Made Moon Blog

Your American license is exchangeable for a French license if it is from one of the following states: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Kentucky (Please note this list can change at any time!). If you think I missed a state, then call your local Préfecture or sous Préfecture or French embassy/consulate. They will tell you if your license is exchangeable. If you do have a license from one of the states listed, you have one year from the date you entered France: the date stamped on your passport or Carte de Séjour, to make the exchange. If you wait more than a year, all is lost; you will have to obtain a French driving license ‘from scratch’, a difficult process. The process, starting from scratch is expensive and a nuisance. This is the process:

Find a driving school - Not an easy course in and of itself, because so many go out of business. I went with L’Ecole de Conduite Francaise(ECF)a chain, to obtain my license. It was fortunate that I did. The other independently owned school I looked at went out of business. There are some schools in Paris that teach classes in English. Classes taught in English are expensive. When you sign-up with your driving school you pay a flat fee for the written test, in my case about $220 US. Then you pay by the lesson, $35 US per lesson, for the practical.

Written test - The written test is made up of forty multiple choice questions. You have thirty seconds to answer each and must answer 35 or more correctly to pass. What I found the most difficult about the written test, was that more than one answer could be correct on some of the multiple choice questions. This along with the fact that some questions are in two parts makes the written test in reality more than forty questions.

Your driving school will give you a textbook for the written test that explains, if that is possible, the French driving code. All of your in class preparation for the written test consists of taking a practice test and then going over the test question by question, with the instructor. The practice tests have the same type questions, but more difficult, than the actual test. The time constrains are the same.

I spent a little over a month getting ready for the written test. I was not working and went to my school almost every day. The school had self-teaching CD ROMs available during the day and classes at night. Some schools have classes through out the day with no CD ROMs.

I was not able to take the written test when I wanted to. First there was a problem getting back my paperwork from the Préfecture. I was told it would take a month, but because I was outside the norm, a foreigner, it took longer. Then when I finally received the test date, the test was canceled because there was the smell of gas in the examination center. In France, unlike the states, you cannot choose the test location. Your school is given exam dates that it then gives to the students. Sometimes if demand is great, schools only have dates every few weeks.

If you get frustrated at times with studying for the written test, just remember that the actual test is easier than the practice tests. A friend of mine, the day before she took the written test, missed fourteen on a practice test, yet she passed when it counted.

After writing all the above it is possible to study on your own for the written test. No one I know has; but my local Préfecture said I could. There are plenty of CD-ROMs that teach the written test.

Driving test - If this is the part you think will be the easiest, think again. It took me nine one hour lessons before I was “ready” for my driving test. That was with already driving for fifteen years! French driving schools make most of their money from driving lessons, they run about $35 apiece, and so in no time you will have spent a few hundred dollars.

The test lasts twenty minutes: you may be asked to parallel park, go through a few intersections that are yield right, drive on the highway, just about anything that you might do driving. Like the written, the driving test is not as difficult as your instructor will make it out to be. My instructors were very strict; you had to do everything exactly as asked. For example when you change lanes, you need to look in your mirror, look over your shoulder, then look in the mirror again. Also you need to be constantly looking in your mirrors, about every ten seconds, so you know what’s behind you, your instructor will nitpick like crazy and it will not be nice. One major frustration: I was told to forget a lot of what I learned in studying for the written test. Another frustration and most French will attest to this, no one drives like they are taught in France.

You are going to spend a few months, my case three, to obtain a French driver’s license. Then you will see on a daily basis drivers running red lights, driving way over the speed limit and other infractions.

Enjoy!

For more information see =>http://www.americansinfrance.net/driving_study_guide

Jeff Steiner - http://www.jeffsteiner.com/
I’m an American living in France, Reignier (near Geneva) at the moment. Over the last ten years I have learned a lot about living and traveling in France. Which is why I created http://www.americansinfrance.net I’m originally from Los Angeles and have lived outside the United States before - Nicaragua in the early 1990’s.

Today we have grown into a nation looking for instant gratification, the buy now pay later syndrome. So, without a good credit rating it will be very difficult to get the things you want at the time you want them. Consumer credit has become widely accepted as a substitute for ready cash, so having good credit is the key to your future of getting all you deserve, and the key to opening doors that make your life more comfortable and worry free.

As a consumer it is to your benefit to fully understand how credit works and every aspect of what is involved when you apply for any type of credit, including the major credit reporting agencies that hold your credit report file. When you understand what the banks and other creditors are looking for, and you know what is in your credit report, you will be able to control your financial future and make the best choices for yourself and not accept anything less than what you deserve.

When you apply for credit, lenders want to know about you, your employment history, your income, your assets, and most importantly they want to know about your credit history. A lender will get lots of information directly from you through a credit application, then, they will pull your credit bureau reports to confirm this information and review your credit references and credit report scores. Then upon evaluation of your credit application combined with your credit report, the lender will determine your credit risk and make a final decision on whether or not to grant you credit and at what rate of interest they will charge you.

So, now that you know the process of getting credit, let us take a deeper look into the factors that can either be an asset or liability to you when applying for credit - your credit report.

What is a credit report

Your credit report is your financial resume, a summary of your financial reliability, containing both personal and credit information. Your credit report is maintained by credit reporting agencies, also known as credit bureaus, and provided to lenders, employers, insurance companies, landlords and other companies who have a legitimate need for this information, based on the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Your credit and personal information is reported to the credit reporting agencies from various creditors, in most cases electronically, instantly updating your file.

What is in my credit report

Your credit report is divided up into five main areas: personal profile/identifying information, inquiries, credit history, public record information and your credit score.

PERSONAL PROFILE / IDENTIFYING INFORMATION - this is where all your personal information is recorded - your name including any alias and possibly your spouses name, current and previous addresses, Social Security number, date of birth and current and previous employment. You might find some of this information is incorrect or incorrectly spelled, this can occur when creditors pull your credit bureau as they usually enter in the information though the computer where data entry errors can occur, and these mistakes will update your credit bureau report. However, if there is information that is not even close, such as an address, this should alert you to investigate this further as it is a possibility that you may be a victim of identity theft.

INQUIRIES - in this section you will find listed all the parties that have requested a copy of your credit report and the date it was done over the past two years. There are two types of inquires, soft and hard. A hard inquire is when you have applied for something and is initiated by you, for example, you have applied for a loan or mortgage or completed a credit application for a credit card or even applied for insurance. These hard inquiries are the ones that appear on your credit report and are visible to creditors when they access your credit report. A soft inquiry only shows on your credit report when requested by yourself and do not show to the creditors. A soft inquiry can come from your existing creditors that are monitoring your account, companies that are looking to offer you promotional applications for credit and each time you request a copy of your credit report.

CREDIT HISTORY - in this section you will find an itemized list of your credit cards, loans and mortgages, both currently active accounts and past closed ones. The information reported includes, type of account, when it was open, the high balance or limit, monthly payments, date of last payment, how the account is paid including any late payments, date of last activity and a rating of how the account was paid.

PUBLIC RECORDS - this information is obtained from local, state and federal courthouses and includes bankruptcy records, foreclosures, tax liens, monetary judgments, court-ordered payments, and over due child support payments. Public records are a negative credit reference and will lower your credit score. They also stay on your credit report anywhere from six to ten years.

CREDIT SCORE - your credit report scores are a rating determining you credit risk and the likelihood of defaulting on a loan. Lenders will use this score as a tool to assist them in deciding whether or not they will lend you money. Your credit score is a snap shot of your credit at that point in time, and can change on a daily basis. The score is a three digit number ranging between 300 and 850. Statistics show that the higher the number the less likely you will default on a loan, therefore you are a good credit risk; and the lower the number the greater chance there is for you to default on your payments, making you a greater credit risk.

When your credit score is low, you still may be able to borrow money but, you will most likely have to pay a higher rate of interest and you may not get all the money you request and possibly have to pay additional fees, basically you are at the mercy of the lender. However, the higher your credit score is the more you are in-charge, you can get any loan at the best possible rates with no restriction.

Your credit score is a complicated calculation, where the credit reporting agency takes into consideration many factors, including but not limited to, your payment history - late payments, both current and previous will bring down your score; your credit balance in relation to you limit - if you are at your maximum credit limit or if you are over it will bring down you score; the number of inquires - if you have to many in a short period of time it will bring down your score; the length of time you have had credit, the total number of outstanding debts and any derogatory information or public records, such as bankruptcies, collection, judgments and written off accounts - will bring down your score.

Where does the information on my credit report come from?

Your credit history information is gathered at companies called credit bureaus or credit reporting agencies. There are three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. They receive information voluntarily from creditors and the credit reporting agency updates and maintains your credit report file with this information. Creditors report, loans, credit cards, mortgages, on a regular basis electronically. Your file is also updated when you apply for credit, as the information from your credit application is submitted to the credit reporting agencies when they pull your credit report.

Who are the major credit reporting agencies

There are three major credit reporting agencies. Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. These are independent companies from one another, and it is important for you to know that they do not exchange information. This means that it is quite possible that you not only have a separate credit report with each of them, but that they may contain different information. There are hundreds of smaller credit bureau companies across the country however these major credit companies are the largest and the main bureaus that the banks and financial institutions use. You will find that creditors may use one of the three credit reporting companies, however it is not unusual for them to use all three.

Who has access to my credit report

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) contains rules regarding who can access your credit report. Generally speaking, a credit reporting agency may only provide information from your credit file when the requested relates to the extension of credit, collection of a debt, a tenancy applications, an application for employment or insurance, the issuance of special licenses or potential financial dealings that involve you. The law also gives these companies access to your report as part of an ongoing business relationship. An example of this would be you have a loan at a bank and you miss your payment, this gives that bank a right to obtain an updated copy of your credit reports. Credit card companies use this option a lot. They consider it part of the maintenance of your account. As credit cards are revolving (not a closed end loan), a customers circumstances can change, so credit card companies will obtain updated credit reports on their customers to review them and look for warning signs of a customer getting over extended in credit which could result in problems fulfilling their obligations. This is how credit card companies can either raise or lower your credit limit or interest rate automatically. However, in the case of an employer, this law does not apply and they need the employee’s permission each time they wish to request a copy of your credit report.

You are also entitled to copies of your credit reports, and today with the internet there are many fast and easy ways to obtain credit reports online. You can purchase a copy from each of the major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian or Tran Union, the cost may vary however, under the latest Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules they are restricted to the maximum amount they can charge you. Check with your state laws, as some states require the credit bureau companies to provide you with a copy of your credit report periodically for free. The FCRA gives you the opportunity to receive a copy of your credit reports if you have been denied for credit or other benefits based on your credit report, you are entitled to receive a free credit report from the credit bureau that provided the report. The FCRA also allows you obtain
totally free credit reports. If you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, if you are unemployed or if you receive welfare assistance.

Linda Meadley is very knowledgeable in the field of credit. Throughout her 20 year career she has worked as a mortgage and loans office, credit manager and financial advisor, assisting consumers in their financial endeavors. To further assist consumers she has a web site dedicated to credit reports. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about credit reports, and where you can obtain totally free credit reports.

Viral marketing is one of the most powerful ways that you can generate traffic to your website. The name sounds negative, but when you start a viral marketing campaign, the results will be positive.

Think about how a virus works. When one person is sick, they can get several people sick in one day. Then those people can get several people sick. After a while tons and tons of people are sick. Unless something is done, the virus will keep traveling and traveling.

The concept of a virus can be applied to Internet marketing. Think about this. You create a free ebook and you give it to three people. In the ebook you encourage them to give the ebook to others. Before you know it the ebook is spreading across the Internet like wild fire. Digital information duplicates easily and quickly. Before you know it, thousands of people could be reading your free ebook.

Make sure to let people know that they have permission to forward the ebook around the Internet. Take the time to learn about how copyright works. When you create the ebook, you have to right to give people certain rights. One of those rights could be that you allow them to give the book to other people. Let people know that this book is free to give away.

In the ebook, you can include affiliate links to products and services that you recommend. When people click on those links from your ebook to the sites that you are promoting and make a purchase, you make money. You can also include links back to your website. This will help you generate thousands of visitors.

One of the things that you have to watch out for is people stealing your affiliate commissions. People will modify your affiliate codes and steal commissions from you. I recommend that you use link-cloaking software that will protect your affiliate commissions.

Let other people spread the free ebook around. Use an auto responder to deliver your e-Book automatically. Offer it on your web site. Give it away; do not sell it because you will limit how many people want it. The more that get it, the more clicks to affiliates and the more sales you make.

You can write the e-Book yourself, you can use private label content, or you can hire a ghostwriter to prepare the content. There are many ways to create an ebook. Once you have your e-Book written, use software to create your ebook.

You have many resources to create an ebook. Once you create it start emailing it to people, post it on your website, and advertise it in classified ads. Give it away.

So do not be afraid to jump out there and become an author or a Webmaster, maybe even both. Free ebooks and information are hot commodities. When you market them virally, nature takes over and it spreads.

If you are not using viral ebook marketing, you are missing out on tons of traffic, new customers, and greater affiliate checks. Keep pressing on. God bless you. Jesus loves you.

Jeff Flow is giving away a FREE 325 page eBook - The Secrets of Making Money Online http://www.residualflow.com/dotcomology.html For a FREE 400 day email course on creating residual income send a blank email to residualflow@getresponse.com Jeff Flow’s Resources http://www.residualincometools.com

The question every small business owner should ask … look at the total debt load and ROI, whether the industry as a whole is in a slump, whether there are too many partner or legal problems, whether future demand will materialize and so on and so forth. While these questions are certainly relevant, the most important question that a small or medium-sized business owner should ask him/herself is:

“How else can I make a living and would I like it?”

Yes, the advantages of being a corporate employee are great. Easy work, fewer hours, no stress, more security and all for more money than your struggling business (for now) can provide. But do you really want to go back to that?

My grandfather was an architect who built boring glass boxes in overcrowded and polluted cities for obnoxious, cheap and arrogant millionaire and billionaire bosses and clients. My grandfather was also a poet who loved to write short, life-affirming sayings that raised the soul and redeemed the human spirit.

He was on his way to making large amounts of money building these glass boxes, until one day he could no longer handle it another minute, so he stood up in a meeting while the billionaires were bickering, declared that he was quitting, packed up his office and drove home to my grandmother and their two young children.

The conversation at home went something like this:

“What the heck were you thinking?”

“I cant go back Alice, I just cant. That world is slowly killing my soul by the minute. I want to breathe, I want to live, I want to smile and I want to laugh.”

“How are we going to afford the mortgage and the BMWs and the vacation home and the kids college funds and …”

“We will figure it out tomorrow.”

They figured it out. Grandpa turned his love for poetry into cute little life affirming sayings that he wrote in greeting cards and on the headings of agendas and in small self- published books that barely sold enough copies to pay for the paper they were printed on. In his best year, my grandfather made just enough money to barely creep over the poverty line.

Many years afterwards, seeing me stressed out over some inane thing or the other at the big corporation I worked for (in one of those big glass boxes), my grandfather said:

“Are they killing your soul Charlie? Are they taking away what makes your heart fly and your mind shine and your eyes sing?” (I told you Grandpa was a poet).

“I think they are, Grandpa.” I said, almost in tears.

“You will only be here for a short time, Charlie. Dont let anyone take away your joy for even one minute of your precious life.” (Once again, I told you Grandpa was a poet)

This brings me back to the topic of this article. Yes, Business owner, you should do all the analysis that you can to decide if you should keep your business alive. There are lots of services, ranging in price from free to millions of dollars, that will help you decide if there is a future for your business.

But in your analysis, when adding up the pluses and minuses and comparing financial and personal gains and losses, do one thing. Add the issue of “How else can I make a living and would I like it?” to the equation and give that topic an important score in your analysis.

Grandpa never regretted having less money for a much more fulfilling life. Nor did grandma once she realized how much happier the whole family was once they were living a less stressful and more simplified life in a healthy and scenic part of the country. One year after his decision, and in celebration, my grandparents burned their “___ Hours til the weekend” and “___ Days til retirement” gag calendars they had received when Grandpa had started his corporate career.

So dear reader, before you throw in the towel, I, the business consultant, and my grandfather, the lover of life, professionally advise you to make sure the towel remaining is better than the one you want to throw away.

About The Author

Charles McCaron is the founder and owner of My Guru Knows, a group of professional consultants for small to medium-sized businesses. Visit http://www.myguruknows.com for more information.

The history of the Celtic peoples goes back thousands of years. The early Celts displayed their skills in complex artwork particularly metal, jewelry and weapons as they were regarded as fierce warriors by the Romans. Evidence of celtic crossses and celtic artwork can still be found all over Ireland.

Modern Celtic peoples have evolved symbols for themselves, and in the North American people of Celtic descentoften wear these symbols to show that they are of Celtic descent. The ancient Celts passed knowledge down through an oral tradition of storytelling and didn’t keep many written records, consequently, there is little evidence of their tattooing remaining even though celtic cross tattoos and celtic know tattoos are very popular designs.

Most of Celtic tattoo designs are taken from the Irish Illuminated Manuscripts ‘The Book of Kells’, on display in the library of Trinity College in Dublin, my home town. This is a much later time period than the height of Celtic tattooing. Designs from ancient stone and metal work are more likely to be from the same time period as Celtic tattooing.

Celtic knot tattoos are usually loops with no end or beginning symbolising the never ending cycle of death and rebirth. Celtic animal (zoomorphic tattoo designs) designs are similar in construction but the cords terminate in feet, heads, tails. Pure knots are usually unending, unless the end of a strand is stylized into a zoomorphic element or a spiral.

Celtic knotwork’s meaning defies literal translation and is to be found at a deeper level. The repeated crossing of the physical and the spiritual are expressed in the interlace of the knots. The never ending path of the strands may represent the permanence and the continuum of life, love and faith and for these reason celtic tattoos have become so popular.

For people who have a Celtic heritage, whether Irish, Scots or Welsh , getting a Celtic design can be a way of expressing pride in their heritage by reaffirming an affinity the indigenous artistic style of their ancestors. They are usually not easy designs to do, and it is strongly recommended to anyone contemplating getting one to make sure that the artist they are considering has experience in designing Celtic tattoos. Not all tattoo artist have the eye for detail and exacting line placement needed to draw the intricate patterns particular to Celtic art.

Tattoo Designs & Tattoo Galleries
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com

Crazy for chocolates but scared of eating it? No more compromises with your taste buds needed. Chocolate lovers can now enjoy their favourite treat subtracting the guilt of being unfair to their health. Surprised? But that’s true!

Recent studies have revealed that chocolates are not only your taste bud’s favourite but a supporter of good health too. In fact this brown wonder has far more advantages than you can smell and taste.

In good measures, chocolate can be considered as a healthy food. So let me introduce you to the better half of your chocolate.

Chocolates are an instant energy boosters. They are a good combo of nutrients, proteins as well as vitamins. No wonder this makes chocolate a must for ration packs in the army, for trampers/hikers, mountain climbers. Besides the nutritional constituents chocolates also contain Flavonals. Flavonals are antioxidants, also present in apples, onions, peanuts, cranberries and red wine. In fact a 50mg bar of dark chocolate is equivalent to six apples, two glasses of wine and seven onions in its flavonoid content.

It’s also been believed that chocolates also posses anti clotting effect in same measures as an aspirin. Thus chocolates assists in reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis when flying.

Another research brought forward the fact that eating chocolate laced with calcium reduces the absorption of chocolate derived fats by 13% and calories by 9% as compared to a naked bar. So if you are overweight, do lace your chocolate with calcium and then munch it.

If you like the pleasant smell of this wonder here is a better reason for you to sniff it. It has been proved that even sniffing a chocolate bars can boost up your immune system by raising the level of antibodies in the body. The addition of as little as 15 to 20 grams of dark chocolate in the daily diet has been shown to provide the necessary benefits.

Have you ever wondered, why love strucked people keep exchanging chocolates? Chocolates contain some natural substances that help in fighting against heart diseases and other related circulatory disorders. Hmmmmm…. So probably the reason is to keep their exchanged hearts safe!

Another healthy component of this delicacy is theobromine. It helps you to cure cough without any side effect of drowsiness as in the case of ceodeine. The best part of your favourite chocolate bar is its tryptophan content. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, its consumption triggers the release of serotonin, a feel good neurotransmitter, in the brain that stimulate the central nervous system and makes you feel happy. The fat boosts other ‘feel good’ brain chemicals called endorphins and may have the same effect as marijuana.

Chocolates also generates the feeling of attraction and raises your excitment level by the activity of another neurotransmitter, phenylethylamine which acts on the brain’s pleasure centre. No wonder chocolates are love birds favourite!

Your chocolate cravings must have reached height by now, so go ahead and grab your today’s health dose. But do remember, some wise men have said that excess of anything is bad.

Michael Douglas, being an health expert offers valuable tips and articles on health and fitness. Visit his website at http://www.time4tips.com/ to know more about him and his amazing work in healthcare industry. Here you can also find a bulk of beauty, makeup tips, information and homemade remedies to make you even more beautiful and stylish.

Subscribe to the info-packed Newsletter for the latest tips.

In my other articles I have described the process of grief and how and why do we grieve over a loss. In this article I describe the factors that delay or disallow a person to bring the issue of a loss to a closure. When the closure does not happen, the person is pre-occupied with the departed person. This prevents the person from moving on in life. So the grief of this person may persist indefinitely.

In my clinical practice, I have come across two kinds of people in whom grief can continue indefinitely.

The first factor that delays completion of the process is Anger. When a person carries anger against the departed or dead person, the process of grief does not conclude. In all such cases it is better to work through issues of anger with the person first before starting grief work. For example I once saw a man whose father was an alcoholic. The alcoholic father used to be physically violent when he had consumed some alcohol. The son had a difficult time letting his father go. Only when the anger had been worked through, did he come to peace with himself and his father. If the anger would not have been addressed, the grief could not have come to an end for a long time. No amount of counselling or psychotherapy would have been of help.

The second factor that affects grief process is Fear. When a parent dies, for example, the children can carry the fear even after many years. Usually this would occur when the parent was authoritarian but there may not be any violence involved. Emotional abuse involves threat, rejection and neglect. People who are emotionally abused may have difficulties in concluding grief. Fear has to be dealt with first before the grief process can be concluded.

Most of the people would be able to complete their grief over a year. But some of them can do it sooner. The more a person is relaxed, the less time it will it take to finish with their grief. The more the person feels insecure in themselves, the longer it is going to complete the grief process. Anger and fear make a person feel insecure. These emotions when held on to, disallow a person to move on in life, by keeping them pre-occupied with the memories of the departed person.

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of “The Stress Barrier-Nature’s Way To Overcoming Stress” published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.

Please visit =>http://www.drpkchadha.com

Almost every description of the Seychelles appears to be a bit over the top. Is it only the easily impressed who get to visit and write about the Seychelles? The magic of these islands is however real. Impressions gained of this dream island paradise will be your refuge when you return to those long working hours. Just like everybody imagines paradise, the Seychelles islands are far away, peaceful and stunningly beautiful.

It is the peace and quiet that attracted the writer Somerset Maugham when he sought to work on a novel without interruption. Most visitors do not however come here to work. The main draw of the islands has always been the beaches, snorkeling and diving. The attractions of the natural world particularly the birdlife, tropical fish and the unique physical environment are a bonus.

After your Seychelles holiday you may want to impress your friends by these two facts. The islands are the only mid ocean island group in the world with a granite rock formation. And that Aldabra, a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site is the largest coral atoll in the world. Some will of course not understand what you are talking about but the point will be clear that you have traveled to a place of distinction.

Jacques Costeau whose part of the documentary, The Silent World was shot in the Seychelles said that he had never been anywhere else with such clarity of water or diversity of reef life.

The islands are also a good place to get married and to enjoy the tropical honeymoon of your life. Few other destinations can beat the combination of beauty and romance. For this and other reasons I cannot go through here, It is my firmly held position that visitors who get married here go on to a happy married life and are sooner joined by cute little ones!

The Seychelles is a year round destination. But if you must undertake a specific activity, then you need to pick the most suitable season. Windsurfing and sailing are best at the start and end of the trade winds - May and October. Diving enthusiasts should go for dates between March and May or September to November, although conditions are excellent year round.

Those keen on the birdlife should note that April marks the beginning of the breeding season. Bird Island, in particular is overrun by sea birds between May and September. Due to drier conditions, the period May to September has best conditions for hiking and walking.

The other factor you may want to consider is cost. The Seychelles is considered to be a top-drawer destination. In general, the peak falls between mid December-early January and mid July-end August when most Seychelles hotels and resorts trade in the currency known as top-dollar. The off-season periods vary with each establishment much more widely than most other destinations.

The discount in designated off-season periods relative to the peak season falls between 20-60%. Some of the smaller premises however charge a uniform rate year round. If you have a flexible schedule, good planning can result in considerable savings.

Copyright © Africa Point

About the Author

Andrew Muigai is editor of AfricaPoint Insider online newsletter. It is part of AfricaPoint.com- the Africa travel website that has helped thousands of travelers discover Africa. You can view more info on Seychelles tours and vacations at the website

You’ve finally decided to introduce a puppy to your household, the big question now of course, is what type of dog are you going to get?

For some of us this is fairly easy to answer as we’re partial to a certain breed. For others it can be a tough decision.

Should you get a big dog, a small dog or one that’s partway in between?

One that has long hair, or perhaps a short coated breed that requires minimal grooming?

A dog that will fit in well with your children or do you want one for companionship?

These are just some of the things you need to ask yourself before you can start narrowing down the breed of dog you’re after.

As you no doubt have already discovered dogs come in many shapes and sizes, some require more exercise than others, some need special grooming, some still might be pre-disposed to certain medical conditions.

One of the best places to start is to narrow the field down by
eliminating what you don’t want/can’t have.

If you live in a small, confined area it may be too hard for you to give a larger breed the exercise it will need. So stick with the smaller/miniature breeds.

If you know that you won’t have the time to maintain/groom a dog that requires it, don’t select a dog that will need constant attention unless you have the ability to take it to a dog groomers etc.

If you have small children make sure you choose a dog that can both grow with them and has the temperament to handle a bit of rough treatment. Some dogs are not suitable for small children, they can be snappy, while others, often the medium to large breeds, are well suited to the roughhousing they will endure.

For the elderly, often a smaller dog is great for companionship, and they don’t require anywhere near as much exercise as the larger dogs.

Once you’ve narrowed that list down, do some more research. Talk with breeders, your vet, local animal welfare, canine association etc. and get all the information you can on the breeds you’re choosing from. If you’re not fussed on whether it’s a purebred or not and are happy to rescue one from the pound/welfare ask as many questions about it as you can to try and determine whether the pup will fit into your lifestyle.

Now that you’ve chosen your breed do some more research. Ask around and find out who are the reputable breeders of your chosen breed, follow up by making sure they will allow you to see the parent(s) of the puppy, and will let you visit their kennels. Check with the vet to see if they have any knowledge of the breeder and can help you ascertain whether they get their regular checkups, puppy vaccinations etc.

After all that comes the hardest part of all: waiting. Once you’ve chosen your breed, selected the breeder and picked out your puppy you’ll find yourself having to wait until the pup is at least eight weeks old until you can bring it home. To help make the time go quicker, use it to prepare your house for the new arrival.

V.Brown is a long time dog owner/lover. And after recently acquiring another new pup has decided to share her tips as she once again puts them to practice.
http://www.freewebs.com/dogzspotz/index.htm

Blogs or more specifically… Niche Blogs are simply blogs that are topic focused and target a specific market and/or niche.

More importantly though, these blogs contain targeted information that their target market is searching for.

This is KEY.

As an affiliate marketer we are always told that information, whether its an article, review, ebook, ecourse, report, mp3 or pod cast, is a key Pre-Selling tool before your potential customer decides to buy what it is that your offering.

This is where Niche Blogs come into play because of there many capabilities and functions.

The biggest advantage Blogs have is they give you the ability to syndicate your content and/or information through a technology called RSS(Real Simple Syndication).

The types of content you are able to syndicate are as follows:

- Articles

- Product Reviews

- eBooks

- eCourses

- Special Reports

- Mp3 Files

- Steaming Video(A.K.A Pod Casting)

Are you starting to see the advantages to blogs or more importantly, having a network of affiliate Niche Blogs?

I hope so.

Also, with your blog comes an RSS Feed that your potential visitors can subscribe to.

Whats this mean for you?

Simple. When ever you post to your affiliate Niche Blog or network of Niche Blogs guess who will INSTANTLY receives that post?

That’s right, who ever subscribes to your RSS Feed.

Are you starting to see the many benefits of having a Niche Blog and incorporating it into your affiliate marketing mix?

Only you can answer that.

Another great thing about Blogs in general is that search engines love them and everytime you post to your Niche Blog it “Pings” the search engines and other RSS Directories you’ve submitted to letting them know that there’s new fresh content for them to come and index.

The more you post, the more pages that will be produced, which means… more for the search engines to index, which means… more traffic to your Niche Blog.

The best way to take advantage of your new source of traffic and maximize your Niche Blog profits is to modify your blog template and add Google Adsense and your affiliate programs marketing materials to it.

By doing this, everytime you post to your Niche Blog your marketing message will always be there and Google Adsense will display targeted ads related to your content.

Now, I can’t go into alot of detail on how to modify blog templates in this article simply because that’s an article within itself and then some.

All I really wanted to get across to you is the advantages to having your own Niche Blog as part of your affiliate marketing mix to help market your affiliate programs to your target audience.

Blogs are here to stay so we might as well take advantage of them in any way that we can.

Cory Threlfall is the Editor and Publisher of a online
webmaster publication called… The Internet Wonders eZine,
where you’ll receive ‘Daily’ via the Web or RSS syndication
Expert Articles, Product Reviews, HOT Tips, and More on how
to Promote and Build your business online. Go NOW to ==>
http://www.internetwondersezine.com