The Poetry Portal Net

I understand that there are people in this country that do not believe in God. I understand also that there are those who do believe in God but do not want to serve Him, worship Him, or acknowlege Him.

There have been people that want to take the phrase “Under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Those that support the argument take the stance that they don’t believe in God and should not therefore have to put themselves under something they do not believe in.

I, however, do believe in God and will not pledge Allegiance to any country that places itself above God.

So we have now argued ourselves into a pickle barrell.

Let’s look at the primary argument for removing “Under God” from the Pledge: Separation of Church and State.

1) The phrase “Separation of Church and State” is not in the Constitution. This fact is an often mistaken one. The only time the word “religion” is found in the Constitution is in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. “

2) Why should Congress make now law represecting an establishment of religion? Well, that’s a darn good point. I contend that it is because no one should have religion forced upon them. And this (at least as I understand it) is the one argument that I understand and grant at least some credence to for removing the phrase “under God” from the pledge. I do not want someone to pledge to God who does not want to, and I beleive that God doesn’t want that either.

3) What brought about “Separation of Church and State” anyway? Back before the reformation and during the times of Martin Luther, it was not uncommon for heads of state to also be heads of the church in that area. This led to the corruption of power in both political and religious circles. So a separation of church from the state was meant not to prevent corruption of state by the church, but to prevent corruption of the church by the state.

I doubt little that I have resolved any of the arguments here. For those who fight to remove “under God” from the pledge, to you I say that I wish you well and if you want, you can hold your breath during those two words. I, however, will gladly pledge my allegience to one nation under God.

Political Activism | No Comments »

Your first step in removing dangerous infections from your computer should be downloading a free program called Hijack This. Make sure you download the file and extract it to a directory on your hard drive, you can call it HijackThis. This is very important, because if you don’t put hijack this in it’s own folder you will not be able to back up files in case of an accident. Then navigate to that directory and double-click on the hijackthis.exe file. When the program is started click on the Scan button and then the Save Log button to create a log of your information.

You can copy and paste your log at Geeks To Go, Geeks To Go is a free service that will check your log and help you remove any infections.

I am not affiliated with Geeks To Go, but I have used their free service and I was very pleased with the results.
The process of removing infections from your computer could
take a day are even a week depending on how busy Geeks to
Go is. It also depends on how well you can follow directions.
Although Geeks To Go will give you step by step directions,
you will need to have some basic knowledge of working with a
computer. After your computer is clean you will be given
some tips to help keep your computer clean, I recommend you
use the tips, because with so many infections you need to
do what you can to make sure your computer stays clean.

Clint Pollard has a new site to help fight the spred of spyware.You can visit his site here -
SpywareRemover
http://ncave.com/anti_virus.html

Life Of Technology | No Comments »

If you’re going to advertise your website on other people’s websites, at some point you are going to have to design a banner ad of some sort. Whatever the size and shape, there are some standard issues with every banner ad.

First, it will either be animated or not. If it is animated, your two biggest options are either a Flash banner or an animated GIF banner.

Animated GIF banner ads can make for a slightly smaller file size if your banner ad doesn’t run for a long time before repeating. If it does run for any length of time, a Flash banner ad quickly becomes the winner as far as smaller size and less time to download. Also, animated GIF banner ads are less versatile. You can either click on the whole ad, or not click on it. With Flash banner ads, you can do things like “shoot the duck” or “punch the monkey” where the ad itself is a little game. This type, while not appropriate for all types of sites, has recently had a surge in popularity.

The other option is, of course, a static (non-animated) banner ad. If you are paying for the banner ad, this option will likely be a little cheaper. That’s cheaper to produce and cheaper to use when you buy advertising.

When you create your banner ad, you really do not want to cram a lot of text in there. The mantra of this, as with many things, is KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. All too often people try to fit way too many things in their banner.

First you will need the title of whatever you’re advertising, whether it’s your website, a product, an event or a service. You will also need some sort of picture to go with it.

Before you go any further, stop. It’s entirely possible that you’re done. If your title and picture are enough by themselves to interest people and entice them into clicking on your ad, then don’t add anything else to it.

If you feel that it’s absolutely necessary, you may need to add one or two lines of text. If it’s an event that you’re advertising, go ahead and put the date in the banner ad, so people know before even clicking if they are available or not.

A banner ad is more of an emotional enticement than a logical convincer. What I mean by that is that with that limited amount of space, you are much more likely to be able to convince people to click on the ad by appealing to their emotions than you would be by appealing to their logic. If you want to appeal to their logic, do so on your website that the banner ad actually goes to. In the ad itself, use pictures and words that appeal to emotions.

Tim is the owner and senior web designer at T&S Web Design. His company has developed and maintained website for dozens of small businesses and organizations. Tim also maintains a blog with free website advice for small business owners, GetASiteOnline.com

Universe Of Marketing | No Comments »

You’ve planted the flowers, put in the shrubs and even added a bird bath and a few garden decorations, but what’s missing? Could it be the edging?

Almost as important as the flowers, the edging is like the frame to your garden. The picture can be interesting and beautiful, but it needs a frame to really enhance its appearance. Just like a picture, your garden needs it’s frame to really bring out the beauty of your living “work of art”.

There are many different types of edgings and you must plan which one will look best in your garden. One popular type of edging is to use a low brick or rock wall, cemented together with mortar. This will create a beautiful and permanent edge to your garden. Of course, not everyone has the means, money or desire to do this.

Another lovely way of edging is to simply place bricks around the borders of your garden. You can put them in a line, stacked in a double row, set on their edges or tip them diagonally and lean them against each other.

In a similar fashion, you can use large rocks to edge your garden. Use rocks that are big enough to make an impact, but ones that you can easily carry and move yourself. You can gather the rocks from fields, the woods or friends yards for free!

In your garden supply store, you will find many manufactured edgings to suite any style of garden. Miniature fences, fake rocks, plastic, metal - you name it, they have it. I prefer a more natural type edging, but if you must buy one of these, choose a good quality product and not something that looks cheap and will only last for 1 season.

You can always create a living edging by using a border plant. Some great border plants include
alpine phlox which is suitable for most climates and can be divided and planted again and again, gazanias, pansies, petunias and violas.

If you pick perennial plants, like the alpine phlox or gazania, then you can divide them and propagate them throughout the border. This will help reduce costs as you won’t have to keep buying new plants, but will take longer to establish a full border.

For large gardens, comfrey can make a good border. It has thick growth and will prevent grasses from encroaching on the garden. Also, you can use the leaves for mulch around y our other plants. When blooming, the tiny flowers will add interest to your border. Keep in mind, however, that comfrey is not suitable for small gardens as it can easily overwhelm the other plants.

One of my favourite ways to edge a garden is to use an herb border. Even strawberries can be used as a border and their bright flowers and lush fruits will add quite a bit of interest to any garden. When preparing meals, simply step out in to the garden and cut some fresh herbs each evening!

Perhaps the simplest form of edging is to take a shovel and bevel and edge all around the garden. The can be a nice subtle way to break up the line between garden and grass. You can rent a gas powered edging tool if shovelling by hand seems like too much work. This type of edging will need to be redone each year.

No matter what option you choose, your gardens will take on another dimension with it’s framed edging.

Lee Dobbins writes for Backyard Garden and Patio where you can learn more about gardens and read more articles on gardening.

Gardening Hall | No Comments »

Beyond any reasonable doubt, the colonial times were one of the most fascinating and important in American history. Colonial arts and crafts serve as a creative reminder of this exciting time. Many antique and art enthusiasts enjoy collecting colonial arts and crafts, or at least reproductions of them. If you’re a parent, it’s likely your child has or will bring home some of their own artistic reproductions of creative work done during this historical time period. Whether you’re a serious antiques collector or just want a little something to accent your home, colonial style pieces are a perfect choice.

There are a variety of crafts from which you can choose. Silver smithing, needlepoint, wood carving and glass making are examples of commonly practiced artistic trades during colonial times. Colonial silversmiths created gorgeous vases, bowls, utensils and coins, while wood carvers and furniture makers crafted everything from tables to bed frames to childrens’ toys. Needlepoint and embroidery were feminine pursuits. The women of colonial times created wall hangings, clothing, quilts and more using their talents.

Glassmaking was an important trade in colonial Jamestown. To this day, you can travel to this historic location to see glassmakers recreating the work done by the original colonists. Today, glass is blown into amazingly creative and colorful pieces. Placing a few colorful glass pieces around your home can make quite an impact. In colonial times, glassmakers focused more on practical pieces like window panes, bottles and vials, vases and basic drinking glasses than on objects d’art. These days, glass is often fashioned into items that are not only functional but beautiful as well.

If you’re a parent looking for a creative activity for your child, teach them how to make a colonial craft. Fragrant pomanders are easy to make and were commonly presented as Christmas gifts during colonial times. An orange pomander, for example, is simply an orange with fragrant cloves inserted into the skin in a decorative way and hung on a braided cord. Silhouettes are also an easy-to-do craft that was popular during colonial times. Try checking out an arts and crafts book from the library or bookstore for more ideas. One good title is The Heritage Sampler: A Book of Colonial Arts and Crafts by Cheryl G. Hoople and Richard Cuffari.

Copyright 2008 by M. Attendorn - All Rights Reserved

Misc, Arts + Artisans, History Info | No Comments »

The 6555 has been surprisingly popular with consumers and has been a real winner for Nokia. For the money the Nokia 6555 is quite well featured. The styling of this phone is pretty average.

The 6555 is compatible with 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and 3G UMTS 850 / 1900 - US version. A 1.23 MP, 1280×1024 pixels, video(QCIF 15fps) camera is integrated into the 6555 camera. For mobile Internet users as WAP 2.0/xHTML browser is included. The ring-tones enabled on the 6555 are Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 along with a vibrating tone. This mobile handset weighs just 97 g. If colour is on your list of requirements you may like to know that the 6555 comes in, Black, Red, Silver and Beige. Compared to competing models currently available the Nokia 6555 is one of the smallest phones available. This mobile handset is bluetooth enabled making the vast majority of accessories compatible. Getting on to the display the mobile phone is supplied with a 2.0 inch screen, which is quite a small display if you look at the other options available for the money. The display type is TFT, 16M colors. On to battery duration the Nokia 6555 has 300 hours standby charge and 6:30 talk time. A Li-Ion 1020 mAh (BL-5C) battery is that is supplied with the Nokia 6555. There are also a number of additional features included with the Nokia 6555 such as, Video player, MP3/AAC/eAAC+/WMA player, Calculator, Calendar, Built-in handsfree, Java MIDP 2.1, Flight mode, Voice memo and 2.5 mm audio jack.

Although this is a pretty recent model, it has already been replaced. This means it is quite easy to get a great deal on the 6555. If you want a superb deal, buy online where it is easy to find lots of great deals to consider. Ordering online can save you a lot of money, it is even possible to get a free line rental mobile handset , which should not cost a dime.

Life Of Telecommunication | No Comments »

If you are creating a brochure, make sure you follow these 9 steps to get best return on your investment:

1 Grab Attention
You need a hook that gets your audience interested. The headline or main text is your first chance to grab attention. Get the adrenaline pumping, tears flowing, or sides splitting. Spark their curiosity and they will keep reading.

2 Time and Convenience
Provide value by meeting time and convenience needs. Offer useful information that will be of immediate benefit to the reader, whether they buy or not. Provide welcome advice rather than untimely interruptions. Position yourself as the expert and build relationships before the sale.

3 Know Your Audience
It’s not about you. Your audience wants to know how they can increase their sales/efficiency. Find out what your audience needs, then offer it. Make sure you have a high You to I/We ratio.

4 Know Yourself
What is your product or service? Describe it in brief easy to understand language. Explain why you are a better choice than your competition. What is your advantage?

5 Make it Sparkle
Your brochure is a reflection of you- so make it shine. Unless you are a graphic designer- get help. A well designed brochure will get you more bang for your buck. A poorly designed brochure will waste money and actually drive people away.

6 What and How
Features tell you what is offered, benefits tell you how this is good news. Low fat is a feature, it won’t clog your life giving arteries is a benefit.

7 Be consistent
A brochure is one tool in your marketing tool box. All of your tools need to work together to reinforce the message- same look, same feel, colors, design and message.

8 Action!
Now what? Tell the reader what to do- call, visit website, buy today. Don’t you dare leave off any pertinent information like your phone number, address, website. Link your brochure to the next step in the relationship.

9 Copy Right
Your copy must grab attention, provide value, be audience centered, promote your advantage over the competition, be consistent, highlight features and benefits, have a call to action and be written in clear easy to understand language.

Michael Daehn is the founder of marketingenious consulting and author of the book The Seven Keys to Marketing Genius: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Marketing IQ available at http://www.sevenkeysmarketing.com and http://www.borders.com. Visit his website at http://www.marketingenious.com or e-mail michael@daehntrain.com.

Advertising Industry | No Comments »

They may be considered by many as trash, crap, rubbish but they can serve as business catalysts. You may not be aware of its essence but let me tell you that it can make a great change - a change so remarkable that it can make trash into something green.

When it comes to businesses and marketing strategy, tiny pieces of paper can standout from the rest - business cards, flyers and postcards for instance are essential ingredients of a not so expensive yet effectual marketing. Tiny pieces of paper like these make it easy for customers to buy your product or subscribe to your business. They are accessible, convenient and inexpensive. Thus, you can stretch your budget to your worthy advantage.

Business cards, flyers and postcards can be incorporated with other marketing tools like newsletters, magazines, periodicals, survey forms, coupons and other announcements and releases. To make them catchier, you can use photos and attractive colors that will match your primary goal. Might as well, use company photos or those that are directly related to the company. Hence, it will be easier for retention to take place. Colors, on the other hand, bring life to your tiny pieces of paper. They create the mood of enthusiasm and interest. You can also add in free gifts or souvenirs to entice potential customers. In fact, in times of holidays like Christmas, more and more companies are incorporating small gifts like candies, cookies, cheeses and the likes in order to be more personal and friendly. Moreover, do not forget to make obvious your call to action. Tell the readers what you want them to do next. If it is to purchase, subscribe - then, say it!

Business card, flyers and postcard printing and mailing will become easier if you choose a reliable printing company. Seek considerable amount of support from the latter in order to come up with a fabulous marketing presentations and tools. Generally, they have pools of printing experts to assist their customers to get full printing potentials. More often that not, they advice their clients to use full color printing for their customers marketing tools. This is due to its dominant visual cues that can easily grab anyone’s attention.

Without you noticing it, your business may already in the black because the response of your tiny pieces of paper is overwhelming and the sales just keep on coming!

Please visit Postcard Printing Company site at www.rushpostcardprinting.com/post-card-printing-and-mailing.html for comments and inquiries regarding this article.

Advertising Industry | No Comments »

My friends and I have been collecting Enesco for several years. We actively attend art auctions and bid on everything Enesco! We have a lot of fun finding pieces we don’t already have and winning them.

I think collecting Enesco is fun. I really like the Mary Moo Moo plates. They came in a collection of eight plates from a series called Home is Where the Herd is. I’ve had a hard time finding a complete set at an art auction, but I have found several single plates.

I started collecting Enesco right after I was married. I went to an art auction with my sister-in-law and she pointed out some items that she was collecting. The experience I had with her that day really made an impression on me.

I went to an art auction several months after the first one I attended and bought my first piece of Enesco. I got my start collecting Enesco with just one plate. I bought an Enesco plate that said Cookies are for Sharing. I have displayed it in my kitchen ever since.

I am still lacking an Enesco plate that says Cream of the Crop. It is hard to believe that I’ve been actively collecting Enesco for so long and have been unable to locate this plate. I have duplicates and triplicates of several of the plates. Each art auction I attend, I am hopeful that I will find the plate I need to complete that set.

My best friend has been collecting Enesco ever since she had a baby a few years ago. She decided on a teddy bear design for the nursery and I gave her a shower gift of several Cherished Teddies figurines for decorating with. She found more of the figurines at an art auction she went to with me and has been unstoppable ever since.

Precious Moments figurines have never been something that I particularly liked. My friend’s daughter loves them. She started collecting Enesco Precious Moments figurines after we took her with us to an art auction that had a small lot of them. She spends significantly less on her collection than the rest of us do, but I think she’ll catch up.

My husband’s birthday is on Halloween. He has started collecting Enesco Halloween statues. I bought him one statue at an art auction several years for his birthday and he totally fell in love with the work of Jim Shore.

The first Enesco statue that my husband found for himself was at an art auction we attended together while on vacation. He found the statue called Grim Reaper absolutely irresistible. I have to agree, the detail work is positively spooky! He has been searching for other pieces, but does not pursue collecting Enesco very actively.

My husband went golfing last weekend while I attended an art auction. Collecting Enesco is my passion and I rarely pass up items that I really like. I found a piece for me that added to my Moo Moo plate collection and I found a Headless Horseman for my husband’s collection.

The next piece that my husband has indicated that he wants to find at an art auction is the Jim Shore piece called Witch on a Pumpkin. I know that collecting Enesco can be addictive and it is nice that he has decided which pieces he really wants. I agree with my husband and really like the folk art that Jim Shore does.

Arts + Artisans, Collector's Den | No Comments »

Going coastal? You have abundant choices in boats
Because coastal-cruising sailors are most often sailing on tight schedules, using their boats for only a day or two or, at most, a week or two at a time, the first thing they need to consider when choosing a new boat is its speed. Not that this is the only criterion, but the faster the boat, the larger your cruising ground. On a coast where harbors and anchorages are few and far between, a slow, heavy vessel will not prove much fun. Unless you live in an area where places to pull in are only a few miles apart, it is wise to look for something that can average at least 5 knots under both sail and power if it’s a smaller vessel — say, 32 feet and under — and at least 6 to 7 knots if it’s a larger vessel. Usually this means you’ll be favoring a lighter boat with a fin keel and spade rudder over a heavier boat with a fuller underbody.

Because coastal-cruising boats are not as likely to be caught out in bad weather for extended periods, their construction need not meet offshore standards. Any of the popular mass-produced boats currently on the market should be more than adequate in terms of strength. Because coastal boats do tend to spend a lot of time tied up to docks, you may wish to focus on amenities. A substantial AC shore-power system is usually a critical item and will go a long way toward making your boat as comfortable as your home, allowing you to enjoy microwaves, hair driers, air conditioning, televisions, and other luxuries without installing such impedimenta as generators, huge battery banks, and inverters. Nor do you need big tanks. Capacities of as little as 20 gallons of fuel and 50 of water, given a mid-size boat between 30 and 40 feet, should be adequate in most cases.

Otherwise, what constitutes a well-equipped coastal cruiser varies by location. A boat based in colder, more northern waters will get a lot more use if it has a sheltered cockpit and a good heater on board. Likewise, a boat in the sunny south will need good ventilation and a good bimini to keep its crew happy. The same goes for the sail inventory. If light winds predominate, you will need a big genoa, probably a spinnaker or drifter, and a lightweight main. If your cruising ground sees a lot of heavy air, you’ll need smaller, tougher sails. In all cases, you’ll want a roller-reefing headsail with a sunstrip (so you can leave it bent on when the boat is idle) and a mainsail cover that is easy to put on and remove. The faster you can get under way, the more you will use the boat. Charles J. Doane

Performance cruisers

I’ve already urged you to favor faster boats over slower boats when shopping for a coastal cruiser. Here’s an even more radical suggestion: How about getting a boat that’s really, really fast? For a certain sort of sailor, particularly one who likes to both race and cruise, the temptation to favor speed above all else will be irresistible. If you are one of these, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.

Lesson number one: You can’t have it all. There is a decided trend among many production-boat builders these days to enlarge a boat’s accommodations at the expense of its performance potential. There are still several boats that favor the performance end of the spectrum, but that almost always means sacrificing accommodation space. The extreme examples here are the smaller coastal trimarans and catamarans on the market. These boats are a total blast to sail and can easily top 10 knots under sail, but the living space and amenities down below are definitely minimal — though multihulls do have lots of deck space to play on. Faster boats (at least when it comes to monohulls) also tend to be deeper boats. This will limit your ability to explore shoal-draft cruising grounds.

Lesson number two: Fast is more expensive. Performance boats are often built of high-tech lightweight materials; their rigs and sail inventories are also more sophisticated. Many now sport retractable bowsprits that facilitate the setting of large asymmetric spinnakers. All this costs money. Such boats also tend to demand more maintenance. If speed is what most thrills you, you’ll need to spend more time fairing the bottom and keeping it clean, overhauling winches, and so on.

Lesson number three: If you want to race as well as cruise, be sure to do some research. Simply getting the fastest boat you can afford may not be the best way to find the best action. Check to see which types of boats are most commonly raced in your area so you can be sure of finding some interesting competition.

Rex - offshore sailing school, RYA sailing courses, Day skipper training, coastal skipper training

Fishing & Baiting | No Comments »