The Laughing Camel - Road Trips, Tours and Interesting Destinations

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

Stress Problems With Holiday and Family Vacations

Reaching the Holiday Finish Line While Avoiding Burnout

Many people are so wrapped up in their job many minor illnesses are ignored or worked through, in the interest of job security or ambition.
Then when a holiday or vacation is finally taken, ALL the suppressed stress symptoms suddenly blossom.

Is it any wonder that December and January are the months when most relationships break down?

There's pressure for everyone to enjoy events and eat extreme amounts of food while consuming excessive levels of alcohol in a short time period. Relationship tensions often explode during holiday periods and many hospitals record a higher level of family-on-family violence.

Take a week to clear your work BEFORE you take time off from your job is probably the BEST tip to avoid these problems.

The information below outlines some other ways to avoid holiday stress.
Top Holiday Stress Busters: Advice From The Experts

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Live Help Experiment - Support for Web Sites



The LPR web site is currently evaluating some "Live Help" software as part of a R&D project for Sterling eConsultancy.

Unlimited operators, departments, and users
Live Support with visitors on your site in real time
Proactive chat invites
Typing Preview to see what is being typed as it is being typed
Chat Transcripts and Logging
Page and Referer Tracking
Canned Messages

Using a Hostgator.com account we installed Crafty Syntax Live Help on three sites.

LPR
AskJack
Article Camel Tickler

So far, nobody has used the link to ask questions, which is a bit surprising. However, the actual admin panel has revealed some interesting visitor data.

It seems like most of the traffic is actually being generated by authors rather than random visits by search engine generated traffic.

I guess the live help option could be used on many web sites offering customer support. However, it doesn't seem to be working on general information web sites.

The Laughing Article Camel Tickler

This site is a clone of Article JackC and is being used to test a new article submission service. So far it's not working!

Thursday, 8 November 2007

Experimenting with Publishing a Full E-Text Book

LPR recently carried out a content experiment using Joomla CMS software, which involved publishing a full E-Text Book.


I was asked to search around for a suitable book, no longer in copyright; I found one of my favourite Jules Verne books from my school (1960's) reading list.


The experiment went quite well and the full book was published yesterday using the http://www.articlecritics.com/ web site.


It's really amazing to re-read the full book with an "adult" perspective. Some of the comments and actions are definitely NOT "politically correct" in today's atmosphere and will probably
pander to the denial and shame some people feel regarding the British Empire.


I guess the first few paragraphs might be cause for concern in some circles:



There was a large audience assembled on the 14th of
January, 1862, at the session of the Royal Geographical Society, No. 3
Waterloo Place, London. The president, Sir Francis M----, made an important
communication to his colleagues, in an address that was frequently interrupted
by applause.


This rare specimen of eloquence terminated with the
following sonorous phrases bubbling over with patriotism:


"England has always marched at the head of
nations" (for, the reader will observe, the nations always march at the
head of each other), "by the intrepidity of her explorers in the line of
geographical discovery." (General assent). "Dr. Samuel Ferguson, one
of her most glorious sons, will not reflect discredit on his origin."
("No, indeed!" from all parts of the hall.)


"This attempt, should it succeed" ("It will
succeed!"), "will complete and link together the notions, as yet
disjointed, which the world entertains of African cartology" (vehement
applause); "and, should it fail, it will, at least, remain on record as
one of the most daring conceptions of human genius!" (Tremendous
cheering.)



The full index of chapter links are included below; you'll have to make-your-own-mind-up regarding how relevant this is in today's enlightened society.


Introduction

Five Weeks in a Balloon or Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by
Three Englishmen is, in a measure, a satire on modern books of African travel.
So far as the geography, the inhabitants, the animals, and the features of the
countries the travellers pass over are described, it is entirely accurate. It
gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly the whole field of African
discovery, and in this way will often serve to refresh the memory of the reader.
The mode of locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents and
adventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly amusing, and, in view of the
wonderful "travellers' tales" with which we have been entertained by
African explorers, they can scarcely be considered extravagant; while the
ingenuity and invention of the author will be sure to excite the surprise and
the admiration of the reader, who will find M. VERNE as much at home in voyaging
through the air as in journeying "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the
Seas."

FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
FIRST
.

The End of a much-applauded Speech.--The Presentation of Dr. Samuel Ferguson.
--Excelsior.--Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.--A Fatalist convinced. --A
Dinner at the Travellers' Club.--Several Toasts for the Occasion

CHAPTER
SECOND
.

The Article in the Daily Telegraph.--War between the Scientific Journals.--Mr.
Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.--Reply of the Savant Koner. --Bets
made.--Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor

CHAPTER
THIRD
.

The Doctor's Friend.--The Origin of their Friendship.--Dick Kennedy at London.
--An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.--A Proverb by no means
cheering.--A few Names from the African Martyrology.--The Advantages of a
Balloon.--Dr. Ferguson's Secret

CHAPTER
FOURTH
.

African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney,
Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace, Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan,
Roscher, Burton and Speke

CHAPTER
FIFTH
.

Kennedy's Dreams.--Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.--Dick's Insinuations.
--A Promenade over the Map of Africa.--What is contained between two Points of
the Compass.--Expeditions now on foot.--Speke and Grant.--Krapf, De Decken, and
De Heuglin

CHAPTER
SIXTH
.

A Servant--match him!--He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.--Dick and Joe hard
at it.--Doubt and Faith.--The Weighing Ceremony.--Joe and Wellington. --He gets
a Half-crown

CHAPTER
SEVENTH
.

Geometrical Details.--Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.--The Double
Receptacle.--The Covering.--The Car.--The Mysterious Apparatus.--The Provisions
and Stores.--The Final Summing up

CHAPTER
EIGHTH
.

Joe's Importance.--The Commander of the Resolute.--Kennedy's Arsenal. --Mutual
Amenities.--The Farewell Dinner.--Departure on the 21st of February.--The
Doctor's Scientific Sessions.--Duveyrier.--Livingstone.--Details of the Aerial
Voyage.--Kennedy silenced

CHAPTER
NINTH
.

They double the Cape.--The Forecastle.--A Course of Cosmography by Professor
Joe.--Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.--How to seek out Atmospheric
Currents.--Eureka

CHAPTER
TENTH
.

Former Experiments.--The Doctor's Five Receptacles.--The Gas Cylinder.--The
Calorifere.--The System of Manoeuvring.--Success certain

CHAPTER
ELEVENTH
.

The Arrival at Zanzibar.--The English Consul.--Ill-will of the Inhabitants.--The
Island of Koumbeni.--The Rain-Makers.--Inflation of the Balloon.--Departure on
the 18th of April.--The last Good-by.--The Victoria

CHAPTER
TWELFTH
.

Crossing the Strait.--The Mrima.--Dick's Remark and Joe's Proposition.--A Recipe
for Coffee-making.--The Uzaramo.--The Unfortunate Maizan.--Mount Duthumi.--The
Doctor's Cards.--Night under a Nopal

CHAPTER
THIRTEENTH
.

Change of Weather.--Kennedy has the Fever.--The Doctor's Medicine.--Travels on
Land.--The Basin of Imenge.--Mount Rubeho.--Six Thousand Feet Elevation.--A Halt
in the Daytime

CHAPTER
FOURTEENTH
.

The Forest of Gum-Trees.--The Blue Antelope.--The Rallying-Signal.--An
Unexpected Attack.--The Kanyeme.--A Night in the Open Air.--The
Mabunguru.--Jihoue-la-Mkoa.--A Supply of Water.--Arrival at Kazeh

CHAPTER
FIFTEENTH
.



Kazeh.--The Noisy Market-place.--The Appearance of the Balloon.--The Wangaga.
--The Sons of the Moon.--The Doctor's Walk.--The Population of the Place.--The
Royal Tembe.--The Sultan's Wives.--A Royal Drunken-Bout.--Joe an Object of
Worship.--How they Dance in the Moon.--A Reaction.--Two Moons in one Sky.--The
Instability of Divine Honors



CHAPTER
SIXTEENTH
.



Symptoms of a Storm.--The Country of the Moon.--The Future of the African
Continent.--The Last Machine of all.--A View of the Country at Sunset.--Flora
and Fauna.--The Tempest.--The Zone of Fire.--The Starry Heavens.



CHAPTER
SEVENTEENTH
.



The Mountains of the Moon.--An Ocean of Venture.--They cast Anchor.--The Towing
Elephant.--A Running Fire.--Death of the Monster.--The Field Oven.--A Meal on
the Grass.--A Night on the Ground



CHAPTER
EIGHTEENTH
.



The Karagwah.--Lake Ukereoue.--A Night on an Island.--The Equator. --Crossing
the Lake.--The Cascades.--A View of the Country.--The Sources of the Nile.--The
Island of Benga.--The Signature of Andrea Debono.--The Flag with the Arms of
England



CHAPTER
NINETEENTH
.



The Nile.--The Trembling Mountain.--A Remembrance of the Country.--The
Narratives of the Arabs.--The Nyam-Nyams.--Joe's Shrewd Cogitations.--The
Balloon runs the Gantlet.--Aerostatic Ascensions.--Madame Blanchard.



CHAPTER
TWENTIETH
.



The Celestial Bottle.--The Fig-Palms.--The Mammoth Trees.--The Tree of War.
--The Winged Team.--Two Native Tribes in Battle.--A Massacre.--An Intervention
from above



CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIRST
.



Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--Two Shots.
--"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--The Missionary.--The
Plan of Rescue



CHAPTER
TWENTY-SECOND
.



The Jet of Light.--The Missionary.--The Rescue in a Ray of Electricity.--A
Lazarist Priest.--But little Hope.--The Doctor's Care.--A Life of Self-Denial.
--Passing a Volcano



CHAPTER
TWENTY-THIRD
.



Joe in a Fit of Rage.--The Death of a Good Man.--The Night of watching by the
Body.--Barrenness and Drought.--The Burial.--The Quartz Rocks.--Joe's
Hallucinations.--A Precious Ballast.--A Survey of the Gold-bearing Mountains.
--The Beginning of Joe's Despair



CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOURTH
.



The Wind dies away.--The Vicinity of the Desert.--The Mistake in the WaterSupply.--The
Nights of the Equator.--Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties. --The Situation flatly
stated.--Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe. --One Night more



CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIFTH
.



A Little Philosophy.--A Cloud on the Horizon.--In the Midst of a Fog.--The
Strange Balloon.--An Exact View of the Victoria.--The Palm-Trees.--Traces of a
Caravan.--The Well in the Midst of the Desert



CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIXTH
.



One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.--The Doctor's Reflections.--A Desperate
Search.--The Cylinder goes out.--One Hundred and Twenty-two
Degrees.--Contemplation of the Desert.--A Night
Walk.--Solitude.--Debility.--Joe's Prospects.--He gives himself One Day more



CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVENTH
.



Terrific Heat.--Hallucinations.--The Last Drops of Water.--Nights of Despair.
--An Attempt at Suicide.--The Simoom.--The Oasis.--The Lion and Lioness.



CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHTH
.



An Evening of Delight.--Joe's Culinary Performances.--A Dissertation on Raw
Meat.--The Narrative of James Bruce.--Camping out.--Joe's Dreams.--The Barometer
begins to fall.--The Barometer rises again.--Preparations for Departure.--The
Tempest



CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINTH
.



Signs of Vegetation.--The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.--A Magnificent
Country.--The Kingdom of Adamova.--The Explorations of Speke and Burton
connected with those of Dr. Barth.--The Atlantika Mountains.--The River Benoue.--The
City of Yola.--The Bagele.--Mount Mendif



CHAPTER
THIRTIETH
.



Mosfeia.--The Sheik.--Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.--Vogel.--The Capital of
Loggoum.--Toole.--Becalmed above Kernak.--The Governor and his Court. --The
Attack.--The Incendiary Pigeons



CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIRST
.



Departure in the Night-time.--All Three.--Kennedy's
Instincts.--Precautions.--The Course of the Shari River.--Lake Tchad.--The Water
of the Lake.--The Hippopotamus.--One Bullet thrown away



CHAPTER
THIRTY-SECOND
.



The Capital of Bornou.--The Islands of the Biddiomahs.--The Condors.--The
Doctor's Anxieties.--His Precautions.--An Attack in Mid-air.--The Balloon
Covering torn.--The Fall.--Sublime Self-Sacrifice.--The Northern Coast of the
Lake



CHAPTER
THIRTY-THIRD
.



Conjectures.--Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.--Dr. Ferguson's New
Calculations.--Kennedy's Hunt.--A Complete Exploration of Lake Tchad.--Tangalia.--The
Return.--Lari



CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOURTH
.



The Hurricane.--A Forced Departure.--Loss of an Anchor.--Melancholy
Reflections.--The Resolution adopted.--The Sand-Storm.--The Buried Caravan.--A
Contrary yet Favorable Wind.--The Return southward.--Kennedy at his Post



CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIFTH
.



What happened to Joe.--The Island of the Biddiomahs.--The Adoration shown
him.--The Island that sank.--The Shores of the Lake.--The Tree of the
Serpents.--The Foot-Tramp.--Terrible Suffering.--Mosquitoes and
Ants.--Hunger.--The Victoria seen.--She disappears.--The Swamp.--One Last
Despairing Cry



CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIXTH
.



A Throng of People on the Horizon.--A Troop of Arabs.--The Pursuit.--It is
He.--Fall from Horseback.--The Strangled Arab.--A Ball from Kennedy.--Adroit
Manoeuvres.--Caught up flying.--Joe saved at last



CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVENTH
.



The Western Route.--Joe wakes up.--His Obstinacy.--End of Joe's Narrative. --Tagelei.--Kennedy's
Anxieties.--The Route to the North.--A Night near Aghades



CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHTH
.



A Rapid Passage.--Prudent Resolves.--Caravans in Sight.--Incessant Rains.--Goa.--The
Niger.--Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.--Mungo Park.--Laing.--Rene
Caillie.--Clapperton.--John and Richard Lander



CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINTH
.



The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.--A Fantastic View of the Hombori
Mountains.--Kabra.--Timbuctoo.--The Chart of Dr. Barth.--A Decaying
City.--Whither Heaven wills



CHAPTER
FORTIETH
.



Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.--Persistent Movement southward.--A Cloud of
Grasshoppers.--A View of Jenne.--A View of Sego.--Change of the Wind.--Joe's
Regrets



CHAPTER
FORTY-FIRST
.



The Approaches to Senegal.--The Balloon sinks lower and lower.--They keep
throwing out, throwing out.--The Marabout Al-Hadji.--Messrs. Pascal, Vincent,
and Lambert.--A Rival of Mohammed.--The Difficult Mountains. --Kennedy's
Weapons.--One of Joe's Manoeuvres.--A Halt over a Forest



CHAPTER
FORTY-SECOND
.



A Struggle of Generosity.--The Last Sacrifice.--The Dilating Apparatus.--Joe's
Adroitness.--Midnight.--The Doctor's Watch.--Kennedy's Watch.--The Latter falls
asleep at his Post.--The Fire.--The Howlings of the Natives.--Out of Range



CHAPTER
FORTY-THIRD
.



The Talabas.--The Pursuit.--A Devastated Country.--The Wind begins to fall.--The
Victoria sinks.--The last of the Provisions.--The Leaps of the Balloon.--A
Defence with Fire-arms.--The Wind freshens.--The Senegal River.--The Cataracts
of Gouina.--The Hot Air.--The Passage of the River



CHAPTER
FORTY-FOURTH
.



Conclusion.--The Certificate.--The French Settlements.--The Post of Medina.--The
Battle.--Saint Louis.--The English Frigate.--The Return to London.

Sunday, 14 October 2007

Freedom is a Fleeting Concept

The Value of Freedom
Written by Jack

King John may have altered the course of English history by indicating his agreement to sign the Magna Carta at an impromptu meeting of parliamentarians at the Old Parliament Oak located near his hunting lodge "King John's Palace".

Magna Carta required the King to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the king's subjects, whether free or fettered — most notably the right of Habeas Corpus, meaning that they had rights against unlawful imprisonment.

I've tried to come to terms with the present and past UK government's policy in the "War Against Terror".

Maybe King John is chuckling in his grave?

Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial.

NOTE: Magna Carta - "most notably the right of Habeas Corpus, meaning that they had rights against unlawful imprisonment".

Concentration
No government or organization has used concentration camp to describe its own facilities, using instead terms such as internment camp, resettlement camp, detention facility, etc, regardless of the actual circumstances of the camp, which can vary a great deal.
How many people have been hanged/confined when there "rights against unlawful imprisonment" have been ignored?

Seems to me: A charter made law in 1215 should still be relevant.

The value of being "free" can only be really appreciated by a person in shackles.
Just how long can I be locked up for something I didn't do?
Read more...

My Two Weeks in Crete

In reflection I should have cancelled the holiday.
My decision making process in the past few months has been far from perfect.
However, had I not come, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of my Uncle's company for a week that passed all to quickly.

I hardly saw anything of Crete, other than a few short walks and taxi rides.
John gave me a book to read called "Freedom and Death" written by Nikos Kazantzakis, which has some fantastic descriptions of how the fight for Crete's freedom was carried out in the late 1800's.

Believe me, the descendants of almost everyone describe in the book can be seen today.
Not sure if I admire "Captain Michales", but I'd sure like to have him next to me in my next firefight. Actually, the translation from Greek to English occasionally throws up some amazing sentences...

"She walked down the street as though petroleum was in her arse"

I'm assuming that the translator meant she had a bit of a hip sway going on!!!
The book is quite hard going and describes some tragic events and horrific atrocities on both sides.

I finished reading it this afternoon.

Tonight, with my first glass of wine, I toasted all the fighting Captains and the island of Crete. May it be free for ever.

History has a habit of repeating.

Invading countries or occupying nation groups will always generate extreme resistance that doesn't go away after a few weeks or years. Patriotic resistance and self sacrifice will continue for generations.

Hopefully, the lesson will be learnt when we're finally forced to withdraw our forces from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now, on to Ireland...

It should be an united island, it's common f***ing sense, but sadly, that bag of bones will probably take another few generations to finally resolve itself.
Ireland WILL be an island united by common sense... one day.
So, just like any other package tourist.

I return to my home, vastly poorer in monetary terms, but slightly richer in my life's experiences.

Full Story

Friday, 5 October 2007

SIX Ways to Format PDF Documents for Web Site Publishing

Providing you or your company have invested in Adobe Acrobat, making a PDF document is easy. Microsoft Word documents, scanned sales brochure, sales letters, data sheets and a whole host of other information can be almost instantly published; with little or NO effort.

How many people do you know to have completed a PDF file making course? I'll make a guess, not that many and most probably, none.

The software is easy to use in basic mode. The results are usually acceptable at first glance. There's absolutely no reason to really learn how to get the best from the software and your CONTENT.

Making money on the Internet is not easy. Generally, you have to work harder and smarter than the competition. The free ride is over.

If you look behind the standard PDF document generation methods, you'll find a rich hidden source of web site promotion, along with document security and version tracking. Document control is becoming more important and can not be ignored. Including a document title, description and a few keywords is the very least you can do to improve your search engine exposure.

Let's work together to make the Internet a better place by making your valuable content easier to find.

Here are six easy ways to get better search engine exposure for your web published PDF content, improve security and document control.

1. PDF really should be text based.
Most document Scanners have an option to convert the scanned IMAGE into a PDF file. Search engines CAN NOT read the content when published as an IMAGE. A much better way to get better search engine listings for your PDF files is to use the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) option. Your TEXT CONTENT will then become readable to search engine spiders.

2. Use the document properties for better search engine exposure and security.

If you open a PDF document and then select:
File > Properties
You'll get an information window with tabs along the top bar:
Click the "Description" tab and then the "Additional Meta Detail" button.
The new window displays hidden fields used by search engines to rate the PDF for relevance.

This is probably THE most important upgrade you can carry out.

Yes, it will be hard work and very time consuming, but your PDF content will suddenly appear on page ONE instead of one thousand.

This window also has a security tab where you set permissions for write, print and a whole lot more.

3. Improve the TEXT content. Publishing the company sales brochure or sales leaflet will probably NOT help you beat the competition. Yes, make the PDF look good, but ALSO include as much unique TEXT content as possible. It should be fairly east to boost paragraph content without destroying the layout.

4. Use links into PDF documents. Make sure you include in-document menu links to your sub pages if the PDF covers more than three pages. Maybe even consider designing a powerful document navigation system.

5. Use outbound links to best effect and promote your HTML web site. Try to build links to your PDF content within the normal web site navigation system. If the file size is large, try to remember to warn the visitor by indicating a likely download speed of actual file size.

6. Influence How Search Engines Display Descriptions for PDF documents. If possible the first paragraph should summarise the PDF content. Search Engines will often pick this content to display under the link sentence. This is your PULL that can persuade a user to actually click the link.

Technically, making a PDF in to a search engine gateway is NOT hard.
It will take time, effort and a will to publish your information in the most effective way possible.

This article SIX Ways to Format PDF Documents for Web Site Publishing and Marketing Impact has been researched and written by: Sterling eConsultancy

Sterling Web Site Management are expert web site developers & marketers with experience in:
Management


Is your web site properly and regularly managed in order to ensure its continued optimum performance? Call us for assistance and advice!
Marketing


We offer professional Internet marketing and web site promotion, including search engine optimisation services to achieve the maximum "Return On Investment".
Maintenance


Maintenance of a web site requires time and special skills. Let us “do it all” for you and help you keep your site fresh, inviting and effective.

Design and Graphics
We can design you a great-looking website, or enhance your existing site, for a professional AND effective online presence.

Consulting
We can provide comprehensive consulting services to companies seeking to improve the online visibility of their products and services on the Web.

Audits
If you are developing or have just published a web site, Sterling Web Site Management can check your web site and generate a report on whether your web site designers have complied with optimum search engine registration procedures.

Sterling eConsultancy is a division of 32 Corners Limited

Here's today's top article at LPR:

Designing a Restaurant Menu


When you're a start-up business with a shoe-string budget, that photocopied sheet with a simple list of your dishes was enough to get by. But as your business grows and becomes more successful, the time will eventually come when somebody says, "Isn't it time we got a more professional-looking menu?"

Yes, indeed, a full-featured, laminated menu just like the big restaurants use will definitely be necessary in most cases, if your restaurant is to be taken seriously. Even if you don't go for the large, laminated book-style folding menu, there are many alternative styles to choose from.

To get one thing out of the way right away: you are probably better off getting a professional graphics designer for this number. Designing a menu has many skills in common with designing a website, and your restaurant may not have somebody computer-savvy enough to figure out how to do it, let alone the artistic skill to make it look good!

But if you are up to the challenge, you will need: A computer with design and editing software, a separate graphics program, digital photos of servings, clip-art, and either a printer capable of high-resolution color printing or a print shop which will publish your design. If you hired a logo designer to brand-mark your signs and logos throughout your business, you'll want your company's logo on the menu as well. Oh, yes, and a spell-checker!

You'll need to design a color scheme, come up with a style and theme, decide what sections the menu will include, and plan the layout. In addition to the main menu, you may want to create place-cards or table tents advertising seasonal specials and such. There are paper and publications standards in the printing industry, with standards designated as A4, A5, and so on, so check with the printing company who will be publishing your design.

This whole project doesn't need to cost you an arm and a leg. Remember that simple, casual diners, coffee shops, cafes, and other small establishments do very good business without making a big production out of their menu. Here are some simpler design formats which almost anyone can learn to use:

HTML - Not many people think of it, but this is a document standard, after all. HTML, being the language of the World Wide Web, is capable of handling text in many sizes, layout formatting, and images. This is not recommended for fancy designs, but it can be enough to squeak by in some cases. Any web-page editing software can help you run up a layout. But there are some problems with this format: HTML can't do custom fonts because they can't display in your web browser, it isn't good at keeping pages to a size standard, and is not powerful enough to handle more demanding layouts.

PDF - This is the most commonly used standard. The Portable Document Format is widely used for all purposes throughout the printing industry. A sophisticated PDF editor can design anything from a business card to a newspaper. It uses rigid page design and the editors for PDF have all of the standard sizes selectable from the menu. It can handle any font, image, and layout you throw at it, and is also likely to be preferred by the print shop. The only downside: PDF editors are expensive. Proprietary software patents have choked out most of the competition, resulting in a highly monopolized industry.

SVG, XML - This is the second most commonly encountered standard, and in fact much of the printing industry is starting to use this format more widely. They are each capable of the full set of PDF features, and even add some new tricks that PDF can't do. SVG stands for "scalable vector graphics" and XML is the parent of HTML, being the original document mark-up language.

SVG and ML combine in the same document. SVG is not only a means of producing a document, but is a graphics language as well, so you can draw in it! Software for editing SVG and XML documents is widely available as free and open source software, and in every case the free software is at least 99% as powerful as the expensive commercial version. The only downside here is that it takes some extra learning to use and understand SVG and XML. For example, web browser have been able to render SVG and XML elements for years, and yet you don't see much of it on the Internet, because there just aren't that many people skilled enough to use it. You don't exactly have to have a computer science degree - but it won't hurt!

Whatever document format you use, you will have many considerations in planning your layout. If you use photographs, you will need to have a professional photographer to snap photos of your food and provide you with the images in digital format so you can include them in the menu. You will want to pick a font and layout consistent with your restaurant's atmosphere and your business image.

You will want it to be attractive as possible, but not be so "busy" that it is difficult to read. And using clip-art is convenient and easy, but will make your design look like a tired cliche. Using custom-made graphics, on the other hand, will require digital graphics design skills that aren't too common in the general public. You might also want to provide versions in different languages, and a braille menu for the visually impaired.

It is quite challenging for someone with little design experience to undertake this task; there is much more to design that is left out of this article. Remember that menus define your restaurant; it is the first product that your guests will get to see. Making a good impression here is important.

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Freelance writer for over eleven years.

Looking for a discount on your restaurant uniforms and accessories? You might want to check out these sites.

Discount Restaurant Uniforms Restaurant Clothing Dickies Medical Uniform Scrubs

Saturday, 22 September 2007

Common Sense Marketing - Aussie Style

Hello

Checked your e-mail inbox lately?

Chances are you'll find at least two or three (probably a LOT more) messages with "get rich" promotions. Usually, these ideas start off free, but gradually suck in the gullable to send credit card details or money orders. People throughout the ages have devised ways to make an "easy living" from other peoples hardwork.

Internet scams are just the next logical step.

How can you tell if the money making offer is real or just a rip-off?

Well, one Aussie marketeer is working on cleaning up the Internet by taking direct action:

Internet Marketing - A Philosophical Perspective

NO Bull is a site devoted to providing factual, timely and truthful information about internet marketing, affiliate marketing and all things internet. This includes reviews on programs, ebooks, study courses and software amongst other related issues.

The guy running the "No Bull" web site concept is called Ric Raftis; a poet, artist, businessman and soldier.

He has a great sense of humour and can be trusted to give sage advice.

Read the No Bull Blog; well worth a click!

The LPR web site displays a LOT of marketing articles:

http://www.liberated-press-releases.com/search.php?q=marketing

Some of them are good, while others make NO sense at all.

Actually, I'm shocked at the quality of the listings.

Roasting Some LPR Nuts

Monday morning will be interesting, when I plan to gather the LPR article approvers together and point out the glaring errors in their work. Just think, I only just paid a bonus to them for good editing!

Huh, some payback required!

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Where HAS All The Gold Gone

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from the Latin aurum) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelery.

The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground "veins" and in alluvial deposits. It is one of the coinage metals. Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile of the known metals. Pure gold has an attractive bright yellow color.

Since the beginning of recorded time, many hundreds or thousands of tons of gold have been mined and circulated. Where has it all gone? As a metal, gold doesn't rust it is very durable. Surely, somewhere there must be a huge pile of gold. A few years ago, the British government decided to sell the countries gold reserves in exchange for the new Euro currency. Did that work out? [source wikipedia.com]

Anyway, today's top article is about gold, history and uses:

The History of Gold Jewelry


Humankind has long been fascinated by the beauty of gold and since the earliest days of civilization gold has been used to adorn us in the form of jewelry. Let's take a look at how gold jewelry has been used in the various parts of the world during the last five thousand years.

The Sumerian Civilization, located in present-day Iraq, is well known as the place where one of the first systems of writing was developed. There gold was used to make necklaces earrings, rings, bracelets and other ornaments as early as 2500 BC.

Sumerian goldsmiths used sophisticated metalworking techniques such as cold hammering, casting, soldering, and were particularly skilled in decorating with filigree (fine-wire ornamentation). They also practiced "granulation" using minute drops of gold to enhance the beauty of the jewelry.

Jewelry played an important role in Egyptian civilization where its use dates back to 3000 BC. A tomb painting of late 15th century BC shows a metalworker using tongs and a blowpipe to anneal gold. The famous tomb of Tutankhamun or King Tut contains numerous pieces of fine gold jewelry embedded with precious stones. These pieces of jewelry are on display in the national museum in Cairo and thousands of visitors each day marvel at the skill of these early goldsmiths and jewelers.

On Mediterranean island of Crete, now part of Greece, gold jewelry also played an important role as early as 2400 BC. The jewelers of Crete may have gotten their knowledge from West Asia and they were experts in fashioning gold jewelry.

Diadems, hair ornaments, beads, bracelets, and complex chains have been found in Minoan tombs on Crete. It is also believed that Asian techniques of filigree and granulation were introduced to Crete around 2000 BC.

Around 1550 BC Minoan culture and its jewelry styles spread to Greece, then dominated by the city-state of Mycenea, located 90 miles southwest of present-day Athens.

Metalworking techniques spread outward from Greece and reached northern Europe as early as 1800 BC. There is also evidence that the Celtic and early British people traded with the eastern Mediterranean civilizations by this time and exchanged their products for gold beads.

By 1200 BC jewelry making was flourishing in Central and Western Europe. Bronze and gold was used to make jewelry and the spiral was the most common type of decoration. Twisted gold torcs were made in the British Isles and northern France from the 5th to the 1st century BC. Torcs, also spelled Torq, were rigid circular neck rings or necklaces that were open-ended at the front. Massive circlets for the necks and arms were the characteristic ornament of the chiefs of the Celtic race. The Celts also used enamel and inlay to decorate jewelry.

In the 7th century BC the Etruscans of central Italy were also making fine gold jewelry. The Etruscans perfected the difficult technique of granulation, a technique in which the surface of the metal is covered with tiny gold grains.

In Greece during the Hellenistic Age (the period just after the time of Alexander the Great, 323-30 BC) Greek jewelry was characterized by its great variety of forms and fine workmanship. Naturalistic wreaths were made for the head, and a variety of miniatures -- human, animal, and plant -- were made into necklaces and earrings.

The Heracles-knot, developed in Greece, remained a popular motif into Roman times.

Colorful jewelry was an important characteristic of the Migration period (4th to 8th centuries AD) which followed the collapse of the Roman Empire. Mediterranean goldsmiths continued to produce refined jewelry but the jewelry of the European tribes dominated the period. They produced abstract styles and worked in enamels and inlaid stones. This is also the period of the penannular, or nearly circular, brooches of Ireland and Scotland.

From the 9th to the 13th century, the technique of cloisonne -- enameling on gold -- became widespread in Europe and the Near East, with the best jewelry of this type emanating from Constantinople (present day Istanbul) the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Gold Jewelry in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

In the year 962 AD, just after the creation of the Holy Roman Empire (located in Central Europe) there was a fusion of Mediterranean and European civilizations and this had an effect on the jewelry as well.

The Emperor and the Church became the patrons of the arts. Jewelers worked in courts and monasteries. During this era, jewelry design was based on the setting in gold of precious stones and pearls in colorful patterns. Precious stones, which were polished but used in natural forms, were credited with having magic powers. For example, Sapphire, symbolic of chastity and spiritual peace, was used for papal rings.

Antique cameo gems were prized and when set in early medieval jewelry and were given a Christian interpretation. Until this era, European jewelry was produced mainly in imperial and monastic workshops. However, by the 13th century a system of independent guilds of goldsmiths was established in European capitals.

Gothic jewelry reflects the chivalrous ethic of the aristocratic society of this time in its symbolism and frequent use of amatory inscriptions. Jewelry, which has always had close affinities with modes of dress, frequently took the form of brooches and other fastenings such as belt clasps.

The ring brooch, the most common form of jewelry in the 13th century, was probably given as a token of love or betrothal. A pendant would occasionally be used as a Reliquary. The use of earrings ceased entirely, because women wore elaborate jeweled headdresses that concealed the ears. About 1300, French jewelers began to use translucent enamels over engraved silver or gold.
Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Authorized distributor of beautiful pandora bracelets and beads.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator OR AskJack a Question FOR FREE!


Thursday, 6 September 2007

Selection of Great Italian Recipes and Wine Selections

I love Italian food. How many times have you heard that uttered? There's something fantastic about the aromour and the shear joy of eating that Italians are famous the world over for their recipes and fine wines.

Here is a selection of Italian food articles submitted to the Liberated site over the last six months.

Secret Recipes Frittlers (Italian Pasties)

Hello a couple months ago I did an article on my families all time favourite secret recipe Frittlers (Italian Pasties). There is 2 ways you can make them one is with oil the other without oil. I love them both ways out of 5 with oil I give it 5 without oil I give it 4.75 still sensational. The article I did 2 months ago was with oil so I’ve updated this with the way to do it without oil.
The reason for this without oil is healthier then with oil so if you would like to try it but without oil this is for you. I have them both ways and love them.

Firstly the oil recipe I did 2-3 months ago is below and underneath it is how to do it without oil Secret Recipes Frittlers Part 2 (Italian Pasties).
You are in for a treat. We name the recipe Frittlers (Italian Pasties)
With Oil Secret Recipes Frittlers Part 1 (Italian Pasties)

Ingredients
7g yeast, 1 cup lukewarm water – if need more add extra but don’t make it soggy, 3 cups plain flour, pinch of salt, pepper, cheese, not mozzarella cheese but either shredded tasty cheese or shredded plain cheese, ham, tomatoes, tuna (chunk tuna) instead of ham canola oil
Put flour in bowl make a hole in the centre then add water and yeast mix together with pinch of salt. Work the dough don’t make it real dry. Then put in plastic bag, close bag up. Then put in a warm spot such as under blankets somewhere warm for about 1hour to 1.5 hours for it to rise to double its size.

While it’s rising get ham and cheese, not mozzarella cheese but either shredded tasty cheese or shredded plain cheese. Cut up ham add cheese then mix together.

Roll out dough to pasty round sizes do one at a time, add ham, cheese and sprinkle of pepper no salt then roll up pasty. When rolled up with filling at the ends with a fork press it and go around the edges. Then prick it lightly with fork twice around the middle.

Continue doing that until finished. Once done put 2 at a time in a frying pan with canola oil so oil covers the whole lot make sure oil is hot. (Just be careful because of heat) Cook to nice gold colour about 4-5 minutes then turn over and do other side. Take them out and put on paper towel to get rid of some of the oil. Can eat them basically straight away or you might wait to they cool down that is up to you.

There is no problems with freezing them they still taste fantastic.

If you want to add tomatoes you can but have it within 24 hours but don’t freeze any with tomatoes, what I do is if take them out the freezer when they thaw out I cut in half and add tomato and put in oven or griller.
Can also have chunk tuna instead of ham with the cheese. Tuna and cheese is also okay to freeze.
Also if you like you can add chopped up onion or anything that you enjoy.

Without Oil Secret Recipes Frittlers Part 2 (Italian Pasties)

You do exactly the same as with oil but instead of using oil and cooking them in a frying pan put them in the oven for roughly 10-15 minutes on 200 Degrees Celsius or 400 Degrees Fahrenheit then flip over again for extra 10 minutes and enjoy. (You can put on just a touch of oil on the Frittlers just before putting them in the oven).

This family secret recipe is one your family and friends will really appreciate, bon appetite!
Secret Recipes Frittlers Part 2 (Italian Pasties)

About The Author
Tony Pescatore loves Secret Recipes like his own Secret Recipe Frittlers (Italian Pasties). To find Secret Recipes you won't find Anywhere Else go to http://www.tpescatore.com/Recommends/SecretRecipes.


I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Tuscany Region
By: Levi Reiss

If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Tuscany region of central Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour. Tuscany is located on the central western part of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It gets its name from an Etruscan tribe that settled the area about three thousand years ago. It has belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the Franks.

More than four hundred years ago under the Medicis, Tuscany became a major European center. It is undoubtedly one of Italy’s top tourist destinations as well as an ideal place for your villa when you hit it big, really big. According to one Seinfeld episode there are no villas to rent in Tuscany, but that was several years ago. On the other hand, time in Tuscany as elsewhere in Italy is measured in centuries.

Tuscany’s total population is about 3.5 million. Florence is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the administrative center of Tuscany. It is one of Italy’s top tourist destinations, whose sites of interest are too numerous to list here. Siena and Pisa are two other major tourist destinations. Tuscany is a center of industrial production, in particular metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles. Given the region’s importance as an international art center for centuries, don’t be surprised that it is an excellent place to appreciate and purchase fashion, jewelry, leather goods, marble, and other items of beauty. Florence is the home of the house of Gucci.

Tuscany produces a wide variety of cereal, olives, vegetables, and fruit. But not only vegetarians eat well. It is home to cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry. One local specialty is wild boar. On the coast, seafood is abundant. Tuscany devotes over one hundred fifty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 4th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 58 million gallons, giving it an 8th place. About 70% of the wine production is red or rosé, leaving 30% for white.

The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG white wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. The region produces 9 DOC wines. Tuscany also produces Super Tuscan wines, wines that may not have a prestigious classification but that are known to be outstanding.

These wines are arguably the main reason that Italy was forced to revise its wine classification system. Fully 55% of Tuscan wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. And remember, many of Tuscany’s best wines carry neither designation. Tuscany! is home to more than three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red. Widely grown international white grape varieties include Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Sauvignon Blanc.

The best-known strictly Italian white varieties are Vermentino and Vernaccia. Widely grown international red grape varieties include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The best-known Italian red variety is Sangiovese, which is grown elsewhere, including California. A strictly Italian variety is Canaiolo. Before reviewing the Tuscan wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Panzanella, Bread and Tomato Salad. For a second course, eat or share a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, (Texas-sized) Beef Steak. If you have room, indulge in a Torta Rustica, Cornmeal Cake with Cream.


OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY

While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico 2004 12.8% alcohol about $21 I’ll start by quoting the marketing materials. “…A wine that would complement a veal chop or game birds, expect aromas of cranberry and cherry. On the palate, it should be round and ripe with enough tannin for balance.” As a point of interest, the label included the warning “contains sulphites” in ten languages.

I first tasted this wine with slow-cooked boneless beef ribs and potatoes accompanied by a spicy commercial Turkish salad. The wine was thick, loaded with plum and cherry flavors, and some tobacco. The tannins were moderate. Dessert was a cocoa cake whose label said strudel. The wine went well, its fruit really came out. I next tasted the Chianti Classico with slow-cooked meat balls, cauliflower and chickpeas in a tomato sauce, and potato wedges. The wine was plumy and powerful, with very pleasant tannins, a little tobacco and a little earth. Just so you know, I’m not usually partial to tannins. The wine was so round that I enjoyed finishing the glass when the food was gone. No dessert this time. I decided to follow the distributor’s suggestion and grilled a veal chop with a mixture of spices (minced onion, cayenne, and a bit of curry powder), accompanied by grilled eggplant slices with the same spices, and a commercially prepared Turkish salad, based on red pepper and tomato.

The wine bounced nicely off the delicious somewhat fat, somewhat rare meat. It didn’t add flavors of its own, but accompanied the food’s flavors excellently. It was powerful, but not overpowering. As its name indicates, Pecorino Toscano cheese comes from Tuscany, where it has been made from sheep’s milk for thousands of years. The cheese is moderately strong smelling and has a complex nutty flavor. The wine was smooth and round and had a pleasant tinge of tobacco. Just for the record I am not a smoker. In the presence of Asiago cheese from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy, the wine became more robust. I remember when Chianti came in straw-covered bottles. In fact, I remember the bottles more than the wine itself. But times have changed.

This Chianti Classico was excellent, quite deserving of its top-of-the-line DOCG classification and well worth the price.

About The Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com/.

Editors from LPR contribute to the Liberated Blog by selecting and highlighting some of the best articles and also posting some amusing stories.

Other Food and Wine Links From LPR


Vacation To Italy And Get A Major Dose Of History By:-will mooreFrom Naples to Florence to Rome; Italy has fabulous culture and history. Travel to Italy and enjoy your stay one of their luxurious hotels.

Italian Food and Wine Suggestion - Eat and Drink With The Italian Style By:-Ann CoveneyStart with Panzanella, Bread and Tomato Salad. For a second course, eat or share a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, (Texas-sized) Beef Steak. If you have room, indulge in a Torta Rustica, Cornmeal Cake with Cream.

Tuesday, 21 August 2007

Berlin, probably the best city in the world. I first visited in 1973 and stayed for two years. If there's one place, just one place; I'd like to visit again. It would be Berlin.

European Travel Destinations - Here Are Top Ten European Travel Destinations


The top ten European travel destinations offer so much for the traveler. Any one of the top ten European travel destinations will provide a wide variety of experiences for your next vacation.



Europe is filled with historical sites dating back thousands of years, old cities of lost and ancient civilizations. But no matter where one goes, Europe never gets old. From the excellent food and drink to high-quality entertainment to shopping paradise, culture is all around. There are capital cities everywhere and many friendly villages along the way. If beautiful beaches are what you are looking for, Europe will give you many from which to choose.



Here are the top ten European travel destinations in alphabetical order:



Amsterdam, Holland - Amsterdam is famous for such attractions as Central Station, for its clubs and coffee shops. A beautiful time to visit Amsterdam would be spring since colorful tulips will be in bloom. Amsterdam includes the famous Van Gogh museum and its vast collection of his works. Amsterdam is a beautiful city with some of the best shopping in Europe and the people in Amsterdam are among the friendliest in the world. No wonder Amsterdam is one of the top ten European travel destinations.



Athens, Greece - visitors have always wanted to visit the famed monuments of the Acropolis found on a hill in the city center. The Temple of Olympian Zeus is a site that is being reconstructed. Built in 515 B.C., the monument is a temple dedicated to Zeus, the ancient Greek god of gods. Syntagma Square is a popular area in the center of Athens where there are many cafes that tourists will definitely enjoy.



Barcelona, Spain - the architecture in Barcelona is incredible such as the unfinished church of the Sagrada Familia or Sacred Family. This church is so immense that it has been under construction since 1882 with a possible completion date of 2020. The Spanish Naval Museum is interesting and can be found next to the monument of Christopher Columbus. The Naval Museum has a full-scale model of a galley ship plus the old shipyards where great galleys were built long ago.



Berlin, Germany - Berlin is one of the top ten European travel destinations and a city bustling with activity, history and intrigue. Even though Berlin has a number of interesting buildings built prior to 1945, the city today is shaped by the role it plays in German history after 1945. The Gendermenmarkt is one of Berlins most beautiful attractions and some would say the most beautiful square in Europe. The square is also surrounded by many beautiful cathedrals. And a trip to Berlin would not be complete without enjoying one of the numerous ale houses and flavorful beers.



Brussels, Belgium - when in Brussels, be sure and visit the Atomium, a giant steel construction shaped like a molecule. The Atomium was built for the 1958 World Expo and can still be enjoyed. The Grand Place is the central market square in Brussels and an excellent place to visit. The fifth largest church in the world is located in Brussels, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, a beautiful church that can be enjoyed by religious and non-religious alike because of its architectural beauty.



Lisbon, Portugal - the heart of Lisbon is known as the Baixa, filled with many different shops and attractions. You can walk the hilly narrow streets of the old downtown area called Alfama and stop for coffee or tasty meal along the way or enjoy the Portuguese music called Fado. Getting cheap transportation around Lisbon is easy since the metro runs throughout most of the city.



London, England - why would one visit this beautiful top ten European travel destinations city? London is an international center of culture with music, theater, arts, museums, festivals and more. Tourist attractions are mainly in central London, attractions such as Westminster Abbey in Westminster City. The palaces of the English royal family are for history lovers and the Buckingham Palace is one of the better known palaces anywhere.



Paris, France - definitely one of the top ten European travel destinations, Paris is known for its architectural beauty, its shopping, its cuisine as well as its museums. The Louvre is one of the greatest art museums in the world where one can see the famous Mona Lisa. The Musee Roudin hosts a collection of works from the most famous French sculptor. And the Musee Picasso showcases Picassos works and even hosts art shows.



Rome, Italy - Rome has a storied and long history, but it also is one of the contemporary top ten European travel destinations. Its vast historical center contains many places from ancient Rome such as palaces, artistic treasures, fountains and churches. A trip to the Vatican would be considered essential for the first-time visitor. One of the most interesting attractions in Rome is the Aqueduct, the ancient structure for transporting water around the city. And no matter what anyone tells you, the best pizza in the world is in Rome.



Venice, Italy - getting around Venice is entirely on water or on foot, just like centuries past. Numerous interesting places to visit exist such as the Piazza San Marco, known as Saint Marks Square. This square is remarkable since one can only hear human voices and nothing else. La Fenice Theatre and Opera is one of the most famous theaters in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres.



So there you have them, top ten European travel destinations. Whether you are visiting Europe for the first time or you visit often, check out the wonderful variety of destinations for your next vacation. Once you have experienced Europe travel destinations, you will likely return again to enjoy a dream vacation in another of the top ten European travel destinations. Make it a vacation you will always remember.



Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing
Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.


Author Resource:- Read more about top 10 European travel destinations - David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.bestvacationrentalsonline.com/index.html - visit the website for vacation rentals, discount hotel rooms and other vacation fun.

Monday, 13 August 2007

Slow Day, Big Article

Monday, bloody Monday

Monday should be a day of joy. The new week begins, challenges await, adventures start and tasks are set.

Bollixs

Monday is a dreadful day when things start badly, get worse and finally go tits-up. The rest of the week is then spent sorting out Monday's mess.

Hasty decisions, followed by mis-keyed emails and failed FTP uploads. SQL errors and contact form email spam.

MONDAY... roll on TUESDAY!

Modern culture usually looks at Monday as the beginning of the workweek, as it is typically Monday when adults go back to work and children back to school after the weekend. Thus, Mondays are often seen as a misfortune. (Wiki)

Monday, a Moon Day.

Black Monday, 19 October 1987 — the second largest one-day decline in recorded stock market history.

Miracle Monday tells the story of Superman trying to stop an entity of pure evil from causing universal chaos.

Monday Hangover, an experience to avoid.

Monday Article Approving

All of the LPR staff had the weekend off. No articles were approved, no visitor statistics were assessed, no server up/down time checked... we went on the piss!

Just goes to show. The Internet ALSO has a "Sod's Law". Seems like everything went offline Friday night except for the database. That continued to accept articles.

Most of Monday we scrabbled to recover things.

EIGHT hours later, we ARE back.

Great effort from the team.

This has been voted the article of the weekend:

Offensive Language, T-shirts and Web Sites

Written by Jack


Just what can you print on a T-shirt?


Is this political correctness gone MAD?


Today, the BBC published an article about a man risking a fine for having an
"offensive" slogan on his T-shirt.


It reads, "Who the f**k is MICK JAGGER?"


He thought it was a bit of a laugh, but Peterborough City Council failed see
the funny side of the T-shirt.


Note: Even I "starred out some letters" maybe, I think it's
offensive...



Any Hole is a Goal! Except a Manhole...


Any Hole is a Goal! Except a Manhole...


Another man has been threatened with a £80 penalty notice after wearing a
top with the slogan: "Don't piss me off! I am running out of places to
hide the bodies."

It seems the "JAGGER" T-shirt was originally bought in Los Angeles,
where the local cops seem to be OK with the statement.

The BBC got an opinion from a criminal solicitor; "It is not necessary
for someone to have made an official complaint for the police to act, they just
have to think it might offend a hypothetical third party".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6944008.stm


This got me thinking.

There is nothing inherently offensive about any word it just depends on the
context and company.

Words are, after all, merely combinations of sounds. What makes them offensive
is the meaning, or interpretation, given to those words by the individual. It is
the very act of declaring a word to be offensive which makes it offensive.

http://www.dave.co.nz/5cents/swearing.html

In Ireland "Feck" is often used as a substitute, while in England
"Flip" is sometimes used.

A basic bit of Internet research reveals that there's quite a few T-shirt
printers quite willing to provide custom printed T-shirts and they even supply a
whole range of "offensive T-shirt" designs.


Examples:

  • AK47, for when you absolutely, positively need to kill every motherf**ker
    in the room
  • Any Hole is a Goal! Except a Manhole...
  • Today's word is legs, Spread the word
  • Curry makes you Shit Hot
  • If you don't believe in oral sex, keep your mouth shut!
  • Viagra is for pussies
  • Fanny magnet


More examples and pictures:

http://www.chargrilled.co.uk/t-shirts/products.asp?cat=51&pass=1


I guess most of the examples above are mildly offensive in certain
circumstances and even have a certain amusement value. I wonder which ones would
incur a fine or an ASBO from the local police?


Why is it an offence to wear a T-shirt for the police to act; "It is not
necessary for someone to have made an official complaint for the police to act,
they just have to think it might offend a hypothetical third party" while
publishing a picture (which probably will have a far wider impact) on the
Internet?


In conclusion:


The offensiveness or perceived intensity or vulgarity of the various
profanities can change over time, with certain words becoming more or less
offensive as time goes on. For example, in modern times the word piss is usually
considered mildly vulgar and somewhat impolite, whereas the King James Bible
unblushingly employs it where modern translators would prefer the word urine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity#Western_History


2 Kings 18:27 (King James Version)

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee,
to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that
they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2018:27;&version=9;


Man barred from flights over 'offensive' t-shirt... strewth an Aussie
makes a stand on his T-shirt statement


Airline staff argued the t-shirt, which bears an image of the US president
with the slogan 'World's number 1 terrorist', was a security risk or an item
likely to upset passengers.


The bloke cleared security and was ready to board, when he decided to really
"rub some Quantas nose". Unfortunately, he should have waited until he
actually got to London! Full
Story

Sunday, 5 August 2007

Public Domain Content Research

I ask all editors and article approvers at LPR to keep a watch for articles that may contain new business opportunities.

To be fair, most of the Multi Level Marketing (MLM) schemes are really just pyramid marketing scams.

About five weeks ago, AnnE sent over the article below with a link to http://www.gutenberg.org/

Public Domain Content is the big new news and might well be worth investing some time exploring the options.

Top article of the month:



Creating Your Products From Public Domain Content

One of the easiest things to do with public domain material is to simply make a collection of works. It is best to deal with works that are short, such as poems and short stories. There are several directions that you can go with this. I will give you a few suggestions here. Mind you, these are not the be all and end all. They are just a few of the many things you can do.

The first thing is to go with the most popular public domain poet or author that you can find. Take their most famous works, probably about 8 to 12, and put them into a book. Will there be other books out there with these collections? Probably, but at least you know there will be a demand for them. To get your share of the pie, simply use the advertising methods I've outlined in previous articles and get the word out. You'll make your share of sales with hard work.

Another route you can go is to take the same famous author and find their lesser known works. Then, publish a book with a title something like 'The Unknown Works of' or 'The Little Known Works of' This is certainly to draw some interest from fans of the author who aren't familiar with these works.

Some people take a totally different direction. They look for works from a relatively unknown author. The first thing they do though is to read these works to see if they are any good. If they find a gold mine, they publish these works using a title something like 'The Literary Genius of the Unknown' The people you are going to attract with this kind of book are avid readers who are constantly looking for old authors that nobody has ever heard of. Believe me, they exist, the authors and the people looking for them.

Now, the above is a small market because there aren't that many of these people. But, there is also almost no competition either. This is kind of like long tail keyword promotion where you find a niche where very few people are doing searches each month combined with a very few number of competing sites coming up in the search. In the case of public domain works, this competition will be even less. Why? The same reason why you took a look at this topic and said to yourself, 'Why would anybody care?' Well, if you just type the words 'public domain' into a Google search engine, you will find over 62 million sites. If there is that much info out there on public domain, then somebody has got to be interested in this stuff, otherwise a lot of people are wasting a lot of time.

The things that you can do with public domain works are limited only by your imagination. The point is, there are a ton of works out there that you don't have to do much with in order to make an income from them. You just have to find the time to put in the legwork to first find the work, and then decide what it is you want to do with it.

And again, for those of you who think there is no money in stuff that is almost 100 years old, take a look at what Walt Disney did and what Ted Turner just recently did with all those public domain movies.

The money is there to be had. You just have to go out and get it.
Article Republished From:
Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Almin Cehajic is experienced webmaster and resell rights products marketer. He writes informative articles on various topics, especially on resell rights business. If you are interested in resell rights business visit his new website ResellRightsProfessional.com


Tuesday, 31 July 2007



Jack C jobs is a place where "writers" looking for work can find job listings from leading companies in the USA. This is an affiliate venture for the combined web sites; Liberated Press Releases and the AskJack group of information portels.






Question AskJack:

Top Articles AskJack News AskJack a Question Forum Recipe JackC

Often, the search for a job can be frustrating. The JackCjob database for writers jobs in the USA is very easy to use. Employers looking to post job adverts will also find a very low cost way to publish there job vacancy adverts.

Looking to hire? Post your "writers" job today!

Writing Articles - What If You Hate It ?


Owning, running and maintaining an internet marketing based business or a website needs articles. Plain and simple, every who has a site knows or may have heard this before, copywriting is one skill which is desirable to make writing articles easier to do. Even those who don't have websites but are frequent internet users knows this as well. Writing articles and submitting them quench the thirst for information and knowledge of the people. Plus, the articles provides many other benefits for the site.

The benefits that writing articles provide are putting a site high in the ranking in search results of keywords and keyword phrases that pertains or are relevant to ones website as used in your internet marketing. Writing articles and submitting them also provide attraction to website visitors when they are appreciated and is linked to your site from another site or newsletter. Articles provide for the increase of the confidence and trust levels of customers to your site and company.

Many articles are also beneficial to both company and its traffic. When the readers like the articles, they would tell more of their friends, family and peers and recommend your site to them, providing for a larger volume of traffic. You get bigger sales if your traffic trusts and believes in you. Your product or services would be much easier to sell when they know you know what you are doing and talking about.

So ok, we have established that copywriting skills and writing articles are very important to a website and to internet marketing businesses. Articles are crucial and to keep ahead in the game, a site must have an article, it is imperative. There is one dilemma though, not many people like writing articles.

Many website owners would rather spend their time on something else rather than on copywriting, and unless you're a big time company, you don't have the necessary resources to use on a pool of article writers. Plagiarism or copying of other articles is frowned upon and could easily get you into trouble, worst case scenario; a hefty fine and jail time.

So what are the other options for writing articles ?

Well, for starters if you hate writing articles and you can't afford to hire people to write for you then don't. Get free articles. The first place to look at for free articles is the public domain. Here you won't have problems with copyright infringement and the following penalties and fines if you get caught for plagiarism.

Public domain articles are articles freely given to the public for public use. You can do whatever you want with it. You can place it on your website, name it as yours, put it in a newsletter its you decision. Always remember though that you will have to choose articles that is very relevant to your site.

The downside to using public domain articles in your internet marketing business as opposed to writing articles yourself with your own copywriting skills is that since it is free for everybody, many of your competitors may have access to them as well. Since every site needs to be original and unique even though you have the same niche, this could be a predicament. You may also have to edit them a bit to place more keywords and keyword phrases to make them better.

Another way to get free articles is to allow other websites which has the same subject or topic as yours to submit articles to your site. This would be only to augment your existing content or else all your articles would be leading to other sites since these articles would have resource boxes with them that could link or direct the readers to their site. That's why it is important to start writing articles yourself to enhance your internet marketing businesses; you could use them to link your site to other sites as well.

But, to truly feel the impact of what a good article to you, go for original ones for your internet marketing exposure. There are many who are writing articles who do part time and freelance article writing jobs that charge only minimal fees. You can get good articles that have all the keywords and keyword phrases you need and people are looking for, use them on your site and see a marked improvement in your internet marketing business.

The investment you made for these articles would be worthwhile because you could use them for all the benefits you could offer. You hold copyrights to them and you will be able to use them anyway you want. As writing articles help you in building your internet marketing business and your website, you will have more articles to write and maybe then you wont be having second thoughts about articles.

Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Stephen C Campbell (MBA, MSc, MCIM) is a business consultant & Internet Marketer, more information on writing articles may be found at

http://www.writingspecialfeaturearticles.com/

Thursday, 26 July 2007

Kings Clipstone Fast and Free Local Information

Kings Clipstone Fast and Free Local Information

Introduction to Old Clipstone (or rather) Kings ClipstoneOld Clipstone is now known as Kings Clipstone. The changeover happened on 1 May 2003 when local elections took place. The Clipstone parish now contains 2 wards, New Clipstone and Kings Clipstone. [Map]The renaming of Old Clipstone to Kings Clipstone was mainly carried out by a group of enthusiastic, local amateur historians working under the title ‘A Celebration of Kings’ Clipstone’. They wanted to reclaim the name Clipstone from the mining village just a few miles away and also to remind people of the rich history of the "old" Clipstone. [See: Kings Clipstone Historian's Web Site]
King John's Palace was built in the 13th century and the remains can still be seen, virtually in the middle of the village. [See: Uncovering the secrets of one historic village] This link courtesy of Ms. Lesley Webb, a person of impeccable taste, wisdom & fortitude... ;)Clipstone Parish Council’s name remains the same.Kings Clipstone is located about 5 miles north of Mansfield and mainly comprises of Old Clipstone Village and the new property development of Cavendish Park.
Old Clipstone Village has a very rich history and local historians can trace back records to 1068. The Cavendish Park property development comprises of a mixture of award winning housing designs by Barratts and Bovis Homes.
360 Panoramic Images - part of the 360 Web Walks Series
Rufford Abbey Courtyard Sculpture
Cistercian Abbey Exhibition
Welbeck Water Sculpture (full 360 Fisheye Lens)
Sherwood Forest taken on a VERY sunny day! (full 360 Fisheye)
Dog & Duck Pub and Restaurant Kings Clipstone (full 360)
King John's Palace Located Near Kings Clipstone (full 360)


All Google Map Links Show the EXACT Position of the Tripod
Dog & Duck Pub and Restaurant
King John's Palace
360 panoramic image showing the exterior of the Dog and Duck located in Kings Clipstone Village. The pub has recently been refurbished and modernised and has become quite a popular venue for eating out. Some of the friendliness and charm of the old pub has been lost, but I guess that's progress?

The walk from King John's Palace Ruins is a bit risky, as the pedestrian footpath gets narrow in the village centre and through traffic from the A614 & A1 absolutely thunders past. I nearly got wiped out a few times, so take care and wait for the infrequent breaks in the almost constant stream of fast moving traffic. The 30 MPH speed limit seems to be ignored completely. [map]

360 panoramic image showing the ruins of King John's Palace in a field near Kings Clipstone, North Nottinghamshire. Access to the site is from a small hole in the nearby roadside hedge. The grass in the field was about thigh-high on the day this photo was taken and it took quite a bit of effort to lug all the camera equipment into place. Some restoration work has been carried out using "breeze blocks" and this tends to make the ruins look very shabby. This is not one of the most inspiring English monuments I've visited. Fortunately, the Dog & Duck Pub is only a short walk from the ruins and a cold pint of cider was very welcome on a hot and sunny afternoon. [map]

Sherwood Forest
360° interactive panoramic image showing the flora and fauna of Cavendish Wood. It was a VERY sunny day and there's quite a bit of over exposure. However, the smell from the Gorse and Hawthorn was indescribable... a quite exceptional experience. [map]

Welbeck Water Sculpture
360° panoramic image showing the water sculpture at Welbeck, North Nottinghamshire. This amazing sculpture raises and falls at regular intervals. You can hear the water pressure change and then the various circular bars rotate. This is ART that LIVES! Well worth a visit. You can also visit the Gallery, Farm Shop (try the Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese) and a Garden Centre. [map]

Monday, 23 July 2007

Steak Recipe from Recipe JackC


Fillet Steak with Hot Mushroom Sauce


Any number of Fillet Steaks

Carib Hot Pepper Sauce

Soya Sauce

Garlic

4 large mushrooms - chopped

Tbs: Curry Powder


Seasonal Vegetables


Mix various sauces together and blend into a smooth paste.Wash and trim the steaks.Place steaks and sauce mix in a large bowl, cover and marinade for at least 24 hours.


To cook:Fry the steaks in a very hot pan, taking care to baste often.Add mushrooms with a little chopped garlicBoil a mixture of vegetables.
An obligatory bottle of red wine is essential.
I like this site, as it's easy to navigate and the recipes are layed out in a consise fashion, even a "man" could cook them!
Additional food information from LPR's top female cook!!


I love the taste and smell of Italian food. The sauces are so rich and seem to compliment almost all vegitarian recipes along with traditional meat and fish dishes.

I've choosen to republish this Italian wine article, as I found the information facinating. It's almost impossible to enjoy an Italian meal without a glass or two of fine wine.

I Love Italian Wine and Food - The Tuscany Region

By: Levi Reiss


If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Tuscany region of central Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Tuscany is located on the central western part of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It gets its name from an Etruscan tribe that settled the area about three thousand years ago. It has belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the Franks. More than four hundred years ago under the Medicis, Tuscany became a major European center. It is undoubtedly one of Italy's top tourist destinations as well as an ideal place for your villa when you hit it big, really big. According to one Seinfeld episode there are no villas to rent in Tuscany, but that was several years ago. On the other hand, time in Tuscany as elsewhere in Italy is measured in centuries. Tuscany's total population is about 3.5 million.

Florence is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the administrative center of Tuscany. It is one of Italy's top tourist destinations, whose sites of interest are too numerous to list here. Siena and Pisa are two other major tourist destinations.

Tuscany is a center of industrial production, in particular metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles. Given the region's importance as an international art center for centuries, don't be surprised that it is an excellent place to appreciate and purchase fashion, jewelry, leather goods, marble, and other items of beauty. Florence is the home of the house of Gucci.

Tuscany produces a wide variety of cereal, olives, vegetables, and fruit. But not only vegetarians eat well. It is home to cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry. One local specialty is wild boar. On the coast, seafood is abundant.

Tuscany devotes over one hundred fifty thousand acres to grapevines, it ranks 4th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 58 million gallons, giving it an 8th place. About 70 perceny of the wine production is red or rosé, leaving 30 percent for white. The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG white wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. The region produces 9 DOC wines. Tuscany also produces Super Tuscan wines, wines that may not have a prestigious classification but that are known to be outstanding. These wines are arguably the main reason that Italy was forced to revise its wine classification system. Fully 55 percent of Tuscan wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. And remember, many of Tuscany's best wines carry neither designation. Tuscany! Is home to more than three dozen major and secondary grape varieties, about half white and half red.

Widely grown international white grape varieties include Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Sauvignon Blanc. The best-known strictly Italian white varieties are Vermentino and Vernaccia.

Widely grown international red grape varieties include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The best-known Italian red variety is Sangiovese, which is grown elsewhere, including California. A strictly Italian variety is Canaiolo.

Before reviewing the Tuscan wine and cheese that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region.

Start with Panzanella, Bread and Tomato Salad.

For a second course, eat or share a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, (Texas-sized) Beef Steak.

If you have room, indulge in a Torta Rustica, Cornmeal Cake with Cream.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

About The Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com.
Article Republished From: Liberated Press Releases a web site that DOESN'T use Google Adsense text links in or around articles.

Author Resource:- Ann Coveney is a freelance writer and part time school teacher. She can be hired to write articles on a wide range of topics. The web site she uses the most for low cost travel and hotel booking is http://www.askvicki.co.uk/. Her top site for Panoramic 360 Photography is 32corners

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