Give Them an Inch

I lost an inch today.

For years I believed I was 6' 2 1/4'', and on some occasions I have answered to 6' 3''. A couple people doubted me, indeed a commenter on this blog has....I recall her saying "are you absolutely certain you are 6' 3" ?" I paid her no mind.

A 6' 0" colleague of mine disputed my height as well, but she refused to remove her heels, (probably to hide the corns on her feet) and I refused to accept her estimation.

I based my belief on a public school instrument; the ruler. A ruler is usually 1ft and you can plainly see, it says 30cm. My 'Identification card' says 186 cm, and I divided by 30 and got my height, but today at Arseblog (a forum I frequent) the Administrator ruined my day, pointing out to me that 186 cm is actually 6ft 1 1/4", and a foot-long ruler is actually 30.48 cm.

Readers, this may not matter to you, but I liked saying 6' 3", even 6' 2 1/4"...but 6 feet 1 inch is absolutely worthless. When people ask your height and you say 6' 1", it doesn't mean shit. But you know what really takes the piss....that's not the only thing I measured with a ruler, and it will take God himself to take an inch from that.....

Remote Access Services

With the surge in popularity of the Internet, Remote Access Services (RAS) have become widely popular in the IT environment. RAS let you connect to your computer from a remote location, such as your home, to the SLAC network. RAS's primary function is to let you access files on a server from a remote location. In order to use RAS from a remote location, a RAS client program is required, which is usually built into the most versions of the Windows or PPP client software.

RAS is a built-in feature of Windows NT that enables the users to log in to an NT-based LAN environment using a modem, X.25 connection or WAN link. RAS works with almost all the major network protocols, including TCP/IP, IPX, and Netbeui.

RAS lets a user dial into any network and use any dialup connection just as if it were a network connection. Though it has its own set of disadvantages, like being slower in comparison to a regular network connection.

Once connected to the RAS, you need to follow the usual procedures to access the network. For example, of you want to connect to a drive on the network, use Windows NT 4.0's My Computer icon from your remote computer, with the map network drive, or explore the network neighborhood, just as if you would explore it from your office PC.

In order to run a program available on the host computer, download and run the executable code on your remote computer. RAS works just like any other network connection, not as a remote control.

Motor Homes, RVs and Recreational Vehicles in Idaho

The State of Idaho is a wonderful place to go and see by recreational vehicle. Boise Idaho is the capital of Idaho and there are many museums and the state capitol building is truly impressive. The downtown life is also fun and they have many great restaurants. The drive from Boise Montana on Highway 55 to Highway 95 into Lewiston Idaho is very pretty and you'll pass through some really cool little towns.

Another great drive is from Hailey Idaho to Missoula Montana, which takes you through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and along the Salmon River. Another wonderful place in Idaho is Twin Falls and the falls are truly spectacular. Idaho Falls also has some neat scenery and a National Park Interpretive Center with listings of all the campgrounds and great places to see, as Idaho borders the Yellowstone National Park.

Northern Idaho is very cool and you will want to stop in Coeur d Alene. There is an Indian museum down the road and the downtown area is extremely exciting. The old hotel on the water is still there and the view is breathtaking. I recommend that anyone who travels in an RV that they go and check out Idaho. Please consider this in 2006.

Preparing for an Automobile Accident

None of my clients actually thought they would ever be involved in a car accident. Hundreds of them have told me this. Thousands of them were safe drivers. Yet thousands of them found themselves in my office anyway, victims of an accident.

Psychologically I think, it is hard for us to "prepare for the worst." As accident attorneys, much of our careers are spent with issues relating to managing risk or the lack of it. I can tell you from experience that it is best for us if we can all learn to "hope for the best, but plan for the worst." While many us find it easy to do the former, the latter is difficult because we simply do not like to think about unpleasant things, or harder still, take the time to actually plan for it.

Accordingly, even though you "know" the accident only happens to "the other guy," here are some steps that you can take in advance of an accident--so that in case it happens to you, you are prepared as possible:

o Always keep your insurance up-to-date. I have seen countless numbers of cases over the years where people let their insurance lapse. Usually, it is accidental. There are two steps you can take to keep this from happening to you: (a) Keep the insurance company informed of any change in address. Most people pay their premiums when they get a statement in the mail. But we move around a lot. You need to inform the insurance you are moving. Most cancellations that I have seen occur when the policy lapses because the billing statement is sent to an old address. Be proactive and remember when premiums are due; (b) Pay premiums in advance. You usually receive a discount if you do, and this frees you up from the month-to-month possibility your insurance will be cancelled.

o Carry your auto and auto insurance information in your car. I have had hundreds of clients cited for failure to maintain proof of insurance in their car. Keep your insurance card (the updated one) in your glovebox; you are also required to keep your registration in the car, and have your driver's license.

o Consider keeping an accident kit in your car. Accident kits usually consist of a "throw away" camera pre-loaded with 35 mm film, a notepad and pencil, yellow chalk or pencil to mark things, and a measuring tape. Consider always carrying one in your car.

o Wear a medical tag or keep information in your wallet to (a) identify yourself, (b) identify family members, next of kin, and church, and (c) list any allergies, especially to medications.

o Keep a first aid kit, food, water and emergency money in the car.

o Keep flares or reflective triangles in the car.

o Keep weather related items in the car: blankets for cold weather, shade for hot weather, in the trunk of our car.

These simple steps, if followed, will keep a difficult situation from becoming a nightmare, in the event you are ever involved in a car accident.

Don't Learn For Exams - Exam Secrets

Exams are one of the things in life you most certainly cannot avoid. At a point in your life, you will be required to write some tests or take part in an examination. It is not surprising it sends chills down the spines of most people to merely think about the the word EXAM. I have personally noticed that it does not matter how well you know or how little you know on the subject you are going to be tested on, you will still experience anxieties.

However on the whole I think it is better to be well prepared and also be in the know rather than not preparing adequately because that will throw you farther off balance.

Take it easy on yourself and picture exams as something beneficial and worthwhile that will help you get to your next level in life. After all you are only going to be tested on what you have already been taught. The truth however is you have been taught a lot and how on earth can you remember all you have been taught. A teen writing their Ordinary Level exams in Maths alone is supposed to remember formula for Trigonometry, Probability, Algebra, Data Collection and lots more. They are supposed to answer questions using formula and this is not very easy for most students. Then there are the reading subjects like History, Geography and the like that you are supposed to write essays on.

How can you commit all you have learned in your long term memory so you can easily recall the information necessary for questions? It is all very possible once you have techniques, strategies, ideas, principles and practice a lot of past questions. Develop a solid revision plans after you have discovered your learning style.

If you are a Photographic learner, you want to make your revision notes highly visual with colours, mind maps and anything that will bring light and colour to make your visual and photographic mind easily memorize the notes. For an Auditory learner you want to hear your notes being read all the time. You can easily do this by recording yourself while you read or sing your notes, that way you can listen to it all through your head phones. Also if you are a Hands-On learner, then you want to touch and feel what you are learning through experiments and actually experience what you are learning.

Learn to cut out the stress that goes with exams. Start your revision early, that way you can rest assure that even as the exams approach you have full control despite your anxiety which will quickly disappear once you are well prepared.

Factors Determining Bankruptcy Attorney Fees

You need to consider several factors before deciding about the amount to be paid to the bankruptcy attorney for the legal services offered. This fee could be to an individual or a law firm. This means that legal fees can be determined by the law firm from which the attorney comes. The kind of the bankruptcy involved is another factor that determines the amount the lawyer will charge. A procedure that demands many proceedings and a lot of legal undertaking will definitely cost higher than one with fewer legal proceedings. It is also worth noting that the fees may depend on the kind of the creditors that the client is dealing with. For instance, if he is dealing with people or shoppers, the charges will be much lower than when the client is being sued by a bigger corporation.

Operation costs: Costs such as rent, electricity bills and office upkeep determine what the attorney will charge. In addition, the requirement by the local government or local authority to pay tax is another factor on the total amount payable as the Legal Representative fees. Taxes depend on the tax rate imposed by the authorities and the tax charged is transferred to the client making the total Legal fees payable, a combination of amongst other factors, the tax rate the attorney has charged. In addition, Legal fees can be determined by the duration of the bankruptcy legal process. This is the time when the contract is signed to the time the case is ruled. Processes that take longer time consuming legal proceedings before conclusion normally attract high legal fees compared to those that take shorter amount of time to reach conclusion. Consequently, the time required by the client to bring the case to a conclusion is proportionally direct to the legal fees.

The number of fields that the attorney is experienced in is definitely another factor that the lawyer will use to determine the charges. Experienced lawyers in more than one area of bankruptcy will without doubt charge higher than one that specializes in a single field and having less experience for that matter. This is because some bankruptcy cases may be a complex, requiring expertise from more than one field. Reputation is another factor. As much as experience of a lawyer may influence the charges on the higher side, it is also noted that well established and reputable law firms attract a lot of clients and to retain their customer base usually offer some discounts to certain criteria of client that they deem deserving just to keep them coming back. The end result is a value of lawyer charges, which is lower compared to new incoming client.

The availability of the bankruptcy attorney: This is a demand versus supply kind of a fee measure. This means that when the number of clients in need of legal services is quite high compared to the available lawyers, the lawyer charges will be higher than usual. On the other hand, if the legal market is saturated, there will be stiff competition for the few clients who are available. To attract the available clients, the firms will tend to reduce their fees to amounts that are lower than their competitors. In addition, this applies to firms offering different types of services whereby a bankruptcy field with fewer attorneys, but having high demand for their service will consequently charge more.

5 Critical Components of Content Marketing

Content marketing is a very effective advertising strategy to use online provided what you write meets certain criteria. The focal point of your content strategy should be to create reading material that is easy to understand but it does not end there!

To get the best results when circulating content as an advertising strategy online here are 5 criteria you want to be sure your reading material addresses!

Educates

The backbone of your content strategy is to create something that will help educate those people with an interest in the subject or niche. If your reading material does not offer anything new or of interest there is little incentive for people to view any future publications by you. Give them something that will make them want to return!

Attracts Search Engines

Yes this means to optimize what you compose but relax since it is not so hard! Simply choosing and placing applicable keywords or phrases in what you compose will make it easier for people to find this reading material. By doing so you are giving the search engines a way to 'categorize' your content so they can offer it up to people in search of such information!

Builds Credibility

In a nut shell your information needs to be accurate (and useful always helps as well) since this is the only way to build credibility! Winging it is only a short term solution that will catch up with you and besides this strategy always targets the long term! Get your information 'straight' and keep it reliable because you do not want to waste your efforts or damage your reputation online!

Builds Relationships

You do not have to develop deep friendships but at least compose your content in a way that is easy to read. If your reading material is useful, informative or even entertaining viewers will be even more attracted since it is easy to understand as well! When you are attempting to make a point or communicate a message online do not make it a challenge for others to figure out what it is you are trying to say. Make the process as easy as possible!

Consistency

As stated previously an effective content strategy is considered to be more of a process and not somethings that produces results overnight! With that said the consistency of your efforts and the quality of what you create will have a huge influence on the effective of this advertising strategy! A consistent effort in the aforementioned areas will build up a loyal following that will regard you as an authority. Being able to deliver useful and accurate material in a way easy for them to understand truly DOES make you an authority!

Content marketing can be a very powerful advertising strategy to use online but to make the biggest impact your reading material must meet certain criteria! The 5 areas you want to be sure your content strategy addresses are discuss above and will contribute towards increasing the overall effectiveness of this campaign. By paying a little more attention to these details you will be able to create reading material that will really help your business grow!

Retire Rich With Regular Savings And Compound Interest

'The best advice you can give your children is to save regularly'.

It might have been an OK thing to say when you were a child in the Seventies, but this just sounds so dull. So let me enlighten you for just one minute!

Albert Einstein said that the eighth wonder of the world was the act of compound interest. This is simply the interest on any earned interest - and it is a very powerful thing!

I need to point out the very important fact that time is absolutely key to using compound interest to your benefit and therefore becoming wealthy. It will take a lot of time, probably all your working life.

If you get into the habit of putting money away into a bank account on a regular basis and leaving it to accrue interest over the years, you will eventually be surprised at how quickly it grows. A direct debit from your account on payday may be unnoticed after a while.

The important points here are 'regular' - say every month when you get your wages and 'leaving' it. Yes, it's so easy to ruin the compounding process by taking the money out for a rainy day, so this is not what to do. One small withdrawal will affect many years of the compounding interest process.

The amount you contribute should almost be 'throw away' or disposable income. The sort you would spend without even thinking about it.

Here's an example of saving £50 every month in an account earning only 3% interest. (This is a rather low rate historically, which would rise if the account had a variable savings rate).

After the first year, you will only have £618. This is 12 lots of £50 contributions, plus only £18 in interest. After 10 years, you will have contributed £6,000 and got £2,500 in interest making a total of £8,500.

You will have doubled your money in 17 years (around £20,300) and saved £100,000 in a little under 28 years. You will be a millionaire after 34 years and a billionaire in the fortieth year!

The figures really accelerate in those final years. I didn't believe them at first, but they are true! Mind you, you might want to think about what effect inflation will have on your millions. You may be a billionaire, but what will you be able to buy in forty or so years' time?

Kauai on 2 Wheels or More?

There is no better place to relax and unwind. Although I had mixed feelings about visiting this place myself, I would surely dare to say that it was an amazing visit that I would never forget. Kauai promises fun filled activities for the entire family. Although the entire island is so huge and there are so many activities and places worth visiting, a drive around the island is a must.

Roughly circular in shape, Kauai is 550 square miles in area and 32 miles in diameter. With little public transportation, rental cars are recommended, but getting around on Kauai is easy. Kauai's roads almost encircle the entire coastline only to stop at the formidable Na Pali Coast where building roads would be impossible. The breathtaking steep green cliffs of Na Pali provide a natural barrier, limiting access to one of the world's most awe-inspiring and primeval places to those walking, on helicopter or traveling via boat. From mopeds to Harleys, VW convertibles to motor homes, you could rent all kinds of vehicles on the island.

The best means to explore the island would of course be in a grand luxurious Winnebago which is a recreational vehicle that comes complete with sleeping accommodations, kitchenette, bathroom, awnings, generator - all the comforts to make a adventurer's vacation come true. The Winnebago is excellent for all travelers needs as it has the comforts of a luxurious 5 star hotel minus the swimming pool and room service. Instead of paying for accommodation and transport, hire a motor home in Kauai and cruise the island on a luxurious 30 footer mobile hotel room. Park anywhere along the islands beautiful coastline and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner on Kauai's spectacular beaches. With an RV, the possibilities are limitless.

Enjoy the carefree lifestyle for which Kauai is famous for! For the adventurous yuppie, why not grab a backpack and some camping gear, and spend the next week touring the majestic roads of Kauai on the back of a Harley. The island of Kauai has many motorbike rental companies. Cost range from $50-120 a day, depending on the model of bike and duration of rental. But lose the leather jacket because if the bike doesn't kill you, the humidity surely will!

If you think you don't have the stamina of Forest Gump, but can manage riding a bike around the island, many places on Kauai will rent you a pushbike. You can cruise through Koke'e State Park and Waimea Canyon State Park. Ride from the rim of the famed Waimea Canyon (el. 3600') down 12 miles of smooth winding blacktop all the way to the shore of the blue Pacific. It's 100% downhill, and 100% fun! Cycle through the legendary estate of Grove Farm Sugar Plantation, a former 22,000-acre sugar plantation. George Norton Wilcox started Grove Farm in the 1860's. From humble beginnings as the son of missionary teachers, George Norton built a successful plantation. Grove Farm is no longer in the sugar business. In fact, due to the low price of sugar worldwide, sugar production has been declining throughout the State for years. Now, as diversified agriculture replaces sugar, Grove Farm leases its land to over 100 tenants raising a variety of crops and animals. Cycle through these lands that were once owned by Princess Ruth the sister of King Kalakaua, you can enjoy the scenic mountain views and many places seldom seen by locals or visitors. The view when passing through Kauai's only sugarcane tunnel, which separates the east side of the island from the south shore, is breathtaking. Identify native plants, birds and trees along the way. As well as having a fun ride in a beautiful place you'll learn about what makes Kauai special!

You can hop on an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and go places more spectacular than you can ever imagine. Organized tours lasting up to three and a half hour adventure takes you deep into Kauai's interior to the base of Mount Wai'ale'ale.

Your journey begins with a familiarization and safety briefing, before you get acquainted with your vehicle and head out to the backcountry. Your guide will lead you through miles of old cane lands, tropical forests, and jungles rich with magnificent scenery.

Another adventure is the exhilarating Zipline, where you wear a harness that attaches to a cable and allows you to 'zip' across above the valley and forest below.

Here are some facts about Hawaii from the Kauai visitor information website.

- Kauai, Hawaii has more sandy beaches than most other Hawaiian islands, plus nearly 45% of its coastline is virtually deserted. It's a safe bet you will find your perfect and "private" beach for snorkeling or sunning.

- Kauai is home to three of the top ten rated golf courses in Hawaii. Kauai has more great golf courses than you could possibly find time to play in a week, maybe two.

- Kauai has huge areas of tropical forest, deserted coast and lush mountains suitable for hiking, including the awe-inspiring Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon -- known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." All of these areas have easily accessible hiking trails.

- Kauai's bountiful coral reefs are teeming with multitudes of colorful fish. It is easy and delightful to snorkel the clear warm waters of Kauai's lagoons.

- Kauai is home to numerous rare bird and plant species, which exist nowhere else in the world. Kauai is also home to a seabird sanctuary and two locations of the awe-inspiring and educational.