Crusade Learning

Teeth Whitening

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:10:36 +0000

In the growing world of cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening is a very sought after procedure. Generally valued by men and women both alike, whitening (or bleaching) treatments can be available to satisfy every budget, time frame and temperament.

Whether it is in the form of a one-hour bleaching session at your dentist’s office, or in home use bleaching kits purchased at your local Wal-Mart or drug store, teeth whitening solutions are very popular. However, only 15 percent of the population has tried the cosmetic procedure, and what is more, misinformation on the subject is everywhere.

The whole idea of it is that teeth whitening does work. Virtually every person who opts to do this cosmetic treatment will see moderate to substantial improvement in the brightness and whiteness of his or her smile. However, teeth’s whitening is not a permanent solution and will require maintenance or touch-ups for a lasting effect.

Bleaching vs. Whitening, What is the Difference?

According to the FDA, the term bleaching is permitted and to only be used when the teeth need to be whitened beyond their natural color. This will apply strictly to products that contain bleach, typically hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.

However, the term whitening, on the other hand, can refer to restoring a tooth’s surface color by removing all dirt and debris. Therefore, any product that will clean (like a toothpaste) would be considered a whitener. Of course, the term whitening sounds much better than bleaching, so it will be more frequently used even when describing products that do contain bleach.

What Is A Copy Writer?

admin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:28:42 +0000

A copy writer uses words to help promote a person, business, opinion, or idea. It could also be used as plain text, as a radio or television advertisement, or even in a variety of other types of media. The main purpose of copy writing, or also know as promotional text, is to persuade a listener or reader to act; to buy a particular product or subscribe to a particular viewpoint. Alternatively, copy writing may also be intended to dissuade a reader or listener from a particular belief or action. Copy writing in essence is getting across the perfect message, with the perfect words.

Copy writing can also include body copy, slogans, headlines, direct mail pieces, tag lines, jingle lyrics, World Wide Web and Internet content, television or radio commercial scripts, press releases, white papers, and any other kinds of written material incorporated into advertising media. Copy writers will dedicate words and ideas to print ads, mail order catalogs, billboards, commercials, brochures, postcards, online sites, e-mail, letters and many other advertising media.

When dealing with a websites, copy writing can also refer to writing and wording that is used to achieve higher rankings in the search engines. This is often referred to as content writing and will include the strategic placement and repetition of keywords and keyword phrases on web pages. As search engine algorithms become smarter and smarter every day, this search engine optimization (SEO) copy writing is generally about writing for human visitors as well as for the search engines, about offering fluent and readable content written in an search engine optimization wise manner.

Smells like a good idea

admin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:39:24 +0000

Few things smell or taste better than plump fruit picked at the peak of perfection. So why not give the gift of good taste? These days, there are countless varieties of exotic and otherwise delicious fruits that are grown specifically to wow their lucky recipients: head-sized pears, hand-shaped lemons and even “star fruit.” In winter or in summer, a basket of fresh ripe fruit is sure to impress and delight.

Why give fresh fruit gift baskets? First, fruit is highly symbolic. Trees bare fruit just as parents bare progeny. Moreover, they are often associated with seduction, taking a page from Genesis – all of sin for an apple, if you remember. And last, since fruit are not only the product of trees but also themselves contain the seed for future trees, they are symbolic of children and parenting in one. Giving fruit can be considered the most thoughtful and symbolic gesture if it is given as a gift of congratulations (as congratulations mark the birth of something new), a gift celebrating a newborn, wedding, or engagement, or as a get well gift since fruit contains within it the nourishment to return to health. But the gift of fruit goes further than symbolism – it is just down right delicious. That’s why I often find myself giving fruit as a thank you gift, a housewarming gift, or a “just because” gift.

It used to be that you had to live in sunny California or Florida to give fruit that anyone cared about – unless you lived in New York or Georgia and could give apples or peaches. But these days, you don’t need to live next to the orchard or grove in order to give the gift of great-tasting fruit year round. Online gift basket companies put together some of the best fruit gift baskets I have ever seen. Filled with rare fruits like calamansi, buddha’s hands, Muscat grapes, and perfect peaches these baskets will impress not only with the quantity of rare fruits but also with the quality, as these companies pay a pretty penny to get their pick of the crop.

A word of advice: if you are looking to give the gift of fruit, order your gift basket from a company that specializes in gift baskets and not necessarily straight from the orchard. Though you’ll pay a premium, the recipient of your gift will appreciate it all the more. Gift basket companies are experts when it comes to arranging, packing, and shipping your fruit so that it is beautiful and perfectly fresh and ripe when it arrives to its destination, whereas groves or orchards really only specialize in growing fruit.

The case for (and against) English as the international language of business

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:19:10 +0000

The conventional wisdom says that English is the language of business. But to what extent is business - and economic growth, for that matter - contingent on fluency in the language? An examination of the rise of India and China in the global economy offers insight into the relevance of language as a driver for growth, and reveals that the conventional wisdom may be right, but needn’t be applied universally.

It is worth considering first the growth story unfolding in India. After years of a cool Asian economic climate, in the late 1990s India emerged as a force to be reckoned with, as high value currencies such as the dollar, pound, and marc were leveraged by the cheap Indian rupee and a large supply of great labor. But what facilitated the transfer of wealth from richer countries to a developing country like India was - in a large part - an English-speaking lower class that could replace English speakers in many English-speaking ‘back offices’ located in rich countries, where costs of living demanded that high wages were paid to workers. The result was a massive shift not only in service jobs that led to the now ubiquitous Indian call centers, but also a shift in technology jobs, as a skilled, English-speaking engineering class emerged that was willing to work for a fraction of their American counterparts. Of course, all things do come to an end, and with the creation of a broad-based middle class, so came with it the seeds for tougher times: the rupee appreciated on world markets and prices rose, leading to a much more expensive Indian workforce that made many foreign companies reconsider their investments there. Nevertheless, a newfound middle class ensured that there would be domestic demand for Indian goods and services allowing India to ‘fish for itself’ in the pursuit of economic growth. Had India not had such a large English-speaking population, it is fair to say that it would have remained off the radar of many foreign companies that sought to cut costs, and thus would have remained without the middle class necessary to grow the economy from within.

China, however, offers an interesting counterexample to the utility of English. Whereas in India about 50% of the population speaks English fluently or marginally as a second language, in China that percentage is somewhere in the low single digits. Nevertheless, China’s economy has managed outgrow India’s at a rate of almost 2 to 1. The Chinese growth story, however, is a different one from India’s. Where India’s growth was in a large part the result of job creation in the services sector, which led to a growth in jobs elsewhere in the economy to support a new middle class, China’s growth was driven by the cheapness of labor and thus the cheapness with which goods could be manufactured and sold on the world market, in no small part also due to the country’s manipulation of currency. While the country has made great strides towards teaching English, China never required English on the same scale because growth was fueled by Chinese-speaking factory workers and not English-speaking administrative staff and engineers. Nevertheless, the Chinese growth story would have never unfolded without the demand for Chinese goods from America and Europe, which, to be sure, was facilitated by the existence of Chinese businessmen who spoke English and - to a lesser extent - Chinese expatriate businessmen living in the west who were able to get deals done.

International Pet Shipping

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:18:39 +0000

Ensuring the safety of your furry friends is obviously at the top of everyone’s list when shipping pets to a new destination. Being that we are dealing with live creatures here, your local international shipping company will have a lot more rules and regulations for you to adhere to.

First you will have to select a reliable international shipping company of good reputation to transport your precious cargo. You will find many listings through a search engine online or in your local yellow pages.

General rules for transporting animals:

•    You will need to present the original health certificate verified by your vet, stating that your pet is healthy enough to be travelling with an international shipping company. This certificate cannot be older than 10 days
•    A rabies immunization certificate will also need to be provided
•    Documents required over an above the ones mentioned here will vary from country to country, and according to what animal is being shipped, so it is best to confirm what is needed before travel
•    You will need to make an advanced reservation to transport your animal
•    Animals will need to be transported in a clean, solid, leak proof and escape proof kennel that meets stringent specifications. Confirm the specs with your international shipping company and make sure that the kennel you choose can provide enough room for your animal to move around in.
•    You will also need to provide separate food and water bowls for your pet
•    You will need to ensure that your pet is calm before transportation
•    Some transporters will not accept certain animals, like venomous snakes or aggressive animals. Sedated or tranquilised pets would also not be accepted by most international shipping companies

The above regulations also apply when transporting livestock, although might differ slightly from one shipping company to another.

The costs involved are calculated according to a few variable factors:

•    The dimensions of your animal’s kennel
•    The weight of the kennel and animal combined
•    The distance being travelled
•    What type of service you select from your international shipping company

There are a few choices that your shipping agent can provide you, with regards to service options. For example, priority service would be the quickest and thus the least uncomfortable for your animal, but probably also the most expensive. Discuss all the available options and the implications of each before making your final decision.

Quarantine restrictions apply in several countries worldwide. Again, your international shipping company will be able to furnish you with full details and requirements for your particular destination. Be prepared that you might need to leave your animal in quarantine for a few months after arriving at your destination.

Most importantly, make sure that your pet’s travel container is clearly marked with your details, and that they are wearing up to date identification tags before sending them off on their journey.

International Moving

Fire Damage Cleanup Tips

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:40:05 +0000

Having to deal with a house fire, even a small one, is something that no homeowner ever wants to have to do, but unfortunately, these are often cruel facts of life. If you are like the majority of the rest of us, you probably do not have enough money to hire a professional to take care of the cleanup process for you, so educating yourself about how to go about it before this event takes place is a good idea. The cosmetic damage to your home can mostly be done by you, but the structural damage will probably need to be handled by a professional.

Depending on the size of the fire, there is probably some standing water in the home from the fire hose spilling gallons upon gallons of water into it to put out the fire. Electricity to the part of the home affected by the fire and water should be cut off so that you can clean up the standing water without fearing electrocution. Remove the standing water as quickly as you can, since this will cause water damage to your floor and walls in addition to the fire damage that is already there.

Pets should not be allowed back into the home until the initial cleanup is finished.

Any plants that you have need to have the soot and ash cleaned off of their leaves. Leaving this on the leaves will kill them.

If there is food in your kitchen that was open at the time of the fire, it should be thrown away, since it could be contaminated due to the excess heat and soot.

The smoke damage to your ceiling and walls can often not be removed by washing. The most that you can do to this is paint over it with a primer made for this purpose and then paint over that with the color of your ceiling.

Things like marble, stainless steel, chrome, and formica should be cleaned as soon as possible with the proper cleansers, since soot and ash can etch these items if you leave it on there too long. This etching cannot be repaired.

Furniture that is upholstered should not be sat on until it has been vacuumed thoroughly with a hose that has no brushes on it, since a brush attachment will only work the soot further into the fabric. This is also true for carpets. Once these have been vacuumed, put plastic over them so you do not track soot and ash in from other areas of the house.

Flood Damage Cleanup

Water and Your Cell Phone Don’t Mix

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:40:42 +0000

Many people have horror stories about how they lost anywhere between $50 and $600 on replacing a cell phone that was dropped into the toilet or the bath tub or any other liquid. The sad fact is that most cell phone warranties do not cover water damage and unfortunately, cell phone manufacturers have begun to place what some are calling “snitch stickers” in their phones that change color if they have been exposed to even a drop of water. While this keeps people trying to get a new free phone from saying that their old phone was not water damaged when it actually was, it is unfortunate for the consumer because these stickers have been known to change color in even just high humidity. So, water damage to phones is a serious problem, but what do you do if your phone does become submersed?

Take it out of the water immediately. The plastic covers on most cell phones these days are pretty tight, but water can get inside the phone. As long as you get the phone out of the water in under around 20 seconds, it should not have that much opportunity to seep in.

After you do that, remove the battery and do not hesitate. This is to effectively cut the power supply off from your phone; electricity and water combined are what fries your phone, not just the water itself.

If your phone has a SIM card, remove that quickly, as well. These cards store contact and other kinds of data from the phone and to some people, the information held on that card could be more valuable than the phone itself, even if the phone might cost them $600. Some service providers, however, do not use SIM cards, like Verizon Wireless.

Do not put the battery or the SIM card back into the phone. Dry them separately. Then, dry the phone itself from the outside and then if possible, put it in a bowl of rice and let it stay there overnight. You might get a grain of rice or two in your phone, but this probably will not happen. Rice will help draw out the moisture. Wait at least two or three days before trying to turn your phone back on. Never turn on an electronic device after it has been wet until you are sure it has completely dried out.

As long as the phone looks dry, it should be safe to try and turn the phone on. If it doesn’t work with the battery, try plugging it into the wall outlet. If this works, you just need to replace the battery.

Detroit Flooded Basement

Mold Allergies

admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:44:28 +0000

A lot of us suffer from allergies due to pollen, grasses, dogs, cats, and any number of items, but mold can be the cause of allergy symptoms just as much as any of these. These symptoms are common in individuals from spring all the way into late fall and even though some molds can grow at freezing temperatures, most cannot. Any plants or animals that have been killed by the winter elements are a feeding ground for mold.

In some areas of the United States, such as the far southeast where it remains warm almost year round, mold can grow throughout the year and aggravate the allergies of anyone nearby. Molds that are allowed to grow inside the home or workplace can cause perennial allergic rhinitis.

The symptoms of mold allergies can be brought about or even made worse by eating foods that have been processed with fungi such as mushrooms or foods containing yeast such as bread or beer. Having an allergy to the mold penicillium can be held accountable for problems occurring when a person receives a dose of penicillin at the doctor’s office.

Generally only if mold spores are in large quantities do they aggravate a person’s allergies. Being easily carried by the air or being a specific kind of allergenic mold are also important factors. There are only a few dozen kinds of mold that are significantly allergenic. Alternaria and Cladosporium (Hormodendrum) are two of the frequently found molds indoors and outdoors and are allergenic. Penicillium is also a kind of mold that is allergenic and people with an allergy to the drug penicillin know this all too well.

Mold counts sometimes exist on the news or other weather reports and these exist to determine what kinds of mold and how much of it is in the air at a certain time or place. These reports aren’t always accurate because as the weather changes, the mold spores will spread out or collect in other areas. The time of day that you plan your activities is also important when it comes to planning around mold counts because research has indicated that dry mold spores tend to favor the daytime and wet spores tend to favor the night.

There are many different ways to determine if a mold health related condition exists in a person. There are x-rays that can be done, blood tests, examination of sputum, or a swab of a sore on the skin can be examined to determine if fungus exists living inside the body.

Water Damage

Random Negotiating Won’t Pay Dividends

admin — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:29:28 +0000

Once a job offer is made, a lot of people think they have no basis for negotiating but they would be surprised, with the right approach, that they can often secure compensation packages beyond what they thought was possible. A key point to remember is that negotiating more at the start of a job can turn into a substantial amount of increased earnings over the course of several years. Once people achieve an increased level of earnings, they tend to maintain that difference over where they were for several years.

The negotiation process we recommend at ITS is easy to use. Based on our thousands of negotiations, it was carefully developed to be easy to use. It is based on common sense and the art of soft selling, so that you get what you want without offending the employer in any way.

There are five key areas you want to consider:

(1) The initial offer, can you get it increased by 10% to 30%;

(2) The responsibilities, can you expand them to a larger job that would pay more;

(3) A signing bonus, which can be 10% to 30% of the salary in some cases;

(4) The benefits, is the company willing to extend;

(5) Stock options, whether they are available, and under what terms.

ITS gives job hunter’s guidance in each of those areas. There is also a lot of information on salary surveys to give you current information on which to base negotiations, and a cost-of-living comparison of various areas for those who are relocating. Senior level job seekers will be especially interested in the discussion of the various types of stock options and grants, exit strategies and severance agreements, and a dozen or so other benefits that can be a significant part of the total compensation package.

ITS offers Personal Marketing Services that goes far beyond Outplacement Career counseling. ITS uses its own unique technology to give job seekers access to as much as 85% of the advertised openings, including those from newspapers, recruiter openings, job boards, employer sites, and trade magazines. It also provides access to the unadvertised job market among employers, recruiters and growth companies.

For additional information: pr@changingcareers.com or contact Tom Mortenson at 800-320-1277.

Article By: ITS

Checkbook IRA Account: Determining a Real Estate Investment Strategy

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:28:55 +0000

Checkbook IRA accounts, also called self-directed IRA LLC accounts, provide many options for account holders to increase their portfolio value through investing in real estate. As real estate investing is the number one way to make money in the U.S., it’s no wonder that many want to capitalize on this.

For all of the opportunity that the checkbook IRA presents, it can be a confusing, discombobulating journey for many. However, asking and answering a few questions can easily help you determine a sound investment strategy for which to use your self-direct IRA account funds.

3 Questions to That Help Formulate a Real Investment Strategy

Investor Risk Compass: We all have an inherent risk compass, especially when it comes to money. Some of us are extremely conservative, some of us are avid risk takers and many of us fall somewhere in between. Knowing your risk compass before you begin investing your checkbook IRA funds into the real estate marketing will help you to make smarter decisions.

How Far Off is Retirement? Becoming crystal clear about this question will help you decide what type of real estate deals you want to invest your checkbook IRA funds in. You might consider investing in properties to rent, for example, instead of going for the quicker return of buying, renovating and flipping properties.

Retirement Income Needs: Most focus on the big number when they think about their self-directed IRA accounts. Eg, how much do I have/want to have in there? It’s important to break this down into monthly amounts. You should run projects for 20, 25 and 30 years. As in, will how much do I have to have in my account to sustain an income of $5,000/month over 20, 25 or 30 years (maybe even more).

These are just three of the questions you will need to ask and answer before settling on an investment strategy for your checkbook IRA account. Albeit, they are three of the most important.