'll Always Have Parrots

Owls Well That Ends Well

No Nest for the Wicket

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much

Cockatiels at Seven

Six Geese A-Slaying

3 New Ways to Manage Time: No Nonsense Advice for Those That Have Tried Everything

Time management - that's like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. We are trying to harness something we can't touch of feel - only experience and see the results. We have a gazillion time saving devices. Just think for a moment of all the 'things' in your life now (microwave, speed dialing on your phone, high speed internet connections, TVs that can be programmed to watch 2 shows at once, etc.), all of which are designed to save time. And for those moment that are 'saved', well, saved for what? We are a hurried, frantic society with a pace that is on wide open from the moment our feet hit the floor.

A recent search on Google for "time management" yielded 700,000,000 hits! If you visit Amazon.com and search books on time management, there were more than 7,600 books on the topic. We are constantly look for THE system, key or process to manage that thing we can only experience. At some point in your life you have probably longed for a 36 hour day. Sometimes the "busy-ness" of our lives consumes our time. What if we switched our thinking from managing time to three building blocks that define our time?

Value Management

Look at a person's calendar and checkbook and you'll get a powerful snapshot of what they value. It's a statement of what we think is important, what we value. That's what we consider worthwhile or desirable. Take a moment (you know one you have saved!) and jot down what you value most in life. Jot down your top 5 values. Now, with the same paper, look at your calendar and think about the normal course of your life. Jot down the top 5 things that capture your time. How do the lists compare? If you are like most people there is a huge incongruence here. What they say they value and where their time is spent does not truly reflect their heart. Let's start here. What do your truly value? In what ways does your life reflect those values? What changes are you willing to make to close the gap of incongruence?

Priority Management

What gets priority in your life? Typically, what you value. Priorities reflect what's of greatest importance to us. Is there still a gap between priorities and our values? If you focus on what is truly of value to you (not your neighbor, co-worker, cultural/societal expectation) then it becomes easier to prioritize. If we focus on what we value, then prioritizing is easier. That change in focus will provide more options, more choices. Having choices is the "power, right, or liberty to choose, options." We are faced with a multitude of choices in a day. How we make the choice is a statement of who we are based on our personality, environment, culture, preferences, comfort zones, etc.

Your boss comes in your office and says "I need you in a meeting now" doesn't seem to offer you many options. You value your job (and what that allows you to do in your life) so of course, you will respond a certain way - even if it is not preferable. Sometimes we can make a choice about which way we drive to work. That may be influenced by our mood, where we may want to stop off along the way, how quickly we need to get somewhere, etc. This is just one way to illustrate the number of choices we make in a day. But if we were to think about how those choices influences our time, well, hmm, why do I spend my time that way? What does that choice reflect about me, my values, and my legacy?

Decision Management

Did you know that not making a choice or decision is still a decision? After reading this article and you don't make any changes in your life - you are making a decision - that the "same old" is preferable. You are actively deciding what you want your life and legacy to be like every day! To make a decision is to reach a conclusion, reflecting that you've made up your mind. Are those conclusions/decisions what you want your life to reflect? What you wear each day may not be that big of a decision, but how your time is spent can have huge ramifications. Are your decisions about time based on your values and priorities? What decision about time could you make today that would bring about a shift in your view of time management?

There are a plethora of time saving devices. The process, system or strategy is not THE answer - it's just the conduit. The key to the success system is YOUR answers and the actions you choose to take. By making an opportunity to review and evaluate our values, priorities, and the power of decisions we can then make choices that manage our time effectively.